Chapter 3: Murder in Cairo

Patty ran the wet sponge down over Jane's breasts and belly before moving it back to the basin and soaking it in the soapy water again. She retrieved her lady's comb and stepped so close her erect fairer rosy nipples pressed against Jane's darker and longer nipples. Jane had already soaked her hair and Patty let the comb glide through Jane's long wet hair, finding few tangles to unsnarl. "All clean then," said Patty, looking on her mistress with approval.

"Thank you Patty," said Jane. "Turn around and I'll get your back for you."

Patty lifted her wet red hair up off her shoulders while Jane ran to soapy sponge down her back and over the outward curve of her buttocks. Their relationship hadn't started out this intimate, with mistress washing servant, but as their friendship grew, they become more like sisters then Lady and Lady's Maid. Of course, Jane Stalwart had no compunctions against getting down and dirty. She preferred doing everything herself and hadn't even wanted a Lady's Maid except that her father had insisted upon it for decorum's sake.

There was a loud knock on the door.

"Yes," called Jane.

"A Professor Al Arash is waiting your pleasure in the dining room, Miss Stalwart," came the voice of the porter through the door.

"Please tell the Professor we will be down momentarily," she yelled back.

"Very good madam," he replied.

The women dressed themselves. Jane dressed to travel in black trousers and boots. She wore a white front buttoned blouse, a little low cut for conservative Egypt. Gaps between the buttons gave glimpses of her lovely white skin. She tied her hair back and put her bag on her belt, including her pistol for protection. Patty could never be convinced that wearing pants wasn't sinful and wore a lacy green dress and hat that flattered her red hair and pale complexion. She included her umbrella. Oddly, the servant's clothing was usually more expensive then her employer's which Jane always found amusing and many people she met assumed Patty was Lady Stalwart. Their bags were already packed and the hotel would see them delivered to the air field.

"Surely, two goddesses returned to life," said Omar standing when the two women arrived at the breakfast table. Jane nodded at the compliment while Patty blushed and curtsied. "I chartered a "tin goose" to Istanbul, but the only flight leaves in two hours."

"Thank you Omar," said Jane. There was some bread and jam already on the table as well as a bowl of dates. "That shouldn't be a problem." Jane retrieved some bread and spread some jam on it. The waiter approached and Jane looked up, "I'll have the ful medames with tomatoes."

"I'll have the same, but no tomatoes," added Patty.

Their breakfast arrived swiftly and the two women ate while Omar Al Arash regaled Jane with tales of Omar's adventures with Sir John Stalwart. The two adventurer archaeologists had traveled all over Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Hearing her father's version of the same stories had made up Jane's mind for her. Despite being a woman, she wanted to have her own adventures.

"May we visit the souk before we leave?" asked Patty. "There was a vase I wanted to purchase."

"Actually, we can walk to the air field through the Khan el-Khalili. It would be good to stretch our legs before the flight," said Jane, standing up from the table. "And you know Patty, that those vases are just knock offs for the tourists."

"Aye, but me ma and da don't know that," said Patty with a smile. "I'm the only O'Toole to leave Ireland that wasn't fighting in some war for the empire."

"Do you have the COCK, professor?" asked Jane.

"Yes, Of course," replied Omar. He picked up a bag which held the COCK of Osiris in it's box. He clutched the bag to his chest. "I think I'll accompany you to the air field. I'll hold on to it until then."

"You seem reluctant to let it go, Omar," said Jane.

"Of course, it's the discovery of a lifetime," said Omar, sadly. "But it needs to get out of Egypt."

The three exited the Grand Continental. Patty opened her umbrella as soon as they left the shadow of the awning. It was a short walk to the souk, Cairo's fabled Khan el-Khalili marketplace. The souk was huge and filled with almost any type of food or goods one could imagine. Patty found the peddler of clay jars painted with hieroglyphics and selected one she liked, haggling the seller down to half his asking price and seemed proud of herself though Jane knew he would have sold it for a quarter of the price. They turned to leave the vendor when a collective gasp rose from voices in the crowded market.

A man had appeared at one end of the market. The man was a figure from the time of myth. He wore a white Egyptian skirt and tunic that left his arms bare. Arms that bulged with muscles and were as black as the darkest sub-Saharan negro. His face was hidden behind a Set mask. Unlike the other gods, the head of Set was unidentifiable and Egyptologists referred to it as a Set animal. It was black with a large snout and big ears, part jackal and part aardvark.

"It's HIM!" gasped Omar with genuine fright.

Jane's eyes took in dark robed figures working their way around the edges of the crowd trying to surround them. The men wore turbans and had most of their faces covered. Each held drawn Khopesh sickle-swords in their hands. "Patricia, your umbrella if you please," ordered Jane. Patty was too distracted by the strange man's appearance to realize their danger and just absentmindedly handed Jane her umbrella. Jane lowered the canopy and reversed the umbrella so that the hook end was sticking out. "Professor, please enlighten me."

"His name is AKET! The high priest of a Set cult and the reason I wanted to get the COCK out of Egypt before he found out I'd discovered it. How did he find out?"

To answer the professor's question, Aket held up one muscular arm and lowered it, pointing his finger at Omar. As he did, he turned sideways and a short brown skinned Egyptian appeared by his side, a multi-bladed throwing dagger in his hand. The short man grinned evilly at the group.

"HASSAN!" hissed the professor.

"Follow me," said Jane Stalwart calmly. She turned and started running past some market stalls when the first cultist was upon them. He ignored her and went for the professor stabbing forwards with his Khopesh and gazing at Jane with disbelief when she used the umbrella to parry his sword. His eyes grew even wider when she grabbed his wrist and flipped him over, while reversing the umbrella in her hand and bringing the heavy wooden hilt handle down hard on his head.

Patty gasped and the professor grabbed her wrist pulling her past Jane. A second cultist was almost upon them. Jane turned and ran from the man, the hook of the umbrella catching on the leg of a table filled with dates. "My apologies," she shouted at the angry merchant as the display fell spilling dates across the ground. The cultist slipped in the dates and fell on his buttocks. "Patty, your jar if you please." Patty reluctantly handed it over and Jane shattered the jar over the fallen cultist's head. She looked up and saw the giant form of Aket striding towards her, shoving anyone who got in his way aside. Jane turned around and yelled for Omar and Patty to hurry. A cultist had caught up with them. The professor was gallantly shielding Patty behind him using his bag to block the thrusts of the cultist's sword. Another thrust and the sword seemed to stick in the bag, caught in the priceless ancient box containing the COCK. He tugged hard and just as his sword came free, the hook of the umbrella came around his neck and Jane roughly yanked him backward, kicking him in the head as he came down.