The Mamur Zapt and the Spoils of Egypt by Michael Pearce Page B

Trevelyan is usually a pretty good judge of the public interest,’ said Owen.
    ‘It’s not the public’s time and money that I’m talking about. It’s mine.’
    Parker stood up abruptly, walked out from under the awning and shouted to some workmen who were sitting quietly in the shadow cast by the wall of the temple. Two of them stood up and hurried away.
    ‘Isn’t it time to stop for the day?’ asked Mahmoud.
    They had arrived at Der el Bahari in the late afternoon. The shadows were already creeping out from the cliff. This far south, though, the sun retained its heat till late.
    ‘I’m the judge of that,’ said Parker.
    ‘I was thinking of the legal limits,’ said Mahmoud.
    ‘What damned business is it of yours?’ asked Parker.
    ‘The hours of work will be one of the things I’ll be looking at,’ said Mahmoud.
    Parker turned and faced him.
    ‘Oh, you will, will you?’ he said furiously. ‘Well, who the hell are you?’
    ‘Mahmoud el Zaki. Department of Prosecutions, Ministry of Justice.’
    ‘Really, Mr Trevelyan,’ began Miss Skinner, ‘you shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble—’
    ‘Two of them!’ said Parker disgustedly. ‘Two! They send two people down from Cairo just because of a crazy woman! Haven’t you got anything to do? You haven’t, I suppose.’
    ‘I am afraid you’re under a misapprehension, Mr Parker,’ said Mahmoud quietly. ‘I am not investigating, at present, the circumstances in which Miss Skinner was attacked. I am investigating, for the Department of Prosecutions, the circumstances in which two workmen have died.’
    ‘Oh, oh!’ said Miss Skinner, putting her hand over her mouth. ‘Two!’
    Parker now was giving Mahmoud his full attention. ‘Those were accidents,’ he said. ‘It happens sometimes when you’re digging. Sites are dangerous places.’
    ‘I shall be looking at the circumstances in which the accidents took place,’ said Mahmoud, ‘in order to determine whether there are any questions of criminal liability.’
    ‘I’m an American,’ said Parker. ‘You can’t get me with Egyptian law.’
    Owen saw Mahmoud’s face harden.
    ‘It is true,’ the Egyptian admitted softly, ‘that any prosecution would have to be within the terms of the Capitulations procedure.’
    ‘Well, then—’
    ‘However, that is true only of formal prosecution. There are other things I could recommend. Such as withdrawing your licence to excavate.’
    Parker turned purple.
    ‘You’d better not!’ he said. ‘There are big people behind this. We’re putting real money into this goddamned country and we’re not going to be messed around by clerks from Cairo. As you will damned soon find!’
    Mahmoud rose to his feet.
    ‘Meanwhile,’ he said quietly, ‘I shall carry on with my investigations.’
    He walked over to the circle of workmen, crouched down and began to talk to them.
    Parker watched him in fury for a few moments, then turned on his heel and strode away.
    ‘My!’ said Miss Skinner. ‘My!’
    She sat for a while turning things over in her mind. Then she looked up.
    ‘You know,’ she said, ‘I think I’m glad on the whole that you
did
send for Captain Owen. Two workmen? Two? Yes,’ she said thoughtfully, looking at Paul. ‘Yes, you were quite right.’
     
    Owen woke early, as he did every morning, stood up at once and walked out from under the awning. Over to the east, across the Plain of Thebes, the sun was rising in a great ball of red and orange. The plain, though, was still covered in shadows and it was cold enough, without a jacket, to make him shiver.
    There was a pump not far away with a few workmen clustered round it, washing their faces. They used the water sparingly, letting it trickle into their hands and then spreading it over face, arms and upper body. He went across and joined them, then half filled a mug and began to shave.
    One of the men took the mug silently, walked over to the fire, picked up the kettle and topped up the mug