Page 158 of Eternal Surrender

Ingrid’s face fell.

Hanson realized Lucas had hit a nerve. “You prefer animals to humans, Inspector?”

“It all boils down to motivation,” Ingrid said. “Humans know better. Or should.”

“I imagine you’ve seen quite a bit of death?” The doctor peeled off her latex gloves and tossed them in the bin.

Ingrid stared at her as though frozen in the memory of Alistair sitting slumped up against the tree stump, an arrow protruding from his right orb.

Ingrid quickly shook off her trance. “We both have that in common, Dr. Hanson.” Ingrid gestured toward the mummy. “From what I understand, the belief that you’d need a body in the afterlife was why they mummified their dead.”

“At first, it was merely reserved for Pharaohs,” Lucas said. “Later it became fashionable and nobility were mummified. Before long everyone wanted in on the act.”

“Did our forensics find anything?” Ingrid asked.

“They let me do the honors,” Hanson said. “I am after all his keeper.” She looked my way. “I’ve not been able to sleep since he went missing. The guilt weighed too heavily.”

“You developed a bond,” I said.

“There’s a theory that a nation can be judged on how they treat their animals. The same can be said for how we honor our dead.”

“You consider their remains sacred,” I acknowledged.

“A once-living temple.” Hanson scratched her collar bone with an un-manicured fingernail. “Whoever took him had no respect. They still have his sacred scrolls.”

“His map to the afterlife?” Ingrid said, remembering what Lucas had told her.

“Shameful.” Lucas shook his head.

“But surely he’s made it to the afterlife by now?” Ingrid asked. “Maybe he doesn’t need the map anymore.”

“Please excuse her,” I said. “She doesn’t mean to be so pragmatic.”

Ingrid threw me a look.

“And what’s your background?” Hanson asked me.

“Historian,” I answered.

“Inspector, you have quite the team.” She turned to me again. “Then you’ll know the sacred scrolls placed with him at his death included incantations that would guide his soul on its perilous journey to the edge of the land of the dead.” She peered at Ingrid. “His scrolls were unique. They actually depicted a spell of resurrection back into this life.”

“Reincarnation?” Ingrid asked.

Hanson shook her head. “Eternal life.”

“You mentioned scrolls.” Ingrid asked, “There was more than one?”

“Yes,” said Hanson. “The first scroll depicted directions on how to survive immortality.”

“I never got to see that,” Ingrid said. “I missed it.”

“That was probably my fault, I’m afraid,” Hanson admitted, “There was a lot of confusion that day, and I wasn’t myself.”

“May I see your copies?” Lucas asked.

“Of course.” Hanson opened up a beige folder and rifled through the papers within and handed them over to him.

Lucas held them respectfully as though studying the originals.