Death on Tour - Janice Hamrick [11]
“The facts about the Sphinx are fascinating enough, but there is a mystery told as well. Some archaeologists have said that the erosion that you see, particularly on the body, was not caused by wind and sand, but by water. It is true that Egypt was not always a desert land. This would mean that the Sphinx is far, far older than the pyramids themselves and was not built as a guardian of the tombs, but rather that the pyramids were built here because of the protection offered by the Sphinx.” Anni looked at us with a sparkle in her eye.
“But you don’t believe that, surely?” asked Charlie, not quite certain whether she was joking or not.
“No, of course not, but it is still interesting, is it not? And it is true that for many hundreds of years, the body of the Sphinx was buried by the desert where it could not have been eroded by either water or wind, so how did it become so worn?”
We all looked up in silence at the enormous, weather-beaten figure, with its high cheekbones, stiff headdress, and serene expression. The face was pockmarked with bullet holes, the cheeks crumbling and scarred, but it still exuded the power its creators originally intended.
Anni smiled, then glanced at her watch. “And now, we should return to the bus.” Running her eyes over our group, she handed Hello Kitty to Keith Kim. “Will you hold this and stand just over there? I will try to gather the others.”
As soon as the pink umbrella unfolded in the crisp air, the group began gathering. Which meant Anni only needed to round up Flora and Fiona, who were nowhere to be seen. As I’d predicted, the Peterson boys were the first on the bus, happy and out of breath from racing each other to the steps. Kyla was one of the last on the bus, and she flopped down beside me with a pensive look on her face. I followed her fixed gaze and saw that Alan had stopped to speak with Anni. I’d fully expected to have the seat to myself while she joined Alan in his. Had he purposely given her the slip at the last minute, or had random circumstances separated the two of them? I began digging through my purse when he finally climbed the steps of the bus. For some reason, I didn’t think I could bear seeing him staring like a faithful puppy at Kyla.
Chapter 2
CARPETS AND CREEPS
A couple of hours later, after visiting the Step Pyramid and the Alabaster Sphinx, we stopped to see a demonstration of the making of hand-knotted silk carpets. This type of thing was part of the price you paid for being on a tour. Under the guise of a learning experience, the tour company ensured we were a captive audience for a very persuasive sales pitch. I was immune by virtue of previous tour group experience and the fact that I had no money.
By scrimping on everything for two years, right down to the shampoo I used and the brand of peanut butter I chose, I’d managed to save just enough from my teacher’s salary to cover this trip. I knew it was a luxury I really couldn’t afford, but it was my reward to myself for making it through the divorce, a spectacularly cliché event that could have come right out of a Dear Abby column. Boy meets nice girl. Boy marries girl. Boy meets slut. Boy turns into giant asshole. Nice girl throws giant asshole out. End of marriage, end of story. She wasn’t even younger or prettier, but she was definitely sexier, from the low-cut silk blouses to the tramp stamp at the base of her spine. I had been devastated, stupid me. But I wasn’t a pushover, and Texas is a community property state. So, when things got surprisingly ugly, especially considering we