Day 8 of month Menkhet in Akhet, season of the inundation
The nightly excursions under the wall through the canal had already turned into a treasured ritual for Hori. Tonight he didn’t expect a message from Nakhtmin, but being locked up tormented him. He craved the sense of freedom he experienced outside the walls. Out of habit, he headed for the spot where the rock marked the cranny. Almost there, a noise made him flinch.
A voice whispered, “Hori!”
Blood rushed in his ears; his legs buckled. This time they caught him, and now… Somebody pulled him up, grabbed his elbow and dragged him to a rugged rock wall. Then it dawned on him this couldn’t be guards or the king’s officers since they’d have taken him in a different direction. “Nakhtmin?” He rubbed his eyes in disbelief. “Boy, you sure gave me a start!” He embraced his friend. “It’s good to see you. Working with the dead gets rather lonely.”
Another person emerged from the shadows. “It’s me, Ameny.”
Alarmed, Hori blurted, “What are you two doing here? Did something happen?” He listened to their report spellbound.
When it ended, the priest added, “Nakhtmin thinks something could have happened at the banquet on Nebit’s estate that might help us unmask the killer. Obviously he is to be found in the vizier’s house, and I personally believe it’s your friend Shepses.”
Hori snorted.
“I’m not that sure,” Nakhtmin contradicted. “Shepses isn’t smart enough.”
For a while Hori weighed the information in his heart, then agreed with Nakhtmin. “I loathe the guy, but he’s just a show-off.”
“Mutnofret thought the murderer could be a woman. Might not be as farfetched as it sounds, since a woman could approach the girls more openly than a man even if they knew him. I’ve compiled a list of suspects. We should go through them together and see if someone stands out or can be eliminated.”
Hori found it puzzling how Nakhtmin’s voice had changed when he mentioned Ameny’s daughter. Was there something going on between these two? Oh my, the last thing he needed was mulling over other people’s love life. They had more urgent problems to tackle. Hori admired Nakhtmin’s methodical approach, except it didn’t really help. Shepses or Hotep, Nebit or Sitamun, they all looked suspicious. Everybody had access to the murder weapon, but nobody seemed to have a reason to kill the young women.
Nakhtmin suggested taking a closer look at the vizier’s service staff.
That seemed absurd to Hori. “A servant couldn’t have walked this far into the temple of Amun compound. The royal gardens, where Ankhes perished, would also have been off limits. By the way, did you talk to the family of the fourth girl, Bastet?”
Nakhtmin and the priest looked at each other and groaned simultaneously.
“What? What is it? Did I say something silly?”
Ameny spoke first. “She was the daughter of Thotnakht, senior scribe of the king.”
“Yes, we know that.” Hori still didn’t understand.
“Thotnakht attended your trial, more importantly, he heard what was said in the judges’ chamber.” Nakhtmin sounded excited.
Now, realization dawned on him. “No! No, no, you can’t let Thotnakht in on this. If he finds out about my involvement—I doubt he’ll keep our secret.”
“Oh, come on. You’ve got to understand this might be a perfect way to find out what the vizier knows to have such a hold on the pharaoh.”
“Sure, Nebit would have spread out the king’s misdemeanors in front of everyone,” Hori scoffed. “By the way, there’s someone else you could ask about the discussion among the judges: my father. Don’t you think he’d have objected if something so obvious had been going on between the king and his vizier? I might not rate highly in his esteem, but he wouldn’t have put up with such an injustice.” Burning liquid rose in his throat. The whole trial… What a farce! His head spun. “Please be silent, I’ve got to think,” he hissed and covered his ears while recalling the events and trying to sort them. Finally he looked at the two men sitting opposite him on rocks. The low moon shone on their faces and seemed to cut them in halves, one light, one dark. He took a deep breath. “Ameny is right, that evening could be the key although two of the girls were murdered before. Therefore, I’ll tell you everything I know about it.” In detail, he described his impressions of the vizier’s family. Reaching the point when Nebit retreated, he hesitated and met Nakhtmin’s gaze. His friend shook his head ever so slightly. He too still felt ashamed having witnessed such a scene, so he only sketched his sensing jealousy among the brothers, then moved on to the tragedy unfolding in the tavern, ending with Neferib’s death.
Ameny, hearing the prelude to the brawl for the first time, drew in a sharp breath. “Now I understand your reaction. I would have acted the same way toward Neferib if I’d been there.”
A drawn-out howl rang through the night and made them start.
Hori laughed nervously. “Just a jackal.”
Soon more animals joined in. The priest rubbed his arms as if spooked. “It’s time for us to leave the world of the dead,” he murmured.
Hori sighed. “I wish I could accompany you.”
Nakhtmin hugged him. “I too wish you could come along.”
“Give Mutnofret my regards,” he whispered after the departing figures. On his way back to the high wall of the weryt, Hori chuckled to himself. Nakhtmin and the priest’s daughter—should get interesting.