Nutmeg Street: Egyptian Secrets: the Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries, #1 by Sherrill Joseph

Author:Sherrill Joseph
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

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Midnight Pond Prowler

The morning after the plaster-cobra scare, the heat returned, and a sultry wind gusted steadily through the mullioned windows in the twins’ third floor classroom on Quince Street. It sent the sheer curtains billowing straight into the room. The day’s lessons had just ended.

“Okay, so let’s get this mess cleaned up,” Bruce said to the two. Despite the hefty breeze, clay, paint, and paste odors permeated the room.

“Bruce, you’re a great teacher,” Lexi said as she helped gather paste jars. “You make learning fun because you always come up with interesting ways to present things.”

“A compliment? So, what do you want from me this time?” the grinning tutor asked.

“Nothing, really. I meant what I said,” the girl replied. “And without you, we’d have to stay home and go to regular school when our parents travel around the world for their jobs. I’d rather travel with them and have your school-on-the-go.”

“Yeah,” her brother added, tossing newspapers into the recycle can. “If we stayed home, we’d not only miss all that traveling, but we’d also have fewer mysteries to solve. I’ll take your traveling school over regular school any day. Plus, with you, we get your awesome car.”

Bruce knew they were right about his job. He had accepted the position as their full-time tutor in order to travel and be with the interesting Wyatt-Marlton family. It beat working in a walled-in classroom, and the pay was better than what the local school district offered.

“Lanny and I like learning from you even if you make us do summer school three times a week,” Lexi said. “Oh, and by the way, how about a ride to the beach in your Mustang with the top down this afternoon?”

Bruce’s reply was cut off by Rani and Moki’s arrival. They had been directed to the upstairs classroom by Uncle Rocky. “Aloha, everyone,” Moki said, as he strode toward the group.

“What did we miss today?” Rani asked. She picked up a small pot with a papier-mâché falcon’s head. “What’s this? Looks like something out of ancient Egypt.”

“It is,” replied Lexi, taking the object from her friend. “This falcon represents Qebehsenuf, protector and carrier of what’s in the pot.” She lifted the lid to reveal a blob of pinkish-red paste. Pushing it under Rani’s nose, she said, “A pharaoh’s intestines! Bruce has been teaching us about the ancient Egyptian mummification process. The priests in charge of mummification used four Canopic jars, which were buried with the pharaoh. Each jar contained the viscera, or internal organs, of the dead ruler. Sorry for the vocabulary lesson. I know I’m sounding like Lanny. Anyway, the second jar—”

But Lanny cut her off. “The second Canopic jar with Duamatef, the jackal-headed god, guarded the stomach.”

Lexi elbowed Lanny aside. “I’ll take over. After all, I’m the future Egyptologist.” She held up the last two jars. “This one with the baboon’s head is Hapy containing the lungs. And the one with the woman’s head is Imsety holding the liver. See?” Lexi and Lanny

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