The Ape Who Guards the Balance - Elizabeth Peters [32]
“A fictitious reputation, I hope,” I said.
The two of them exchanged glances. “For the most part,” Ramses said. “Anyhow, I decided the risk was negligible. Yussuf Mahmud has a certain reputation too. He deals in stolen antiquities, and he would cheat his own mother, but he is no killer.”
“Then he must have swindled some other thief to get his hands on the papyrus,” I said. “That would mean that the men who broke in were after it—and him. Not us.”
“I would love to be able to believe that,” Ramses muttered. “The alternative is decidedly unpleasant. Let us suppose that Yussuf Mahmud and his employers, whoever they may be, have worked out an ingenious method of robbery. They offer the papyrus for sale, lure prospective buyers to the house, knock them over the head, steal the money, and walk away with the papyrus. They can repeat the process over and over, since the victims aren’t likely to admit participating in an illegal transaction. This time Yussuf Mahmud decided to go into business for himself. He was expecting the others, but not so soon. He hoped to conclude the deal and get away with the money before they arrived. He’d have locked us in—I noticed he’d left the key on the outside of the door, which ought to have made me more suspicious than it did—and left us to the tender mercies of the lads. They came early because they didn’t trust him. Instead of joining forces against us, the fools let greed get the better of them. Gold, I have been informed, has a demoralizing effect on those of weak character.”
“Must you be so cursed long-winded?” I demanded. “Do you think that’s the explanation for the ambush? A simple swindle?”
“No,” Ramses said. “The second part of the theory holds, I think—Yussuf Mahmud hoped to get away with the money before the others came—but I’m afraid we must consider that unpleasant alternative I mentioned. The woman had every intention of slitting David’s throat. And is it only a coincidence that they held off attacking until you were with us?”
“I hope so,” I said honestly.
“So do I, my girl. They couldn’t have known you would be there, but they were definitely expecting David and me, and they took extraordinary measures to ensure we would be caught or killed. It can’t be a coincidence that Yussuf Mahmud offered the papyrus to us. There are too many other dealers in Cairo who would have snapped it up at the price we paid. I’m afraid we must face the possibility that somehow, some way, someone has discovered our real identities.”
“How could they?” David demanded.
Poor boy, he had been so proud of his clever disguise! Ramses wasn’t keen on admitting failure either. He tightened his mouth up in that way he has. When he answered, the words sounded as if they were being squeezed through a crack.
“No scheme is completely foolproof. Several possibilities occur to me . . . But why waste time in conjecture? It’s late, and Nefret should be in bed.”
The reeds rustled eerily. I shivered. The night wind was cold.
David leaned forward and took my hand. He is such a dear! That sweet smile of his softened his face (and a handsome face it is, too). “Quite right. Come, little sister, you’ve had a busy night.”
I let him help me out of the boat and up the bank. We went single file, with David leading, finding the easiest and least-littered path. The mud squelched under my boots.
“Coincidences do happen,” David said. “We may be starting at shadows.”
“It’s always safest to expect the worst,” said a sour voice behind me. “What a damned nuisance. We spent three years building up those personae.”
I slipped on something that squashed and gave off a horrible smell. A hand grabbed my shirttail and steadied me.
“Thank you,” I said. “Ugh! What was that? No, don’t tell me. Ramses is right, you