by Lana Axe
“Got you!” she shouted.
But the mummy didn’t mind one bit. It slowly extended its arms and pushed itself to an upright position. Emmit watched, astonished. It pushed past Cali like she wasn’t there and proceeded to crash into a table full of confections. With what appeared to be bits of taffy stuck to its wrappings, it stumbled along, eventually crashing through the shop’s front window.
“It doesn’t even know we’re here!” Cali shouted. This didn’t make any sense. Why wouldn’t it try to defend itself?
Cries of terror erupted in the streets. Cali sighed and pounced through the broken window. She watched as the creature clambered across the street, nearing a group of shrieking humans. Fearing for their safety, Cali sprang into action. Racing toward the mummy, she tackled it again, tugging at its wrappings with her teeth.
That was all the onlookers could take. They ran screaming through the streets, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the mummy as possible.
Unfazed by Cali’s attack, the mummy once again took to its feet. Holding fast to its back, Cali refused to let go. It stumbled and jerked, its gait lopsided from her added weight, but it made no attempt to shake her loose. In fact, it never raised a hand against her. Cali was baffled.
Pressing an ear to the mummy’s back, she could hear a soft clicking sound. It was clockwork! I knew it, she said to herself. She’d dismissed the idea far too quickly before. Someone had built this mummy and given no outward clues to its construction. A sophisticated design indeed.
Before she could inspect further, the mummy took a wrong turn and headed downhill. The steepness was too much for its clumsy movements. Thrown off-balance, it tumbled, its arms and legs swinging as if it were still walking. Cali leapt from its back as gravity dragged the mummy away.
“Cali!” Emmit shouted. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” she said. “But the mummy might not be. It’s clockwork.”
“Please, everyone, calm down!” a familiar voice shouted.
Cali looked back toward the sweet shop where a crowd had gathered near the broken glass. Porchester was among them.
“This was all an accident,” the Egyptologist said. “I assure you it has nothing to do with mummies.”
“I saw it!” one woman shouted. “It came crashing through that window!”
Several others chimed in that they too had witnessed the mummy’s presence.
Porchester continued trying to calm them. “It was a child’s prank,” he said. “Who else would want to break into a candy shop?”
The crowd seemed unconvinced, murmuring among themselves.
“Did you see where Porchester came from?” Cali asked Emmit.
“I didn’t see where he came from, but he was the first person I saw after the mummy crashed through the window,” he said. “You were too focused on the mummy to notice him.”
Cali nodded. “How do you suppose Porchester knew to be here?” The lamps hadn’t been lit with red light, so there was no clue for anyone to follow. The Egyptologist was the only human present when the mummy supposedly escaped, and now here he was, only minutes after the mummy had been spotted.
“I don’t know,” Emmit said. “We’re a good distance from the museum.”
“Exactly,” Cali said. “I think it’s time we took a closer look at Porchester.”
“We already searched his office,” Emmit said. “We didn’t find anything.”
“Then it’s time we had a look at his apartment,” she said, flashing a set of white teeth.
By this time the police arrived, blowing their whistles and shouting. Porchester waved to them and immediately began trying to assure them that everything was under control. One look at the broken glass and the police weren’t convinced.
“We need to go now,” she said. Porchester had his hands full with the police, so he wouldn’t be home too soon.
“Do you know where he lives?” Emmit asked.
“Yes,” Cali answered. “The few papers in his desk mentioned a home address. He lives right behind the museum.”
Turning away from the scene of the crime, the pair headed down the alley. Emerging on the next street, they spotted a carriage.
“What do you want to bet that carriage is headed to the museum?” Emmit asked, grinning.
Cali didn’t answer. Instead, she grabbed him and leapt for the carriage, landing softly on the roof. No one in the carriage suspected they’d just picked up two hitchhikers. Settling in for the ride, Cali kept her eyes peeled for any red lamps. Luckily, she saw none. The mummy was probably still rolling down that hill.
As she’d anticipated, the carriage approached the museum courtyard. The obelisk was aglow with shimmering shades of gold, slowly transitioning to blue then red. It was breathtaking. Spectators gathered closer than ever, daring to approach the magic of the ancient monument.
Surprisingly, no one seemed to detect the faint scent of coal gas. Even Cali couldn’t smell it from this distance. Surely by now someone at the museum had inspected the area beneath the monument. Why hadn’t anyone noticed the pipes and shut them off? There could be only one reason; a museum employee was in on the secret. Her bet was on Porchester.
Until this night she hadn’t suspected him at all. In fact, she’d felt sorry for him. She had been fooled into thinking someone else was up to no good, possibly at the expense of Porchester’s reputation. She no longer believed that to be the case. There’s no way he hadn’t come close enough to the obelisk to see the pipes. His human eyes probably couldn’t detect the reagent smeared on the hieroglyphs, but a man trained to look for tiny clues buried in the dirt would certainly notice the pipes. He had either chosen to ignore them, or he knew who put them there.
Of course, knowing who was responsible didn’t mean Porchester was completely guilty. He could be under orders from the museum director to keep it under wraps. His defeated manner would suggest he didn’t agree with this deception. She wondered momentarily if she was barking up the wrong tree. Kicking herself, she wished she’d searched the museum director’s office when Porchester’s didn’t reveal any clues. The director had been silent on this issue, not offering any interviews with the press. Perhaps he’d made Porchester his fall guy.
The calico’s mind whirled with all the possibilities. She knew there was also a chance this was the work of the Guilds. Who else but the Guilds would have access to limitless fuel? The Engineers Guild designed every gasworks, the Builders Guild constructed them, and the Machinists Guild was responsible for their maintenance. But who would benefit most? She had no idea. Plus, designing a mummy to rob candy shops? What possible reason could any Guild have for that? Most shops were independent, not taking any sides among the Guilds and their disputes. She might need to look into the background of the sweet-shop owner.
There were far too many suspects to investigate them all. When the carriage came to a halt, the feline had made up her mind. Either by his own choice or through coercion, Porchester was the most likely person to have some involvement. She had no doubt he held information she needed. Since she couldn’t pry it from his lips, she’d do the next best thing in searching his apartment.
Cali grabbed Emmit and hopped down from the carriage. “It’s this way,” she said as she released her grip. Leading the way, she proceeded to the rear of the museum and halted by the steps of Porchester’s apartment. Looking up and down the street, she made sure it was clear of any witnesses.
“Are you sure this is the right place?” Emmit asked.
“Number 22,” Cali read on the mailbox. “This is it all right.”
“Do you think there’s a security system inside?” Emmit had had his fill of dodging cameras and electrical contraptions.
“I doubt it,” she replied. “They’re too expensive for most private homes.” Only rich manor houses and certain businesses went to the expense of installing modern security. Of course, if you were a tinker like Lionel, you made sure your own home was protected. The apartme
nt’s front door was rigged to administer a nasty shock to anyone who tried to break in. It was a necessary measure after he was kidnapped. He hoped to protect both himself and Cali from anyone who might do them harm. Lionel kept his business dealings clean, but his refusal to join the Guilds put a target on his back. And Cali’s inner workings were the envy of many a Guild member. She took comfort in knowing the security system was in place. She expected no such trouble in Porchester’s home.
On silent paws she crept toward the ground-level apartment. There were no lights on inside, only the soft illumination of moonlight beaming through the rear window. It was more than Cali’s keen vision needed. A small window in the front had been left open about an inch, plenty of room for Emmit.
“After you,” she said.
The little mouse took a deep breath and squeezed inside. “There are green lights everywhere!” he shouted.
Cali lifted the window a few more inches and pulled herself inside. “I don’t believe it,” she said. Solid green lights shone from every wall. She’d never seen such an abundance of cameras. Normally one camera per room would suffice. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she realized she was mistaken and began to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” the mouse asked. He looked around, trying to see what she had seen.
“Look at this place,” she said.
When he examined the walls, he gasped. Severed heads, stuffed and mounted, lined the room’s perimeter. The trophies of wild hunts in faraway lands, these formerly majestic creatures were now objects of display. The little mouse felt sick to his stomach. “How could anyone want to look at those all day?”
“He enjoys looking at poop beetles, so this doesn’t really surprise me.” What did surprise her was the enormous amount of wealth that would be needed to acquire such things. “For a man who’s spent the last several years digging in the desert sand, he certainly seems to have a lot of money.”
“Well, he has earned a lot of fame and praise,” Emmit pointed out. “He’s given newspaper interviews and drawn tourists from all over. The museum probably pays him a percentage of the admissions to the exhibit.”
“True,” Cali said. Perhaps that was where he’d acquired his wealth. And some of these items might have been gifts from the investors who funded his excavations. Waving for Emmit to follow, she moved deeper into the apartment.
Lavish furniture cluttered the sitting room. There were three sofas and seven sitting chairs, all upholstered in velvet. Each piece displayed animal patterns: zebra, giraffe, leopard, and a few that Cali didn’t recognize. Every color imaginable was present. It was odd to see such expensive furniture in so many exotic patterns. It didn’t seem to fit the Porchester she’d met.
“Yuck,” Emmit said. The Egyptologist’s taste in décor was not to his liking at all.
Cali shook her head. Porchester clearly had an obsession with dead animals. She wondered if he’d been imagining what she would look like skinned and tossed over one of these horrible pieces of furniture.
“So what exactly are we looking for?” Emmit asked. He was eager to get the digging over with and get out of this apartment. The glass eyes of so many deceased animals staring down at him did little to soothe his nerves.
“We need evidence of who sold him that amulet,” Cali said.
“Evidence?” the mouse asked, uncertain what kind of evidence she meant.
“A receipt, a letter, maybe even the amulet itself.” He hadn’t put it back in the museum, and it wasn’t in his office, so chances were, it was somewhere in this apartment. Assuming he hadn’t destroyed it. “We need to know who made it or sold it to him.” She figured there was a good chance the seller and the maker were one and the same, but it was possible they weren’t. After all, Lionel knew the man whose gear mechanism had been used in the amulet. Of course, Lionel knew him to be a man of good reputation, who undoubtedly had no part in the hoax. In any case, the smithy lived a day away and across a river, so there was little chance of paying him a visit. She felt certain the information she sought was here.
“The desk would be the most logical place to start,” Emmit said, pointing to a small writing desk on the far side of the room.
“I’ll check out the rest of the apartment for a safe or any place to stash valuables,” Cali said. She disappeared around a corner, finding herself in Porchester’s bedroom. Luckily it was bare of animal heads. But the bedclothes matched the furniture in their garish animal designs. They bore a mixed pattern of stripes and spots.
Scanning the floor, she searched for any weaknesses in the boards. There were none. Porchester wasn’t hiding anything in here. She took a brief glance inside the closet but found no sign of a safe or lockbox. What she did find were several sets of clothing, all the same white linen suits that Porchester wore daily. His love of animal prints obviously didn’t extend to his wardrobe.
“Cali!” Emmit called from the sitting room.
She raced back to his side. “Did you find something?”
The little mouse nodded and handed her a sheet of paper. “I think this is what you’re looking for.”
Cali held her breath as she read over the letter.
In her wildest imaginings, Cali never would have guessed who was truly behind all the recent mischief. She had suspected it might be a harmless ruse to attract more tourism to Ticswyk, but as it turned out, that was only half of the plan. And the Guilds were most definitely involved, or at least one of them was. The letter revealed the name of the mastermind behind the plot. His involvement could only mean that there was a far more sinister scheme unraveling before her. This was no mere prank. She had to act quickly.
“We have to get this letter to Lionel,” Cali said. She couldn’t take it to the police herself. They’d find no value to the letter. Only Lionel would see it for what it was. He needed to be warned.
“That’s not all I found,” Emmit told her. He passed her a set of drawings, the master plans behind the mummy’s design. On the second page was a drawing of both the amulet and the sarcophagus. The designer was revealed.
Cali took the papers and stared at them in disbelief. Before she could study them further, a click sounded from the apartment’s front door. Both of their hearts skipped a beat.
“Hide!” Cali whispered.
Emmit didn’t hesitate. He sprinted toward a closet and darted under the door. Cali followed close behind, but she had to open the door to fit inside. Slowly, she drew it closed without a sound. It came to a halt the same moment the front door shut with a bang. Porchester had returned.
Emmit’s heart pounded in his throat as he stared out beneath the door. Cali stood calm and collected, despite the grave news she’d just received. With her mechanical eye, she scanned the schematics still clutched in her paw. The designs were genius. She swallowed hard, wondering how to get herself out of this predicament. She needed to get back to Lionel. There was no time to lose. Peering through the keyhole, she observed the Egyptologist’s movements.
The portly man wiped a cloth against his forehead before hanging his hat on the rack near the door. Zooming in with her enhanced eye, she could clearly see he was trembling. The visit from the police had left him shaken. They might suspect him now, and rightly so. But Porchester was the least of Cali’s concerns. All she wanted was for him to leave the room long enough for her to make it to the window. She wouldn’t need much time. Her tail swished with anticipation.
After tucking his handkerchief away, Porchester retrieved a shining object from his vest pocket. Cali recognized the amulet immediately. Emmit did as well. While they watched, the Egyptologist slipped the item inside a porcelain jar on his mantle.
“Should we try to take it?” Emmit whispered.
Cali shook her head. “He’ll notice if it’s gone.” He obviously kept a close watch over it. Why else carry it with him? What she’d seen on the schematics was all the proof she needed. Her paws itched to get moving. “We have to get out of here,” she said through clenched teeth.
“It’ll be safe after he goes to bed,” Emmit replied.
No good. Cali wasn’t about to wait that long. “Hold onto my tail,” she told Emmit. When Porchester disappeared around a corner, the calico burst through the door, leaving the closet wide open. In two pounces she flung herself through the open window. Emmit clutched at her tail with all his strength, grateful that he hadn’t eaten in the last few hours.
The feline’s pace didn’t slow, and she outran several carriages along the street. Darting through alleyways, she shortened her route, determined to reach the apartment in record time. Though she was confident she’d made a clean getaway, there had in fact been a witness.
On hearing the creak of the closet door, Porchester had returned to the sitting room. A gleam of brass beneath the moonlight caught his eye, and he looked out the window in time to see Cali’s back end disappear into the night.
A stone dropped in the pit of the Egyptologist’s stomach. His patron had warned him about the calico. She was far too clever for a cat, and she shouldn’t be underestimated. How had she come to suspect him? The answer didn’t matter. She knew too much, and would have to be dealt with. His patron would insist on it. The Egyptologist allowed his shoulders to fall slack as he turned away from the window.
* * * * *
Leaping through the window at full power, Cali still managed to land on silent paws. At home on her windowsill, she allowed herself a moment to breathe. Emmit let go of her tail and sat down hard. Dizzy, he leaned slightly to one side for several seconds before sitting upright.
Cali looked down at the schematics she’d carried in her teeth. There was a little drool and two fang holes, but otherwise they were fine. She hadn’t damaged any vital information. Descending her perch, she trotted toward Lionel, who was reclining in his favorite chair. Emmit padded alongside her.
“He’s asleep,” Cali said, pausing as she reached the chair.