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police would continue to keep an extra eye on the place.
    So at the crack of dawn, they all headed to the trainstation for the ride to the city. Now, two hours later, the Town Car finally pulled to the curb in front of the American Museum of Natural History. Stone steps scaled up to the row of giant pillars at the museum’s entrance. The massive building looked like a great temple, one dedicated to science. Over the years, Jake had spent countless days worshipping in its halls and sprawling exhibits.
    As he popped the car door open, his heart pounded harder.
    He shared a look with Kady. Her eyes shone. Jake knew that she must feel it, too. The pressure of the past day had grown almost painful. He climbed out, anxious to get inside and begin their search.
    â€œC’mon,” he urged the others, and hiked his backpack over his shoulder. In preparation, he had donned hiking boots and loose pants, and wore a vest with scores of pockets, filling them with everything he might need for a return to Pangaea.
    Kady was similarly attired in clothes suited for the field: a pair of jeans, a T-shirt under a loose blouse, and boots—though the heels looked more suited for a catwalk than a woodland trail. She also had a chic Louis Vuitton pack snapped around her waist.
    She crossed to the trunk of the car and fetched her other bag. It was pink and shaped like the barrel of a bazooka. The long tube held her fencing sword.
    Uncle Edward stared at her with his hands on his hips.“I still don’t know why you had to bring that thing with you, young lady.”
    Kady shouldered her bag. “Because I’m shopping for a new sword. It’s not like I can find one in North Hampshire. And I needed my old one to compare the weight and balance to the new one.”
    â€œBut yours is only three months old.”
    â€œExactly. Definitely time for a new one.”
    Edward shook his head and gave up. Morgan stared at them, his arms folded, his eyes pinched with suspicion.
    â€œLet’s go,” Uncle Edward said.
    As a group, they climbed the steps.
    A giant banner hung over the entrance, heralding the upcoming exhibit. It depicted King Tut’s golden mask hovering above the Great Pyramid of Khufu. The show wasn’t due to open for another two days.
    At the doors, a small figure pounced out to greet them. He wore a huge welcoming smile and was dressed in a brown waistcoat with midcalf boots. His jowls were fringed by shaggy gray sideburns, spreading like wings to either side of his head. He also wore round glasses. His look and large belly reminded Jake of an older Teddy Roosevelt.
    â€œAh, there you are, you limey buzzard!” He gave Edward a huge hug. “How long has it been? Ten years?”
    â€œThirty,” Edward corrected, but his usual stern resolve melted into something more boyish. “As I recall, it was atthe twenty-fifth reunion of our old unit.”
    Edward turned to the others and made introductions, ending with Kady and Jake. “And these two are Katherine and Jacob Ransom.”
    The man’s eyes grew huge. “By golly, these can’t be Battle-ax Bart’s grandchildren!”
    â€œThey are indeed.”
    Jake lifted an eyebrow. “Battle-ax Bart?”
    Edward explained, “A nickname for your grandfather. Bartholomew got the moniker from the hatchet he carried with him through the desert campaign in Africa.”
    Jake had heard stories of those battles, but he’d never heard this one.
    Edward clapped his friend on the shoulder. “And this is Professor Henry Kleeman. A leading Egyptologist. He still spends most of his time out in the field. Apparently he liked the desert so much during the war, he never left it.”
    Henry waved away his words. “Enough! Come on inside. Let’s get out of this heat. I get enough of that in Egypt.”
    The professor led them into the entry hall, through the main rotunda, and past a massive skeleton of a