Menwi. A Charming Model

Menwi

“Goodness gracious, what have we here? ” Menwi had the accent of a highborn lady—well-bred, cultured, and just the faintest bit amused.

Bedraggled and stinky though I was, I pulled together what dignity I had left, assuming the time-honored pose of Bastet. “Lady Menwi, may I introduce myself? Pharaoh’s Cat, Ra the Mighty, Lord of the Powerful Paw, at your service. ”

(I didn’t mean the “at your service” bit. It’s just what we aristocrats say. )

Menwi’s beady eyes looked me up and down. “Well, whoever you are, you certainly do sound like royalty. I’ve never seen a cat with such elegant bearing—or so covered with mud. Why, you could almost be a royal piglet. ”

Khepri sprang to my side. “Oh, he’s Pharaoh’s Cat all right. He’s just having a bad day. ”

“The worst ever, ” I confided. “I’ve had to crawl through tombs and walk through deserts. I’ve had jackals chasing me and people kicking me. And I haven’t had a thing to eat since I left the palace. ”

“You’re hungry? ” Menwi looked horrified. “Why, that’s dreadful. ” She swung her snout toward her trough. “There’s not much left, but you’re very welcome to it. And…er…your companion as well. ”

“Thanks, ” Khepri said cheerily, “but I’ve already eaten. ”

“I’m not even going to think about that, ” I told him. Nodding politely to Menwi, I said, “I’m honored, but I wouldn’t dream of taking a lady’s food. ” “How polite. ” Menwi regarded me with approval. “But really, it’s more than I can manage. The Scribe is so generous. It’s there for the taking, if you change your mind. ”

“No, no, ” I murmured. “You’re too kind. ” I didn’t want to offend her, not when we were trying to get on her good side, but I wasn’t about to lower myself by eating a pig’s leftovers. I sidled past the trough. If there was any spiced goose in there, I couldn’t tell, given what a reeking jumble it was.

Wait a minute. Was there duck in that mess?

Hmmm, I thought. I do love a bit of roast duck.

“Well, maybe I will have just a taste…” I plunged my head into the trough.

A big mistake. There was roast duck, all right—well past its prime. But it was mixed with moldy melon and rancid gravy. And now that gravy was clinging to my fur.

Choking, I retreated to Menwi’s water dish.

“Such a dainty appetite, ” Menwi said in concern. “Are you sure you’ve had enough? ”

“Urgggh…yes. Thank you. ” I hacked up a bit of duck and batted it away with my paw, hoping she wouldn’t see.

“Well, now that you’ve eaten, do please tell me more about yourself, Ra the Mighty. What brings a royal cat like you to Set Ma’at? ” “I’m here to serve justice, ” I told her.

“We both are, ” Khepri put in.

Together we told Menwi about the tomb robbery.

“So the thieves come from this village? ” With a squelch, Menwi lowered herself to the ground next to me. “It’s shocking that Set Ma’at would be involved in something so disgraceful. But I can’t deny that standards have slipped here. And now tomb robbery…well! It just shows what this world is coming to. ”

“So you’d be willing to help us? ” I said.

She opened her pale lashes wide. “Of course. ”

“Then tell me everything you know against Neferhotep, ” I said.

“Ra, ” Khepri warned, “that’s not the way a Great Detective solves—”

“Neferhotep the goldsmith? ” Menwi interrupted. “He’s a thief if there ever was one. ”

“A thief! ” I repeated. “Did you hear that, Khepri? ”

“Why, he charged the Scribe an absolute fortune for repairing the clasp of a gold collar, ” Menwi went on. “And when the Scribe refused to pay anything but a reasonable fee, Neferhotep said he would get the money out of the Scribe one way or another. He sounded quite threatening. ” She tutted. “I’m afraid he’s not a nice man at all. He actually said”—she lowered her voice—“that I smelled. I’ve heard he has connections with a gang of some sort, too. ”

“Does he? ” I said, excited. “A gang of tomb robbers, maybe? ”

Menwi’s small eyes gleamed. “Quite possibly. ”

“Hmmm. ” Khepri sounded less enthusiastic. “Could I ask if you have any actual evidence, Lady Menwi? Maybe you saw Neferhotep sneaking out of the village last night? ”

“Oh, goodness me, nothing like that, ” Menwi said. “I never pay much attention to the comings and goings of common workers. And I’m always in bed at a reasonable hour. ” With a delicate snort, she added, “A lady needs her beauty sleep, you know. ”

“Of course, ” said Khepri gallantly, but I could see he was disappointed. So was I. There was nothing to prove Neferhotep’s guilt.

“The trouble is, that leaves the field wide open, ” Khepri explained to Menwi. “Anyone from Set Ma’at could have been the robber. ” He began pacing around Menwi’s water trough. “All we know for sure is that someone got into Setnakht’s tomb through the stonework in Thutmose the Second’s abandoned tomb next door. There’s no other way in. And we know it was someone from the village because of the clues we found there. ” “The spiced goose, ” I murmured wisely.

“So I guess that means it’s most likely to be a tomb worker, ” Khepri went on to Menwi, “since they could have explored the place during their breaks. ”

“No, they couldn’t, ” Menwi contradicted him. “The Scribe is careful about that. He has the guards watch the workers very closely. They’re accompanied everywhere—on the path up to the tombs, inside the tombs, everywhere in that whole area. The men aren’t allowed to take breaks alone, and they’re searched every time they leave the building site. Then they’re searched again before they come home to Set Ma’at. ”

I nodded. This much I knew. “It’s a high-security operation, Khepri. ”

“If they’re watched so closely, then how did anyone discover the way into Setnakht’s tomb? ” Khepri wondered. “Because somebody did discover it. We know that for a fact. ”

“What about the thieves who robbed Thutmose the Second’s tomb a few years ago? ” I suggested. “Maybe they found the way in—and came back for more. ”

“No, ” Menwi said slowly, her curly tail spiraling. “That robbery happened two years ago, and I remember the Scribe telling me about it. The thieves were caught that night, with the loot still in their bags, and they only had treasures from Thutmose the Second’s tomb. Nothing else. Besides, they were executed. ”

“Not much chance of them being involved, then, ” Khepri murmured.

“What if Anubis brought them back from the dead? ” My whiskers trembled as the full force of the idea hit me. “Don’t you see? It fits. Dead tomb robbers could slip through anywhere—”

“Don’t be silly, Ra, ” Khepri said. “The tomb was robbed by living people. The scraps we found were fresh, remember? And I’m sure those blocks had been moved. ” He sighed. “We just don’t know who did it. I’m afraid we’re stuck. ”

“Not quite, ” Menwi said.

A Charming Model

“Not quite? ” Khepri repeated.

“Well, the robbers weren’t the only ones who went into Thutmose the Second’s tomb, ” Menwi explained. “The Scribe told me there was a hole in the roof where the thieves got in, so they couldn’t seal it up again. It had to be abandoned. But even though the robbers had tried to burn it to cinders, there were a few bits and pieces that survived the fire. So the Scribe sent a handful of men to retrieve what they could. And since we don’t have extra guards to spare, I suppose it’s possible they weren’t watched as closely as usual. ”

“Aha! ” I was getting excited again. “Who were the men on the clearance crew? ”

Menwi wriggled her snout, as if to jog her memory. “Let me see. The Scribe told me he sent Huya the carpenter and Neferhotep the goldsmith, because there wasn’t much work for them that day on the site. Oh, and Pentu the painter was there, too. ”

Kenamon’s father? I didn’t like the sound of that.

“And were there any others? ” I asked, hoping there were.

One ear flopped over her eye. “No one else. ”

“What about the Scribe? ” Khepri asked. “Didn’t he have to go to Thutmose the Second’s tomb to check on the work? He could have found the way into Setnakht’s tomb then. ”

Menwi stiffened. “Are you implying that my Scribe is a criminal? ”

“No, ” said Khepri, “I was just—”

“Because if I thought that you were, ” Menwi continued, “you would get no further help from me. ” She snorted in indignation. “In fact, I’m inclined to think that this interview is over. ”

Khepri was watching her with a funny look in his eyes. “Really? I think perhaps you—”

“Shhh! ” I hushed him.

He went on. “—protest too—”

What else could I do? I put my paw on him. Very gently.

“—much, ” he finished, but my fur muffled the word.

“My dear lady, ” I said to Menwi as Khepri spluttered, “it is refreshing in this day and age to see such loyalty. But I’m sure my friend Khepri here was merely wondering if perhaps the Scribe might have seen some valuable clues. ”

Soothed back into good nature, Menwi said, “No, everything was in good order. There was no reason to suspect any of them of wrongdoing. But if you ask me, I’d look very carefully at Neferhotep. Did I mention that his uncle was a tomb robber? ”

Another strike against Neferhotep.

“Is he close to his uncle? ” Khepri asked.

“Not anymore. His uncle was executed a long time ago, ” Menwi said. “Maybe ten years back? But that kind of thing does tend to run in the family, you know. Of course, Huya may bear watching, too. He’s been getting too big for his boots lately, and his brother is the Captain of the Guard. Perhaps they’re working together. ” She stifled a yawn. “But you must excuse me now. It’s time for my afternoon nap. ”

A nap sounded good to me. As Menwi trotted daintily toward her shed, it was all I could do not to roll over and fall asleep myself.

Khepri, however, was wide awake. “We need to get to the bottom of this story about Neferhotep’s uncle, Ra. And learn more about Huya and the Captain of the Guard. ” He wriggled up my fur. “Come on! Let’s investigate. ”

“All right, all right. ” I leaped back up to the wall. “But I bet I’d be more efficient if I just had a quick doze. ”

“You want to sleep? ” Khepri chirped in dismay. “Ra, we’re in the middle of an important case. ”

“It wouldn’t take long. ” I skimmed my way along a wall that connected the backs of several houses. “Look at that courtyard there, Khepri. The one with the awning. Talk about a perfect spot for napping. ”

“No, Ra. ”

I jumped down. “But see, it’s so quiet. And it even has a charming model of a temple and tomb—”

“Dirty kitty! ” A small child shrieked behind me. “Dirty kitty! ”

I darted to the left, but it was too late. A whole pack of tiny humans had surrounded me.

I’ve spent enough time with Pharaoh’s children to know what would happen next. Sure enough, the boldest one grabbed me by the middle. It was what he said afterward that surprised me.

“Let’s bury the cat in the tomb! ”

Pharaoh’s Cat never bites children, but I was tempted.

“Put me down! ” I meowed. “Right now! ”

The child lifted up the top of the model tomb and dropped me inside, Khepri still clinging to my head.

“And now we seal the tomb! ” the boy shouted.

The top of the tomb clunked down.

We were trapped.

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