The Mummy: The Tomb Robbers' Secret

Back to the Desert

"We did it!" said Roma, "We did it," echoed Evelyn and they looked again at the papers that contained the terms of the concession to dig in the desert where Roma and Ardeth discovered the tomb. They shook hands and practically skipped out of Pierre Lacau's office.

"I want to see the mummy," Roma said, "He's on display in the mummy room. I've seen him but I want another look at him, I want to know who our enemy is. Will you come with me?"

Evelyn nodded, "I've seen him before, but that was before they knew who he was. I always felt sorry for him and wondered why he'd been treated so shabbily."

"He deserved it," said Roma grimly, "He murdered his father for the throne—I always wondered why he didn't kill the crown prince too, maybe he was afraid."

The mood in the mummy room was solemn. They walked past the kings and queens of Egypt until they came to the case that held Pentaweret's pitiful looking mummy.

"I want to burn it," said Roma in a quiet voice, "I think he called up something dark, maybe Set himself, to protect him, but all that happened was he escaped a worse punishment by hanging himself."

"Maybe we will be the ones who put an end to him. Whatever it is, we will find a way to banish it, you must have faith that we can do it."

"They won't be happy," Roma told Evelyn as they sat in the back of a cab, "Your husband wants to go treasure hunting in the Valley of the Kings. Ardeth doesn't want me to go back but what we found is too important not to excavate. No one knew the location of Pentaweret's last resting place, and now we can offer proof that he was buried in his own tomb before his mummy was placed in the cache."

"We're going to need diggers, tools, lamps, cameras, as well as supplies. Are you sure you can afford this?" Evelyn asked.

"Oh yes, this is going to be fairly economical as far as an excavation goes. We won't be wasting a lot of time looking for something when we already know where it is. It will just be a matter of clearing the tomb to see if there are any more hidden artifacts and mapping the area around it. We may find more tombs, who knows? That whole area is a big unknown, it's been neglected by archaeologists for a long time—and now it's ours!"

"Roma," Evelyn's voice had a hesitant tone and she knew what was coming, "How are we going to persuade Rick and Ardeth? I know they won't be pleased when they hear what we plan to do."

"Ardeth has no say in this and he knows it, he will come with me because he won't want me to go alone. You will have to convince Rick because we will need protection that the diggers cannot give us."

"You're not married dear, I don't like arguing with Rick, but I do want to go with you."

"What would happen if you went with me anyway? He may get mad but surely he'll get over it?"

They had their answers over dinner.

"No," said Ardeth, "You're not going back to that tomb."

"Forget it, Evelyn," said Rick, "You're not going into the middle of the desert on your own, that's bandit country."

"If Roma is going, then so am I," said Evelyn, and Rick knew that defiant tone well, "It's not like we're going unprepared and without knowing where we are going."

"We're going to be better supplied this time, I can arrange to have water and supplies ferried across the Nile," Roma summoned her most convincing arguments, "I'm going to bring a Land Rover and several camels, and I'm going to bring diggers who've worked with Father and me. Rick, Ardeth and I grew up in Egypt and we can look after Evelyn. You may as well say "yes" Rick because I intend to go and if she wants to come with me, she can."