wonder. “My lucky day.” Quickly and using extreme care, he slid it into a new plastic bag, zipped it shut then stood up. “Thanks, man, I owe you one. I better take off before the museum team arrives.”
“Hey, good luck with that,” Alaric called after him. “Meet me for a beer later and tell me what it is.”
“You got it.” Kohl muttered, tucking the baggie into the inner pocket of his leather trench coat. He quickly tossed his gear into a duffle bag, hopped on a dirt bike then headed down the bumpy dirt road toward the highway where he’d parked his truck. Not wasting time, he lifted the dirt bike into the bed, jumped behind the wheel and took off.
He snickered as the excavation team from the museum passed him on their way to the site. They didn’t know him but he recognized the insignias on the vehicles. They may as well wave red flags going in. He chuckled again, thinking about how they’d bustle around the site securing their area, watching each other with furtive glances while hoping for a rare find. Good luck greenhorns. He smirked to himself, knowing he’d combed the area all night with a high tech metal detector until receiving a signal. Without even knowing the value of his find, he had a feeling nobody on the incoming team would uncover anything more fascinating than the amulet in his coat pocket.
By the time he reached his house, morning sun had dimmed behind thickening clouds. He turned up the air conditioning once inside to fend off the summer Texas heat. July was usually a scorcher. Kohl was very relieved and grateful that his best friend had snuck him into the drilling site in the cool of the night, thus avoiding the sweltering heat and the competition. He reminded himself to buy Alaric not just a bottle, but a full case of fine whiskey to thank him.
After dropping his duffle on the floor, Kohl went straight to his lab to examine and clean the relic he’d found. His heart pounded with excitement. As the grime fell away, the pendant and the attached chain began to shine. He stared at the gold chain and fiery red jewel set in a very antique setting, the likes of which he’d never seen. Using magnifying tools, he studied the piece with utmost precision. Etched deep inside the red stone was a fossil-like image of an eagle.
Wow, this is incredible. The amulet captivated him, so much so, that he hadn’t even given much thought to the raging storm outside. An alert on his cell phone drew him from his intense scrutiny. Tornado warning. Shit. He grabbed the amulet and his phone, then headed to the basement. Outside, the wind roared and hail pelted the house in deafening fury. The sound of shingles and boards coming loose added to the unsettling clamor of the storm, as if someone or something was trying to get inside.
An icy chill trickled up his spine. He shook it off.
After taking shelter downstairs for almost an hour, Kohl crept up the flight of wooden steps to his main floor. The walls and interior looked intact. Cautiously he opened the door and peered around. Though the ground was littered with debris, the neighboring houses appeared unharmed. He breathed a sigh of relief. The ringtone on his phone signaled an incoming call. He glanced at the caller ID.
“Hey, Alaric, are you okay? Did you get out of the storm?” He was relieved to hear his friend’s voice.
“Yeah, I was calling to ask you the same thing. That bugger ripped through here like a devil, destroyed the entire drilling site.”
“Anyone get hurt?”
“No, thank God. We heard the sirens and ran down into the ravine by the river basin. Everything at the site is gone though. Billion dollar equipment chewed into scrap metal.” Alaric sighed into the phone. “Police roped off the area until further notice. Looks like I’ll be taking a vacation until the insurance claim is settled.”
“Damn, I’m sorry to hear that, but at least nobody was hurt. Did the excavation team get out okay?”
“Yep…” Alaric said in
“Hey, good luck with that,” Alaric called after him. “Meet me for a beer later and tell me what it is.”
“You got it.” Kohl muttered, tucking the baggie into the inner pocket of his leather trench coat. He quickly tossed his gear into a duffle bag, hopped on a dirt bike then headed down the bumpy dirt road toward the highway where he’d parked his truck. Not wasting time, he lifted the dirt bike into the bed, jumped behind the wheel and took off.
He snickered as the excavation team from the museum passed him on their way to the site. They didn’t know him but he recognized the insignias on the vehicles. They may as well wave red flags going in. He chuckled again, thinking about how they’d bustle around the site securing their area, watching each other with furtive glances while hoping for a rare find. Good luck greenhorns. He smirked to himself, knowing he’d combed the area all night with a high tech metal detector until receiving a signal. Without even knowing the value of his find, he had a feeling nobody on the incoming team would uncover anything more fascinating than the amulet in his coat pocket.
By the time he reached his house, morning sun had dimmed behind thickening clouds. He turned up the air conditioning once inside to fend off the summer Texas heat. July was usually a scorcher. Kohl was very relieved and grateful that his best friend had snuck him into the drilling site in the cool of the night, thus avoiding the sweltering heat and the competition. He reminded himself to buy Alaric not just a bottle, but a full case of fine whiskey to thank him.
After dropping his duffle on the floor, Kohl went straight to his lab to examine and clean the relic he’d found. His heart pounded with excitement. As the grime fell away, the pendant and the attached chain began to shine. He stared at the gold chain and fiery red jewel set in a very antique setting, the likes of which he’d never seen. Using magnifying tools, he studied the piece with utmost precision. Etched deep inside the red stone was a fossil-like image of an eagle.
Wow, this is incredible. The amulet captivated him, so much so, that he hadn’t even given much thought to the raging storm outside. An alert on his cell phone drew him from his intense scrutiny. Tornado warning. Shit. He grabbed the amulet and his phone, then headed to the basement. Outside, the wind roared and hail pelted the house in deafening fury. The sound of shingles and boards coming loose added to the unsettling clamor of the storm, as if someone or something was trying to get inside.
An icy chill trickled up his spine. He shook it off.
After taking shelter downstairs for almost an hour, Kohl crept up the flight of wooden steps to his main floor. The walls and interior looked intact. Cautiously he opened the door and peered around. Though the ground was littered with debris, the neighboring houses appeared unharmed. He breathed a sigh of relief. The ringtone on his phone signaled an incoming call. He glanced at the caller ID.
“Hey, Alaric, are you okay? Did you get out of the storm?” He was relieved to hear his friend’s voice.
“Yeah, I was calling to ask you the same thing. That bugger ripped through here like a devil, destroyed the entire drilling site.”
“Anyone get hurt?”
“No, thank God. We heard the sirens and ran down into the ravine by the river basin. Everything at the site is gone though. Billion dollar equipment chewed into scrap metal.” Alaric sighed into the phone. “Police roped off the area until further notice. Looks like I’ll be taking a vacation until the insurance claim is settled.”
“Damn, I’m sorry to hear that, but at least nobody was hurt. Did the excavation team get out okay?”
“Yep…” Alaric said in
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