The Cairo Code by Glenn Meade Read Free Book Online Page A

exotic things you’d come across only in books or museums—scarabs, ancient jewelry—and it was all so wondrous we’d spend hours looking at them. When Jack wrote and told me he was coming to Egypt to help with the dig, he asked if I’d like to come along. We’d hardly seen each other in almost six months, he’d been so busy helping his father with family business interests in Germany, and besides, I was ready to jump at the chance to get away from a stuffy Manhattan office. It seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So I decided to scrape together what few dollars I’d saved, quit my job, and take up the offer.”
    â€œNo girlfriends left behind?”
    â€œNo one worth talking about.”
    â€œAnd no regrets about what you’ve done?”
    â€œNot one. The only trouble is, it’s kind of spoiled me. I don’t think I can go back to the kind of career I had before. At least not until my money runs out. It’s been more fun putting my engineering skills to work on a dig like this, instead of building roads in New York.”
    â€œYou know what surprises me? That Jack never became an archeologist.”
    â€œI think he’s too restless to commit himself to any one thing. He says himself he’ll always be just a fanatical amateur, like his father. He brought him here on visits as a child, but I guess you know that. And for as long as I’ve known him he’s been in love with this country, fascinated by it, and not only its history, but everything about it—its culture, its people. I guess the fascination’s sort of rubbed off on me.”
    â€œYou like Jack very much, don’t you?”
    â€œWe’ve always been best friends,” Weaver answered honestly. “He’s like the brother I never had. And I’m grateful for his friendship. Besides, if it wasn’t for his father, I probably never would have gone to college.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œFranz Halder paid for my education. My own father could never have afforded it, though all he had to do in return was to make sure he kept the estate gardens filled with white lilies, the kind Jack’s late mother loved so much.”
    Rachel hesitated. “Is that why you didn’t talk about your past? Did you feel beholden to Jack and his family?”
    â€œNot a bit,” Weaver said with conviction. “They were simply good people who wanted to help me get a proper education. And I’ll always be grateful. But Jack’s father isn’t the kind to make you feel under an obligation. And nothing like that would spoil the friendship between Jack and me, I’m sure of it. In fact, nothing at all ever has. We’ve always got on like a house on fire.”
    â€œYou’ve never fallen out?”
    â€œNot ever. I guess that’s kind of remarkable. Sure, we’ve had our differences, but nothing we couldn’t agree to disagree about.”
    Rachel looked at him, and said honestly, “You know something? I think you’re both lucky. To have met each other. To have become such good friends. I thought that from the very start, when I first met you both. It’s such a rare thing. Something to be cherished. And I hope nothing ever comes between you.” She smiled then, looked into his eyes, but with an inexplicable sadness in her own, and on impulse took a flower from one of the window boxes and placed it in his buttonhole, before leaning over and kissing him gently on the lips. “A small gift from me. Something far less than a college education, but sincerely meant. I’m just so happy you came to help on the dig, Harry. I can’t imagine what it would have been like without you and Jack.”
    Weaver looked back at her, at the striking blue eyes and pretty face. “I’ll miss you, too, Rachel.”
    â€œWill you, honestly?”
    â€œMore than I can tell. But I’m worried.”
    â€œAbout