by Overton, Max
"Including our books and cameras?" Daffyd persisted.
"If they have nothing to do with the inscription."
"What about the rock that the Minister took from me?" Dani asked. "That was only a memento of the dig. It had nothing to do with the inscription."
Nazim hesitated. "Minister Bashir finds the rock interesting--and also your request for its return. I do not think he will part with it, Dr Hanser."
"Please see if you can persuade him. You can see for yourself it has no intrinsic value, but it represents a memory for me."
"I promise nothing. Now, your flight is boarding."
They had no option but to board the flight and endure the many hours of travel back to England. They changed planes in Rome and Paris, and would have liked to sample the hospitality of those cities, but without funds could not leave the airports and were dependent on airline meals to satisfy their hunger. Daffyd and Marc spent the trip plotting revenge on Bashir and devising increasing wild scenarios whereby they beat him to the site of Scarab's tomb in Egypt. By journey's end, though, reality had sunk in and they became morose, staring out of the tiny windows at a featureless cloudscape. Angela and Doris slept most of the way, too depressed to face conversation, but Dani spent the hours in thought.
She felt herself on a watershed, where her previous academic life had led up to the Syrian Expedition, and now a whole new world lay in darkness before her. The dazzling prospect of a search for Scarab's tomb had been cruelly extinguished by Bashir's treachery, but she did not feel totally lost. The future lay in darkness but she had faith that the golden scarab would somehow return to her, lighting her way to eventual success.
Why else did it come to me in the first place, if not to reveal the chambers? And why do that if I wasn't meant to find the tomb ?
The thought was foreign to her scientific mind, and made no sense in a materialistic universe, but Dani could not shake the feeling that the adventure was not yet over. The loss of the translations was of great importance in proving the existence of the chambers to university committees, but she could remember whole swathes of the account that she had laboriously translated over the weeks and months. She could probably reconstruct the gist of the account from memory, and probably the descriptions of the tomb's position. Even without the golden scarab, she might be able to find the tomb of Smenkhkare and Scarab once she found herself in Egypt. Dani clung to that thought as they descended through rainclouds into British airspace.
They landed at London's Heathrow airport and changed planes for Derby and thence by bus to Chesterfield of the twisted spire and Midland University, where a grim-faced university official waited for them.
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* * *
Chapter Two
The official letter arrived a week later, addressed simply to Dr Danielle Hanser and bearing the stamp of the Office of the Vice-Chancellor of the university. Dani picked up the letter from where it had been pushed through the letterbox and stared at the envelope for a minute before taking it back to the little sun-filled kitchen of her flat in the city. The twisted spire of Chesterfield Cathedral could be seen from her kitchen window and not for the first time she contemplated how her life had taken a sudden twist like the famous spire. She propped the letter against a flower-filled vase on the kitchen table and sat down to stare at it with a cup of coffee in her hands and marmalade toast cooling on a side plate.
I really don't want to open it .
After a while--half a cup of coffee and a piece of toast later--she shrugged and slit the envelope open with her marmalade-smeared knife, opening up the folded letter within and scanning it.
About what I expected .
'Dr Hanser,' it read, 'Allegations of scientific impropriety have been brought against the recent expedition to Syria in general, and you in particular, by the Ministry of National History in Syria. An informal meeting has been called to deliberate on the University's response to these allegations and the recent expulsion of the expedition members from Syria. You will be required to respond to these allegations. Accordingly, you are summoned to this meeting, to be held on Thursday next (27th) at a venue to be decided. Please contact the Office of the Vice-Chancellor at least twenty-four hours beforehand to confirm your attendance, or to give good reason why you will not be attending. Please note that if you do not attend, decisions that involve your future at Midland University may be taken in your absence.' It was signed by the secretary to the Vice-Chancellor.
Dani read through the letter again before refolding it and tossing it onto the table. She sipped at her coffee while she digested her first piece of toast and the information from the Office of the Vice-Chancellor. Her eyes stared at the flowers in the vase, but she did not see them or the little pink aphid sitting on a zinnia petal.
At least it's an informal meeting. If it was really serious I'd be hauled before an official tribunal . By degrees, her mind turned to her defence. Do I have one ?
Dani had to face up to choices made nearly a year ago at the end of their first season in the Orontes Valley. When they stumbled upon the first chamber and recognised its importance, they should have reported their find to the proper authorities and taken a back seat to whatever team was assigned to investigate the discovery. Instead, the eight expedition members had voted to reseal the chamber and return to it the next season, hoping to keep its existence secret and be able to investigate its mysteries themselves.
It was a vain hope, and Syrian Under-Minister Ahmed Bashir had caught wind of the discovery; arrived and taken charge. Only the tantalising glimpses of hidden treasure referred to in the account inscribed on the chamber walls had prevented him turning them in. Instead, they found themselves willing accomplices in deceit. Then, when the account came to an end, and the possibility of finding an undiscovered royal tomb presented itself, they had connived with the Minister to continue the deception, agreeing to a joint expedition into Egypt to track down the burial chamber of a king and its associated treasury.
Bashir had outwitted them, thrown them aside without a qualm, and now had made an official complaint in the hope of stalling any possibility--however remote--of their interference in his plans. Without a doubt, he planned to find the tomb using the descriptions in the account and plunder it, selling priceless artefacts on the black market without a thought for the destruction of so much knowledge.
But what can I do? I can't prove a thing .
Possibly, Daffyd and Marc might be able to think of something. The letter had named the expedition as co-defendant, but Dani disliked the thought of involving them further. The responsibility had been hers and she intended to admit her culpability, and would try and exonerate the others. She decided she would say nothing for now; just turn up at the meeting and see what transpired.
On the Wednesday morning, Dani rang the secretary and found that the meeting was to be held in one of the top-floor meeting rooms of the administration building.
"Half past two, Dr Hanser, in room 603."
"Thank you."
A pause. "Will you be presenting any evidence or calling witnesses?"
"I thought this was an informal meeting."
Another pause. "That is correct."
Dani hung up and considered her position. The informal meeting was starting to sound like a trial, and she wondered whether she should have someone represent her. The trouble with that was she would appear more aggressive than she wanted, and she still hoped the problem would go away by accepting she had acted improperly and accepting a rap over the knuckles. She did not think the university would do much more. After all, it was not as if they had removed any artefacts or anything.
What about the golden scarab?
That wasn't in the chambers, it was outside...and besides, I don't have it .
At twenty past two on Thursday afternoon, she presented herself to the secretary on the top floor and was shown into an antechamber of the meeting room. Here she was left to cool her heels for half an hour before the sec
retary came to collect her. She was shown into a well-appointed room with deep carpet and gleaming polished wood furniture. A long table faced her, and behind it was arrayed several men and women, most of whom she recognised.
The Vice-Chancellor, Edward McClelland, rose to his feet as Dani entered the room, though his expression was anything but welcoming.
"Dr Hanser, good of you to come." He inclined his head left and right to include the others seated at the table. "You will know our Dean of Science, Professor Voisey; Professor Roberts, Anthropology; Professor Cummins, Ancient History; and Professor Bielish, Archaeology. The gentleman on the far left is Mr Torby from the University's legal department, and on the far right is Mr Parker from the Foreign Office. If you would be so good as to be seated, we'll get started."
Dani took the only unoccupied seat in the room, a plain straight-backed chair facing the panel of her accusers. She straightened her skirts and looked the Vice-Chancellor in the eyes.
McClelland cleared his throat and looked down at the notes in front of him. "Dr Hanser, you have been accused by the Syrian Government of fraud, in that you claimed to be carrying out an archaeological investigation into Neanderthal migration patterns under the auspices of Midland University and the Syrian Ministry of National History, accepting funding and material assistance from both sources; whereupon you abandoned this enterprise and pursued a reckless and unscientific plundering of a newly discovered Egyptian tomb, destroying priceless artwork and removing artefacts. Further, members of your team, both staff and students of Midland University, did aid and abet you in these crimes. Do you have a statement you wish to read into the record?"'
"I...I didn't...er, no, I don't have a statement to read, not knowing the...er, charges being brought against me, but I would like to answer these points if I may."
The Vice-Chancellor nodded and waited while Dani collected her thoughts.
"All right...first, I want to make it clear that I was the leader of this expedition and that nobody else had any part in the decision to investigate the chambers. I made the decision and everyone else had no choice but to go along with..."
"There I must interrupt you, Dr Hanser," Cummins said. "Dr Rhys-Williams, who is a member of my department, has already admitted culpability in this regard, saying he persuaded other members of the expedition to this course of action."
A smile tugged briefly at Dani's lips. "Daff...Dr Rhys-Williams was subordinate to me. It was my decision."
"Please continue," Vice-Chancellor McClelland said.
Dani nodded. "The purpose of the expedition was to investigate the Orontes Valley and its tributaries for evidence of Neanderthal migration routes. In particular, we dug in a deep cave in an unnamed stream valley. We found very little to suggest the valley had been used by Neanderthals, but in the course of our investigations we stumbled upon what looked like dressed stone in one wall of the cave. We broke through..."
"Just like that?" Cummins asked. "Without thought for the archaeological value of what you must have known was of significance?"
"On the contrary, we took photographs of the wall and broke through with minimal damage. You must realise that this was a site without any historical antecedents. We had no inkling that this bricked area would be anything more than a...than a goat byre of recent construction."
"And was it?" Elenore Bielish, Professor of Archaeology, had a look of distaste on her lean face. "Was it a find of minimal historical significance?"
"No, Professor. Inside the cavern we found plastered walls completely covered with Egyptian hieroglyphs and paintings in the Amarnan style. We explored the chamber and found it to be empty except for a few scraps of wood and rope in one corner."
"At which point, the proper procedure would have been to reseal the chamber and contact the university or the Ministry, telling them of your find and letting them make the relevant decisions," Bielish pointed out.
"I agree," Dani said quietly. "However, we were all professionals in the field and we were naturally excited with our find, so we agreed to try and determine exactly what it was we had found. We didn't damage anything, just translated the text and took some pictures."
"You could read the hieroglyphs?" Professor Roberts asked. "I wasn't aware that Egyptology was your field."
Dani hesitated, wondering how much she should reveal. "It isn't, but I have made an extensive study of inscriptions privately. My family has always..." Dani shook her head and gathered her thoughts again. "We found out that the text was the life story of Princess Beketaten, sister to Pharaoh Akhenaten of the Eighteenth dynasty."
"At which point you must have realised the importance of your discovery," Bielish pointed out. "You should have immediately suspended your work and resealed the chamber."
"I considered it, but the sentence construction and grammar was atypical of Egyptian texts, so I couldn't be certain this wasn't a recent hoax..."
"In such an out-of-the-way place? Unlikely."
"And the personal account of a young girl in the centre of such an incredible period of Egyptian history was very compelling." Dani smiled wryly. "We wanted to know what happened."
"So you stopped work on the Neanderthal dig, which was funded by this university and the Syrian Government, so you could indulge your curiosity?" Dean Voisey asked.
"We had found very little evidence of Neanderthal presence and we were near the end of our time anyway. I made what I thought was a reasonable decision."
"According to the Minister of National History in Syria, you found evidence of a tomb in Egypt, and covered up this information in the hope of finding it yourself and plundering it," McClelland said. "Furthermore, the Minister says you attempted to destroy the inscriptions in the hope of covering your tracks."
"Not in the least," Dani retorted. "There was no suggestion of a tomb in the first chamber..."
"First? There was more than one?"
"There were three. Didn't you know?"
The academics around the table looked at each other, and the Vice-Chancellor shook his head.
"Go on, Dr Hanser."
"There was no mention of a tomb in the first chamber, and there were hints that the inscription was incomplete. We were at the end of our stay in Syria, so we sealed the chamber and returned to England. Some of the students wanted to report our findings but I argued against it as I wanted to find out more." Dani looked around at the Heads of Department and Administrative Heads, making sure she had their attention. "It was my decision to cover up our find and return to it the next season."
"So earlier this year, you and your team returned to the site, ostensibly to further your Neanderthal investigations but really to reopen the chamber, and then you discovered the second chamber?" McClelland asked.
"Yes. The account continued in another, larger chamber..."
"Where was this chamber?" Cummins interrupted.
"Behind the first."
Cummins referred to his notes. "You said the walls of the first chamber were completely covered in writing and paintings. Where, then, was the entrance to the second?"
Dani took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "We had to cut through the painting on the rear wall."
"Let me see if I have this right," Bielish said. "By now, you know that this is, at the very least, an important discovery, yet you wilfully destroy a unique painting to push on further into this tomb merely to satisfy your curiosity."
"We didn't destroy it. We took out as few blocks as we could in an area that would leave the subject matter intact."
"That is for the experts to determine."
"And the third chamber?" Cummins asked. "Did you damage another painting digging through to it?"
"No, it was beneath the floor of the second one."
"If you did so little damage to the inscriptions and paintings," Voisey asked, "Why is it the Syrian Minister claims you attempted to destroy them?"
"I don't know," Dani said. "Unless he's trying to discredit our findings."
"I think you
've done quite enough yourself to do that," Bielish said.
"What artefacts were found in this tomb?" Roberts asked.
"It wasn't a tomb, and we found nothing except a few pieces of wood and rope, and rubble in the shaft leading to the third chamber."
"No grave goods, ornaments, figurines?" Roberts persisted.
Dani shook her head. "Nothing."
"Then why are you accused of attempting to steal artefacts?"
"I have no idea. There was nothing there to steal, and if there had been, I would have handed those over to the authorities."
"Like you reported the existence of the chambers?" Bielish asked.
"In hindsight that was a mistake, but the Syrian Ministry of National History--in particular, Under-Minister Bashir--found out about the chambers very quickly and took over the site. From then on, we were working under his direct authority."
"When did this happen?" Parker of the Foreign Office asked.
"About June this year. We were about halfway through the second chamber when he arrived and took over--at gunpoint, I might add."
"Given that he thought you were plundering a priceless archaeological site that seems quite reasonable."
"Even after we'd shown ourselves innocent of that charge? Minister Bashir made it quite plain he was there to find the treasure referred to in the text and he was keeping us on to facilitate its discovery."
"That is a serious allegation, Dr Hanser," John Torby said. "Do you have any evidence of that?"
"You can ask any of my team members."
"Who would back you up, no doubt, through misplaced loyalty?"
"Or through a desire for the truth," Dani said. "In fact, three of my students--Allan Bryce, Robert Burrows, and William Morrison--considered the danger real enough to flee the country in order to provide some leverage over Minister Bashir. With them out of his reach, his threats to our safety diminished."
"Those three students are another problem entirely," the man from the Foreign Office said. "They crossed into Israel and Lebanon without papers and were jailed. The government has since secured their release, but they have caused a lot of trouble."
