by LJM Owen
Seated in a plump armchair by the phrenic library’s fireplace, the ghostly presence had nodded, poured them both a cup of tea, and invited Elizabeth to join her.
‘What should I call you? I’m not comfortable with Agatha. Agatha Christie was a real person. You’re a construct in my mind, a projection, a fiction.’
‘Indeed. In any event, I would have insisted on Mrs Christie. At the very least, Christie. Perhaps Oliver instead?’
Elizabeth appreciated the reference. One of Agatha Christie’s characters in her Poirot stories, Mrs Ariadne Oliver was a somewhat exaggerated fictional version of Agatha Christie herself. ‘Oliver it is, then.’
Elizabeth smiled at Oliver now, her tweed skirt and matching jacket the epitome of 1940s women’s fashion.
‘Tea?’ Oliver offered.
‘Certainly,’ Elizabeth said, sinking into the second armchair.
In the three long years since she had left her first excavation in Egypt, Elizabeth had kept a lid on her desire to contribute actively to the field of Egyptology. Now, finally, she could give rein to that integral part of herself once more. If she could successfully identity the commissioner and occupant of the Golden Tomb she would be able to contribute a meaningful paper. It would be as though the distressing divergence that had begun on the day her father passed away had been a mere detour.
All she had to do was track down the location of each mummy from the Tomb, access imaging data of the skeletons within and manipulate it to create printing instructions, print and analyse the skeletons and hope to find a clue that led her to the identity of the occupant of the Tomb sarcophagus. Simple, in theory…
Taking a sip from the delicate china cup, Elizabeth leant back in her chair, closed her imaginary eyelids, and willed every book, paper and journal article she had ever read that contained a mention of the Golden Tomb to fly from the shelves of her library. They alighted on a shellacked side table that appeared next to her. It made for a thin pile.
Apart from the information displayed on the Golden Tomb in the Cairo museum, she had read little else on the discovery. The Tomb was discovered in the Valley of the Kings by a British-French team of archaeologists in 1904, a week or so before the discovery of Nefertari’s tomb in the Valley of the Queens. The excavation was partially funded by an American investor, who had transferred his support to the Nefertari find shortly afterwards.
Though smaller than all the tombs of kings and queens from the Nineteenth and Twentieth Dynasties, the Golden Tomb shared sufficient aspects of design and technology to be dated to that period. All the cartouches – encircled names of rulers – on the walls of the Tomb and the sarcophagus had been chiselled away before the Tomb was opened by the Western archaeologists. It appeared that no other human or environmental damage had occurred, which left Elizabeth wondering what state the mummified remains were in, and the potential quality of printed skeletal remains generated from scans of the Tomb’s mummies.
Nothing Elizabeth had read indicated where the other mummies might have ended up, apart from the one in the Cairo museum. Given the number of Egyptian antiquities collections around the globe, whose catalogues she might have to search, it was certainly going to be a journey finding out.
‘You’ll require some assistance,’ said Oliver, in her rich, plummy tones.
Elizabeth raised her teacup in acknowledgement. ‘Thankfully, I know just who to ask.’
—
A week later Elizabeth stood at the entrance to the Main Reading Room, observing the crowd that criss-crossed the cavernous marble foyer of the Mahony Griffin Library. Bustling with purpose and conviviality, visitors, patrons and staff moved to and fro beneath the foyer’s glorious stained-glass windows, pouring into and out of the Library’s entrance, bookshop, cafe and reading rooms. The bookshop was a particularly dangerous destination – Elizabeth had been known to exhaust an entire fortnight’s worth of discretionary funds in a single visit.
Waiting for her friends to join her, she stared into the three vast tapestries above the foyer’s main doors, a melange of Australian images including the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Woomera radio telescope and an abstract depiction of the Great Barrier Reef. Sinking into the muted colours and patterns of the middle tapestry, she contemplated a blue and white interpretation of a pineapple. It reminded her of the pineapple-leather journal – the thrill of chasing the thief, the disappointment of losing Sam’s present, and her now mostly healed ankle. She was so absorbed in her ruminations that she didn’t hear Nathan’s approach until he had reached her side.
‘Hello,’ he said, enfolding her in a warm hug. ‘It’s good to see you.’
She smiled up at her former graduate buddy. ‘Hello, yourself.’
‘Elizabeth, Nathan,’ someone called from behind them.
They turned to see Llew and Rhoz approach from the nearby bank of lifts.
Elizabeth was struck once again by the sheer physical beauty of the pair. With her mane of wavy mahogany hair, yellow-hazel eyes and statuesque limbs, Rhoz glowed like a 1950s movie icon in her grey vintage suit. Llew – tall, beautifully proportioned and mesmerisingly handsome – had dressed in charcoal hues today, making his glinting black-diamond eyes, raven hair and matching manicured beard seem darker than usual against his pale Welsh skin.
‘Hello, how are you both?’
Llew’s voice cut straight to Elizabeth’s nervous system, causing her knees to weaken. She was annoyed by her body’s response and her apparent lack of control over her reaction to the arresting British librarian. Lingering queasiness over her naïveté toward her ex, Luke – and a fear that she might not see the potential pitfalls of a future partner – made Elizabeth treat her attraction to the magnetic Welshman with caution.
‘Good,’ Elizabeth and Nathan chorused in response. ‘And you?’
Llew and Rhoz both answered at once.
‘Very well.’
‘Good, thank you.’
Rhoz, a fellow Egyptophile, reached out to give Elizabeth’s hand a squeeze. ‘It’s lovely to see you again. Tell us all about your trip.’
‘While we line-up for magic bean juice,’ Nathan chimed in.
Elizabeth poked him in the ribs. ‘You’re such a caffeine addict.’
‘Tease if you must, but it makes the world a better place.’
Queuing for coffees in Addendum, the Mahony Griffin Library cafe, Elizabeth thanked Rhoz for the safety tips she had offered prior to Elizabeth’s recent holiday. ‘Unfortunately, I needed them.’
Rhoz’s rounded forehead creased in a frown. ‘Nothing too bad, I hope?’
‘Nothing drastic, but after a few days Henry and I stopped going out after dark. It just wasn’t worth it.’
‘What happened?’ Nathan asked, concern playing across his face.
‘I was groped at and propositioned constantly, despite Henry being with me, and had some shocking profanities spat at me when I declined.’
‘That’s revolting,’ Nathan said.
‘Thankfully, Rhoz’s instructions came in handy. I would yell, “Sawf tukhjil walidatik mink!” at them, which made them leave me alone.’
‘What does that mean?’ Nathan asked.
‘Sawf tukhjil walidatik mink?’ Elizabeth repeated.
Nathan nodded.
‘Your mother would be ashamed of you,’ Rhoz answered.
‘Thankfully things like that don’t happen here,’ Llew said.
The other three stared at him incredulously.
‘May I take your order?’ a man behind the counter asked.
It was a new waiter, one Elizabeth hadn’t met before. ‘I’d like a large pot of Turkish apple tea, please,’ she said.
‘Large long black.’
‘Hot chocolate.’
Still scowling after hearing of Elizabeth’s incident, Rhoz opened her mouth to place her order.
&n
bsp; ‘You’d be a whole lot prettier if you smiled,’ the new waiter said to her, in a playful tone.
‘Latte,’ Rhoz snarled.
‘He was only trying to be nice,’ Llew said to Rhoz, as they walked toward the tables at the back of the cafe. ‘There wasn’t any need to be rude.’
Rhoz stopped to glare at him, then pivoted on one kitten heel and stalked to a table beneath Elizabeth’s favourite stained-glass window. Brief strains of jazz from the cafe’s sound system filled the awkward pause.
‘You don’t have a sister, do you?’ Nathan asked Llew.
The confused Welshman shook his head. ‘Please, Elizabeth, I’m interested in hearing more about your trip,’ he said, as he, Elizabeth and Nathan settled around Rhoz.
Glad to change the subject, Elizabeth recalled the beginning of the journey. ‘Disturbing comments aside, it was wonderful. After I met Henry at Cairo airport we immediately hopped on a bus and travelled in an armed convoy to Luxor, exploring all the temples and tombs and monuments it had to offer, then sailed along the Nile to Aswan. After that we flew back to Cairo and spent a few days there.’
‘Did you see the Pyramids?’ Nathan asked.
Elizabeth grinned. ‘I even climbed inside one.’
‘Which one is open at the moment?’ Rhoz asked.
‘Khufu’s, the Great Pyramid.’
After that jarring camel ride to the Giza platform on the afternoon of visiting the Cairo museum, Elizabeth and Henry had run a gauntlet of grifters to reach the base of the Great Pyramid, cries of ‘Lovely jubbly!’ ringing in their ears. Fingers trailing on the exposed layers of building material at its opening, they had entered the steep walkway within. The climb to the King’s Chamber had proven far hotter and more arduous than anticipated, but Elizabeth would have withstood almost any discomfort to reach that room in her private game of ‘In the Footsteps of Flinders Petrie’.
She then recalled the events of the ensuing evening. ‘And I had most of my trip up to that point written down in a lovely journal, but it was stolen that night.’
‘Oh, no!’ Rhoz said. ‘Are you okay?’
‘Yes. Apart from a twisted ankle, no harm done, but it was annoying.’
‘It sounds like a lot of excitement in one short trip,’ Llew said. ‘Did anything else like that happen?’
‘I was also betrayed!’ Elizabeth said, with an exaggerated facial expression. She nudged Nathan. ‘I returned to find out this guy has been conspiring behind my back!’
Nathan dipped his head sheepishly. ‘Henry and I agreed we had such an enjoyable time helping you with your last two investigations that we want to keep going.’
‘What do you mean?’ Llew asked.
‘Henry told me about Elizabeth’s fascination with the mummy of a prince from something called the Golden Tomb,’ Nathan answered. ‘He said he then saw an exhibition in London on the re-creation of mummy skeletons using 3D printing, and asked whether we have the capability to do that here. Given how enjoyable it was to work on Elizabeth’s investigations into the Maya remains last year, and the Olmec ones the year before that, I thought we should try to convince her to attempt an Egyptian investigation.’
Rhoz chuckled. ‘I imagine she took little convincing.’
Elizabeth’s excitement was growing. ‘Henry said the scan data for that particular skeleton is already available online. I had a look at it last night. I’m not sure if it’s a high enough quality, or how we manipulate it to create the instructions for the printer.’
‘Leave that to me,’ Nathan said. ‘I’ve already downloaded the software we’ll need.’
‘You are keen!’ Elizabeth said. ‘And can we use a 3D printer here at the Library to replicate the bones?’
‘I don’t think so…’
‘Oh.’ Elizabeth couldn’t keep the disappointment from her voice.
‘But I know someone at the new museum who should be able to hook us up with a state-of-the-art printer.’
‘And here’s your coffees,’ a waitress interrupted. ‘A hot chocolate?’
Llew raised his hand.
‘Turkish apple tea and long black?’
Elizabeth’s and Nathan’s.
‘Which leaves a macchiato for you.’ She placed it in front of Rhoz.
‘No, I ordered a latte.’
The waitress showed Rhoz the order slip and shook her head. ‘Sorry, it says macchiato here.’
Rhoz’s expression darkened as the waitress strode away. She took a deep breath. ‘Who were you saying could help with a printer?’ she asked Nathan.
Elizabeth had made the connection. ‘Alice!’
Nathan nodded. ‘I had a chat to her yesterday. She started in a new part-time post there while you were away. She said she’s pretty sure she’ll be able to arrange access for us.’
Problem solved. ‘I’ll call her later and see how soon we can catch up. I need to talk to her about our joint papers anyway.’
‘So, who is this prince of the Golden Tomb?’ Rhoz, a fellow Egyptophile, was clearly interested.
‘That’s what I’m hoping to find out,’ Elizabeth said. ‘When I was in Cairo I saw one of the mummies and part of the sarcophagus from a small tomb in the Valley of the Kings. It’s apparently Nineteenth or Twentieth Dynasty, but the occupant’s exact identity is unknown. It was dubbed the “Golden Tomb” because of the sheer volume of gold funerary objects inside, and the gold leaf on the walls.’
‘Sounds exciting,’ Llew said, his voice rich and resonant.
Damn his vocal cords, Elizabeth thought, tugging at the light green scarf around her neck. ‘Once we’ve re-created the skeleton from that first mummy, though, we’ll have to track down the others. There were apparently seven more hidden behind a false wall.’
‘But how will that help you determine who built the Golden Tomb?’ Llew asked.
‘I’d like to look over the skeletal remains, see if I can spot anything I can use to link them to information known about various Pharaohs from the Nineteenth and Twentieth Dynasties. If I can narrow it down, there may be other clues in the records or even elements in the Tomb that can reveal who built it and who is in it.’
‘Why not just do a DNA analysis?’ Rhoz asked.
‘I’ve got this one,’ Nathan said. ‘I asked the same question last year. It’s more difficult and expensive to run DNA tests than you’d think. And for comparative purposes there’s a lot more data about bones and teeth out there than other DNA samples.’ He looked at Elizabeth. ‘Right?’
‘Exactly!’
‘Do you have any idea where the other mummies might have gone?’ Rhoz asked.
‘The excavating team was French and British, with an American backer,’ Elizabeth answered, ‘so there’s a significant list of potential collections they may have made their way into – and that’s just the official ones.’
‘I’m sure I’ll be able to help,’ Llew volunteered. ‘It’s possible that material from your Golden Tomb ended up in the Petrie Museum in London. I have a few contacts there – I could make enquiries if you like?’
‘And I’ll send some queries to see what’s possible,’ said Rhoz. ‘Some of the French and Middle Eastern institutions that might hold pieces from the Golden Tomb have links with the Bibliothèque Nationale.’
Yes! That was exactly what Elizabeth had been hoping for. ‘Thank you, both of you, that would be wonderful!’
This was going to be fantastic – another investigation of the deep past, this time into the civilisation Elizabeth was most passionate about. She couldn’t wait to throw herself into an exploration of the tomb builders, embalmers and mortuary rituals of Khaenweset’s world.
‘Marvellous,’ Rhoz said. ‘And to celebrate, I would like to invite all three of you over for lunch this weekend. Are you free?’
Elizabeth’s enjoyment of the afternoon evap
orated.
‘I’m chuffed they named a whole building after me,’ Llew said.
‘Does your ego know no bounds?’ Rhoz mocked the Welshman.
Llew laughed.
Rhoz and Llew currently lived in the nearby visiting fellows’ quarters on the top three floors of the Library’s Llewellyn Wing. The body of Elizabeth’s father, William Pimms, had been discovered in the long-term storage stacks beneath it. In the three years since his passing, Elizabeth had not set foot in that building.
‘Nathan?’ Rhoz prompted.
Nathan nodded, patting the stomach of his orange T-shirt, and looked enquiringly at Elizabeth.
After all this time, perhaps she should push through that particular mental barrier. ‘That would be lovely.’ She swallowed hard. ‘How about tomorrow?’
As the discussion moved on to Nathan’s latest feline experiments – in this instance teaching his intrepid rescue cats Bass and Flinders to use an iPad to chase a virtual mouse, instead of hunting native wildlife – Elizabeth wondered how soon she might be able to see Alice.
—
Returning to the small staff room adjacent to the Main Reading Room, Elizabeth plucked her mobile from her locker to make a quick call to Alice. It went to voicemail.
‘Hi Alice. It’s Elizabeth. I hope you’ve been well? I was just talking to Nathan, who said he spoke to you about the possibility of using the 3D printer at your new workplace to print out skeletal material from one of the Golden Tomb mummies? It’d be great to catch up about everything, and see what you think. Talk to you soon!’
As Elizabeth turned to replace her phone, she noticed Judy had popped her head through the door.
‘Everything okay?’ her supervisor asked, grey curls bouncing. ‘Are you all right to take over the front desk if I let Amy go for her break now?’
‘Yes, just coming.’
—
A message from Alice was waiting for Elizabeth at the end of her shift.
‘Hello hello! It’s great to hear from you. If you aren’t doing anything after work tonight, why don’t you come straight over to the museum and I’ll show you the printer. It will be great to catch up.’
