The Mummy Case - Elizabeth Peters [91]
“Emerson,” I cried. “I have discovered who Hamid really is.”
“Was,” said Emerson.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Was. Ramses has just discovered his remains, torn and dismembered by jackals.”
v
I was bitterly chagrined. Now we would never be able to question Hamid. I sat down and stripped off my gloves. “I begin to wonder about you, Ramses,” I said. “How did you come to make such a discovery?”
“It was de cat Bastet, in fact,” said Ramses calmly. “I have been training her to fetch for me. She is particularly interested in bones, which is not surprising, considering dat she is a carnivore; and I consider it a testimonial to my met’ods as well as to de intelligence of de cat Bastet dat she has been able to overcome her instinctive—”
“Say no more, dear boy,” Emerson exclaimed. “Amelia, how can you ask Ramses to discuss a subject that has struck him dumb with horror?”
“I am not at all horrified,” said Ramses, squirming in his father’s affectionate grasp. “A student of physiology must develop a detached attitude toward specimens dat are de object of his research. I have been endeavoring to explain dis to Papa but to no avail.”
Emerson’s arms relaxed and Ramses slipped out of his hold. “I saw at once, from de freshness of de specimen, dat despite de desiccation dat is de inevitable consequence of dis climate, it was dat of an individual who had recently met his demise. De cat Bastet led me to de place where de odder parts of de—”
“Enough, Ramses,” I said. “Emerson, where are the—er—remains?”
“I had them fetched back here.”
“That was an error. I would like to have examined them in situ.”
“You would not like to have examined them at all,” said Emerson. “The word ‘remains’ is apt, Amelia.”
“I examined dem carefully, Mama,” Ramses said consolingly. “De body was unclot’ed. It had been dead for several days. Dere were no marks upon it except for extensive bruising around de neck. A rope tied tightly about dat part of de anatomy may have accounted for some of de contusions, but it is my opinion dat manual strangulation was de cause of deat’.”
“Very good, Ramses,” I said. “What steps have you taken, Emerson?”
“I have sent for the local chief of police.”
“Good. If you will excuse me, I will go and change my clothes.”
As I left I heard Ramses say, “May I remark, Papa, dat alt’ough your consideration for my sensitivities was quite unnecessary, I am not wit’out a proper appreciation of de sentiment dat prompted it.”
vi
The mudir was of no use whatever, but since I had not expected he would be, I was not put out. Viewing the remains—and I must confess that the word was, as Emerson had suggested, decidedly apropos—he stroked his silky beard and murmured, “Alhamdullilah. What will these unbelievers do next?”
“We are hoping, effendi, that you will tell us what this unbeliever did last,” said Emerson courteously.
“It appears, O Father of Curses, that he hanged himself.”
“And then walked out into the desert to bury himself?”
“The Father of Curses jests with his servant,” said the mudir gravely. “A friend must have performed that office for him. Only the friend did not do a thorough job of it.”
“Nonsense,” I exclaimed. “The man was murdered.”
“That is another possibility. If the sitt desires, I will question the other unbelievers.”
He was obviously puzzled by our interest in the affair. It was nothing to him if unbelievers chose to murder one another and he could not understand why the death of a peasant, who was not even one of our servants, should concern us. Since I had no desire to see the villagers lined up and beaten in the local version of police interrogation, I declined his offer. Nor was I tempted to explain that Hamid was no Copt, nor a local resident. The story would only have confused the solemn old gentleman even more.
So we bade him farewell and watched him ride away, followed by his entourage of ragged,