A Life of Death: Episodes 9 - 12 Read Free Page B

drugged. I barely realized the glimpses I got of the wolf and ankh were one and the same.”
    “Dog.”
    “Right.” I paused, squinting at my friend. “Wait, how come you never mentioned you knew about this?”
    “Because everyone does.” He made a wide circle with his arms. “It’s nothing new. Didn’t you see Stargate ? There were ankhs and Anubises all over in it. It’s about different worlds, somewhere people still worshipped Ra and the ancient Egyptian gods. It came out years ago.”
    I shook my head. “No, I haven’t, but I know someone who can tell us more than we ever wanted to know.” I pointed at the bottom of the flyer where Dr. Mohammed Kamal’s name was listed as a guest speaker, a visiting Egyptian historian.
    “Alex, you gotta get a hold on yourself here. You’re grasping at straws. Irene, the only reason you came up here, is innocent. You’ve got nothing left to go on, so you’re gonna barge in on a visiting professor from Egypt based on a hunch? Does that sound sane to you?”
    “Yes, it does,” I agreed immediately. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this before. The ankh tattoos might be the key to breaking open this whole case.”
    The astonished look on Jessie’s face was almost comical, except for the ounce of fear hiding behind his eyes.
    What’s he hiding? I thought as I pulled into traffic.
     

 
    Eight
     
    Present or Past?
    September 16, 2011
     
    Pulling into the GWU campus, Jessie spotted the sign first. “There! Over there,” he said, pointing at a large, red-brick, two-story building with unique cornicing and window air conditioners hanging out upper-story windows. The look of it was quite interesting compared to other buildings on campus.
    “Anthropology, right?” I asked.
    “That’s what the guy on the phone said,” Jessie replied. “The Anthropology department hosts a bunch of the exchange students and visiting professors for the other departments. I couldn’t believe it when Dr. Kamal said he’d see you. You know he probably never sees anyone outside of the school faculty and students.”
    “That may be exactly why he agreed,” I said, grabbing my hat off the backseat and stepping out.
    “Maybe. I still think you’re chasin’ your tail on this, though,” Jessie added.
    I waved him off and locked the car. “We’ll soon see who’s right.”
    “Hold up a second,” Jessie said, walking around to my side, eyeing me up and down. “You gotta stop wearing that hat, Alex.”
    “What do you mean,” I asked, taking the fedora off my head and flipping it over in my hand. “It’s nice. It looks good.”
    “You ever seen those gangster movies set in the forties? If you were wearing a suit you’d look just like them,” Jessie explained. “You’ve gotta get rid of it. I’m tired of seeing you out of the corner of my eye and thinkin’ any second you’re gonna pull a tommy gun on my ass. Talk about conspicuous.” He snatched the hat out of my hand. Opening the door, he tossed the fedora inside like a Frisbee.
    “Come on, Jess. It’s my style.”
    “Dude, you look like the stereotypical dick, and I do mean that in both possible ways.”
    I frowned at him. “It’s not that bad. I like it.”
    “I know, Alex. I know what you’ve been doin’ over the years. You don’t want to be that kid you were while growing up. You’ve even created this whole persona—”
    “No, I never—” I interrupted, but Jessie didn’t stop. He was on a roll, and this time he was being serious. It was one of those rare conversations where I could tell.
    “You can’t stop being who you are. You’re a good guy. You’re not your stepdad.”
    I breathed a sigh of resignation. It wasn’t snowing yet, but winter was certainly on its way. Feeling an anticipatory chill as a cold wind swept past, I pulled at the collar of my black overcoat. “This gotta go, too?”
    Jessie smiled and glanced at the fall leaves on the large oaks and maples around us. “Nah,