“I have no idea of what you speak. I am a man of God, not a rabble-rouser. I meet with my fellow Christians to teach them how to lead virtuous lives. I encourage the men to respect their wives and treat them with deference.”

“You supplied them with weapons,” I corrected him coldly, “and trained them while they were unable to think clearly. What puzzles me is how you gained access to that drug from the Merck laboratory in Darmstadt. Surely you were not included in the German ambassador’s entourage. Eric von Raubritter would have described you in his journal, and Liezel Hasenkamp would have told us of your—er—remarkable physical appearance.”

“I fear you have been in the sun too long,” he responded. “Both of you should sit in the shade until you regain your common sense.”

Nefret clenched her fists. “We know that you murdered von Raubritter before he could confide in us about the drug.”

“I adhere to the Ten Commandments, one of which forbids taking the life of another person. ‘Thou shalt not kill,’ to be precise. You have no evidence that I harmed that young man.”

I was unwilling to admit that we lacked any evidence whatsoever. I looked away as I searched my wits for a response. “Oh, but we do,” I said, resorting to mendacity. “Dr. Forth examined his body when it was in the morgue in Minya. She immediately noticed black hairs embedded in the wounds. Von Raubritter had blond hair.” I leaned forward and tugged on his beard until I retrieved a sample. “Black hair like this, Mr. Dullard.”

Nefret, no amateur in the art of fabrication, nodded vigorously. “I took samples of the hair and will send his and yours to the authorities in Cairo. They will compare them under a microscope.”

He began to back away. “I had no choice. Von Raubritter attacked me as I was going to the dig house to make sure that it had not been vandalized during Herr Morgenstern’s absence. I am certain that he intended to steal whatever he could find and sell it on the black market. I had no choice but to defend myself, despite the fact he was much younger.”

“You were twice his size,” I said. “Had your story been true—which it is not—you could have restrained him easily. No, Mr. Dullard, you murdered him to protect yourself from the exposure of your despicable scheme.”

“You may revel in your ludicrous theory if it amuses you,” he retorted shrilly, “but I will not stand here and listen to it! I shall return to Deir el-Mowass to pack my meager belongings and find another Coptic village where I will be regarded as a righteous spokesman for God’s glory. Good day to you, Mrs. Emerson and Dr. Forth.” He turned around and began to trot in the direction of the river.