“I’m afraid I haven’t” I told them truthfully. “But I’m not finished yet”. We sat and talked for a while and I asked them about the missing dagger and collar. “Are they very valuable?” I inquired. “Yes, we believe so” said Pili. “They are certainly very old and the jewels are very fine specimens. We could understand if someone had kidnapped Yasmeen to obtain them, but if my father took them with him, why have they not both returned safely to us?” I shook my head – I couldn’t answer.
I caught a taxi to the Marriott Hotel, where John had booked a table for us in the beautiful gardens overlooking the pool. He had chosen a table away from other guests where we could talk without being overheard. It brought back memories of my time there with Kareem and I found myself blinking away the tears.
Over dinner I told John all that I knew. “I sensed there was something she wasn’t telling me” he said. “It is not impossible of course – it is well known that there are many more tombs yet to be discovered and every few years a new one is uncovered. What Mr Ahmose and his father have done in keeping the whereabouts of this one a secret is highly commendable and not many would have done the same thing in their shoes. Whether his father’s friend died without telling another living soul is something we cannot be sure about.”
I toyed with my very rich chocolate and fresh cream dessert. “I just don’t know what to do with this information” I said eventually, licking some of the ice-cream off the spoon.
John was quiet for a while. Then he reached across the table and took my hand in his. “If you want to know what I really think…….” he said. “Go on” I encouraged him. “Well,” he said slowly “I think you should go home to Australia . Go back to your job and your friends and if anything comes up here I will let you know straight away. But” he went on carefully “I think you also have to accept that Kareem is probably dead and his brother also”.
I gave an involuntary gasp. John had vocalised what I had been thinking subconsciously for some time. It seemed the logical answer but I wasn’t ready to accept it. Surely Kareem couldn’t be dead, not after we had just found each other. “Many tourists disappear in Egypt every year” John continued. “The death rate from murders by cab drivers and locals for money and passports is quite high and many of
them are never solved. The Australian Embassy does its best in these cases and has a higher success rate than many countries, but a large number are never resolved.”
I pulled back my hand. I had to admit that John was a very attractive man and it seemed that he was quite interested in me, other than as an Australian citizen or even a friend. But I was not prepared to believe that Kareem was dead and the thought of being involved with anyone else had not crossed my mind.
“Thank you for a lovely dinner” I said as I made a move to leave. “It has been great to see you again and I really appreciate your interest in my problems. You are a very good friend. I will go back to Waleed’s now and return to Luxor tomorrow and decide what to do next”.
John, as always, was a perfect gentleman and insisted on walking me back to the Ahmose house. I knew as he left me he wanted to kiss me but I pulled back quickly before he could make his move. “Thank you John” I said quickly as I knocked on the door. “Goodbye for now Anna” he replied. “Don’t forget I’m here for you if you need anything”. With that he turned and was gone and Waleed opened the door and I joined her for coffee before going to bed.
It was not the best night’s sleep. I tossed and turned and had brief nightmares that woke me up but which I couldn’t remember and I was relieved when it was finally time to rise.
Waleed pulled me to one side after
I caught a taxi to the Marriott Hotel, where John had booked a table for us in the beautiful gardens overlooking the pool. He had chosen a table away from other guests where we could talk without being overheard. It brought back memories of my time there with Kareem and I found myself blinking away the tears.
Over dinner I told John all that I knew. “I sensed there was something she wasn’t telling me” he said. “It is not impossible of course – it is well known that there are many more tombs yet to be discovered and every few years a new one is uncovered. What Mr Ahmose and his father have done in keeping the whereabouts of this one a secret is highly commendable and not many would have done the same thing in their shoes. Whether his father’s friend died without telling another living soul is something we cannot be sure about.”
I toyed with my very rich chocolate and fresh cream dessert. “I just don’t know what to do with this information” I said eventually, licking some of the ice-cream off the spoon.
John was quiet for a while. Then he reached across the table and took my hand in his. “If you want to know what I really think…….” he said. “Go on” I encouraged him. “Well,” he said slowly “I think you should go home to Australia . Go back to your job and your friends and if anything comes up here I will let you know straight away. But” he went on carefully “I think you also have to accept that Kareem is probably dead and his brother also”.
I gave an involuntary gasp. John had vocalised what I had been thinking subconsciously for some time. It seemed the logical answer but I wasn’t ready to accept it. Surely Kareem couldn’t be dead, not after we had just found each other. “Many tourists disappear in Egypt every year” John continued. “The death rate from murders by cab drivers and locals for money and passports is quite high and many of
them are never solved. The Australian Embassy does its best in these cases and has a higher success rate than many countries, but a large number are never resolved.”
I pulled back my hand. I had to admit that John was a very attractive man and it seemed that he was quite interested in me, other than as an Australian citizen or even a friend. But I was not prepared to believe that Kareem was dead and the thought of being involved with anyone else had not crossed my mind.
“Thank you for a lovely dinner” I said as I made a move to leave. “It has been great to see you again and I really appreciate your interest in my problems. You are a very good friend. I will go back to Waleed’s now and return to Luxor tomorrow and decide what to do next”.
John, as always, was a perfect gentleman and insisted on walking me back to the Ahmose house. I knew as he left me he wanted to kiss me but I pulled back quickly before he could make his move. “Thank you John” I said quickly as I knocked on the door. “Goodbye for now Anna” he replied. “Don’t forget I’m here for you if you need anything”. With that he turned and was gone and Waleed opened the door and I joined her for coffee before going to bed.
It was not the best night’s sleep. I tossed and turned and had brief nightmares that woke me up but which I couldn’t remember and I was relieved when it was finally time to rise.
Waleed pulled me to one side after
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