The black cat

THE BLACK CAT

Salahadin was an inspector in the Egyptian police who protected all the Egyptian antiquities. He was a young man and he was not very tall and quite thin. His black hair was cut very short.
He was waiting in his office for an archeologist called Mr Pearson, who had been in Egypt for six months and he had come back to Cairo a few days ago. Salahadin was worried because Pearson hadnot come yet. Every archeologist had to see him before leaving Egypt.

So Salahadin called Pearson’s hotel and the manager said: Mr Pearson was found dead in his room that morning. Salahadin quickly go to the Nile Hotel. A policeman was standing at the door of the hotel he took Salahadin to his chief. He was inspector Ahmed, a school friend of Salahadin’s. Ahmed took salahadin upstairs toPearson’s room. Where they saw Pearson lying on the bed with a knife I his chest.

They found six boxes standing against the wall and also some papers on the table. There was a map under the papers. He decided to put them in this wallet. There was nothing important or valuable in those boxes. So the manager brought back two porters because Salahadin wanted to ask them some questions, one of theporter said there were seven boxes not six. Mr Pearson had carried one into the room himself. When we find the seventh box, we’ll find the murderer Salahadin said.

Ahmed and Salahadin left Pearson’s room and went downstairs. The box was heavy. So the murderer did not carry the box very far. Perhaps he took a taxi. The police wanted to speak to the taxi driver as soon as possible because perhaps ataxi driver would remember a man with a heavy box. So they decided to send out a police message on Radio Cairo. Late in the afternoon a taxi driver went to Ahmed ´s office.
A man with a heavy box got into in my taxi a few minutes before eleven o’clock, replied the taxi driver. The man was tall with broad shoulders and he had fair hair, he went to the Cairo Railway Station. He wanted to getbefore twelve o’clock because the express train left Cairo at twelve o’clock and arrived in Alexandria at half past two.
Salahadin phoned the police at the docks in Alexandria . The chief told him that 2 boats had left, one to Beirut and another to Athens. The fair haired man carryings a heavy box said he was going to Beirut. So Salahadin, decided to go to Beirut but he didn’t have enough time to getthere by boat so he decided to take an aeroplane.

Then Salahadin got home very late, he was very tired. Salahadin sat down and looked at Pearson´s notes.
The notes were about Pharaoh Ankuten. Who died when he was a boy and he was buried in the Vallery of Zar. Ankuten loved black cats, when he died a black cat was put in his tomb. The cat was made of gold and its eyes were diamonds, somestories said.
“There was a reason for Pearson’s death. Was the black Cat the reason? The answers are in the missing box and it’s probably on its way to Beirut. I’ll be there tomorrow” said Salahadin

Salahadin arrived at Beirut airport the next morning and he took a taxi to the docks when he got to the docks, he asked about the boat from Alexandria. The Sudan had not arrived at Beirut yet so hedecided to visit a friend called Fuad.
Fuad worked in the museum (Lebanese Departmentof Antiquties) Salahadin took a taxi to the museum.
Fuad was surprised and pleased to see him. Fuad lived in a small village in the mountains above Beirut. The road was very steep. They soon arrived at Fuad’s house. Fuad’s wife, Leila was waiting for them.

After lunch Salahadin and Fuad left the house they drovedown the steep road towards Beirut.
At six o´clock Salahadin and Fuad arrived at the docks in Beirut. They sat in the car and waited for the arrival of the Sudan.

After half past six the passengers came down the gangway. “There he is” said Salahadin. But I know him, said Fuad He is a Swede and his name is Borkman. He is interested in antiquities too. I’ve often seen him in the museum he added...