The Book of the Dead

by Paul Davis

  They stood, and Kaires politely knocked gently at the door, although the man could see them. He was middle aged, with a well trimmed beard turning grey at the sides, and clear brown eyes. He smiled and bid them welcome, looking them up and down.

  ‘Which is it?’ he asked.

  ‘I beg your pardon?’ said Kaires.

  ‘When an obviously healthy young couple such as yourselves come to see me, it is either because you desperately want a child, or because you desperately don't, if you see what I mean. So I am asking which of the two brings you here.’

  ‘Oh, no, it's not that at all.’ Kaires blushed, and Iola tried hard not to giggle. ‘Let me introduce myself. I'm Dr. Kaires, physician of Alexandria.’

  ‘I see. Delighted to meet you. My name is Heliostratus.’ He held out his hand. Kaires took it.

  ‘And this is Iola, my...er...assistant.’

  ‘Indeed?’ he said. Iola wondered how much of an effort it had cost him not to raise an eyebrow. ‘Dear me. My attempt to impress with my abilities of deduction has failed on this occasion. But you'd be surprised how often I'm right. What can I do for you?’

  ‘Really I'm just here to exchange ideas. If you have any remedies you have found to be particularly effective, I'd be glad to know; and if I can be of any help to you...’

  They spent the rest of the afternoon in deep discussion. Iola was fascinated to hear the details of their favourite remedies, and the results of their treatments. She was impressed that Kaires was perfectly prepared to talk candidly about his failures as well as his successes. At one point a man came in, asking for help with a sore on his leg that wouldn't heal. The two men discussed the problem - Heliostratus favoured dusting the wound with dried and crushed marjoram, Kaires preferred cleaning it and then covering it with honey. Iola watched intently as they came to a compromise and did both.

  By the time they left they were both hungry. Heliostratus had invited them to take some refreshment at his house nearby, but they were both keen to return to the barge.

  As they wandered down from the temples, they met up with Prokles and Dexios heading in the same direction. They were both in a merry mood, and Kaires suspected that a large part of the afternoon had been spent in the company of Philo. Dexios soon confirmed this.

  ‘He was disappointed not to have seen Thestor again. I'll get him to come along after dinner. Would you like to join us? I'm sure Philo would be delighted to see you once more, and he promises not to empty anything over you this time.’ Dexios and Prokles grinned at each other.

  Iola looked enquiringly at Kaires. He saw that the two had been having a fine time at his expense, and he imagined how Philo would have enjoyed relating the events of the night before. The story would be all over the barge by dinnertime. The last thing he wanted to do was risk another night in those backstreets, so he politely declined.

  They arrived back at the barge to find that Gallus, Strabo, Haemon and Chaeremon were already back, sitting out at the stern end of the upper deck, enjoying a gentle breeze that was at last giving some relief from the heat of the day. Myrine was back at her tapestry, away from the men. There was no sign of Aristeon. Chaeremon informed them that they had seen him in the town chatting to a young barman, and he had been in no hurry to leave.

  Iola went across to join her mother, effecting a separation of the sexes.

  ‘Where's Thestor? Did you see him anywhere?’ asked Dexios.

  ‘No,’ replied Chaeremon, ‘I think he must be still in his room. Unless he went off on his own before we got back. But I don't think so, or we’d probably have passed him somewhere.’

  ‘I'll go and get him. It's not long until dinner, and we must go and see Philo afterwards. See you in a minute,’ he said, disappearing down the stairs.

  Kaires turned to Strabo. ‘Did they take your bowl at the Temple?’

  ‘Of course. They were more than pleased to do so. They put it in pride of place at the front of the offerings.’

  Gallus chuckled, but Strabo ignored him. ‘The High Priest was most interested in the plans I have for my Geography. I promised to mention Naucratis and the Hellenion most favourably. Did you know that Sappho's brother came here? Apparently he fell in love with a beautiful slave girl and freed her.’

  ‘Lucky his sister didn't beat him to it,’ said Chaeremon.

  Strabo continued, as if he hadn't heard. ‘But then he lost her. The story goes that an eagle picked up one of her sandals while she was bathing and dropped it into the lap of the king. He thought the shape of it was of such perfect grace and charm that he searched high and low until he found the girl whom the sandal fitted. Then he married her.’

  ‘What a lovely story,’ said Haemon.

  ‘She later opened her own house of...er...diversion and became very rich. I'm told the business is still going very strongly and is the best in the city.’

  ‘Do you think you should verify that as part of your researches?’ asked Chaeremon.

  Strabo sniffed. ‘I am content to take the word of a High Priest.’

  Gallus laughed. ‘Indeed, who would know better?’

  ‘Can you take nothing seriously, Aelius?’

  ‘But I am serious! But never mind, Strabo, I'm sure your bowl will be held as one of the treasures of Naucratis.’ He winked at Kaires. ‘We must make a point of calling in to see it on the way back.’

  Strabo, now in a huff, said nothing.

  Chaeremon took the opportunity to get a word in. ‘Did anyone happen to see the Temple of Hera? There was a remarkably good -’

  He broke off as Dexios appeared at the top of the steps. His face was flushed as he'd run up the stairs two at a time.

  ‘Dr. Kaires, could you come quickly? It's Thestor. I can't wake him. I think - I think he might be dead...’

  -0-

  Thestor lay on his bed, eyes staring sightlessly at the ceiling above him. He looked serenely calm, relaxed even, only the open eyes belying his being in a deep and peaceful sleep. Kaires had checked for any sign of remaining life, and found none. He reached across and gently closed Thestor's eyes.

  He turned to Thestor's brother, at his side. ‘I'm sorry, Dexios.’

  Dexios nodded and said nothing. Kaires continued to examine Thestor's body. No obvious sign of any cause of death. He could see a bluish tinge around the lips and tongue, and slight mottling. Poison? Possibly. A natural death could look like this too, but Kaires didn't believe in coincidences. He looked at the empty cup by the bed. A little of the liquid remained, with a few fragments of wet leaves at the bottom. He sniffed. Mint, surely. He dipped a finger in and gingerly tasted it. Slightly bitter.

  By Thestor's right hand lay a scrap of papyrus. Kaires looked at it again. It still said the same thing.

  I'm so sorry about Zeno. Please forgive me.

  He passed it to Dexios. ‘You're quite sure this is in his handwriting? There can be no mistake?’

  ‘Quite sure. The way he forms all the letters, yes, I am certain it was written by my brother.’

  And his choice of poison? Probably hemlock. Appropriate for a philosopher. You know what this means?’

  ‘I cannot believe it. My brother was no murderer. Nor would he end his own life in this way.’

  ‘I find it difficult to believe myself. But on the face of things, we must accept the facts. This is an admission of guilt.’ Kaires took the papyrus back from Dexios.

  ‘It cannot be. He is innocent.’

  Kaires made no reply.

  ‘He wanted to tell you something.’

  Kaires looked up. ‘What?’

  ‘I don't know. He just said he had heard something - or maybe seen, I can't remember – that he didn't understand. I think his words were: “it can’t be right, it doesn’t really make sense.”’

  ‘When did he tell you this?’

  ‘When we returned from our swim. It was as if something had struck him on the way back. He was annoyed to have missed you, but he never said what was bothering him.’

 
; ‘Who else heard him say this?’

  ‘Everyone on deck, I suppose. No one took much notice. We didn't think it was important.’

  ‘Someone might have taken notice. But that won't explain why he wrote out that note. I'm sorry, Dexios.’

  ‘You must do what you believe to be right. You may take it from me, however, that you are wrong. I myself will see that Thestor receives justice. Please go now. If you will excuse me, I must see to my brother's spirit.’

  Kaires quietly left the room, closing the door gently behind him. He had seen only calm control and little grief in Dexios's manner, but he knew it was there. As for showing it, that would come later, probably when Dexios was alone. For now, it would be enough for him to be preparing the body for the journey across the Acheron.

  He would send for Philo, to help arrange the burial on the morrow. What a shame he had not been able to see him before he died. Kaires would persuade Gallus to delay the journey for a day to allow respects to be paid. Afterwards, he was not sure whether Dexios would want to stay with the trip, or return to Alexandria. Probably Dexios did not know himself at this point. If he eventually decided to leave, Kaires would have to persuade him to stay. Despite the obvious appearances, Kaires knew this was far from being over.

  -0-

  ‘At this rate there will only be the two of us left by the time we reach the pyramids.’ Gallus was not in the best of moods. ‘Or rather, just me, because I don’t fancy your chances if this business isn’t sorted out soon. If Thestor killed Zeno, then presumably he killed Mantios as well, before killing himself. So what are you worried about? Just find this map that seems to be at the centre of everything, and everyone will be happy.’

  They were sitting in the saloon of Gallus’s suite, the gauze curtains gently wafting in from the windows. So much cooler and more comfortable than Kaires’s rather stuffy cabin.

  ‘Only Thestor is not the murderer,’ said Kaires.

  ‘What do you mean? Isn’t it obvious?’

  Kaires sighed. ‘Let’s say for a moment that Thestor is guilty. He killed Zeno to help his brother get the Directorship, with the added bonus of a map leading to an unknown but probably vast quantity of gold. Could he have kept this to himself, without involving his brother? He always looked to Dexios for support. Even if he denied killing Zeno, he would surely have needed to tell Dexios about the map, to enlist his aid. He couldn’t have dealt with it on his own. If Thestor then somehow killed Mantios, even though we know he was on land at the time, Dexios must have known when the ring appeared that his brother was guilty. He’d have realised that Thestor must have killed Zeno, too. Would he have kept silent? Unless they were both in it together from the start, but then why is Thestor now dead?

  ‘There are too many things that don’t make sense. Did Thestor really commit suicide? A sudden surge of remorse doesn’t sound right for a cold blooded killer, yet Dexios says the suicide note was definitely in Thestor’s hand. What did he want to tell me before he died? Why didn’t he wait?

  ‘Could Dexios have killed his brother? He could then have written the note himself, and said it was by Thestor – no one else would have known. But if so, why? There was too much advantage in helping each other, at least until the gold was found. I just can’t believe he would do it. Yet I am sure we have another murder on our hands.’

  ‘Made to look like suicide.’

  ‘Exactly. And I think we should go along with it for now, to put the murderer at ease. They must be feeling very clever by now, three murders and no one any the wiser as to their identity. But there have been mistakes. And the murder of Thestor might have been the biggest one of all. After he’s been buried tomorrow morning, I suggest we set off without delay. I don’t want anyone leaving the barge, not even Dexios.’

  ‘I’ll give orders to head straight for Terenouthis after the funeral, with no stopping. But by the time we get there, Kaires, I want answers, or I’m throwing the whole lot of you off the barge. This has gone far enough. You can all go back to Alexandria and murder each other there. As for the map, I’ll put a guard on every scholar so they can’t even have a piss without me knowing about it.’

  ‘I’m close, Gallus. There’s only one thing that stops me confronting someone right now. I just need a bit more time to work it out.’

  ‘I mean it, Kaires. You have until Terenouthis. Now, isn’t it almost time for dinner? I wonder if they have any more of those quails. I’m getting a bit fed up with duck.’

  Kaires could recognise a dismissal when he heard one. He closed the door quietly behind him.

  -0-

  Before dawn the next morning a small group assembled on the deck of the Gloria Aegyptae. Near the top of the gangplank down which a Queen’s foot had once stepped, lay the body of Thestor, dressed in a new white tunic and covered lightly with a sheet. Dexios stood alongside, head bowed. Philo stood beside him, along with his wife and daughters. Together they had spent the night watching over Thestor, preparing him for this, his final journey.

  Kaires watched silently as the others joined them. Strabo came up first to pay his respects, followed by Chaeremon, then Gallus. Dexios acknowledged them all silently. Then Prokles, Aristeon, Haemon. Iola and Myrine. They all stood respectfully behind Thestor, a silent guard of honour. Kaires took his place among them.

  He imagined what must be going through Dexios’s mind. Had one of these seemingly deferential mourners been the instrument of his brother’s death? Now giving him condolences, but secretly laughing? Angry at Kaires himself, for doubting the certainty of his brother’s innocence? He must be burning with the betrayal, the hypocrisy of it all. But his face was white, only small patches of red in the centre of his cheeks giving away the passion underneath.

  Four of the crew appeared and discreetly stood at each corner of the bier on which Thestor lay, awaiting a signal.

  Dexios raised his hands over the body of his brother. ‘Farewell, Thestor,’ he said. His voice was strong and clear. ‘I send you across the Acheron fully prepared. May your spirit find rest, and be at peace, in the knowledge that I myself will not rest, nor be at peace, until your death is avenged. There are those who unjustly accuse you of wrongs you could never have committed. I, your brother, know you better.’

  He paused and looked over the others. Kaires felt himself redden. But the message was not for him.

  Philo gave a short speech, filling in the details of Thestor’s life, his achievements and successes. His wife and daughters began a gentle moaning.

  Dexios nodded to the bearers, and they carefully lifted the body and moved slowly down the gangplank after him. The rest of the mourners followed close behind, the women continuing their moaning and grieving, the men silent.

  The little procession continued on its way, along a track by the river, to the Greek Necropolis. As they arrived at the freshly dug grave, the sun rose above the horizon, lighting the marble tombstones like milestones on the way to Hades.

  As they laid Thestor in his grave, Kaires wondered at the casual way the Greeks disposed of their dead. Despite his Roman upbringing, with its preference for cremation, the Egyptian part of him believed in the importance of preserving the body as a home for the five parts of the soul, and he shivered at the thought of its destruction. Lying in the earth was little better, the body just left to rot, to be eaten by worms.

  The soil was replaced, leaving a mound which would soon enough sink down to level the grave. There was no tombstone as yet. Philo was to arrange for its placement. The women ceased their lament.

  Everyone murmured their own private prayers, and stood around Thestor’s grave. Yes, thought Kaires, rest in peace. I will help Dexios find your murderer. You will not go unavenged.

  With a final gesture of farewell Dexios turned and began the journey back to the barge. His tread was full of purpose.

  -0-

  Iola lingered a bit to allow Kaires to catch up with her. Myrine was talking to Aristeon as they walked a little way ahead.

 
‘Poor Dexios. He really loved Thestor, didn’t he? And now he’ll never see him again,’ she said.

  ‘Not in this life, anyway.’

  ‘Do you believe in that? That we go on in some way, out to the West, to the Elysian Fields?’

  ‘I think so. I can’t believe our souls are simply extinguished, like snuffing out a lamp.’

  ‘How can anyone be happy in the West? Leaving behind everyone and everything they love, all unfinished, no goodbye, maybe, like Thestor, your good name lost... He didn’t really kill anyone, did he? You don’t believe that?’

  ‘Why do you say so?’

  ‘Because I know he was basically a good man. He couldn’t have brought himself to kill my father. I don’t know why he killed himself, but it wasn’t for that.’

  ‘Even the best of men may be driven to extremes by the right circumstances. No, I wouldn’t say he couldn’t have committed murder. But you’re right, I don’t think he did.’

  ‘Then why not say so? It would help to take away some of Dexios’s pain if he thought at least someone believed him.’

  ‘And keep the real culprit on their guard? The time will come when Dexios will understand.’

  They walked along a little in silence, each with their own thoughts. The sun had risen higher, but the morning still retained some of the coolness of the night. The river flowed alongside them, a felucca laden with straw sailing along at a walking pace ahead of them.