Death on Tour - Janice Hamrick [86]
Anni kept us on the bus for several minutes, providing a brief, insightful history into the reign of Egypt’s only female pharaoh and describing what we would see. I didn’t hear a word. I was busy concentrating on not turning around to see what Alan was doing, while also trying to figure out why Mohammad had left the bus and was standing outside talking on his cell phone. He paced up and down making sharp little gestures with his free hand and occasionally glancing up at the bus windows. I wasn’t sure if he could see us or not through the tinted glass, but it made me want to duck down.
Kyla, who never even pretended to listen to Anni’s lectures, noticed too. “I wonder what he’s up to?” she mused. “I don’t even know why he’s on this trip. He never does anything useful.”
“I think Anni must have told him to ride herd on Fiona and Flora,” I answered in a low tone. “He’s been following them around lately.”
“Hmmph,” she made an unladylike sound through her nose. “Well, if he can keep them to the schedule, more power to him. But I still think he’s got something going on the side. I mean look at him. Stomping around, all upset.”
Anni finally opened the doors and led us out.
“Hat-Ship-Suit!” she shouted after the Peterson boys as they bounced down the steps like super balls. “You pronounce it Hat-Ship-Suit! Not Happen-shit! Wait!” But they ignored her and raced ahead.
The Egyptians had cleverly placed barriers in strategic locations to ensure that everyone arriving from the parking lot had to pass a long row of stalls. With the exception of DJ, who hurried forward and began haggling for all he was worth, we no longer lingered to look or even bothered to be polite in our refusals. One persistent young man pushed a handful of wooden beads under Kyla’s nose and a fistful of postcards into mine.
“Get out of my way or I will fucking kill you,” Kyla snapped.
Whether he spoke English or not, her meaning translated remarkably well, and he dropped back with a little squeak.
I nodded to her appreciatively. “Very nice.”
She flashed me a brief smile, then quickly turned steely eyes on the next vendor, who melted away. “Remember how concerned we were to blend in and be respectful of a different culture?”
“You mean three or four days ago? Yes, I remember. But man, they beat it out of you quick.”
“They’d do so much better if they got out of our faces. I’d like to have thirty seconds to look without getting hammered by offers, although DJ doesn’t seem to mind.” She glanced over her shoulder at him. “If he’s not smuggling stuff, then what the hell is he doing? Buying all that crap is odd.”
“At this point, I’d think it odd if he didn’t buy something,” I answered.
“So what did Alan say to you back at the colossal thingies?” she asked, giving me a sidelong glance.
“Colossi of Memnon,” I corrected automatically. I thought about it, then shrugged. “He admitted he’s been lying about almost everything. Nothing we didn’t already know.”
“Did he say why?”
“He didn’t have time. And I told him I didn’t care anyway. I mean, what difference does it make?” Even I could hear the pain in my voice. It was too much to hope she hadn’t noticed.
“I think it matters,” she said carefully. “I was there when he found you on the stairs, you know. I’ve never seen anyone so upset. He practically went berserk, ordering people around, standing guard over you. He was frantic.”
Her words ignited a tiny glow of hope in my chest, but I quickly squashed down the feeling. “Well, that doesn’t mean much, does it? He would have been that way no matter who got attacked.”
“I don’t think so. You’ve been pretty busy trying not to look at him, but anyone else can see the way he looks at you.”
I didn’t answer. We started up the first long flight of steps, the white stone brilliant in the morning light.
Kyla went on. “I don’t know why he’s been pretending to be someone he’s not, but there might be a good reason. It wouldn’t kill you to hear what it is.”
* * *
I fought against her reasoning all the way through Hatshepsut’s temple, which I did not appreciate properly through