Digging Up Death (A Mari Duggins Mystery) (35 page)

How could I have ever doubted that boy? “It’s going to be cold today.”

He raised his eyebrows twice. “Exactly.”

Jack and Fletcher reached for the last piece of bacon. Jack withdrew and Fletcher gobbled it triumphantly. I took my seat opposite Jack, with Fletcher to my side, and watched my family dive into seconds.

I smiled at Matt, then Fletcher, surprised neither one of them noticed the resemblance. I knew there were many things that needed to be said, but it could wait. The truth would come out in time, but I wasn’t afraid. I would deal with it. We would all deal with it, and everything would work out. For good.

Forks clanked and kids bickered as usual, but the sounds rose in my ears like a beautiful symphony. One spilled glass after another, and several Ben belches later, things became so clear.

This was my life. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good. I smiled, realizing God sees us as we are. Imperfect and fatally flawed, yet loves us anyway. Despite my interference, he made all things work together for good. It may not be the way I would have planned it, but God knew we’d come through this, bruises and all.

And perhaps that’s the point. Without the bruises, maybe the healing wouldn’t be so sweet.

THE END

AUTHOR’S NOTE

While researching ancient Egypt with my children, we happened upon a female pharaoh named Hatshepsut who dared to rule as a man during the golden age of Egypt when she should have reigned as Queen. The story got stranger from there. In 1903 her sarcophagus was found, but her mummy was missing, and almost all record of her reign and her name had been etched out from monuments and temples. But why? Could Thuthmosis III, too young to take the throne though rightful heir, want revenge on Hatshepsut for crowning herself Pharaoh? That is the theory I wanted to explore in
Digging Up Death,
and the more I dug into Hatshepsut and her stepson, the more I realized the 21
^stcentury doesn’t have the corner on family dysfunction.

Then in 2005, Zahi Hawass, head of the Egyptian Mummy Project and secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities launched a search to find Hatshepsut’s missing mummy. The hunt took him to the Cairo museum and a closer look at two mummies already in their possession. After a thorough examination and testing, they announced they had found Hatshepsut’s mummy. Though the scientific community accepts the mummy found in the Cairo museum to be Pharaoh Hatshepsut, I wondered, “what if they are wrong?”

To hear from Zahi Hawass on his quest and discovery of Hatshepsut visit:
http://guardians.net/hawass/articles/quest_for_the_mummy_of_hatshepsut.htm

http://guardians.net/hawass/hatshepsut/search_for_hatshepsut.htm

To learn more about the search for Hatshepsut visit:

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/04/hatshepsut/brown-text

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/jun/27/egypt.science

Look for the next Mari Duggins Mysteries:

Mayhem Under the Mistletoe

Mummy’s the Word

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Growing up on Long Island, Gina Conroy used to think she knew where her life was headed; now she’s learning to embrace life’s detours. Some of her exciting diversions have included homeschooling her four children where she discovered a love of archaeology and ancient Egypt and her most recent obsessions…ballroom and swing dancing.

She is the author of nonfiction and fiction titles, including Cherry Blossom Capers and Digging Up Death. As founder of Writer...Interrupted, Gina loves to encourage busy writers on their road to publication, and when she’s not writing, teaching or helping her kids pursue their dreams, you can find her online connecting with readers. A self-proclaimed social media enthusiast, Gina assures her family an intervention for her near daily overdose of Twitter and Facebook is not necessary and that her social media habit is under control since using Hootsuite. Readers are encouraged to contact her and test this alleged social media addiction.

Connect with Gina Conroy:

Twitter:
@GinaConroy

Facebook:
Author Gina Conroy

http://ginaconroy.com

http://writerinterrupted.com

[email protected]

Digging Up Death

All rights reserved as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

StoneHouse Ink 2012

Boise ID 83713

http://www.StoneHouseInk.net

First eBook Edition: 2012

Cover art: Cory Clubb

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to a real person, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Gina Conroy is represented by MacGregor Literary Agency

Published in the United States of America