Morning brought no good news. Tommy was still not improving and I wondered just how many of those drinks had been doctored. Joe had mentioned that the clear caps for the water had been missing as well, yet no one else was suffering any ill effects. It was almost as if someone just wanted Tommy out of the way. “Why?”

Joe looked over at me, sleepily. “Why what?”

“Why single out Tommy?”

Joe shrugged and shoved his food into his mouth. We had gotten to sleep late and were paying for it now. The camp was quiet this morning and only Ahmed looked busy. After a moment, Joe sat back and sighed. “Maybe...he was in the way.”

I started to say something sarcastic back, since that was obvious, of course. Suddenly, I looked over at Joe. “Say that again.”

Joe frowned. “He was in the way?”

I looked around but no one was close enough to hear us. “What if that’s it exactly?”

“And that would be news, how?” Joe gave me a look and I shook my head. Now who was being sarcastic?

I nudged him with my elbow. “We need to walk off breakfast.”

“Yeah, right. I haven’t finished yet.”

I resisted the temptation to drag him away from the food. I got to my feet. “Joe, come on.”

He rolled his eyes and stood up. We wandered to the edge of the camp and started walking. It was already hot but not too unbearable yet. I checked my watch and saw it wasn’t nine o’clock yet. “What if he wasn’t accounted for?”

Joe shaded his eyes with one hand as he stared out to the horizon. “You mean, like someone didn’t know she was bringing a boyfriend?” He cocked his head to one side. “But that someone knew she was bringing in Mounir and Volsky.”

I nodded. “Exactly.”

Joe turned to look at me and I noticed he was uneasy. “You know we fall into that same category as Tommy.”

I took a deep breath. “Yeah.”

“So what now? Have you figured it all out yet? Is it Colonel Mustard in the library with the candlestick?”

I groaned. “Joe, be serious.”

“I am. We’ve got Colonel Mustard, Professor What’s-His-Name, Miss Scarlet...” Joe was ticking off each character with a stretched out finger. “Who’re the other ones?”

I watched Leila exit her tent and walk toward Ahmed. “I need to go talk to Leila. You go check on Tommy.”

“Why? I have no bedside manner, which you’ve said time and time again. Anyway, he doesn’t like me. My ribs are still sore.”

“Joe, just go.”

He grumbled under his breath but went. I headed over to Leila. “We need to talk.”

She stared at me for a long moment and then shook her head. “It would not be wise. Her scarf was wrapped around the lower half of her face. Her long shiny black hair was woven into a braid that hung down her back. She smelled of something spicy.

“It could be life or death.”

She shifted slightly as if looking for something – or someone. “I do not think it is that serious.”

I noticed Ahmed was busy with more food and not too close to us. “What do you know about your boss? Is he honest?”

She frowned at me. “Do not ask me that.”

“Why? Are you afraid he’ll be found out? Are you afraid you’ll get in trouble?”

She shook her head. “Do not ask me what I cannot answer.” She walked away and returned to her tent.

I sighed and headed for our tent. Joe met me at the entrance. I looked over his shoulder at Tommy’s tent. “Well?”

“The same. Samantha’s switched to plain water now, said she won’t give him any more of those sports drinks.” He shook his head. “Too bad you didn’t pack your travel chemistry set.”

“Joe, shut up.”

“Well, then we’d know what the poison was. We’re days away from medical help. We can’t just let the guy die. I mean, he’s a pain, but he doesn’t deserve death.”

I glanced over at Ahmed. “Medical help. Maybe someone has a first-aid kit.”

“I think this is a little more intense than a scraped knee,” said Joe, giving me that look again.

“And a survival med kit would be a little better stocked than a regular one. Come on.”

Joe saw I was heading toward Ahmed. “You go on alone. He plays with knives, remember. Safer over here.”

“I doubt he’s going to skewer you.” When Joe didn’t budge, I went on to talk to Ahmed. He was finishing up breakfast. “Ahmed?”

“Yes?”

I noted he wasn’t startled. Joe had told me about last evening. “I need to know if you have a med kit.”

“Only a personal one. The head of the expedition should have foreseen to bring a survival med kit.”

“Maybe she didn’t know.”

Ahmed sighed rather loudly and then went over to the small cooler. He pulled out a silver packet and brought it too me. “Perhaps it is too late, but syrup of ipecac may induce vomiting. It would clear his system quicker.”

I took the packet and frowned at him. “You seem very well-equipped to be out here.”

“I was born in the desert. I am Egyptian. We survive.”

I glanced over my shoulder to see Dr. Mounir and Dr. Volsky start arguing about something. “What about them?”

Ahmed shook his head. “They are not true Egyptians.”

I pretended to misunderstand. “But Dr. Mounir—“

“He is not a true Egyptian where it counts. He merely wants the honor and prestige of discovering a new tomb. He wants the position that belongs to the director of antiquities.”

“Is finding a new undisturbed tomb really that significant?”

Ahmed’s dark eyes widened. “Things have not changed in the last hundred years. Look at the publicity Tutankhamen engendered. Only a few years ago, the golden mummies. Egypt draws the novice and the expert both into its folds. The world has been fascinated with Egypt for centuries. Nothing has changed.”

“All right. Thanks.”

I turned to go but he grabbed my arm. “There is one thing to overshadow the discovery of a new tomb.”

I waited patiently, listening. He glanced around, apparently to make certain no one was nearby. Finally he turned to me. “Treasure. Treasure is always a more powerful lure than honor.”

I searched his face for a moment and then nodded. “That’s true.” I thanked him again and headed for Tommy’s tent. My stride slowed as I noticed how still things were. Dr. Mounir and Dr. Volsky were no longer outside, arguing. Where had they gone? I ducked into Tommy’s tent and nearly tripped over something. “Samantha?”

I heard a groan but it didn’t sound like Samantha. I crouched down to find Tommy looking up at me, his blue eyes bleary. “Tommy? What’s wrong?”

He groaned again, his eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped down on the sand. I shot to my feet and hurried out of the tent. Something slammed into my head, knocking me face down into the sand. It was the last thing I remember.

***

Something sharp impaled me on my side and I tried to roll away from it. It poked me again and I muttered something. A familiar voice spoke up near my right ear. “Now you know how I felt. It was a really good dream.”

I managed to convince my eyes it was in my best interest to be able to see. But I when I opened them, I noticed that it was just as dark. “Joe?”

“Right beside you. Your right hand man, so to speak.”

I tried to sit up only to find that my hands were tied. “What happened?”

“You’d might be better off asking someone who knows the answer. Someone blindsided me when I headed into our tent.”

I grunted. “So where are we?”

“I wish I knew.” Joe was quiet for a heartbeat. “Then again, maybe I don’t want to know. It could get creepy – or something.”

I shook my head before it dawned on me that he couldn’t see it. “Joe.”

“Hey, you never know. Remind me to not get so excited about exotic locales. I’d rather not be a part of the scenery from now on.”

“I’ll agree with you on that one. Can you untie my hands?”

“Only if you let me play Marco Polo once.”

“Joe, stop it.”

“I’ll say Marco, you say Polo when I touch your hands.”

I couldn’t see his face. It was too dark, but I bet you anything he was grinning. “Marco.”

“Polo.”

I felt hands on my arms and realized he was loosening the rope on my wrists. He fumbled several times and I knew it was because of the awkward angle we were in. Finally, I felt the ropes loosen and fall off. I rubbed my wrists and untied his hands. “If we were in a tomb, I think we’d know it.”

“That doesn’t ease my mind any,” Joe muttered. “Aha!”

To be truthful, that didn’t ease my mind either. “What?”

“I found something. I think it’s my sleeping bag.”

I arched an eyebrow even though I knew he couldn’t see. “Are you sure?”

“It certainly feels like nylon.”

“But why is it so dark in here?”

He didn’t answer but I heard him grunt. I followed the sound and nearly plowed right into him. “Joe?”

“Something’s blocking the tent flap.”

I heard what sounded like a ripping sound and then realized he was trying to undo the zipper. I reached up and felt the roof of the tent and frowned. It clicked a moment later. “Joe! No!”

“Wha—?” He tried to back up and ran into me.

I could hear what sounded like salt being poured but I knew it was much worse. “They piled sand on top of us!”

Joe coughed and gagged and I knew we had to get out. But that meant going through the sand. I wondered how much sand was on top of us. It began to get lighter and I heard a different sound. Joe coughed again and pointed up to where I saw a shovel blade. Suddenly a face appeared. It was Ahmed. “What’s going on?”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, glancing over his shoulder. “I could not free you until they were distracted.”

Now that I could see my brother, I noticed he had a nasty scrape on his temple. Dried blood was caked with sand. I wondered if I looked as bad. Ahmed helped up us out of the sand-covered tent. The sun was high in the sky, nearly past its zenith. I swallowed, suddenly thirsty. “What’s going on? Who are they?”

Ahmed frowned. “The camera crew.”

Joe looked at him, startled. “Theo? He’s behind this?”

I looked toward the sand dunes and nodded. “Of course.”

Joe groaned. “I hate it when you do that. Makes you sound like a genius.”

“I thought we agreed a long time ago that I am.” I grinned at him, more relieved to be free of the tent than I realized. I turned to Ahmed. “Who are you?”

He glanced around and lowered his voice. “Lieutenant Ahmed Hussein, of the Egyptian Special Police.”

Joe narrowed his eyes. “I knew there was something about you...”

Ahmed gave a little bow. “I was aware that it would be difficult to fool you and your brother. According to Captain Ali, you were quite talented, but he wished no harm to come to the sons of Fenton Hardy.”

I thought about it for a moment and sighed. “He kept thinking we were amateurs. We know what we’re doing.”

Ahmed nodded. “And yet even the best can always use a little backup.”

Joe arched an eyebrow and then grinned. “Yeah, that’s true.” He looked from the small area that Ahmed was using as an open-air kitchen. “I need some water. And then we need to take care of business.”

“I agree. Theo faked us out by leaving the map, quite possibly playing on Mounir’s curse theory, just to rattle everyone.” I followed Ahmed and Joe to the box that held the water. It was hot but I didn’t care. It was water.

Joe crouched down and sipped his own bottle of water. “So...” He looked over at me. “What’s the plan?”

I turned to Ahmed. “It depends. Are they all in the tomb already?”

Ahmed nodded. He glanced past us at the open spot between the dunes. I hid in the latrine when I saw Nels waiting for you to come out of Tommy’s tent. I knew if I tried to stop him, we’d all end up buried under the sand.”

I rubbed the sore spot on my skull. “Thanks.”

“Too bad we don’t have a map of the inside of the tomb.”

Ahmed managed a small smile. “I believe I can be of assistance there. Most tombs are laid out the same way. There are stairs leading down to a chamber that only serves as what you might call a foyer. It is usually richly decorated with paintings and reliefs. There is a sealed doorway that will lead to a second chamber, where in most cases all the offerings and items the deceased pharaoh requires in the afterlife are stored. There is another sealed doorway which leads to the burial chamber where the stone vault is located that will hold the pharaoh’s sarcophagus.”

Joe finished off his water. “What about booby traps?”

Ahmed sighed. “That is more the invention of movies than real life. When the construction of the pyramids began, there were measures to protect the pharaoh and his treasure. If you visit the Great Pyramid, you will see where there was a huge stone that was to come down to block the passageway in the event that tomb robbers made it that far.”

I thought about it, trying to visualize as he described it. “So there’s no way into the tomb but one?”

“Usually only one. I am afraid that there may be unsavory things to be found in the tomb. It is not uncommon that the tomb builders would be killed to protect the location of the tomb. If it really is the legendary Menes...well, legend has it he could be brutal.”

Joe cleared his throat and reached for another bottle of water. “So...we’re really going in there, are we?”

I stood up. “Yes we are.”

Let the author know what you think of this story

Home Library Authors Rogue's Gallery Vehicles Chums Message Board Rap Sheet Links Contact

Disclaimer

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The authors have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.