Phantoms of the Pharaoh Page 12

  "What a wonderful idea," said Frances.

  Florence turned back and nodded.

  "That's only six pictures I've taken today," she said.

  "Not many," said Frances.

  "No, but I think I took six good ones. Two of the Great Pyramid, one each of the pyramid of Khafre and of Menkaure. The one of the Sphinx and now this."

  Simon got up and walked over to Florence.

  "Would you mind if I took a look?" he asked.

  "Certainly," said Florence, as she took the strap off her neck and handed him the camera.

  Simon looked through it and focused the camera and scanned over the complex.

  "I wish I had brought my father's," he said.

  "Your father has one?" asked Florence.

  "Yes, exactly like this one in fact."

  "Would you let me take your picture with the pyramid in the background?" he asked, looking at both Florence and Frances.

  "What a wonderful idea," said Florence.

  "I like it," said Frances.

  They stood up and posed at the west edge of the canopy, and the Pyramid of Khufu loomed large with a golden edge from the sun behind them. Simon took his time to get it just right and then he took the picture. He handed the camera back to Florence.

  "I think it will be a good one. It is a great camera after all."

  "If you'd like," offered Florence. "I don't mind taking a picture of you with the pyramid in the background. The golden yellow light is absolutely gorgeous. I'd be happy to mail it to you once I've had them developed."

  "I don't know," said Simon, "that's awfully kind of you, but I don't want to impose."

  "Nonsense," said Florence. "Go and stand over there while the light is still wonderful."

  "Well, it would really mean something to have a keepsake of this trip."

  Simon went over and stood by the edge of the canopy and Florence took his picture. He was grinning widely. It obviously meant a great deal to him. Mahulda was glancing up from her book and admiring his ruggedly handsome face with the scar on his cheek which made him look strong and daring.

  "Let me get your address," said Florence, walking back to the table where Frances was seated. Simon followed her. She put her camera down on the table and pulled out her diary and a pencil from her purse. Simon gave her his address. He was living in Leeds.

  "Thank you so much," said Simon. "I'll wait excitedly for the photograph when you have a moment to send it."

  "I should imagine you'll receive it by December," said Florence. "I plan on getting the rolls developed as soon as we get back in early November."

  Simon grinned at her again.

  "That's so very kind," he said.

  Florence smiled and nodded at him. Simon went back to his chair to sit down, when Maurice arrived.

  "Where's Perry?" he asked.

  "Gone to find you lot of stragglers," said Orpha, clearly upset.

  "Oh, I see," he said. He looked down at his watch. "I suppose I am a bit late. Terribly sorry."

  He started off towards the bus.

  "Where were you?" asked Simon.

  Maurice looked at him, and thought for a moment about whether or not he was going to answer him or not. He decided he would.

  "I've just come from the western cemetery," he said. "Why do you ask?"

  "Well," said Simon, grinning at him, "Perry wondered if I'd seen you, and I'd just come from the builders' quarters, so obviously I hadn't. He thought we'd both gone to Menkaure's pyramid."

  "I see," said Maurice. "That's a shame. I wasn't there."

  "Did you see the other chaps?" asked Orpha.

  Maurice looked at her.

  "No, who?"

  "Perry's went looking for you of course, and Nigel and Samuel."

  "Oh, the American fellow. No, I haven't seen either of them."

  "It's still very inconsiderate of you, Mr. Gabberdeen, to show up so late," said Orpha.

  "Yes, well, I think I'm not the last one, am I?"

  Orpha didn't say anything to that. Maurice walked off towards the bus where he put his rucksack, being more of a sack, back into his suitcase. He leaned against the near side of the bus and stared at the rest of them under the canopy absentmindedly. He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a cigarette tin. Then he leaned into his trouser pocket and pulled out a silver lighter and lit his cigarette. Darius watched him carefully.

  Lady Pompress stood up and started pacing up and down the length of the canopy.

  "This is so terribly unfair," she muttered to herself. "I've spent a small fortune for this holiday and most of the afternoon has been spent sitting around waiting for inconsiderate louts."

  "I know, Lady Pompress," said Orpha, "these boors will be the end of us if we let them. I plan on giving Mr. Fowler a piece of my mind. I expect better service and better adherence to the schedule going forward."

  Lady Pompress nodded.

  "Quite right. I can't stand waiting around for inconsiderate clods. Men, I tell you. Absolutely uncouth and uncultured."

  "You are quite correct. But we've both spent a lot of money and I'll be damned if we let them get away with it."

  Lady Pompress and Orpha commiserated for a while longer. Frances stood up and looked out towards the southwest. She couldn't see Perry or Timothy, though she did hope they found the last two and brought them back quickly. She noticed a man walking towards them, coming through the eastern cemetery. It was Samuel Newton with his fedora in his one hand and his doctor's bag in the other. He was walking with purpose, taking large strides towards them, his head looking straight ahead.

  He went straight past the canopy and towards the rear of the bus. Seeing Maurice there smoking a cigarette he nodded at him and Maurice nodded back. Samuel put his bag back in his suitcase and then returned to Maurice. They exchanged a few words and Maurice offered him a cigarette which he accepted. Maurice lit it and then Samuel came back and stood under the canopy, facing away from the rest of the group, towards the pyramids. He held his cigarette in one hand and his fedora in the other.

  "Mr. Newton, do you mind telling us what was so important that you've kept us waiting for over half an hour?" asked Orpha, looking up at him from her chair.

  Samuel turned around and looked at her. He then looked at his watch.

  "Nothing," he said.

  "Nothing won't do," said Orpha, with a schoolmarm's scolding. "Where were you?"

  "Madam, I don't see how that's any of your business."

  "You made it my business," said Orpha, getting visibly upset and flustered, "when you decided to be so disrespectfully late."

  "If you must know," said Samuel, "I was over at the western cemetery viewing the Tomb of Hemon."

  Samuel turned back to face the pyramids and took a deep inhalation of his cigarette. He let the smoke drift slowly from his nose.

  "Then you must have seen Mr. Gabberdeen," said Lady Pompress.

  Samuel turned around to face Lady Pompress, and he smiled thinly at her. He took another puff of his cigarette, and walked over to the table closest to her and picked up an ashtray in exchange for this fedora.

  "No, I didn't see Maurice," he said.

  He walked back to the west side of the canopy and stared out over the complex, smoking his cigarette and ignoring everyone. Orpha continued to sigh and grumble under her breath while everyone, even Lady Pompress ignored her. Mahulda continued to read Death Comes as the End, while stealing glances at an unnoticing Simon. Frances and Florence continued to sit and wait patiently.

  "I wonder what's on the menu tonight," said Florence, looking at her friend.

  "Are you getting hungry?" asked Frances.

  "I am a bit peckish. I think all this walking around over the complex has given me quite an appetite."

  "I think I see them," said Lady Pompress, sounding more excited than she had the whole day, and that wasn't saying much.

  Frances and Florence stood up and walked over to the edge of the canopy where Lady Pompress was now
standing. They could see three men walking north along a dusty path squashed between the Great Pyramid of Giza and the eastern cemetery. Samuel squashed out his cigarette, went back to the table where he put the ashtray down and then picked up his fedora. He didn't put it on, but he fanned it against his face. He stood by the table silently. Simon came up and stood at Lady Pompress' right, whereas Frances and Florence were to her left.

  The three men turned east at the funerary temple and started towards the canopy.

  "It is them," said Florence. "I think that's Nigel in the middle with his head down. He doesn't look too happy."

  "I should certainly hope so," said Lady Pompress.

  They waited in silence while the three men closed the distance. When they were within earshot, Lady Pompress scolded Captain Wainscott.

  "What took you so long," she said, "it's after five."

  "Nigel took us so long," said Wainscott, "he wasn't that easy to find."

  Timothy looked over at Nigel who wouldn't look back at him. Nigel looked at the group of them sheepishly. He put on half a smile but he wasn't met with any jollity from the others.

  "I'm very sorry to have kept you all waiting," he said.

  "Well, we hope it was worth the trouble," said Lady Pompress, sarcastically.

  "Actually it wasn't," he replied.

  "Really, Mr. Fowler," said Lady Pompress, "I must strenuously urge you not to allow this sort of thing to happen again. It really sets a poor precedent for this vacation."

  "I will certainly do my best," said Fowler, "but Thoth Tours doesn't leave any vacationer behind."

  Perry looked around the room, and he was not smiling. A rare event that was becoming a little too common.

  "If I can have everyone's attention now that we're all here," he said. He looked around and his gaze settled on Maurice. "Mr. Gabberdeen, if I can have your attention too please."

  Fowler waited until Maurice slowly walked back under the canopy.

  "These tours," continued Fowler, "work all the better when everyone is considerate of each other. They're more fun, and more friendships are formed. Now, the policy of Thoth Tours as I explained to Lady Pompress," he nodded at her, "is not to leave anyone behind. However, you have all put down a security deposit of one hundred pounds. As you know, if you read your travel agreement with Thoth Tours, this amount is refundable so long as you remain in fulfillment of those conditions. One of which is that you don't cause any delays, and you respect the authority of your guide, who is me. I want this to be a happy vacation for everyone. I'm easy going, and as such, I'll forgive this first indiscretion. However, please accept this as my final warning. If any of you are unable to respect your fellow vacationers and cause us to be delayed again, I'm afraid you will forfeit your security deposit. Am I clear?"

  Perry looked around at the group and he was smiling again. He received a variety of nods.

  "Good," said Lady Pompress. "May we go now?"

  "Indeed. Please gather all of your belongings and get back onto the bus. There is a wonderful meal waiting for you on the boat, and an evening of relaxation which might be exactly what we need after a vigorous first day."

  Fowler made his way to the entrance of the bus. Darius had packed away his stool and was sitting in the driver's seat. Everyone gathered their belongings and made their way onto the bus.

  "Despite the delay caused by the scalawags," said Florence, "I had a thoroughly wonderful time."

  Frances patted her friend’s hand.

  "Me too," she said, as they looked out the window taking in the awe inspiring magnificence of the Giza complex as the sun started to wobble precariously close the horizon.

  Nine

  Dinner which was supposed to start at six thirty upon the Queen Nefertiti, a wooden ship with sails fore and aft, had been delayed to seven p.m.

  The Queen Nefertiti had been christened just two years before, and held twelve double occupancy cabins, as well as the Queen's cabin which took up the width of the aft portion of the ship. It was a traditional Nile cruise ship called a Dahabiya. This cabin had two separate rooms as well as two bathrooms, and was the cabin that Frances had booked for her and Florence.

  Queen Nefertiti was only three stories tall, not counting the deck below the waterline which held the crew's cabins, the kitchen and other necessary rooms for the functioning of the ship. The rooms were located on the main deck just above the waterline, and other than the cabins it held a small room at the bow which contained a small ice maker for those who needed ice for drinks they took in their rooms. On the second deck was the library, dining room and smoking rooms. The top level offered covered lounging areas as well as the captain's cockpit at the bow and a small carpeted area for croquet at the stern.

  "I think we should go for dinner," said Frances, looking at her watch. "It's seven."

  Frances and Florence headed up to the second level for dinner where everyone else was just taking their seats. There were four tables that had place settings for four people, though they could have handled six if needed.

  Frances and Florence took a seat opposite Orpha and Mahulda. At the table across from Florence and Frances sat Nigel, Simon, Lady Pompress and Captain Wainscott. To Frances' right sat Samuel, Maurice, Abigail and Albert. Behind them sat Perry Fowler, and another gentleman by the name of Anton Pung.

  Anton Pung was another one of the tour guides they had met up with at the boat. Anton appeared to be of similar age to Perry. He was just as tall, but clean shaven. He had a mess of curly ginger hair, and his pale oval face was splattered with freckles. He was pleasant enough to look at, but his whole demeanor reminded Frances of a giraffe. Perhaps it was his long neck or long face. Perhaps it was his many freckles, either way that was what came to mind when she first set eyes on him.

  Two waiters were serving the fourteen of them. Frances' and Florence's waiter was a young man named Jafari. The other waiter was named Ishaq. Jafari was a short, slim young man, dressed in white. He was a dark Egyptian with a mole below his left eye and a quick smile and quiet voice.

  Jafari placed white shallow bowls of salad in front of the dinner guests. The salad was comprised of cucumbers, Kalamata olives, red onion and tomatoes. It was dressed in a light olive oil, vinegar dressing. They started in on their salads.

  "I saw you reading Death Comes as the End," said Frances, looking at Mahulda. "Are you enjoying it?"

  Mahulda glanced up shyly at Frances and smiled, keeping her head lowered.

  "Are you enjoying it?"

  "I am," she said. "It takes place in ancient Egypt."

  "I know," said Frances, "I've read it. I'm a very big fan of Agatha Christie's writing."

  "Me too," said Mahulda, smiling at Frances.

  They continued to eat in silence for a while. Jafari came by and cleared away the dishes. A carafe of water was placed in the middle of the table and he kept everyone's glasses full.

  "What brings the two of you to Egypt?" asked Frances.

  Mahulda looked up at her grandmother, and Orpha nodded at her briskly.

  "My grandmother brought me to Egypt, as she thinks I need to become a little more worldly."

  Mahulda looked at her grandmother again. Orpha took a sip of water and looked at Frances with her wet rheumy eyes.

  "Mahulda's mother died when she was four years old. I've raised her ever since. But she's a very shy girl, and I thought a trip to Africa would be something to help her come out of her shell. So far it hasn't happened."

  "I'm sorry to hear that," said Frances, looking at Mahulda. Mahulda smiled a small, fragile smile, soft as butterfly wings. Frances then looked back at Orpha. "That's terribly kind of you."

  Orpha offered a quick thin smile, and cocked her head ever so slightly.

  "I try my best with Mahulda. It's not easy as you can imagine. My husband has been dead several years, so we've only got each other now."

  "I understand," said Frances. "What happened to your father?" she asked, looking back at Mahulda.

&nb
sp; "That's not something we like to talk about," said Orpha.

  Mahulda sat looking down at her empty place setting.

  "That's quite all right," said Frances.

  "What about you two?" asked Orpha. "What brings the two of you to Egypt?"

  Frances looked at Florence. She wanted her friend to tell the story. Florence smiled and nodded at Frances.

  "I've always wanted to come to Egypt ever since I was a young girl. In fact, ever since the two of us were schoolgirl friends. I've always had a great interest in Egyptology, and my dear friend, Frances, decided to surprise me with a trip to Egypt this year. I'm overjoyed as you can imagine."

  "Yes, I imagine it would be something to have someone pay your way on a vacation like this," said Orpha, looking at her granddaughter a little more sternly than was necessary.

  Jafari came by with the main course. It was individual servings of beef pie with a side of green peas and corn with a square of butter melting slowly on top. It smelled warm and comforting and thick. Jafari poured Bordeaux for Frances, Florence and then Orpha. He went over to offer Mahulda some, and she looked at her grandmother who nodded curtly. Jafari poured Mahulda a glass too.

  "Can I be of any further assistance?" asked Jafari, smiling.

  "No, thank you," said Frances. Florence and Orpha shook their heads.

  Frances watched Orpha and Mahulda carefully as she sipped on her Bordeaux. Mahulda and Orpha started on their pies. Mahulda mashed the crust into the steaming pie, and mixed it all in together. Orpha was more surgical with hers, cutting a small piece carefully with her knife and fork. She blew on it from pursed lips before popping it into her mouth.

  Frances tucked into her meal. It was deliciously thick and savory. A very good beef pie. One of the best pies she had tasted in recent memory. She mixed up her peas and corn, making sure they all had kissed the melted butter. She poured some pepper and salt onto her whole meal.

  "Oh my," said Florence, "this is a wonderfully rich and satisfying pie. I can't believe I'm so hungry."

  "One of the best I've tasted in recent memory," said Frances.

  Florence looked over at Orpha. After a small pause, Orpha noticed Florence staring at her. She took another bite of her pie.