CHAPTER TWO
Karen carried a pile of papers and hurried in Sydney's office placing them on the table as they fell out of her hands, a handful fell on the floor and she scooped to pick them up, the phone rang in the other room and sighing, she went to answer it.
"Ancient Studies."
Whoever it was put the phone down on her.
She slammed the phone down and looked at her watch. "Finally!" she said to herself relieved.
"Didn't come at a bad time, did I?" A female voice asked behind her.
Karen turned around to face a woman about a year younger than herself looking out her out of vaguely familiar eyes. "Oh you're Nigel's friend he told me you'd be coming here; before he left".
The woman looked surprised "He left?"
"Yeah a relic hunt. He asked me if I could show you around and told me to tell you that he'll be back soon and the keys to his apartment are in Sydney's office".
Nigel's sister looked slightly annoyed, "Well I suppose I should introduce myself…Siobhan".
Karen shook her hand and smiled, "Karen…Are you hungry? I was just headed out to get something to eat".
"Yes I'm starving!"
"Okay I just need to take these papers somewhere and I'll be back in a minute". Karen held the fallen papers in her hand.
Siobhan nodded her head in answer and Karen wandered out of the office and down the corridor. She heard a rumbling noise behind her and she turned around to see two paramedics wheeling a stretcher into the room.
"Is something wrong?" She enquired.
The bearded man in front of her nodded and produced a tranquilliser gun and aiming at her, she stepped back towards the office she looked around for an escape route. "You'll be taking a little trip with us now Miss". He fired and the dart flew through the air and pierced her neck.
She didn't make a sound as she fell into the waiting arms of her captor.
* * *
"Could these seats get anymore uncomfortable?" Nigel said more to himself than anyone else, he moved around trying to get into a better position.
"We'll be in Singapore soon; Karen booked us into a hotel overnight".
"Hopefully their seats are better than this! So what do you know about this Jacob's character?" Nigel asked trying to keep his mind off the plane.
"Nothing really he just appeared out of nowhere; according to computer records he doesn't exist…unless he's a 60 year old from Peru".
"What did you find out about the book?" Sydney asked, she'd seem him researching it in the office before they'd left for the airport.
"That's the thing Syd there is nothing to research anything that I found was based on myth and legend, there was nothing to prove that this book is real". He told her emphasising myth and legend.
'We will be landing shortly please return to your seats and fasten you seatbelts'. "Finally! Any more time in these seats and I'd be making an appointment for physio for the rest of the month" Sydney said as she arched her back, cracking the bones, "That's better".
In fifteen minutes the plane had landed and they were making their way to the exit, "Karen said the hotel was ten minutes walk away from the east exit", Sydney told Nigel as they got out into the fresh air.
After walking for about twenty minutes they finally reached the hotel, a run down establishment with a boarded up window at the front.
"I thought Karen checked us into the Marriott" Nigel looked up at their home for the night and edged forward towards the door.
Sydney looked up at the sign, "The Merriott it's an easy mistake".
Nigel tenderly pushed open the fragile door and peeked inside, the door was flung open and a large tattooed old man stood before him, "What you want!" He shouted. "W...We have reservations!" Nigel said quietly.
He nodded and stepped aside to let Nigel and Sydney walk in, "One room, first door on left up the stairs".
"One room?" Nigel asked, "I believe we asked for two rooms".
"One room or no room". He wiggled the key in front of them and Nigel reluctantly took it. Sydney and he walked up the stairs. "Don't make too much noise!" The hotel owner shouted out to them laughing maniacally.
Nigel blushed a deep red and hid his face, he opened the door and they both walked inside cautiously. The room was better than the rest of the hotel, the shower and toilet were usable at least and the bedroom itself boasted a large four-poster bed. "I suppose we'd better get some sleep" Nigel suggested then he looked embarrassed again "N…Not together…Not that I wouldn't like to but…Oh um, oh shit".
Sydney tried to hold back a laugh but it didn't work, "I know what you mean just don't say anything else you're digging yourself deeper into this".
Nigel nodded his face finally beginning to regain its normal colour, "I'll take the floor", he offered.
"Nigel we're both adults and the bed is perfectly big enough for the both of us".
He started to protest. "Nigel! As your boss I'm telling you, you can sleep on the comfortable bed instead of the hard wooden floor".
"Well when you put it like that Syd".
That night as they were finally beginning to find rest the mobile phone rang and woke them up. "Bloody hell!" Nigel sighed.
It was probably the closest Sydney had ever heard him come to being angry. He dragged himself out of the bed and ruffled through the rucksack; finally producing the phone.
"Hello?"
"You must be Mr Bailey. In case you were planning on finding The Book of Ryanatu for Mr Jacobs I'm about to give you incentive to find it for me"
There was a pause on the other line and Sydney seeing Nigel's worried face got out of the bed and waited for him to speak. Nigel heard the man on the other end of the line again, "We have Karen here and we're going to keep her with us until you find us the book!"
He heard a female voice then a click and the line went dead he turned to Sydney, "They said the have Karen."
"Who has her"
"They don't have Karen they have my sister!"
TBC…