The Moses Legacy - Adam Palmer [85]
Eventually, Shamir spoke. ‘Who do you think locked you in?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘I never said you knew. I asked you who you think locked you in.’
‘I can’t think… I mean, I can’t imagine who would want to.’
‘You’re not in the least bit curious? Someone tries to kill you and you’re not curious as to who that might be… or why?’
‘I haven’t really had time to think about it, to be honest.’
‘No? It took you six days on the felucca to get to Cairo and four days to get from Cairo to Taba by camel. That’s ten days since you were locked in the tomb. And you mean to say that in all that time you haven’t thought about who locked you there?’
Daniel was unsure whether to reveal his speculations about the plague or Harrison’s cryptic statement that might support those suspicions. At this stage, he didn’t know whether to trust Shamir or not. So he took a more cautious line.
‘The only thing I could come up with was that someone wanted to stop me from translating the various documents in Proto-Sinaitic script that Mansoor and the Egyptians have accumulated.’
‘But you have no idea who that might be?’
‘Well, quite frankly, I think even that theory is too silly for words. I mean, who would want to suppress such knowledge? A rival academic who’s working on it but hasn’t got enough to publish yet? Some religious nutter who thinks that we shouldn’t tamper with the past, but simply accept the scriptures?’
‘I notice that you haven’t asked about what happened to Akil Mansoor.’
‘We heard on the radio that he was recovering in hospital. Has there been any development since then?’
‘Yes. He has since made a full recovery.’
Daniel breathed a sigh of relief. ‘And what about that hysteria about me and Gabrielle carrying some disease? I notice that you haven’t put us in quarantine.’
Shamir smiled. ‘We’ve established that this health scare was a bit of a misunderstanding.’
Daniel was dubious about this. Mansoor had said there was an outbreak of disease at the dig site. Could it have been food poisoning after all? Was the quarantine just a panic response? An unnecessary precaution? If so, what about the curator at the British Museum?
‘It was a misunderstanding that very nearly got me and Gaby killed.’
‘I know. But then again your somewhat unconventional solution to the problem also very nearly got you and Professor Gusack killed.’
‘So do we know what our legal status in Egypt is?’
Shamir pursed his lips and thought for a moment.
‘You’re still technically in breach of Egyptian law because of the manner of your departure. But then again you’re not the first Jew to flee from Egypt with the army in hot pursuit.’
They couldn’t help but exchange a smile at that one.
‘What about Israeli law?’ Daniel asked with some trepidation. ‘Are we in any trouble over our somewhat unorthodox method of entry?’
‘Under ordinary circumstances you would be. But I have some discretion in this matter and we have no intention of prosecuting you… or deporting you.’
In the silence that followed, Daniel realized that Shamir was being helpful and he decided to reciprocate. ‘There was another matter… I mean, it may very well be related.’
‘Yes?’
Daniel explained about his brief return trip to England with Gabrielle and the murder of Harrison Carmichael. Shamir smiled as he spoke, as if he were way ahead of Daniel.
‘And you think that the murderer may have been the same person who locked you in the tomb?’
‘It’s possible.’
Shamir waited a moment before speaking. ‘I can tell you that the man who locked you in is the same man who killed Harrison Carmichael. But that is all I can tell you.’
Daniel leaned forward keenly. ‘Who is he?’
Shamir’s smile disappeared. ‘What part of “that is all I can tell you” didn’t you understand?’
‘I’m sorry,’ said Daniel, realizing that he was lucky that Shamir had told him anything at all. ‘But there’s more to it than that. Technically I’m still a suspect in the murder of Harrison… and because I jumped bail, there’s now a warrant out for my arrest.’
‘I understand. But perhaps it’s better if you leave