He Shall Thunder in the Sky - Elizabeth Peters [123]
With maddening deliberation Emerson extracted a sheet of paper from the envelope. I stood on tiptoe to read it over his shoulder.
Professor Emerson:
I believe you can be of assistance to the police in a case which came to my attention early this morning. The evidence of your son is also required. Please come to my office at the earliest opportunity.
Sincerely,
Thomas Russell.
P.S. Do not bring Miss Forth.
“I will be there in two hours,” Emerson said to the officer.
“Oh, no, Emerson, we must go straightaway! How can you bear the suspense? He would not have—”
“Two hours!” Emerson bellowed, drowning me out. The policeman started convulsively, saluted, banged his hand painfully against the stiff brim of his helmet, and galloped off.
“I am sorry, Emerson,” I murmured.
“Hmmm, yes. You are sometimes as impulsive as . . . Ah, Nefret. Have you finished the photographing?”
“No, sir, not quite.” She was bareheaded, her cheeks rosy with heat, her smile broad and cheerful. “Selim came rushing into the tomb and said there was a policeman here asking for you. Are you under arrest, or is it Aunt Amelia?”
Standing behind her, so close that the hair on the crown of her golden head brushed his chin, Ramses said lightly, “My money is on Mother.”
“Damned if I know what he wants,” Emerson grumbled. “He might have had the courtesy to say. Assist the police indeed! I suppose we had better go.”
“We?” Ramses repeated.
“You and I.”
“But this must be about what happened in the Khan the other night,” Nefret exclaimed. “I wondered why the police had not got round to questioning us. We must all go. It is our duty as good citizens to assist the police!”
Emerson looked hopefully at his son. Ramses shrugged, shook his head, and inquired, “Precisely what do you think we should tell them?”
“Ah.” Nefret stroked her chin in unconscious—or perhaps it was conscious!—imitation of Emerson. “That is a good question, my boy. I am against telling the police about our arrangement with Farouk. They are such blunderers—”
“We do not, at the present time, have an arrangement with him,” Emerson interrupted. “And this, my dear, is not a symposium. I will make the decision after I have heard what Russell has to say. Selim! Keep the men at it for another two hours. You know what to watch out for. Stop at once if—”
“My dear, he does know what to watch out for,” I said. “Why are you telling him again?”
“Damnation!” Emerson shouted; and off he stalked, bareheaded and coatless, alone and unencumbered. He had gone some little distance before it dawned on me that he was heading for Mena House, where we had left the horses. Nefret let out a mildly profane exclamation and started to run after him.
“Don’t forget the cameras,” Ramses said.
“You bring them. Curse it, he needn’t think he can get away from me!”
Lips compressed, Ramses entered the tomb chamber and began packing the cameras. The ever-present grit and dust was hard on the delicate mechanisms; it would not have done to leave them uncovered any longer than was absolutely necessary. I hesitated for only a moment before following him.
“She cannot come with us,” he said, without looking up.
“Mr. Russell specifically mentioned that we were not to bring her; but you and he are both being silly. She is a surgeon. She has seen horrible wounds and performed operations.”
“I see we are thinking along the same lines.” Ramses drew the straps tight and slung the case over his shoulder.
“It is one possible explanation for his failure to meet you, but it may not be the right one. Let us not look on the dark side!”
“The way our luck has been running, it is difficult not to.” The words were flung at me from over his shoulder; he had already started off. I broke into a trot and caught him up. “There is no need to hurry. Your father won’t leave without us.”
“Sorry.” He slowed his steps. After a moment of frowning concentration, he said, “Were you included in the invitation?”
“Not in so many words, but—”
“But you are coming anyhow.”
“Naturally.”
“Naturally.”
We left for Cairo as soon as we had changed.