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Drake frowned "Wait, it says Daedalus had the touch, not Midas--not the king?"

"Exactly," Welch replied, sreat stockpile of gold at the center of the labyrinth, that the workers built froo and see hiet paid He never left the labyrinth, but he paid theist looked at Jada "Your father helped me translate that tablet He and I both believed this story referred to Daedalus It went on to say that thieves attempted to steal from him constantly, even after the labyrinth had been completed There are references to the Mistress of the Labyrinth and her honey and to a monster as well"

"A ypt, not on Crete?"

"Yes," Welch replied, clearly enjoying his revelations "There are references to all three labyrinths having guardians Monstrous e, but obviously not man-bulls like in the myth It seems that Daedalus lived in the labyrinth here, and theinside it But at soether and attacked the cult of Sobek, killingthe labyrinth The would-be thieves found no trace of gold or of Daedalus Both had apparently vanished Maybe e figure out the location of the third labyrinth, we’ll solve that mystery, too"

Jada started to ask him more, but then the waiter arrived with their dinner and the conversation halted while he served theain to Welch

"I can see why this would be like Christ has turned upfound in a century You and your boss will have your careers o on talk shows You’ll be set But as cool as a lot of this is--and believe me, to so yet worth killing over"

Welch shot Jada an apologetic look "Whatever your father discovered, whatever connection he er, I have no idea what it is And lad I don’t know"

Sully slid his chair nearer to Welch "Be careful, Dr Welch Cheney didn’t know, either--or at least your sister didn’t think Cheney knehatever secret Luka had discovered But Cheney’s still dead You’ve gotta be on guard until we figure it all out"

For the first tihtened "But I don’t know the secret, either If there is so, I have no idea where it could be"

"Just be careful," Sully said, taking a bite of his koshari

"Maybe we’ll find soested "If we can put this puzzle together and prove who killed my father and why, then you’ll be safe"

Welch nodded "Let’s hope so," he said, but he had gone rather pale and seeet aithout see rude, Welch excused himself and left his dinner half eaten at the table He didn’t even wait to have coffee with them after the meal For several , finishing up their dinner, lost in their own ru ca

"Uncle Vic?" Jada asked, worried

Sully coughed, taking a sip of water to wash dohatever it was he had srong But Drake knew him too well to think the food had been the only problem He saw the worry in Sully’s eyes and the way Sully had sat up,sure the journal was hidden under the tail of his shirt but that he could reach his gun if he needed it

Drake glanced at the entrance to the restaurant and sao toward them A beautiful creature, she had blond hair to her shoulders, stylishly cut, and Drake put her in her early forties, though she could have passed for younger with less yptians, but there was nothe allure of the body beneath it

"Jada," Sully whispered behind his water glass "Your step, Jada slid back from the table and stood, barely controlled fury on her face Drake snatched her wrist and held on tight, forcing her to look at hiuns," he whispered through his teeth

She took a deep breath, wet her lips, and gave a single sharp nod Sully stood slowly and took up a position beside her, providing her with ulp, but he didn’t rise Anyone in the restaurant would think they were greeting the new arrival to their party despite the distress on the faces of both Jada and her steplad I found you," Olivia Hzujak said as she threw her araze cold, as she endured her stepmother’s embrace Olivia took a step back and looked at her at arht--my God, it’s like fate," Olivia said Her lower lip treht a hand up to halfway cover her face as tears began to spill down her cheeks "Jada, I can’t believe he’s gone I don’t knohat I’rief Drake stared at the woman Whatever he had expected frolance at Sully told him that his old friend had had the same reaction Yes, the woman fit the mold of classic older femme fatale, but life didn’t follow the rules of old Huart movies If this woman’s pain wasn’t real, she was a dah, did not see here, Olivia?" she asked

Olivia flinched at the steel and ice in her stepdaughter’s voice She let go of Jada’s ar her bleached hair away froer for understanding

"I knohat you must think," Olivia said

"Really? I’lanced at Sully "Victor Thank you for taking care of her"

Sully arched an eyebrow "Soain Olivia flinched She nodded sloiping at her tears, but Drake saw the effort it took for her to get herself under control and still thought her grief had to be genuine

"I couldn’t stay in New York, Jada," she said "Your father--when he first turned up , I suspected the worst But when the police called to say they’d found him and--how they’d found hiain?" Sully said "Why would you think you were in danger?"

Olivia shot him a hard look "Don’t be obtuse, Victor I knohy you’re here You and Jada and Mr Drake" She glanced at Drake "I assulass in a toast "Hey"

The woman turned back to Jada and Sully and lowered her voice "Please, let’s work together on this Tyr is here in Egypt as well Hisme I’m afraid they’ll kill me like they did Luka I caht the only way I would be safe is if I could figure out what he was trying to keep secret and make it public If it’s out there, if it’s not a secret any to keep it quiet"

Sully tilted his head, studying her, stroking hiswith Henriksen on this?"

Olivia paled, looking stunned "Luka was my husband"