Page 64 of The Stolen Queen

“Okay.” They started off. “Is there any news about the thief?” Annie asked.

Charlotte shook her head. “Nothing new from last night.”

“Thanks for standing up for me. I really appreciate that.”

“Sure. It was a scary experience, and I didn’t like the way they were hounding you.”

“That meant a lot.” She matched her strides to Charlotte’s. “The man with the necklace, you think he’s Egyptian?” Annie asked.

“I really don’t know. There have been some thefts by an Egyptian organization called Ma’at, and that may be who’s behind this one as well.” Charlotte explained briefly what Tenny had told her about the group.

“What will they do with the things they stole?”

“That’s a good question. If their goal is to bring them back to their homeland, to Egyptian soil, they’ll have to keep them hidden for a long time before they can be displayed. That is, if they could ever be displayed at all, without the authorities being summoned and an international law tribunal ultimately deciding their fate.” It curdled Charlotte’s insides to imagine the Cerulean Queen, which had reigned gloriously in the Met galleries for over fifty years, locked away in some dark storeroom, hidden from the eyes of the public and the study of researchers. If that was the case, what did it matter whether it even existed or not?

A heartless question.

“If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know,” said Annie. “I want to clear my name.”

“I’m leaving the country, actually. On my way to my travel agent now.”

Annie’s face fell. “Where are you going?”

“Egypt.”

Her mouth opened to a wide circle. It was extraordinary, the way her expression revealed exactly what she was thinking. The kid was an open book. “To track down the thief?”

“No, for personal reasons.”

Charlotte’s plan was to locate Leon and speak with him in person. That was the only way to get answers, by catching him off guard and forcing him to tell her how he was alive, how the broad collar ended up at the Met instead of at the bottom of the Nile, and what he knew about what happened to Henry and Layla.

“Is that safe?” asked Annie. “What if the thief is back in Egypt as well?”

Charlotte remembered Tenny’s remark about Leon, that he might be associated with Ma’at. It was a risk she was willing to take. “It’s a big country.”

“Are you going alone?”

“That’s my plan, yes.”

“Do you need an assistant? I can come. I have money saved, so I can pay my own airfare.” The girl was like a puppy that had been yelled at too many times, cowed and desperate for connection.

“I really don’t think that’s necessary. But thank you for offering.”

Annie was quiet for a moment. “When were you last there?”

“Ages ago.”

“When exactly?” Annie spoke in earnest; she actually wanted to know the answer.

“I was last there in 1937.”

Charlotte might as well have said it was the 1500s, from the shock on Annie’s face. “Wow. I’m sure it’s changed a lot. You might want someone like me on hand to be there for you, you know, because…” She trailed off.

“Because I’m old?” Charlotte laughed. “Sixty isn’t old. I’m just getting started, believe me. You’re what, twenty?”

“Nineteen.”

“When’s the last time you’ve been abroad?”

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