Free The Egyptian Curse by Dan Andriacco, Kieran McMullen Page B

me for a hangman’s noose. As I happen to be fond of my own neck, this makes me uncomfortable. Look, I need an alibi, and you’re it. All you would have to do is tell the truth. Surely even Rollins wouldn’t believe that a woman would lie to protect a man who killed another man to be with his wife.”
    She looked at him strangely.
    â€œDon’t ask me to say that again,” he said, “because I’m not sure that I could.”
    â€œI understand your point. Complex plots are nothing new to me.” She paused in front of a black statue of the Egyptian god Horus. “Let me tell you about my circumstances. First of all, I am married.”
    â€œThat is not exactly a news flash,” Hale said dryly. “As you said, I’m no fool.”
    â€œYou surprise me. I didn’t think you were the sort of man who would keep company with a married woman.”
    She sounded disappointed in him. How did that figure? She was the one who was married, she had asked him to meet her at the opera, and now she was moralizing. Women!
    â€œI’m willing to stipulate that if Rollins put me in the dock on charges of not being a saint, he could probably get a conviction,” Hale said. “But I never thought about you being married until the second time, at Aida . It just never occurred to me. When I looked for a wedding ring, you weren’t wearing one, although it looked like you had. Now, I don’t know a lot about marriage, having never been married, but I’m going to guess that when a woman takes off her wedding ring and meets a man she barely knows for a night at the opera, her relationship with her husband is not the best.”
    She nodded. “I suppose it’s an old story. We married on Christmas Eve, 1914. He was home on leave from the war. By then it was clear that this wasn’t going to be the short war we had all expected at the beginning, home by Christmas and all that. But he had a ‘good war’ - no injuries - and I made myself useful here at home as a volunteer nurse and dispenser.
    â€œArchie left the army in 1919 and went into finance. Things were all right for awhile. Last year we had a marvelous adventure traveling the world for months to promote the British Empire Exhibition. But I missed our daughter terribly, and when we came home last October Archie had no job. I don’t think he liked it that we got by on my inheritance from my father and the money I make from writing. Earlier this year Archie got a job and I made enough from selling serial rights to buy my dear bottle-nosed Morris Cowley.”
    â€œSo what’s the problem?”
    â€œIf only I knew! It seems that nothing I say or do is right. I’m too cheerful! I’m too gloomy! That’s why I came alone to the opera, but it was nice to have an intelligent person to talk to before and after. You see, I’ve had to find ways to amuse myself that don’t involve Archie. He spends all of his weekends on golf. We used to golf together but now he won’t let me play with him because he says I’m not good enough. Do you play golf?”
    â€œI know how to hold a club.” And I’m supposed to be at the British Open right now, earning my paycheck . ”What you’re telling me is that things aren’t good with your husband, but you don’t want to make it worse.”
    â€œI still have hopes, Mr. Hale. And a daughter.”
    This woman’s marriage was hanging by a thread. Hale couldn’t bring himself to cut it off. He sighed. “Without you swearing to Scotland Yard that I was with you on Sunday night, I have no alibi. I’ll just have to find another way out of this pickle.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œI’ll solve the murder myself, like an amateur sleuth in one of those damned detective novels. I’ve been involved in something of the sort before.”
    The woman next to him colored. “Now you’re