"Oh, the devil," Emerson growled. "You cannot mention his name, Amelia, for you don"t know what it is. Call him whatever you like, so long as it is pejorative."
"Whatever we call him, it would be folly to deny that he is involved. He has favored us with communications on no less than four occasions. First, the attempted abduction of Ramses; second, the return of the stolen communion vessels; third, the presentation of the flowers and the ring; and last, today"s attack. Only a mind hopelessly and irrevocably prejudiced"-I carefully refrained from looking at Emerson, but I heard him snarl-"would deny that all four events bear the signature of Sethos."
"I beg your pardon, Mama," Ramses said. "I concur with your conclusions regarding the last three incidents, but in the first case-"
"Who else would want to abduct you, Ramses?"
"A great number of people, I should think," said Emerson. "Ordinarily I would agree with your premise, Peabody-that there cannot be many individuals in Egypt who yearn to make off with Ramses-but as I have learned to my sorrow, we seem to attract criminals as a dog attracts fleas. I should feel hurt if we had fewer than five or six murderers after us."
"He is speaking ironically," I explained to Donald, whose bewildered expression betokened his failure to comprehend. "However, there is some truth in his statement. We do attract criminals, for the simple reason that we threaten to destroy them and their vile activities."
"Yes, but curse it, we aren"t threatening anyone now," Emerson cried. "At least... Ramses! Look Papa straight in the eye and answer truthfully. Are you threatening any criminals at this time?"
"To the best of my knowledge, Papa-"
"Just answer yes or no, my son."
"No, Papa."
"Have you unearthed any buried treasures or antiquities you neglected to mention to your mama and me?"
"No, Papa. If you would allow me-"
"No, Ramses, I will not allow you to elaborate. For once in my life I intend to direct the course of a family discussion and decide upon a sensible course of action.
"To return, then, to the subject of the murder. I find it difficult to believe that the police really consider Miss Debenham a serious suspect. If she were to surrender herself-"
Donald started up from his chair. "Never!" he exclaimed. "Even if she were to be cleared of the crime, the shame-the notoriety-"
"Be still a moment," I said. "Emerson, I think you underestimate the strength of the case against her. Let me play devil"s advocate and state the facts as they will appear to the police. Item: Miss Debenham and Kalenischeff were intimately acquainted-lovers, to put it bluntly. (Donald, I insist that you be quiet.) They quarreled on the night of the murder. He was found dead in her bed, and she was with him in the room when the dastardly deed was done. Alone with him, mark you, and in her nightclothes. Her story of a midnight intruder who rendered her helpless by means of a drug will be dismissed as a not very clever invention. You may be sure no one else saw a sign of the fellow."
"Kalenischeff"s shady reputation-his criminal connections-" Emerson began.
"His criminal connections are no more than suspicions in so far as the police are concerned. As for his reputation-don"t you see, Emerson, that might work against Miss Debenham? To put it as nicely as possible, Kalenischeff was a ladies" man. Is not jealousy a motive for murder?"
Emerson looked grave. "Is there no other suspect?"
"Er-yes," I said. "As a matter of fact, there are two."
Emerson brightened. "Who?"
"Both," I said, "are in this room."
Emerson"s eyes moved, quite involuntarily, I am sure, to Ramses.
"Oh, come, Emerson," I said impatiently. "If a woman could not strike such a blow, how could an eight-year-old boy? No! Who is the man with thews of steel and a formidable temper, who has been heard on numerous occasions to describe Kalenischeff as a villain and a rascal and has stated that his very presence was an affront to any decent woman?"
A modest smile spread across Emerson"s face. "Me," he said.
"Grammar, Emerson, if you please. But you are correct. You are the person I meant."
"On my word, Peabody, that is cursed ingenious," Emerson exclaimed. "If I didn"t know I hadn"t done it, I would suspect myself. Well, but who is the other suspect?"
"She is referring to me, Professor," said Donald, carefully avoiding the grammatical error Emerson had committed. "I was at the hotel that night. You had told me to meet you there-"
"But you didn"t," Emerson said.
"No. I-I was in a strange state of mind. Appreciating your trust and yet resenting your interference ... I wandered half the night trying to decide what to do."
"I believe I can understand, Mr. Fraser. But the fact that you were in the motley crowd outside the hotel doesn"t make you a suspect. You were there other evenings, you and dozens of other nondescript Egyptians. I a.s.sume you did not enter the hotel?"
"How could I?" Donald asked with a wry smile. "A ragged beggar like myself would not be admitted to those precincts."
"Then I fail to see how you can fall under suspicion."
Ramses had been trying for some time to get a word in. "Papa-were Mr. Fraser"s true ident.i.ty known-"
"Just what I was about to say," I remarked, frowning at Ramses. "Mr. Donald Fraser might have a motive for killing Kalenischeff that a ragged beggar would not. Furthermore, I know for a fact that he is suspected."
"Who told you?" Emerson demanded. "Baehler?"
"No, it was-"
"You went to police headquarters the day you were in Cairo," Emerson said accusingly. "You misled me, Amelia. You promised-"
"I made no promise, Emerson. And in fact the police were of little a.s.sistance. I cannot think why our friend Sir Eldon has such incompetent people as his aides. Major Ramsay is a perfect fool, and he has no manners besides. The person I was about to mention is a well-known private investigator. I started to tell you about him last night before you-before we-"
"Please continue with your narrative, Amelia," said Emerson, glowering.
"Certainly, Emerson. I only mentioned the-er-interruption because I don"t want you to accuse me of concealing information from you."
"Your explanation is noted and accepted, Peabody."
"Thank you, Emerson. As I was saying, I happened to meet this gentleman outside the Administration Building. He recognized me and addressed me-most courteously, I might add-and it was he who informed me that a certain beggar in a saffron turban was under suspicion. His name is Tobias Gregson. He has solved such well-known cases as the Camberwell poisoning-""
I was not allowed to proceed. Every member of the group-with the exception of the cat Bastet, who only blinked her wide golden eyes-jumped up and attempted to speak. Enid cried, "Ronald is behind this! How could he..." Donald declared his intention of turning himself in at once. Emerson made incoherent remarks about the moral turpitude of private detectives and told me I ought to know better than to speak to strange men. Ramses kept exclaiming, "But, Mama- but, Mama-Gregson is-Gregson is-" like a parrot that has been taught only a few phrases. group-with the exception of the cat Bastet, who only blinked her wide golden eyes-jumped up and attempted to speak. Enid cried, "Ronald is behind this! How could he..." Donald declared his intention of turning himself in at once. Emerson made incoherent remarks about the moral turpitude of private detectives and told me I ought to know better than to speak to strange men. Ramses kept exclaiming, "But, Mama- but, Mama-Gregson is-Gregson is-" like a parrot that has been taught only a few phrases.
By speaking all at once, each defeated his (or her) purpose, and as the hubbub died, I seized the opportunity to go on. "Never mind Mr. Gregson; we won"t speak of him since he has aroused such a storm. It is out of the question for Donald and Enid to give themselves up. Donald"s case is as desperate as Enid"s- indeed, it may be worse, for I am sure the authorities would prefer to arrest a man rather than a young lady. No; we must sit pat, as one of my American friends once said-in regard, I believe, to some sort of card game. Our game is a dangerous one, and we must hold our cards close to our persons. I have made one attempt to lure Sethos out of hiding; I propose to continue that method tomorrow-"
Another outcry silenced me, punctuated, like the monotonous tolling of a bell, by Ramses" reiterated "But Mama." Emerson won over the rest this time, by sheer volume.
"Rather than allow you to repeat that imbecile and hazardous experiment, Amelia, I will bind you hand and foot. Why must you take these things on yourself? Can"t you leave it to me to smoke out the villain?"
"I cannot because I am the only one who can pa.s.s for Enid. Or do you propose to a.s.sume women"s clothing and walk with her dainty, tripping steps?"
The very idea outraged Emerson so thoroughly that he was momentarily mute. It was Enid who said timidly, "But, Amelia-are you absolutely certain it was I the man wanted? Perhaps you were the intended victim all along."
"By Gad," Emerson exclaimed. "Out of the mouths of babes and... Hem. Excuse me, Miss Debenham. Precisely the point I would have made had I been permitted to speak without these constant interruptions."
"Nonsense," I said. "My disguise was perfect. Donald here was deceived-"
"I was not," Ramses said quickly. "I knew it was you. Mama, there is something I must-"
"There, you see," Emerson exclaimed triumphantly.
"The eyes of true love cannot be deceived," Enid said. Donald glanced at her and glanced quickly away.
Emerson"s lips tightened. "That," he said, "is what I am afraid of."
Emerson refused to explain this enigmatic remark; nor, in fact, did any of us ask him to explain, for we had more important matters to resolve. We finally decided to wait upon events for another day or two, in the hope that something would turn up. I should say, "Emerson decided," for I was opposed to the idea. He promised me, however, that if nothing happened in the next two days, we would go together to Cairo in an effort to obtain information.
"Let me work for a brief time without distraction," he groaned piteously. "The stratification of the structure next to the pyramid is not clear in my mind as yet."
I knew what Emerson was up to. He had no more intention than I did of sitting with folded hands awaiting Sethos" next move. He was deceiving me, the sly fellow-trying to get the jump on me in another of our amiable compet.i.tions in criminology. Well, I thought, smiling to myself-two can play at that game, Professor Radcliffe Emerson! I had a few cards up my own sleeve.
"Very well," I said pleasantly. "That will give me a chance to explore the interior of the subsidiary pyramid."
"It will prove a wasted effort, Mama," said Ramses. "The burial chamber is empty. Indeed, I suspect it was never used for a burial, since its dimensions are only seven feet by-"
"Ramses," I said.
"Yes, Mama?"
"Did I not, on an earlier occasion, forbid you to go inside a pyramid without permission?"
Ramses pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Indeed you did, Mama, and I a.s.sure you I have not forgotten. I might claim that since you were present, though at some little distance, I was not violating the literal sense of the command. However, that would be disingenuous. In fact, my position was on the very edge of the entrance opening-technically neither in nor out-and I had every intention of remaining there, and would have done so, but for the fact that a careless move on my part caused me to lose my footing and slide down the pa.s.sage, which, if you recall, had a slope of perhaps forty-five degrees fifteen minutes. It was my body striking the wall that disturbed the delicate equilibrium of the structure, whose stones had already been-"
"Ramses."
"Yes, Mama. I will endeavor to be brief. Once the pa.s.sage was blocked and I realized that my strength was inadequate for the purpose of freeing myself, I took advantage of my position to explore the rest of the interior, knowing it would be some time before my absence was noted and a rescue party-" knowing it would be some time before my absence was noted and a rescue party-"
"I think, my son," said Emerson uneasily, "that your mama will excuse you now. You had better go to bed."
"Yes, Papa. But first there is a matter I feel obliged to bring to Mama"s attention. Gregson is-"
"I will hear no more, wretched boy," I exclaimed, rising to my feet. "I am thoroughly out of sorts with you, Ramses. Take yourself off at once."
"But, Mama-"
I started toward Ramses, my arm upraised-not indeed to strike, for I do not believe in corporal punishment for the young except in cases of extreme provocation-but to grasp him and take him bodily to his room. Misinterpreting my intentions, the cat Bastet rose in fluid haste and wrapped her heavy body around my forearm, sinking her teeth and claws into my sleeve. Emerson persuaded the cat of her error and removed her-claw by claw-but instead of apologizing, she chose to be offended. She and Ramses marched off side by side, both radiating offended hauteur, the cat by means of her stiff stride and switching tail, Ramses by neglecting to offer his usual formula of nightly farewell. I daresay they would have slammed the door if there had been one to slam.
Emerson then suggested we retire. "After such a day, Peabody, you must be exhausted."
"Not at all," I said. "I am ready to go on talking for hours if you like."
Emerson declined this offer, however, and after gathering our belongings we started for our tent. I was uneasy about leaving the others, but we had taken all possible precautions, requesting Abdullah to close and bar the gates and to set a guard. I felt sure I could rely on Donald, not only to watch over both his charges, but to maintain a respectful distance from one of them. Poor boy, he was so in awe of the girl, he hardly dared speak to her, much less approach her. to maintain a respectful distance from one of them. Poor boy, he was so in awe of the girl, he hardly dared speak to her, much less approach her.
I promised myself I would have a little talk with him on that subject. For in my opinion (which is based on considerable experience), there is nothing that annoys a woman so much as fawning, servile devotion. It brings out the worst in women-and in men, let me add, for a tendency to bully the meek is not restricted to my s.e.x, despite the claims of misogynists. If someone lies down and invites you to trample him, you are a remarkable person if you decline the invitation.
I told Emerson this as we strolled side by side through the starlit night. I half-expected him to sneer, for he takes a poor view of my interest in the romantic affairs of young people; instead he said thoughtfully, "So you recommend the Neanderthal approach, do you?"
"Hardly. What I recommend is that all couples follow our example of marital equality."
I reached for his hand. It lay lax in my grasp for a moment; then his strong fingers twined around mine and he said, "Yet you seem to be saying that a certain degree of physical and moral force-"
"Do you remember remarking on one occasion that you had been tempted to s.n.a.t.c.h me up onto a horse and ride with me into the desert?" I laughed. Emerson did not; in fact, his look was strangely wistful as he replied, "I do remember saying it. Are you suggesting I ought to have done so?"
"No, for I would have resisted the attempt with all the strength at my disposal," I replied cheerfully. "No woman wants to be carried off against her will; she only wants a man to want to do it! Of course, for old married folk like us, such extravagance would be out of place."
"No doubt," Emerson said morosely.
"I admit that a proper compromise between tender devotion and manly strength is difficult to achieve. But Donald has gone too far in one direction, and I intend to tell him so at the earliest possible opportunity. He adores her; and I rather think she reciprocates, or would, if he went about wooing her in the proper manner. She would not say such cruel cutting things to him if she did not-"
We had reached the tent. Emerson swept me up into his arms and carried me inside.
Nine.
Neither of us slept well that night. My lecture had obviously made a deep impression on Emerson, in a sense I had not at all antic.i.p.ated but to which I had no objection.
Even after the time for slumber had arrived, Emerson was unusually restless. He kept starting up at the slightest sound; several times his abrupt departure from the nuptial couch woke me, and I would see him crouched at the entrance to the tent with a heavy stick in his hands.
All the sounds were false alarms-the far-off cries of jackals prowling the desert waste, or the surrept.i.tious movements of small nocturnal animals emerging from their lairs in the relative safety of darkness to seek refreshment and exercise. I myself was not troubled by such noises, which I had long since learned to know and recognize. But I dreamed a great deal, which is not usual with me. The details of the dreams fled as soon as I woke, leaving only a vague sense of something troubling my mind. usual with me. The details of the dreams fled as soon as I woke, leaving only a vague sense of something troubling my mind.
Despite his disturbed night Emerson was in an excellent mood the following morning. As he stretched and yawned outside the tent, his stalwart frame stood out in magnificent outline against the first rays of dawn. We had brought a spiritlamp and supplies of food and water, so we were able to make a scanty morning meal. As we waited for the workmen to arrive, Emerson said, "You were restless last night, Peabody."
"So would you have been had you been wakened hourly, as I was, by someone prowling round the tent."
"You talked in your sleep."
"Nonsense, Emerson. I never talk in my sleep. It is a sign of mental instability. What did I say?"
"I could not quite make out the words, Peabody."
The arrival of the crew put an end to the discussion and I thought no more about it. Ramses was in the van, of course, with Donald close beside him. The young man a.s.sured me there had been no trouble during the night. "Except," he added, scowling at Ramses-who returned the scowl, with interest-"I caught this young man halfway up the stairs to the roof shortly after midnight. He refused to tell me where he was going."
"I could not go out the door because Ha.s.san was on guard there," Ramses said-as if this were an acceptable excuse for his attempt to creep out of the house.
"Never mind," I said, sighing. "Ramses, in case I neglected to mention it, I forbid you to leave the house at night."
"Is that a wholesale prohibition, Mama? For instance, should the house catch fire, or be invaded by burglars, or should the roof of my room appear in imminent danger of falling-"
"Obviously you must use your own discretion in such cases," said Emerson.