Whispers in the Sand (21 page)

“It must still be in here, or we would have seen it.” Andy stared round. “We’ll have to look under the bed, in the cupboards, drawers, everywhere. It must have been quite small to have fitted into the drawer. Serena, why not take Charley into the bar while Omar and Ben and I look for it?”

Omar shook his head. “We would not find it. Snakes can hide. They can make themselves invisible. I shall fetch Ibrahim. He is a snake catcher. He can call them and they will come.”

“Call them?” Ben echoed. He raised an eyebrow.

Omar nodded. “His father and his father’s father did this before him. They have power over snakes. He can smell them. If there is a snake here, he will smell it and he will catch it and he will take it away.”

They all stared at him. “You’re not serious?” Ben said at last. “You mean he’s a snake charmer?”

Omar shrugged. “Not like a charmer who sits with a basket in the bazaar. Those snakes have had their poison drawn. Ibrahim will not harm the snakes, and the snakes will not harm him. I will fetch him now.” He made his way out of the cabin, clearly relieved to be away from any possible close proximity to the creature.

Serena led Charley away. She glanced at Anna as they passed her. “We’ll talk tomorrow.” She smiled. “Are you all right?”

Anna nodded. Only she and Ben and Andy were left now. She should go, too, she knew, but something kept her there in the doorway. She took a small step into the cabin.

“Careful, Anna,” Ben warned. “It might be a cobra. They are still common in the fields along the Nile.”

But her eyes were on the drawer. It contained a muddle of filmy female underwear—Charley’s rather than Serena’s, at a guess—a few strings of beads, and there, nestling in the middle…She stepped closer.

“My scent bottle!” She bent and lifted it out. “That is my scent bottle—stolen from my cabin!”

Andy frowned. “You were talking to Serena about it, weren’t you? Maybe she—”

“No!” Anna swung round on him. “No, Andy. It was Charley. We both know it was Charley.” Her indignation was mitigated by relief that she need not after all contemplate the idea of some kind of ghostly interference in her cabin.

Behind them Omar had appeared. At his heels was Ibrahim, carrying a covered basket.

“Please to come away, peoples.” Omar stood back and ushered Anna out of the cabin, leaving Ibrahim standing alone in the centre of the floor. As they clustered round the doorway, he turned to them, frowning, and put his finger to his lips. They froze, watching.

He stood quite still for several seconds, his head slightly to one side. Turning round, he waited again, listening intently. They could see the slight flaring of his nostrils as he sniffed the air. Moving across to the window, he ran his hand for a second across it. It was closed. Then he turned and surveyed the room. He was looking increasingly puzzled.

At last he shook his head. “There is no snake here.
Pas de serpents
.”

“Are you sure?” Omar was still in the doorway.

“Ibrahim is sure. But there is something strange here.” He frowned. He was staring down at the drawer. “If it was there, it was very small. The cobra, he grows to two metres. More.” He squatted down and reached out his hand, then as though suddenly realising what the drawer contained, he drew back distastefully. He stood up, turned round, and looked straight at Anna, who was still there in the doorway with Ben and Andy. He stared at her for a moment, then he shook his head. “
Mademoiselle
has something—something the king snake guards—” His voice dropped away, puzzled. “The snake is afraid you will give it away, to a man.”

Anna’s hands tightened around the little scent bottle. “I don’t understand.” Little waves of panic rippled across her skin.

Ibrahim nodded slowly. “He has gone now. There is no danger from him, but there is a shadow in the air.” His long, thin fingers wove a pattern for a moment in front of them and then curled into a fist. “He is angry, and that is not good.”

“We cannot have a snake on the boat, Ibrahim,” Omar put in. He frowned repressively. “We shall have to call in someone when we get to Aswan if you cannot find it.” He added a quick, quiet corollary in Arabic.

Ibrahim’s face darkened imperceptibly. “Do you not trust my words?”

“Of course I trust you,” Omar bowed. “It is the travel company. Their representative comes aboard at Aswan to see all is well…” He shrugged expansively.

“And all will be well,
Inshallah
!” Ibrahim nodded. “Now go. All go to your cabins. The king snake is not on the boat any longer.”

Andy glanced at Anna and then at Omar. “Can you be sure of that?”

“Have I not said?” Ibrahim frowned. He was a tall man, and he had, if anything, gained in stature as he was speaking to them. When he had arrived, he was no longer wearing the white
galabiyya
of a waiter; his garment was deep blue, embroidered around the edge with a rich design. Next to Omar, who habitually wore black trousers and a western shirt, he looked exotic and mysterious and, Anna realised, in a strange way, very powerful.

Climbing the stairs towards her own cabin, having declined the offer of an escort from both Ben and Andy, Anna turned on reaching the reception area outside the lounge to push her way through the swing doors. She could see Serena and Charley sitting on the sofa in the corner, the two figures huddled close to each other in the near darkness, the dim light of a single lamp casting a soft glow over them. Someone had brought them cups of tea.

“It’s all right,” Anna said as she headed towards them. “The cabin is safe. It’s gone.”

Charley looked up. Her cheeks were pale, streaked with mascara. “Did they kill it?”

Anna shook her head. “No, it disappeared. Ibrahim knows about snakes. He is certain it’s gone. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

She sat down opposite them, glancing at Serena, then back at Charley. “So, how did my scent bottle get into your drawer, Charley?”

She saw the shock register in Serena’s eyes.

Charley looked down at her hands. “It was a joke. I wasn’t going to keep it.”

“No?” For a moment Anna stared at her, frowning. She reached into her pocket and drew the bottle out, laying it on the table in front of them. “Did you realise it was valuable?”

“It’s not.” Charley looked up defiantly. “Andy says it’s a bit of tat from a bazaar.”

“And so you thought it didn’t matter if you took it?”

“I told you. I would have given it back.”

“And how exactly did you get into my cabin?”

“The door was wide open. Anyone could have walked in.” Charley rubbed her face with her hands. “It was lying there on your bed, all dirty and messy and covered in earth or something, and I thought, why not?”

“On my bed?” Anna frowned.

“Yes. I didn’t rummage through your stuff, if that’s what you think. It was just lying there.”

Anna shook her head, trying to make sense of Charley’s words. The bottle had been wrapped in polythene, in her make-up bag. It had been hidden. “But you must have gone to my cabin for a reason.”

“I did. To talk to you. To tell you to butt out of my life and leave Andy alone.” Charley groped in her pocket for a tissue. Tears were streaming down her face again. “Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken it. Of course I shouldn’t. But there is no harm done. It’s not damaged.” She stood up. “I’m going to bed. Are you coming, Serena?”

“In a minute.” Serena hadn’t moved.

“But I don’t want to go alone. How do I know he searched properly?”

“He did. He was sure,” Anna said slowly. She was facing Serena across the low table. Half turning, she looked up at Charley. “It’s all right. It’s quite safe now.” She gave her a tight smile. “Just tell me one thing. What did it look like? Exactly.”

“What? The snake?”

Anna nodded. She found that she was clenching her fists.

“What do all snakes look like? It was long. Brownish. Scaly.”

“Was it a cobra?”

“I suppose so. It reared up and opened its hood thing and its tongue went in and out.” Charley shuddered violently.

“Well, whatever it was, it has definitely gone. There is no need to worry.”

They watched as after another second’s hesitation Charley made her way across the lounge and out of the swing doors. Then Anna turned to Serena.

“Ibrahim is some kind of snake charmer. He called it the king snake, even without seeing it, and he said it was guarding something which was mine, which it is afraid I will give to a man.”

They both stared at the little bottle, lying next to the ashtray on the table.

“What if it comes back?” Anna bit her lip; in spite of herself she gave a small shiver.

Serena looked thoughtful. “What else did Ibrahim say?”

“He said there was no danger but that there was a shadow in the air. He said the snake was angry.”

Serena leant back against the cushions. She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I’m out of my depth.”

Anna shivered. “I’ll put the bottle in the safe tomorrow, but I don’t know if I dare take it back to my cabin, Serena. What if it follows me?” She gave a small, mirthless chuckle. “It makes our existentialist discussion on the subject of prayer seem a bit irrelevant, doesn’t it? As you said, we’re dealing with experts here.”

“Don’t stop praying.” Serena spoke sharply. She raised a hand. “I’m trying to think about the cobra. It was a very powerful symbol in Ancient Egypt. The uraeus, the symbol of kingship, and the serpent goddess Wadjet who became one with Isis—they are shown as cobras.”

Anna shivered again. “But a goddess would be a queen. Ibrahim called this the king snake. But there aren’t any king cobras in Egypt, are there?”

Serena raised an eyebrow. “I don’t suppose he was referring to its species. Islam is a patriarchal religion, so he assumed it was a male, but I think the snake’s sex is academic if it’s got you in its sights!”

“But was it real?”

Serena thought for a moment. “Charley seemed to think so. Real or not, Anna, I think you should probably regard them as deadly. I don’t think I would hang around to argue the toss, and neither should you if you see it!” She shook her head and ran her hand across her eyes. “Dear God, I’m confused. My love, it’s late. I think we should get some sleep. Can I make a suggestion? Why not hide the bottle somewhere safe? Out on deck, perhaps. Just until you can put it in the safe. Don’t take it back to your cabin.”

Anna didn’t argue. They let themselves out of the door onto the rear deck. The pot plants,” Anna whispered. “Why don’t I stick it in one of the pots?”

They made their way to the ladder and climbed up onto the sundeck. There, arranged around the bows, were a dozen tubs of brilliant flowers, scarlet geraniums and hibiscus and bougainvillaea. The deck was completely deserted in the darkness.

“I need something to dig a hole.” Anna said quietly. The earth is so hard. I don’t want to break the bottle.” She glanced up. The river bank ahead of them was suddenly bright with lights.

“Hurry. I think we’re nearly at Aswan.” Serena had looked up too. “Someone told me that while we’re there it’s so crowded we’ll be tied up alongside other boats, so this is our last chance to do anything unseen. Wait. I’ll fetch something.” She disappeared in the darkness, then a few seconds later she was back. “I noticed it earlier and it was still there. Someone left their comb on one of the tables.” It was steel and had a sharply pointed handle.

Scraping frantically, Anna dug a small pocket in the dry, sandy soil and slipped the bottle into it. Pushing the soil back over it she dusted her hands together. That’s all right as long as no one pinches the plants.”

“They won’t. They take great care of them. Haven’t you noticed, they water them every morning at sun up.” Serena turned to the rail for a moment.

The boat had slowed. It was turning towards the bank. They were still some distance from the town.

“You know, it’s quite stunning up here, isn’t it?” She paused. “It looks as though we’re going to wait here till tomorrow. It’s probably too crowded ahead to moor in the dark. Anna dear, you’ll be all right tonight? You won’t be afraid?” Her eyes strayed back to the plants for a second.

“I won’t be afraid.” Anna repeated it like a mantra. She had to make herself believe it.

Even so, when she reached her cabin, she hesitated. The door was still ajar, the lights on. She gazed in, looking in spite of herself for the distinctive sinuous movements of a snake.

She had searched the cabin three times from floor to ceiling before she at last turned back to the door and pushing it shut, locked it. There was no sign of either the snake or the earth that Charley had described. She searched her bed meticulously, then, with another glance up at the ceiling in the shower, she pulled off her clothes, and turning on the tepid water, she allowed it to flow over her for a long, long time. When at last she had dried herself and climbed into bed, she was almost asleep.

It took only the smallest sound from the direction of the shower to shock her awake again, though, adrenaline flowing. She turned on the light, rechecked the bathroom, tightened the tap against an incipient drip, and climbed back into bed.