The Egyptian Cat Mystery: A Rick Brant Science-Adventure Story
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CHAPTER XI
Third Brother Smiles
Rick was nearest to the broken kitten. He went over and picked up threelarge pieces. There were a few smaller ones, but he didn't think theywould matter. He walked over and held the pieces out.
The man with the pistol took one and examined it. Rick noted that it wasthe biggest piece, actually over half the cat.
Suddenly the man smiled. It was a fine, happy smile that showed whiteteeth under his black mustache.
"A fine specimen," he said. "Where did you get it?"
"It just sort of came to us," Rick evaded.
"Indeed? A pity it was broken. Do you want the pieces?"
This surprised Rick. He stared into the smiling brown eyes. "No. Don'tyou?"
"I have a definite interest in cats, but not in this one. Come, shall wego to the outside? I think you have probably had enough of Khufu's tombby this time, eh?"
The pistol motioned to the outstretched Arabs. "This carrion will notbother us. I told them the first man to step outside the pyramid beforean hour has elapsed would be shot."
To Rick's astonishment the man tucked the pistol into a capacious jacketpocket, then turned and walked toward the outer entrance. Rick, Scotty,and Hassan followed.
In a few moments they stood blinking in the sunlight. Their rescuer gavethem a polite bow. "You are probably wondering who I am, and how Iappeared so opportunely, eh? Allow me to introduce myself. I am KemelMoustafa."
The brother of Ali and Fuad! Rick remembered the words of the hotelintruder who had taken the first kitten: The Moustafas were known forthe largest mustaches and noses in the United Arab Republic. Well, thedescription fitted.
"I'm Rick Brant," he said. "This is Don Scott, and our guide, Hassan."
Kemel Moustafa shook hands all around. "I am thirsty," he announced. "Wewill exchange stories over coffee, eh? The Mena House is close by, and Ihave a car."
"So do we," Rick said. "We came in Hassan's car."
"Then let us drive down in our separate cars and meet there. We havemuch to talk over."
That was an understatement, Rick thought. He wondered as Hassan drovethem to the hotel below the pyramids: had the business in the pyramidbeen staged so Kemel could come to the rescue? If not, that meant twodifferent groups were interested in the cat.
The way Kemel Moustafa had looked at the broken kitten was revealing,too. One glance and he had rejected it. How had he known? He put thequestion aloud to Scotty.
"Maybe it didn't break like plastic," Scotty guessed. "Or, it's possiblethe original is unbreakable."
Rick didn't think either of those answers could be the right one. "Couldthere be something inside the cat? Kernel would have seen right awaythat the broken one was solid."
"There's a hunk of lead in the cat, according to Bartouki. But supposeyou're right, and it isn't lead? What could be valuable enough to causeall these wild goings-on?"
"Diamonds. Rubies. Maybe a radium needle in a lead shield. Thepossibilities are endless."
"Uhuh. Only one thing bothers me a little. Why use a plastic cat as acontainer to smuggle things into Egypt? There must be better ways."
"This way hasn't been very successful," Rick agreed. "Anyway, here's thehotel. Let's ask Kemel Moustafa."
Over coffee, Rick asked the third Moustafa brother many questions, andreceived answers to most of them--although the answers were not alwayssatisfactory.
Moustafa anticipated some of the questions. As the waiter broughtcoffee, he pulled out his wallet and showed the boys his identity card,driver's license, and business card. Clearly, he was Kemel Moustafa.
"I have been to Khartoum on business," he said. "Last night I returnedto the city and found that a family emergency had taken both of mybrothers out of town. Fuad left very suddenly, after he had written toyou. I apologize on his behalf. However, he must be excused, since acall from Ali, in Beirut, sent him running to the airport to catch thenext flight. He simply had no time even to call you. His secretary triedto call you today, without success."
"We wondered," Rick said.
"Of course. And you are also wondering how I came into the pyramid atjust the right time. A fortunate accident. You see, I came to SaharaWells hoping to see you, but you were sightseeing. Dr. Winston was kindenough to tell me where you were. I simply went hunting for you. A quickdrive around the area told me you must be in one of the pyramids, andthe biggest one seemed the most logical place to look for you."
Rick believed him. Moustafa wouldn't tell a tale that a moment's talkwith Winston would disprove.
"Who was the man who pretended to be your brother Ali?" Scotty asked.
"His chief clerk. He is an arrogant type who often shows poor judgment.Instead of simply explaining to you that Ali was out of town, heapparently told you he was Ali. This was the case?"
Rick confirmed it.
"He will be discharged at once. I suspected it when I questioned himlast night. He gave some lame excuse about your refusing to hand overthe cat to anyone except my brother Ali. He told Fuad the same thing,according to his secretary."
"It wasn't such a lame excuse, Mr. Moustafa," Rick corrected. "Mr.Bartouki asked us to deliver the cat to Ali Moustafa. We have noinstructions to deliver it to anyone else."
"I see. And I commend your discretion. But my brother Ali will notreturn for many weeks, and you will not want to take the cat back toAmerica with you. So we will telephone Mohammed Bartouki, and you willhear directly from him that I am a suitable substitute for my brother."
Scotty asked bluntly, "Why is the cat so important?"
Moustafa spread his hands wide. "Why not? The creature will open a newindustry in Cairo. It will employ a number of people. It will make aprofit for the Moustafa-Bartouki enterprises. It will please thetourists. Obviously the cat is important."
Rick tossed in his loaded question. "How did you know the cat in thepyramid wasn't the cat we brought from America?"
Kernel Moustafa's thick eyebrows went up. "It was obvious, was it not?The broken cat was made of colored concrete. The cat Bartouki took suchpains to develop was of a plastic that does not have the graininess ofconcrete. If you tell me the one in the pyramid was indeed the original,I will be very disappointed. Such a model would not be suitable."
"It wasn't," Rick said briefly.
"Ah. And where is the original?"
Rick's smile was every bit as warm and friendly as Kemel Moustafa's."Perhaps the answer to that had better wait until we have talked toBartouki."
The Egyptian's smile broadened. "Discretion in one so young," heproclaimed, "is a rare and precious thing." He put money on the tablefor their coffee and rose.
"You will excuse me? I have business in the city. But tonight at seven Iwill come to your hotel and we will phone our friend in New York. Itwill then be noon in New York, and we will find him reading the Koran athome. This is his custom. Until then, _Assalamo alaikum_, which is tosay, 'Good day to you.'"
As the boys walked to where Hassan waited, Scotty grinned at Rick."'Discretion in one so young,'" he quoted, "'is a rare and preciousthing.' He should know you as I do. Discretion has nothing to do withit. You just don't want to part with that cat until you know everythingthere is to know about it."
Rick shrugged. "I haven't heard you volunteering to hand the poorcreature over. Besides, our pal Kemel is not all that he seems."
"And how do you know?"
"Easy. Did he ask us who jumped us in the pyramid, or why? Did heexplain why he carries a Luger? Nope, to both. He carries a Lugerbecause there's danger in this business. And he knows why those Arabsjumped us. He may not know them by name, but he knows what they wereafter, and he knows why."
"Which is more than we know," Scotty concluded.
"For now," Rick agreed. "But we'll find out before we're through, oneway or another!"