And you are?
CHAPTER SEVEN
Nigel paced anxiously in his hotel room, if he didn't stop soon indentation marks would start to appear in the floor. He hated not doing anything, not being able to do anything even if he wanted to, if our roles were reversed right now, Sydney would be trying to find a way into the building "but I'm not Sydney" Nigel said out loud. He wanted to do something productive, he would've met up with Karen at the airport but she insisted on them meeting outside the hotel so they could walk down to the museum together.
"After all" she'd said "the sooner we do this the sooner we can get Syd back home."
"And everything can go back to normal" he'd said, he didn't know who he was trying to convince, Karen or himself, things won't go back to normal though not yet anyway, nothings ever simple. He glanced at his watch ten hours thirty five minutes and twenty eight seconds had passed since Karen had last called and said she was about to board her flight, ten hours thirty five minutes and twenty eight seconds of doing nothing but wait, look at his watch…and pace. He peered out of the window and watched as a cab pulled up outside the hotel, at least Karen made it her safely he thought to himself as he grabbed his coat and half ran half walked to the elevator and to where Karen waited.
*
"You look tired" Karen observed as soon as she saw Nigel exit the hotel "you don't have to come with me I know what to do."
"I need to see her" he said firmly "Lets go" he began walking away from her and Karen had no choice but to follow him. The walk to the hotel was short but the lack of conversation seemed to make it endless and Karen was glad when they finally arrived at the museum. In a few minutes time she might be speaking to an amnesia stricken Sydney but at least she'd be talking to someone, Karen had never been quiet for so long, it was awful.
"Wow" she started "the silence is deafening, Nigel."
He stopped walking and turned to her "It's impossible for silence to deafening" he told her like she was insane.
"It's an expression…Never mind…I'm going in" she said in her best secret agent voice as she walked to the doors.
Nigel stepped back out of sight "Good luck."
*
Karen tried to look inconspicuous as she looked around the ground floor of the museum; she stayed rooted to the spot, unable to move. The museum was a bustle with people which didn't help, it made it hard look at every single person to see if it could be her boss.
She saw her after five minutes of looking; she was on her way towards Karen, relax, it's Sydney, what's the worst she could do… Karen tried not to think of how many bad guy's Sydney had beat up on her travels. Sydney stopped and looked at her a friendly smile on her face "Hi there, my names Emma Dell, can I help you with something? You look kinda lost."
Sydney shook her hand and Karen stared at her with a nervous expression on her face, just Sydney, just Sydney. "Uh, I, I need to speak to you about the…Peruvian Jewel" why did I say that!
She watched her boss carefully to see if the relic set off any alarm bells "I believe my father said something about that" she told Karen, a thoughtful look on her face.
"You're…father."
"Yeah, he owns this museum" Sydney said smiling.
"Could we talk over food? I'm starving" Karen asked, she was already backing out of the door. She was relieved when Sydney nodded her head and began to follow her out of the museum. As soon as Nigel saw Karen he started to walk towards her, Karen saw him and began nodding her head to the side trying to tell Nigel Syd was behind her.
"Are you alright?" Sydney asked concerned.
Nigel saw Sydney and backed away.
"Yeah I'm fine" Karen reassured her "By the way my names Karen Petrusky" she watched Sydney hopeful surely she'd remember Petrusky.
"Pleased to meet you."
Karen sighed this was going to be harder than she thought.
*
Sydney and Karen carried on walking until they arrived at the first eating establishment they could find, it was empty bar one other couple who were sat at the back, more interested in each other than the food set before them, the diner was rapidly filling though. They sat down by the counter and waited in silence for the waitress to serve them more silence "Look what I have to tell you is really important!" Karen blurted out.
"Well tell me then…It must be serious judging by how you've been acting, you've looked nervous since you walked into the museum" Sydney said, she was worried about the woman though she didn't know why, she'd never seen this Karen Petrusky before in her life. Then again I couldn't remember my own fiancée "it can't be as bad as you think it is" she said kindly, the woman wanted to tell her something she just didn't seem very eager about doing it.
"You're name is Sydney Fox, you're a Professor of Ancient Studies at Trinity --"
"Who?"
"Tristan Dell kidnapped you, he called you and asked you to help him find a relic --" Karen knew she was getting nowhere but she had to try.
"I don't believe a word your saying, you know that don't you?" Sydney asked the young blonde in front of her. As she spoke she looked for a way of escape but the room was crowded and she could see none; in the corner by the door she saw the man Karen called Nigel watching her. She turned and glared at the young woman "You set me up!" she shouted.
Nigel watched helplessly as Karen tried to calm down the furious relic hunter, he tried to get to them but too many people were in the way. Karen looked across to him in panic, something was wrong.
"Sydney please calm down!" Karen pleaded.
"I saw him at the museum he was thrown out, he was trying to get to me, he's the one who attacked me on my last hunt." Sydney rose from her chair and started to push through the crowd that had entered minutes earlier. The patrons turned around and watched the argument with interest.
*
In his office Tristan grabbed his son by the collar and slammed him against the wall, "What do you mean she left! She can't walk outside she'll be recognised!"
The young man tried to pull his fathers hands away but his grip was too tight, "let me go! She just went for something to eat."
"Anything could happen in that time, find her! Now or I'll have you're head!" he threw open his door and pushed his son forward, "What the hell do you think you're waiting for? Go."
He looked up at his crazed father and fled down the corridor, wishing and praying nothing had happened to Sydney.
*
Karen looked around the diner desperately trying to spot Nigel, she could see Sydney, the relic hunter was by the door now, and she looked back at Karen one last time before disappearing into the busy streets, "Sydney come back" Karen shouted. She barged her way through the patrons, ignoring their angry shouts as she pushed them out of her way, she looked around for Nigel but he too had gone she had no choice but to return to the hotel.
*
When Sydney wanted to get away from someone, she was fast and Nigel was having a hard time trying to catch up with her and at the same time trying to avoid knocking people out of his way. "Sorry…Excuse me" it was impossible to run and not push people out of the way as Nigel was fast finding out. He saw Sydney about six feet in front of him, she was slowing down now, and she looked lost, "Sydney…" he watched as she turned around to look at him, he saw fear in her eyes.
"What do you want from me?" she asked as she stepped further away from him.
As she moved away from him he walked forward trying to close the gap between them, "I…I'm not here to hurt you Syd, God I could never hurt you…"
"She looked around nervously as though she expected more people to appear out of the crowd to come after her, "Who are you?"
"It's Nigel, Nigel Bailey, don't you remember anything?"
"I'd remember you" she said "let me leave."
"I'm not forcing you to stay I'm just trying to help you remember who you are" he moved forward, closing the gap between them a little more.
"Then I'm leaving" as she walked past him he gently took her by the arm.
"Ask them about you're life, try and find photographs of you and them together…There won't be any."
"I know who I am Mr Bailey" he let go of her arm and could only watch as she walked away from him again.
TBC