The Museum Curator

By Bruce Allsman

The Museum Curator, a suspense thriller novel by Bruce Allsman

 

When accompanying her husband on a business trip to a city in Eastern Europe, Serena Crown and her four-year-old daughter Allison spend a day at a vast private museum while her husband, Tom Crown, attends a business meeting. At the museum, Serena and Allison enjoy a wonderful time together until a sudden power outage disrupts them. Seconds later when the power resumes, Serena finds Allison missing.

 

Her initial effort to search for Allison ends in failure. Desperate for help, she seeks the assistance of the security chief, and as directed by the curator, they close the museum temporarily to conduct a thorough search, but they could not find Allison anywhere. Her nightmare begins when she discovers that Allison is being held captive somewhere inside the museum by human traffickers who intend to ship her child out before midnight.

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bruce Yeoh
• Release date: May 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201853471

Book preview

The Museum Curator

Bruce Allsman

All of the characters in this book

are fictitious, and any resemblance

to actual persons, living or dead,

is purely coincidental.

The Museum Curator

Copyright © 2021 by Bruce Allsman

All Rights Reserved

Published by Bruce Yeoh

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Chapter 60

Chapter 61

Chapter 62

Chapter 63

Chapter 64

Chapter 65

Chapter 66

Chapter 67

Chapter 68

Chapter 69

Chapter 70

Chapter 71

Chapter 72

Chapter 73

Chapter 74

Chapter 75

Chapter 76

Chapter 77

Chapter 78

Chapter 79

Chapter 80

Chapter 81

Chapter 82

About the Author

Books by Bruce Allsman

Chapter 1

WHERE ARE WE GOING? Allison asked, pressing her tiny chubby hands against the window of the taxicab.

We're going to the museum, Serena said and hoped Allison wouldn't give her much trouble today.

But, I wanna go with Daddy, Allison pleaded, her eyes bright and moist.

No, not this time Allison, Serena said, the fingers of her hands stroking Allison's face.

I wanna go with Daddy, I wanna go with Daddy, Allison howled and pounded her fists against the window.

Allison, be a good girl, listen to Mommy, Tom said.

Allison went quiet. Serena glanced at Tom and frowned. Why must he always be so severe whenever Allison threw a tantrum? She kissed Allison on the cheek.

Honey, it'll be fun, she said to Allison.

The old taxicab rumbled along the wide tree lined avenue, past old and grey buildings with wide concrete sidewalks, and open squares with large statues of paladins of the past.

We'll stop by the museum first, Tom told her and looked at his watch. Can you find your way back to the hotel on your own?

I think so, she said.

If you're not sure, call a cab to come get you, he said.

Excuse me, the taxicab driver said to her. You call me, yes? He pulled out a business card from underneath the sun visor and handed it to her.

Thank you, she said.

Good, he said. You, your family must be careful. This country no laws. Police, government all corrupt, crime everywhere. But I send you all safe.

With great danger comes great opportunity, Tom said to him but he didn't respond.

She smiled at Tom. It was nice of him to take them along on this business trip although he usually didn't. He had been away for too long. Even today, the Fourth of July holiday, he had to attend a business meeting so far from home.

For most of the year, he was either away from New York City or out of the country. So, it was just she and Allison. However, he did call her every night but that wasn't enough for her. Sometimes his side of the bed was too cold for her to bear.

Although they had been married for five years, it felt like he had been with her for only a year. Of course, in their first year he was with her because his new job in the city didn't involve much travel. However, a year later, seven months after Allison was born, he found this job and hadn't been with his family for any length of time since. At first she didn't mind his frequent absence. With Allison, life seemed bearable.

He had told her there were more lucrative deals to be made in foreign countries, especially in Eastern Europe and several former Russian states. This year his company had to secure this deal in Eastern Europe. This time next year he would probably be in China.

A jolt interrupted her reverie as the taxicab turned into a old cobblestone road somewhere on the outskirts of the city. They sped along the deserted road as if guided by rows of fat shady trees lining each side. Leaves shimmered in the morning summer sun and branches swayed in the warm breeze. It will be a sultry and oppressive day but she came prepared, dressed in a long white summer dress, a white wide-brimmed hat and white espadrilles. And she had brought two bottles of mineral water in her white tote bag.

This being their first day here, she glanced at the green electronic clock display in the taxicab and adjusted her watch to match the current time zone. Although it was a sunny Tuesday morning at eight o'clock here, darkness still prevailed back in New York. They had arrived here late last night after a tiresome cross-Atlantic flight and a few connecting flights within Europe, all too time consuming.

After the arduous journey she was jetlagged but she felt better now. Throughout the long flight, Tom seemed preoccupied with his thoughts. She couldn't blame him for being uncommunicative, probably wrestling with a ton of business matters weighing heavily on his mind. He never did talk about them with her except telling her the company had been doing well. In spring this year, they promoted him again. It seemed they were grooming him to be a partner in the firm of consulting engineers, but only if he continued to bring in more clients.

Today Tom had decided they go to a museum while he attends an important business meeting. She and Allison would have to spend the whole day at the museum because Tom had said his meeting would last the entire day. That meant she would have to take care of Allison for more than her usual number of hours a day. It would be a real challenge but she welcomed it. Allison had been left in the day care center for too long. It'll be great to spend more time with her.

While the taxicab sped along the road, from time to time she glanced at Tom, seated on the other side by the window, an open laptop computer on his briefcase on his lap, his fingers tapping away at the keyboard. Summer morning sunlight beamed through the window, illuminated his head and face, revealing his closed cropped dark brown hair, his clean shaven face, and deep blue eyes. He looked splendid in his dark blue pinstripe business suit. Busy with work, he didn't talk much since they left the hotel.

Returning her attention to Allison, she pointed out to Allison interesting sights as they stared out the window at the foreign cityscape. Off a main avenue, the taxicab turned into a small winding road and headed toward a large and tall old building at the top of a knoll. That must be the museum. The building structure stood alone surrounded by trees in a grove. As the taxi approached the mansion, she stared up at the grey building of more than six stories. Near the top floor, a long balcony spanned the entire length and breadth of the building.

The taxicab crunched to a stop at the front of the building. She glanced at Tom, still hunched over his laptop computer.

Bye, Tom, she said. We'll see you later.

Bye, bye Daddy, Allison said.

Bye, Tom said and nodded his head. I might be late, he told her.

She reached for her white tote bag, opened the taxicab's door, got out and helped Allison down. They waved at Tom as the taxicab pulled away but he didn't look up.

Chapter 2

SERENA HELD ALLISON'S hand and they turned to face the front entrance of the museum, looking up a short flight of stone steps at the two open doorways, the doors side by side, tall and wide, on the left the entrance, and on the right the exit. Two guards, in black uniforms, stood at attention beside the doors. She led Allison up the stairs, through the entrance into the foyer and stopped to admire the museum's first exhibit, a marble statue of Leto that faced the open doorway.

Beside the statue, a middle-aged couple sat on a bench. Both tall and slim with grey hair and a ruddy complexion, the woman was dressed in a bright floral print summer dress and a white Panama hat, while the man wore a pale blue shirt, beige colored pants, and a white Fedora.

Hello, she said to them.

Good morning, they replied warmly. Lovely weather for a holiday isn't it? the woman said.

It's nice and warm, Serena said.

Are you American? the man asked.

Yes, she said.

You're a long way from home, the woman said.

Yes, I am, she said and feeling uncomfortable speaking with strangers, she added, Well, goodbye and have a nice day, and retreated from them.

Holding Allison's hand, she guided Allison to the left, past a sign that indicated they were in the museum's west wing. They went along the wide corridor, their footfalls loud on the marble floor as they visited each exhibit room in turn, their attention riveted on the fascinating exhibits of each room. She pointed out and explained to Allison what each exhibit meant. Allison listened and kept quiet, taking in all of it, but she observed Allison had been thinking and wondering so she wouldn't remain silent for long.

Soon Allison started to ask more questions, to move freely, and when they were ready to move on to the next exhibit room, Allison trotted ahead of her. Near the end of the long corridor, in the last exhibit room, Allison said she needed to go to the bathroom. They went out to the corridor. Signboards on the wall at the farthest end pointed them toward the restrooms.

When they stepped inside the restroom for women, they weren't alone. A teenage girl of about sixteen dressed in a bright red T-shirt and light blue jeans stood in front of a large rectangular mirror, combing her shoulder length shiny, wavy black hair. The girl turned and smiled at them.

After helping Allison into a toilet stall, she closed the door, stood outside and waited.

The girl kept her comb, turned to her and said, Your little girl has nice fair hair and very beautiful blue eyes, her accent a near perfect American English.

Smiling politely, trying to hide her surprise, Serena said, Thank you.

And you're really beautiful, the girl said. Are you a supermodel or an actress?

Thank you, but I'm not, she said to the girl and turned away from her.

After Allison had finished, Serena said goodbye to the girl and led Allison out of the restroom, but the girl remained inside. Serena shook her head. What a weird girl? Besides combing her beautiful hair, what was she doing all that time in the restroom?

They went back into the corridor and began visiting the exhibit rooms on the opposite side. At this hour in the morning they were alone in the west wing, so she let Allison go about on her own. Allison, always full of energy in the morning, gave her a tough time catching up. However, she kept a close eye on Allison as they moved along the corridor from one exhibit room to the next.

Distracted by loud footfalls in the corridor, Allison ran out of the exhibit room and Serena hurried after her, out into the corridor. A group of about two dozen or so middle-aged Asian tourists, mostly women, came like a swarm along the corridor. Their leader, an Asian woman tour guide, spoke to them in their native language in response to their loud chatter.

Sensing an imminent chaotic situation, Serena decided to get Allison by her side.

Allison, she called out. Come to Mommy.

But Allison didn't return or answer her. Always impatient, often going on ahead, Allison might have gone on to the next exhibit room. By now the swarm had reached her, so she scurried into the next exhibit room.

Before she could scan the exhibit room for Allison, her surroundings went pitch-dark. She stood frozen in the darkness, paralyzed by the temporary lost of sight. Murmurs filled the air around her and pounded her ears. Loud voices in a foreign language jolted her. A power outage had just occurred.

She told herself to keep calm, took a deep breath and stood still. She mustn't move or she'll knock against someone or something. Ignoring her useless eyes, she strained her ears, hoping to hear Allison but all she heard were the murmurs of Asian voices.

Allison, she called out. Allison, where are you?

Chapter 3

ALLISON, SERENA SAID, this time raising her voice, but there was no reply. No emergency light came on to combat the total darkness. Allison's soft but quick footfalls were either absent or smothered by the Asian tour guide who was talking loudly while responding to the hubbub of concerned voices from the group.

Again, she called out to Allison but the incessant chatter of the tourists drowned her voice.

Allison! she shouted.

As if shocked by her piercing high-pitched voice, the group of tourists lowered their voices to a murmur.

Allison, stay where you are, she said. Mommy will come get you when the lights come back.

She paused and listened but Allison didn't reply or utter a single sound. Unable to keep still any longer, she moved and bumped against something hard and flat, a wall. It was no use trying to reach for Allison in the dark. Using her hands, she felt the wall and took a few more tentative steps. She called out to Allison again, this time just as loud as her earlier call but there was still no reply. Everyone had gone silent, as if aware of her fear and desperation.

Feeling with her hands, she bent forward to take another step and then bright lights illumed the exhibit room causing her to blink her eyes and pause. She glanced at her watch. The power outage had lasted only a minute or so but to her it seemed like an eternity. The Asian tourists were still with her, huddled in a group, and had gone quiet, all staring at her.

She scurried along the corridor, in and out of each exhibit room, all her senses alert for any trace of Allison but there was neither hide nor hair of Allison. Her heart began hammering; her feet were turning cold and so were her hands. Fighting dryness in her throat, she shouted out for Allison repeatedly and stood waiting helplessly. Resignedly, she shuffled back and found herself facing the group of bewildered Asian tourists.

Do you ..., she asked the tour guide, speak English?

Yes, I do, the tour guide answered with a face full of concern. How may I help you?

Have you seen my little girl? she asked.

I am sorry, I have not seen her, the tour guide said. But wait, let me ask my group. The tour guide turned toward the group and spoke to them. There were many heads shaking but few replies. Sorry, they have not seen your little girl.

Thank you, she said and stepped away toward a wall. While she stood still, leaning against the wall, her breaths grew shallow and fast, and her mind raced back and forth. Who else had noticed Allison? She recalled the weird teenage girl in the restroom. She must find that girl and ask her if she had seen Allison. Serena strode into the restroom and looked around, hoping to find the girl, but the girl wasn't there anymore. She washed her face and returned to the west wing's corridor, hurrying along, scanning every exhibit room for Allison.

It seemed strange that she couldn't find either the girl or Allison. It was as if both the girl and Allison had disappeared. Maybe Allison had ran over to the other wing, the east wing. She'll need a layout of the museum, and she recalled where she had seen it when they came into the museum earlier.

She hurried to the foyer and stood before the layout of the museum printed on the wall. There were nine levels. She was on level one. One floor below was the basement parking, level zero. Exhibit rooms occupied levels one to five. The administration office was located on level six while levels seven and eight were labeled private. She wondered what private meant.

She looked around the foyer. No Allison. She was sure Allison wouldn't have wandered this far. So she retraced her steps, back into the corridor in the west wing, to the last place where Allison was with her, in the exhibit room near the restroom. From there, she entered every exhibit room again, checking all possible hiding places.

Allison? she called out. Allison, I give up, you can come out now.

Allison loved to play hide and seek, an impromptu game which she couldn't recall how Allison had acquired or who had taught Allison. She recalled the last time it happened to her. They were in a shopping mall, and Allison acted without any warning. Fortunately, the game ended without any untoward incident.

Was Allison playing this game with her here? It was possible but somehow she couldn't believe Allison had intended to play. It just didn't make any sense unless something had happened to Allison. She shivered. Her mind refused to admit the possibilities.

Truly, Allison was missing. Allison hadn't been playing hide and seek with her. Allison hadn't wandered off. Where had she gone? How did it happen? What happened during the power outage? While her mind wrestled with these questions, her body trembled. Her head grew heavy and her mind grew sluggish. Nausea overwhelmed her, and she felt her legs would give way at any time.

In the corridor, she found a bench, sat on it, and leaned back against the wall. Closing her eyes, her mind went blank for a moment and time seemed to stand still. When she opened her eyes, she couldn't decide what to do. An unruly mass of knots began churning in her stomach, threatening to expel this morning's breakfast.

Chapter 4

OUTSIDE AN EXHIBIT room in the long wide corridor, Serena sat on a bench, her hands in her head, nauseous, but somehow she managed to stop herself from vomiting. When the nausea subsided, she took several deep breaths and sighed. Opening her tote bag, she groped in it, pulled out a facial tissue and wiped tears from her eyes. She crushed the piece of tissue paper in the palm of her hand and clenched it, as if it could help her get a grip on the situation.

Too tired to get up, she sat with her head down, staring at the floor. Images of what had happened before, during, and after the brief power outage kept returning to her mind, stirring perplexing thoughts within her. Did it all really happened? It wasn't a dream. Was Allison really missing? It seemed that way. Why can't she find Allison? She had no idea. Why would Allison hide from her? She couldn't think of any plausible reason. What could she do now?

Repeatedly, she held on to that last question and summoned enough will power to lift her head. Staring at the empty corridor leading all the way to the foyer, she welcomed the lull before the next wave of visitors, relieved that the Asian tourists had gone elsewhere. She listened for Allison's voice but heard only the distant footfalls and faint murmurs of visitors. Under the dim corridor lights, the white walls and ornate tiled floors seemed cold and distant. She recalled the layout of the museum, its levels and its many exhibit rooms, far too numerous for her to search.

The wristwatch on her left hand showed 10:20 A.M. She had been here for less than an hour. However, there weren't many visitors. She wasn't surprised as this private museum wasn't listed in any official tourist guides. The concierge at the hotel had recommended it, describing this museum as the eclectic display of European art for discriminating tourists.

The wooden bench she sat on grew cold and hard. Breathing deeply, she felt the cold air, too cold compared to the summer warmth outdoors, and the cold air seemed to pierce not only her lungs but her heart too. She needed a sweater now, but she hadn't brought one. Shivering under her thin white summer dress, she couldn't control her hammering heart or her fast and shallow breaths. She guessed the longer she sat there, the worse it will become.

Pulling her tote bag up against her left shoulder, she stood. Despite the cold and numbness in her legs, she must go on searching. Allison must be here somewhere. She couldn't have wandered far. Other the other hand, maybe she had. Maybe she was hurt and unconscious  somewhere.

This wave of horrendous images surged within her mind and she started running along the corridor, up the stairs, and within seconds found herself on level two. She scrambled from exhibit room to exhibit room, up the stairs and down the stairs, and minutes later, she couldn't even