Chapter 3:

The knock startled Lara from her jet lagged state; thinking hard she tried to remember if Earl said anything about someone visiting. He didn't, just the package at reception. Knock, knock. Quickly grabbing the first gun she could reach in the wardrobe Lara sidestepped towards the door while effortlessly sliding the pistol down her back and into her jeans waistband, flicking the tee shirt back into place before peering into peephole. There was no-one there.

"Who is it?" Lara enquired, trying to not sound threading incase it was very short butler, an unlikely chance, Lara thought, but you never know. No answer came back.

"Seriously, just say who the hell you are or go away," Lara's efforts of being confrontational were quickly disappearing. There was still no reply from the other-side of the door.

"Oh forget this," Lara muttered grabbing the door and pointing the gun at what she thought would be a person; but all Lara was aiming at was a palm tree across the walkway, nothing or nobody lay on the other-side of the door.

"How strange." Lara lowered her gun to look around, there was no evidence that a person could have been there moments ago. Brushing it off as tiredness, Lara turned back into the room to find a small book nestled on the pillows of the bed.

"What the..." Lara ran to the bed and picked up the book, "Fables of the Orient," Lara read, "where have you come from?" Thumbing through the biscuit coloured pages, one page was neatly folded down marking the start of a new story. Tutting at the unknown person who tarnished a perfectly good book, Lara began to read the marked page. "The Tiger under the Table. Once in the glorious land of Singapura tigers ran free, living alongside man. Beautiful, strong beasts, that with mans extending arm of influence into the jungle, began to turn on its countrymen". Lara continued to quietly read until she reached a paragraph that particularly piqued her interest. Blinking a few times wondering to herself why she had never thought of this famous story before now.

"In 1902 the last tiger in Singapura was shot by a patron in the grand billiard room of Raffles Hotel. Although some believe this event took place in the Long Bar. Of course!" Lara exclaimed, "Harimau is Malay for tiger and Singapore, or Singapura was once a Malay kingdom. So did the ring originate here? Is that why Hadrian has returned to Singapore?"

With questions still buzzing around her head Lara flicked through the book once more to find any more clues that could have been left by the mysterious book defiler; retuning to the story she noticed that some of the words were underlined. "K and Long Bar," Lara thought out loud, "the Long Bar is here, that makes sense, but K? What could...oh no, no, no, no." Lara shook her head violently throwing the book on the bed. "It couldn't be, he wouldn't!" Running out the door and down the stairs, Lara burst into the Long Bar frantically scanning the room.

"Excuse me miss are you okay?" Asked an elderly woman whose cocktail was nearly knocked away in the Lara whirlwind.

"Yes, yes. Have you seen anyone else in here? A man, black hair, American...bit smug?" Asked Lara not even looking at the woman who was gradually trying to create a bigger distance between herself and the strange woman who had just blustered through.

"No...I can't say I have, is he your partner?" The woman stuttered.

"Wh-what? No ," Lara continued through the bar scanning the patrons, Kurtis was not one of them.

"Damn," Lara whispered as she walked to the bar to order a signature Singapore Sling. Taking her drink to a table she slumped into rattan chair to think through what had just happened.

"You bought your own drink? That's a shame," a voice came from the corner. Turning Lara found Kurtis sat sipping a Black Russian looking as smug as ever.

"What. The. Hell. Do. You. Think. You. Are. Doing," steamed Lara almost throwing the chair across the room as she sat opposite Kurtis. "You are dead!"

"Evidently," Kurtis mused as he carried on sipping his cocktail.

"Go and be dead somewhere else then!" Lara harshly whispered, "I haven't got time to be messing around with you". Kurtis raised an eyebrow over his drink.

"Oh don't be disgusting, you know what I mean".

"I do unfortunately, so Lara, what are you up to these days?" Questioned Kurtis stretching his arms up into the air.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that, Mr dead book defiler? What do you want"

"Haven't a clue, but saying you thought I was dead you have a lovely way of greeting an old friend".

"Alliance," corrected Lara.

"Can't ask for much else," Kurtis said, cocking his head in a mock thought. Lara continued to stare at him, "I don't have a clue what you are going on about, I don't defile books".

"Then how did a book turn up in my room with nobody there to deliver it and the letter 'k' and 'Long Bar' underlined?"

"Seriously Lara, I didn't do that. I didn't even know you were here. I was on my way to Australia and this is my transit. I am leaving tomorrow." Kurtis explained.

"Then why are you here at the exact moment that a book just happens turn up in my room?"

"I'm not, that 'k' could mean anything. Look it's good to see you because I never thought I'd see you again but I didn't do anything. I don't know why you are here instead of being a mummy botherer, but it is certainly nothing to do with me."

Kurtis was serious and Lara could tell, but in her mind the facts didn't add up. It was strange that he was here at the exact moment with clues leading her to him.

"How did you survive?" Lara asked much calmer than at the start of the conversation.

"Luck. I don't remember much, I just woke up in the back streets of Paris. I have no idea how I got there. I was pretty worst for wear...actually you have something of mine".

"The chirugai? It's at home, would you like me to courier it over to your permanent alive address?" Lara sarcastically suggested, tucking her legs under her.

"If you don't mind," Kurtis replied in a similar tone. "Lara what's up?"

"Nothing".

"Then why are you here?"

Lara looked up from twirling a straw in her drink, I am doing this by myself I can't deal with anyone else disturbing my work...but Kurtis, what harm...no, no I can't.

"Lara? Tell me if you are in trouble," Kurtis asked reaching across the table to offer a friendly hand.

"I'm not. I'm just on business," Lara snapped pulling her hand away.

"What kind of business?"

"Just some usual artifact hunting in Laos, this happens to be my transit as well".

"Anywhere I know of in Laos?"

"Maybe, look I don't want to bother you any further, I think I should go," Lara said standing up and pushing her chair under the table.

"Lara".

Lara turned around to see Kurtis looking visually worried, "I know what I am doing, you however need to learn how to contact people. See this?" Lara picked up Kurtis' phone that was on the table, "This amazing invention lets you talk to people; you might want to try it one day. Enjoy Australia". With that Lara walked out of the bar leaving Kurtis to return to his drink. Picking up his phone up off the table he dialed a number and leant back waiting for an answer. A few seconds later an Australian woman answered the phone.

"Good evening Mr Trent, how can I help you?"

"Change of plan, I'm not flying out tomorrow and I don't need your services anymore".

"Very well Mr Trent, I will have the billing details sent to you by tomorrow".

"Fine". Kurtis ended the call peering at the gaping space which was the inside of his wallet. "As if".