Gary Gygax - Dangerous Journeys 2 - Samarkand Solution (8 page)

"And you, Magister? You have information which you are keeping to yourself. Of that I am certain. I think you wish to gain the credit for solving this case for yourself. That's why you are trying to find out what I have learned."

As with master criminals, good policemen knew when they were being watched or spied upon magickally. Inhetep refrained from using any casting or power to pierce the man's thinking, not even employing his innate "sixth sense." Instead, he assessed Tuhorus' knowledge against what he thought Matiseth Chemres would have told him. "You must be referring to my asking the high priest if he knew what the 'Samarkand Solution' meant."

The homely inspector cocked an eyebrow at Inhetep. "And '...?"

"And nothing. He knew no information regarding that, nor have I any firm idea of what it means—or is meant by it."

"But 'whirlwind,' Utchat-neb, 'whirlwind'! Isn't that another matter?"

Inhetep couldn't refrain from stiffening at that. "I noted that word as a faint thought-impression clinging to Ram-f-amsu's corpse—but I made no mention of it to Matiseth!"

"No. Nor to me, Inhetep!" Tuhorus was scowling at the wizard-priest. "It just so happens that we small-time city investigators have powers of detection to employ, too. The Saa Scarab we use is more highly developed then anyone knows. The same thought-feelings you found by your heka were discovered by the Saa Scarab, You might have mentioned your findings earlier. That you did not points to an inescapable conclusion."

"True. You have reached the wrong conclusion, however, Inspector Tuhorus. Yes, I did omit mention of that particular word, but I did so because I thought it of no significance at this time. If 'whirlwind' became meaningful—other than as a possible impression of what was occurring to the mind of a dying man, I would have shared that information with you." Inhetep was telling the literal truth, omitting his reservations about those from On who were investigating the case. There might be collusion between murderer and police. . . . "You will find mention of the 'Samarkand Solution' here," he told the man as he pushed a sheaf of paper across the table. "Here is my report to date. One copy has been sent to the agency, of course, and I have my own as well, but the third is for you and the metropolitan prefect."

"Perhaps I misjudged you, Magister," the blocky policeman admitted grudgingly. "I'll let you know after reading this," Tuhorus continued, tucking the papers into his tunic. "Anything to add?"

Inhetep shook his smooth-shaven head. "Come on, Tuhorus! This is a most complicated affair, as well you know. The ramifications of it might be unsettling in high places."

"I hate puns," Tuhorus said unsmilingly, "but I concur. The gathering at the governor's palace was unusual to say the least."

Setne couldn't help grinning. He appreciated both the fact that Tuhorus had caught his pun and been irritated by it. Perhaps he could like this fellow! "What do you think, then?" he queried to prompt the man. "Is there a single killer or some conspiracy, Tuhorus?"

The homely face of the inspector was hard as he looked at the ur-kheri-heb. "You may be more honest than I thought, Magister, or Utchat-neb, or whatever you might be called; but that doesn't mean I am happy working with you—if you call it that. There will be a dossier available to you whenever you care to stop in at the investigation section of the prefecture—read it and arrive at whatever conclusions you choose. That's regulation procedure. I do not choose to speculate for you or anyone else meanwhile. And thanks for the supper. See you around, Inhetep."

The priest-wizard actually smiled broadly as the man arose and stumped off to whatever business he was about. Here at least was a dedicated policeman. Tuhorus' suspicions about him were still there, Inhetep knew, but they were honest ones of a professional sort. Inspector Tuhorus was certainly not trying to conduct a cover-up, nor did he really mean to conclude the murder was unsolvable. I wonder, Inhetep speculated, if he suspects that there is royal involvement in Ram-f-amsu's murder. If that's so, then what gives that bulldog the reason for thinking thus?

After settling the hefty bill, Magister Inhetep left the dining room of the Reedfields and strolled outside for a constitutional. He was able to spot the man trailing him quickly, but the wizard-priest went calmly on with his walk, seemingly unaware of being followed. Then, about three streets distant from the posh inn, Setne stepped into a narrow alley, mounted to the rooftops there, and descended again to exit on a street a block away. By taking several more turns and twists and passing between buildings via gangways and going through shops, Inhetep made sure that the policeman assigned to shadow him was hopelessly lost. He had certain matters to look into, and Setne had no intention of allowing

Inspector Tuhorus knowledge of what was of interest to the magister.

The assassin Yakeem s presence in the city and his possible connection to the murder puzzled Inhetep. Hem-neter-tepi Matiseth Chemres, servant of the malign Set, had to be the key. It seemed clear to Inhetep that the high priest had been upset by his presence on the temple grounds. That had had to do with Yakeem and some plot which Ram-f-amsu and Matiseth were both concerned with. The high priest had almost blurted out something in that regard when he had so foolishly hauled Inhetep before the governor. A long talk with Chemres was in order, for the cleric was likely to have vital information. That there was more here than a mysterious killing seemed certain to the magister. If he could discover the whole of what was going on, Inhetep felt certain that the murder could then be solved in due course.

It was a simple matter to find a secluded place and change his appearance through dweomercraeft. Tallish still, but appearing now as a half-cast boatman, Inhetep returned to the Temple of Set. A small cluster of worshippers were just entering the gate as he arrived, so the magister joined them, as if he too were there to participate in the ritual performed at the sixth hour of the night. However, once inside the main building, Inhetep hung back, and as the others went towards the altar and sanctuary, he slipped into a passage leading into a wing which housed the priests' quarters.

The high priest would be required to officiate at the midnight ceremony, so Matiseth would be busy donning his vestments and performing services for some time. Magister Inhetep intended to make use of the opportunity to investigate the man's personal apartment while Chemres was occupied with his duties to the dark deity, Set, and ministering to that one's faithful servants attending the high service. Although he did not know the exact plan of the complex, most religious structures followed a pattern, and it didn't take Inhetep long to bypass the busy areas where priests and under-priests made ready, find the private corridor of the hem-neter-tepi, and pass through Matiseth's locked door. "Taking no chances are you, Chemres?" he murmured to himself as the priest-wizard carefully neutralized the heka-energized locks, warning castings, and magickal traps which guarded the portal.

Anything worthwhile would be concealed carefully, so Inhetep didn't bother with a manual search of the four rooms which were Matiseth's own. Instead, the magister took sufficient time to lay a scaled discovery formula, one which applied the Law of Antipathy. Magick might be hidden from a probe which sought it by sympathetic means, but by finding heka which opposed a probe, Inhetep could locate the secret places so warded. His divining was also multi-pronged. It scanned the spectrum from the simplest to most complex castings using /Erth-related power, then that drawn from more distant planes, and finally into that rarified continuum from whence came the energies used by entities of the highest order.

"Decidedly odd," Inhetep said aloud after completing his inspection of Matiseth Chemres' quarters. He had discovered the usual sort of thing—tomes containing arcana of magickal sort, heka-endowed implements and devices which one would expect a high priest to possess and protect, and a repository of mundane treasures exceeding that which even such a man as Matiseth might be expected to have amassed. The wealth aside, though, Inhetep had discovered nothing incriminating or even enlightening. Then he snapped his fingers and smiled. "You are a sly devil, Chemres," the magister cried softly. "Still, there is a quarter-hour or so, and I'll have you yet!"

There were many papyri, scrolls, and bound volumes there in the hem-neter-tepi's personal library. Inhetep noted a large volume of maps and charts, flipped through it quickly, and then moved on. After examining the works which were obviously those most readily at hand and frequently consulted, he went to the shelves and searched for something more esoteric.
Exploration of the Sudd,
and two matching volumes,
Navigational Charts, Blue Nylle
and
White Nylle,
piqued his interest. These were common enough books, dealing with a subject both so usual as to be unusual and as changeable as the courses of the two rivers they dealt with. Thirty-year-old works kept on hand by the high priest? Most people would have assumed they simply filled space, if they noticed the anomaly at all. Inhetep took the three from their place and began examining each in turn.

It took him only a few minutes to see what each work contained. Inhetep replaced them exactly as they had been, then strode to the high priest's sitting room, which adjoined the library. He had hardly gotten comfortable there before the door opened and the hem-neter-tepi entered. Matiseth's face registered both surprise and anger when he discovered the presence of the priest-wizard there.

"This is an outrage, Inhetep! How dare you break into my suite?"

"I entered through the door, sir. How can you suggest I forced my entry here? Why, Chemres, that would violate the law!"

"We'll see about this," the high priest spat. "Get out!"

"As soon as you have answered a few more questions for me, Chemres. Consider this an official demand."

"You have the power, Inhetep, but not for long. I have friends in the royal household who will see that you're removed from all connection with the Utchatu!"

"Pray, do just that. I would enjoy learning who in Pharaoh's court serves Set." The man paled a little, glared at Inhetep, but then sat down and crossed his legs, resigned to suffer the magister's intrusion. "Much better," Setne said with a smile, which conveyed neither mirth nor friendliness. "I believe you are in some considerable degree of trouble, Hem-neter-tepi, and it will take more than your position as high priest to get you out of it. Are you interested in being cleared of complicity in the death of Ram-f-amsu?"

The cleric shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about, Inhetep. Do you have some charge you'd care to bring against me?"

"No, not at this time. You know what I'm suggesting, though, Chemres. The former governor had far-reaching ambitions, and most of them went well beyond the boundaries of his official territory, the On sepat."

"Mere speculation—although I freely admit to knowledge regarding Prince Ram-f-amsu's desire to make On a center for trade and finance. He sought to better the sepat and all the realm."

"Of course, of course. So the story goes. There's no need for all of that nonsense now. Answer my question: will you give me your full assistance in exchange for a clean slate regarding the prince's assassinations?"

Matiseth Chemres paused to consider. "That depends on what you mean by that, Inhetep. As a noble and ecclesiastic leader of the kingdom, I am always intent upon assisting—"

"Again, man, save that! I must know who

Ram-f-amsu associated with and who was leagued with him in his nefarious schemes."

"That information is unknown to me. I was a counselor and a friend of Prince Ram-f-amsu, Magister Inhetep. The major domo alone can state with certainty just who was visiting the governor's palace regularly and was accorded such status."

The wizard-priest arose. "I think you are making a serious error in judgement, Matiseth Chemres, hem-neter-tepi or no. The murder of a governor isn't going to be swept under a mat, and the investigation will turn up things which will surely be damning to your interests . . . and you personally! One last chance . . ."

"Good night, Magister. I don't think that you, or all the Utchatu, let alone the local police, will be able to discover the cause of poor Ram-f-amsu's death. You call it murder, but who can really say?"

"And the rest?"

"Utter nonsense. Politically motivated lies and baseless accusations—if anything else ever does arise. Speak to the others present on that terrible night, if you wish. They will certainly support what I have said."

Setne tried then to discover the stray thoughts coming from the high priest's mind, but the man was a blank. "You were always overweaning, Chemres. Please remember what I have said to you. The offer of immunity extends for a time yet. I will withdraw it only if you force me to and I have no other option."

"Not that I admit to knowing what you're talking about, Inhetep, but why are you extending yourself so much on my behalf? We serve opposed purposes, adhere to different politics, and have a long-standing dislike for each other."

"Professional courtesy might suffice, but it actually goes beyond that, Matiseth. I am seeking to prevent a schism in AEgypt. I think you can understand that."

"Not at all. I'll have a servant show you out, Magister. Then I am going to write a formal complaint to the government, regarding your behavior." And that ended the interview. In a few minutes, Setne was again outside the temple grounds.