The Curse of the Pharaoh #1 Read Online Free PDF Page B

wiry, bald man with a white beard. It was Professor Maigret, the Egyptologist from the film clip.
    Agatha dismounted and stepped forward to join him. “We’re here about the stolen tablet, Professor,” she informed him.
    He looked momentarily startled. “What did you say?” he asked anxiously. “Is agent DM14 here?”
    Agatha pointed at Chandler.
    “At your service,” the butler said, giving Agatha a knowing nod and clambering down from his camel.
    Still flailing around in the saddlebag straps, Dash protested, “What? Um, no, there must be a mistake! This is my mission.” But Professor Maigret was already shaking Chandler’s huge hand.
    “I’m happy you’re here, Agent DM14,” the scholar said, relieved. “Please pardon my crew for the unfriendly reception. There have been many strange things going on in these parts.”
    “You don’t say,” Chandler said stiffly.
    “By the way, this is my hieroglyphs specialist, Doc—”
    “A pleasure to meet you, Dr. Paretsky,” Chandler said, recognizing the young scholar from the photograph. In real life, he appeared even paler, his thin shoulders hunched, his eyes watery.
    “The pleasure is mine,” the scholar replied in a low voice, intimidated by the butler’s bulk.
    Then he looked at Agatha and Dash. “But who are these children?” he asked, perplexed.
    “Even master detectives need clever assistants,” Chandler said gravely.
    “
C’est vrai
, this is true,” interjected Maigret, happily rubbing his hands together. Then heturned to a handful of aides. “You will please escort our guests to base camp,” he ordered.
    As the group began to move, Dash sidled up behind Agatha, protesting. “I don’t get it.
I’m
the master detective!”
    “Lower your voice, please,” Agatha said in a hushed tone.
    “Tell me why you lied to them,” Dash insisted.
    “Simple,” she said. “If they’re focused on Chandler, we can move around more freely.”
    Dash thought about this for a moment, turning his gaze upward to the first stars of the night. “That makes sense,” he admitted grudgingly. “Keep their eyes off us…”
    “Let’s run a quick check,” Agatha suggested.
    “A quick check of what?”
    “Can your EyeNet detect heat sources?”
    “Yes, of course. Why?”
    “Activate the scanner when we get to base camp,” she said. “According to our information,there should be three scholars and twenty-one laborers, plus the fourth man from the photo, for a total of twenty-five people…”
    Dash pulled out the EyeNet and punched in a sequence of keys. “Got it. You want to find out whether anyone’s missing,” he whispered.
    “If the tablet was taken somewhere outside the main camp, the thieves will be with it as well. Am I right?” Agatha smiled and Dash nodded, impressed.
    It was practically dark by the time they reached their destination, descending a long, sandy hill into base camp. Now that the sun had gone down, the desert air quickly grew cooler, and Agatha shivered.
    They found themselves in a funnel-shaped valley surrounded by cliffs. In the silvery moonlight, the laborers’ tents looked like floating ghosts.
    Professor Maigret led his guests into the pavilion reserved for the heads of the expedition.
    Just outside the kitchen, they came across the third Egyptologist, a rotund young German with his mouth smeared with chocolate ice cream.
    “Nice to meet you, Dr. Dortmunder.” Chandler spoke without hesitation, easing into the role of a master detective.
    The geologist appeared stunned to be recognized. He quickly swallowed the last of his chocolate-cherry ice-cream pop. “Is anyone hungry?” he mumbled with his mouth full. “I was just having a predinner snack…”
    While the two assistants cleared the table of papers and tools, Maigret took the butler’s arm, planning to show the lab tent to the master detective.
    Agatha drew close to her cousin’s ear. “What’s the head count?” she whispered.

    “Some of the heat spots