Nikolas was somewhat surprised by these frank comments and replied, “It’s been suggested that perhaps the priesthood had some involvement in his demise.”
Amunenthat laughed with what appeared to be genuine amusement. “The temples, and certainly this temple, are not in the habit of hiring murderers to kill our opponents. Oh yes, we knew of Ra-em hotep and his proclivities. Yes, his ascension to the throne, or even his further advancement, would have been a disaster for all the temples – except perhaps that of Aten. It would have been the biggest disaster since Pharaoh Akhenaten and his heretics. Perhaps even more so as at least Akhenaten was a king who had some care for the people in his charge, even if he was a heretic. But if you want to find the perpetrator, rather than those who are merely relieved about what has happened, you’ll need to look elsewhere. Certainly not in the Temple of Amun, and I don’t believe in any temple. I can’t speak for certain about the others, but neither this temple, nor our daughter-temple in Memphis, was involved.”
“Any other suggestions about who may have been involved?” asked Pamose.
“I have no information and no knowledge on this at all. But rest assured, I’ll pass the word to our priests and acolytes and if anybody knows of anything I’ll forward the information. Where should that information be sent?”
“Please send the information to either Senni, the local secret-police chief, or Zineb, the Chief Chamberlain,” replied Nikolas.
After a pause of several seconds Amunenthat raised his eyebrows and said, “Well, if you have nothing further for me, I’m afraid I have pressing affairs of duty…”
Nikolas and the others rose. Pamose expressed fluent thanks for Amunenthat’s valuable time and they were shown to the door.
After leaving the reception hall they continued their tour of the temple, accompanied and given a running commentary by an acolyte. They passed next to the Festive Temple, decorated with colourful pictures of plants, birds and animals. Stepping outside they saw the large square Sacred Lake, where the priests purified themselves several times each day before undertaking their duties in the temple. Statues of past Pharaohs and a multitude of smaller temples to lesser gods were crammed into the temple enclosure
After passing through a further four successive massive pylons they left the main temple enclosure and walked south down a short avenue flanked by brightly painted ram-headed sphinxes to the Temple of Mut, with its crescent-shaped sacred lake and hundreds of black granite statues of the lioness-goddess Sakhmet.
T T T T
Back at the house Nikolas commented, “Well, that probably wasn’t a complete waste of time. He certainly seemed to be telling the truth and was quite forthright about the poor relationship with Ra-em hotep. Still, the religious conspiracy is a good theory and not one that we should discard just yet.”
T T T T
Ramesses raged furiously on being told that not only had Sennedjem been allowed to pass the fortress at Maidum, but that much of the garrison had gone over to him and deserted their posts. A general uprising in the South seemed to be in the wind. At Ramesses’ orders soldiers moved out to the houses of the known plotters, but they found that without exception all were empty of anybody but servants.
Ramesses ordered that the Hathor Brigade based at Abydos be readied for action and be moved further south to Thebes. Messenger-chariots were dispatched, with changes of horses every twenty miles. Ramesses ordered his personal guard to be ready and an immediate move for the Court. Boats were quickly readied to transport some five thousand people to the south.
Meanwhile, the chariots carrying the messages dispatched by Kahun to Pamose were approaching the city of Hainub on their way to Thebes.
T T T T
Nikolas, Pamose, Lorentis and Kiya walked quickly through the streets, the dark shadows starting to lighten as the predawn glow began to colour the sky to the east. Despite the early hour the street was thronged with people heading towards the river or to the Karnak temple in the north of the city, laughing and shouting as they jostled their way forward. It was the time of the Opet festival, the most important festival of the year, honouring Amun and the rising water of the Nile’s inundation caused by the god Hapi. Many farm workers had come to the city for the festival; with the rising waters of the Nile covering the fields the farm labourer’s workload was less heavy at this time of the year.
As they neared the temple the streets were lined with hawkers with small covered carts peddling food and drink. Smoke rose from charcoal fires in the booths and stalls tucked between the buildings along the road as meat and vegetables were prepared. The appetizing smells, particularly those of cooking onions, caused lines of customers to gather near the booths where clouds of smoke arose from the cooking places.
Late the previous evening Nikolas had sent several of his men to the main processional square near the quay adjacent to the temple to reserve prime a viewing spot. This morning as they pushed their way through the dense crowd Nikolas stopped to buy a grilled duck, take-away wrapped in a palm leaf, and a jug of fruit juice. They reached the viewing area and settled in the places that had been occupied for them by their servants a few minutes before the disk of the sun rose over the horizon, which caused those present to turn east to give obeisance and praise the god Khephri. The thickly-packed crowd buzzed with anticipation as the western doors of the temple slowly swung open to the sound of loud clashing of bronze cymbals.
Nikolas’ group were perched on the base of one of the ram-headed sphinxes that lined the road, giving an excellent view over the heads of the crowd. Nikolas and Pamose grasped the women by the waist and swung them up onto the stonework as the servants jumped down into the crowd to give room to their masters.
“Well, here we are, in good time and in a prime location,” commented Lorentis, trying to avoid dripping fat on her clothes as she delicately chewed on a duck leg.
A horn sounded loudly inside the temple; once… twice… three times. There was movement in the shadows beyond the gate. The first catafalque, in the shape of a boat, was carried out on the shoulders of twenty priests and acolytes, preceded by a senior priest with a censer dispensing clouds of sweet incense that partially obscured the procession. Sweat glistened on the brows of the shaven heads of the priests as they manoeuvred their heavy and unwieldy charge through the gates and along the narrow path cleared through the crowd towards the quay near the temple, which connected the temple by canal to the river. On the catafalque was a large statue of Mut, the Mother-Goddess and wife of Amun, with a human body adorned with a vulture’s head and dressed in a bright red. The statue was adorned with jewels and gold leaf shone everywhere on the woodwork of the bier.
The crowd chattered and called out to the statue of the goddess, many making gestures of reverence. Many others in the crowd, including Nikolas, were just there for a good day out and to view the spectacle. The poor were there for the free food and drink to be provided later by the temples.
Behind the first catafalque came a procession of shaven-headed wab and sem junior priests carrying fans, with more incense and musicians playing. The crowd chatted happily, clapping and shouting with joy as the gods came amongst men. The loud hubbub almost drowned out the processional music, and the stench of sweat and unwashed bodies competed with the drifting aromatic smoke of cooking fires and the sweet smell of incense. Bier followed bier, as the statues of the minor gods were paraded and placed in pavilions on the large and highly-decorated barges moored at the quay like floating temples. Tambourine players clashed and banged along with drummers and horn blowers. Women rang castanets and played sistras. Dancers, including Libyans and naked black Nubians, cavorted in the procession.
Occasionally worshippers overcome by heat or religious fervour collapsed and were passed overhead to the rear of the crowd.
Lorentis leaned happily on Nikolas’ shoulder, calling out in wonder and explaining each part of the procession as it appeared. Kiya drank in the atmosphere and listened closely to Lorentis’ commentary.
Then the crowd at first hushed and then burst into raucous cheering as finally the god Amun was carried from the temple on his huge black boat-shaped bier. The gold which covered the huge ram-headed statue gleamed in the bright sunlight as it was carried towards the largest of the floating temples. Forty acolytes, shaven-headed and wearing just brief loincloths, struggled to support the massive processional boat as it moved jerkily towards the quay.
After loading, accompanied by more horn-blowing and raucous music, the barges then proceeded down the short canal to the river, towed by soldiers in full uniform. Standard-bearers and flag-wavers followed. The barges were then towed upstream by boats, whose oars dipped regularly as they struggled upstream against the current of the river. An armada of other smaller boats crowded the river as the religious barges moved towards the nearby temple of Luxor.
Most of the crowd followed along the riverbank, joining the thousands already lining the river to catch a glimpse of the gods.
As the crowd began to disperse, Nikolas helped Kiya and Lorentis down from the stone sphinx. Cleaners were already beginning to move through the square and down the streets, sweeping away the rubbish deposited by the crowd. Nikolas and the others walked through the streets towards the Luxor temple, arriving shortly after the barges had been moored at the quay, and they watched the gods being taken from the barges to then be carried three times around the temple walls before passing inside.
T T T T
Nikolas and Pamose spent the next morning with Senni, chief of the secret-police at Thebes. It was now a week since the first agents had been sent out, the enquiries widening like the ring from a stone thrown in a pool of water. Reports had been coming in over the last few days of clandestine meetings and the households of many local lords presently at Court in the North being told to expect their return shortly, well ahead of the time that could be anticipated either for Ra-em hotep’s interment or the usual transfer of Court to the South during the cooler months. Clearly something was going on.
Pamose advised that he had been spending time at the local barracks with the commander and junior officers, pretending to be a vacuous individual mainly concerned with Court and local gossip. He reported that from various comments made to him he was concerned that the loyalty of the officers of the local troops was questionable. The troops themselves were most likely loyal but their officers may lead them astray. Coded messages were sent north by Pamose to Kahun, advising of this worrying state of affairs.
Nikolas arranged for a further set of rooms to be hired at another guest house, the ‘Sheaf of Barley’, as an ostensible base for himself and Pamose, with the more clandestine meetings to occur at the ‘Fox’s Delight’ as previously planned.
Pamose arranged with Senni for the provision of guards to protect the rooms at the ‘Sheaf of Barley’ and the ‘Fox’s Delight’.
Senni had not been told about Netjerikhet’s house. Their own guards would cover Netjerikhet’s house, where the women remained and where Pamose and Nikolas would sleep. Tutu had been instructed to hire more guards and he carefully chose another ten private guards hired through contacts who were well known to him; using local soldiers carried too much risk.
T T T T
Two days later the first dead agents began to be found, mainly floating face-down in the river. Nikolas insisted on a ‘lock down’ at Netjerikhet’s house; the ladies were not permitted out for any reason; Nikolas and Pamose went out only as required, travelling by circuitous routes through dense crowds to try to lose any followers and always accompanied by at least six of their own guards. Tutu had hired another five guards, bringing the tally to twenty, plus a further twenty from Senni to cover the ‘Sheaf of Barley’ and the ‘Fox’s Delight’. Pamose obtained weapons and armour from the local barracks.
CHAPTER 8 – MEMPHIS
Year 53. Month DHhwty. 1st Akhet.
Mid-August 1223 BC
It was late evening and Kahun was walking through a dimly-lit corridor in the palace at Memphis. Suddenly a dark shape stepped out of an alcove, just an arms’ length away. Kahun stepped back quickly, his right hand flying to the sword at his hip before he recognized that the other person was a male slave who had assumed a submissive posture and was kneeling before him. Kahun slid the half-drawn sword back into the leather scabbard.
“Excuse me, my Lord, but Lady Meryetre wishes to have a word with you, and sent me to fetch you.”
“When? Now?” demanded Kahun.
“If it pleases my Lord. The Lady is currently alone in her chambers.”
Kahun was aware of the palace gossip concerning Meryetre’s sexual appetites and hoped that he was not being summoned for that sort of meeting. It was no use asking the slave; Meryetre would have just given the instruction and the slave would have no idea why. Still, Meryetre was a Lady-in-Waiting to Queen Bent ‘anta and may have some information of benefit despite her reputation as an ‘airhead’.
She was a comely and unattached young lady and he had nothing better to do at the moment.
“Very well! Get up and show me the way!” instructed Kahun gruffly.
After a couple of minutes walking through the maze of corridors and through several guarded entrances where the palace guards saluted Kahun as he passed, the slave knocked timidly on a door, opened it with a gesture for Kahun to pass inside and then slipped away down the corridor. The light inside the apartment was quite dim, with just two lamps casting light on a woman who was sitting in a chair next to a table. The lamp-light gave just vague illumination to her face and cast shadows on the wall behind. Without rising she smiled and indicated for Kahun to take a chair opposite her. “Thank you for coming without notice,” she said in a husky voice as Kahun took the indicated seat. “It’s hard for me to slip away unnoticed.”
“My pleasure to meet you, Lady Meryetre,” replied Kahun gallantly.
“I understand that you’re investigating the death of Prince Ra-em hotep,” she said, getting down to business at once. “Is that investigation still continuing or has it ceased now that Horwebbefer has fled?”
“Investigations are still continuing and I’d be delighted to receive any further information that you may have,” said Kahun.
“I knew Horwebbefer very well,” said Meryetre. “And I am sure that he had nothing to do with the death of the prince. They were cronies; in fact, Horwebbefer had visited Ra-em hotep that evening and they spent some time gambling together.”
“Well, that gave him the opportunity,” interjected Kahun.
Meryetre waved a hand. “Please, we both know that he had nothing to do with the death and Pharaoh has simply removed a troublesome underling. But you probably don’t know what Ra-em hotep did five nights before he died.”
Kahun sat still waiting for Meryetre to continue. “You will know of Ra-em hotep’s sexual proclivities?” Meryetre paused and Kahun nodded. “He forced beautiful women to have sex with him on the promise that he would give their husbands advancement, or usually a threat that if they did not that they would be banished to the deserts. He also liked young children; boys and girls.” Meryetre paused again, this time her face showing distaste. “Well, five nights before his death, he arranged to have Nubnofret, the eleven-year-old daughter of Lord Pyemra, a minor lord who has lands on the Delta, kidnapped from the guest-quarters and brought to his chambers. She was a beautiful young girl, as graceful as a gazelle. Ra-em hotep took her by force, deflowered her, and then turned her over to his drunken friends, who raped and sodomized her all night, before letting his personal guards take their turn. She was barely alive when she was thrown out into the corridor next day. Pyemra fled with Nubnofret and the rest of his family back to their estate and he’s not been back to Court since. I do hope that the girl has recovered, but that was a terrible thing to happen to her. And she’s not the only one. Ra-em hotep did this quite regularly, secure that his position would protect him from any complaint, let alone any finding of guilt. There were quite a number of men and women who would ha
ve been glad to see Ra-em hotep go to the West, myself amongst them,” Meryetre said frankly.
“Do you know of any others?” enquired Kahun.
“Not by name, just that these things happened. Nubnofret caused something of a stir, as it’s not every day that the servants find a naked and bleeding young girl lying unconscious in a palace corridor. That wasn’t able to be completely hushed up.”
Kahun thanked Meryetre for this information and valuable insight into the dead prince, before thoughtfully taking his leave and going to his own room where he ruminated for several hours about the different possibilities before dropping into a fitful sleep.
Next morning Kahun met with Quenymin at Police Headquarters and related the information that Meryetre had given him.
“So Horwebbefer had opportunity but apparently no motive. Pyemra had motive, but did he have opportunity?” mused Kahun.
“Don’t forget that the palm-wine was put where many people had access to it. The fact that it was not deadly, or only marginally so, supports a theory that the killing was done by somebody who didn’t know what they were doing and to some extent messed it up, even though somehow it ended up working. Pyemra could easily have bribed a servant to slip the poison into the wine when an opportunity presented itself,” said Quenymin. “Easily enough solved. I’ll have Pyemra pulled in for questioning. After he has been tortured for a while we should get the truth out of him.”
Kahun winced at the blunt approached proposed, but did have to admit that Pyemra had some questions to answer. It was just a pity that the methods of the secret-police were so direct and ruthless.
“Very well, but be gentle with him. Just a beating and no torture. And leave his family alone; they’ve suffered enough.”
Murder in the Palace: A Nikolas of Kydonia Mystery Page 15