Part 33 (1/2)

'They're not going to appear again, Andy,' Anna put in quietly. 'For the simple reason that I left the bottle on the island. It's buried in the sand. Gone for ever.' She looked at him quizzically. 'Luckily for you, no one will ever see it again. Nor will they see whoever it was who guarded it, so let that be the end of it. Please.' Her head was aching again. As she stared at him a gauze seemed to be lying across in front of her eyes. She blinked desperately.

Andy laughed. 'I knew you'd end up losing it. The stupid thing was a fake anyway. 'It is not a fake, Andy.' Serena suddenly turned on him. 'You're 359.

the fake around here. An opinionated, stupid boorish loudmouthed oaf! I cannot tell you how tired I am of hearing your voice, your opinions, your mockery!' She reached down at her feet and fumbled for her bag. 'For your information, Anna didn't lose the bottle. I picked it up and I brought it back with me. It deserves better than to languish in the sand!' She was groping around inside the bag. 'And if anything can prove just how stupid you are, this can. You are ignorant. You know nothing about antiques. This is over three thousand years old!' She pulled out the little bottle and waved it at him.

'Serena! I had given that back to the G.o.ds!' Anna was furious. 'Give it to me!' 'Why? You don't want it, you threw it away! I am going to make sure that it is preserved safely.'

'No, Serena! That bottle has caused the death of dozens of people, perhaps hundreds -'

'Only because they didn't know what it was. We know! We will treat it with the respect it deserves. We'll look after it.'

'Three thousand years old? That?' Andy sat down heavily. He s.n.a.t.c.hed his arm away from Ben with a petulant shrug.

'Yes, Andy. This.' Serena cradled it in her palm. 'This is so sacred. So special.' She sat looking down at it, aware of at least a dozen pairs of eyes on her as the crowded pa.s.sengers around them waited to see what would happen next. The note of the engine changed as the man at the wheel altered course and for a moment a trail of diesel fumes blew across them, then it was gone and cold clear wind knifed across the boat again. Serena s.h.i.+vered. She looked up at Andy. 'If I give this to you, do you know what will happen?' She was shouting over the noise of the engine and the slap of water against the planking of the boat.

'What?' Andy grinned. He held out his hand. 'Show me.'

'If I give it to you, a cobra will appear, here in the boat. A deadly poisonous, evil snake.' She smiled. 'And it will kill you!'

'That's enough!' Anna leant forward and s.n.a.t.c.hed the bottle out of her hand. 'This has gone on long enough.'

'Show me!' Andy stretched his hand out towards her. 'Go on. Show me the magic snake! I want to see it! Don't you want to see it?' He gestured round the other pa.s.sengers. 'That would be exciting, wouldn't it?' He stood up once again and balanced unsteadily in front of Anna, holding out his hand.

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'Andy, you're a fool!' Anna had to raise her voice to make herself heard.

'Give it back!' Serena grabbed Anna's wrist.

'No. No, Serena, I'm sorry. Anna edged away from her. 'This belongs to another age and to other people. They want it for their G.o.ds. Louisa tried to give it to the Nile. Now it's my turn!'

Standing up she turned to face the water.

'No!' Serena's scream echoed across the river. 'Don't throw it away!'

'It's all right, I've got it!' Andy lurched forward, lunging at Anna as she raised her arm and with every ounce of strength she possessed hurled the bottle out into the boat's wake. Andy missed her arm, staggered off balance and as she fell back into her seat, winded, he clutched at the rail, swayed for a moment, overbalanced and plunged head first over the side.

'Andy!' Serena's scream was echoed by others on the boat as the crew looked back, realised what had happened and threw the gears, dragging the wheel round in a small circle.

'Can you see him?' Toby and Ben were staring at the dark water.

'Torches! Has anyone got torches?' Toby kicked off his shoes and was already standing on the seat, scanning the surrounding river. As several feeble beams. .h.i.t the water simultaneously behind the now drifting boat, he dived in.

Ben reached over the side, struggling to free one of the old cork lifebelts hanging on the side of the boat. 'Here you are, Toby!' He threw it as Toby's head reappeared. Two other belts followed, hitting the water near him.

'Andy! Andy, where are you?' Serena was leaning out over the side as one of the Egyptian crewmen jumped into the water near Toby.

Suddenly other boats were appearing out of the darkness, circling round them, dozens of pa.s.sengers craning over the side, staring out into the dark. There was still no sign of Andy as a fast launch appeared and a spotlight suddenly shone out over the scene. Two, then three other men were in the water now, all of them diving.

'The water's pitch-black!' Toby reappeared, shaking droplets out of his eyes. 'You can't see a thing.' He was treading water, turning slowly round, scanning the reflections around him.

Anna turned away from the rail and sat down. She put her head 361.

in her hands. 'He's dead, isn't he. And it's my fault! The G.o.ds have taken him! I've killed him!'

She looked up at Serena's white face and there were tears pouring down her cheeks.

Serena turned to stare out across the water. 'If it was anyone's fault, it was mine,' she whispered. 'I wound him up. I produced the bottle.'

Several men were swimming with Toby now, diving around the boat. Beyond them another launch had appeared and this time they could see that the men crowding around the bows were dressed in police uniform.

'They'll find him!' Ben sat down next to Anna and put his hand over hers. 'He's a strong swimmer, which I'm not or I'd be over there with them.'

'But he was so drunk!' Serena shook her head.

'I know. But it'll take more than a dunking in the Nile to defeat Andy.' Ben did not sound as though he believed his own rea.s.suring words. For a moment he sat where he was then he stood up again and joined the others desperately scanning the water.

'They won't find him.' Anna looked at Serena. The boat was strangely silent now, without the engine or the cheerful slapping of the water against the bows.

The other pa.s.sengers were sitting quietly, staring around, numb with shock. Serena shook her head. 'As you say, the G.o.ds have taken him away. He mocked them, Anna, and he paid the price.' She bit her lip.

A slight shock ran through the boat as a launch came alongside and two tourist police officers climbed on board. There was an excited exchange with the boat's captain, then they made their way aft to where Anna and Serena were sitting. One of the officers sat down next to them. 'This gentleman had been drinking alcohol?'

Both women nodded.

'He was very drunk?' The taller, obviously senior man's English was heavily accented but fluent.

Anna looked up. 'Yes, he was very drunk. He had brought a bottle of vodka with him for some reason. He stood up and,' she paused, feeling the tears returning, 'he went in head first.'

'The water is very cold.' The man shook his head. He stared gloomily over the side. 'Could he swim?'

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'Yes.' Ben had joined them. 'He swam well.'

'Then it is not good news. He should have come up and shouted.' The officer shrugged. 'Yallah!' He turned to his companion and after a quick exchange in fast, eloquent undertones, the two men made their way back to the captain who was standing at the wheel of the boat, shaking his head, wiping his hands again and again on an oily rag.

One by one the swimmers were hauling themselves back onto their boats. Anna saw Toby treading water again, looking up at one of the men in the police launch. He shook his head but the man leant over and proffered an arm and she saw Toby hauled out of the water. A few minutes later he was delivered back to their own boat, wrapped in a rug. He was shaking with cold as he made his way towards her.

'He just disappeared. The water is like ink in the darkness. You can see the lights if you look up, but nothing below you. Nothing!'

'It was very brave to go after him.' Anna leant forward to touch his hand. It was like ice.

He shook his head. 'I didn't stop to think. I should have waited. Seen where he came up.

'He didn't come up, Toby.' Serena had tears streaming down her face. 'We were all watching.'

It was a long time later that the pa.s.sengers rejoined their s.h.i.+p. The crew met them, solemn-faced, and they were urged to go at once to the dining room. While Toby was whisked away by Omar to be seen by a doctor after his long cold immersion in the Nile, the others trooped obediently to the dining room and sat down. No one had much appet.i.te and it wasn't long before in twos and threes they began to make their way to their own cabins. Serena followed Anna to hers and they sat side by side on the bed.

'It was a stupid accident, Anna.' Serena put her arms round her companion. 'He was drunk.'