The Sanctuary

by Raymond Khoury

  Kirkwood looked away for a moment, weighing his words. The frown hadn’t left his face as he leaned in. “Think about it. Jim’s a government agent. If there’s something like this out there, if they know that’s what the hakeem is really working on…what do you think they would do? Hand it over to a lunatic? Or keep it under wraps?”

  Chapter 51

  C orben’s remark took the hakeem by surprise and paused him, if only for a moment. “And your help and patronage is supposed to be even more attractive to me than your government’s, is that it?

  Corben looked up at him, his voice calm and unwavering. “I was asked to find you. To track you down. But that was four years ago. A lot’s changed since then.” He adjusted his position slightly, trying to alleviate the discomfort of the harsh soil.

  “The WMD mess crippled us,” he continued. “Intelligence report became a dirty word, synonymous with White House fabrication. It turned us into pariahs. The antiwar movement and the press savaged us. People got fired or shuffled around, my boss included. Priorities changed. Everyone was busy backstabbing and pointing fingers and scurrying around trying to save their own asses, and a lot of stuff got lost in the mix. Your file was one of them. The Agency lost interest.”

  “But you didn’t,” the hakeem observed drily.

  “I wasn’t sure. The odds were that you were a waste of time, a wild-goose chase. You were running experiments, you had all the resources and human guinea pigs you needed, but I had no idea if you’d been successful in your work. And you’d pulled a mother of a disappearing act. I would’ve let go. Moved on. But there was this symbol, carved into the wall of one of your cells. The snake, the tail-eater. Data-mining hadn’t turned up anything on it that was relevant, but when I did some old-fashioned digging around through our archives in Langley, I found something. An old file, long forgotten. A report from an Agency man in the Vatican. A memo about an old case from the eighteenth century involving the tail-eater symbol, a false marquis, and a prince who believed the man hadn’t aged a day in over fifty years.” Corben noticed the hakeem’s jaw take on a sharper, more pronounced line. “And it made me wonder if you were just another quack—God knows, there are enough of them out there—or if you were really onto something. So I kept an open mind. You know those detectives who can never let go of an unsolved case that marked them? You were mine. If any of this was real, it was my golden ticket out of the sleaze pit of intel work, a big fuck you to the ungrateful and self-righteous bastards in D.C. who are more than happy to use us and then hang us out to dry, a way to ride off into the sunset sipping Cristal in the back of a Maybach.”

  Which was, at least until that phone call to Abu Barzan, the truth. Now, though, Corben was no longer sure the hakeem was the most direct route to the fountain of youth, if there was such a thing at all. Not until he knew what the mystery buyer knew. But he didn’t want the hakeem to know that. Not yet, anyway. Not if he wanted to get back to Beirut in one piece.

  “After Baghdad,” Corben concluded, “I got posted out here. Kept my eyes and ears open, in case something popped up. And here we are.” His tone hardened. “No one else knows about your involvement. No one’s aware of the link. They just think this is about smugglers fighting over the spoils of war. It’s what I’ve made them think. And I can keep it that way.”

  The hakeem glanced away, nodding to himself almost imperceptibly, seemingly processing his captive’s words.

  “What do you think you could you possibly offer me that I don’t already have?” he finally asked.

  “Oh, I can think of a number of things. Access to our intel, to our resources. Research. I can also provide you with a safety net. I don’t know where you’ve been holed up since Baghdad imploded, but this part of the world’s not the most stable, and if it blows up around you again, you might want to relocate somewhere less…distracting. I can organize that. New papers, a new identity. And if you do have something the world wants, something people will be willing to pay big bucks for, then I can be your front man. I can be your beard and legitimize it. And you don’t need me to tell you there’s a lot of money to be made.”

  The hakeem remained poker-faced, staring down at Corben as he brooded over his words. After a short moment, and in the same dismissive tone, he simply said, “I don’t think so,” and motioned to someone behind him.

  A ripple of alarm coursed through Corben. He strained to see what was going on, but couldn’t. “What do you mean, you don’t think so?”

  A man appeared from the direction of the car, carrying a small briefcase. He flicked it open and held it up, its lid facing Corben and masking its contents. The hakeem dipped into it. When his hands reappeared, they held a syringe and a small bottle. He gave the man behind Corben an indignant, indifferent nod. The pockmarked man reached down and grabbed Corben, pinning him in place while the hakeem plunged the needle into the small bottle and filled the syringe with its contents.

  “I mean you’re going to tell me where the book is, my men will bring it to me, and then I’ll decide about whether or not to let you live.”

  “There’s no need for this, I’m telling you—”

  The pockmarked man hit Corben in the gut, punching the air out of him. He felt his arm being twisted into position, a tourniquet quickly applied below his shoulder, as the hakeem leaned in, squirting an air bubble out of the syringe.

  “Where’s the book?”

  Corben’s eyes locked onto the needle. “I told you I don’t have it.”

  The hakeem injected Corben. Seconds later, the searing sensation rocketed through his veins, turning his blood into lava. Corben screamed out from the pain, the hakeem hovering over him, watching him with detached curiosity.

  “Where’s the book?”

  “I don’t have it,” Corben yelled back.

  The hakeem pushed the plunger further in. “Where’s the book?” he rasped.

  Corben’s skin felt as if it were frying from the inside. His eyes were blurry, drowning in tears. “In Turkey,” he blurted. “The book’s in Turkey.”

  The hakeem pulled the needle out.

  The burning receded, as if it were vaporizing itself out of Corben’s fingers and toes.

  “Go on.”

  Corben took a deep breath, his body still shivering from the drug’s effect. “Farouk, the Iraqi dealer who came to see Evelyn. He didn’t have it with him. He was just brokering it. And the dealer who has it is on his way to deliver his whole stash to another buyer.”

  That last part ignited the hakeem’s interest visibly. “Another buyer? Who?”

  “I don’t know.”

  The hakeem held up the needle threateningly.

  “I don’t know,” Corben insisted. “He wouldn’t tell me. I tried to counterbid, but the other buyer bid even higher.”

  He hadn’t wanted the hakeem to know about the other buyer and cursed inwardly, noticing that the hakeem’s mind was clearly thinking the same thing he was, desperate to find out who the other interested party was.

  “Where is this exchange taking place?”

  “I don’t know yet,” Corben said grudgingly. “We’re tracking him. It looks like he’s spending the night in Diyarbakir. The trade’s going down tomorrow.” He scowled at his captor. “If you want that book, you’re going to have to work with me on this. I’m the only one who can get that information from our intel guys, and if I don’t show up at my desk in the morning, all bets are off.”

  A faint smile played on the hakeem’s lips. “Oh, I’m sure you can get the information by phone. I can’t imagine CIA agents having to punch in every morning. Just as long as you don’t forget to make your sign-in call.”

  The hakeem was well-informed: He knew of the Agency’s routine requirement for field agents to call in at specified times every morning to confirm they were okay. Corben watched the hakeem as he thought things through for a moment, before adding, “What excuse were you planning to use to justify your little excursion to Diyarbakir?”

  “I
was going to be checking out someone Farouk called. Without mentioning the book.”

  The hakeem nodded. “I want that book,” he said firmly. “And even more than the book, I want to know who the other buyer is. I’ll get you to Diyarbakir without your people knowing about it. But in the meantime, I’d prefer to keep you close. If you need a way out later, you’ll be able to say we grabbed you from your apartment and forced you along.” He fixed Corben intently. “Take my men to wherever this exchange is taking place. Bring me back the book and the buyer, and we can talk about our future. Do we have a deal?”

  Corben’s eyes hardened. He nodded. He didn’t have much choice. The man was, if anything, methodical.

  There was one more issue to discuss. “What about the woman? Evelyn Bishop? You heard the ambassador’s announcement. It would strengthen my hand if I get her back at some point.”

  The hakeem shrugged. “Like I said. Get me the book and the buyer. Maybe after that, you can stage a miraculous escape and free her too.” He looked a question at the pockmarked man and asked him something in Arabic.

  Corben strained to look over his shoulder and saw the killer pull out Corben’s cell phone from a pocket. He’d taken out its battery, which he held in his hand.

  The hakeem nodded, then stowed the syringe in the briefcase and motioned to his men to take it away. He turned and walked off, flicking a terse signal to his men. They approached Corben.

  “So is it real?” Corben called out after him.

  The man kept walking.

  “Does it work?” Corben shouted out, persisting.

  The hakeem stopped, turned, the corners of his mouth breaking in a thin, wry smile. “I hope you won’t try to be too clever. I can always find room for you in my little clinic. Do we understand each other?”

  Corben locked eyes with the hakeem. He realized the man would be impossible to rein in, and Corben knew he’d have to adjust his plans accordingly. If the other buyer knew his stuff, Corben would ditch the hakeem. The thought of bringing the sick bastard in or—even better—pumping a bullet through his forehead seemed hugely satisfying right now.

  The hakeem got into a waiting car. He was driven away while his men converged on Corben, gagged him with some packing tape, lifted him off his feet, and carried him off like a roped steer before dumping him into another car’s trunk and slamming it shut.

  Chapter 52

  T he dusty morning sunlight conspired with the car horns and street vendors to wake Mia up. In truth, she hadn’t slept well at all despite the cushy comfort of her bed. As if the whole notion of the hakeem’s insane aspiration being possibly not-so-insane wasn’t enough, Kirkwood’s closing words had sent her mind into a confused spin. The three martinis probably didn’t help on that front either.

  Kirkwood was right. They had to keep this quiet, at least until Evelyn was safe.

  Which meant keeping it from Corben.

  Thinking back, Mia had sensed a wariness in the agent when she’d first seen him around Kirkwood. What was the real reason for that? Did the agent know more than he’d shared with her? She thought back to Corben’s telling her about the lab in Baghdad. He’d suggested that it was about bioweapons, but he hadn’t given her a satisfactory explanation of why the hakeem was after the codex, repeating—annoyingly, as far as she was concerned—that it was irrelevant to getting Evelyn out. If the hakeem’s experiments had to do with longevity, surely the CIA’s experts would already have figured that out.

  Which meant they’d want to keep it under wraps.

  Either she was way off the mark, which she thought was quite likely. Or, on the off chance that what she and Kirkwood had speculated about last night was real, Corben was hiding things from her. Which, she reminded herself, wouldn’t be that shocking. He was a CIA man. He had a job to do. Not telling her the whole truth wouldn’t exactly be keeping him up at night.

  On the other hand, she didn’t know much about Kirkwood. She’d felt a certain distance, a hesitancy in his manner, almost a shyness—about something. But he also exuded calmness, a confidence that came with well-honed knowledge. Still, she didn’t know anything about Kirkwood, really. He’d appeared in Beirut wanting to help get Evelyn out, he was with the UN, and that was pretty much it. Mia realized she had to be careful with him too. The same reasons that would have her be wary of Corben had to apply to Kirkwood too.

  Her mouth felt dry and her stomach was grumbling in protest. Deciding that the buffet would provide a quicker fix than room service, she quickly slipped on some cargo pants and a shirt and headed out to the hotel’s restaurant.

  She was lost in her thoughts and waiting for the elevator when its doors pinged open. Kirkwood was standing inside.

  A silver attaché case and a backpack were by his feet. He looked as if he was leaving.

  Mia stepped inside, her eyes darting from his face to the bags and back. Something caught in her throat. “You’re leaving?”

  His face tensed up, as if he’d been caught out. “No, I,…,” he stumbled, “I’ll be back tonight.”

  She nodded, sensing his discomfort. She decided to probe a little deeper. “Look, I’ve been thinking about what we were talking about, and I think I should let Jim know.” She studied his face. “Maybe it’ll help.”

  KIRKWOOD HADN’T SLEPT WELL either. His chat with Mia, at the rooftop bar, deeply unsettled him. He’d nudged at the truth with her, then he’d pulled back. Which left her with a lot of questions. Questions that could get her into trouble.

  Corben and his handlers obviously had their own agenda. Evelyn was expendable, Kirkwood knew that. Mia hadn’t posed much of a threat to them, but if she started asking too many questions, making a pain of herself, they might feel threatened. And he knew what these people did when they felt that way.

  He’d made that mistake before. Keeping quiet about the real significance of the tail-eater had put people in danger. He didn’t want it to happen again.

  And he certainly didn’t want it to happen to Mia.

  “Let’s talk about this some more before you do that,” he said as they stepped out of the elevator. His eyes swept the lobby and noticed the agent guarding Mia sitting by the hotel’s entrance, reading a newspaper.

  The agent nodded to Mia, who acknowledged him back before turning to Kirkwood.

  “I know you’re not sure about Jim’s motives,” she pressed on, “but he’s been pretty open with me about what they have, and—”

  “Please, Mia,” Kirkwood interrupted, “you’ve got to trust me on this.” He checked his watch and winced.

  He’d wanted to tell her everything the night before. He’d thought of calling her room earlier that morning, to fill her in on what was going on, but he’d held back.

  He took her aside, into the small library bar, out of the agent’s eye line. No one else was in there. “We got a hit early this morning, out of Iraq,” he lied. “I’d put the word out through our contacts on the ground there. We’ve been heavily involved in trying to secure the country’s historic heritage, especially after the fiasco at the National Museum four years ago. We’ve offered rewards and amnesties in the past, and the strategy’s been very successful. It’s also helped us develop a significant network of contacts within the antiquities community. Anyway, we think we know who’s got the pieces Farouk was trying to sell. A dealer in Baghdad who knows—well, knew—him told one of our people there that Farouk had mentioned the items to him. He said Farouk was brokering them for another dealer, a man from Mosul.” He’d skirted around the difficult part, but he was back on track now. “Farouk didn’t have the pieces with him here in Beirut. That’s why he only had the Polaroids.”

  “So the book’s still in Mosul?” Her eyes were alight with interest.

  “No. It’s in Turkey.” He paused, taking stock of her reaction, before diving in. “I’m going there now to bring it back. Come with me. I’ll fill you in on the plane.”

  QUESTIONS AND confused feelings harried Mia’s mind.

  S
he wasn’t sure about Kirkwood, but then again, she wasn’t sure about Corben either. The only person she could really trust to look out for Evelyn’s interests was herself. If the book that could free her mom was really out there, she had to do everything she could to make sure it got into their hands—her hands—safely. But a nagging uncertainty was still vying for her attention, warning her.

  “I can’t just fly off with you like that,” she objected.

  “Mia, listen to me,” Kirkwood insisted. “There are things you don’t know.”

  That made her angry. “Like what?” she asked fiercely.

  He heaved a conflicted sigh. “Look, I’m sorry, but…last night. I wasn’t being perfectly honest with you. After you mentioned this hakeem at the embassy, I managed to get hold of his file.” She could hear the deep concern in his voice. “What we talked about last night. It’s exactly what he’s working on. And Corben and his people know it.”

  Her mouth dropped an inch. “The experiments…?” She already knew the answer.

  Kirkwood nodded somberly. “That’s what they’re interested in.”

  She didn’t know which way to turn, but one certainty was hacking its way through the thorns in her mind: She couldn’t trust Corben. Not anymore. The verdict on Kirkwood, on the other hand, was still open, but she didn’t have much choice. She had to risk it.

  “What do I tell the agent out there?” she asked flatly, motioning towards the man guarding her.

  “Don’t tell him anything.”

  “He’s here to guard me. He’s not going to let me waltz out of here with you without checking with Jim.” The man’s name felt like poison on her tongue.

  Kirkwood frowned and thought for a moment. “The restaurant next door’s part of the hotel, but it’s got its own entrance further down the street. They’ve got to have the same kitchen. I’ve got a car waiting for me outside. Go back to your room, get your passport and whatever you need to take with you, and take the stairs down to the restaurant and make your way out from there. I’ll be parked around the corner.”