Herakleion Treasures

Herakleion Treasures

  Laura Lane

  Copyright 2012 Laura Lane

  Dedicated to :

  Bertrand, Andre, Ghyslin, and Gaetan

  For their years of patience and encouragement.

  I am also grateful to

  YOU, the Reader.

  It warms my heart

  That you have chosen to read this story.

  There is nothing that hurts a writer more,

  Than a story languishing in a file cabinet

  Unread

  Thank you!

  HerakleionTreasures

  The underwater metal detector started clicking frantically. Sophie reached into the sea bottom with a gloved hand raising a cloud of gray silt that obscured her vision. When she withdrew her hand from the mud, it held a coral encrusted object. A bracelet from the lost city of Herakleion that had sunk below the Mediterranean sea hundreds of years before. A myth that had so recently become a reality.

  Sophie waved to her diving buddy, Lance, who was diving within twenty feet to her right. He swam quickly over. His eyes widened behind his scuba mask and he gave her the thumbs up sign with his gloved hand. Then he showed her his oxygen gauge and gestured to the surface. Sophie nodded her understanding, and then fumbled with the goody bag attached to her weight belt. The bag had managed to get caught on her air tank behind her back. Lance touched her shoulder to get her attention, and then took the bracelet from her. She could feel him release the bag and straighten out her gauges. Another tap on the shoulder and they swam back to the surface.

  The Mediterranean had remained calm with barely a ripple to break the gray-blue glass surface. Sophie could see the white buildings of Alexandria, a distance of five miles away. The zodiac was waiting to take the divers back to the research ship anchored in deeper water. Lance and Sophie were the last of the team of divers to surface from the ruins, a mere thirty feet below. Carlos, the deckhand, started taking their gear from them as they took off their weight belts and tanks while still in the water. Then Lance, after climbing on the boat, purposely seal-flopped over the side of the boat splashing and making a show for the other divers as well as rocking the boat wildly. Gerod, the newest member of the team, reached down and pulled Sophie roughly on board. She was too excited about her find, to mind.

  “Wait until you guys see what I found.” Sophie grabbed her goody bag in the bottom of the zodiac, and then frowned when she saw it was opened. She reached inside the mesh and started moving around the broken pottery.

  “It’s gone,” she said with disbelief. “My bag was open—Lance, didn’t you close it when you put the bracelet in?”

  “I sure did,” Lance said with a frown, “but you really should get a new bag. That clasp doesn’t close right, and the bracelet must have fallen out when you surfaced.”

  “Fall up, and out of a bag? I don’t think so,” Gerod said taking the bag out of Sophie’s hands and playing with the clasp. “There’s nothing wrong with the clasp.”

  “Well, it must be here then,” Celine said, hopping off her perch on the bow. “Let’s move the gear around.” Everyone started to move the diving equipment in search of the missing relic.

  “I swear, I’ll go back into the water if I have to!” Sophie grumbled. Too many of the antiquity pieces that Sophie had gathered from the sunken city had already gone missing over the last few months. Although no one had said anything to her, she felt her job was on the line as well as her credibility as an underwater archeologist.

  “Here it is,” Lance said, handing the coral string to Sophie. “It fell between the seat cushions when you tossed over your weight belt.”

  Sophie’s lips parted into a smile as she looked at the coral encrusted relic that hid its precious gold. Then she held it high above her head for all the crew to see.

  “Okay, show’s over. Let’s get back to the ship,” Gerod said. Sophie stuck her tongue out at him. He was such a killjoy.

  * * *

  Sophie’s thoughts remained troubled as she showered in her cabin. Who had removed that delicate coral-encrusted gold bracelet from the sack? It couldn’t have fallen in between the bench cushions on the poop deck by itself. Sophie sighed and scrubbed her scalp hard with her fingernails. There had been too many odd incidents happening and no one seemed to be noticing any of it. Someone here was a thief.

  Sophie shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. She dried and dressed quickly. She felt the urgent need to go down to the desalinization tanks and have a closer look at that bracelet.

  The corridor was empty as Sophie left her cabin. She assumed that most of the diving crew were probably taking a siesta before supper. She crossed over to the port side of the ship and descended the t’ween deck ladder to the desalination area. As she turned the kitty corner she slammed into Gerod, losing her balance and falling on to the floor. He reached down with one arm and lifted her to her feet.

  “You’re all right.” He scowled at her.

  “Thanks for asking,” she said sarcastically while shaking off his arm. He didn’t look the least bit concerned. He was as much at fault as she for the collision. She closed her eyes momentarily praying for calmness. After all he was part of the archeological team and like it or not, they had to find a way to get along. She took a deep breath.

  “I’m sorry, where are you headed?”

  “Sorry,” he said curtly, “no time for small talk.”

  He turned and was gone before Sophie could tell him to his face that he was an inconsiderate jerk. She suddenly felt hot, tired, frustrated and frazzled. If she had stayed in her cabin for a siesta, she wouldn’t have a sore tailbone and a bruised left elbow. Sophie sighed and pushed the hair out of her eyes, then entered the desalination chamber.

  The room hummed from the small motors delivering light electrical currents to the shallow tanks to help the sea treasures disrobe of the silt that had clung to them for centuries. Each tank held different categorized items that had been retrieved from the sunken city, and Sophie recognized some of the pottery that had been excavated during the morning dives. Against the hull wall there was a shallow long tank that held smaller pieces of metal utensils as well as Egyptian and Greek jewelry. The portals were all open to dissipate any unwanted gases that might form during the electrolysis process, and Sophie felt a warm breeze across her face as she leaned over the tank. She rolled up the sleeve on her light cotton shirt, and stuck her arm into the cool water to move a few objects around. Sophie frowned as she picked up a towel on the counter to wipe her arm. The delicate gold bracelet, encrusted with coral and silt, was not there.

  Sophie sighed again, glancing around the room looking for clues. Someone had tried to make off with that bracelet when she had boarded the zodiac, and now it was gone for real. Who would take it? Gerod? That could explain why he was so rude, she thought bitterly. She had caught him in the act of stealing another one of Egypt’s national treasures. Well she wouldn’t let him get away with it. She was going to confront him about it.

  She retraced her steps through the ship to the living quarters, and found herself in front of Gerod’s cabin. She took a deep breath of courage and tapped lightly with her fist clenched. No sound or movement. She tapped again and again, until she was pounding on the door.

  “What are you doing? You’re loud enough to raise a mummy!” Sophie jumped at the sound of Celine’s voice from across the hall. Celine stood in the doorway of her cabin, her hair disheveled and in a bathrobe. She’d obviously been napping.

  “Was I that loud? Sorry. I’m looking for Gerod. Do you know where he is?”

  A smile crossed Celine’s face, “I told him you’d come around.”

  “What do you mean?” Sophie looked at her teammate puzzled.

>   “Oh come on, don’t play dumb with me. You’ve seen the way my brother looks at you when he thinks you’re not looking.”

  Now Sophie felt confused.

  “I need to find Gerod,” she said tersely. She couldn’t possibly tell Celine that she suspected her brother of being a thief. Celine was off her rocker. Gerod couldn’t stand her anymore than she could stand him. Didn’t he just run her down on the lower deck? Besides, why would she be interested in Gerod while she was seeing Lance, her partner, someone with manners and social skills and the ability of making small talk. Celine was being ridiculous.

  “Well, he’s not here—he might have gone to Alexandria. Sophie?” Celine stared with her mouth open, as Sophie dashed through the exit leading to the upper decks.

  * * *

  The Alexandria market place was crowded with late afternoon shoppers, and Sophie was forced to zigzag her way through. She felt self-conscious and was very aware of the curious looks her casual clothing and bare head attracted in a sea of flowing Muslim. The antiquities stand had been relocated many stands down, and Sophie felt stunned by who she saw dealing with the merchant.

  “Not you!” Sophie grabbed Lance’s jacket. “I can’t believe that you’re the thief. All along I suspected Gerod, but it’s you.”

  A wad of Arabian money went back into the merchant’s robes, and he turned his back to them, busying himself with his shelves. Lance turned to Sophie, his face ruddy with piercing flickering eyes. He shook off her arm and slipped something into his pocket.

  “You’ve been following me?”

  “No. I was following Gerod, because I thought he was stealing the relics. What are you hiding in your pocket, you thief.” Sophie grabbed at his jacket again, and was brushed off.

  “Quiet, you fool. Let’s go where we can talk.” Lance’s fingers bit into her elbow as he directed her roughly into the street and then around a corner away from the crowd. “Where is Gerod now?”

  “How the heck should I know? I want that relic back.” Sophie shook herself loose from his grip, and then came back at Lance with her right fist raised. Lance raised a hand to ward off her angry advance.

  “Let me explain. You caught me off guard. I was buying back the relic.”

  “Buying it back?” Sophie repeated uncertain, trying to see the truth in Lance’s blue eyes. She’d never seen him so angry.

  “Yes, my amateur sleuth. Too many things have gone missing recently—and I’ve had my suspicions about Gerod. But he has stayed one step ahead of me, even today.”

  “So, you didn’t steal it from the tank?”

  “No,” Lance pushed his blond hair back from his forehead, and small beads of sweat shimmered in the light, “but I arrived too late to witness the transaction. I couldn’t let antiquity disappear, so I was buying it back when you so rudely interrupted.”

  Sophie stood silent, replaying the events in her mind. All she had really seen was Lance holding the relic and the merchant holding a wad of money. Maybe he was speaking the truth. She found herself sighing with relief.

  “I can’t believe the way I’ve acted. I know we haven’t known each other very long, but really I shouldn’t have assumed the worst about you. I am so sorry.”

  “Trust is an important part of a relationship. But, no harm done.” Lance was smiling again, and he put his arm around her shoulders.

  “I have to know, is it that bracelet I found this morning? The one that was missing in the zodiac?”

  Lance nodded his head, “That’s right. We almost lost it a second time.”

  “What are we going to do about Gerod? Sophie asked anxiously turning around to face Lance. “Do we call the authorities with what we know?”

  “Not yet. Let’s keep going,” Lance guided her back to the Market place, “there are thieves everywhere.”

  “But—“

  “We have no proof, and they would just laugh us out of the room. So for now, we will just keep a closer eye on Gerod. This time together, okay? Friends?”

  “Friends.” Sophie nodded her agreement. “What do we do with the bracelet? Do we put it back in the tank and act like nothing happened?”

  “No I don’t want to tip Gerod off that we know what he is up to, until we catch him red handed.” Lance squeezed her hand reassuringly, and Sophie nodded again. “Don’t worry I will keep that piece of history in a safe place. For now, let’s visit the Casino Boat and throw a few dice to lighten our mood before supper.”

  * * *

  It was another clear morning on the Mediterranean and the other divers were in the water already, adjusting their gear and masks.

  “I need to put another five pounds on my weight belt,” Sophie called to her partner from the zodiac. “I had a problem with buoyancy last dive.”

  “It must be all those drinks and donuts on the casino boat.” Gerod grinned, and then sank below the surface, before Sophie could ask him how he knew where she’d been the night before. Could he have doubled back and followed them after they had lost his trail? Did he suspect that they were keeping an eye on him?

  “Catch you later,” Celine said before she put her regulator in her mouth and sank beneath the water. The other divers followed, leaving Lance on the surface waiting for her. No diver is ever supposed to dive alone.

  Sophie sat on the side of the boat and pulled the dive bag towards her. She shuffled the gear around, finding only ten pound weights. Then she stopped frozen as Greek coins glistened in the sunlight. It wasn’t her bag, it was Lance’s. She closed the bag and pushed it aside, found her own and extracted a five pound weight.

  “You were taking so long, I was going to send a search team to look for you,” Lance said when Sophie flopped into the water beside him.

  “I found some gold coins in your bag.”

  “I can explain—“

  “Carlos,” Sophie yelled impatiently at the deckhand, “I need my metal detector!”

  “Sophie—“Lance reached for her.

  “Save it, you thief.” Sophie turned away from Lance and took the metal detector that Carlos was lowering into the water for her. Then without giving another look at her partner, Sophie descended to the bottom. Her stomach felt twisted. She’d been duped. She didn’t know what she was going to do about this, but diving was going to, at least, give her time to think.

  When she swam through a stone doorway of the temple, her metal detector started clicking and flashing in alarm. She started passing her hand through the silt and extracted a long thin coral covered string—a necklace from a time long past.

  As she raised it up to her mask to examine it closer, it was snatched by a gloved hand from behind. When she turned to follow, Sophie was shoved roughly into a stone crevice. Her mask was ripped off her face and she was stunned momentarily by a punch from her assailant. Blinded by the salt water, she could only assume that it was Lance. Something heavy was pushed up against her, and she was imprisoned. She tried to grab at her assailant, and then realized that he was trying to take away her regulator. She was now forced to fight for her regulator and her life. Then she couldn’t get any air from her regulator. Sophie pulled off her gloves and followed the hose blindly, with her fingers and cold fear gripped her. The oxygen line to her regulator was cut, and her assailant was gone.

  Sophie struggled to find the other end of the cut hose where air was escaping from her tank, but it was too short. She was caught and couldn’t turn or remove the tank from her back. Her lungs burned and threatened to fail her. Trapped, and going to die.

  Suddenly a functioning regulator was shoved into her mouth and Sophie took a deep breath of relief. Without her mask, Sophie could only see shadows. Someone was pulling away the block that held her captive. Only one person on the team had an octopus tank. Gerod. She felt an arm go around her waist and she pushed off the bottom with her fins. The brightness above her head meant that she was rising to the surface.

  “It’s Lance,” she gasped as she broke through the water’s surface. �
€œHe tried to kill me.”

  “I know,” Gerod said, releasing her. As her vision cleared, Sophie realized that two white Egyptian police boats were beside them. Lance sat in the back of one of them, with his head lowered and his arms behind his back, probably cuffed. The other divers were starting to surface around them. “I guess I should explain, I’m not really an archeologist. I am an undercover detective and I work for the Egyptian Antiquities Department tracking down missing treasures. Carlos is my partner, and I guess he felt it was time to call in the reinforcements.”

  “Good guess on his part,” Sophie said and waved to Carl, who gave her the thumbs up gesture. “You know Gerod, I thought you were the one stealing the treasures, until I saw some gold coins in Lance’s diving bag.”

  “Guess I’m a good actor,” Gerod grinned.

  “I don’t know about that. You played a pretty lousy archeologist and I could never figure out why they hired you.”

  “You mean, why they didn’t fire me?”

  Sophie grinned and nodded in agreement. Gerod wasn’t such a bad guy.

  ###

  If you enjoyed this Young Adult Mystery, you may also enjoy Dragon Tamer by this same author, Laura Lane.