Excerpt: Fortune & Glory

The sounds of The Raider’s March filled the cluttered office, followed by a muffled cry of, “I’m coming!”

A moment later, Jimmy came hurtling into the room, his right shoulder bouncing off the doorframe as he made the sharp corner at high speed. He put his left hand on the back of an office chair and used it as leverage to leap a stack of boxes on the floor, sending the chair hurtling back to hit the wall. Jimmy landed next to the desk and thrust his right hand into one of the piles of old clothing that took up most of the space on the tabletop. A short struggle before his hand emerged with his mobile phone. Breathing heavily, he flipped it open just as the last notes of the overture faded away.

“Temple of Doom,” he said breathily.

“Is that Dr James Cooper?” came a male voice on the other end of the line.

Jimmy frowned in surprise and tried to make his voice sound a little more professional as he answered, “Yes. Yes, it is.”

“Dr Cooper, my name is Brian O’Sullivan. I’m calling in regards to a letter that my employer received from your office earlier this year.”

Jimmy blinked in surprise and sat down heavily, forgetting that he’d sent the office chair spiraling across the room, and landed in a heap on the floor. He barely even noticed. “Yes?” he managed to say, surprise and hope warring for dominance in his voice.

The man continued, “My employer would be very interested in hearing more about your proposal. He has asked me to convene a meeting of the top archaeological and geological minds in Australia to listen to your presentation. My employer believes that the evidence you presented in your letter may have some merit, and he would like to hear you explain your theory first-hand.”

“Uh…” Jimmy couldn’t seem to get his mouth to form real words. He licked his lips and swallowed hard before trying again. “That sounds… Um. Thank you,” he managed. Despite having sent out hundreds of letters asking for sponsorship to pursue his theory, he hadn’t considered what he would say if anyone was interested in hearing more.

After an awkward pause, Brian continued, “When would you be available to present your theory and evidence to the board?”

“Um… Well…” Jimmy stuttered, trying to think quickly and failing miserably.

“Would this Friday be convenient for you?” Brian asked.

Jimmy nodded enthusiastically. “That’s perfect. Great. Friday.”

“Excellent,” said Brian, sounding pleased. “I’ll send you an email advising details of the venue. Is the email address you provided in your correspondence still current?”

“Absolutely,” said Jimmy. “Yes. That would be perfect. Just send it to me there. Um... Thanks very much. I mean, thanks for your call.”

“Thank you, Dr Cooper,” said Brian. “Have a pleasant afternoon.”

Jimmy hung up the phone and frowned in confusion. “Why am I sitting on the floor?” he asked out loud. Shaking his head, he stood up. Then he let out a whoop of excitement and slapped his hand down on the desk, sending pieces of paper flying. He laughed and danced back and forth excitedly, wishing there was someone he could call with the news.

After a few minutes of levity, he stopped prancing around the room and leaned against the wall with a sigh. He had a good feeling about the presentation. At least, he had a good feeling until he realized that he only had two days to prepare for the presentation. he hadn’t looked at his notes in the three months since he landed the museum job.

Jimmy quickly piled all of the paperwork back on to his overloaded desk and grabbed his jacket. If he was going to be ready by Friday, he’d have to head straight home. He left the office and turned right. The corridor led up a narrow set up stairs to the ground floor. Once he reached the top, he peered carefully around the corner. He knew from experience that he could see from here straight into the office of his boss, Caroline. Thankfully her office was empty.

He pulled a slip of paper and a pen out of his jacket pocket and scribbled a quick note. “Gone home. Not feeling well. Will call later. Jimmy.” He looked left and right to make sure the coast was clear, and then dashed across into Caroline’s office.

A noise from outside startled him and he dashed the few feet into the room and ducked behind the desk. A quick glance showed him that someone was moving past the doorway. He held his breath, but they didn’t enter the room. He waited a moment, just to make sure, and then slipped the note on to Caroline’s desk. Not on top of the pile of paperwork, of course. If it was under a couple of other documents she wouldn’t find it until later in the afternoon.

After another surreptitious peek around the desk to make sure no one was in the vicinity, he crept quickly back to the office door and sidled out. Then he relaxed into a nonchalant amble as he made his way out of the museum entrance. “Mission accomplished,” he murmured under his breath.