Read Online Murder Most Egyptological (A Mrs. Xavier Stayton Mystery Book 3) by Robert Colton - Free Book Online
Authors: Robert Colton
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She then startled me by grabbing my hand and tugging me closer to her. “None of us trust them; they’re vultures with sticky fingers.”
“Wilma Smith!” said Dr. Smith quite sternly.
Pulling my hand from hers, I winked and whispered, “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Do just that,” Wilma replied, pleased with herself.
Dr. Smith pointed toward the nearby opening in the ground and said, “I suppose you’d like to take a gander.”
“Oh, yes, Lucy and I would like that very much.”
We started to walk toward the tomb’s opening when Sandy cleared his throat and said, “Righto, if it is all the same to you, Mrs. Stayton, I will be just right out here.”
Noting that there had not been a chuckle on either side of Sandy’s statement, Lucy asked, “Are you fearful of the mummy’s curse?”
Sandy gave a little laugh, and responded, “Truth be told, Ms. Wallace, I am a tad bit claustrophobic.”
Wilma suggested to our guide, “Don’t stay in the sun for too long.”
“Come along,” said Dr. Smith as he took a lantern and handed another to me. “Mind your step; these are steep.”
Just down eight roughly cut steps, we came to the entrance, which was perhaps eight feet high and four feet wide.
Stepping into the shadow of the past, a strange scent assaulted my senses. Spices unknown to me, stale perspiration, and burning oil caused me a bit of nausea.
Lucy noticed that I clapped a white-gloved hand to my mouth and asked, “Are you all right?”
“I am fine.”
Dr. Smith, leading the way into the shaft, called back, “The air isn’t good for you down here, but at least this time of year you don’t have to worry with the heat.”
Well, it felt warm to me. I removed my hand from my mouth and took a slow inhalation through my nose and exhaled slowly through my mouth.
Mrs. Smith remarked, “That’s it, dear, you don’t want to get sick like Arthur did.”
Lucy asked, “Mr. Fox was ill from being in the tomb?”
“I don’t know if it was the tomb, or when he was staying aboard that damn—” Dr. Smith started to say.
“William, not on the Lord’s day!” Mrs. Smith’s piercing voice echoed through the shaft with such intensity, I nearly dropped my lantern.
“Pardon me. What was I saying, uh, yes, on that dahabiya. ”
I wished for just a moment of silence so that I could study the paintings of the tomb. The vivid colors, painted more than three thousand years ago, were fantastic. Hieroglyphics covered the nearly smooth surfaces of the stone all around me. Images of bare-chested maidens toiling for their king caused me to blush, and the image of Anubis welcoming a figure that must have been King Kamose nearly gave me a fright.
The light from the opening was dissipating as the shaft narrowed and descended. When we came to a little chamber, Dr. Smith pointed toward the ceiling. The stone above us was covered in a dazzling blue lacquer, and against this were simple gold stars, depicting the night’s sky.
“Looks like our Heaven and their Heaven weren’t too far off,” said the doctor.
Wilma scoffed, but said nothing more.
My moment of awe was brief, as a noise from the next shaft startled me. A second later I saw a bit of light, and then I heard Professor Kinkaid’s voice.
“Welcome to Kamose’s tomb, Mrs. Stayton,” said Kinkaid with little sincerity.
“Thank you, Professor,” I replied. I had mixed feelings about the gentleman, but standing inside the tomb he had discovered, I was able to put aside my prejudices in regards to his handling of my funds.
“What do you think?” asked the Egyptologist.
“Amazing, simply amazing,” I told him.
Mrs. Smith gave a harrumph and said, “Well, you’ve seen the best of it.”
“How is that?” asked Lucy.
Professor Kinkaid explained, “Kamose was an old man when
“Wilma Smith!” said Dr. Smith quite sternly.
Pulling my hand from hers, I winked and whispered, “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Do just that,” Wilma replied, pleased with herself.
Dr. Smith pointed toward the nearby opening in the ground and said, “I suppose you’d like to take a gander.”
“Oh, yes, Lucy and I would like that very much.”
We started to walk toward the tomb’s opening when Sandy cleared his throat and said, “Righto, if it is all the same to you, Mrs. Stayton, I will be just right out here.”
Noting that there had not been a chuckle on either side of Sandy’s statement, Lucy asked, “Are you fearful of the mummy’s curse?”
Sandy gave a little laugh, and responded, “Truth be told, Ms. Wallace, I am a tad bit claustrophobic.”
Wilma suggested to our guide, “Don’t stay in the sun for too long.”
“Come along,” said Dr. Smith as he took a lantern and handed another to me. “Mind your step; these are steep.”
Just down eight roughly cut steps, we came to the entrance, which was perhaps eight feet high and four feet wide.
Stepping into the shadow of the past, a strange scent assaulted my senses. Spices unknown to me, stale perspiration, and burning oil caused me a bit of nausea.
Lucy noticed that I clapped a white-gloved hand to my mouth and asked, “Are you all right?”
“I am fine.”
Dr. Smith, leading the way into the shaft, called back, “The air isn’t good for you down here, but at least this time of year you don’t have to worry with the heat.”
Well, it felt warm to me. I removed my hand from my mouth and took a slow inhalation through my nose and exhaled slowly through my mouth.
Mrs. Smith remarked, “That’s it, dear, you don’t want to get sick like Arthur did.”
Lucy asked, “Mr. Fox was ill from being in the tomb?”
“I don’t know if it was the tomb, or when he was staying aboard that damn—” Dr. Smith started to say.
“William, not on the Lord’s day!” Mrs. Smith’s piercing voice echoed through the shaft with such intensity, I nearly dropped my lantern.
“Pardon me. What was I saying, uh, yes, on that dahabiya. ”
I wished for just a moment of silence so that I could study the paintings of the tomb. The vivid colors, painted more than three thousand years ago, were fantastic. Hieroglyphics covered the nearly smooth surfaces of the stone all around me. Images of bare-chested maidens toiling for their king caused me to blush, and the image of Anubis welcoming a figure that must have been King Kamose nearly gave me a fright.
The light from the opening was dissipating as the shaft narrowed and descended. When we came to a little chamber, Dr. Smith pointed toward the ceiling. The stone above us was covered in a dazzling blue lacquer, and against this were simple gold stars, depicting the night’s sky.
“Looks like our Heaven and their Heaven weren’t too far off,” said the doctor.
Wilma scoffed, but said nothing more.
My moment of awe was brief, as a noise from the next shaft startled me. A second later I saw a bit of light, and then I heard Professor Kinkaid’s voice.
“Welcome to Kamose’s tomb, Mrs. Stayton,” said Kinkaid with little sincerity.
“Thank you, Professor,” I replied. I had mixed feelings about the gentleman, but standing inside the tomb he had discovered, I was able to put aside my prejudices in regards to his handling of my funds.
“What do you think?” asked the Egyptologist.
“Amazing, simply amazing,” I told him.
Mrs. Smith gave a harrumph and said, “Well, you’ve seen the best of it.”
“How is that?” asked Lucy.
Professor Kinkaid explained, “Kamose was an old man when
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