Free Kathlyn Trent, Marcus Burton 01 - Valley of the Shadow by Kathryn Le Veque

wants to film everything, of course.  They even told Debra Jo that the guy who manages the Giza plateau might come down here to supervise.”
    “Whatever. But we need that permission before we can start sampling.”
    They all knew that, Kathlyn most of all. She began pacing around, lost in a world that was flowing and digging and full of dead pharaohs. There was much happening in a relatively short period of time, on all fronts.
    "What are you thinking?" Juliana asked her.
    She analyzed that question; what was she thinking? "I'm not sure yet," she said slowly. "But I'll let you know as soon as I do."
    She wandered away, down to the road, and headed towards the parking lot filled with tourist buses. Juliana, Mark, Andy and Larry watched her go. Sometimes it was best to leave her alone, which is exactly what they did. They headed back to camp to seek shelter from the heat and the legions of flies that festered in the overflow of sewage surrounding the valley.
    Kathlyn entered the east valley with a group of tourists. The guards had become familiar with her, from other workers and also from the commotion her arrival had caused, and let her go through. In the daylight, the place looked very different. The golden brown hills were a stark contrast against the crystal blue sky and the entrances were not just wide gaping mouths, but neatly stoned niches.
    There were two tour groups just beginning and she politely moved past them, her eyes running along the slope between KV2 and KV7. It just didn't look like anything other than a rocky hillside today and she imagined that if there was, in fact, a tomb to be found there, then robbers or other explorers would have done it centuries ago. What made this one so special and so elusive?
    She stood in the spot where she had felt the flow the night before. She didn't want to give into the feelings now, not with hundreds of people around her. But the longer she stood there, the more she couldn't ignore the feeling that she was standing in a wash of energy, like a breeze that didn't stir her hair, or a stream that didn't wet her. Feelings normally didn't come this easily for her, but this flow was constant and strong. Her palms were sweating and her heart pounding, and not because of the heat. It was an exciting, moving experience.
    "You really like this hill, don't you?"
    Marcus stood beside her. Somehow she wasn't surprised to see him; the guy was always popping up unannounced, prowling around like a panther. She realized she was glad to see him.
    “Who's minding the store?" she asked.
    "My lackeys, of course."
    "Left your whips with them, did you?"
    She actually thought she saw a hint of his fantastic smile. "Never ask a man about his whips," he said. "You might not like the answer."
    She laughed, and Marcus followed suit. Once he had let his guard down with someone, it was easier the second time around. "McGrath said you wanted to talk to me," he said.
    Leave it to McGrath to give her the opportunity to tell him first. She might as well do it now, before she lost her nerve. There was no simple way to do it. Taking a deep breath, she smiled at him. "Well, I suppose I do.”
    “What about?”
    “Your tomb."
    “What about it?”
    “It’s here.”
    "Where?"
    She pointed up the hill. "Here."
    His pleasant expression faded. "What are you talking about?"
    Her smile faded, too. "Burton, I'm trying to tell you that you're digging in the wrong place. Your tomb isn't in that valley; it's right here."
    He stared at her a moment before looking up at the desolate slope. It was obvious that he was trying to keep his promise by not losing his cool. "How do you know that?"
    “I just do.”
    “That’s not good enough. How do you know?”
    She wasn't quite sure what to tell him. She couldn't lie to him, but she didn't want him to think she was a wacko, either. For the first time in her life, she was feeling ashamed of her intuition. Burton was so logical that he was sure to think she was