“I cannot say for certain, but his body temperature has fallen a few degrees.” She sank into a chair and nodded at Emerson as he handed her a drink. “What a bl— an awful day this has been for all of us. An awful week, for that matter. I think we should pack up and set sail for Cairo or Luxor—I do not care whether we go north or south.”

“We cannot leave Amarna under these circumstances,” Emerson replied with surprising mildness. Had I made the same suggestion, I would have been treated to a tedious sermon about the site, its history, its significance, its magnificence, its vulnerability, its venerability, and every single discovery since the late eighteenth century, all of which were more than familiar to me. The thought made my eyelids heavy.

“Yes, I realize that,” said Nefret as she reached for a sandwich, “but what are we to do about Aunt Amelia?”

I cleared my throat in a genteel fashion. “Excuse me, but have you forgotten that I am present? I am quite sure that if I pinch myself, I will feel a distinct sensation of pain—as would you, Emerson, were I to pinch you. I may be exhausted, but I am far from feebleminded. If the two of you care to discuss me as if I were a forged copy of Nefertiti, I will retreat to the lounge and begin a new list of suspects. I no longer have my notebook, but I do have stationery.”

Nefret opened her mouth, then closed it.

Tact is not prominent among Emerson’s virtues. “Really, Peabody! All of us are dedicated to protecting you until those abominable Godwin brothers are no longer a threat. I am equally opposed to state-sanctioned executions, but I would be satisfied if they were incarcerated for the rest of their sorry lives. In the meantime, we must come to an agreement.”

I raised my hand to display its palm. “I promise not to leap astride a camel and gallop into the desert without informing you in advance. I will permit Daoud to remain near me whenever I am ashore. Now let us move on to other issues. Did we receive a response from Chief Russell concerning the murder of von Raubritter?”

Emerson was not pleased by my artful endeavor to change the subject, but after a rumble of displeasure he said, “We received a telegram this morning. Von Raubritter entered Egypt on a tourist visa several weeks ago, about the time Herr Morgenstern went to Cairo with the bust of Nefertiti. Russell sent one of his men to the Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft and was informed they had no knowledge of von Raubritter, nor did the German embassy. Authorities in Darmstadt confirmed that he was a resident and had never been arrested or involved in an official police investigation. He lived alone in an apartment, and according to his landlord, paid his rent promptly.”

Nefret feigned a yawn. “Did the police question his pets?”