Chloe went to the telephone and dialed the overseas operator.
“How may I help you?” A bubbly voice rang out.
“Hello, I would like for you to connect me to Cairo, please.”
“Certainly. Wait just a moment.”
“How may I help you?” An oddly-accented voice asked.
“Hello, could you possibly connect me with a public telephone in Cairo?”
“Certainly. Will the one by…”
“Any one will do.”
“Very well. One moment.” The detective felt the absurdity of the situation in full force. Chloe took a deep breath.
“Hello.” A low voice greeted her. The voice didn’t sound confused, so Chloe took heart.
“Hello. I am looking for a man named Amenemhet.”
“Just a moment, Miss McAllister.”
“This is Amenemhet.” The voice was good-humored and warm, much as she would have expected. ”... Miss McAllister, how are you? Just got my letter, did you?”
“Yes, actually, I did. I was just wondering how much of it was…”
”...believable?” The voice was amused.
“Well… yes.”