Hieroglyphs and Homicide: A 1920s Historical Cozy Mystery in Egypt (The Clarissa Bell Mysteries) by Tracy Higley

Author:Tracy Higley [Higley, Tracy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stonewater Books
Published: 2025-09-29T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Iextracted the documents from my satchel and spread them carefully across the one clear corner of his desk. "These are from Dr. Gregory Sutherland’s private papers. They are copies of various artifacts recently stolen from museums, private collections, and even dig sites. You may be familiar with some of them. We noticed they all contain at least some Egyptian blue. But there is more than theft going on, and we believe something must link these pieces besides the blue pigment.”

Abbas adjusted his spectacles and hunched over the papers with the intensity of a man deciphering the coordinates to buried treasure—which, intellectually speaking, was precisely what we were offering. The soft rustling of documents filled the otherwise quiet room, his breathing quietly intense as he studied each piece.

Quinn leaned against a bookshelf, attempting to look casually uninterested but watching Abbas's reactions with focused attention.

Abbas sat back, shaking his head. "These are not new. I have seen many of these, or photographs of them, from museums. A few in private collections."

"Yes, but all of these have been stolen. Recently. And we believe there must be a pattern, a reason. Perhaps the math?"

He leaned forward again, his gnarled fingers spreading the photographs, sorting them with methodical precision.

“You have his field journal?” Abbas held out a palm, as though confident I would place Sutherland’s journal in it.

“No. I’m afraid not. It wasn’t with his papers.”

I’d noticed the missing journal the moment we’d dumped his satchel onto Quinn’s bed at Shepheard’s. What additional light could it shed, if we’d found it? I chastised myself for not searching his tent before fleeing.

“You assume these are all Egyptian blue,” Abbas said, tapping several photos. "Some could be lapis lazuli pigment."

He was surprisingly knowledgeable. I wouldn’t have expected the lapis observation.

Quinn leaned in. “Why would they use lapis lazuli instead of Egyptian blue?"

Abbas's eyes lit with scholarly passion. "Lapis was far more valuable—imported from Afghanistan at great expense. It was reserved for only the most significant royal or religious documents. Egyptian blue was common; lapis lazuli signified something of extraordinary importance, meant only for the eyes of scribal elites or royalty."

“Would that be a reason to steal them?”

Abbas shrugged and returned to studying the documents.

Fatima returned with a tray bearing small glass cups of mint tea. Fragrant steam rose from the delicate glass cups, and the aroma mingled with the musty smell of ancient texts. She placed it on a side table, her gaze lingering on the documents with unmistakable interest before she slipped away again, casting a warning glance at her husband.

"Interesting," Abbas murmured after several minutes of silence. His finger traced symbols I could barely make sense of, following patterns invisible to my untrained eye. "You could be right."

"What do you see?"

"These are not just mathematical notations, Dr. Bell. Many of them refer to comprehensive mathematical principles that were not 'discovered' in Europe until thousands of years later." His finger stabbed at different sections. "Here—calculus concepts. Here—astronomical calculations of remarkable precision. Here—engineering formulas utilizing seked measurements for pyramid construction.

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