The Curse of the Pharaoh #1 Read Free Page A

it.
    “It fell into Watson’s carrier,” Chandler reassured him.
    Dash lunged to retrieve it, forgetting one minor detail: the cat hated his guts.
    Sure enough, as soon as he stuck his hand into the case, Watson recognized his scent and chomped down on his finger.
    “Owww!” Dash groaned. But at least he’d retrieved his precious gadget, and that was the main thing he cared about. He sank into his seat with a sigh of relief.
    “Tough life, this detective gig,” Agatha deadpanned.
    “You know it, cousin!”
    Moments later, the plane taxied onto theairstrip and angled up into the sky, piercing the pale London cloud cover. Above it, the sky was a peaceful, clear blue. Time to find out more about Dash’s mission.
    “Tell me everything, Agent DM14!” Agatha urged him.
    “Oh yeah, right. I nearly forgot…”
    “Come on, spill!”
    Dash told her about the message he’d gotten from his school that morning. It was his final exam for Investigation Techniques: he had three days to find out who’d stolen an artifact from an archaeological dig in the Valley of the Kings. “It’s some kind of tablet about some mysterious pharaoh,” he added.
    “Some kind of tablet? Could you be any less vague?”
    “That’s all I know, Agatha!”
    “Are you sure?”
    Dash ran his hands through his messy hair, looking embarrassed. “Well, I haven’t checked out all the video files yet. I wanted to watch them with you…”
    “So what are we waiting for?”
    “Um, right. Here goes!”
    Dash pulled all the gear out of his backpack: two sets of earbuds, an adapter, and a USB cable. He connected the various pieces to the EyeNet, then switched on the television screen on the back of the seat in front of him. He proudly switched on his device.
    Onscreen, an older man with a basset-hound face and a mustache appeared, introducing himself as agent UM60. “That’s my Investigation Tech teacher,” said Dash.
    “Luxor, the ancient capital of Egypt, was once known as Thebes,” the teacher intoned. “It’s renowned for its temples honoring the sun.But you, agent DM14, must go to the opposite shore of the Nile, where the sun sets and the pharaohs have slept in their tombs for thousands of years: that endless necropolis known as the Valley of the Kings. I assume you’re familiar with Tutankhamen’s curse?”
    Dash squirmed. Apparently not.
    Agatha was hypnotized by the slide show of images on the screen. It was like a crash course in Egypt’s archaeological wonders.
    “Remember, this is an exam, not a vacation,” the teacher warned. “You must discover the culprit within three days, agent DM14, or I will be forced to fail you!”
    Dash jolted back in his seat, beads of sweat popping up on his forehead. Exams always made him incredibly nervous. That was why he always brought Agatha with him whenever he had to go out on a mission.
    Meanwhile, Agent UM60 wrapped up hisspeech: “Obviously you will have access to all of our data on Egypt, but the clues must be found in the field. Do I make myself clear?”
    The video clip came to an end, and the professor’s long face was replaced with an endless menu of files: satellite maps, coded messages, and footage from spy-cams.
    “It’s worse than I thought!” Dash moaned. “I’ll never get through this!”
    Agatha patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry.” She grinned. “Piece of cake. This is going to be fun!”
    They pulled out their earbuds, and only then noticed that all the other passengers were staring at them, irritated.
    The flight attendant who’d been so excited by the
Super Mario
game now looked angry. “Which one of you is Agent DM14?” she demanded, crossing her arms.
    Absolute silence.
    Dash shrank into his seat, dipping his chin so his hair flopped down over his eyes.
    “I am,” lied Chandler. “Is there a problem, ma’am?”
    “Can’t you see what a mess you’ve made?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Your bizarre documentary is playing on every TV screen on this