Ankhtifi's Papyrus Read online

  Three may keep a secret,

  if two of them are dead.

  Benjamin Franklin – 1735

  Whilst he read:

  Three cannot keep a secret -

  as we are all dead.

  Too much red wine and it’s only 17:35

  Alex smiled inwardly at Ramses’s sense of humour as he asked, “Any news of Emmy and Cairo?”

  “Well, yes, actually there is.” Gadeem put down his glass as he leaned forward in his chair. “They will be back here in two, possibly three days. Rose has just heard from Henuttawy. Their talks are progressing well.” Rose was Gadeem’s wife. German by birth, and though not an ancient, she was very highly regarded amongst ancients. It was she who had asked Henuttawy, Emmy and Cairo to go and sort out a minor problem between ancients at Dendera: a clash point of ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman cultures. It had also been Rose who had turned to them for help on numerous occasions. Each time a situation which could have become very nasty, very quickly, had been sorted amicably. Rose’s reluctance to ask Alex to assist had been brought about by a single thought – Kate!

  “So, they will be back here by Saturday?”

  “More likely it will be Sunday evening.” Gadeem could see from the lonely look in Alex’s eyes just how much he missed Emmy. “Oh, and Emmy sent a message. She is really missing you and wild horses will not stop her from being back just as quickly as she can.”

  “I,” Alex went to say that he did not miss her, but he decided that the truth was best. “I really do miss her.”

  “And there would be something wrong if you didn’t,” Ramses added.

  “I bet the parents of those two girls are missing them,” Nakhtifi added.

  Both Ramses and Gadeem turned to Nakhtifi, confirmation to Alex that their visit had indeed been brought about by the missing tourists, but Nakhtifi had said girls. “I have just read about them in The ADD, though it made no mention of them being girls. A holiday romance, old-for-gold, nothing more than that, is the way I read it.”

  “And we are sure that that is exactly what it is. Are we not, Nakhtifi?”

  After the very slightest of hesitations Nakhtifi said, “Yes, Ramses, a holiday romance, nothing more.”

  “Is that what you really believe?” Alex pressed Nakhtifi to say more, in the certain knowledge that he was the weak link.

  “Yes, yes honestly, nothing to worry about, but you know me, I always worry, even when there is nothing to worry about.”

  As Nakhtifi spoke, Alex’s thoughts went to Kate. All too often she failed so dramatically at communicating in a civil manner. He picked up his coffee, leaned back in his chair and held it against his chest as he thought. He was well aware that there were two distinct sides to her. On one hand she held everything in until she became so angry that she exploded, most often over a very trivial matter, which was how he had viewed today’s outburst. On the other hand, she could explode instantly if she perceived danger, a danger that she could not make others see, that they failed to see. At times like this her certainty, as in her conviction of the existence of the then unknown Pharaoh Nakhtifi, was 100%. Her inability to understand why she was so certain meant that she was unable to articulate why she felt as she did. Kate’s frustration level would zoom well above 100% - boom! This was the view Alex was now leaning towards. He sat up rather too quickly, spilling his coffee as he did. “What do we know of the missing girls?” Alex looked to anyone for an answer as he dabbed himself with a tissue.

  “Nothing much,” Gadeem said. Ramses and Nakhtifi both gestured in agreement.

  “It said in The ADD that they were both last seen in their room on the top floor of the Winter Palace, so it couldn’t be ancients.”

  Gadeem answered: “We thought the same.”

  “You did, but you don’t think so now?” Alex was picking pieces of white tissue from his trousers as he spoke.

  “Obviously, it cannot directly be ancients, because there is no way they can access the upper floors. It’s just that something doesn’t sit quite right. They have completely disappeared.”

  “So, are you telling me that you would know where they were, if they were off having a good time with young Egyptians?”

  “Obviously, my boy, obviously,” Ramses said as though it was the most natural thing in the world to be spied upon.

  “Then if it is not ancients, not a holiday fling, then what is it? None of you looked particularly worried. You still don’t!” It came to Alex in a flash. “Kate! It’s Kate, isn’t it? She lost it with you before she lost it with me. That’s why you are here.”

  Ramses and Nakhtifi nodded, though Gadeem clarified, “Actually, she lost it at the Winter Palace before she lost it here with you. Rose is there now on a damage limitation exercise.”

  “Kate was that bad?”

  “Alex, my boy, you only suffered a minor aftershock!” Ramses held his glass out to be refilled.

  “We are all curious as to what has set Kate off. Why she has taken the disappearance of these two girls so … so,” Gadeem searched for the right words. Alex helped him out.

  “Sorry, Gadeem, I really don’t know. I’m just as confused as you all are.”

  They discussed the events of the morning. Alex basically listened, only asking where he needed clarification. As it turned out all they did know was that two girls, friends, both German, had gone missing less than 24 hours ago, after being in Luxor for no more than 48 hours. They were sharing a room on the top floor of the Winter Palace Hotel. This adjoined to the room of the parents of Celina, thirteen. The family had no connection with Egypt, neither ancient nor modern. They were from Tübingen, a university town close to Stuttgart. The father was a lecturer in modern economics, the mother an English language teacher. It was their first-time visiting Egypt.

  Not much was known about the other girl, apart from her name, Leonie, and that she was also thirteen, and also from Tübingen. Nothing had immediately raised any cause for alarm in the more extensive checks routinely carried out by the Winter Palace. With the hotel owned and run by todays relatives of Ramses and Nakhtifi, the family, extra checks were undertaken on all guests.

  Alex knew there was something he really must be missing. In his frustration, he returned each book that Kate had removed to its rightful place, though with much more force than was absolutely necessary. He was particularly annoyed to find that the spine of his copy of the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations had split. It was a treasured possession, even though Emmy had only bought this for him recently. He was well aware that Kate had only selected it because it was large, not because it had been bought by Emmy, but he still uttered a few words that he immediately hoped nobody had heard. Turning away from the bookcase he saw that Thoth N had returned and that both Thoths were writing exactly what he had just muttered. It looked far worse on paper than he had ever meant it to be. He flopped back into his chair. “We are missing something!”

  During his time at the British Museum Alex had felt as though his brain had been dulled, that his instincts, his ability to see the bigger picture, had become shrouded in fog. Since his return to Egypt this fog had never fully lifted. This constantly frustrated him. That was the main reason why he read The Add from cover to cover every month, to keep his brain alert to any potential problems.

  The wine, the company and the conversation soon pushed any possible worries away. Yes, now even Alex had wine before him, though it appeared to be evaporating faster than he was drinking it.

  The same could not be said of Ramses. The laughter became louder and more protracted as he gave the most wonderful monologue. It was obvious that Thoth R could find no record of the events Ramses was describing, yet it was also obvious that he was really enjoying the story.

  Alex thought that life in Egypt amongst the ancients was pretty good, especially at times like this.

  Ramses concluded to fits of laughter, “Having won the battle I ripped off my disguise. There I stood, sword in hand, proclaiming my victory was for Egypt,
that I was Egypt, and everybody should look to me to see what the future looked like. Only I had been so eager to rip off my disguise that I had ripped off everything and stood there naked! More wine Thoth! More wine.”

  “Yes, my Pharaoh, it is just on its way. A mere second or two and it will arrive. May I respectfully suggest, my Pharaoh, that I could send your wonderful story to The Add for the next publication?”

  Alex’s red wine went flying as he leapt from his chair. Ramses, even after drinking as much as he had, had stood in the blink of an eye, his sword raised and he was ready for action, though there was no need. Alex grabbed his copy of The Add then sat back on the edge of his chair. He flicked through the pages at speed and then flicked through them again. He could not find what he was looking for.

  “What is it, Alex?” Gadeem asked as the look on Alex’s face told them that he had found what he had been looking for.

  “We do have a problem. Look, look here,” Alex said as he closed The Add. Holding it up for all to see he pointed to the cover line of the missing tourists.

  “I think it may well be the wine, but, my boy, I am not seeing your point with any clarity.”

  “If you are not seeing it, Ramses,” Nakhtifi added, “then I feel somewhat relieved, because neither do I!”

  Alex handed the magazine to Gadeem for him to pass it along to Ramses. As he did he tapped his finger on the front cover, just below the masthead. Gadeem’s face morphed through revelation to worry, deep concern and finally fear. He said nothing, though his face spoke volumes as he sank back in his chair, finished his wine in a gulp, and held his glass out for a refill in a way that was far more typical of Ramses.

  “It’s the new typeface,” Nakhtifi said as he tipped the cover towards his father. “The ADD has been using that font for the last couple of months, and I think it really works. What do you think Ramses?”

  “I think we are missing something glaringly obvious.” Ramses started to say more, abruptly stopped, and just as Gadeem had done, his face morphed through a stream of emotions. He held out his now empty wine glass and wiggled it in annoyance at Thoth R’s inability to refill it in less than a microsecond.

  “May I fill your glass, my Pharaoh?” Thoth N asked as he leaned in with the bottle.

  “I am fine,” Nakhtifi’s hand went up to push the bottle away, “I do not need any more just now,”

  “Oh, but I am sure that you will,” Thoth R said as he leaned in front of Thoth N, took hold of the bottle, and refilled Nakhtifi’s glass.

  “Am I the only one who does not see the problem?”

  “I really do think that you are.” Alex urged Nakhtifi to look at the date.

  “Yes, I can see that it is June. It is the latest edition.”

  “What month are we in?” Alex stood and took a step over to Thoth R, before asking very quietly if he could organise some fresh coffee. Using the bat ordering system in front of Ramses, Nakhtifi and Gadeem did not fall within Alex’s comfort zone.

  “July, but we are only at the very beginning of the month.” Nakhtifi had started off confidently enough, though his confidence had quickly petered out, so much so that ‘month’ was barely audible. Thoth was correct, he did indeed need his glass to be full!

  Chapter 2

  -

  The Phones

  “Kate, what on earth are you doing? Get down here at once!” Rose shouted, sounding more like the late Aggie than she had ever wished to. Her comments were an instant reaction upon turning to see what a dozen or so tourists in the Winter Palace garden were looking at, pointing to, and videoing. There was Kate, hanging on by her fingertips, to the ledge outside a top floor window. Rose did not have to be a genius to know which room she was hanging outside of.

  “Would you like me to let go?”

  “Of course not, just hang on and I will–,” Rose abruptly stopped as the room window opened, an arm came out and Kate disappeared inside. Big Mohammed – the Mohammed from reception, who was built like a brick barn – had saved the day.

  Alex had just arrived at the Winter Palace, via the tunnel system and lower kitchen, when he saw Rose entering the far end of the corridor at a pace. “Hi, Rose, have you seen Kate?” he called out.

  She walked up to him, spun him around, took hold of his arm, and guided him to his favourite seat in the hotel bar, asking only, “Could anyone be this annoyed if they had not seen Kate?”

  He knew exactly what Rose meant, though he also knew, that for all Kate’s faults they both deeply cared for her. “Where is she?”

  “Secure!” Rose turned from Alex. “Thank you, Three, you are an angel.”

  “Yes, thanks,” Alex said after Three, Cairo’s father, had placed a steaming hot pot of herbal tea in front of Rose, and a large pot of coffee in front of him, followed by saucers, cups, and a bowl of genuine Italian Amaretti biscuits.

  Rose tried one, after which a stream of German words sprang forth which needed no translation, “Super, toll, lecker.” She was very impressed and Three was very pleased. “You really are an angel, Three, thank you!”

  Rose asked Alex to give her a few minutes to collect her thoughts whilst she enjoyed her tea and they enjoyed the Amaretti. Alex willingly obliged, because he also needed time to put his thoughts into order. Upon tasting, he totally agreed that the Amaretti were indeed “Super, great, tasty!”

  The recent redecoration of the bar area with its deep burgundy walls, subdued lighting and Howard Carter era miscellanea, met with Alex’s liking.

  Ramses, Nakhtifi and Gadeem had pointed Alex in Rose’s direction, after his revelation that the article in The Add had to have been written days, if not weeks, before the two young girls had actually gone missing. No longer hearing anything new, and in the certain knowledge that Kate and Rose were at the Winter Palace, he had left, though not before the three ancients’ conversation had replaced the word ‘missing’ with ‘abducted’.

  Ten, fifteen, perhaps twenty minutes had passed when both Alex and Rose looked up in the realisation that somebody was standing over their table. The ADD, flat on the coffee table in front of them, and open at the story of the two missing tourists, had been the focus of their attention. Kate said nothing, they said nothing. Removing a hand from her pocket, Kate threw down two high-end mobile phones. Still nobody spoke.

  Three bid Kate good evening before placing a pitcher of tamar-hindi and a frosted glass on the table. He moved an armchair slightly and beckoned for Kate to sit. To the amazement of Alex, she did!

  “Celina and Leonie’s phones, no doubt.” Rose picked one up, turning it over in her hand. “Absolutely no doubt in my mind that they have been abducted, but by who and why?”

  “Finally, somebody with enough sense to know that we have a problem.” Kate threw a pillar-of-salt-look Alex’s way.

  He wanted to say that ‘one day the wind will change and you will stay like that’, though thought better of it. Speaking calmly, he said, “I came here to tell you that you were right.” With slight annoyance in his voice he then said, “If you had not thrown my favourite shabti through the window, I would have apologised for not taking you more seriously.”

  “Then you had better flipping apologise, and make it good!”

  Rose sat back, leaving ‘the children’ to bicker, whilst she examined both phones very carefully. Three considered now was the right time to close the bar, so they could talk freely, as very soon guests would start to arrive for their pre-dinner drinks. He informed them of his decision, and that he would place a sign outside apologising for any inconvenience caused, due to a possible gas leak. Alex and Rose both appreciated Three’s subtle humour. Seeing as the only gas in the hotel was the bottled gas in the kitchens, any explosion in the bar could only come from one source.

  “Three?” Kate said.

  “Yes?”

  “I think I can smell gas, and you are definitely a flame!” The next very second he was gone, followed by the unmistakeable sound of the door to the bar being locked from the o
utside. “So, about this apology?”

  Alex did apologise, his every word spoken with sincerity, after Kate had placed his Sekhmet shabti on the coffee table. She briefly explained how she had picked up the shabti to gain his attention. It had been a cheap tourist stone scarab, which she had with her, that had left the room via the window.

  He was immensely pleased, actually he very relieved to see the shabti in one piece. The thought of Kate wilfully destroying an ancient artefact distressed him. He understood Kate’s anger, perhaps it was more accurately described as frustration, to be tempered with reason. For her to have deliberately destroyed the shabti would have brought his view of Kate into question.

  By way of a passing remark, Rose questioned whether a statue of the lion headed goddess could indeed be called a shabti. Kate and Alex knew that this particular statue was indeed a shabti, though neither of them had any interest in discussing the subject.

  “So, the phones have convinced you that the girls are in danger?” Kate asked of Rose, though Alex answered.

  “No, not the phones!” He proceeded to tell Kate about the article in The ADD predating them actually going missing.

  “Tough I must say that if I needed any further convincing,” Rose added, “then these phones would have convinced me.”

  “What have you found in their messages?” Alex asked.

  “Nothing! Both phones are password protected. I wouldn’t have expected anything else.” Rose dropped them back on the table.

  “Then, what is it about the phones that is so convincing?”

  “Have a good look, Alex, and I think you will see why.”

  He did have a good look, a really good look.

  Seeing that he had not experienced a lightbulb moment, Rose decided to nudge him in the right direction. “What do you see when you look at those phones?”