The Mummifier´s Daughter - A Novel in Ancient Egypt

by Nathaniel Burns

  Neti carefully placed all of the jewelry back into the box before pulling the small pouch of coins closer. Opening it, she emptied it out onto the small table, counting the coins before gathering them up again and returning them to the pouch, all but one.

  Drawing in a deep breath and swallowing against the pain in the back of her throat, she returned the coins to the box, and placed the box back in the dugout before righting the room. She had just managed to finish when a knock sounded at the door. Sighing in dejection, not wanting more visitors, she got up and made to answer, checking to see if her wig was on properly.

  Opening the door revealed Shabaka standing in the street outside, and a slight smile tugged at the corners of her mouth when he spoke. “I just came to see how you’re doing.”

  “Come in,” Neti invited, stepping back to allow him entry.

  He turned to look at her, tipping his head slightly before asking, “Are you managing all right?”

  Neti looked at him for a moment before dropping her gaze to the floor and shaking her head, “Not really.” She moved from him, before lifting her head and asking, “Would you like something to drink? I still have to go and draw water but I can offer you some beer.”

  “I’m fine, thank you. I was hoping to talk to you about your parents’ death,” he softly spoke up, causing Neti to turn and look at him.

  “Please sit,” she invited, indicating the chairs. “What do you need to know?”

  “Is there any possibility that your father could have had a misunderstanding with another embalmer, or that anyone could wish him dead?” Shabaka asked as he sat down.

  Neti thought about it for a short while before shaking her head, “No. None that I can think of. The embalmers respect one another. There are at times more bodies than they have space or time for, so they often help each other out,” she concluded before also sitting down.

  “So you don’t think that their murder could in any way have been related to his business?”

  “No. Why do you ask?”

  “I had most of the local embalmers brought in today, and they were all very forthcoming. Most of them had valid alibis and professed that they would not wish your father any harm.” Shabaka halted for a moment, looking pointedly at her before continuing. “But there was one, Asim. He was here earlier today for the reading. He seemed nervous, very much as though he had something to hide. He also did not want to look me in the eye when I asked him about matters.”

  Neti shook her head. “I would not be concerned about Asim or his wife Tei-Ka. They were good friends of my parents, and often used to visit us. I often spent a lot of time as a child with them, when my parents had to be somewhere. Their son died when he was very young. My mother always said that Tei-Ka’s pain was so great that they could not have more children because of it. No, I do not think it is them. Asim taught me much of what I know. He and my father often worked together when there were too many bodies to embalm. He would not wish ill on my family.”

  “I have nowhere else to turn to,” Shabaka stated, frustrated. “I sometimes wish this was easier. The mayor will possibly notify the Vizier and the city gates will be closed.”

  “That will not bode well for trade,” Neti thoughtfully replied.

  “No it will not,” Shabaka concurred, “but three murders in two days is not to be taken lightly. And unless I find something soon, I have nowhere to go. Have you had a chance to check if anything has been taken?”

  Neti nodded her head in reply, “Well, there is one small thing missing, although no other valuables have been taken.”

  “Anything that could identify a person?” Shabaka hopefully asked.

  Neti shook her head, “My mother’s purity of heart amulet is missing. My father gave it to her a while back, and she always wore it.”

  “And you think whoever did it might have taken it?”

  “It could have been on my mother’s neck the other night. I did not check for it.”

  “Then it would be with Asim?” Shabaka enquired.

  “Possibly,” Neti concurred, “I don’t really need it. I would just prefer my mother to be buried with it.”

  “We can go to see them in the morning, if you do not mind accompanying me. I have some questions for Asim, and speaking with his wife may also help.”

  “I don’t mind,” Neti replied sincerely.

  Shabaka looked at her for a moment, before reaching out to touch her hand. Heat coursed up her arm at the contact, causing her to look at him in question.

  “What are you going to do about Ma-Nefer? He is not a suitable match for you.”

  Neti looked away before replying, “I’m going to Suten Anu tomorrow to find out the state of my father’s affairs, I’m hoping that I can pay off all the debts and so buy my way out of the marriage.”

  “And if you can’t?” Shabaka insisted, squeezing her hand slightly.

  “Then I will have to find another way. I cannot marry such a man.”

  “What about your father’s provision?”

  Neti looked at him once again before shaking her head, demurely answering, “I do not have a suitable offer in marriage. I do not even know of anyone who would be interested. Also, I cannot simply accept one man because it will prevent me from marrying another. I could never ask that of anyone. I have seen how many couples fight. I would want a relationship like my parents had. They were happy together. It is not something to be entered into lightly, even if someone was interested.”

  “I see. So you would not consider an offer of marriage from me, if I were to make it,” Shabaka hesitantly replied.

  Neti looked at him in shock, “We barely know one another. I could not ask you to do such a thing. We cannot get to know one another in a matter of days, in order to stop the marriage. And Ma-Nefer is cruel enough to enforce his intentions if I do not get married within that time. No, I will not allow you to do such a thing. I will go see Suten-Anu in the morning and discuss my options with him.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Early the following morning, Neti-Kerty made her way through the rapidly warming streets to Suten Anu’s office. Most of the citizens were still eating breakfast, with many of the children already out on errands. She watched as a boy passed by, carrying an urn of water and smiling warmly at her. A dog tagged along behind him, sniffing nooks and crannies for something to chase, before scampering to catch up.

  On her arrival at Suten Anu’s office, one of his footmen nodded in greeting and indicated that she could enter.

  “Good morning, Suten,” Neti greeted him warmly, as she approached his desk.

  “Neti, my dear girl, what a lovely surprise. I had not thought I would see you today,” he said rising from his seat and grasping her shoulders, before kissing both of her cheeks. “You look tired,” he stated, holding her from him slightly.

  “I have not slept well since my parents…” Neti allowed the remainder of the sentence to trail off, her voice carrying a disconsolate quality.

  “Ah yes, it is to be understood,” Suten said stepping from her and returning to his desk. “So, dear child, what brings you to my door?”

  “I came to talk to you about my parents' property,” Neti spoke up, lacing her fingers slightly and visibly swallowing.

  “What about it?” Suten asked looking at her, his head tilting slightly.

  “I want to know if it would be possible to buy myself out of this marriage with Ma-Nefer,” Neti hesitantly started. “I really do not want to marry him. I would rather live with nothing.”

  “I had a look at your father's matters late last night,” Suten Anu started before looking through a group of scrolls. “Now where did I put that scroll?” he muttered, before selecting one and opening it, exclaiming, “Ah, yes! Here we go,” he said, looking up and smiling at her, “You must understand that I’m not finalizing anything until we know when your papers will arrive. There are taxes due to the pharaoh, butr not too great an amount. Your father’s estate is big enough to cover those, and possibly mos
t of the debt owing Ma-Nefer.”

  “Then I would like that to be done,” Neti said.

  “It is not that simple, my dear,” Suten cautioned. “Ma-Nefer is a greedy man. He will want full payment with extra. I cannot see him settling for a partial payment. And until your papers arrive and you are able to practice, you have little foundation on which to offer him any form of collateral. And even then, I fear he might put it so high that you will spend years paying it back.”

  “But surely my mother’s jewels, the door and the wooden furniture would cover most of the debt,” Neti contended.

  “It is best not to react hastily right now,” Suten calmly replied. “I’m still looking into the legalities of the situation, but there is not much in the laws. Your father made provision for some exceptions, and I dare say it gives us some leeway, but I know that you are not partial to anyone, and so does the rest of Thebes. So, he could contest any claim of marriage. And I dare say there are some who would be delighted to see you end up with him.”

  “Yes I can imagine,” Neti replied quietly, thinking of some of those who hated her most. “I will have to find some way.”

  “You could approach him and ask if he is willing to let you buy out of the wedding. Find out if it is just the money he is interested in,” Suten reasoned.

  “I will try,” Neti affirmed, nodding her head once.

  “That is the best we could hope for, because the only other option where you would be permitted to step away from this is if he was involved in criminal activities against society.”

  “He is a trader. I don’t think he’ll do anything that foolish,” Neti replied dourly, giving a slight shake of the head.

  “Sometimes it is the meekest of sheep who become the most dangerous when threatened,” Suten Anu averred.

  “Yes, Suten, I understand. But he is a coward He takes his moods and tempers out on those weaker than him. People fear him for what they think he will do,” Neti took a deep breath before continuing, “and he uses that to force his ways onto others.”

  “You have always been a wise child,” Suten Anu returned, nodding his head in approval.

  “I had a good teacher,” Neti avowed.

  “Now, do you have any money to tide you over?” Suten Anu asked as he started rolling up the scroll.

  “I have a little. I was going to go to the market tomorrow to buy some goods.”

  Suten Anu looked at her, acknowledging. “How long do you think it will hold you?”

  “A few weeks, at least. It’s only me.”

  “Then I will see what I can do here,” Suten said, indicating the scroll.

  Just then, Shabaka entered the office. Neti turned her head to look at him, smiling warmly when he nodded his head in greeting, before turning to look back at Suten, stating, “We are going to see Asim.”

  “You wish to see your parents’ bodies again?” Suten asked, his confusion evident in his voice.

  “No,” Neti quickly replied. “My mother’s one amulet is missing. I am hoping that it is there as otherwise it was taken.”

  “Ah, yes, I understand,” Suten said in agreement before turning to look at Shabaka.

  “Shabaka has some questions for Asim,” Neti quickly added.

  “Well then, let me not detain you.” Nodding at Shabaka, Suten said, “You are welcome here any time, Shabaka. A friend of Neti's is a friend of mine,” the elderly man concluded.

  They stepped from Suten’s office, turning up the road towards Asim’s house. The sun was already baking the mud brick houses, the heat steadily rising as they continued along the road.

  “So, did he have any good news for you?” Shabaka spoke once they had advanced some distance from Suten Anu’s office.

  “Unless Ma-Nefer is doing something illegal, my options are limited. I will go to him later today, and ask him if he would let me buy my way out of the agreement.”

  “I never knew how rude some of the citizens of Thebes are,” Shabaka said as a woman spat in their direction, glaring at them as they passed.

  “You get used to it after a while,” Neti replied as they moved along the road, some of the people muttering as they passed.

  “Yet you don't have a problem with it,” Shabaka disbelievingly returned.

  “They know no better. My mother always said that people fear things that are different from them.”

  “It does not excuse bad manners,” Shabaka insisted.

  Neti looked at him, smiling warmly before replying, “That is also true,” inclining her head in acknowledgement. “This way. It is not long until we reach Asim’s house, although he will possibly be at the Per-Nefer processing bodies.”

  “Maybe we should we go there first?” Shabaka questioned, causing Neti to slow down.

  “I thought you wished to speak to his wife?” Neti questioned, as she came to a halt before a doorway.

  “I do,” Shabaka replied, as Neti turned to call, “Tei-Ka, are you home?”

  A few moments later, an elderly woman appeared in the doorway, her face lighting up when she saw Neti. “Neti, child, what a surprise. Come, come in, please,” the woman invited, gesturing with her hand, stepping to one side, and holding the fabric aside for them to enter.

  Neti stepped into the room with Shabaka following closely behind, before halting in the main living area.

  “Would you like some tea, dear? I was just about to make some.”

  “That would be lovely,” Neti answered.

  “This way then,” Tei-Ka said leading them up toward the kitchen. “Please sit,” Tei-Ka invited, pointing to the chairs. “I will put the water on to boil.”

  Neti sat down on one of the chairs, and Shabaka followed suit. Both watched as the elderly lady moved to the stove, before returning to their company, asking, “How are you, my dear? Asim told me about your parents’ will. It is difficult to accept something like that.”

  Neti simply nodded her head in reply before lowering her gaze. “Yes it is. Shabaka has a few questions for you, if you don’t mind,” she demurely continued.

  “Certainly,” the woman answered, turning her attention towards the Nubian prefect.

  “On the night of Neti’s parents’ murders, was your husband home?” Shabaka asked, watching as the woman tilted her head slightly.

  “He is at home every night. He comes home for dinner and then often returns to his work,” she replied bluntly.

  Shabaka acknowledged this, and then asked, “But two nights ago, was he home for dinner?”

  Tei-Ka thought it over for a moment before replying, “He was late, which is nothing unusual. He enjoys going down to the beer house on hot nights,” and then she looked at Neti, “No wait! That night he was quite upset about something. But he did not want to talk about it,” she added, looking at Shabaka.

  “Did he have any blood on his clothes?” Shabaka asked outright.

  “Blood? No. Neti will know that they wear different clothes when processing a body. Any blood will land on that. No, he came home in the same clothes he left that morning – stinking of the dead as he usually does on arriving home. I generally have to send him down to the river to wash.” The woman started rambling. Neti simply smiled indulgently at her.

  “Where is your husband now?” Shabaka asked.

  “He had business to tend to. With the extra work he has needed to see to supplies.”

  Shabaka nodded his head, “I see. When will he be back then?”

  “Soon enough I would think,” Tei-Ka answered, before turning her attention back to the stove. “Please excuse me, I need to check on the water.”

  “You think he did it?” Neti interrogated him in hushed tones.

  “I’m not certain,” Shabaka replied just as quietly, “She said he had no blood on him. Whoever did that would have been covered in blood. Also had he washed, he would not have reeked of the dead,” Shabaka reasoned, before adding, “I will need to have a look at these clothes you wear when working.”

  “You can come with me w
hen I go to pack up my father’s tools,” Neti replied.

  Tei-Ka returned with the pottery cups, handing each of them a cup before taking her seat once again. Just then, a shuffling was heard from the stairs, and Asim appeared at the kitchen. Everyone turned to look at him, before his wife spoke up. “Asim, Neti and her friend are here to see you.”

  Asim halted dead in his tracks, looking at them in surprise, his body tightening in response before he turned and bolted down the slight stairwell.

  “Asim, stop!” Shabaka called after him, quickly placing his cup on the floor, before leaping up in pursuit of the man.

  “Asim!” Tei-Ka exclaimed in distress, also leaping up from her seat, dislodging the scarf she had around her neck and exposing the amulet she wore.

  Neti leapt up from her seat, grabbing Tei-Ka by her arm and pointing with her free hand towards the amulet, demanding, “Where did you get that?”

  “This?” Tei-ka asked, gesturing to the amulet. “Asim gave it to me.”

  “It looks much like my mother’s one which is missing,” Neti heatedly returned, before demanding, “When did he give it to you?”

  “Six, maybe seven nights ago,” Tei-Ka answered, uncertainly, nervously adding, “He said it was for good luck. I did not think much of it, but he insists that I wear it. It is pretty, but I do not think it is worth much.”

  “It is known as a purity of heart amulet,” Neti replied, letting go of Tei-Ka’s hand.