The Snake, The Crocodile, And The Dog Part 30

"Fragments of his sarcophagus have been found, none that might have been hers. If Nefert.i.ti died before her husband-"

"No one knows when she died," I said. "If she survived into the reign of Tutankhamon, she may have gone with him to Thebes and been buried- "

"Yes, yes," Emerson said impatiently. "All that is idle speculation. But it was you who informed me that in recent years objects bearing her name have appeared on the antiquities market, and that there are rumors of fellahin carrying a golden coffin across the high desert behind the royal valley."

(It was Charlie who had informed him, actually, hoping to distract him from the evening inquisition by relating archaeological gossip. The distraction had not succeeded.)

"There are rumors like that about every site in Egypt," said Cyrus- but though his tone dismissed the story, the light in his eyes indicated his rising interest. To a man of Cyrus's romantic temperament there could be no more thrilling discovery than the last resting place of the heretic pharaoh's exquisite queen.

"Certainly," said Emerson. "And I put no great faith in the golden coffin. Such a unique object could not have been marketed without leaving signs of its pa.s.sage through the dirty world of dealers and collectors. Note, however, the significant word 'gold.' Any artifact made of or covered with gold could start the gossip mills grinding and lead to the usual exaggeration that distinguishes their operation. The appearance of inscribed objects on the antiquities market is even more significant. That, if you recall, was how Maspero got onto the cache of royal mummies in 1883. The Gurnawis who had found the hiding place began marketing objects from it, the names on those objects indicated they must have come from a tomb unknown to archaeologists."

"Yes, but- " I began.

"But me no buts, MISS Peabody. There are other tombs in the royal wadi. I have known of some of them for years, and I feel certain there are others. The royal tomb itself has not been properly explored, are there pa.s.sages and chambers as yet undiscovered? Certain of the existing ones seem strangely incomplete. Curse it, Akhenaton had thirteen years after his arrival at Amarna in which to prepare a tomb. It would have been one of his first acts. The boundary stelae mention his intention of doing so- "

"Those same inscriptions suggest that the queen shared his tomb," I interrupted." There shall be made for me a tomb in the eastern mountain; my burial shall be therein . . . and the burial of the Great Royal Wife Nefert.i.ti shall be therein- '"

"Ah, but does 'in it' refer to the tomb itself or to the eastern mountain?" Emerson leaned forward, his eyes glittering with the joy of argument- or, I should say, learned debate. "He goes on to say, 'If she (Nefert.i.ti, that is) shall die in any town north, south, west or east, she shall be brought and buried in Akhetaton.' He does not say 'in my tomb in Akhetaton- '"

"There was no need for him to say it, given the context. He meant- "

"Will you two stop that?" Cyrus demanded. His goatee quivered with the muscular contractions of his jaws and chin. "The man's been dead for over three thousand years, and anyhow, his original intentions don't mean a curse. What I want to know is, where are those other tombs you were talking about, and why the- er- d.i.c.kens haven't you excavated them?"

"You know my methods, Vandergelt," said Emerson. "Or at least you claim to. I never excavate unless I can finish the job without delay. Opening a site or a tomb invites the attentions of thieves, or of other archaeologists, who are almost as destructive. I have knowledge of or strong suspicions about at least six other sites . . ."

He let the words trail off. Then he said deliberately, "We will excuse you, Charles and Rene. No doubt you want to freshen up before dinner."

Two men cannot const.i.tute a stampede, but they tried.

Emerson had reached for his pipe and was spilling tobacco all over his papers. As soon as the door closed he said, "I trust you have no objection to my dismissing your employees, Vandergelt?"

"It wouldn't do a whoop of good if I did object," said Cyrus. "But I think I see where you're heading, and the less those two innocents know about the other business, the better. Are you suggesting Vincey was trying to pick your brain about those unknown tombs?"

"Nonsense," I exclaimed. "We know exactly what Vincey wants, and it has nothing to do with- "

"May I remind you," said Emerson, in the growling purr that usually heralded a particularly devastating remark, "that it was I the gentleman questioned, not you."

"You need not remind me, since I was the first to observe the results of his questioning," I snapped.

"But may I remind you that you have not seen fit to confide the details to me or to Cyrus. What the devil did he ask you?"

"My state of mind was a trifle confused," said Emerson, with one of those infuriating volte-faces men employ to avoid a direct answer. "The details elude me."

"Oh, really!" I exclaimed. "Now see here, Emerson- "

"Don't waste your time, my dear," said Cyrus, as Emerson grinned at me in a particularly trying fashion. "Can we get back to the question of the tombs in the royal wadi? I take it that is your real goal this season. So what's the point of messing around with that brickwork in the hollow?"

Emerson opened his eyes very wide. "Why, I intend to do both, of course. And copy the boundary stelae. We'll start in the hollow, as I said." He rose, stretching like a great cat. "I must change for dinner.

I trust, MISS Peabody, that you intend to do the same, that garment seems more suitable to the boudoir than the dinner table. The proprieties must be observed, you know."

After he had gone, Cyrus and I stared silently at one another. His craggy face was soft with the sympathy he dared not express aloud, and since I felt no desire for sympathy I did not invite him to express it.

"Curse the man," I said pleasantly. "You know what he is up to, I suppose."

"Oh, yes. Emerson's mind is an open book to me. His memory may be flawed, but his essential character is unaltered."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"As is my habit whenever possible, I am going to follow the advice set forth in Scripture. 'Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof is, in my opinion, one of the wisest statements in that wonderful Book. I will deal with Emerson's lunatic scheme when he tries to put it into effect. Who knows what may transpire before that time? And now, if you will excuse me- "

"Are you going to change?" Cyrus asked.

I smiled. "Certainly not."I had left our uninvited guest to herself, since she had intimated that she did not find my company desirable. So far as I was aware, she had not emerged from her room. Her meals were carried to her and Cyrus insisted that her door be locked at night. That evening I decided that a serious discussion with the young woman could not be postponed any longer. I had hoped Emerson would want to question her, but to the best of my knowledge he had not done so. His intent was clear to me now. I had suspected from the moment he expressed it that his proclaimed intention of ignoring Vincey unless the latter again attempted to interfere with him was a flat-out lie. "If he turns up, I'll settle the fellow," indeed! He expected Vincey would "turn up", he fully intended to "settle the fellow," and in order to hasten the confrontation he meant to leave the safety of the dahabeeyah and station himself somewhere in the desert, like a tethered goat staked out as a lure for a tiger, in the hope Vincey would initiate another a.s.sault. It was also clear to me that Emerson was still skeptical about the Lost Oasis. (I had to admit I would have doubted the story myself if I had not actually been there.) Hence his references to hidden tombs and Nefert.i.ti's treasures. He would employ any means possible to intrigue an enemy and encourage him to attack. He meant to go his solitary, stubborn way without consulting the rest of us or taking us into his confidence. It left me with no choice but to do the same, and since I was cognizant of facts Emerson did not know and would not have admitted if he had, the burden was as usual on my shoulders.

Bertha was sitting by the open window. The cool night breeze stirred the muslin curtains. A single lamp burned by the bed. In its light I saw that she was wearing one of the robes I had purchased at a village bazaar. It was black- only young unmarried girls wore colors- but unlike her original garment it was clean and unworn. She looked like a giant crow huddling against an approaching storm, and as she turned toward me I saw her lower her hand from her face. The veil was in place.

"Why do you feel it necessary to hide your face from me?" I asked, seating myself in the chair next to hers.

"It is not a pretty sight."

"Still? The swelling should have gone down by now. Let me have a look."

"I do not need your medicine, Sitt Hakim. Only time- if you will allow me that."

"For your face to heal, yes. For other things- no. Not while the life of the Father of Curses is still in danger."

"And yours, Sitt Hakim." There was a strange note in her voice, as if she smiled as she spoke.

"Yes, I suppose so. Bertha"- I still stumbled over that inappropriate name- "we have left you in peace, to rest and recover your health. Now it is time for you to prove yourself. Mr. Vandergelt believes you were sent here to spy on us."

"I swear to you- "

"My dear girl, you are not speaking to some gullible man, but to another woman. I have excellent reasons, unknown to Mr. Vandergelt, for believing in your good intentions but for your own sake as well as ours you must give me more active a.s.sistance."

"What do you want, then? I have told you all I know."

"You have told me nothing. I want dates, names, addresses, facts. We have learned- no thanks to you!- the ident.i.ty of the man who was your master and your tormentor. Do you know him by his true name of Vincey, or only as Schlange, the name he used in Luxor? Were you in Cairo with him? When did he leave for Luxor? Where did he go after he was driven from the villa? Where is he now?"

I had brought pencil and notepaper. From the way she responded to my questions, I had the impression she was no stranger to official interrogation, but she answered me readily enough. Those answers confirmed what I already suspected, but were of little use in planning future strategy.

"Does a hammer driving nails into a piece of wood know the plan of the house?" she asked bitterly. "I was not good enough to share his apartment in Cairo. He called himself Schlange there too, I know him by no other name. He came to my house when he wanted ... In Luxor I lived at the villa, it is true. No one knew him there, his reputation was not damaged by my presence, and he needed me to help him break the Father of Curses. After I left you that night I went to my room, I was packing my clothes when he came, and forced me to go with him. I had to leave everything, my jewelry, my money! We stayed for a week in a cheap hotel in Luxor, when he left it, which was seldom, he locked me in the room. I could not go out, I had nothing to wear but the clothes that were like yours, and I dared not appear in them on the streets of Luxor."

"A week, you said. But your bruises were fresh when you came to us. He did not abuse you at first?"

The veil quivered, as if her lips writhed under it. "No more than usual. He was waiting, I think, to see whether the Professor would recover, and to learn what you meant to do next. One day, when he returned, he brought the robe you saw me wearing and told me to put it on. We would go that night- "

"Where?"

"Does a man who carries a piece of luggage inform it of its destination? He was very angry. He had learned something- no, don't ask me what, how would I know?- something that drove him wild. He uttered only vile curses and threats, and complaints about those who had failed him. They, whoever they may have been, were not there. I was there. So . . ."