The Stolen Queen

Charlotte consults Tenny and tells him about everything that has happened. Tenny wonders if the thief could be involved with an Egyptian organization known as Ma’at. Ma’at endeavors to return ancient Egyptian antiquities held by museums in other countries—stealing them, if necessary. Tenny notes that Leon has bragged about being involved with Ma’at. Charlotte grows increasingly frustrated with what she perceives as a lack of action from the Met: They want to follow protocol and hope that whoever took the statue will request ransom in exchange. Too impatient to wait, Charlotte decides to go to Egypt herself, even though Frederick warns her that she may not have a job when she comes back.

After Charlotte leaves the museum, she bumps into Annie. She updates Annie on the investigation and explains the possibility that Ma’at may have stolen the Cerulean Queen. When Charlotte explains that she is going to travel to Egypt, Annie offers to go with her. Charlotte refuses since “she ha[s] enough to deal with, and taking care of Annie Jenkins [i]s not part of her plan” (213). Mark is less supportive of Charlotte’s plan and doesn’t understand why she needs to go to Egypt. Nonetheless, Charlotte sets off. On the plane, she catches sight of Annie.

Although Charlotte rejected her suggestion, Annie tracked down information about Charlotte’s itinerary and used her savings to buy a ticket to Egypt on the same flight. The two women travel to Luxor, Egypt, and check into the Winter Palace Hotel. Almost immediately, Charlotte sets off to track down Leon, accompanied by Annie. At the Valley of the Kings, Charlotte learns that Leon has taken tourists on a multi-day guided tour and won’t be returning for several days. Some of the staff there recognize Charlotte and agree to let her and Annie see the tomb where the collar necklace was found.

Most of the tomb has remained untouched, but as Charlotte and Annie look around, they stumble upon another hidden niche. It contains canopic jars (where organs were stored during the mummification process); since these are labeled with Hathorkare’s name, it now seems very plausible that this is Hathorkare’s tomb. The tomb begins to collapse, and Annie impulsively grabs the canopic jar, saving it from being destroyed. Once they are safely outside, Charlotte explains that the jar will now be scanned using a CT scan machine. She also tells Annie the full story about her marriage to Henry, the shipwreck, and the mysterious reappearance of the collar necklace.

The next day, Charlotte and Annie discuss what to do while they await Leon’s return. Annie suggests that even if Charlotte’s research into Hathorkare is lost, she should strive to recreate it. As soon as Leon returns, Charlotte and Annie confront him near his apartment. Leon explains that after the shipwreck, he swam to shore and assumed that Henry and Charlotte had both perished. However, Leon claims that the last time he saw the collar necklace was with Henry aboard the ship.

Annie and Charlotte leave, concluding that Leon was lying about not knowing anything about Henry’s fate. Charlotte is increasingly convinced that Henry is alive. They question Leon’s landlady, showing her a photo of Henry. She tells them that Henry visited Leon’s apartment several years ago and that the two men had an argument, in which Henry told Leon to “stay away from his daughter” (245). Charlotte wonders if it could be possible that Henry and Layla are both alive.

At the hotel, a young woman named Fatima works at the front desk. She assumes that Annie and Charlotte are mother and daughter and is very attentive to them. Meanwhile, Charlotte has received word that the mummies and canopic jar from the tomb are being transported to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo; the tomb is too unstable for any further investigation. Charlotte is going to accompany the artifacts to Cairo; she also hopes to learn something about Henry and Layla there. Annie shows Charlotte a piece of mail that she stole from Leon’s apartment: It is a letter written by Leon, referring to what sounds like the Cerulean Queen. However, Charlotte doesn’t think the letter will be convincing evidence if they go to the Egyptian authorities.

Annie and Charlotte arrive at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. They ask the museum’s director if he has ever purchased any artifacts from Ma’at and explain about the theft of the Cerulean Queen. He knows nothing about the statue. They also ask him about the collar necklace, and he consults the museum’s records; while there is a record of the collar becoming part of the museum’s collection, there is no record of the artifact ever arriving. He promises to investigate. Annie and Charlotte also show a photo of Henry to many vendors in the Cairo antique market, including a woman named Heba. None of them, however, recognize Henry.

Annie and Charlotte watch as staff at the museum perform a CT scan on the canopic jar. They find a tooth in the jar; if one of the mummies is missing the corresponding tooth, they will know with almost complete certainty that it is the mummified corpse of Hathorkare. The mummy is scanned, and it is confirmed: “They’d done it. Annie and Charlotte had discovered the mummy of the ancient Egyptian female pharaoh” (266). As celebrations erupt, a strange power surge causes a small explosion near the CT machine. Later, Charlotte confides that in the light from the explosion, she had a vision of Hathorkare. Annie and Charlotte believe that the vision is a sign that the curse surrounding Hathorkare’s tomb has been lifted and that the ancient woman is finally at peace.

Afterward, Charlotte thanks Annie for her help and urges her to return to New York City; Charlotte plans to stay longer in Egypt and try to find information about Henry. Annie thinks back to their visit to the market the previous day; the last gallery they visited (where Heba works) is called the Farid Gallery, which translates to the “unique gallery.” Annie recalls that Leon’s letter mentioned that the object was being sent to a “unique location.” She wonders if there could be a connection, but Charlotte seems to be distracted after examining a cheap statue reproduction of a famous King Tut statue.

Charlotte has reached some sort of unstated epiphany and rushes back to the Farid Gallery, accompanied by Annie. Heba is at the shop again but doesn’t recognize them. Annie distracts Heba, and Charlotte slips into the office. She finds a box containing a similar statue of King Tut. After handling a comparable statue, Charlotte realizes that this one (which she held during the first visit to the Farid Gallery) is much heavier, and she suspects that something is hidden inside. Just as Charlotte catches a glimpse of the Cerulean Queen hidden inside, she hears Heba coming. She returns the statue to its hiding place.

Charlotte and Annie leave the shop and discuss what to do next. They decide to alert the director of the Cairo Museum, but before they can do so, a man viciously attacks them. They recognize their attacker as the man from the Met. Another man intervenes and saves them.

The police arrive, and Charlotte sends them into the shop to question Heba. The director of the museum also arrives, and they inspect the statue, confirming that the Cerulean Queen is inside. They take the statue back to the museum to remove it safely. Heba has been arrested and will likely be charged. As she is preparing to leave the shop, Annie notices a framed photo and comes to a shocking (unspecified) revelation.