by Jack Higgins
“I can see that those kind of people might not understand.”
“Why should they? You were close enough to pull out your Walther at point-blank range and blow Sara Gideon away. You had a good chance to dispose of Sean Dillon, too, before he managed to draw the weapon he was undoubtedly carrying.”
“I know, Saif,” she said. “I just froze. There was this strong young woman with medals any man would be proud to wear. To have pulled the trigger would have been… wrong somehow. I don’t know how to explain it.”
Saif laughed so much that there were tears in his eyes. “My God, Fatima, you’re so right, and you’re not being ridiculous at all. What are we? We kill people in the name of our cause, and is that enough? I don’t think so anymore. It’s a can of worms, not only for me but for you.”
“And is there no way out for us?”
“None whatsoever. Al-Qaeda infects the world like a plague and there’s no place to hide. We’d simply be hunted down. So, keep your mouth shut and I’ll keep mine. I won’t mention a word to Emza Khan, but I’m afraid we must continue to follow our original orders. Do you understand me? Look upon it as an assassination, which sounds more respectable. After all, we are fighting a war.”
“I’ll try to remember that.”
“Well, good luck to you, and good luck to me also,” Saif said and switched off.
* * *
The assembly at the Élysée Palace was as fascinating as you’d expect: palace guards to rival London’s Household Cavalry, uniforms of many nations on display, beautifully turned-out women, well-dressed men, chandeliers sparkling, and a military band playing.
“You’ve got to give it to the French,” Dillon told her. “They certainly do this kind of thing with style.”
“And panache,” Sara said. “I always expect King Louis the Fourteenth to enter with a fanfare of trumpets.”
“Oh, that will happen quite soon,” Dillon said. “Except that it’ll be the President, not the Sun King.”
There were people standing at the back of the hall, music, laughter, and lots of conversation. In front of the crowd where the aisle down through the rows of crowded chairs began, Claude Duval stood in full uniform to marshal the line of observers. He saw Dillon and Sara and beckoned.
“Off you go,” Dillon told her. “Best of luck.”
The crowd parted to let her through, and people noted her good looks, her uniform and medals. Duval, very serious, very military, placed her about halfway in line and one of his aides led them to the front of the audience facing the platform in front of an empty row.
Duval waited at a side door on the right. The music of the band ended with a flourish and a voice over the loudspeaker echoed, “Please rise to welcome Dr. Simon Husseini.”
Everyone stood and applauded as Husseini entered. Of medium height, he wore a black suit and college tie but looked older than his mid-sixties, mainly because his white hair was too long. There was a kind of melancholy to him, and his smile seemed strained as he waved to the crowd. He and Duval spoke together, and then a voice echoed from the loudspeaker again.
“Please be seated.”
The band played music softly and Husseini and Duval started along the line of observers, not all of whom were in uniform. Sara’s stomach was hollow, her throat was dry, and she tried to swallow to moisten it, aware of the voices as they approached, speaking in French, of course, and then the moment came.
“Capitaine Sara Gideon,” Duval said.
He was standing slightly back from Husseini’s left shoulder, his face calm, giving nothing away, but Husseini knew her, of course, it was in the eyes, she could tell that instantly. The slight smile was no more than was required and he shook her hand, aware as he did so of the folded slip.
“I’m enchanted to meet you, Capitaine,” he said in French. “Your medals pay homage to your extraordinary bravery.”
“A privilege to meet you, Doctor,” she replied in the same language.
“No, Capitaine, the privilege is mine.” He passed on, Duval nodded and followed.
What came afterward meant little to her, for the meeting had had a profound effect, the emotion of seeing him again after so many years. The fanfare sounded, the President entered, several people were called up to receive awards, and then Husseini, and then suddenly, it was all over. People stood up and milled around, some making their way toward the champagne on offer. Duval, passing her, saluted, speaking formally in case they were heard by anyone close.
“So kind of you to come, Captain. We are very grateful.” Then he quickly murmured in a quiet voice, “I’ll speak to you later.”
He turned away and Dillon pushed through, reached her, and smiled. “Did it work, did he recognize you?”
“Oh yes,” she said. “I’ve never been more certain. Where is he now?”
“Behind you,” Dillon said, “with our Iranian friends. That gargoyle Rasoul is pushing his way through the crowd, followed by Khan and Husseini. Wali Vahidi and Declan Rashid are bringing up the rear, and doesn’t he look good in uniform. I think he’s got even more medals than you.”
“You can’t take anything seriously for a moment, can you, Sean?” She turned to see the Iranian group pass by and she was recognized, no doubt about that. Rasoul scowled, Khan glared, and Husseini ignored her. Dillon and Declan smiled, swept a little close by pressure of the crowd.
“Captain Gideon, a pleasure to see you again, and you, Mr. Dillon.”
“God save the good work, Colonel,” Dillon told him, pushing people away. “But, one Irishman to a half Irishman, we do seem to meet up in some funny old places.”
“So it would appear.” Declan Rashid was laughing, and then was swept away after the others.
“You like him, don’t you?” Dillon said.
“I suppose I do.” Sara nodded. “He’s an easy man to like. A fine soldier, decent, honorable.”
“I agree,” Dillon said. “There’s only one problem. In spite of the difference between him and Rasoul, they’re on the same side. Never forget that.”
“I’m not likely to if you keep reminding me. I think I know my duty.”
“So you could shoot him if necessary?”
She frowned. “You are a bastard, Sean, even on your good days.”
“Yes, I worry about that constantly.” He gave her his special smile.
“And you can forget the blarney, the Irish charm isn’t going to work on this occasion.”
“God save us, but you’ve seen through me at last.” He tightened his grip on her, fending people off.
She laughed. “You clown,” she said. “Let’s get back to the hotel and see what Claude Duval has for us.”
* * *
The small champagne party booked by Emza Khan took place in Husseini’s suite. It was all waiting when they returned, and Henri dismissed the staff and served the champagne himself. He was hoping that the party would be of short duration, for downstairs in his office, Fatima was waiting. He had found her in the bar at nearby Marco’s when he had gone in for a sandwich and a glass of wine, sitting there in her blue uniform. Temptation had proved too much for Henri, and he now had the prospect of untold delights later.
Duval had assured him that the pill he had provided for Vahidi would dissolve instantly and induce a deep sleep within an hour of its being administered. Vahidi would awake in five hours or so refreshed and unaware of what had happened to him. Henri, offering the tray, managed to leave Vahidi till last, the pill concealed in his right palm, dropped at the correct moment as Vahidi looked left at Emza Khan, who was obviously about to speak.
“To the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
“Iran.”
“I think that went well,” Khan said, holding his glass out for a top-up and turned to Husseini, who had gone to the piano and was sitting down. “I warned you to be sensible, and you were. I suppose we can call that some sort of progress.”
“Then you would be wrong.” Husseini was playing a little Bach, ice-cold stuff
as his fingers rippled over the keys. “Your flight from London was short, mine from Tehran rather long. I’m overtired and bored, and I felt that way all during the ceremony. I wanted it to end as soon as possible, and that’s why I behaved myself as the lies floated round me. I wanted to shout out the truth to the world.”
“But you can’t, can you?” Emza Khan snarled. “Because you know what will happen to your mother and daughter.”
“Oh, I know that well enough,” Husseini told him. “With ghouls like you lurking in the wings, just wishing for the order to do them harm.”
Emza Khan cuffed him. “Learn your place, dog.”
Husseini slapped Khan in the face. “You learn yours first. If anything happens to me here, you won’t be back in London, you’ll be trying to explain your miserable self in front of a government tribunal in Tehran.”
Rasoul moved in, pulling his Master to one side, his right hand slamming the keyboard lid down. Husseini managed to snatch his hands away, and Rasoul drew a Webley revolver from his pocket. Declan moved with astonishing speed, stamped behind Rasoul’s right leg, punching him in the kidneys, grabbing him by the collar. Off balance, he fell to the floor.
Declan picked up the weapon and put a foot in Rasoul’s back, holding him down. He looked at Khan, his face cold and hard as he said, “If anything happens to Husseini, we will all be held responsible. The consequences will be as bad for you, in spite of all your money, as they will be for me.”
There was sudden fear on Khan’s face, and he kicked Rasoul. “Control yourself, you animal. On your feet now.”
Rasoul heaved himself up, panting. “I’m sorry.”
“Take him back to his room,” Declan ordered. “I’ll speak to him again later.”
Khan went, pushing Rasoul in front of him, Declan closing the door behind them. Husseini said, “That was well done. I’ll have another glass.”
Henri, who had stood beside the champagne bar during the whole fracas, said, “Certainly, sir, what about you gentlemen?”
Vahidi, who was yawning hugely, said, “Oh no, I’ve had too much already. You do as you want, I’m for bed.” He shambled to his bedroom at the other end of the room, called good night, and went in.
“A night for surprises,” Husseini said, and Declan Rashid laughed. “Not really, that’s the trouble. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He left, and Husseini said, “A night to remember.”
Henri said, “I’ve seen it all before, or variations of it, during forty years in the hotel trade. Was there anything else?”
“Could you leave clearing the room until the morning?”
“Yes, I could, but I’d like to check the welfare of the gentleman next door. He didn’t seem too good to me.”
He didn’t wait for Husseini’s permission, went and opened Vahidi’s door, found the light still on and Vahidi, still wearing his suit, lying on the bed and snoring gently.
Behind him in the doorway, Husseini said, “Is he all right?”
“Oh yes, sir, just one too many.”
He switched off the light, and Husseini said, “I’ll say good night.”
Henri, seizing the moment, said, “Actually, I do have a surprise for you, sir. A young lady desires a word with you and hopes you may remember her. Captain Sara Gideon.”
Husseini was stunned. “Where is she?”
“Just along the corridor. I can call her on the telephone.”
“But my bodyguard.”
“Is out for about five hours. A sleeping pill in his champagne.”
“What desecration.” Husseini smiled as he had not smiled in years. “But bring her on, Henri, bring her on.”
* * *
It was Dillon who answered the house phone in their suite where the two of them had been waiting, hoping against hope. Sara wore jeans, ankle boots, and a heavy sweater that concealed a Glock in the belt holster.
“It’s ready and waiting,” Dillon told her. “Just a few yards up the corridor. I could come with you?”
“I know you mean well, Sean, but I can handle it.”
“Of course you can.”
Her smile was radiant. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me. You’re learning.”
He smiled. “Go on, get out of it, go and save the world.”
* * *
The corridor was quiet as she walked along, paused at the door, took a deep breath, and pressed the buzzer. It was Henri who opened the door.
“Welcome, Captain,” he said. “Please come in.”
She did and found Husseini standing by the piano. He stared at her, face drawn. “Sara?”
“Yes, it is me, Simon,” she said. A huge smile exploded on his face and he stepped close and threw his arms about her.
Henri said, “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go below to my room, sir.” He produced his card and put it on the coffee table by the door. “That has my mobile number. Call me if you need me, the captain can explain everything.”
He let himself out, went down in the lift, and found Fatima lying on the small bed in the corner of his office, sleeping. He’d had enough to drink, nips of champagne, so he opened the large thermos he kept primed with strong black coffee, enjoyed a cup, smoked a Gitane, and studied Fatima and saw that she was quite lovely and that that he admired her much more than he’d realized. Could this be love? A long time coming. She turned to the wall, and he lay down beside her and closed his eyes.
* * *
Simon Husseini and Sara sat on the couch, and he held her hands. “It’s wonderful to see you, but what is this all about? Your achievements as a soldier speak for themselves, but who are you really?”
Suddenly, Sara was tired of pretense, because he deserved better. “I’m not employed on the battlefield anymore. I’m a member of the Security Services. My boss is Major General Charles Ferguson and we work personally for the Prime Minister.”
“The Prime Minister? My goodness, it’s that important, is it? So what do you want?”
“We know about your personal situation, about your mother and daughter. Tomorrow morning, you’ll fly back to Tehran, call in on them, then return to your work in the mountains.”
“Because I have no choice.”
“What if you did? What if we arranged for the SAS to snatch your mother and daughter from their villa, and you from the research unit, and have you on a plane to London before Tehran knew it?”
He laughed. “What a sensation that would be.”
“You don’t think it’s possible?”
“Anything is possible. The prospect of my mother and daughter enjoying the calm of life in Hampstead instead of Tehran would be a vast improvement. But there is also me to consider, and what I want.”
“What’s troubling you?” she asked.
“My work on medical isotopes led me to great recognition because people from all over the world benefited from the discovery. I called it the Breath of Allah. Now that work has developed into the ability to create a nuclear bomb many times more powerful than anything existing. Is that the Breath of Allah as well? More likely mere mortals misrepresenting Allah’s purpose.”
“So you still believe in essential goodness?”
“I cling to the thought desperately. I first came across it thirty-five years ago from my tutor in moral philosophy at the Sorbonne, a Greek Orthodox priest and monk called Father John Mikali. Although a Christian, he had no difficulty in comparing essential goodness with the Breath of Allah.”
“What happened to him?”
“Still alive at ninety. He lives in the Hospice of St. Anthony as a member of the small community that has served the caravan trail, southwards from Kuwait through Saudi Arabia to the Gulf States and the Empty Quarter, since ancient times.”
“How extraordinary,” Sara said.
“If anyone had a solution to my problem, it would be he.”
“So you turn down the idea I’ve put to you?”
“If it succeeded and I arrived in London, the Prime Minist
er and your General Ferguson would want to fly me away to some hidden establishment, where I’d have to carry on the same work I’ve been doing in Iran, in gratitude for spiriting me, my mother, and daughter out of Tehran. This is a false hope. I have no intention of continuing my work. I would turn my back on it. Return to my medical interests, if that were possible.”
“I can understand that perfectly,” Sara said.
“Have I made life awkward for you? It’s not exactly the kind of news Ferguson will want to hear.”
“He’ll just have to accept it.”
“So, end of story?”
“Not you and me privately. In spite of all the things you have said, it’s an uncertain world and you’ve no idea what may happen to you.” She took a box from her pocket. “You don’t need to look at it now, there are instructions inside.”
“What is it?” he asked.
“It’s a Codex mobile phone, the same that links all our operatives together. It’s totally encrypted. You’ll find my source number noted for you. Call me anytime, day or night, this year, next year. Promise me you will do this.”
He hugged her tightly. “Of course I will. You are a wonderful girl, Sara Gideon.”
“Safe flight in the morning,” she said. “But I’d better go and get a little sleep myself. We’ll be returning to London.” She moved to the door. “God bless, Simon.”
She opened it, stepped out, was gone.
* * *
Earlier, Emza Khan, Rasoul, and Declan Rashid had returned to the suite on the fifth floor, Rasoul obviously drunk and decidedly mutinous.
Emza Khan struck him across the face. “When you disgrace yourself, you disgrace me. Remember that, you fool. Now, get to bed.”
Rasoul glared at Declan as he went past toward his bedroom. Declan said, “I’m beginning to think he’s proving to be more trouble than he’s worth. He’s like a human attack dog.”
“An excellent description. There are ways in which he earns his keep,” Khan told him. “I’m going to bed now. I’ll see you in the morning. Let yourself out.”
Which Declan did, while in the second bedroom of the next suite, Rasoul was sampling miniatures from the minibar that made him angrier than ever. He lay on the bed, watched television for a while, finally got up, opened his door to the corridor, and went out on the prowl.