That Time in Paris Read online

  Edric started scratching on the board, and Wolfgang wondered why he bothered. It seemed needlessly time-consuming and repetitious.

  “Cairo,” Edric said, stepping back. “We’re going to Cairo.”

  Edric grinned at the room as if he were awaiting a standing ovation, but Cairo wasn’t exactly the warm, exotic locale Wolfgang had imagined. Nassau or Fiji would’ve hit the spot. Havana, even. Cairo?

  Edric sighed, then turned to the board and drew a large triangle. “Cairo,” he said. “Great Pyramids?”

  Lyle started slow-clapping, and the others quickly joined in. Edric rolled his eyes and motioned to the table. “You’re all jerks. Gather up.”

  Megan, Kevin, and Wolfgang joined Lyle at the table.

  “Three weeks ago,” Edric said, “a construction worker laboring on an apartment building in the Libyan village of Al Jawf uncovered a stone case that housed an ancient papyrus scroll inscribed with hieroglyphics. It seems he didn’t really know what he’d found, but he thought it might be valuable, so he went into town and found an American W.H.O. worker and tried to sell it. The American had enough education to recognize the extreme age of the scroll and bought it from him, then called Libyan authorities.”

  Edric wrote on the board the entire time he spoke, sketching words such as scroll and W.H.O. and connecting them with a mess of lines that, at first glance, made the entire story appear to be the structure of an elaborate bank heist.

  “The Libyans deployed some researchers to take a look, and they determined the scroll to date back to around one thousand B.C., possibly a relic of the Library of Alexandria. Obviously a valuable find.”

  “Why do I detect the sordid stench of impending corruption?” Kevin asked.

  Edric just smirked. “The Libyans confiscated the scroll from the W.H.O. worker and contacted Egyptian authorities. Apparently, Libya hasn’t got much interest in ancient literature, but they thought they could make a quick buck. After some haggling, Egypt agreed to purchase the scroll. They sent scientists to authenticate it, then placed it in a protective, vacuum-sealed case . . .”

  “And lost it,” Megan finished.

  Edric jabbed the marker at her. “Bingo. Someplace between Al Jawf and Cairo—amid a thousand kilometers of Sahara desert—the case went missing, along with its escorts.”

  “They drove straight through the desert?” Megan asked.

  “Yep. The research team from Cairo hasn’t been seen or heard from in six days, but one of the Land Rovers used in convoy turned up in southern Egypt earlier this week, riddled with bullet holes.”

  “Shit,” Kevin muttered.

  “What’s the value of the scroll?” Wolfgang asked.

  Edric shrugged. “The Egyptians bought it for one hundred twelve thousand Libyan dinars. About twenty-five thousand dollars, US.”

  “Not a lot to kill for,” Wolfgang said.

  “No, not really,” Edric said. “Except the Egyptians believe the scroll was worth more than ancient porn. Almost none of it was readable without restoration, but what snippets they gathered indicate the document to be some kind of burial record. The map to a tomb, if you will.”

  Silence filled the room as the morbid quality of the words sank in.

  Edric nodded slowly, then sat down at the end of the table. “At least a dozen tombs of the pharaohs have yet to be found,” he said. “When King Tut’s tomb was discovered in nineteen twenty-two, they valued the contents at tens of millions.”

  Wolfgang let out a low whistle. “Plenty to kill for.”

  Edric nodded. “Grave robberies have accounted for the destruction of numerous ancient artifacts and national treasures in Egypt. The Egyptian government wants to be sure that whatever tomb is documented on the scroll isn’t the next victim.”

  “So, they hired us to catch a book thief?” Kevin laughed.

  “You could say that,” Edric said. “Only, this book thief is well armed, probably not alone, and lost in the biggest desert on the planet.”

  Wolfgang fingered the dripping condensation on the outside of the Sprite can, evaluating the story and searching for inconsistencies or missing information. Then he grinned. “Well, procurement is in our name, right? Let’s go procure a grave map.”

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  (Launches April 23, 2021)

  About the Author

  Logan Ryles is the author of the action-thriller Reed Montgomery series, and the Wolfgang Pierce series. Originally from Alabama, he now lives with his wife in Tennessee. You can learn more about Logan’s books, sign up for email updates, and connect with him directly by visiting LoganRyles.com.

  Also by Logan Ryles

  The Wolfgang Pierce Novella Series

  Prequel: That Time in Appalachia (coming soon)

  Book 1: That Time in Paris

  Book 2: That Time in Cairo (coming April 23)

  Book 3: That Time in Moscow (coming May 7)

  Book 4: That Time in Rio (coming May 21)

  Book 5: That Time in Tokyo (coming June 4)

  Book 6: That Time in Sydney (coming June 18)

  The Reed Montgomery Thriller Series

  Prequel: Sandbox, a short story (read for free at LoganRyles.com)

  Book 1: Overwatch

  Book 2: Hunt to Kill

  Book 3: Total War

  Book 4: Smoke & Mirrors

  Book 5: Survivor

  Book 6: Death Cycle (coming soon)

  Book 7: Sundown (coming soon)

  Visit LoganRyles.com to receive a free copy of Sandbox.

  LoganRyles.com