Schoolteacher Fiona is on a mission for grandpa - find a missing Zimbabwean artefact, the precious soapstone "Bird of the Gods". Conrad - dodgy archaeologist contracted to the stunning influencer Amanda aka #mandalove - has the same job. When Fiona...
"Welcome to Switzerland. Have a pleasant stay." The customs officer's pink lips curled into a smile and Conrad couldn't help himself but smile back as he pocketed his passport. At least people spoke English as soon as they classified him as a tourist. Never having been to Switzerland before, he was here for the second time within two weeks. Perhaps this time he would find an opportunity to taste the famous chocolate. Or the cheese. Or both, if he found a quiet moment during this hectic chase.
He already knew Zurich airport and the Swiss rail system, and it took him only a few minutes from picking up his luggage to boarding a train to the destination of Bern, the country's capital. It was mid afternoon and he had the luck of travelling in an almost empty train.
After the Egyptian desert, he found the ride through a green country refreshing. Dozens of villages nestled between soft hills and forests coloured golden, red, green and brown in the autumn sun, while in the distance snow-capped mountains reached towards the pale blue sky. No wonder this country attracted masses of tourists from all over the world.
With a sigh, he leaned back, confident he'd outrun Miss Grenville-Temple for good. A pity his guide had been adamant that he leave the key to the hieroglyphs behind in the tomb. The man had been superstitious, insisting the curse of the deceased princess would follow him and his family if anything was stolen. Confronted with the poor man's frightened, wide eyes and desperate pleas, Conrad didn't find the heart to take the key and leave his adversary stranded.
He shook his head. Stupid. As if the pharaoh's curse were a thing. He'd probably blown his chance to get rid of the Temple woman. His google search on her had delivered some interesting results. Fiona Grenville-Temple was a blank sheet, but while searching her, he stumbled about one Paul Grenville-Temple. Could she be related? This would be an intriguing connection to the circles of power. But at this point, he could only guess. Conrad yawned and decided to catch up on his lost sleep.
After an hour of dozing, he woke when the train rattled over a bridge and the loudspeaker announced the arrival in Bern in German, French and English. Looking out the window, he could see the spire of the gothic cathedral. A pity he didn't have the time to visit the historic town labelled a world heritage site by UNESCO. Perhaps he could return once he delivered the treasure to Amanda.
He changed the train to Interlaken, a station teeming with tourists. From there, a short ride along the southern shore of Lake Brienz with the Alps looming over the blue waters brought him to the village of Brienz, capital of woodcarving and his next destination.
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Fiona lugged her bag from the conveyor belt and moved to the customs queue. Who would have thought that she would be back in Zurich so soon? At least she encountered no trouble at customs and moved on to the railway station underneath the airport. It was nice to be independent of the whims of a taxi driver for once.
She pulled the drawing she made in the tomb from her pocket and studied the hieroglyphs and pictures for the umpteenth time, unsure if she read them right.
