The Eden Factor (Kathlyn Trent/Marcus Burton Romance Adventure Series Book 2) (3 page)

"They were like stone,"
Kathlyn replied. "I've seen enough skeletons to know what happens to organic
material over the course of time, Don. Trust me when I say that these were
very, very old."

Ballard sighed; it was obvious he
was having a hard time accepting her theory. "Could you sketch something
for me from memory, just so I can get an idea of what you're trying to
describe?"

"Marcus already has,"
she motioned to her husband, who produced three rather good drawings.
"It's not a bad representation at all."

Ballard sat back in his cushy
executive chair, contemplating the pencil sketches on the table. They included
both scale and dimension, expertly done by Burton's trained hand. "Look, I
don't have to say this," he began hesitantly. "But what you are
suggesting is fantastic at best.  This isn't the Ahora Gorge where you took
photos of, allegedly, Noah's Ark, or an X-Ray of a pillar in Scotland said to
house the Holy Grail. It's not even the discovery of the pharaoh's intact tomb,
in which you were instrumental.  This is much bigger than all of that
combined."

Kathlyn nodded her head
patiently. "I know, Don."

"This isn't like unearthing
the tomb of that ancient Mayan king that you did."

"I know."

"Or the discovery of the
additional trove of Caucasian mummies in China that the Chinese government
called you in for."

"I know, Don."

"No, I don't think you do,"
Ballard set the drawings down. "What we're talking about, plain and
simple, is the confirmation of mythology. Do you have any ideas what can of
worms that will open up?"

"It's no different from any
other Biblical relic I've gone after," Kathlyn insisted. "You either
believe or you don't. Even scientific evidence can't change some people's
minds.  There are those who think every archaeological find is tainted with
fraud, so it's not like I'm producing the keys to Heaven. It's just a skeleton,
Don. All we can do is excavate it and present the evidence."

Ballard shook his head as if
warding off the Devil. "It's not just any skeleton, Kathlyn, and you know
it. For the past half hour you've been telling me that you found a...
a...."

"An angel."

Ballard stared at her as if she
had just sprouted trees out of her ears. Then he looked at Burton; Marcus had a
much more logical reputation within the archaeological community, something the
more conservative members appreciated as opposed to Trent's newfangled ideas.
His university affiliation was different from his wife's, the University of
California at Paso Robles. It was an older, more traditional school of thought.
Maybe he would give a straight answer.

"Dr. Burton," Ballard
said. "You saw this thing. What do you think?"

Marcus was in somewhat of a spot.
He had indeed examined the skeleton and knew what it appeared to be. But that
didn't necessarily make it what his wife said it was. He wasn't sure how to
answer. Kathlyn wasn't looking at him, however, implying silent threats if he
didn't go along with her. She was drinking her soda, looking at her lap.

"It looked like a skeleton
with wings," he said flatly. "The only way to know for sure is to
remove it from the site and analyze it.  Only then will we get a handle on
whatever it is."

"Do you think it's really an
angel?"

Marcus sighed and shook his head.
"It's something. That's for damn sure."

"But an angel?"

"What more do you want me to
say? My expertise is in Egyptology, not Biblical relics. If my wife says it's an
angel, then maybe you should listen to her."

Ballard's gaze moved back to
Kathlyn. He'd known Kathlyn for several years, watching her cable shows on The
World of Exploration Channel along with the rest of the world, enthralled with
her beauty, charisma and intelligence. She was the biggest publicity tool that
SCU and World Geography had. But her latest claim could be the most explosive
subject yet. Ballard's newness made him incredibly cautious. He didn't want to
look like a fool in his first year.

"Look," he said
quietly. "I want to believe, really.  That's not the issue.  But this
doesn't have anything to do with the fact that your search for Alexander the
Great's tomb fell through, does it?"

Kathlyn shook her head.
"Absolutely not. We applied for permits and were denied based on the fact
that the Greek government, who already had a dig on the site, put up a fuss.
One has nothing to do with the other."

Ballard didn't say anything for a
moment, reflecting on whether or not Dr. Trent was so enthusiastic about her
angel because her last big objective had been given the axe. Kathlyn Trent was
not one to sit still for long, always moving forward with one lofty goal after
another. It was like jumping from one intimate relationship to another, using
one to ease the ache from the one that didn't work out. He hated to use that
analogy, but that's almost what it seemed like.

"I know you two came a very
long way to talk to me," he finally said. "I really appreciate it.
Dr. Trent, write up a proposal for your angel and let me take a look at it.
Tell me what kind of support you'll need and how we fit in. Of course, World
Geography and The World of Exploration Channel get all exclusivity rights for
media purposes, all the usual crap."

Kathlyn knew the drill. She
smiled weakly, knowing their meeting was basically over. "Thanks a lot,
Don. I know it's hard to believe; trust me, I know. But I'm telling you, this
thing is the real deal. I don't know what else to say about it other than I'll
do my best to prove it to you."

Ballard put up a hand. He was
growing uncomfortable about the subject because he truly couldn't get excited
about it. "I know you will. Hey, how are those kids of yours?"

It was a discreet change of
subject. They all knew it. Marcus was the first one to leap up with pictures.
"Ethan weighs about twenty two pounds at fourteen months old," he
handed Don the picture of blue-eyed twins. "Trent is about a half a pound
less. They're walking all over the place, according to my parents."

"Have your folks been
watching them while you've been abroad?" Don asked.

Marcus nodded. "We had the
boys in Egypt for a while, but it's just not a good place for them thee. My
parents took them back to California about two months ago."

"You haven't seen them
since?"

"That's where we're heading
right after this meeting."

Don handed the picture back.
Kathlyn was subdued; he sensed it was disappointment in the meeting in general.
Ballard thought she was a wonderful archaeologist and a tremendous media
presence, but he just couldn't jump on her band wagon right now. He knew that
Dougray had before he had turned against her; now, with the changing of the
guard, things were going to be different and Dr. Trent was going to have to
adjust.

"Well, I'm sure they will
have grown a mile," Don came from behind his desk and walked them to the
door. "Then it's back to Egypt?"

Marcus nodded. "Ay's tomb is
not even a quarter excavated. Damn thing is so big it's going to take years to
finish it."

"Well, it's certainly a
prize worth excavating. How many seasons you been on it?"

"This is the second, but
I've been there a total of five seasons now."

Don looked up at the enlarged
magazine covers lining his wall in great gold frames. For December 2003 was a
huge blow-up of one of the unexcavated chambers in Ay's tomb, the pharaoh who
ruled Egypt right after Tutankhamun. Marcus had been excavating in the Valley
of the Kings for three seasons in search of another undiscovered pharaoh's tomb
when his university had contracted with Dr. Trent to come in and consult. The
woman had a talent for finding tombs, and they wanted her badly.

It had been quite a story, one
the media had latched on to and turned into something of a modern-day fairy
tale. At first, putting Burton and Trent together on the same dig was like
throwing gasoline on a fire. They fought like cats and dogs. Burton didn't want
the loose-cannon, media-savvy archaeologist on his site, but in spite of that,
Trent had located the tomb within a couple of days. KV 65 had been the richest
archaeological find in the history of the profession, an un-plundered tomb in
the heart of the Egyptian necropolis. Somewhere in the chaos and excitement,
Burton and Trent stopped fighting and got married. A year and a half later,
they were positively inseparable. But they still fought like cats and dogs on
occasion from what he had heard.

But not at the moment, of course.
Marcus was trying very hard to be supportive of his wife's assertion. He, like
Ballard, didn't share her strong faith even though he had been witness to it.
It was just too fantastic for his logic to handle.

"You two have a safe
drive," Ballard opened his office door. "Kathlyn, I'll look for that
proposal in the next few days."

Kathlyn nodded as Marcus put his
arm around her shoulders. "I'll get it to you as quickly as I can."

"Thanks again, Dr.
Ballard," Marcus extended his hand.

Ballard shook hand with them
both, closing the door behind them. He stood there a moment before puffing out
his cheeks and exhaling sharply. Angels, he thought wryly. But coming from Kathlyn
Trent, it wasn't all that outrageous.

He found himself secretly hoping
she was right.

***

The drive up to central
California had been a long one. Marcus' parents lived on an acre of land
outside of the town of Modesto, California. It was flat agricultural land, very
hot in the summer. Up until a year ago, Al and Louise Burton had lived in an
old double wide mobile home, but Kathlyn and Marcus had built them a nice three
bedroom home to spend their retirement years in. Marcus felt a sense of relief as
he pulled the rental car into the long gravel driveway; this was where he grew
up, the place where he felt most grounded. He was glad to be home again.

Two toddlers were up on the new
redwood porch. Ethan and Trent Burton recognized their parents immediately.
They whooped and screamed, but when Kathlyn tried to pick them up, they
scattered like frightened chickens. Marcus chased down Trent while Kathlyn
grabbed Ethan and swung the boy in circles until he giggled uncontrollably. She
couldn't stop kissing him, even though he had a runny nose that made his whole
face raw and slick. She hadn't realized until that moment how much she had
missed them.

Kathlyn was relatively silent
throughout the welcome-home dinner and into the evening. She spent most of her
time with the twins while Marcus played catch-up with his parents. They didn't
have much time in California before returning to Egypt and they were determined
to cram every second full of memories. It was odd for them to spend a normal,
quiet evening together as a family; most of their life together had been spent
on the sands of Egypt in one precarious situation or another. It was an alien,
comforting feeling.

Kathlyn lay on the rug in the
family room, letting the twins crawl all over her, her mood growing dark.  It
was not an unusual conflict within her; wanting to raise her children, yet
wanting to be out in the field doing her myth-chasing, as her husband called
it. Her life had always been archaeology until the unexpected birth of the
babies last year; she was still having a difficult time adjusting. The guilt of
not being a full-time mother was overwhelming.

Marcus left his parents doing
dishes in the brand-new kitchen, finding his wife spread across the green
carpet in the family room. Ethan, older than his brother by three hours,
bounced on his mother's legs. Trent lay with his head across her neck.  Marcus
stood over them and smiled.

"Looks like you're being
double teamed," he said.

Kathlyn looked up at him, her
dark blond hair spread out over the rug.  Marcus felt a strong sense of
adoration wash over him as he gazed at her; she was such a beautiful,
intelligent woman. All of the myth-chasing and public adoration be damned, he
never loved her more than when he saw her with their children.

 "Trent's wiping snot all
over my neck," she said. "Your mom says he's been sick."

Marcus lowered his big frame down
and Ethan immediately climbed off his mother and threw himself, face-first,
onto his father. Marcus grunted as the baby hit him in the chest.

"She says they've both been
sick," he held Ethan under the arms. "They seem fine now, for the
most part."

Trent began singing a cooing
little song, grabbing his mother's shirt and opening his little mouth as if
trying to bite her.  The little teeth pinched flesh and she winced.

"I think he still wants to
breast feed," she said.

Marcus watched the baby root at
her shirt as if looking for something. "You gave that up a couple of
months ago, right before they left Egypt."

Kathlyn tried to distract the
baby, but he wouldn't be soothed. She finally unbuttoned her shirt, exposed a
breast, and put him on the nipple. Even though she was no longer lactating, the
baby quieted immediately. She and Marcus looked at each other and shrugged.