“And yet I was ready to run back to Jokan as soon as I saw another story beckoning, another way to go after Zahra and Varak. It was fresh and new, and all I could think about was that maybe this was the direction I should go.”
He was silent. Then he said, “Do you think that wasn’t my first thought?” He made a face. “I’ve been frustrated as hell, and I don’t respond well to it. But it’s second thoughts that matter, and I knew it was impossible.”
“But I had to have that second thought drummed into me.” She turned to Eve. “Forgive me. It won’t happen again.”
“Stop talking as if this is all about me,” Eve said, disgusted. “Joe is bad enough. But I have to put up with him.” She turned and went over to the computer on her worktable. “I’ll stand only so much from you, Jill.” She turned on the computer. “Now let’s see if we can find out what’s happening in Jokan.”
Chapter
15
The local Jokan television station switched from the shots of the U.N. disaster to the newsroom at the presidential palace two hours later.
Zahra Kiyani walked slowly up to the stage from a carved door opened by two uniformed soldiers. She was wearing an elegant white suit, and every glossy hair in her chignon was in place. She looked absolutely stunning as she turned to face the audience.
But her expression was tense and sober, and she paused a moment before she started to speak. “I grieve with you, both my own people and the loved ones of those friends from foreign lands who died tonight in that terrible massacre.” Her voice was shaking, and her eyes were suddenly shining with tears. “You will notice I wear white instead of black for mourning. For those who are not familiar with Kiyanis, this is the custom of my family to honor our dead.” Her voice broke. “And everyone who died tonight I regard as a member of my own family.” She stopped a moment, struggling. “This is a monstrous thing that happened, and there are no words I can say that will explain or give comfort to you. All I can do is give what answers I can and grieve with you. First, I have to express my heartfelt condolences to the family of the Honorable Edward Wyatt, whom I’ve been told almost certainly perished in that explosion tonight. We had become friends during these last months. His Herculean efforts to help me bring health and happiness back to my countrymen after the devastation they had suffered will live in my heart and memory forever.” Another emotional pause. “Unfortunately, that bravery and dedication very likely caused him to be targeted. The police are still investigating, but we suspect Botzan terrorism. They have informed me after questioning the wife of Edward’s private secretary, Peter Greville, that Edward had scheduled a confidential meeting tonight with a Botzan secret agent who was attempting to capture a radical, terrorist group who were trying to revive the terrible war that killed so many of us.” She swallowed. “Including my own father. I had received reports and threats to my life from this group for the last few months, but my own secret service had not succeeded in apprehending them. I can only believe that Edward thought the force of the U.N. might bring them to justice and risked his own life in order that the peace would not be broken.” She cleared her throat. “Because that was the kind of noble, giving man the Honorable Edward Wyatt has been since the moment I first met him. May God bless his family and my eternal thanks to Great Britain for sending him to my country so that I could learn from him.” She lowered her head and was silent a long moment, struggling. “Forgive me. This is as difficult for me as it is for you all. I know I promised you information, and I will give it. Naturally, because this hideous disaster has just occurred, that information may be sketchy, and I beg you to understand. I can only tell you what I’ve been told. The consensus of those around me is that the terrorist group got wind of the meeting with Edward and wished to set an example. It was easy for them because he had sent all of his guards and employees away for the night in order to satisfy the demands of the Botzan secret agent. That was like the Edward I have come to know, risking everything…” She went on: “But in the last hour we’ve found out that he was not the only target. The terrorists weren’t satisfied with only killing him. His private secretary, Peter Greville, and several of the guards were attacked and shot in their residences in the early hours of the morning. The police told me that there’s reason to believe that they wanted to make certain everyone connected with the death of Nils Varak paid the same price. You might remember that Varak’s skull was being held at the U.N. headquarters.” She shuddered. “It shouldn’t surprise us that the monster who almost destroyed my country should be worshipped by those murdering terrorists.” The tears that had been brimming were suddenly running down her cheeks. “But it does surprise me. I can’t understand anything about people like this. Shouldn’t the deaths stop sometime?” She looked directly in the camera. “But we all have to understand it because we have to stop it. It can’t go on any longer. Together we can stop it. Help me, and I will help you. I will let you know whatever I find out about this atrocity so that we can share knowledge as well as our sorrow. I will set my own agencies and soldiers to seek out those answers. I’m going to cancel my trip to New York to speak at the U.N. in order to devote myself to keeping those beasts from devouring my country.” Her voice was suddenly ringing with resolve. “That is my duty, and I will give every minute of every day to it. I ask for your prayers and your support.” She stepped back. “Good night and God bless.”
She turned and walked away.
* * *
Jill gave a low whistle as she looked up from the computer screen. “She aced it. I bet every reporter in that room is giving her a standing ovation. Hell, I’d probably do it, too, if I didn’t know she was lying through her teeth.”
“But you do know,” Eve said. “Gideon told me once that she was magnificent in a number of ways. This is apparently one of them.” She leaned back, and added thoughtfully, “Do you know what I was thinking about when she speaking? She was totally beautiful, totally persuasive, and able to move everyone with whom she came in contact. Mesmerizing. She reminded me of her favorite ancestress.”
“Kiya?” Joe asked.
“No, she tolerated Kiya, but she identified with Cleopatra. Cleopatra had the power, and Zahra adores power. Pity. Because Kiya was probably more intelligent.” She shook her head. “But Zahra definitely covered all the bases with that speech. She produced a logical villain based on recent history. She glorified Wyatt and Great Britain and the entire civilized world. She even gave a reason why those guards were killed when they weren’t even at the U.N. headquarters tonight and why the place was chosen to be targeted. You can bet that Swanson and anyone connected to that skull was on the hit list. All very logical and acceptable.” She grimaced. “And then she sealed the deal by setting herself up as a combination Joan of Arc and Mother Teresa with all the glamour of Cleopatra. That YouTube video is going to get millions of hits, and the Zahra Kiyani legend is going to grow and grow.”
Jill nodded. “Hell, she might decide to bypass using Egypt as a stepping-stone and go straight to Washington. After that speech, it’s going to be nearly impossible to make her out to be anything but a heroine. It’s like Jackie Kennedy in that bloody pink suit.”
“That’s what she intended,” Joe said harshly. “What they both intended. What the world believes to be Varak’s skull is now totally destroyed, and if we brought up the skull on which Eve just did the reconstruction, it would be an uphill battle to prove it wasn’t a complete forgery. It throws everything into confusion. Very smart. Zahra and Varak make a formidable team.”
“Murderers,” Eve said with a shiver. “Another massacre, and she managed to sugarcoat it.”
“Yes.” Joe met her eyes. “It just goes to show how determined they are to protect themselves. They assassinated Dobran and killed your friend Kimbro, Jill. That explosion tonight was just another safety measure. They’re going down the list and checking off the hazards to eliminate.” He paused. “And you’re probably next on the list, Eve. You have a spotless reputation, a
nd that’s dangerous to them.” His tone was suddenly urgent. “The game’s changed. Now will you let me take you out of here?”
“Do it, Eve,” Jill said. “As he said, it’s going to be an uphill battle from now on. If you stay, you’ll be vulnerable to anything they decide to do to you.”
“What am I supposed to do? Let Joe bury me in the mountains somewhere and hope Varak won’t dig me up?” Eve shook her head. “I won’t live like that. I won’t let Varak believe he can roam the earth and get away with all this slaughter. There has to be a better way to handle this. We just have to find it.” She was thinking, trying to see some way out. “We have to take advantage of any weakness they might have. Zahra has to have a different agenda than Varak. Jill says she’s always been cautious, and she must feel as if she has a tiger by the tail.”
“This is all guesswork,” Joe said impatiently. “And all it means is that I’m not getting what I want and that Eve is still in danger as long as she’s here.” He drew a deep breath. “Because who’s to know if Zahra won’t think of some clever reason to blow up this village as well? I wouldn’t put it past her.” He strode toward the door. “I need some air. Then I’m going to call Novak. I’m having problems with your ‘logic,’ and I want solutions.”
* * *
Outside U.N. Headquarters
Jokan
Gideon’s eyes were stinging from smoke as he closed his computer after watching Zahra’s speech. “Interesting. She’s either amazingly improved from the time when we were an item or she was inspired. What do you think?”
“I have no idea.” Novak added, “But Jill would say she told the story with incredible conviction and that she came across as a combination of Angelina Jolie and Mother Teresa.”
“I believe she was inspired…maybe by Varak,” Gideon said absently as he gazed at the ambulances still racing from the homes and shops on the streets surrounding the U.N. toward the hospital. He was realizing that some of the smoke he was breathing was carrying the scent of the burnt flesh of those victims caught in the flames. It was too damn familiar. “But I don’t think even Mother Teresa could inspire any mercy for the people who did this. What’s the count?”
“More than fifty. If the staff of the U.N. hadn’t been sent home, it would have almost doubled.”
“She mentioned that some of the guards who took care of the vault had also been assassinated. Swanson?”
Novak nodded. “They wanted to get anyone connected to the skull. It was a well-planned raid.”
“Varak can be brilliant.” Gideon’s lips twisted. “The smell of this smoke reminds me of the day I came back home to bury my parents. He was very thorough. Everything stank for weeks of smoke and flesh. He burned every living soul on the property.”
“You never told me that.”
“It was over,” he said. “Until it wasn’t.” He looked away from the ambulances. “Do you need me any more tonight? I think I should—” His phone rang, and he glanced down at the ID. Presidential palace. No designated name.
He quickly turned away from Novak. “Excuse me. I’ve got to take this.”
Novak’s brows rose. “Confidential?”
Gideon didn’t answer as he moved a few more steps away. He punched the access key. “Gideon.”
“I’ve got to see you right away.” Dalai’s voice was shaking. “You said you’d help me. Will you still do it?”
He stiffened. “Yes. But I’m a little busy right now. I’m sure you can hear the sirens.”
“I’ve been hearing them ever since I got back to the palace. I think I’ll hear them forever.”
“Then I imagine you heard more than the sirens. How close were you to the explosion?”
She didn’t answer. “I need to see you. I’ll be at the coach house in thirty minutes. Please come.”
“How can you get away? I’m standing here watching the U.N. headquarters burn to ashes. And I just heard Zahra give a speech to rock the ages.”
“She’s surrounded by all those reporters. She doesn’t want me around to get in her way. She told me to stay in my quarters.”
“She never did like to share the spotlight.”
“Will you come?”
“I’ll come.” He cut the connection. He turned back to Novak. “I’ll see you later. I have something to do.”
“Curious. Or someone to see?”
He smiled. “Perhaps.”
Novak’s narrowed eyes were studying his face. “It’s that young maid of Zahra Kiyani.”
Gideon’s smile never wavered. “Perhaps.”
“Be careful. It could be a trap. It’s odd that you’d hear from her after Zahra probably blew up a good bit of the city. She could be dangerous. Are you sure it’s worth it?”
“No. But it’s promising.” He lifted his hand. “I’ll call you later and let you know.”
* * *
Dalai wasn’t in the coach house when Gideon slipped inside the back entrance twenty minutes later. But the entire palace seemed to be teeming with activity, he noticed. He’d been lucky not to be seen coming here.
It could be a trap.
Yes, it could. He was taking a chance that Dalai had not gone to Zahra and told her that he had been to see her. Or more likely, she might have lost her nerve and was still cowering in her bedroom.
Then, suddenly, the door of the passage opened, and she was there, running toward him. “I was afraid you’d leave. Madam called me down to the press office to redo her hair. She said it wouldn’t photograph well if she—” She broke off and drew a deep breath. “But you didn’t leave. So it’s all right.”
“Yes, it’s all right,” he said gently. “Why did you call me? Did someone hurt you again?”
“No, not like that. Usually it’s only him. It was the blood…he shot Mr. Wyatt in the head. There was so much blood.” She was biting her lower lip. “But he will hurt me again. I know it. She’s too afraid of him. She’ll do anything to keep him from hurting her. But I don’t matter to her. She’ll use me again and again to please him.” She was gazing desperately up at him. “But I can’t bear it. I can stand most things, but not that. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. It’s a kind of bargain, isn’t it? But you don’t have to promise to keep me safe, or send me away somewhere. Just keep me away from him.”
“Hush.” He reached out to stroke her hair. “I will promise to keep you safe. But I can’t do that unless you help yourself. You’re still not telling me names. Give me his name, Dalai.”
She was silent. “It’s very…hard. She said no one is supposed to know it. She said she would send me to—” She swallowed. “Varak. His name is Nils Varak.” She was looking searchingly at his face. “But I think you knew it, didn’t you?”
“But I had to be absolutely certain. Now I am.” He added grimly, “I believe you’re aware that Varak’s presence here in Maldara is a huge secret. There aren’t many people who would be brave enough to say his name.”
“Yes, I knew it was a secret. That’s why Madam spent all that money for that plastic surgeon to change his face. And I’m not brave. I had to do it. After I came back tonight, I was lying in bed and shaking. Because I knew I was going to have to do it. I knew I had to ask you to help.” She braced herself, and, suddenly, she was no longer trembling. “Because I’m not strong enough. I don’t know any of the ways that you would. I’ll have to learn them. You were always so strong when you were with her. You were never afraid. You even laughed at her when she tried to order you about. If I do what you wish, you’ll keep her from giving me to him again.” She paused, then said quietly, “Or because I believe you hate him, you will kill him. That would be much better.”
Gideon felt a ripple of shock. He had not expected those last words. Dalai had spoken with no passion, only simplicity and determination. But who could blame her after all she had been through? “I’ll never let you go back to him.” He smiled grimly. “And, if you can tell me where to find the bastard, I have friends who will be glad to go w
ith me and see that Varak will never live to see another day.”
She closed her eyes for a moment. “I’m sorry to make you do this. I know it should be me.” She opened her eyes. “But I will repay you.”
“Just tell me where I can find him.”
She nodded. “He has a compound deep in the rain forest over an hour from here. It’s off Nagali Highway, and the roads going to and from the property are patrolled by Madam’s soldiers. And he has his own soldiers at the compound. Many soldiers. I don’t know how many.” She paused, thinking. “He likes explosives. I’ve seen them in the warehouse there.”
“Yes, I’m aware that he likes explosives,” Gideon said harshly. “Anything else?”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I was always in the bedroom.”
He felt another bolt of rage and pity. “Nothing to be sorry about. You’ve told me a great deal. We don’t have to talk about him anymore. Let’s talk about Zahra. She’s very important, too.”
“She can’t help you get to the compound,” Dalai said quickly. “Varak doesn’t like her to come there. He’s afraid she’ll be followed.”
“No, forget about the compound for a moment. I need to know everything about her relationship with Varak. We might be able to use it. Are they lovers?”
She shook her head. “She used to sleep with him. But she doesn’t anymore. She sends him whores…or me.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Well, why does she put up with him? What binds them together?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” She was backing away from him. “I have to go now. I’ve been here too long.”
She was suddenly on edge, he realized. She had started to shake again. The minute he had started to question her about Zahra…He was thinking back to the conversation in her room. “You’re frightened. You said something about Zahra’s sending you to the place where there was no air. What did you mean?”
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