'He may have been angry at her, but Bentanta was furious. She even said she wished she had the courage to kill Anhai.'
Kysen whistled and came to sit on the floor beside Meren. 'Have you spoken to her yet?'
'I was going to after I saw Ra. But I… decided to gather my thoughts first. I'm worried, Ky. Ra thinks I want to blame him for this disaster, and then there's Bentanta.'
'I suppose the gods wouldn't send us the good fortune to find that the murderer is a servant,' Kysen said.
'No servant had a reason to kill her,' Meren replied. 'Nor can I imagine a servant would dare. Although I might suspect a servant were Anhai at court or allied with the queen.'
The Great Royal Wife, Ankhesenamun, resented her husband's return to the old ways and restoration of Amun as chief god. She seemed to have lost her reason, at least in Kysen's view, when she conceived of a plan to depose pharaoh in favor of a Hittite prince. The plan had failed, and now pharaoh said she seemed to regret her traitorous behavior.
Kysen shook his head. 'No, you're right. Anhai must have gone to the granary court with someone and been killed there. Ordinarily she wouldn't go there at all, so she must have gone with one of the guests or the family.'
'Antefoker was trying to corner her all evening,' Meren said. 'And he vanished from the feast with Ra. We'll have to send someone to his house.'
'But the only one at the feast who fought with her was Bentanta.' Kysen looked up at his father, who was frowning. 'Would you like me to talk to her?'
'No, my son. I'll do it. She would rout you in a heartbeat.'
'I was hoping you'd realize that,' Kysen said.
They both rose as a high, clear voice floated to them from the stairwell outside the office.
'Father!'
'Enter,' Meren called.
Bener hurried into the room, dragging Isis behind her. Upon reaching Meren, she shoved her sister in front of her.
'Tell Father what you said.'
Isis shoved her sister back. 'Don't push me, and don't tell me what to do.'
'It might be important.'
The younger girl smoothed the skirt of her shift and patted a stray lock of hair into place. 'You think you're so quick of wit, but you're just trying to be important.
Father, she's been annoying Aunt Idut and Great-Aunt Cherit all morning, and now she's pestering me.'
'I haven't time to settle arguments, girls.'
'Father,' Kysen said. 'I think Bener is serious.'
Bener gave him a grateful smile. 'She saw Bentanta and Anhai go out the front door while Uncle Hepu was speaking his Instruction.'
Kysen knelt in front of Isis. 'Is this true?'
'She should have let me tell it.'
Throwing up his hands, Meren said, 'Then do so.'
Having gained everyone's attention, Isis bestowed upon them one of her sunrise smiles. 'I was standing near the door to the reception hall pretending to listen to the Instruction.'
'She was staring at one of Uncle Ra's friends,' Bener said. 'The one with the long face of an ibex.'
'I was not!'
Kysen poked his sister's arm with a finger. 'Pay her no heed, Isis. Go on.'
'I was standing by the door,' Isis said with a defiant look at Bener. 'And Anhai came swooping by. You know her manner. She looked as if she owned our house and everything in it. She sailed by me with her nose lifted. She never noticed me, but I noticed her because she looked angry, and Bentanta was following her. Bentanta looked sick. I don't think Bentanta likes Anhai very much anymore.'
Kysen glanced up at Meren, who seemed unable to speak. He looked back at Isis. Her small face was alight with curiosity, a childish version of Queen Nefertiti without the air of dignified concern.
'Did you see where they went?' Kysen asked.
'They went through the reception room and out the front door. That's all I saw.'
Bener put her hands on her hips. 'I would have followed them.'
'That's because you spy on your elders,' Isis retorted.
'Enough!'
Meren's sharp exclamation made Kysen hurry the girls toward the door.
'Our thanks, sisters. You've been of great help. Thank you, Bener, but Father is beset at the moment.'
Bener went out the door and turned back to him. 'I know. Aunt Idut has ruined our peaceful visit. That's all Father wanted, and now he's going to have to solve this mystery instead of spending his time with us.'
'If Aunt Idut hadn't invited Anhai here, she would have gotten herself killed somewhere else,' Isis added.
'We'll find a way to be together,' Kysen said. 'I promise.'
Bener put her hand on the door to stop him from closing it. 'Lady Bentanta is in the garden. I heard her say she'd promised to meet Sennefer there and give him more of her pomegranate wine.'
'Thanks, sister.'
Kysen shut the door and faced his father. Meren was toying with a scribe's palette from a table near his chair. When he lifted his gaze, Kysen nearly winced at the pain he saw exposed and then concealed.
'I don't want it to be her. We were children together, Ky, and I don't want it to be her.'
Chapter 11
As he walked into the garden where the family had gathered for an afternoon meal, Meren decided that he'd rather face desert bandits than question Bentanta. He paused inside the gate to survey the tree-shrouded enclosure. Idut was presiding over a small feast under the branches of an old willow. With her were Nebetta, Aunt Cherit, and his daughters, who kept giving him sly glances. Hepu seemed to be giving one of his lectures to the entire group as they ate.
Everyone had a desperate look, a sure sign that Hepu had been speaking for some time. Only Wah had escaped. He lay on a couch, fanned by a slave, and snored, his food discarded on a tray beside him. Across the garden in a grape arbor sat Sennefer and Bentanta.
'It must be done,' Meren muttered to himself as he directed his steps toward the arbor.
'Here he is, come to accuse me of murdering my own wife again,' Sennefer said with his face in his wine cup. His speech was slurred, his eyes wide. 'Don't let him belabor me, Bentanta.'
'I haven't come to accuse you of anything,' Meren said. 'I would like to speak to Bentanta privately.'
Sennefer lifted his head, and it wobbled on his neck. 'Be most happy to leave you, cousin. Pleasure. Beware, my lady. He's playing the inquisitor.'
Standing, Sennefer blinked sleepily at Meren.
'Don't stand there staring at me, go eat something,' Meren said. 'Look at you. You're red from drinking, and you can hardly stand.'
'I'm thirsty.' The wine cup fell from Sennefer's lax fingers.
'Drink water,' Meren said as he signaled to a servant, The girl hurried over to pick up the fallen cup and retreated.
'Water?' Sennefer said, as if he'd never heard the word before. 'Yes, water would be good.' He embarked on a wavering course toward the group under the willow.
Meren watched him stagger over to a chair and almost fall into it. Then he went back to Bentanta, who had remained silent since he entered the arbor. She was sitting on a couch and seemed to be undisturbed when he took Sennefer's chair and trained a silent gaze on her. She lifted a brow in inquiry, but when he didn't speak, she turned
