Phantoms of the Pharaoh

by Jason Blacker

  "Interesting," said Florence. "That puts Albert in a bad spot. Do you think he could have killed her?"

  "Quite possibly, though there are the other four men who went into the pyramid after Albert and Abigail came out. What if Abigail had a change of heart and decided that they did indeed need the money and decided not to return the missing items. Then Maurice, Samuel, Nigel, and maybe even Simon head into the pyramid looking for it but discover that it hasn't been left behind."

  "So they come looking for it, thinking that Abigail must still have it with her," said Florence.

  Frances nodded her head.

  "So one of them might have come into her room looking for the item or items and then decided to kill her so that she would not find out they had stolen it."

  "That sounds like a very plausible explanation," said Fowler.

  "But who could have poisoned her other than Doctor Newton?" asked Florence.

  "That's what we have to find out. Perhaps it was Doctor Newton or perhaps it was someone who knew that Doctor Newton kept Somunol in his bag."

  "Hmm," said Florence. "So we still haven't narrowed it down?"

  "Not yet," said Frances.

  Fourteen

  Orpha walked into the dining room following Anton. She walked slowly as old people do, shuffling her feet. Frances pegged her at seventy or thereabouts, the oldest person on the tour. Anton held the chair out for her and helped her into it, then he returned to sit back down behind Frances.

  Orpha's wet eyes looked sad. Like gray stones under a clear puddle after the rain. Her thin lips were pulled down and her face was lined. She had on makeup and her tinted red hair was neatly done in short curls.

  "This is just awful," she said, clutching her handbag in her lap with thin bony hands that reminded Fowler of chicken claws. Frances smiled at her.

  "It is a terrible incident that has happened here. You understand that we need to ask everyone questions, including you."

  "Why me? Can't you see that I'm old and feeble. How could I have possibly have done something so heinous?"

  Orpha looked at them sternly as if just being asked about the murder was an affront to her dignity.

  "Mrs. Bendled," said Fowler, "we're not saying we suspect you, but Lady Marmalade does need to do her investigation."

  "Why her? She's not a constable or inspector."

  "That is true, Orpha," said Frances, "but I am the most qualified person here, and I'm just conducting a rudimentary inquiry until the police arrive. I hope you won't mind?"

  "If you insist," said Orpha. "When will the police be coming anyway."

  "Unfortunately a simoom is traveling through Cairo in the next little while..."

  "A what?"

  "A hot dry, dusty desert wind, and the Cairo authorities aren't able to send anyone out until afterwards. Could be as early as this evening, though if my familiarity with these sorts of events stands correct, I'd likely say it'll be tomorrow sometime."

  "I see."

  "Orpha," said Frances, "you rested under the canopy after Fowler finished the tour yesterday with the whole group and before he took Florence, Simon and me to see the Sphinx, is that correct?"

  "It is."

  Orpha held onto her handbag as if it were a skittish kitty that was trying to get free.

  "And you didn't leave at all for the rest of the afternoon?"

  "No, I didn't."

  "And somebody else can corroborate this?" asked Frances.

  Orpha frowned at Frances and pursed her lips, she was feeling highly indignant.

  "You know very well I was there the whole afternoon as you saw me."

  "I saw you until I left for the final tour with Perry here where he took us to have a look at the Sphinx."

  Fowler kept looking at Orpha and nodded in agreement with what Frances had said. He felt sorry for the old bid. She wasn't a pleasant woman but she was old and perhaps she did honestly find this whole matter quite disagreeable.

  "Yes, I remember now. My memory isn't what it used to be. I stayed the whole time under the canopy while everyone else left. Not everyone of course, that nice Captain Wainscott stayed, as did his horrible fiancée Lady Pompress, and of course, I was with my granddaughter Mahulda."

  "That's what I thought Orpha, we just want to keep our timeline in order."

  Orpha nodded and tried to smile weakly, but it seemed her mouth was not used to smiling and it looked unpleasant on her.

  "If I might ask," said Frances. "What brings you to Egypt for a holiday?"

  "Mahulda has always been fascinated by the pharaohs and Queen Nefertiti especially and we've never had a holiday before, just the two of us. And when I saw the name of the boat, I thought this would be marvelous for her."

  Fowler smiled and nodded at her. A very generous holiday for her granddaughter indeed.

  "So you've never heard of the secret chamber of Menkaure and the great robbery that emptied out the kings chamber?"

  "Oh no, not at all. I don't tend to pay much attention to superstition."

  "It's not superstition Orpha, there really was a robbery of the pyramid and many precious and valuable artifacts were stolen."

  "Yes, well I know that now. I just thought it sounded quite fanciful at first. I mean you hear all these absurd things like the curse of the pharaohs. Soon someone will be telling us that Abigail was a victim of that curse."

  "No one is suggesting that, Orpha. Abigail's death is quite certainly at the hand of a murderer."

  "Oh dear," said Orpha, "how was she killed?"

  "With sleeping draughts."

  Orpha nodded.

  "Which brings me to the most important question. Do you take sleeping draughts at all?"

  Orpha shook her head.

  "Are you suggesting I killed her?"

  Orpha scowled and pursed her lips.

  "I am only asking if you take sleeping draughts to help you sleep."

  "No, I do not. Really, this is becoming preposterous."

  "Then you wouldn't mind us taking a look for them in your room?" asked Frances.

  Fowler looked at Frances with a frown. He thought she was being a bit hard on the old bid, but he didn't say anything.

  "Is nothing sacred?" said Orpha, looking at Fowler. "Is this how Thoth Tours conducts itself? You go spying on the private matters of old ladies?"

  Fowler shook his head.

  "My dear Mrs. Bendled, I assure you, Thoth Tours takes the privacy of its guests very seriously. But you do understand that there has been a murder on this boat that needs to be investigated. It would be ever so helpful in confirming your innocence."

  Orpha huffed for a moment.

  "I don't know why I should be inconvenienced just so that you can cross me off your list. I am insulted and appalled by this kangaroo court."

  "Orpha, this is not a court of any kind, merely a preliminary and cursory inquiry into the events preceding Abigail Beckles' death. Are you saying that you will not allow us to look into your cabin to confirm you do not take any sleeping draughts?"

  Frances looked at her for a while and held Orpha's gaze until Orpha broke it and looked down at her hands clutching her handbag.

  "You can look if you must, if it will help end this trial of my honor quicker."

  She put her handbag on the table and thrust it towards them.

  "Might as well go snooping around in my handbag then too."

  "That won't be necessary at the moment," said Frances.

  Orpha took her handbag and put it back on her lap. Her lips were pinched and she was quite upset at this whole matter and the veiled accusations.

  "May I go then, if you're not going to throw me into gaol."

  "There is no gaol on the boat," said Fowler trying to be helpful, "and we don't suspect you, we're just trying to clear the air and get our ducks in order."

  Orpha looked up to the left and shook her head very slightly. She had never been so embarrassed in all her life.

  "Just one more question, if you don't mi
nd," said Frances.

  "You went to bed by yourself at around nine forty five or so..."

  Orpha closed her eyes slowly and shrugged her shoulders.

  "Forgive me for not jotting down the time I went to bed. I didn't know that was a crime now, too."

  "You were the third person to head downstairs to bed, after Maurice and then Simon."

  "If you say so. I don't recall."

  "That's not important," said Frances. "I was just wondering if you noticed anything unusual once you got down to the main deck? Did you see anyone or see anything that seemed out of place?"

  Orpha looked off to the right for a moment.

  "Well, I don't know if it's important or not. Maybe it isn't."

  "Anything might help us," said Fowler.

  "Well, the door to Maurice's cabin was open just a bit and I could hear Maurice speaking to another man, must have been Samuel, the American."

  "Could you hear what they were saying?" asked Frances.

  "Not very well, but I heard the American say something to the effect of 'well where is it' and then Maurice said something I couldn't hear and Samuel said something about his life depending on it."

  "Anything else?"

  Orpha shook her head.

  "No, I think they must have heard me in the hallway as someone came up and closed the cabin door to Maurice's room."

  "Nothing else comes to mind?"

  "No."

  Frances smiled at Orpha.

  "Thank you Orpha, sorry this was hard on you, but you've been quite helpful."

  Orpha pinched a smile at the three of them across from her and stood up.

  "Will that be all?"

  Frances nodded.

  "Yes, thank you."

  Orpha shuffled herself out and headed downstairs to her cabin. She was still quite rattled and mortified by the humiliation of the whole event. After she had left, Fowler turned and looked at Frances.

  "Don't you think you were a little hard on her?"

  Florence nodded.

  "I think you were a bit tough, Fran."

  "Perhaps, but she's not an easy woman to like and she wasn't very helpful at first."

  "But she's old. She must be seventy at least. Maybe she has just been frightened by this whole incident. I mean it is quite traumatizing. Imagine being a seventy year old woman and being questioned about a murder that you didn't commit in a way that makes you look like a suspect."

  "Fair enough, Flo," said Frances. "But everyone is a suspect until we've cleared them."

  "Well, she's been cleared now, I imagine."

  Fifteen

  Lunch had been served up on the top deck, so that Frances could keep her papers all together and not have to worry about moving them. She and Florence had eaten in the dining room at their table as they went over the first two interviews. Fowler and Pung had gone up to the top deck to mingle with the rest of the guests. Frances had asked them to keep their ears to the ground related to Abigail's murder.

  They were back down in the dining room. The four of them were gathered around the table. Pung had brought his chair up close to the end of the table next to Frances. The rest of them sat at the table as they had before.

  "Did you catch anything during lunch that might suggest a suspect?" asked Frances, looking at Pung and Fowler.

  Pung shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.

  "I didn't really hear much of any note. Orpha was going on and on about how unfair it was that you dragged an old woman through this interrogation as she put it," said Anton.

  Frances nodded.

  "She was complaining ceaselessly to Lady Pompress and the two of them were getting quite up in arms about it."

  "What did Lady Pompress have to say about the whole matter?" asked Frances.

  "She commiserated with Orpha extensively. She kept complaining about the whole trip being ruined by this murder, and how she was not going to put up with any insult to her honor. Not by anyone especially someone who didn't have the authority by law to investigate such matters."

  "I assume she was speaking of me," said Frances.

  "Yes, I'm quite certain she was. They went on and on, the two of them, about the indignity of this whole affair. I got tired of listening to it. I think Mahulda did too. She went off and sat with Simon as soon as she was finished eating."

  "Did they share anything interesting?" asked Frances.

  "Not particularly. They were both quite horrified that someone had been murdered on the boat, and on a holiday at that. Simon was trying to console here."

  "Was Mahulda tearfully upset?"

  "No, not tearfully, but she kept asking why someone would do that to the old woman."

  Frances smiled at that. Abigail was hardly an old woman, at worst she couldn't have been more than mid-fifties.

  "What did Simon have to say to that?"

  "He said there were a variety of reasons to murder someone, including hatred, anger, jealousy and greed. He thought it was greed. He said it had to have something to do with the spoils of the Pyramid of Menkaure. She asked him how, and he said it was because not all the jewels had been found, so there must be some somewhere. Why not right here in Cairo."

  "Interesting," said Frances.

  "How would he know something like that?" asked Florence.

  "That's a good question, Flo, and one I aim to ask him myself."

  Frances looked over at Fowler.

  "I'm afraid I can't be quite as helpful as Anton, as I didn't hear anything at all. Though I found something quite suspicious."

  "What was that?" asked Frances.

  "Samuel and Maurice were talking a lot, off towards the bow of the boat. Whenever I came up towards them they either stopped talking or changed the subject. It appeared to me that they were deeply unhappy by my intrusion."

  "I see," said Frances, nodding thoughtfully. "And what about Nigel or Captain Wainscott?"

  "Timothy had left his wife shortly after lunch. I imagine he'd had enough of her complaining along with Orpha. He went and engaged Nigel," said Fowler. "The two of them were quite intent on trying to figure out who did it."

  "And who did they think it was?"

  "Nigel was quite adamant that he thought it was the brother. Timothy on the other hand fancies the American for it."

  "What were their reasoning?"

  "Nigel said it was obviously the brother because who else would have more motive than a disgruntled sibling. Timothy asked him what the motive was, and he said he'd heard them bickering about something related to money at the hotel a couple of days ago. When pressed by Timothy, he wouldn't say anything more."

  Frances nodded her head.

  "And what about Timothy?"

  "He seemed just as sure it was Samuel as Nigel was sure it was Albert. He thought it was too convenient for the brother to have done it, so he said it must be someone unrelated, and his suggestion was Samuel, the American."

  "What reasoning did he give for that?" asked Frances.

  "He said that he found it odd that there was only one American amongst all the English people on board. Nigel pressed him about that, saying that just because he was American, didn't make him a murderer. Timothy acknowledged that, but asked Nigel if he didn't find the chap to be quite odd and rude. Nigel admitted that Samuel was quite dismissive and standoffish. Timothy also mentioned how rude Samuel had been to Abigail at dinner the night before. Nigel didn't think that was enough to murder the poor woman, but Timothy was sure it was."

  "Fascinating," said Frances, "we'll have to ask them ourselves."

  Sixteen

  Anton left to fetch Mahulda. Frances wanted to interview her right after her grandmother while Orpha's testimony was still fresh in her mind.

  "I can't see how it could be that young woman or her grandmother," said Florence.

  "No, but we do need to interview everyone."

  "Yes, but I'm trying to figure out who would have done this."

  "And who do you think did it then?"

>   "Well, it's hard to say. I know you think it has something to do with missing Menkaure artifacts, but we haven't seen any of those yet."

  "We will soon. If they are involved then I'm sure they'll show up by the time we speak with Albert."

  "That's just the thing. If he didn't want to leave the jewels behind, why not just tell his sister and take them? Why kill her?"

  "Because he pretended to let her leave them but decided to swipe them at the last minute."

  "But then why kill her? If she's none the wiser..."

  "Perhaps she found out."

  "Fair enough," said Florence. "I guess that makes Albert a prime suspect."

  "It does."

  "But what about Maurice and Samuel? They've been acting strangely by all accounts, and if Orpha did really hear them in Maurice's cabin last night, that means that Samuel lied to us which makes him a good suspect."

  "Him or Maurice," said Frances.

  Anton came back down the stairs that led into the dining room. Mahulda was behind him and looked around nervously. He held her chair for her as she sat down. Mahulda looked up at the three of them and then nervously looked back down and fiddled with her fingers in her lap.

  "Don't be nervous, dear," said Frances, smiling at the young woman. Mahulda looked up and gave her a tentative smile. "We just want to ask you a few questions if you don't mind."

  Mahulda nodded her head.

  "Can you tell us what brought you and your grandmother to Egypt for a holiday?" asked Frances.

  "Nana thought it would be a good idea. She paid for everything."

  "I see," said Frances. "Does Orpha have a curiosity for ancient Egypt."

  Mahulda shrugged her shoulders.

  "I'm not sure. I mean I've never heard her speak about it often, if at all."

  "Then why did she choose Egypt?"

  "Well, I did a school paper once on Queen Nefertiti for history class when I was in lower sixth. I did very well in it as I enjoyed everything about ancient Egypt. Nana thought it was time we went for a visit. We've never been on a trip together before, so I was quite excited. It's terrible what happened to that poor woman."

  "Yes it is."

  "I wish I had bought a camera. Nana never told me we would be cruising down the Nile on the Queen Nefertiti boat."