The Moses Legacy by Adam Palmer Read Free Book Online

touch and shone it at his forearm.
    And when he did so he got the shock of his life!
    His arm was covered with boils. But these were not normal round boils. They were long, elongated trails of fiery red-orange on his skin, almost snake-like in appearance. And they were accompanied by a burning sensation. Joel realized that something was seriously amiss. The boils alone were frightening enough, but his head was also aching and his eyes watering. He realized that the sweat was not from the external heat and it was actually rather cool outside. The sweat came from his own body. He was going down with a fever.
    He knew that there was a medical officer in the sick bay next to the soldiers’ hut and he decided to go there. Staggering out of bed, he threw on some clothes and began walking. But as he got to the entrance to the tent he fainted, emitting a cry that woke several of the others and raised the alarm.
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    An hour later, a helicopter arrived to take Joel to a hospital in Cairo. There was talk about a scorpion sting which the commanding officer tried to play down. He told them that according to the medic, Joel had chickenpox and it was more serious because he was an adult. However, he added, if they had already had it as children or been vaccinated against it, they had nothing to worry about.
    Jane took advantage of the situation to make another visit to the latrine with her concealed mobile phone. However, instead of texting Senator Morris, this time she decided to call him and tell him what had happened.
    â€˜Okay, now listen carefully,’ said the senator. ‘This is what I want you to do: you need to get a sample of his clothes—’
    â€˜But they’ve flown him out to Cairo,’ Jane rasped into the phone.
    â€˜Did they take all his things with him?’
    â€˜Probably not.’
    â€˜So most of his clothes are still in the tent.’
    â€˜I guess.’
    â€˜Okay. We only need a sample. Preferably something that he wore recently. Put it in a plastic bag and pack it with your things. I’ll give you instructions on how to get it out.’
    â€˜Okay, Dad.’
    She put the phone away before stepping out of the latrine… where she was confronted by a soldier.
    â€˜Who were you talking to?’ he demanded.
    Jane gasped in fright, fumbling mentally to find the right words to placate his suspicions. Then she noticed the red marks on his cheeks… and the sight made her realize that her own torso was itching.

Chapter 8
    â€˜It’s definitely Proto-Sinaitic,’ said Daniel, struggling to contain his excitement.
    Mansoor had pulled out all the stops to make sure that Daniel got the VIP treatment when he arrived at Cairo International Airport. He was fast-tracked through border control and customs at breakneck speed and brought to a luxury Cairo hotel in a stretch limousine. Now, after a good night’s sleep and a Mediterranean breakfast, Daniel was studying the carefully arranged fragments of stone as well as the pictures of them in various lighting conditions.
    â€˜The strange thing, in my opinion, is that these stone fragments have smooth flat backs as well as flat fronts. And the overall thickness is no more than two inches. That suggests that they were small, portable stones and not just broken fragments of a large monument. This is the first time I’ve seen Proto-Sinaitic script on tablets like this. It’s usually found carved on local rocks in short one-line inscriptions, obviously designed to be seen by anyone who passes by. It’s basically a sort of simple graffiti by the untutored and uneducated.’
    He looked up at Mansoor. Despite their mutual reservations, they had taken an instant liking to one another. It had been the firmness of the handshake by both men that had cemented the bond of trust between them.
    â€˜Did you find this anywhere near the turquoise mines at Serabit el-Khadim?’
    He noticed the fleeting eye contact