Читать книгу Tempest Court - Jan Walters - Страница 17

Chapter 11

“It’s a canopic jar,” Layla murmured, studying the vase that Brett brought her. “A very old one from what I can tell. Where did you get it?”

“It was wrapped up in a rug we purchased in Morocco.”

With sparkling eyes, Layla set the jar on her desk. “Well, I’m glad you brought it in. Who knows? It might be something special.”

Brett studied Layla, sensing her excitement at the find. The woman couldn’t take her eyes off the thing. “So exactly what is this can…canopic jar?”

Her hand caressed the side of the jar. “Ancient Egyptians used these to store and preserve the viscera of their owner for the afterlife by placing specific body organs within them.”

Brett winced, wondering what might be stored in his jar. Thank God the lid was stuck on his. He could only imagine how it smelled.

“I’m guessing that this is from around the nineteenth dynasty since the lid depicts one of the sons of Horus.”

“Who the hell is Horus?” Warning signs flashed in his brain. He knew he shouldn’t have bought the rug. Body parts of a dead guy have been sitting in his house. His stomach churned.

“Horus is a god in the form of a falcon whose right eye is the sun or morning star, representing power, and whose left eye is the moon or evening star, representing healing.”

“A god, huh?” Brett stared at the jar, still thinking of the rotting organ inside. “You mentioned the four sons of Horus. So which son does the jar represent?”

Layla rose and took the jar to the window. “The facial features are a little worn and the ears are broken off, but I believe it’s Duamutef.”

“Who?”

Layla smiled at him. “I know. Information overload. Duamutef is a jackal or wild dog who guards the stomach.”

His eyes widened. “Stomach. You mean a man’s stomach would be placed in that jar?”

“Yes. The other sons include Imsety, guardian of the liver. Imsety has the face of a man. Then there’s Qebekh-sennuef, guardian of the intestines, which has a head of a falcon. Lastly, there’s Hapi, a baboon head, guardian of the lungs.”

Brett’s head fell to his chest. Nope, this wasn’t good. Were these jars a harbinger of things to come? Plus, the jars were disgusting. Layla returned the jar to the desk and stood near him.

“Are you okay? You look pale.”

Brett rubbed his eyes. I wonder if Lisa will still think the vase is pretty after she hears this stuff! He needed to get back to work. “I appreciate your help.” He rose to his feet. “There’s one more thing. A friend of mine said he heard the jar vibrate and that it glowed. Is that even possible?”

Layla paused for a second before chuckling. “I’ve never heard of that happening. That said, in working with these ancient relics, I know that many myths and curses surround the items. Leave the jar with me for a while, and I’ll see what we can find.”

Brett nodded and turned; he was anxious to leave and get away from the damn jar. As he opened the door, he slowly turned back, facing Layla. “Why wasn’t one of the jars for the heart?”

“Egyptians believe the heart is the center of the soul, so it was left behind with the body.”

“Hmm, I would have thought the opposite. Thanks for taking a look at the jar. I’ll stop by the end of the week and see what you found out.”

Once outside, he stopped in the middle of the parking lot and took a deep breath. That was more information than he ever wanted to know about mummified body parts. Goosebumps crept up his arms. The entire situation was disturbing. From experience, these situations tended to mushroom into an outrageous calamity affecting the lives of people he loved.

A squad car pulled up beside him with flashing lights. Donnellson flashed a grin as he rolled down the car window.

“Are you checking on my girlfriend?”

Brett walked to the car and leaned down, resting his forearms on the car. “Girlfriend? When did that happen?”

Donnellson shrugged. “Just joking with you. Really, what’s going on?”

“I dropped something off to Layla.”

Donnellson rolled his blue eyes. “Damn. It’s like pulling teeth to get information out of you.”

“Fine. I dropped off a canopic jar.”

“A what?”

Brett laughed at his friend’s puzzled look. “A canopic jar. You know, those small jars that hold mummified body parts.”

“No shit!”

“Yeah shit! We had a rug shipped home, and when we opened it, the canopic jar was inside the rug.”

Donnellson pushed back his hat, revealing thick blond hair. “I’m sure Layla will know what to do with it. By the way, do you want to get together for dinner later this week? Layla has been busy with the gallery exhibit, so it would be late when we eat.”

He nodded. “I’ll check with Lisa and get back with you.”

Brett waved as Donnellson drove away. Once inside his squad car, he tossed his hat on the seat next to him and pondered his newfound knowledge. So the jar is Egyptian, just as Michael said. He hated that Michael was right on this one.

He drove east down Grand Avenue. His hands clenched the steering wheel. He hadn’t felt right since he bought the rug.

After weighing the pros and cons, Brett decided not to bother Michael or Anders at this point. Michael didn’t need to know the jar was Egyptian, and he sure wasn’t going to add more stress to Anders’s life. With two supernatural cases under his belt and having dealt with supernatural killers, he was confident. He would monitor things, and if needed, he would bring in backup. He pulled into the station parking lot. He’d learned one thing over the past two years: if something terrible is going to happen, you can’t stop it. You just have to be prepared to deal with the consequences.