I kept scanning the horizon for trouble as we trekked further west but could see nothing but heat shimmers dancing in the distance. It was nearing mid-day and I knew we’d stop soon to rest. But this time there was no convenient oasis to use for shade. Underneath the hat I wore, my hair was soaked from sweat and I didn’t know who smelled worse – the camel I was riding...or me.

Joe was riding alongside of me, his hat pulled down so that the brim nearly blocked his view. He was so still, and relaxed, I wondered if he had actually fallen asleep. I probably shouldn’t be surprised. He can sleep anywhere and pretty much through anything. “Joe?”

“Shh.”

I gave him a look. “Why?”

He gestured with one hand. The water in the bottle he was holding sloshed a bit but none of it spilled. “Watch him.”

I scanned the people ahead of me. “Watch who?”

“Tommy.”

I frowned at Joe but did as he suggested. The man was swaying slightly in the saddle, like he was either exhausted or drunk. “What’s wrong?”

“I’ve been thinking.”

I wanted to say something so bad. He’d left himself wide open for that one but one look at his face told me he was being serious. “What?”

“Yesterday...that punch shouldn’t have knocked him off his feet.”

“Joe, martial arts is usually using your attacker’s momentum against him. That’s why women who are barely five feet tall can fend off a six-foot giant of a man sometimes.”

Joe shook his head, nearly losing his hat in the process. “No. He was breathless, like it had been an effort. I’m just curious, that’s all. He seems like such a health nut, drinking those sports drinks. Remember when Coach tried that with us to bulk up for football? Ugh.”

I remembered. No matter what ‘cool’ flavor Coach Robinson tried, the drinks were downright nasty. “So, what are you saying? He’s sick?”

“Could be. Heat stroke, heat exhaustion...” Joe shrugged, finished off the water in his bottle and stuffed it in a small plastic bag. One thing Dr. Mounir had warned us about was littering the desert.

I thought about it. It was possible for either one to happen to any of us, considering how hot it was out here. I glanced at my brother. “What about you?”

“I know the rules. Breathable cotton, light layers, something for the head...” He grunted rather loudly. “We’ve taken desert survival courses. I haven’t forgotten anything.”

I nodded. “And plenty of fluids.”

Joe grinned at me. “Hungry?”

“We’re about to stop for lunch.”

“Have a chip.”

He tossed me a small green bag and I caught it, stunned. “Joe, where’d you get these?”

“The galley on the yacht. It was stocked with those and corn chips.”

I shook my head. My brother is one of a kind. I tore into the chips and sipped my own bottle of water. Now that Joe had brought it up, I kept an eye on Tommy, wondering if Mr. Universe up ahead was suffering from heat stroke or if it was something else.

Dr. Mounir halted his camel, ordered his men to do something and in a few minutes there was a large open-sided canopy in the desert. We all got under the canopy and the mosquito netting attached to the four open sides was tied shut. Only the camels stayed outside the makeshift shade.

I intentionally got near Samantha and Tommy and noted his face was flushed and he was sweating. He was munching on pretzels and drinking more of the sports drink. I knew from ads that it claimed to be better at rehydration than even water, with added electrolytes and minerals and stuff but I wondered if it was really working. I sank down into the hot sand, already cooling with the canopy blocking the sun. Joe joined me a moment later. “Whew,” he said. “How much further do we have to go?”

I shrugged. “She said it was another day’s ride.”

“Yeah, but half a day, all day? Two halves of a day?”

I gave him a puzzled look. “Wouldn’t that be all day?”

He frowned at me and munched on his chips. “Whatever.” He jerked his head in Tommy’s direction and arched an eyebrow.

“He’s sweating, his face is flushed. If it were heat stroke, he’d have a high fever and dry skin. Heat exhaustion, he’d have low body temp, clammy skin and he probably wouldn’t be eating.”

“Nausea, right. And dizziness.” Joe closed his eyes a moment. “Then you think he’s just tired?”

I sighed. “Could be. We’re all pretty tired with everything that’s happened.” I watched Ahmed start lunch. It looked like we were having some sort of stew and hard crusty bread.

Joe shifted in his spot. “About all that, we still haven’t narrowed our list of suspects down.” He kept his voice low but I noticed just about everyone was nodding off, already.

“True. Suggestions?”

Joe shot me an angry look. “Well, Tommy ranks up there at the top right now. My ribs still hurt.”

“I thought you’d been hit worse in football.”

He kicked sand over my feet. “Too bad I can’t bury you up to your neck.”

I kicked the sand back at him. “You’ve watched that movie way too many times.”

He rolled his eyes. “It’s a good movie.”

“Whatever.” I gestured around at the desert. “Kind of feel like him.”

“If we find an invisible city in the desert, I’m all for heading back home.” Joe shifted again and pulled the hat over his eyes. “Wake me when the food’s ready.”

I sighed and sat there, sipping water, trying to figure out this case. Too many things didn’t add up, I knew. The thief dressed as a mummy, the thwarted theft, someone on this expedition was obviously behind it all...but who?

***

It was late afternoon when we got moving again. I noticed Samantha had a time rousing Tommy, but I didn’t consider it that important because I had an equally difficult time waking Joe. I finally kicked his ankle and he automatically shot a foot out. I dodged it and poked him. “Come on.”

“I’m having a wonderful dream, me and Samantha on a balmy tropical island. Go away.”

“Joe, get up. We’re heading out.”

He shoved his hat back and glared at me. “You could have waited two seconds. I was just kissing her.”

I shook my head. Did I mention my brother was starstruck? This close to a famous pretty model and his brain fizzles. “Joe, come on.”

He muttered something I pretended I didn’t hear him say and got to his feet. Within thirty minutes, Mounir’s men had the canopy folded and stowed and we were on our way once again. I noticed the horizon started to change, looking like low hills rather than flat desert. I remembered bits from the map and realized these must be the dunes marked on the sheet of paper. “Joe...”

“I see ‘em. According to the map, the spot is just past the dunes, to the right.”

I arched an eyebrow at him and he just grinned. We trailed after the rest of the group as we neared the dunes. I watched Tommy chug down another sports drink and then he slowly toppled right off his camel. Samantha let out a scream as she watched him fall. Joe and I hurried to Tommy just as Dr. Mounir shook his head. “Oh dear...I believe the curse has struck again,” he said, his voice low and grave.

I crouched down beside Tommy, noticing he looked very pale now. I touched his neck and found a pulse but it was rapid and shallow. Not a good sign. Dr. Mounir stood over us, looking quite upset. He glanced over me to Samantha. “Ms. Chilton, I am afraid I can no longer allow this to continue. Two men have died needlessly—“

“He’s not dead. His color’s not good and his pulse is fast, but he’s not dead,” I said, standing up.

Joe joined me. “Possible heat exhaustion.”

Samantha looked puzzled. “But Tommy told me those drinks would keep him hydrated. That there was nothing to worry about.” She crouched down beside him and touched his cheek. “I told him I thought water was better.”

I looked down at her and then scanned the group. With Tommy down for the count and the camel driver dead, that didn’t leave too many able-bodied people. Two of Mounir’s men had taken the camel driver and I really didn’t consider Dr. Mounir a reliable ally in a rough and dirty fight if that happened.

I narrowed my eyes as I gave Dr. Mounir another look. Was he behind it? If not, everything seemed to be working in his favor for him to get the glory of discovering the tomb with all this nonsense about the curse at work. I gestured to Tommy. “We need to get him out of the sun and heat and get him cooled down.”

Dr. Mounir merely nodded and shouted to his men to set up camp. His men set up Tommy’s tent first and we helped Samantha get the man inside. Joe gave her instructions on what to do and she nodded, tears streaking her face. I began undoing the laces of his boots. “He’ll be okay, Samantha, but we need to get water and salt in him as well. His potassium levels are dangerously low from the sweating.”

She looked over at me. “I don’t know why you’re really here but I’m glad you are.”

I tugged his boots off. “We’re here to keep you safe.”

Joe and I helped her get Tommy comfortable and situated, and then left the tent. The sun was barely brushing the tops of the dunes and it was still uncomfortably hot. I moved close to Joe. “You sure about the map?”

“Yes. Why?” He looked at me and smirked. “Ahh...”

I frowned. “That’s not what I’m thinking.”

“Right,” he said, not sounding very convinced. “I’ll meet you here after dark then.”

I groaned. “Joe!” I tried not to shout but I couldn’t keep my voice down. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

Joe spun around and started walking backwards, his grin widening. “Yeah, whatever. I’m going to grab a snack from Ahmed.”

I sighed. I had no intention of searching for the tomb on our own. But someone else had seen that map besides Samantha and the camel driver. I had every intention of catching that someone when they tried to find the tomb tonight. I just had to convince Joe that’s what I was implying. Even if this treasure wasn’t cursed, I wanted no part of it.

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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.