The Egyptian Curse by Dan Andriacco, Kieran McMullen

of their long-simmering antagonistic relationship? And wouldn’t the butler know if Carter had called on Sedgewood right before his murder? In fact, wouldn’t he know if anybody had?
    Hale suddenly realized that he didn’t know how long Sarah had been trying to reach him.
    â€œWhen did the maid find your father?”
    â€œThis afternoon, only about an hour and a half ago. She was the only other person in the house today. Daddy had given Reynolds the day off.”
    So the butler wasn’t going to be any help after all.
    â€œRollins will say that’s very convenient - the fact that Reynolds wasn’t around and only family members were at the townhouse today.”
    Sarah’s wide green eyes opened still wider. “He can’t believe that one of us did it?”
    â€œHe already thinks that you and I killed Alfie, or at least that we’re the most likely suspects. He doesn’t strike me as the sort of man easily swayed from his conviction.”
    â€œBut that’s ridiculous. I loved Daddy. Why would I kill him?”
    Hale noticed that she had slipped back into calling her father by the name that she had used for him when Hale had first met her - undoubtedly a vestige of a childhood that she was no longer so eager to escape.
    He cleared his throat. “I don’t think it would be hard for Inspector Rollins to find out that your father didn’t want me for a son-in-law. And since Rollins thinks that you and I killed Alfie so that we could-”
    Sarah jumped into his pause. “All right. I see what you mean.” She swallowed. “It’s not such a crazy notion, you know - that I would want to be with you.”
    Steady, Hale!
    If he didn’t block that happy line of thought out of his mind, he would never be able to concentrate on his next moves. He was thankful, therefore, for the Irish waitress who brought Sarah a cup of coffee and asked if he wanted something to drink. Seldom, if ever, had he felt in such need of a good slug of straight Old Forester. Kentucky bourbon being unavailable because of Prohibition, and the Irish and Scotch counterparts unpalatable, Hale ordered a Fuller’s.
    â€œThere’s something I have to tell you.” Sarah looked down at the empty placemat in front of her, and then at Hale. “It’s about the knife that killed Alfie.”
    This cannot be good.
    â€œFather’s dagger from the tomb of Ahhotep really was the murder weapon, just like the anonymous call to Inspector Rollins said.”
    â€œHow do you know that?” Hale’s tone was sharp and he didn’t care.
    â€œPlease don’t be angry with me, Enoch. I had to do it.”
    â€œDo what?”
    Her eyes, already red and puffy from crying, held large pools of tears ready to spill over into her coffee cup.
    She swallowed. “I - I hid the dagger.”She looked down at the table and the tears that had been in her eyes splashed and made ripples in the coffee.
    Hale felt himself redden. “What the-”
    â€œI suppose it was wrong of me, but I didn’t know what else to do.” She was looking at him again and trying to dry her eyes with one of those silly lace handkerchiefs woman insist on carrying. Her hand trembled as she wiped her eyes. She breathed deeply before she continued.
    â€œYou know I stayed overnight at the townhouse on Monday after Charles and I had dinner with Daddy. But I couldn’t sleep - who could, in my situation? I gave up about three in the morning and went into the library for something to read. As I was looking around, I noticed that the case with the Ahhotep dagger was slightly open. I went to close it and I saw that the dagger had dried blood on it. I almost fainted.”
    â€œBecause you knew what that meant.”
    She nodded. “Of course I thought right away that Daddy must have used the dagger to stab Alfie. I had to protect Daddy. So I took the dagger away in my bag - just like