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Jasmine wondered how the copper scroll fit into Athanasios’s treasure hunt. The copper scrolls only dated back to 65 AD, nearly a thousand years after the dead king had included the story of the hidden treasure. “Has he had any luck finding the artifacts?”
“Some,” Christos said. “Take this statue of Isis… Its clue is the inscription on the base. It doesn’t make much sense on its own. The theory is that when all the clues are collected, the clues will make sense.”
“Where did your father find this statue?” Jasmine asked.
Christos snorted. “He found it in the estate of the late Ronald Westbury III. His grandfather, Ronald Westbury, Duke of Westbury back in the late 1800s, funded a dig near Giza. Because his dig produced significant finds, the government of Egypt gifted him with this ancient statue to thank him for all he did in recovering more of their history.”
“Nice of them to gift the duke,” Jasmine said.
“My father studied the king’s hieroglyphs, which included giving a gift to one of his trusted outpost leaders in charge of managing the outpost near what is now modern-day Giza. My father looked through records of digs near Giza and found the dig the Duke of Westbury had financed. The gift of the image in the king’s tomb resembled a statue of Isis. The cataloged finds included a statue of Isis.”
“And did it also record where the statue was sent?” Jasmine asked.
He nodded.
“How did your father come to own the statue?” Jasmine asked.
“My father made a trip to the UK and found the Westbury estate up for auction. The last surviving relative had died with no heirs. The estate was for sale, including everything in it. He bid on the statue and bought it for practically nothing.”
“It’s amazing it still exists,” Jasmine said. “Especially after all these centuries.”
“Westbury’s discovery was buried beneath the rubble of a church. As the rubble was cleared, the tomb was unearthed, all its contents intact.”
Jasmine had read about the looting of tombs and how many Egyptian treasures no longer resided in Egypt, having been taken to other countries by private collectors or governments to fill national museums.
“My father has spent the past few years studying the records of a number of archeological digs at the locations inscribed on the dead king’s tomb.”
He led her to a case that displayed an intricate tile mosaic. Several tiles were missing, but the image was clear of the god Horace handing a scroll to the king. “My father says this is another clue; however, I have no idea what it means. He seems to think there was a scroll passed from Horace to the king, and that scroll was passed from the king to a priest near the Dead Sea who was to preserve the scroll. It's supposed to hold the key to all the gifts, thus the location of the treasure.”
“The Dead Sea Scrolls?” Jasmine asked.
“The Dead Sea Scrolls are said to contain messages about treasures. The same goes for the copper scroll,” Christos said. “Anyway, my father is obsessed.”
“How was he able to obtain a mosaic?” Jasmine asked. “I would assume it was attached to a building somewhere as a floor or design on a wall.”
Christos shrugged. “I don’t ask. Some things just appear in this room.” He moved away from the mosaic. “Personally, I think he’s chasing the wind. If there was truly a treasure, it would have been looted centuries ago like all the great pyramids. If you like paintings, my father has several from world-renowned artists. He used to be a more avid collector of art, but he hasn’t purchased any recently as he’s so obsessed with this treasure hunt. He did manage to acquire a little-known Monet from a private collector fifteen years ago. It’s his favorite of the paintings.”
Athanasios’s son stopped in front of the Monet and stared at the vibrant colors on the canvas. “In all his collection, this is my favorite.”
“It’s beautiful,” Jasmine said. And it was. But she only pretended to study the work of art as she continued to scan the room out of her peripheral vision, searching for the copper scroll. She moved on, her gaze moving from the paintings on the walls to the glass cases below.
At the far end of the room was a table with a large lighted magnifying glass bent over it. What was lying on the table gave Jasmine’s heart a jolt.
The box. Her box. The case she’d had designed to transport the fragile copper scroll.
It was here. Within reach.
She pointed at the box. “What’s this?”
Christos’s lips twisted. “I think it’s my father’s latest find.”
“How exciting.” She tilted her head. “Do you know what’s inside it?”
Christos shook his head. “No idea. Probably some dusty old jewelry or a stone statue. I’m surprised my father isn’t here, looking over it like a child with a new Christmas present.”
Jasmine glanced around. “Where is your father? I would like to have met him.”
“There was trouble at one of his warehouses near the port earlier,” Christos said. “He was called away to investigate.”
