Part 31 (1/2)
”A month?” I asked.
”I've made a timetable,” Sethos explained, with a superior smile at me. He knew I had not, or I would have said so. ”Martinelli disappeared over three weeks ago. Give her a week or so before that to become acquainted with him. If it is the same woman, she made a quick trip to Cairo when you did, and then came back in time to arrange to sink Daoud's boat and stage her second appearance. There is every reason to believe she is still here.”
”That limits the number of suspects, surely,” David said thoughtfully. ”Most tourists stay for only a few days, and there aren't that many permanent residents who are female.”
”And young and beautiful and-er-no better than she should be,” I agreed. ”It can't be one of that group. I know them all, and I a.s.sure you one of my acquaintances would have informed me if a newcomer had settled here.”
”She's right about that,” said Emerson to the group at large. ”Those females are always quick to relay the latest gossip.”
”Still, there is no harm in inquiring,” Sethos said. He had taken advantage of the lull to empty his plate, which Fatima immediately refilled. ”No, Amelia, not you; a direct question to one of your friends would arouse curiosity, and we must avoid that at all costs. I will make my availability for social functions of all sorts known to the good ladies of Luxor society. A new face is always welcome, and there is no man more welcome than an eligible bachelor.”
”You had better do something to your face if you intend to attract the ladies,” I retorted. ”That beard-”
”I've been waiting for it to grow out,” Sethos explained, stroking his chin. ”Just wait, Amelia; once I've had it trimmed and touched up a bit-and made a few other changes-the mere sight of me will cause you to swoon with admiration.”
”Bah,” said Emerson. ”All you will learn is that there are several women in Luxor-I name no names, Peabody-who would stop at nothing to marry off their spinster daughters. The woman you're after won't come anywhere near you.”
”I think she might,” Sethos said, his smile fading. ”I am known to be a friend of Mr. Cyrus Vandergelt, am I not?”
”In short,” said Ramses, after a moment of silence, ”you intend to set yourself up as bait.”
Maryam let out a little cry, and her father turned to her with a rea.s.suring smile. ”It's perfectly safe, Maryam. I doubt very much that she would try the same trick a second time. If she does, I promise I won't follow her into a dark alley.” He looked round the circle of sober faces and shrugged. ”It's our best lead and it ought to be pursued.”
”It would be nice if we could clear the matter up soon,” I said. ”The Christmas season is approaching. I have never allowed a criminal to interfere with my holiday celebrations, and I don't intend to begin now.”
”Christmas!” Emerson exclaimed, eyes bulging. ”Now see here, Peabody, I have never objected to the unnecessary effort you expend on what is essentially a pagan holiday with accretions from an equally nonsensical superst.i.tion-”
”We certainly can't disappoint the children,” Lia said. ”I must confess I hadn't given it much thought.”
”I have,” I said. ”But we still have a few weeks.”
”There is another matter,” said David, glancing at his father-in-law. ”The Milner Commission is due in Egypt shortly, and the British att.i.tude is already known. The Protectorate will continue. Zaghlul Pasha has sent word that the commission is to be boycotted entirely. There will be strikes and demonstrations all over the country.”
”How do you know that?” Lia asked.
”I read the newspapers,” David said somewhat impatiently. ”I hope Sethos is right, but I have a feeling that Cairo is going to take the explosion at the railroad station more seriously than he antic.i.p.ates.”
”It has nothing to do with us,” Ramses said, watching his friend with a furrowed brow. ”Stay out of it, David. You promised you would.”
”We will keep him out of it,” I said firmly. ”Good heavens, haven't we enough to worry about without that?”
Fatima came in. ”There is a patient for you, Nur Misur. Will you go?”
”Of course.” Nefret rose.
”And the rest of us must return to our labors,” I declared. ”Who is going to the Castle with me?”
”Not I,” Emerson growled.
”No one expects you to, my dear. Cheer up; we will have finished the job in a day or two and then we can get on with our investigation.”
”What investigation?” Emerson demanded. He pushed his plate away with such violence that it knocked over a gla.s.s. Water spilled across the cloth. ”Curse it,” Emerson shouted. ”I am sorry, Fatima. It was your fault, Peabody, your bland optimism drives me wild! There is nothing to investigate. We've come to a dead end. You know perfectly well we can't do a b.l.o.o.d.y thing except sit round waiting for another b.l.o.o.d.y attack!”
”That is not quite correct, Radcliffe,” said Walter, adjusting his eyegla.s.ses. ”Er-Sethos's scheme-”
”Is posturing without purpose,” Emerson snarled. His hard blue stare moved from one of his brothers to the other. Sethos grinned appreciatively and Walter, who had known Emerson even longer, calmly b.u.t.tered another piece of bread.
WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE Castle, I found Cyrus pacing up and down the display room, tugging at his goatee. Katherine trotted alongside, patting him and emitting breathless phrases like ”Now, Cyrus,” and ”Cyrus, dear.” He was going at a great pace and my dear Katherine was a trifle stout; she let out a gasp of relief when my appearance brought Cyrus to a halt.
”Now what?” I demanded. ”Katherine, sit down, my dear, and catch your breath.”
Cyrus turned remorsefully to his wife. ”Sorry, Cat. I was so het up I wasn't paying attention.”
He was holding a crumpled paper-a telegram, by its color. ”Is that what got you het up?” I inquired. ”Let me guess. Another message from M. Lacau? What does he want now-everything?”
”Not so bad as that.” Cyrus smoothed out the telegram and tried to fan his wife with it. ”I don't know why it got me so mad. The tone of it, I guess. He left Cairo yesterday-took over twenty-four hours for the telegram to be delivered, as usual. He expects to arrive on Thursday, and he wants to load up in one day-can you believe it? Only he didn't say expect and want and will you please. Do this and do that was more like it.”
”Telegrams are not the medium for polite circ.u.mlocutions,” I replied. ”What got him so het up?”
”He did say something about that.” Cyrus read the words. ” 'Rumors unrest alarming. Stop. Safe arrival Cairo artifacts paramount. Stop.' ”
”Wait till he hears about the explosion,” David murmured. ”He'll be all the more determined to leave Luxor in a hurry.”
”He's got his goldurned gall suggesting the artifacts aren't safe here,” Cyrus snapped. ”They're safer than they would be in that dodblasted Museum . . . Oh, shucks. You don't think he found out about the stolen jewelry, do you?”
”I cannot imagine how he could have,” I replied. ”He is just being officious and overly fearful. This really doesn't change anything, Cyrus; we will have his precious artifacts ready for him and he can load up and go to the devil, as Emerson might say. If we make arrangements in advance for bearers he may actually be able to accomplish it in a single day.”
By midday we had run out of straw and cotton wool. We had dealt with most of the smaller objects; there remained only the coffins, the mummies, and the beaded robe.
”I am sure I do not know how we are to pack that,” I declared. ”I would be afraid to roll it or fold it again, and if we insert pins to keep it from s.h.i.+fting around as it is moved, the pins may do even more damage. David, have you any suggestions?”
”There isn't much we can do,” David said regretfully. He brushed straw off his s.h.i.+rt. ”Except cover it closely with a clean sheet and wrap bandages round the whole ensemble, with additional layers of padding above. If it is gently handled-”
”It won't be,” I said with a sigh. ”Ah well, what cannot be mended must be endured. We have done our best. I believe we can finish tomorrow if we can find more packing material.”
”I'll go over to Luxor,” David said. ”There must be some seller of fabric we haven't cleaned out.”
”Shall I come with you?” I asked.
”That isn't necessary. I'll try to locate more clean straw too, while I'm about it.”
He picked up his coat and went out before I could reply. His haste and his refusal to meet my eyes made me wonder if he was up to something. David hardly ever did anything underhanded (unless he was egged on by Ramses), but in his own quiet way he was as stubborn as my son. His disclaimers to the contrary, I suspected he had not entirely severed his connection with the Nationalist movement, and this latest outbreak obviously worried him.
I ran after him, calling his name. He pretended he didn't hear, but I caught him up while he was saddling Asfur. ”You are going to the railroad station,” I panted. ”Aren't you?”
David had never been able to lie to me. Moral force, established at an early age, is irresistible. (It had never been completely successful with Ramses, but he was an exceptional case.) David looked down at me with an attempt at sternness and then caved in, as I had known he would. ”Confound it, Aunt Amelia, how do you do it?”
”It is well known in Luxor that I am a magician of great power,” I replied with a smile. David did not return it.