Curse of the Pharaoh: A Brock Stone Adventure

“We’ll need to dispose of his body without being spotted. Any suggestions?” He flashed a wink. Alex’s eyes twinkled. He understood.

“Cut him up and take him out inside our luggage? We could feed his bits to the crocodiles. I’ve got a blade attachment in my bag.”

“No!” Ratliff gasped. “I am certain I can be of use to you.”

“Why does Kane want to find the city?”

“He is working with the Germans. They seek to harness the dark powers of the Night Queen.”

“What are his plans?”

“They chartered a boat and will head upriver to Luxor. From there they will head into the Western Desert.”

“What other clues does Kane have?”

“None that he has shared with me. I’m telling the truth.” Sweat dripped down Ratliff’s face.

“All right,” Stone finally said. “We’ll let you live.” At Stone’s words, Ratliff smiled, his shoulder sagged in relief. Stone turned to Alex. “We’ll bind and gag him and leave him in the closet.”

“Won’t they find him when they clean the room?”

“Yes. That’s why you are going to go to the front desk and pay for another night. Leave strict instructions that we are not to be disturbed under any circumstances.”

“You can’t do that,” Ratliff said.

Stone leaned in until they were nose to nose. He cracked his knuckles and stared the man down.

“You arranged for criminals to kidnap the woman I love. Count yourself lucky I don’t take my friend’s suggestion and feed you to the crocs.”

19 The Cruise

The PS Sudan was a 236-foot-long side-wheel steamer with two veranda-lined stacked and a wheelhouse on top. Her elegant cabins and suites featured private bathrooms with hot and cold running water in each cabin. Built in Scotland in 1915, she was first launched on the Nile in 1921 and could cover more than one hundred miles a day traveling upriver. Up to eighty passengers could live in luxury as they cruised upriver past ancient pyramids and other sites of cultural and historical significance.

Trinity and Constance were immediately taken by the ship and its amenities. The ice between Constance and Alex finally thawed, and Trinity pretended the incident at the club had never happened. They spent their days enjoying cool drinks on the veranda and taking in the sights.

As they moved south of Cairo, the desert gave way to patches of green. Water buffalo and cattle grazed along the palm-lined riverbanks. Crops of wheat, alfalfa, and sugar cane reached long, green fingers out into the arid desert landscape. Stone was struck by the contrast between the lush riverbanks and the parched hills in the distance.

“What’s buzzin’, cousin?” Alex plopped down in a wicker chair beside Stone.

“Trying to relax, but I can’t seem to get my mind off Kauketos. We’re nearing the end of the voyage and we still have only a vague idea of where it is.”

Alex scratched his chin with the tip of his hook, frowned thoughtfully. Then his face brightened. “We should ask Professor Wainwright!”

“Who is he?”

“An archaeologist, old fellow. He’s been working in Egypt for decades, even worked under Howard Carter on the Tutankhamun dig. Trinity interviewed him this morning.

Trinity had pitched to her editor the idea of an Egyptian travelog, making the trip at her own expense. With Egyptomania in full swing back home, the editor loved both the idea and the chance to get the annoying “girl” reporter out of his hair for a while.

They found Wainwright seated on the lower veranda, chatting amiably with Trinity and Constance. He was a slender man with thinning white hair. His dapper suit and posh accent made an odd match to his deeply tanned skin. Trinity introduced Stone and Alex, and Wainwright invited the men to join them.

Wainwright was a fount of knowledge about Egypt, particularly the sites along the river. He explained that he took this cruise once a year in memory of his late wife, who had loved these river voyages.

“Last year I met an author, Agatha somebody, who was writing a mystery novel set on board this very ship. She said she might include me as a character.” Wainwright told them.

Stone gradually nudged the conversation in the direction of yet-undiscovered archaeological sites.

“Have you heard of a site called Kauketos?” Stone asked.

Wainwright frowned. “That’s odd. Few have even heard of the place, yet you are the second person this week to ask me about it.”

“Was it a man named Kane?” Stone asked.

“It was a blonde woman named Fischer. Lovely lady.”

Stone exchanged glances with Trinity. Fischer and Kane were two sides of the same coin.

“What did you tell her?”

“Very little, I am afraid. I told her it is associated with the legend of the Night Queen and it is somewhere in the Western Desert.”

“Have you ever seen one of these?” Stone showed him the ushabti.