The Mystery of the Lost Treasure (A Secret SPY Agent adventure Book 3)
Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Chapter One - The Egyptian Museum
Chapter Two - Secret Passages
Chapter Three - King Tut's tomb
Morse Code Symbols
Chapter Four - Morse Code
Chapter Five - Black Flamingo
Chapter Six - The Circular Room
Chapter Seven - Treasure Room
Chapter Eight - King Tut's Burial Chamber
Chapter Nine - Traps
Seven Ancient Wonders of the World
Chapter Ten - Ancient Wonders
Chapter Eleven - Desert Storm
Chapter Twelve - Souk
Trivia
A Secret S.P.Y. Agent Adventure
THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST TREASURE
by Gabrielle & Isabelle Michael
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
ISLANDREAMZ Publishing
A division of Islandreamz Innovation Inc.
Copyright © 2014 by Gabrielle & Isabelle Michael
All rights reserved.
Book cover photo credits: filitova / Shutterstock.com and Georgy Volmiller/ Shutterstock.com
A Secret S.P.Y. Agent Adventure series:
# 1 The Mystery of the Missing Device
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HRFHK2C/
# 2 The Mystery of the Emerald Stone
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JFBCK1W
# 3 The Mystery of the Lost Treasure
To our papa.
Chapter One
The Egyptian Museum
“Did Father tell you why he wanted us to come here?” Kathryn Jones asked her older sister, Isabelle. The two girls were secret agents for S.P.Y. (“Sisters Protecting You”), a top secret agency dedicated to protecting the world against super villains.
“Father” was the codename for the head of S.P.Y. No one had ever seen him before. He gave instructions to all the agents only over the phone, or through e-mail, but never face to face. It was very strange, mysterious and super top secret. The girls had heard stories that Father used to be an extremely dangerous agent, the best the world had ever known, but no one knew his real identity.
“Nope,” Isabelle’s long black hair swayed gently as she shook her head. Although both sisters looked almost identical, they were as different in their character and temperament as night and day. Isabelle was often serious and very focused on her work, whereas Kathryn was more cheerful and loved to crack jokes. They had joined S.P.Y. after graduating from university at the top of their class but they had never told their parents they were secret agents. It was, after all, a secret.
The Jones sisters had landed in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, a couple of hours ago after finishing their latest mission in Australia. They were now at the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities. They were waiting in line to get in to see the ancient Egyptian artefacts — mummies, sarcophagi, pottery, jewellery and of course, King Tut’s treasures. It was crowded. Millions of people visited the museum each year to see the priceless treasures.
“Father only said to get on the plane to Cairo and to wait for further instructions at the Egyptian Museum,” Isabelle explained as she paid the admission fees. It was already late in the afternoon. She did not know how long they would have to wait for Father to call. Luckily, they had already eaten a heavy lunch so she wouldn’t have to worry about feeding Kathryn. Her younger sister always got so grumpy whenever she was hungry.
They strolled around the museum while Kathryn read aloud from her travel guide book. “Did you know that the tomb of King Tutankhamum, or King Tut for short, was only discovered by a British archaeologist, Howard Carter in 1922 after many years of digging?”
“No, I did not. Is it nearby?” wondered Isabelle. She did not have to be a detective to figure out where their next stop would be if it was.
“No,” replied Kathryn with a sad face. “King Tut’s tomb is in the Valley of the Kings, which is a graveyard for ancient Egypt’s richest kings. It is so far away — over 600 kilometres from here!”
“Lucky me! I am sure that if it was just around the corner, you would be dragging me there for a visit right now,” Isabelle teased her sister.
Kathryn stuck her tongue out at her older sibling and continued reading. As usual, she was always excited about the new countries they went to on their missions as spies. She never failed to bombard her older sister with a detailed description of each place, even when Isabelle was busy worrying about their missions. “Carter spent about half a million dollars (in today’s money) of British millionaire, Lord Carnarvon’s money just to find King Tut’s tomb.”
“Wow … that is so absolutely fascinating,” Isabelle said sarcastically. At times like this, she loved to pretend that she was bored. It drove her baby sister up the wall. It was so much fun. “Imagine how many pairs of shoes you could buy with all that money?”
Kathryn deliberately ignored her sister’s sarcastic tone. She knew that Isabelle was only trying to squeeze a reaction out of her. She went on reading from the guide as they walked around. “Did you know that King Tut became pharaoh at the age of nine, around 1313 B.C. but he died young, only ten years later?”
Isabelle shook her head as she glanced around the museum, only half paying attention to her sister as she looked around for clues. She knew that Father would ask about her observations later. Her inspection was soon interrupted by her sister’s excited cry, “Look, Izzy! It is King Tut’s death mask, made entirely out of solid gold! Isn’t it one of the most beautiful objects you have ever seen?”
Isabelle glanced over to where her sister was pointing.
There was nothing there.
Chapter Two
Secret Passages
“The desert heat must have gotten to you,” Isabelle scolded her sister. “You are starting to imagine things! There is nothing there.”
“No way!” Kathryn protested. She was like a dog with a bone. She wouldn’t let go. “I really saw it there a moment ago! Besides, the mask weighs over 10 kilograms. It is not something a person could just stuff inside their pocket and walk away without being noticed.”
“Well, it couldn’t have disappeared into thin air!” Isabelle argued. “If someone had stolen it, there would have been some evidence of the theft — broken glass, alarms going off, people shouting — you know … that kind of thing?”
“Hey, be nice,” Kathryn scolded her sister and punched her lightly on the shoulder.
“Are you really sure you saw it?” Isabelle questioned her again.
“Yes, I really did!” Kathryn was getting upset. “Don’t you believe me?”
Isabelle’s heart softened as she spoke in a gentler tone, “Of course I believe you. You are my sister. I was only kidding.”
“Then, where did it go?” Kathryn wondered. She was totally confused.
“I don’t know but it is definitely a mystery and who better to solve it than … ” Isabelle turned and gave her sister a wink.
“The super awesome spy sisters!” they shouted at the same time before breaking out into laughter.
All the tourists around them stopped and stared, giving them the evil eye for making too much noise i
n the museum.
It only made the Jones sisters laugh even more. They couldn’t help themselves.
Just then, a child shouted, “Look, mommy! King Tut’s mask has vanished!”
Everyone turned to look at where the little kid was pointing.
It was the same exhibit Kathryn had been telling Isabelle about.
“Wow,” Isabelle said sarcastically. “You aren’t mad, like I thought you were five-seconds ago.”
“See!” Kathryn told Isabelle triumphantly. “I knew I wasn’t imagining it!”
She didn’t get a chance to rub it in to her sister.
The lights flickered around the whole room, casting scary shadows over the ancient exhibits.
“What’s that?” One of the tourists stammered as he pointed to the corner.
The shadow of a camel could be seen on the wall at the far end of the hall.
“It’s the mummy camel!” Another tourist dressed in brown gasped.
“What is a mummy camel?” Kathryn blurted out but no one answered her. The terrified tourists were all too busy running for the exit.
“All that reading and you don’t know what a mummy camel is,” Isabelle grumbled.
Kathryn purposely ignored her sister and shouted as she ran towards the shadow, “Come on! Maybe we can catch whatever is casting that shadow.”
When the girls got there, they only found ancient Egyptian artefacts. It was a dead end. There was no sign of a mummy camel.
“Where did it go?” Kathryn exclaimed loudly.
Isabelle shushed her sister. “I think I heard something.”
They quickly hid behind a large statue of the Sphinx and listened.
There was a soft whistling sound coming from the wall.
They went over to the wall and examined it. There was a thin crack.
“This must be the entrance to a hidden tunnel,” Isabelle suspected. The girls searched for a way to open the door but couldn’t find anything.
After several minutes, Kathryn cried out, “This is hopeless! How are we going to open the door?”
She pounded the door in frustration and sat down next to it, leaning her head against the wall.
The door opened.
“You must have pressed the hidden button!” Isabelle exclaimed.
They smiled and gave each other a fist bump, “Super duper awesome spy sisters!”
The tunnel was dark but the S.P.Y. agents were not afraid. Kathryn switched on her mini flashlight and they entered the tunnel.
There was no sign of the mummy camel.
“Let’s see where it goes,” said Isabelle.
Before long, they saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Isabelle signalled Kathryn to be quiet as they crept to the exit, as silent as tigers stalking their prey. The sun was already setting. It was getting late. Two men dressed in dark clothes were standing behind a black pickup truck.
“Hurry up, Turtle!” The tall guy grumbled. The shorter guy was struggling to load a wooden box onto the truck.
“It would be easier if you help, Ralph,” Turtle complained. “I had to load all the boxes by myself. It isn’t fair!”
“I’m the lookout, remember?” Ralph snickered.
Turtle snorted and shoved the box onto the truck. He threw a cover over the boxes. “We had better go. The Black Flamingo will be waiting for us and you know how impatient she gets. I don’t want to make her angry.”
Both guys climbed into the truck. The engine started.
“Come on,” Isabelle ordered Kathryn as she ran towards the pickup truck. “We have to see what is in those boxes.”
They leapt quietly onto the back of the truck and hid under the cover together with the boxes.
Kathryn peeked into one of the boxes. It contained ancient Egyptian jewelry.
“It is from the museum!” She gasped. “They must be the thieves!”
The truck started moving.
“What do we do?” Kathryn whispered.
“Stay with the truck,” Isabelle said. “We have to know where they are taking the treasures and who this ‘Black Flamingo’ is.”
“Where do you think they are going, Izzy?”
“I don’t know, sis. I don’t know.”
Chapter Three
King Tut's tomb
Isabelle’s phone buzzed. They had been hiding in the truck for almost an hour.
Luckily, the noise of the truck’s engine was louder than her phone. The bad guys didn’t hear it.
“Father,” Isabelle whispered when she answered the call. Kathryn put her head next to Isabelle so that she could hear what Father was saying.
“Why aren’t you waiting in the museum like I asked?” Father demanded.
Kathryn frowned and whispered at her sister, How does he know these things?
Father had a creepy way of keeping track of them.
“We are hiding at the back of a truck with some stolen treasures,” Isabelle replied softly. “We are going to find out where they are taking it.”
“Be careful, girls,” warned Father.
He paused. They could sense that he wanted say something else but he hung up without another word.
The girls looked at each other and settled down for the long drive.
A few hours later, Kathryn’s stomach rumbled.
“I’m hungry,” she grumbled.
It was almost close to midnight. The sisters had been hiding at the back of the truck for hours. They were very tired but it was too dangerous to sleep. They had to stay awake.
Kathryn’s stomach growled again. This time, it was louder.
Isabelle sighed, reached into her pocket and pulled out a granola bar. “For emergencies,” she whispered as she passed it to her sister.
“You are the best sister ever,” Kathryn wanted to hug her but she couldn’t in the tight space. So, she squeezed her sister’s hand. “Why on earth do you have a granola bar in your pocket?”
“I have known you for twenty-one years and taken care of you ever since you were born,” Isabelle said. “You are always hungry. Did you really think I would let you starve?”
“But you have never given me a granola bar before!” protested Kathryn even as she ripped open the packaging.
“Well, we usually manage to feed you before the granola bar becomes necessary,” replied Isabelle with a cheeky smile. “It doesn’t mean I never had one for you in my pocket every time. Mom’s the one who taught me the trick.”
Kathryn stuck her tongue out at her sister. “Now, I know who to look for next time when Mom’s not here!”
Isabelle’s reply was interrupted by a sudden jerk as the truck came to a stop.
Kathryn peeped out from under the cover. They were in the middle of the desert. The bad guys had parked the truck and were walking into a tunnel.
“Where are we?” Isabelle asked.
“Izzy,” Kathryn whispered breathlessly, “I think we are in the Valley of Kings, outside King Tut’s tomb.”
“Okay, okay. This is not the time to get overexcited. You got your wish to see the place. Where are the bad guys?”
“They are going into the tomb.”
“Let’s follow them!” Isabelle suggested.
“There are guards outside the tunnel. We won’t be able to follow them without being seen.”
“I’m going to look around,” said Isabelle, “and see if there is any other way we can sneak in.”
“Be careful,” Kathryn warned as her older sister climbed quietly out of the truck. She watched as Isabelle crept over to the other side.
Isabelle didn’t notice it but there were some guards heading towards her.
Oh, no! Kathryn thought. They are going to catch her.
She picked up her phone and tried to call her sister but she couldn’t get through.
Her phone must have run out of power. Kathryn panicked. How am I going to warn her?
The bad guys were getting closer to her sister.
Kathryn tried waving but it was too dark. Is
abelle did not see her.
What am I going to do? She was starting to freak out. Izzy will get caught.
That was when the idea hit her.
That’s it, she thought. Morse Code! It was the only way she could communicate with Isabelle since her phone didn’t work. Now she only had to do it without letting the guards see her or else they would get chased.
She took out her mini flash light and signalled her sister.
BEHIND YOU!
Morse Code
A
.-
N
-.
B
-…
O
---
C
-.-.
P
.--.
D
-..
Q
--.-
E
.
R
.-.
F
..-.
S
…
G
--.
T
-
H
….
U
..-
I
..
V
…-
J
.---
W
.--
K
-.-
X
-..-
L
.-..
Y
-.--
M
--
Z
--..
1
.----
6
-….
2
..---