Lion in the Valley - Elizabeth Peters [54]
“In his room. I presume,” said Ramses, picking up the pen he had laid aside upon my entrance, “that he is smoking opium. I asked him if I might participate, but he—”
“Ramses!” I exclaimed. “You are not to take opium!”
“I don’t recall that you ever told me I must not, Mama.”
“You are right. I neglected to make that observation. Consider it made now. Whatever put such an idea into your head?”
Ramses fixed me with his wide, serious gaze. “It is a question of scientific experiment, Mama. A scholar should not depend upon descriptions of results; in order fully to assess them he must have a firsthand acquaintance with—”
“Never mind; I should have known better than to ask. Ramses, if you . . . You are strictly forbidden . . . Oh, good Gad, I have no time to counter your Machiavellian arguments. I must see how Miss Marshall is getting on. But please bear in mind . . . Emerson, I leave you to talk to Ramses.”
“Listen to Ramses” was more like it; the boy launched into a long speech, in which Emerson’s feeble “But, my boy—” was swallowed up like a scrap of paper in a whirlpool. At least I was confident that while the discussion continued, I could talk to Enid without being overheard.
She was lying on the cot when I entered, her face turned to the wall; but when she saw who it was she leaped up with the energy and grace of a tigress.
“I am going mad with boredom,” she hissed. “I would prefer a prison cell to this solitude—this suspense—and that abominable child popping in to ask me questions about the funerary monuments of the Fourth Dynasty—”
“I hope you didn’t attempt to answer them?”
“How could I? I didn’t understand one word in ten.” After a moment, the fiery rage on her face faded and she collapsed onto the thin mattress, her face crumpling like that of a frightened child. “Forgive me, Mrs. Emerson. I owe you so much—but inactivity and ignorance of what is happening prey on my mind.”
“I would feel much the same. Your inactivity is at an end. Tomorrow you will join us on the dig. Don’t worry about betraying your ignorance. You will be acting as my assistant, and I will make sure you are in no difficulty. If Emerson asks you a question you cannot answer, simply say, ‘Mr. Petrie is of the opinion . . .’ You won’t get any further. Emerson will either interrupt you or stalk off in a rage. If Ramses questions you—which he almost certainly will—you need only ask him what he thinks. The only difficulty then will be to get him to stop talking. Have you any questions?”
“Any? I have a hundred.” Her eyes flashed. “You went to Cairo today. What has happened? Have the police—”
“The police are idiots. You must remain here until I have solved the case and made it possible for you to resume your rightful position.”
“You said you knew—”
“I said I knew who the murderer of Kalenischeff is. I spoke no more than the truth, Miss Marshall. The only trouble is, I don’t know who he . . . Let me rephrase that. I know who he is: but I do not know . . . Good Gad, this is more complex than I realized. The murderer is the leader of a criminal network of which Kalenischeff was a member. You follow me so far? Good. Unfortunately, although I have met the individual in question, I don’t know his true identity. He is a master of disguise.”
Enid looked doubtfully at me. “Do I understand you correctly, Mrs. Emerson? Are you saying that the murderer is a sort of Master Criminal?”
“Excellent,” I cried. “I applaud your intelligence, Miss Marshall. I knew from the first that you and I would be in accord.”
“Thank you, ma’am. Forgive me if I do not appear to be encouraged by the information. From what I have heard about master criminals, they are geniuses of crime and are not easily brought to justice.”
“Quite true. However, you may be sure that this genius of crime will be brought to justice and by me. It may take a little while, though, so you must be patient. Here are a few personal items I purchased for you in Cairo.” I handed her the parcel. “I apologize for the poor quality of the garments; ready-made clothing is not of the best,