The Mummy Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (24 page)

“What’s that?”

“Stop living on the sidelines. You might miss out. And something else . . .”

“Yes?”

“You can live a lifetime in just one look.”

“Hmm. Sounds like a very smart bloke.”

Her smile was as mysterious and lovely as her eyes. “Wise beyond his years . . .”

And they kissed, still way off tempo and yet in perfect time with each other.

Rick O’Connell was giving his wife one of those lifetime’s worth of loving looks. “So how about it? You ready to support me again?”

A wonderful smile blossomed on Evy’s beautiful face. “How’s that?”

“I think I’ve fixed you up with enough research so you can get back to the typewriter. Don’t you figure Dash and Scarlet have their next adventure ready to go?”

“Maybe I don’t want write about such things anymore.”

“Oh?”

“Why write about it when you can live it . . . Anyway, can we agree that retirement is not our style?”

“Oh yes. Though I wouldn’t mind putting mummies behind us.”

Her smile turned surprisingly wistful. “But, darling, you must admit there’s something terribly romantic about vanquishing the undead.”

“True. And even more romantic doing it with you.”

Her smile was shape-shifting into a pucker. “Kiss me, why don’t you?”

“You don’t have to ask me twice, Mrs. O’Connell . . .”

They were kissing as Jonathan Carnahan, in rather nondescript traveling attire, suitcase in hand, was heading toward the stairs that led up to the street. Maguire crossed to him.

Jonathan nodded toward the dance floor. “Don’t tell them I’m leaving. I am simply rotten at good-byes.”

“I get you, mate. But they’re gonna miss you. Me, too, truth be told.”

The two men shook hands warmly.

Maguire put his hands on the hips of Jonathan’s former tuxedo. “Where are you off to, old son?”

“South America beckons. Tropical beaches and a sea of suntanned beauties. And . . .” He leaned in to whisper. “. . . boundless opportunities to seek one’s fortune. Fame, I’ve had my fill of. Tell you what, Mr. Maguire—I’ll drop you a telegram when I arrive.”

Within moments, Jonathan was stepping into a taxi, telling the driver, “Airport, please, and step on it. I’m off to a place where they’ve never
heard
of mummies.”

The Chinese driver stared at him blankly.

Jonathan sighed. “You have no idea what I’m saying, do you? I’d be better off talking to a yeti or perhaps a yak. Oh well.” And he struggled to get his point across in wretched Mandarin.

Finally the taxi pulled into busy traffic on the neon-lined street, Jonathan feeling a pang leaving the O’Connells behind, but honestly not seeing any reason why they might ever find an excuse to come visit him in Peru.

He was of course unaware that, before too very long, while digging a well, a Chinese farmer in the town of Xi’an would discover the tomb of the terra-cotta warriors, which would come to be considered one of the greatest wonders of the ancient world. How they returned to their terra-cotta state after the great battle near the colossus of Er Shi Huangdi would be a mystery that Rick and Evy O’Connell, and their son, Alex, would one day come to discuss.

The O’Connells would also discuss the strange coincidence that almost simultaneously, Incan mummies were found in the mountains of Peru.

But that is another story.

Author’s Note

H
aving written the tie-in novels based on the screenplays for both
The Mummy
(1999) and
The Mummy Returns
(2001), I was delighted to be asked back to chart the O’Connells’ third adventure. My thanks to Stephen Sommers, the creator of the characters and the concept, and to screenwriters Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who have continued the saga so well.

I am particularly grateful to Cindy Chang of Universal Studios, who was extremely helpful, getting me various drafts of the screenplay as well as visual reference that made the process smooth and enjoyable. Readers of movie tie-ins are often unaware that these books have to be written from the screenplays only, with no access to the film itself (which is often being shot at the same time the novel is being written). With a story as visually driven as this one, reference materials are key to making the novel compatible with the film, and I thank Cindy for her stellar support.

I would also like to thank and acknowledge editors Tom Colgan and Kristen Weber; my friend and agent, Dominick Abel; and my wife (and live-in editor), Barbara Collins, the Evy to my Rick, as well as Nate Collins, our Alex, who helped me figure out a key action scene.

About the Author

Max Allan Collins
was hailed in 2004 by
Publishers Weekly
as “a new breed of writer.” A frequent Mystery Writers of America Edgar® Award nominee, he has earned an unprecedented fourteen Private Eye Writers of America Shamus nominations for his historical thrillers, winning for
True Detective
and
Stolen Away.

His graphic novel
Road to Perdition
is the basis of the Academy Award-winning film starring Tom Hanks and directed by Sam Mendes. His comics credits include the syndicated strip
Dick Tracy,
his own
Ms. Tree; Batman;
and
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,
for which he has also written video games and a
USA Today
—bestselling series of novels.

An independent filmmaker in the Midwest, he has written and directed such features as the Lifetime movie
Mommy
and the recent DVD release,
Eliot Ness: An Untouchable Life.
His produced screenplays include the HBO World Premiere
The Expert
and the current
The Last Lullaby,
based on his acclaimed novel
The Last Quarry.

His other credits include film criticism, short fiction, songwriting, trading-card sets, and movie/TV tie-in novels, among them the international bestsellers
Saving Private Ryan, Air Force One,
and the Scribe Award-winning
American Gangster.

Collins lives in Muscatine, Iowa, with his wife, writer Barbara Collins.