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said. “I’ll have to catch him later.” She looked at Jessie’s notebook, which Jessie was just closing up.
    â€œWhat are you doing?” she asked.
    â€œSince that list wasn’t accurate, Violet and I decided to make our own,” Jessie said. She handed the notebook over for Sam to see.

    â€œWhat smart kids you are,” Sam said.
    Just then they heard a deep voice in the next room. When they looked in, Pete was there talking with Henry and Benny.
    â€œHi, Pete,” Violet said as she and Jessie joined the others.
    â€œI was just telling the boys how great it looks in here.” He walked around the room admiring the children’s hard work. “Our regular cleaning and painting crews couldn’t have done a better job.”
    The children smiled proudly.
    â€œThey’ve done a fine job, haven’t they?” Sam said. “Pete, can I talk to you in here for a moment?”
    â€œSure,” Pete said. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he told the Aldens.
    The kids knew that Sam was going to talk to Pete about the missing items. They wanted to stay and hear what he planned to do. But it was nearly dinnertime.
    â€œSee you tomorrow,” Henry called over his shoulder.

CHAPTER 6
An Overheard Conversation
    The next day, when the Aldens arrived at the museum, they found Sam carrying a large, framed picture into the exhibit hall.
    â€œWhat’s that?” Benny asked. The painting showed a group of Egyptian men and women. Their bodies were all turned sideways and looked stiff and angular. The edges of the painting under the glass were jagged and uneven.
    â€œIt’s a painting on papyrus,” she said. “That’s what the Egyptians used since they didn’t have paper. Isn’t it amazing how the colors have lasted for thousands of years?”
    â€œHow beautiful!” Violet said. She loved to paint and always enjoyed looking at artwork.
    â€œThese paintings really make the exhibit complete,” said Sam. “You see, the walls of the Egyptian tombs would have been covered with paintings depicting the dead person’s life.”
    â€œDid you talk to Pete last night about the missing pieces?” Jessie asked.
    â€œYes,” Sam said. “He’s going to have new locks put on the doors and make sure the security guard comes by each night. We’ll catch the thief.” She smiled at Jessie’s concerned face. “Don’t worry so much.”
    â€œI just wish there was something I could do,” Jessie began.
    â€œThere is,” Sam said. “Help me hang these paintings.”
    The children spent the rest of the morning working with Sam.
    First, Sam selected two maps to be mounted on the wall. One was a map of the world, showing the country of Egypt on the continent of Africa.
    â€œEgypt is on the other side of the world from our country,” said Violet.
    â€œIt’s near the equator, so it must be hot there,” Henry pointed out.
    The other map showed the outline of ancient Egypt. “What’s that big, blue line?” Benny asked.
    â€œThat’s the Nile River,” said Sam. “It was very important to the Egyptians. Egypt is a desert with very little rain. The people depended on the Nile for water to live and to grow their crops.”
    They hung the two maps right by the entrance to the exhibit.
    Next, they put up an assortment of paintings that showed Egyptians in many different poses: eating, singing, dancing, and driving chariots.
    Other paintings depicted Egyptian gods. They had human bodies and some had the heads of animals.
    Some of the paintings had rows of tiny little pictures. “What are those?” asked Benny.
    â€œThose are hieroglyphics, a kind of Egyptian writing system,” Sam said. “It was created over five thousand years ago. The pictures might stand for a sound, a letter, or a whole word.”
    Sam and the children stood in the center of