{"id":379,"date":"2014-12-30T07:22:19","date_gmt":"2014-12-30T07:22:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/?page_id=379"},"modified":"2022-01-01T20:25:32","modified_gmt":"2022-01-02T02:25:32","slug":"part9","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/episodes\/episode10\/part9\/","title":{"rendered":"Part 9"},"content":{"rendered":"

Episode 10: \u00a0Catch Her If You Can<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 9<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI am afraid you are too late,\u201d the curator of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo told Nick, Diamond, and Styx as they approached her, fresh off their flight from Italy. \u201cI just received word from the guards that someone has stolen our most prized manuscript of the Book of the Dead<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn,\u201d Nick muttered as he and his companions followed the curator while she walked down the hallway.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t understand how this could have happened,\u201d the curator continued. \u201cWe have an immense amount of security guarding this building because of the great amount of antiquities we house here. There\u2019s not a moment that any piece in this place is not being watched.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, with all due respect, Ms…?\u201d Diamond began, realizing that she\u2019d never introduced herself to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I\u2019m sorry, how could I be so rude?\u201d The curator turned around and smiled at them, extending her hand to them. \u201cMy name is Evelyn. Evelyn Carnahan. Everyone calls me Evy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI go by Diamond, Evy.\u201d Diamond shook her hand. \u201cHow did she get away with this if there\u2019s always someone watching?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, Diamond.\u201d Evy sighed. \u201cI was just about to head to the main security office to get some answers when you arrived. Shall we?\u201d She motioned to the large marble staircase in front of them, and they all walked up together as Evy continued to explain the situation as best as she could. \u201cWhat she took was one of several different Books of the Dead<\/em> that we have, but she picked the most expensive of them all. You see, there were several versions of the Book of the Dead<\/em>, and we have a selection of copies on display from different periods of ancient Egyptian history.\u201d Evy stopped as they stood in the middle of an expansive library. \u201cThis room is filled with rare and expensive books, not unlike the caliber of the Book of the Dead<\/em>. But none of them are as recognizable as the Book<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat fits with her motive. She seems like she wants the attention as much as she wants the books themselves,\u201d Nick commented.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you are\u2026?\u201d Evy asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNick Carter,\u201d Nick said with a smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cNice to meet you, Rick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy name is Nick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, of course, Rick. Anyway,\u201d she continued, leading them further into the room before Nick had the chance to correct her again, \u201cThe room where the Books<\/em> are held is just beyond that door.\u201d She pointed to a doorway flanked by two large men in security uniforms. \u201cIn each room, there are at least half a dozen high-tech cameras covering each corner to make absolutely sure there are no blind spots for anyone to hide — or steal. The Books<\/em> were kept in glass display cases outfitted with heat and pressure sensors placed not only in the edges of the glass but the book displays themselves. As soon as she moved that glass and picked up that book, we knew about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd those men were here the whole time?\u201d Diamond asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThem, plus two others placed inside of the room on patrol and two more posted at the other exit to the room. We\u2019re all at a loss as to how she managed to blend in with the crowd and escape their sights.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should go and look at those security tapes,\u201d Diamond said, the end of her sentence fading away from Nick\u2019s hearing as he wandered down an aisle of shelves and skimmed the spines with his fingers. He was not all that interested in history, but Ancient Egypt had always seemed pretty cool to him. He stopped when he saw a ladder leaning against one of the bookshelves and decided to climb up and get a better look at some of the other books.<\/p>\n

\u201cYo Nick, where are you?\u201d Styx called out. \u201cEvy\u2019s taking us to the–\u201d Styx stopped as he caught up to his mentor. \u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust\u2026 investigating, that\u2019s all,\u201d Nick replied casually.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we don\u2019t even know if she stopped in here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t say I was investigating the case<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease tell me you\u2019re not looking for stuff about mummy\u2019s curses and all that junk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t really looking for anything, but thanks for the idea, dude!\u201d Nick said, giving Styx a quick thumbs-up from his place high up on the ladder.<\/p>\n

\u201cNick! Styx! Where did you run off to?\u201d Diamond called. Styx tapped Nick on the leg and gave him an urgent look.<\/p>\n

\u201cChill, man. Go find Diamond and tell her I\u2019ll be there in a second,\u201d Nick instructed him. Styx shook his head amusedly as he walked away.<\/p>\n

Hmm\u2026 mummy\u2019s curses,<\/em> Nick thought as he looked at the books in front of him. Well, this one looks interesting. He tugged at the spine of one of the books, grunting as he realized how tightly it had been wedged in. He yelped in surprise when he successfully yanked the book out but found himself balancing on the ladder as it stood on its own in the middle of the aisle, having pushed away from the bookshelf as Nick pulled on the book. He dropped it immediately as he clung to the ladder with both hands and tried to move it back towards the shelf.<\/p>\n

\u201cNick, what the–\u201d Diamond began as she, Styx, and Evy came running as soon as they heard the book drop. The wing of the museum they were in had been closed off as soon as the robbery was discovered, so they knew they were supposed to be alone in this room.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe careful, Rick!\u201d Evy exclaimed.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy name is N- whoa!\u201d Nick screamed as he fell forward, crashing into the bookshelf. It toppled into the next bookshelf, which knocked into the next one. They all watched in complete shock as each bookshelf in the room tipped over like a set of large dominoes, resulting in a long, loud crash that settled in a pile of dust as the last bookshelf fell back onto the first. Thankfully for Nick, he had already rolled himself out of the way, albeit on the opposite side of the disaster as the others.<\/p>\n

\u201cNick, didn\u2019t this country suffer enough when they got hit with ten plagues?!\u201d Diamond reprimanded him.<\/p>\n

Styx tried to suppress his laughter as he stood between the two dumbfounded women. \u201cYou\u2019re a walking catastrophe, dude.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evy sighed as she looked around at the damage Nick had caused. \u201cI should hope nothing has been destroyed in this room, Rick\u2026\u201d Nick considered speaking up to correct her once again but decided against it, considering the expression on her face as she looked at him. \u201c\u2026or mummies, curses, and the Book of the Dead<\/em> will be the least of your worries.\u201d She began to walk away, motioning for the others to follow her. \u201cOh, and you were looking in the wrong place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diamond and Styx just shook their heads as they walked after Evy, looking around at the destruction Nick had caused.<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, guys? How am I supposed to get out of here?\u201d he asked, running his hand through his hair as he realized he was trapped on all sides by collapsed bookshelves.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess you\u2019ll have to clean your way out!\u201d Diamond called out teasingly without looking back.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry, Rick, I\u2019ll have a crew sent in to assess the damage and begin the repairs immediately. They\u2019ll get you out,\u201d Evy told him. \u201cFor now, time is of the essence. We really must find this girl before she leaves the country with the Book<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick growled in frustration as he watched Diamond and Styx leave with Evy. Styx turned around and shrugged at Nick before following Diamond out of the room.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Forty-five minutes later, Diamond, Styx, and a slightly calmer Nick walked out of the museum. They still had no real leads on Tanja and no idea how she had managed to steal the Book of the Dead<\/em>, but they decided to head back to their hotel and further analyze what evidence they had.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey guys, check it out,\u201d Nick said as he put on the novelty pharaoh hat he had bought at the gift shop on their way out. \u201cIm\u2026ho\u2026tep. Im\u2026ho\u2026tep.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diamond rolled her eyes as she snatched the hat off of Nick\u2019s head and shoved it back at him. \u201cI can\u2019t believe you\u2019re already back to joking after you nearly destroyed thousands of dollars worth of ancient historical documents! K is gonna have your ass when he finds out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot if we catch Tanja, he won\u2019t,\u201d Nick defended himself, tossing his hat back into the shopping bag. \u201cBesides, like you said, I only nearly<\/em> destroyed them. They were okay, and so my ass will be, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have nothing to go on! And thanks to your screwing around, she could be long gone by now. We know she never sticks around for long.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but we\u2019re catching up to her now. We\u2019re getting close; I can feel it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPardon me if I don\u2019t trust your gut very much right now, Nick,\u201d she snapped, rolling her eyes. \u201cIt\u2019s the same gut that told you to wander off in search of mummies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, come on, haven\u2019t I suffered enough?\u201d<\/p>\n

Diamond sighed. \u201cFor now, I guess.\u201d She stopped as they reached the bottom of the stairs and looked around. \u201cMaybe we should stop at a caf\u00e9 on the way to the hotel. I\u2019m famished after all this excitement; we haven\u2019t eaten since Milan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick put out his arm and gave Diamond his trademark grin. \u201cShall we?\u201d<\/p>\n

Diamond simply smiled back in reply and linked her arm with his as Styx walked behind them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how he does it\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

They stopped at the first caf\u00e9 they spotted near the museum. As they sat at a table in the dining area outside, Nick couldn\u2019t help feeling like he was missing something.<\/p>\n

And then he saw it: a flash of blonde hair and the sway of a long trench coat as a young woman walked past their table.<\/p>\n

His body stiffened as he focused on her, trying to get a good look at her, but she did her best to stay concealed. There was something shifty about the way she walked with her arms folded tightly across her trench coat as if she was guarding something tucked inside it.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuys, check out the girl who just walked by.\u201d He paused as they slyly glanced over and then looked back at him, having come to the same realization. \u201cLook familiar?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s going to get away,\u201d Diamond warned. \u201cWe have to go after her now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCount of three, we get up and corner her. One\u2026\u201d Nick calmly pulled out his wallet and dropped some cash on the table to cover their bill. \u201cTwo\u2026\u201d Diamond reached for her jacket casually as they all rose from the table. \u201cThree!\u201d Nick jumped up the rest of the way and hopped the small fence separating the restaurant from the sidewalk.<\/p>\n

\u201cStop, thief!\u201d Nick yelled as he pointed at Tanja, who hopped onto a nearby motorcycle and sped off, leaving Diamond and Styx to watch from the empty space she left behind. Nick looked around frantically as Diamond and Styx rejoined him, and that was when he found a solution. \u201cQuick, hop on!\u201d Nick patted the back of the motorcycle seat.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not all gonna fit on that, Nick,\u201d Styx commented as Diamond slid onto the seat, put on the helmet Nick handed her, and wrapped her arms around his waist.<\/p>\n

\u201cI picked this one for a reason, Styx; now get over here and hop in.\u201d Nick nodded next to him, and as Styx got closer, he saw the motorcycle had a sidecar and that its owner had mistakenly left the keys in the ignition.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to be kidding me,\u201d Styx mumbled to himself as he jumped into the sidecar and quickly put his helmet on, while Nick tore down the street in search of their elusive culprit.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Styx gripped the sides of the sidecar tightly as they weaved through traffic, trying to catch Tanja. She was running out of places to lose them, and when she made a sharp turn down a pier, he knew she was getting desperate.<\/p>\n

\u201cNick, stop!\u201d Styx called out. \u201cLook out!\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick hit the brakes suddenly, and Styx braced himself to avoid flying out of the sidecar. Tanja had driven off of the pier and landed on a waiting speedboat. She then jumped off of the bike and got behind the boat\u2019s controls.<\/p>\n

\u201cHold on tight; I think we can make it!\u201d Nick called to them over the roar of the motorcycle engine as it still revved beneath him.<\/p>\n

Styx looked up at him, horrified. \u201cDude, you can\u2019t–\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWatch me!\u201d he cut him off, leaning forward and narrowing his eyes as Styx said a silent prayer. Nick tore off down the pier, feeling briefly triumphant as the motorcycle left the pier. A second later, it flipped over, dumping the three of them into the water. \u201cSHITBALLS!\u201d he screamed as he surfaced, slapping the water angrily.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy hair! Ugh, just when I thought it couldn\u2019t suffer any more!\u201d Diamond moaned. \u201cYou idiot, didn\u2019t you realize the sidecar made our motorcycle heavier than hers?!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously not<\/em>!\u201d Nick said, motioning to the water surrounding them. \u201cWait a second, where\u2019s Styx?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight here!\u201d he called out to them from a couple of feet away. \u201cEnough of this bullshit; we gotta catch this girl NOW!\u201d He swam over to them, mumbling to himself. \u201cNearly got my ass flattened by a bookshelf, smushed on a highway, now drowned? Aw, hell<\/em> no!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCalm down, dude. We\u2019ll get her,\u201d Nick said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow? How can we possibly catch up with her now?\u201d Diamond asked, incredibly annoyed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s<\/em> how.\u201d Nick pointed at another boat approaching them, and they all swam out of the way to let it dock at the pier. Once the owner had gotten off the boat, they managed to climb up onto it and sped off after Tanja, getting her in their sight within minutes.<\/p>\n

Diamond took over the controls to try and get closer to her, while Nick took out his — thankfully waterproof — cell phone and called Jay.<\/p>\n

\u201cJay here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey man, we got here too late to stop her from taking the Book of the Dead, but we caught up with her outside of the museum,\u201d Nick explained, deciding to leave out his mishap with the ladder and bookshelves. Knowing Diamond, half of HimTak already knew, and it was only a matter of time before it got back to Jay — and K. \u201cWe\u2019re on her trail now, but who knows what other tricks she\u2019ll try to pull.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I was actually just about to call you, Carter. We just figured out that she\u2019s probably headed to Turkey next. I think this is gonna be the big showdown.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTurkey? Are you sure?\u201d Nick said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Carter, I\u2019m positive,\u201d Jay replied sternly. \u201cSo stay on her trail, and if you lose her, just meet us in Cappadocia.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCappuccino??\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCappadocia,\u201d Jay growled. \u201cIt\u2019s a region in central Turkey. Mapquest it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGot it. But I don\u2019t plan on losing this chick again, bro.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, yeah. Just get here one way or the other. We\u2019ll get her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019Kay. Bye.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBye,\u201d Jay replied.<\/p>\n

Nick looked up at Styx and Diamond as he hung up the phone. \u201cGet ready to head to Turkey. Jay thinks that\u2019s where she\u2019s going next, and that this will be the big faceoff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diamond sighed. \u201cShe\u2019s gotta be getting as tired as I am of all this traveling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI really hope so,\u201d Styx chimed in as he stood at the front of the boat and kept tabs on Tanja.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

A few minutes later, Nick decided that if this was really going to end in Turkey, he was going to get in one last phone call to the FBI.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgent–\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTOMMY BOY!\u201d Nick yelled into the phone.<\/p>\n

\u201cCarter,\u201d the agent replied through gritted teeth, and Nick snickered as he realized how much he really was pushing the man\u2019s buttons with these phone calls.<\/p>\n

\u201cYa know, I\u2019m really gonna miss almost bumping into you like this,\u201d Nick said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause you know we\u2019re going to catch you very soon? We\u2019re on to you, Nick. We know you\u2019re in Cairo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick scoffed. \u201cOh, please. Cairo is so lame\u2026o. Too much old stuff and not enough mummies and curses. I thought it would be more like Scooby-Doo. Zoinks!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep making fun, Nick; you know we\u2019re getting close.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot even.\u201d Nick paused for a moment and heard frantic shouting on the other end of the phone call. \u201cHey Tommy Boy, you got a refrigerator running?\u201d<\/p>\n

Tom sighed. \u201cOkay, I\u2019ll play along. But isn\u2019t it \u2018IS YOUR refrigerator running?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you misunderstood me. What I meant was, you got a refrigerator running your operation over there? Seems like a head of cabbage has more brains than all of you guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGee, look at the time! I\u2019m sorry I don\u2019t have time to spell this out for you, Tommy Boy, but my world tour is almost over! We\u2019re going to a place nearby! Gotta go!\u201d Nick said quickly, hanging up before Tom had the chance to respond.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Part 10<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Episode 10: \u00a0Catch Her If You Can Part 9   \u201cI am afraid you are too late,\u201d the curator of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo told Nick, Diamond, and Styx as they approached her, fresh off their flight from Italy. \u201cI just received word from the guards that someone has\u2026<\/p>\n

Read more<\/span><\/i><\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":145,"menu_order":9,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"templates\/template-onecolumn.php","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-379","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P5xaHX-67","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=379"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/379\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":999,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/379\/revisions\/999"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}