Page 85 of The Stolen Queen

Annie nudged Charlotte. “Do you notice anything different?” she asked.

Charlotte looked around. “What do you mean?”

“The owner’s not wearing glasses. Yesterday she had to go to the back room to get them to see the photograph. But today she’s reading glasses-less.”

“Maybe the writing is large enough for her to see. Or she’s wearing contact lenses.”

“Or maybe she needed time to gather herself together after seeing Henry’s photo. Because she recognized him.”

Charlotte hadn’t considered that; she wasn’t thinking about the photograph or Henry at all. She glanced at the door to the back room before pulling Annie down one of the narrow aisles near the front of the store.

“Where are we going?” asked Annie.

“Shhh. Play along.” Charlotte reached into her pocketbook, lifted out the perfume bottle, and then dashed it onto the floor a few feet from where they stood, angling it slightly so the glass shards flew across the tiled floor toward the center of the shop, skidding like ice away from them.

Annie jumped and cried out. “What on earth!”

“Annie, how could you?” chided Charlotte. “I told you not to be so clumsy!”

Annie gave her a confused look, but Heba was already heading their way, holding a broom in one hand and a dustpan in the other. “What’s going on?” she asked as she turned into the aisle.

Charlotte deftly slid by her, pointing at the mess. “I’m afraid she dropped something. I told her to be careful. Annie, help her clean up, please, it’s the least you can do.” She glanced toward the back of the shop, and Annie’s eyes went wide with understanding.

“Right.” Annie turned to Heba. “I’m like an elephant in a tea shop sometimes. Or what is that expression? A hippo in an egg shop. No, that’s not it. A bull in a china shop. Yes! That’s it. In any event, I promise I’ll pay for it—here, let me take the broom.”

Charlotte eased away, and Annie, in response, shifted slightly so Heba had her back to Charlotte. They instinctively knew what the other was doing, like dance partners in a ballroom.

As Annie and Heba tussled over the mess and who was going to clean it up, Charlotte slipped through the door at the back of the store. Inside were a couple of desks and several file cabinets and metal shelving, as well as a dozen or so boxes and crates tucked back in a corner.

Luckily, the box she’d seen yesterday was set apart from the others and sported a bright “Egyptian Customs” sticker. She opened it up and dug inside, feeling around for the right shape. It didn’t takelong for her to locate exactly what she was looking for: the statue of King Tut.

When she’d first held it in her hands in front of Heba, the weight of the piece hadn’t made an impression. It was only when Charlotte took the same statue from Annie in front of the street vender and been surprised by its lightness that it registered: The one in the Farid Gallery was far too heavy to be made only of plaster.

If someone wanted to get a stolen antiquity out of one country and into another, a cheap plaster cast would be a great way to conceal it. Especially in the form of King Tut, which was manufactured in mass quantities and wouldn’t attract attention from customs agents.

Charlotte didn’t have much time. She turned the statue upside down and, using her nail, scraped at the bottom of it, directly on the seam. The plaster began to chip away.

She dug further, listening as Annie carried on with her apology monologue. The girl was creative. A large chip fell away as Charlotte’s fingernail struck something hard. Underneath the plaster, a brilliant blue color appeared. It was polished, and the exact same hue as the Cerulean Queen.

“I’m sorry, where is your friend?” Heba’s voice carried from the other room.

She was out of time.

Charlotte quickly wrapped the statue up and tucked it into the box as Heba strode into the room, followed by a panicked-looking Annie. “What are you doing back here?” asked Heba. She crossed her arms and shot Charlotte a look.

“Sorry, I was looking for the bathroom.”

“The bathroom is not for customers.”

What Charlotte really wanted to do was grab the Cerulean Queen and make a break for the door. But now was not the time. Heba herded them out onto the sales floor.

“Did you get the mess cleaned up?” Charlotte asked Annie as brightly as she could manage.

“Yes, we’re all set,” Annie answered.

Luckily, a new batch of tourists in the company of a guide entered the store, circling around Heba like a pack of wolves. Charlotte and Annie meandered out of the shop, trying to appear relaxed. When they were safely out of view, Charlotte pulled Annie into a small alley just around the corner. “It’s there. It’s hidden inside the plaster King Tut statue.”

“The Cerulean Queen?” Annie looked like she was about to jump up and down and start yelling.

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