Ghosts of Karnak by George Mann

wearing his trousers, but had ripped his shirt off before getting into bed, and now, in the light of day, could see the streaks of dried blood, open wounds, and massive purple bruises that had formed across his chest. Even looking at them hurt.
    “Rough night?” said Donovan, pushing the door shut and crossing to the drinks cabinet.
    “Something like that,” said Gabriel.
    “Mind if I…?” Donovan held up the whisky decanter.
    Gabriel nodded. “Bit early for you, isn’t it?”
    “I haven’t really been to bed,” said Donovan. He dropped into one of the chairs by the window, threw back his head and downed the drink. He placed the glass on the windowsill with a
clink
. He looked at Gabriel, and then wrinkled his nose. “You might want to think about giving this place a bit of an airing.”
    Gabriel laughed, wincing as it set off a series of wracking pains in his chest. “Yeah, maybe next week, when I’ve got a bit more time on my hands.”
    Donovan smiled. “Tell me.”
    Gabriel shook his head. “No, you first. You’re the one dragging me out of bed at such an ungodly hour.”
    “Funny, you’re the second person to complain about that this morning.”
    “Then maybe you should pay attention,” said Gabriel. “Perhaps the universe is trying to tell you something.”
    Donovan offered him a withering look. “We’ve found another body,” he said. He scratched at his beard absently. “Different this time. A man. All slashed up and dumped in a trash cart.”
    “And you think it’s connected?”
    “I
know
it’s connected. He had a tattoo, on the underside of his wrist. The same cartouche we found cut into the back of Autumn Allen. Mullins thinks it might be a reprisal killing.”
    “From the mob?” said Gabriel. “That would make sense, I suppose.”
    Donovan nodded. “It would have to be the Reaper’s boys. He’s the only real game in town these days. Although we still haven’t got anything concrete to link him to the dead woman.”
    “I’m planning to put in an appearance at the Café Deluxe this evening,” said Gabriel. “I thought it sounded like just the sort of place that Gabriel Cross might like. I’ll ask a few gentle questions, listen to the chatter, see if I can’t pick up on anything that might help.”
    “Be careful,” said Donovan. “In a place like that you’ll be surrounded. They’ll have all the exits covered, and there’s no way I could even get close. There won’t be any cavalry riding in to bail you out if something goes down.”
    “As if I’ve ever needed that,” said Gabriel.
    “Hmmm,” was Donovan’s only response.
    Gabriel lit a smoke and threw his cigarette tin to Donovan. “Anyway, the ship. Things happened there last night, Felix. Things I can’t quite explain. There’s something very wrong with that exhibition.”
    He outlined the previous night’s events for Donovan, including his encounter with the statues, and the fact he’d found evidence not only of the symbol, but that a woman had been transported, possibly against her will, inside the crate.
    “Of course, you realize I can’t do anything with that information,” said Donovan, “at least not officially. But I
knew
that bastard was lying.”
    “Your other early riser?” said Gabriel.
    Donovan nodded. “Robert Landsworth. An Englishman. He’s in charge of the exhibition, and was partners on the dig with another man, Amaury, who’s still out in Egypt. Mullins and I gave Landsworth a bit of a rough time this morning, and I got the sense he was hiding something. Now I’m sure of it. He
knew
what was on that ship. He probably put it there.”
    “He can’t be behind the murders though, can he? At least, not the woman. He was still on the ship.”
    “I know. And I don’t think he’d be capable of it, either. Physically, I mean. But it’s a ruddy great coincidence that his exhibition is linked to Thoth, and so are these murders.” Donovan pulled the ignition patch on his cigarette, and