The Mummy: The Tomb Robbers' Secret

Murder in the Sahara

The sun sent shafts of light through the stained-glass windows and formed dancing patterns on the tile floor of her room. For the first time in days, she felt safe—and clean. She and Ardeth had soaked in the giant tub before retiring to bed.

The son of the desert had grumbled a little at the softness of the bed, but they'd made love and gone almost immediately to sleep. And not just sleep, a deep, dreamless sleep from which neither had woken until the early hours of the morning.

"Good morning," he opened his eyes, leaned over her, smiling, and kissed her. "I am ashamed to say that I found this bed most comfortable, but perhaps it was because of the woman I shared it with."

She lay her slender hand on his cheek and was about to kiss him when they heard pounding at the front door.

"Missy, Missy," Busa said, her hands slapping at the bedroom door.

"It's all right, Busa, we're coming," she assured her and she and Ardeth slipped their gallabiyahs over their heads. "Just a moment," she told him and opened the top drawer of her dresser. She withdrew two Colt pistols, "They're loaded, I'm taking no chances."

Busa followed anxiously as they went to the front door. Roma made ready to pull aside the panel that covered the peek hole, but Ardeth pushed her away, saying, "Let me." He slid the panel and looked out. "The police," he told her and stepped away to open the door.

Two Egyptians in the uniforms of the Cairo police stood on the front step, patiently waiting to be allowed in. "Salaam Aleichem," they said in Arabic, bowing politely. "We have an urgent matter to discuss with you, may we come in?"

"Of course," Roma replied and showed them into the dining room. "Please, sit; tea, Busa." The maid bowed and left the room.

What must they be thinking? She and Ardeth were looking rumpled and it was obvious to any who would see that they had just come from their bed. An unbeliever and a Muslim were bad enough, but this one was a Bedouin. She handed Ardeth her pistol and he deposited it on a bookshelf.

Busa returned, carrying the steaming samovar on a tray along with cups and saucers. She served policemen first, the severe look on her face clearly said they had no right to disturb her mistress this early in the morning. She bowed when Roma waved her away and left the room, her aged face full of concern.

"Will you please tell me why you are here?" Roma asked politely in Arabic, fear growing inside her, the police never came unless something was wrong.

"We have bad news for you miss," one policeman said, obviously grateful to be speaking in Arabic, not English, "A body was found in the desert outside Luxor, we are afraid to tell you that it's your father."

"What? No, that can't be," she was grateful for the hand that Ardeth had placed on her shoulder, "We left him a week ago, he intended to drive to Cairo, the truck was packed with the artifacts he had found this season. There had been no trouble with bandits, so he made the drive with just one of his men."

"His clothes were quite tattered but we found his papers in the inside pocket of his coat. It was him. We also found the body of the driver, but no sign of the truck. It must have been bandits, miss."

"How did he die?"

"We will not know until the post-mortem is performed. Once that is completed, we can release the body to you—do you have a preferred mortuary?"

How can they ask me that, thought Roma, my father has just been killed and they are asking me to give them the name of a funeral home?

"Just pick one in Cairo that the British use and notify me. I will have him buried here in Cairo. Now, please, I must ask you to leave me, I am quite distressed at this news." Tears were starting to form in her eyes but she did not wish to cry in front of the Cairo Police.