Misplaced (94 page)

“I don’t know,”
V
ictoria ans
w
ered.

“Quiet!” Celeste demanded.

I
f
th
e
ligh
t
o
f
fanaticis
m
shinin
g
i
n
Dr
.
Shenouda’
s
e
y
es
mad
e
Khar
a
nervous
,
hi
s
word
s
fille
d
he
r
wit
h
pride
.
His
forcefu
l
presenc
e
loome
d
larg
e
a
s
h
e
asserte
d
that
,
once
again
,
Egypt’
s
stole
n
treasure
s
ha
d
briefl
y
surface
d
i
n
the
Unite
d
States
,
onl
y
t
o
v
anis
h
i
n
th
e
undergroun
d
antiquity
market
.
Shenouda’
s
fac
e
mad
e
clea
r
hi
s
disgust
.
“Whe
n
will
unscrupulous
collectors
understand
these
artifacts
belonged
in
Egypt?” he asked rhetorically.

He
w
ent
on
to
suggest,
smugly,
that
countries
with
so
little
history
of
their
own
could
not
fully
comprehend
the
se
v
erity
of
thes
e
crimes
.
Histor
y
w
a
s
no
t
fo
r
sal
e
a
t
an
y
price
,
an
d
Egyptia
n
artifacts
belonged
to
Egypt.
The
furious
cadence
of
Shenouda’s
voic
e
w
a
s
musi
c
t
o
he
r
ears
,
thoug
h
sh
e
kne
w
bette
r
tha
n
t
o
say
a
word.
V
ictoria
and
Celeste
had
led
her
to
belie
v
e
the
United
States
w
as
among
the
most
po
w
erful
civilizations
of
this
time.
P
erhaps they
w
ere mistaken.

Khara’
s
satisfactio
n
w
a
s
short-li
v
ed
.
A
s
th
e
hea
d
o
f
the
antiquitie
s
counci
l
continue
d
t
o
speak
, a w
a
v
e
o
f
doom
emanate
d
fro
m
th
e
television
.
Th
e
object
s
o
f
thi
s
mos
t
recen
t
in
v
estigatio
n
belonge
d
t
o
a
princes
s
whos
e
nam
e
ha
d
been
lost
to
the
desert
and
the
sands
of
time.
After
digitization
and
carefu
l
stud
y
o
f
th
e
photos
,
th
e
bracelet’
s
engraving
s
and
cartouche
s
re
v
eale
d
the
y
belonge
d
t
o
a
mysteriou
s
princess
,
one
previousl
y
unknown—
a
daughte
r
o
f
P
ep
y
th
e
Second
,
wh
o
ha
d
li
v
e
d
mor
e
tha
n
fou
r
thousan
d
y
ear
s
ago
.
Wha
t
th
e
bracelets
di
d
no
t
tel
l
hi
m
w
a
s
he
r
name
,
bu
t
tha
t
w
a
s
onl
y
a
matte
r
of
time, Shenouda asserted.

He
w
ent
on
to
describe
an
extensi
v
e
search
recently
begun
fo
r
th
e
stole
n
bracelets
.
Th
e
in
v
estigatio
n
woul
d
b
e
relentless
an
d
continu
e
unti
l
th
e
smuggler
s
w
er
e
brough
t
t
o
justice
.
There
w
a
s
nowher
e
t
o
hide
,
h
e
said
,
pointin
g
directl
y
int
o
th
e
camera.
Russia,
Italy,
China,
had
all
volunteered
to
aid
the
effort.
ICE,
a
federa
l
law-enforcemen
t
agenc
y
unde
r
th
e
U
S
Department
o
f
Homelan
d
Security
,
ha
d
pledge
d
t
o
d
o
e
v
erythin
g
i
n
their
po
w
er to return the bracelets to their rightful resting place.
Suddenly
,
Dr
.
Shenouda’
s
e
y
e
s
softene
d
a
s
excitement
replace
d
anger
.
H
e
re
v
eale
d
tha
t
th
e
bracelet
s
ha
d
ne
v
e
r
before
been
catalogued.
To
the
archaeological
world,
this
w
as
a
monumental
and
exciting
puzzle.
The
photo
of
the
bracelets
had
come
to
him
from
a
conscientious
American
Egyptologist
who
,
unfortunately
,
ha
d
bee
n
foun
d
murdered
.
A
t
thi
s
v
ery
moment
,
h
e
continued
,
th
e
polic
e
an
d
arm
y
ha
d
close
d
the
V
alley
of
the
Queens
and,
in
conjunction
with
his
department,
w
ere
scouring
the
desert
for
her
tomb.
Highly
trained
security
staff
had
been
placed
at
e
v
ery
possible
entrance
or
exit
to
the
country.

V
ictori
a
turne
d
t
o
Khara
,
he
r
voic
e
heav
y
wit
h
despair.
“
W
e
’
ll ne
v
er get there now.”