"Shawn?" Catherine’s shouts echoed through the burial ground. "Where the hell are you?" "In here…" Shawn responded, "be careful…the floors are slippery." Two minutes later, Catherine appeared at the entrance with a small light from the tablet PC in her hand. "What on earth is this place?" "Come, let's see what’s down here." He knelt down in the centre of the rectangular indentation and started scraping away at the surface, working faster now that he had at least a minimal tool for the job. He added and motioned to his wife to see what he was pointing at. "This looks like Ban Chiang. I've been there before with my grandfather." "What is that?" "Ban Chiang, the... well- it was considered the most important prehistoric settlement so far discovered in Southeast Asia. It marks an important stage in human cultural, social, and technological evolution." "Really? You mean, a burial ground?" "Yes. The site presents the earliest evidence of farming in the region and of the manufacture and
London Elizabeth leaned on the railing, palms against the weld surface, fingers curled around the arched metal. She looked out the window at the enormous city below, a satisfied expression on her face, as she watched the ring on her finger. She had been anticipating this moment for months, and it had finally arrived. It was time to totally own the world, and maybe Alfonso could go to hell and she'd be smiling with no worry in the world, because the bastard deserved to suffer in there anyway. Eddie was standing next to her, arms crossed and a foot away from the glass that stretched the length of the wall and provided tourists with a 360-degree view of the city from the observation deck. A dozen feet beyond them, three men in suits stood on the stairs leading to another platform. Her secret lover was one of them, studying the admissions and departures with hawk-like eyes and looking for hostility in Eddie. After all, the old man did not know about her engagement with the younger guy.
Bangkok, Thailand. Wat Phra Kaew, or The Temple of the Emerald Buddha. ***** Dave asked the local guy how to get to the legendary temple, and the long-haired Thai happily assisted them. "My friend, The Wat, is located on the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok." The man offered them some local spicy street food, which Dave heartily declined. He continued, "River taxis are the most inexpensive and enjoyable way to get to the Grand Palace and the temple. Unless an important ceremony is being conducted, the temple is generally open to the public. The complex gets busy; arrive early before the tour groups and tropical heat do." "Thank you for the information," Dave responded, his nose wrinkled at the smell of garbage in the area near the food stand vendors. "Neh, do not worry. Are you sure you don't want my chicken intestines?" Dave and Javier shook their heads as the man added, "OK! But you know, photography is allowed around the grounds of the Grand Palace, and it is forbidden in
Dave was perplexed as he took out the photograph of the dots he had taken from Lek-Mraphi's home. His gaze was drawn to its contents. The dots on the back were more distinct, but not entirely. His two captors stood a breath away, calm, but Dave could see the urgency in Javier's eyes. The man had grown exceedingly agitated, even twitchy. It was a trait he'd observed in many treasure hunters and his fellow artist over the years. The more novice treasure hunters searching for infinite wealth could practically taste their thoughts of a life of comfort and luxury as they got closer to their goal. Not that he could blame them, even Catherine doesn't have any idea about his many trips with the hunters duting his college days ans he knew well enough that Javier was worried. Even this skilled assassin appeared to have got the bug of excitement and anxtities or there was something else bothering him? However, the man in a uniform shirt had started to close up his counter and was about to annou
The astonished looks on the faces of Javier and the guard were priceless. Dave’s head went back and forth, not sure if he was hallucinating. "Oh, the happy couple. Am I glad to see you guys?" He sneered."It’s good to see you too, Javier."Shawn echoed the sentiment. "We weren’t sure if we were going to see you again.""Likewise," Dave replied, reflecting on the past weeks and winking at Catherine. “Hey, sis!”Javier and his companion stood frozen, like a deer-in-the-headlights look on each of their faces. Shawn cautiously stepped toward the group. "It wasn’t that difficult to find you, actually." He glared at Javier. "Shooting the man was a mistake, but leaving him alive was a bigger one. He gave us the final clue." Shawn smiled. "I have to say, though, that it was harder than it should have been to convince the local authorities that my historian needed to look at this ring and give them a lot of donations.”Dave stepped away from his kidnappers. "Thanks, gentlemen. It’s been fun,
Javier forced the group to walk quickly through the forest. He had overheard Shawn’s discussion with the authorities, so time, he understood, was running out. With frantic haste bordering on obsession, he hiked through the undergrowth. He growled and turned his head left and right every time a twig broke under someone’s foot.The Russian, too, looked nervous, making sure he covered a 360-degree area with his pistol as he whirled it around wildly.Shawn’s thoughts drifted to Catherine. He wished that the police would come fast enough to get her medical treatment. The wound hadn’t looked good, and his wife must have lost a tremendous amount of blood in a short amount of time.After a few more moments of marching through the trees, the group entered what Shawn had seen earlier. Dave stared at one of the most outstanding Buddha shrines he had ever seen. Loose ground encircled it, indicating that the enormous thing had been largely concealed and buried, if not totally underground for hun
"Brown, read it, now!" Javier butted in and began pointing the gun toward them. "I don't know-how, it's quite odd. Well, one wrong move and well, it’s our end." Javier watched silently off to the side, keeping his gun on the hostages. "We have to assume that this one here is another clue or a warning." "Dave," he said, pointing to the lion's head on his left. We have to choose carefully. However, look at this, Shawn. " He added and pointed to the right one, "This one here, look... This one looks like the one in Lek-Mraphi’s home, almost similar." Shawn nodded. "Oh, yes... almost and the word on that one matches the left. But that is only half a guess. But a careless guess is risky." "So which one?" "I’m not sure." Shawn stepped across the small space to the other lion and turned his head when Catherine began coughing. "Almost there, wife..." then he turned his attention back to the lion. "Both of the lions look the same." Then he leaned down to look at something that appeared
Shawn remained by Hugh’s side, staring at the man he figured to be the one calling the shots. In his mind, he chuckled at the pun. He hoped whoever he was wouldn’t actually call for shots. Dying in an ancient chamber somewhere in Thailand wasn’t what he had planned for this mission. He and Catherine had a plan to go to the Maldives on their honeymoon after another wedding; dying here was unnerving. He hasn't even proposed to her yet. Hugh gave a nod, and a firm hand grasped Shawn’s by the shirt and hauled him up, propping him on his knees. The smartass in him couldn’t be held back any longer. Shawn turned his head and looked at Hugh, who’d picked him up. "Hey! Come on, you have to improve your trash. Let that be a lesson to you. Don’t shove people unless you’re going to help them up after." Hugh raised a brow; he appeared shocked by the statement but mumbled nothing, taking a step back and pointing his gun at Shawn’s head. "Talk, and I will kill you!” "Good to see your sense of hum