The Secret of Ka Read Online Free PDF

that my boss told me to deliver it to FedEx. I said I wasn't allowed to open it."
    I patted his leg. "You did good. I'm proud of you."
    "Just remember our deal."
    The ride back to Istanbul proved uneventful. We were so weary from the heat and stress, we both passed out. In fact, I did not wake up until we reached the hotel. I must have been growing accustomed to the traffic noise. The taxi driver got out to help Amesh unload his moped, but I was up fast to grab the box. He had done an excellent job wrapping it.
    The driver took his fee and left. A security guard at the hotel parking lot let Amesh lock his moped beside an assortment of bikes. When we were finally alone, I told him to wait downstairs for ten minutes before coming up to my room.
    "Why?" he asked, suspicious.
    "We might draw attention to ourselves, being seen together."
    "More like you're ashamed to be seen with me."
    "I would say the reverse is closer to the truth."
    "Or else you plan on stealing it the moment I turn my back."
    That hurt. I threw the carpet at him. He barely had a chance to raise his good arm and catch it. "Hold it if you don't trust me!" I yelled.
    He was ashamed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. It's just..."
    "What? All Americans are thieves?"
    "No, no," he said quickly. "It has nothing to do with that."
    "Then what is it?"
    "Last summer..." he began, but stopped, his expression pained.
    "What about last summer?" I asked.
    He shook his head. "Forget about that; it's not important."
    "Amesh. Come on, what are you saying?"
    He shrugged. "This is a rich hotel. I don't know how much Becktar's paying for you and your dad to stay here, but it's a lot. I don't know how much money you have—and it's none of my business—but whatever it is, compared to what I have, it's a fortune."
    "What does this have to do with the carpet?"
    For one of the few times, he looked me directly in the eye, and I was struck by how beautiful his eyes were. He spoke in a soft voice.
    "We live in different worlds. This carpet fascinates you. You find it beautiful. You might think one day of hanging it on the wall of your house. But to me it's something that could change my life and the life of my family."
    "
If
we establish that it's old and worth a lot of money," I said.
    He nodded. "And if we can sell it on the black market."
    I considered his words carefully. Up until now, I had wanted time alone with the carpet so I could study it. He was right—it intrigued me, but in ways I could not explain to him because I could not explain them to myself.
    I simply felt drawn to it.
    But I was not a thief. I had not truly considered selling it in Turkey or trying to smuggle it back to America. In the end, after I had fun playing the archaeologist, I figured I would tell my father about it and we would turn it over to a museum.
    Yet now I saw how the idea worried Amesh. He was trying to say he was not a crook either, but the carpet might be an unexpected windfall that could help his family. I could appreciate that. Money was good, especially when you didn't have any.
    Unfortunately, it was too early to make any promises concerning the carpet. We did not know enough about it. I tried telling Amesh as much—I thought I was reassuring him—but the more I talked, the more unhappy he looked.
    He handed it back to me. "You carry it. I'll knock in ten minutes."
    "Give me fifteen. I want to take a quick shower and change."
    He glanced uneasily around. "I'll wait across the street."
    "You can't wait in the lobby?"
    "They'll ask what I'm doing here. They'll probably throw me out."
    His remark was so simple, and so true, it made me sad.
    In my room, I did not bother to unwrap the box, but jumped in the shower. I wanted to wash and blow-dry my hair before Amesh arrived. Like I needed a dryer in this climate. I could stand on the balcony in the breeze that blew off the sea and my hair would dry in the same length of time. Yet I was hoping to give it bounce. Yes, I admit it, I was still