The Deadly Curse (4 page)

While
Van Helsing and I stood silently gazing at this archaeological treasure trove, Detective Inspector Delland was already busy. He walked towards the back of the cellar, picking his way between the scattered objects and occasionally lighting a match to illuminate a dark corner. Then, peering behind yet another tall packing case, he called out to us sharply.

‘Mr
Harker, Professor! Over here. I’ve found it. What a stroke of luck.’

I
followed the Professor to Delland’s side, half expecting what would be revealed to us. I was not mistaken. There, its eyes wide open and staring upwards, lay a severed human head. Whether or not its expression was that of genuine terror or was simply the result of the brutality performed upon it, I was not qualified to ascertain. One thing was certain: poor Mrs Flinzer would shortly be required to make a most unpleasant identification.

Chapter
3

Later that day, as the dull November afternoon shaded imperceptibly into dusk, I sat in Professor Van Helsing’s comfortable drawing room together with that gentleman and my wife. We had of course told Mina everything about the ghastly events in Islington, which she heard with remarkable calmness. Not for the first time I speculated that our experiences in Transylvania had made her more than usually resilient to such horrors.

Before
Van Helsing and I had taken our leave of Inspector Delland, we had suggested that he call on us at four o’clock, in order to receive Miss Wilton’s expert opinion of the weapon used to decapitate Flinzer. I had made a detailed sketch of the deadly object, as Delland had wished that the sword should remain securely locked in the strongroom. On our way back from Theodore Flinzer’s house, the Professor and I had left a message at University College for Sarah Wilton asking her to join us for afternoon tea.

When
Sarah arrived, Van Helsing told her all about the horrible events at the home of Mr and Mrs Flinzer. She appeared shocked, but perhaps not as surprised as might have been expected. I took out my pocketbook and passed it to her, open at the page of my sketch of the sickle. She studied it for some minutes and placed it on a small side table where Mina, Van Helsing and I could see it.

‘The
provenance of this relic is in no doubt,’ Sarah said. ‘It is an Ancient Egyptian sickle sword, known as a
khopesh
. This particular example is a ceremonial version, used in certain religious rituals and buried with the pharaoh in his tomb so that he could defend himself if attacked by evil spirits. The design on the hilt’ – she leant forward and touched the sketch – ‘is that of a scarab beetle, a powerful talisman intended to attract good luck. Such symbols were never found on the ordinary weapons of this type used for warfare. However, the fact that this
khopesh
is ceremonial does not make it any less deadly. In a well-trained hand it would be capable of inflicting horrible damage – such as the injuries sustained by the corpse you discovered in Theodore Flinzer’s house.’

Mina
picked up my pocketbook to examine the sketch more closely. ‘Tell me Miss Wilton, do you think there are many people alive today who would have expertise in the handling of such a weapon?’ she asked. ‘I assume it’s not been used in warfare for several thousand years.’

As
my wife spoke, I could see both anxiety and indecision in Sarah’s expression. She stared first at the floor, then glanced up at Professor Van Helsing, as if seeking his intervention.

‘Miss
Wilton,’ the Professor said softly, ‘I really think that we must be frank with Mr and Mrs Harker, given what has happened to poor Flinzer.’

Sarah
drew in her breath. ‘You are right, of course, Professor.’ She turned towards Mina and I. ‘I must offer you an apology. I thought that it might be possible to prevent the sale and dispersal of the contents of the tomb without revealing my late father’s concerns, but clearly that is not now possible. I also owe an apology to Professor Van Helsing; he promised to say nothing about my father’s discovery, but I should not have asked him to conceal anything from you both, who I know are his closest friends.’

‘You
are not to blame yourself,’ Van Helsing said. ‘You were acting for the best. However, I now suggest that you tell Jonathan and Mina your father’s story. Inspector Delland is not due to join us for another thirty minutes.’

Sarah
nodded. ‘Very well. Professor, I believe that you still have Sir Edward’s journal?’

Van
Helsing left the room and returned a few moments later with a large leather-bound volume, the size of a ledger-book. Its cover was mottled and faded in patches, as if it had been exposed to extremes of weather.

‘I
have read it, as you requested,’ he said to Sarah. ‘And I believe that you are right to be concerned.’

She
took the book from him, found the page she sought and laid it open upon a low table in front of Mina and I. ‘This is my father’s journal,’ she said. ‘In it he kept a private record of all his archaeological investigations. The relevant entry is here.’

The
confidential
journal
of
Sir
Edward
Wilton
FRS
:
14th
February
1886
,
Valley
of
the
Kings
,
Egypt
.

It
is
now
two
weeks
since
I
and
the
other
members
of
my
expedition
made
our
remarkable
discovery
of
the
Tomb
of
Karnos
II
.
I
have
not
revealed
the
ingenious
method
that
I
used
to
locate
the
entrance
,
although
Dr
Samos
may
suspect
:
he
has
questioned
me
closely
about
the
dirigible
flights
I
undertook
last
month
.
It
will
not
surprise
me
if
I
learn
that
he
,
too
,
intends
to
take
to
the
air
on
his
next
expedition
.

As
the
leader
of
our
party
and
the
most
qualified
to
interpret
the
hieroglyphics
of
the
New
Kingdom
period
,
it
has
fallen
to
me
to
decipher
the
stone
tablet
found
between
the
two
sarcophagi
.
For
the
last
twelve
hours
it
has
lain
here
in
my
tent
,
whilst
I
have
laboured
with
pen
,
ink
and
books
of
reference
to
assist
in
its
interpretation
.

The
troubling
and
unexpected
nature
of
the
inscription
is
not
altogether
a
surprise
to
me
.
It
is
most
unusual
to
find
such
tablets
located
next
to
the
remains
of
the
pharaoh
and
his
queen
,
in
a
place
normally
reserved
for
the
food
and
drink
intended
to
sustain
the
royal
couple
on
their
journey
into
the
afterlife
.
The
tablet’s
positioning
in
this
way
suggested
some
great
importance
is
attached
to
it
–
as
indeed
has
proved
to
be
the
case
.

The
precise
rendering
of
Ancient
Egyptian
writing
into
modern
nineteenth
century
English
is
fraught
with
difficulties
,
and
the
transcription
below
should
be
seen
as
a
mere
approximation
to
the
original
hieroglyphics
,
which
have
a
peculiarly
sinister
import
impossible
to
describe
.

“
Let
any
mortal
who
has
entered
this
holy
place
take
heed
:
here
lie
the
preserved
bodies
of
the
noble
departed
:
the
god
Anubis
,
Lord
of
the
Underworld
and
Protector
of
the
Dead
;
and
the
grave
goods
to
sustain
their
journey
.
All
that
is
within
the
sacred
circle
must
remain
together
forever
,
and
any
who
separate
these
relics
will
be
destroyed
utterly
.”

These
words
are
followed
by
a
succession
of
symbols
that
are
not
capable
of
being
translated
into
words
,
but
which
are
associated
with
the
most
powerful
incantations
used
by
the
priesthood
of
Ancient
Egypt
,
the
potency
of
which
I
have
myself
experienced
.

Fortunately
the
reference
to
the
“
sacred
circle
”
is
very
clear
.
When
we
opened
the
tomb
,
the
centre
of
the
burial
chamber
had
been
demarcated
with
a
circle
of
powdered
green
quartz
,
and
the
most
valuable
items
had
been
placed
within
it
.