Missing in Egypt (19 page)

I think now you should report it to the authorities in
Cairo
.
 
They can then interview this Gahiji and maybe find so
mething out about Ramy, Yasmeen and
Masud. The fact that Egyptian treasures could be involved will certainly cause the authorities to take the search more seriously.
”
 
“The authorities don’t seem to be getting anywhere” Kareem responded.
 
“I just don’t know if we should go to them or just pursue Gahiji ourselves.”
 
“You know I can’t advise you to do that, in my official capacity” replied John.
 
“However, I wouldn’t anyway.
 
You were very lucky to escape this time, you may not be so lucky again if you go stirring things up.
 
I think you should relocate to
Cairo
where you will be harder to find.
 
Once you put in a report about Gahiji I can then approach them in my official capacity and exert more pressure on them to find out what Gahiji knows about your brother”.

By the time John left, it was settled.
 
Kareem and I would return to
Cairo
tomorrow and lodge a complaint.

The next day we bade Hamidi farewell and thanked him for all his help.
 
He was sorry to see us go but assumed we were returning to
Australia
.
 
‘Have a good trip” he said as we climbed into the taxi.
 
We booked into a small hotel in
Cairo
recommended by John and then made our way to the police station.
 
A couple of hours later our story had been told, questions had been asked and we returned to our hotel, not at all confident that anything would come of it.

Some time later the police came to our hotel.
 
“You are required to come with us” they said.
 
“The Ministry officials want to talk to you.”
 
Feeling we were not being given any choice, we went out to their car and were whisked away to a large, old building in the centre of
Cairo
.
 
Here we were interviewed separately and at some length. When we were finally put in a car and returned to our hotel we felt more like criminals than victims.

It was now time to ring my boss and try to explain why I was still in
Egypt
.
 
However, he was not in any frame of mind to listen.
 
“I need you here, Anna.
 
You have been gone far too long and I can’t manage without you any longer.
 
It is time you returned to your job”.
 
I put the phone down somewhat disheartened.
 
 
Part of me was ready to go home, I had to admit, but the other part wanted to support Kareem and to stay until we found out what had happened to the others.
 
Reluctantly I told Kareem about my conversation with Jim.
 
“You must go, Anna” he said immediately.
 
“I don’t know how much longer I can stay myself.
 
Your job is important and Jim has been very patient.
 
Besides, it is dangerous for you here now.
 
Much as I want you to stay with me, I know it is time for you to go back to
Australia
”.

So it was decided, I would return to
Australia
and my job and leave Kareem to continue the search for his brother, at least for a while longer.

Before I left I went to visit Mrs Ahmose again and I took Kareem with me. She welcomed us warmly and was anxious to hear our news.
 
Pili and Omar sat with us as we told them about finding the tomb and being blocked in.
 
I told them my theory that Masud had led the tomb robbers to the secret tomb to save Yasmeen’s life.
 
Kareem showed her Ramy’s St Christopher, which he now wore around his neck all the time and told her how he had found it in the tomb.
 
“We know he was alive up to that point, and hopefully Masud and Yasmeen also.
 
Unfortunately, we still have no idea what has happened since.”
 
Mrs Ahmose was amazed to hear about the secret tomb and, for Pili and Omar, it was the first they had heard of it.
 
“I can’t believe you never told us” said Omar.
 
“Your father never wanted you to know.
 
He said it was better that way – he was convinced there was a curse on it and this way there was no temptation.
 
In fact we had never spoken of it again from that day – I had forgotten it even existed.”

I explained that I must now return to my job in
Australia
but that Kareem would stay on in
Egypt
a bit longer to look for them and he promised to keep in touch.

But before I left
Egypt
there was one more thing I wanted to do – visit the Pyramids.
 
How could I leave without seeing them?
 
They are one of the
Seven Wonders of the World
and the only one still surviving. Kareem and I headed out early the next morning to try and beat some of the tourist buses.
 
As we approached in the taxi the pyramids appeared in front of us, above the road.
 
A
lone camel was standing in front of the pyramid closest to us, high above our heads, with his rider hunched over, almost asleep in the saddle.
 
I quickly took a photo as we slowed down around the bend – to me that picture epitomised
Egypt
as I had imagined it before leaving
Australia
.

The carpark where the taxi stopped was enormous.
 
Already several coaches were parked there and it was obvious that later in the day it would be packed.
 
We walked across to the Khufu, or Great Pyramid and I was amazed at the size of it.
 
Nothing can prepare you for the enormity of the pyramids – all the photos I had seen, the programmes on TV, none of them had conveyed the size of these icons.
 
As we drew closer it seemed to become even more impressive.
 
I took Kareem’s photo with him standing in front of one of the stones – he only came up to about 2/3 of the height of it.
 
We climbed up a few but there didn’t seem much point in going any higher.
 
“It is 137 metr
es high” Kareem informed me.
 
Instead we clambered back down and walked around to the other large pyramids. “Originally the pyramids were covered in limestone.
 
Look at that one over there” he pointed to the pyramid of Kafre “It still has its limestone peak, even though the limestone has fallen from the rest of it.”
 
In the distance we could also see smaller pyramids, which apparently were built for wives and daughters of the Pharaohs.
 
We had the option of climbing up to the doorway of the pyramid of Khufu and going inside.
 
However, the thought of a very low, narrow tunnel after what we had just been through gave me goosebumps.
 
Instead we went into the Museum of the Solar boat, next to the pyramid of Khufu.
 
It housed a huge wooden boat, some 43 metres long.
 
This boat had been found buried in 1,224 pieces alongside the pyramid, together with seven pairs of oars. It was to take the Pharaoh to the afterlife and all the parts had been carefully placed in a huge pit for his use.
 
It had taken ten years to assemble. I chuckled to myself imagining the Pharaoh trying to assemble it by himself!

All around us were camels and even horses for hire with the touters making a real nuisance of themselves, offering free photos on their camel, a cheap ride, a special experience.
 
In reality, once a tourist took them up on their offer they were bullied into parting with a lot more money – either to do the return trip of even just to get off the camel.
 
Not too many people will jump off a camel that is still standing..

We went across for a close-up look at the Sphinx.
 
It was such a pity, I thought, that the nose had been blown off.
 
It was still magnificent though.
 
“It is believed that King Tuthmosis IV had a dream in which the Sphinx offered him the Double Crown of Egypt if he would dig him out of the sand which had covered him – and that is

exactly what happened.” Kareem informed me.
 
From the Sphinx I couldn’t help but notice how close civilisation had come to these great monuments.
 
“Once there was a tree-lined boulevard leading up to the pyramids” Kareem continued.
 
“Now the shops are built nearly up to the Sphinx and the city seems to come right to its door”.
 
I looked around – across to
the pyramids there was just des
ert.
 
To the front and right of the Sphinx were shops and a road.
 
It seemed quite incongruous.

For me though, nothing could detract from the grandeur and uniqueness of the Sphinx and the pyramids.
 
It had been a dream come true to visit them and to see the true spirit of
Egypt
.

Before I left the next day, we called in to see John Turner at the Embassy.
 
He told us that the authorities had picked up Gahiji and interviewed him. If he was surprised to hear that Kareem and I were alive, apparently he did not show it.
 
He vehemently denied all knowledge of the tomb, of us, our entombment or of Ramy, Yasmeen and Masud.
 
John assured me that the authorities and the police would continue to keep an eye on him and to check out anyone he contacted.

3.
Back in
Australia

In the time I had been away a lot had happened.
 
The leadership spill had taken place, as predicted, and Paul Keating was now the new PM.
 
It was December 1991 and an election was not due until 1993. I always dreaded election times and was hoping it would not be called early.
 
I also hoped it would be a short time between the calling of the election and the election date. It was always total chaos the minute the election was announced and long campaigns are hard on everyone.
 
Jim would want to write to every constituent, help some of the other local candidates in marginal seats and every constituent with a problem would decide this was the right time to ask for help.
 
 
 
Fortunately Jim’s seat was fairly blue-ribbon but he was a stickler for doing the work to give himself every opportunity of being re-elected.
 
I was rather pleased about that though, because if he lost his seat, I was out of work too.

My friend Sandra rang to tell me she was getting divorced.
 
I wasn’t surprised as I knew she had been unhappy for quite a long time but naturally she was very upset and I was glad to be around to give her some time and support.
 
Sandra and I had been friends for years – we met when we worked for the same company – and she stayed over for a couple of nights.
 
We talked until late, drank too much wine, laughed and cried, as best friends do.
 
I told her more of my adventure in
Egypt
which helped to take her mind off her own problems for a while.
 

It soon felt as if my time in
Egypt
had been a dream – or, rather, a nightmare.
 
I missed Kareem but catching up on my work after being away took up most of my

time.
 
He rang me every few days but the line was usually dreadful and the calls were short.
 
I also heard from John Turner – he could fax me direct from the Embassy and he sent me brief updates.
 
The police had interviewed Gahiji again but had not been able to get anything more out of him. We were certain he was not innocent so we could only assume he was very scared of the people he was involved with as he would not give up their names.

Then one evening when I was working late the phone rang and it was John.
 
“How lovely to hear from you, John”.
 
“How are you Anna?” he asked.
 
‘I’m fine” I replied “working all hours but otherwise good”.
 
“Anna, this is not a social call I’m afraid.
 
I’m sorry to bring you such bad news.
 
There is no easy way to tell you this.
 
Its Kareem, Anna, he’s been found dead”.