The Egyptian Cat Mystery: A Rick Brant Science-Adventure Story Read online

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  THE EGYPTIAN CAT MYSTERY

  A RICK BRANT SCIENCE-ADVENTURE STORY

  BY JOHN BLAINE

  GROSSET & DUNLAP, INC., 1961NEW YORK, N. Y.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  _Printed in the United States of America_

  [Transcriber's Note: Extensive research did not discover a U.S.copyright renewal.]

  _The room had been searched inch by inch. Someone wantedthe cat!_]

  Contents

  I THE WINSTON PLAN

  II THE EGYPTIAN CAT

  III CAIRO

  IV EL MOUSKI

  V SAHARA WELLS

  VI THE CAT HAS KITTENS

  VII THE EGYPTIAN MUSEUM

  VIII THE MIDNIGHT CALL

  IX THE UNINVITED VISITOR

  X THE GREAT PYRAMID

  XI THIRD BROTHER SMILES

  XII THIRD BROTHER STOPS SMILING

  XIII THE SPACE MYSTERY

  XIV THE BROAD SAHARA

  XV THE CAT COMES BACK

  XVI THE HOWLING JACKALS

  XVII ISMAIL BEN ADHEM

  XVIII THE FIGHT AT SAHARA WELLS

  XIX THE CAT'S SECRET

  XX THE SIGNAL VANISHES

  List of Illustrations

  _The room had been searched inch by inch. Someone wanted the cat!_

  _A snub-nosed revolver was pointed at Rick's midriff_

  _Hands pulled Rick from the saddle_

  THE EGYPTIAN CAT MYSTERY

  CHAPTER I

  The Winston Plan

  The date was December twenty-third. The time along the Greenwichmeridian, from which all world times are measured, was 8:15 P.M. Atwidely scattered points around the globe, four voices were raisedsimultaneously.

  Even an experienced observer could not have found a connection betweenthe four voices and what they were saying, yet each voice startedactions that would soon be interwoven into a single pattern--a patternof danger, adventure, and mystery that would culminate in suddenviolence within sight of one of the seven wonders of the world.

  In Chicago, it was 2:15 in the afternoon. At the edge of the city a manspoke into the telephone in the office of a small plastics factory. "Thecat is ready," he said.

  In Paris, a phone rang. The man who answered noted in the log that hisoverseas call had gone through at exactly 9:15 p.m. He picked up thephone and spoke crisply. "_Monsieur l'Inspecteur? ... _Bien._ This isInterpol. We have a relay for you from the United States. Monsieur,this will please you--and it most certainly will amaze you. Messagebegins..."

  In Cairo, the time was 10:15 P.M. A famous Egyptian astronomer walkedinto his office and called to his associate. "Hakim! Good news. He cancome. Now we can find out what that accursed hydrogen-line impulsemeans."

  On Spindrift Island, off the coast of New Jersey, it was 3:15 in theafternoon. The island was quiet under a blanket of snow. The long, graylaboratory buildings, where so many dramatic scientific developments hadtaken place, were deserted. Only in the homes of the scientists wasthere activity, and all of it was in preparation for Christmas.

  In the big main house on the seaward side of the island, Dr. HartsonBrant, director of the world-famous Spindrift Scientific Foundation,walked to the foot of the stairs and called to his son.

  "Rick, can you come to the library in five minutes? Bring Scotty withyou."

  Rick Brant, a tall boy with light-brown hair and eyes, paused in hisgift wrapping long enough to call an affirmative to his father, then hemade sure Don Scott, whose room was next door, had heard the summons.

  Scotty had. He came through the connecting door. "What's up?"

  "Don't know. Maybe Dad has some Christmas chores for us to do."

  Scotty, a big, husky boy with black hair and brown eyes, was anex-Marine who had originally joined the Spindrift group as a guardduring the adventure of _The Rocket's Shadow_. Since then, he and Rickhad become the closest of friends, and the Brants had accepted him as afull-fledged member of the family.

  "I'm willing, whatever it is," Scotty told Rick. "I'm so full of Yuletidespirit I may bust a seam from sheer joy."

  Rick grinned. He felt exactly the same way. He continued wrapping thepresent for his sister Barbara, a pretty girl a year his junior. Barbyhad a definite talent for sketching and painting and Rick had bought hera complete artist's kit, hoping it would encourage her natural skill.

  "She'll be tickled pink," Scotty remarked. "Come on. Let's go down."

  "Go ahead. I'll be right with you." Rick finished taping on a spray ofevergreen, then he carefully put the present out of sight under hisworkbench. Barby's lively curiosity was subdued at Christmas time, butit was better not to take chances. He surveyed the bench to see if hehad left anything out. Usually it was cluttered with apparatus, tools,and parts, because Rick was an inveterate experimenter, but it was clearnow, in preparation for the holiday.

  He walked down the corridor to the stairs, smiling to himself. Christmasat Spindrift was fun. The entire scientific staff and their familiesjoined in, first in cutting their own trees from the stand of spruce atthe back side of the island, then in decorating the big tree in theBrant library. On Christmas Eve there was a Yule log to be brought inand presents to be exchanged, although the Brants waited until morningto open their gifts to each other.

  Hartson Brant and Scotty were waiting in the library, standing beforethe great fireplace in which logs crackled merrily. Seated in theleather chair next to the Christmas tree was Parnell Winston, one of theleading staff scientists.

  Winston was a big man, with jet-black curly hair and great bushyeyebrows that hid merry blue eyes. He was an expert in cybernetics, thescience of electronic computer design, and his contributions to thetheory of computer operations, and to advanced electronic controlsystems, were known to scientists around the world. Winston hadoriginally joined the staff to supervise the design and construction ofa "thinking machine," the Tractosaur.

  Hartson Brant, an older version of his son, greeted the boy. "Come in,Rick. Parnell, the floor is yours."

  Winston motioned the boys to chairs. "Sit down. I called this meeting tomake a proposal. But first, how are your bank balances? Fat or thin?"

  Rick considered. Most of his income, including his small salary as alaboratory assistant, went into his education fund. However, the salaryhe had earned for working at the Nevada rocket base during _The ScarletLake Mystery_ had been put into his "ready" fund. "I'm in good shape,"he said, and Scotty echoed him.

  "Fine. Now, the Egyptian Astronomical Society has just finishedconstructing a new radio telescope. It's a first-rate instrument fromwhich we expect great things. Your father and I were in at its birth, soto speak. We consulted on the initial designs during a meeting of theInternational Astronomical Union."

  Rick knew that was one of the many world-wide private scientificorganizations operating under the International Council of ScientificUnions. He also knew of the growing importance of radio astronomy, buthe hadn't known the Egyptians were in on it.

  "Apparently some unusual trouble developed during the tuning of theinstrument," Winston went on. "Earlier this afternoon I had a phone callfrom Cairo, and a request to help our Egyptian colleagues iron out thebugs. I accepted."

  Rick sat upright in his chair. Winston going to Cairo? How did thisconcern Scotty and him?

  "My proposal is this," Winston concluded. "The Egyptians are short oftechnicians and we may need help. I'll leave the d
ay after Christmas,returning within ten days. If you two can pay half your expenses, andhelp me half the time, I'll take you with me."

  Both boys jumped to their feet. Rick looked anxiously at his father.

  Hartson Brant smiled. "According to Parnell's schedule, you'll be backjust in time for school at the end of the holidays. _If_ you want to go,of course."

  Rick let out a wild yell of exuberance that brought his sister Barbyrunning to the library. She looked at the group with wide eyes. "Rick!Was that you?"

  He grinned at her. "It wasn't a wounded buffalo, Sis. Guess what? We'regoing to Egypt!"

  Barby's pert face lengthened. "I don't suppose I can go, too?"

  Parnell Winston walked over and ruffled her blond hair. "Not this time,Barby. But I'll make you a promise. The next field expedition under mysupervision will include my wife, you, and Jan Miller."

  The prospect of an expedition that included Jan, daughter of one of thestaff physicists and her dearest friend, cheered Barby at once.

  "I don't suppose you could promise to leave Rick and Scotty at home?"she asked.

  "Can't promise." Winston chuckled. "We might need them to carry yourluggage. Girls can't travel without a dozen suitcases each, I'm told."

  The scientist turned to the boys. "Start reading up on the country, andI'll arrange for you to get some additional background by meeting someEgyptians. It happens that an Egyptian physicist is arriving in New Yorktoday for a lecture tour of American universities. There's a receptionfor him tomorrow. We'll drive to New York. You can meet him and some ofhis countrymen, and we'll go to the consulate to obtain visas. Are yourpassports and health cards up to date?"

  Fortunately, all was in order because the boys had spent a part of thesummer in the Sulu Sea region, where they had helped to locate andrescue two staff scientists.

  Barby asked wistfully, "Couldn't I meet some real Egyptians, too?"

  As Scotty had once said, if Barby ever got wistful while fishing, thefish would knock themselves out trying to climb into the boat to cheerher up. Winston replied quickly, "No reason why not. I'll check with myhost, but I'm sure it's all right, so you can plan to come with us."

  Rick's eyes met Scotty's. He shrugged. He was glad in one way that hissister could go, because he always hated to have her unhappy about beingleft behind. On the other hand, Barby was unpredictable. He couldn't besure of what she might do or say, but he could be certain her curiosityand enthusiasm would stir up something.

  If Rick had been enough of a prophet to see all the events his prettysister's helpfulness at the reception would get him into, he would havehandcuffed her to the Christmas tree before ever allowing her offSpindrift Island.