The following morning, Emerson, being Emerson, had decided over coffee on the hotel terrace that he could not wait to get permission from M. Maspero to examine the sculpture himself. However, the four of us arrived at Harun’s establishment to find that the bird had flown—or, as Emerson put it, “gone underground like the rodent he is.” Emerson’s repeated pounding on the locked and bolted door finally produced a terrified youth who must have been told—perhaps by Harun himself, before he fled out the back door—that if Emerson were not admitted he would kick the door in. The youth claimed he had not the least idea where Harun had gone—and that, in fact, he did not know who Harun was or who he himself was.

The head of Nefertiti was not there. The two unfinished sculpted heads were also missing.

“Hell and damnation!” Emerson shouted. “I knew we shouldn’t have left it here. Let us search the place and make certain we haven’t overlooked anything else of importance.”

The boy made good his escape while we were searching the premises, finding nothing of interest. Emerson took out his watch. “We will have to hurry or we will miss the midday train. I believe we have finished here.”

“We have not,” I said. “There are two dilemmas before us, and we can ignore neither of them. I think we can assume that when Morgenstern discovered the Nefertiti sculpture, he immediately took it here to have a copy made. It appears von Raubritter has made no more than a lackadaisical attempt to continue excavating the site, since he has left it idle and unprotected. How can we anticipate what may still await to be uncovered?”

Emerson’s sapphirine orbs glittered as he considered the bountiful possibilities. “True, Peabody. There may be more of Thutmose’s masterpieces beneath the rubble and sand.”

“Yet the site is not secured, and the thieves are gathering like maggots on a carcass. Our men are loyal and trustworthy, but they can be distracted from their vigilance.”

Ramses nodded. “Rumors about the Nefertiti sculpture may have already spread. Unscrupulous dealers from across Europe and America will be booking passage to Egypt and purchasing Nile cruise tickets.”

“Bloody hell!” Emerson thundered with such vehemence that pedestrians in the street stopped to gape. He added several other explicit sentiments that sent them hurrying on their way.

“Therefore,” I continued mildly, “you must return to Amarna posthaste to ensure the integrity of the site. Our second dilemma is here in Cairo. Morgenstern is lurking somewhere in the vicinity, waiting for his precious queen to be returned to his arms. Harun must have been promised an exorbitant amount of money for the copy—or copies—to defy your threatened curses. He is likely to have knowledge of Morgenstern’s whereabouts. This despicable scheme cannot be allowed to succeed.”