Now that Ed thought of it, Hudson’s reaction seemed a lot more subdued than he’d expected.
“Think about it: what do we really know about today’s find? We found strong evidence of a tomb,” Max began.
“And you can’t swing a dead cat in the Valley of the Queens and not hit a tomb,” Hudson interjected.
“Finding an intact tomb is always a huge deal. Don’t get me wrong. This is an enormous find for Egypt and Egyptologists,” Max continued, placing his hand on Ed’s arm even as Ed’s shoulders slumped.
He got it.
“But you have no proof that this tomb actually belonged to Kazemde,” Ed finished.
Max nodded. “There are a few things that have me concerned. This tomb is much bigger than I was expecting for someone of his position in the court, which means we could have found a tomb for a prince or even a queen without realizing it. Probably not a pharaoh.”
Hudson grunted in agreement. “There’s also the evidence of the artifacts, particularly in the storeroom.”
“True.” Max smiled in agreement at Hudson and then looked up at Ed. “After the prince and queen were found guilty of conspiracy against Ramesses III, their tombs were raided. Everything was removed and even some of the hieroglyphs on the walls were removed. Despite the excitement my family and a lot of people have drummed up against Kazemde because it was known he was so rich, I have always expected to find his tomb empty. My biggest interest in finding him was always about getting access to the writings on his tomb walls. That’s where the true treasure is—the story he left behind.”
“And because there’s obvious proof of artifacts in the tomb, you think it’s not Kazemde,” Ed said, his heart sinking down into his stomach.
To his shock, Max just shrugged. “It could mean that it’s someone else, or that he was never caught among the ring of conspirators, which would make him even more interesting. Either way, we’re not going to know anything for sure until we crack open the tomb next summer and get a look at everything inside.”
Ed gazed out at the area marked off with stakes, flags, and even some spray paint to mark the area where someone important from the distant past was buried.
“I don’t know how you do this,” he murmured to himself. “I don’t know whether to be excited or disappointed for you. All this work and…and…”
“We’re one step closer,” Max filled in. “Archeology is a series of slow, methodical steps with a lot of planning, knowledge, and a splash of luck. Today, we found a tomb, and that’s always great. Next summer, we should know whose tomb it is. And in a year or two, we’ll know a lot of things about that person as well as the time period in which they lived because we’ll have had the chance to study all the artifacts found inside.” Max sighed, but it was a happy sound. “Janet is going to have so much fun with this one.”
“What?”
Hudson groaned and walked away from them, muttering what sounded like curses under his breath. Max’s smile turned a little lopsided as he watched Ed.
“I’ve decided to make Dr. Jones the dig director of this site. She’s been sent all the information we got today, and I’ve signed paperwork to hand this location over to her. The government has already approved it because they’ve worked with her so much in the past. When the team descends on the site for the next season, she’ll have the lead.”
“But-but-but this is your discovery! You don’t want to be here for it?”
“It will always be my discovery. My name will always be associated with it from now through history, but I’ve got to admit—I’m burned out. After all that shit with my family, I’m not as excited about this find as I should be. I’m just…tired.” The smile held, but Ed could clearly see the fatigue and weight in Max’s eyes. “I’ve arranged it with Janet that I could possibly be on-site in the summer as a consultant, but it is her show to run. She’s adamant that we have joint publishing credit and all that for the site, but I’m not pushing for it right now. I might change my mind in a few months. Right now, I’m tired. I guess I just need a break. Spend a little more time in the present and stop focusing so much on the past.”
Ed moved behind Max and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, pulling him into the shelter of his larger body, exactly where he belonged. “You know, I’ve got some free time coming up. Would you consider wandering back home with me? I know quite a few places where we could get some good food and enjoy a slower pace.”
“Mmmm…sounds tempting. North Carolina is on the coast, right? I think I could go for some time by the ocean and green. I miss the color green.”