The Shadow of the Pyramids

Casual sex in ancient Egypt is taken for granted, among the unmarried population. What is not quite so common is same sex relationships, though not forbidden, it is frown upon among the married population as an obstacle to child birth and the strength of a family. When High Architect Herit, a position unique for her gender, becomes involved in a fight between two 'women lovers' working on the latest pyramid project.
Before it is broken up, one of the fighters collapses dead in the sand. Apparently at the hands of the other woman she was arguing with. The two combative women, Sadek and Merti had been fighting over another woman when the much bigger Merti fell over dead. Sadek, though seemingly guilty, vehemently denies her guilt. Showing that the dead girl had no lethal wounds on her body. Sadek appeals to the respected architect to help get her free.
A task that Herit is hesitant to take on since she also had been a lover of the victim. Will she help or will she wash her hands of the entire affair?To Herit, the question she must answer is: if Sadek didn't kill Merti, how did Merti die.