3 Great Thrillers

by Churton, Alex; Churton, Toby; Locke, John; Lustbader, Eric van; van Lustbader, Eric

  ‘Strong in spirit?’

  ‘If the spirit is gone, the rest follows. Now, Baba knows that most people are like children. Even leaders of the world talk like children. They even have tantrums and throw things about. But like children, they love stories and mysteries. The Baba Sheykh wanted, as it were, to put a mystery into the pot – then let the way of the world stir it up a bit. The Baba Sheykh knows that there has always been a great fascination with Freemasonry. There is a mystery there. There is secrecy and the hint of something…’

  ‘Supernatural?’

  ‘Perhaps. The penalty for being a Freemason under Saddam, of course, was death. Why? Many of our Arab neighbours have condemned Freemasonry in the last fifty years. I think the Palestine–Israel conflict has a lot to do with this change in attitude. Crazy talk of Zionist-Masonic conspiracies.’

  ‘I think you’re right.’

  ‘We know that extremists who are dictating to people in our country and now dictating to people around the world insist Freemasonry is a Western creation, an evil creation. That it is somehow against the true God and people of faith.’

  ‘So what did the Baba Sheykh have to say?’

  ‘A different point of view.’

  Ashe looked out through the open doors of the bar to the Duhok rush hour, chugging past the new bar like the passage of history.

  ‘A different point of view, Sinàn?’

  ‘His view. Baba’s view. He said it was consistent with the tradition he embodies.’

  ‘Tradition?’

  ‘That is how we refer to our beliefs.’

  ‘What was the Baba Sheykh’s point of view?’

  ‘You must read the text, because it is the way he expresses it that is so special. His mind was in his words. If I try to say it, you will only see the outside.’

  ‘Can you give me a clue?’

  ‘The Baba Sheykh intended to prove that Freemasonry is not a Western creation, but is older than Islam, older than Jesus. He wanted to show that when people understand it properly, it holds a promise, not a threat, for the world.’

  Ashe was disappointed. The idea that Freemasonry came from the ancient world was hardly new. ‘But why did the Baba Sheykh want to make his statement in Turkey?’

  ‘Baba understood that interest in the mystique surrounding Freemasonry could make Westerners curious about the Yezidis. In Turkey, Islam is the religion, but Freemasonry is not forbidden. Turkish governments have not always been as just to Yezidis as they have to Freemasonry, so there would be a little controversy. Baba thought choosing a Turkish Lodge would help the message get into the public sphere. He was excited about the internet because it carries truth as well as lies. If a story is good, news travels fast.’

  Ashe felt tempted to say that bad news travels faster, but knew he would have to keep Sinàn on a positive note. He feared Sinàn might withdraw into himself at any moment. Ashe thought about his next question carefully.

  ‘Was there a … political aspect to what the Baba Sheykh had to say?’

  ‘The Baba Sheykh would not have made the speech unless he believed it to be true. That was its secret power.’

  ‘But he never made the speech.’

  ‘He wrote it, Toby Ashe. And friends of mine in Istanbul ensured that he would be invited to give this speech.’

  ‘Can you tell me the names of these friends?’

  ‘I would not do them such a disservice.’

  ‘Are the names Yildiz and Yazar familiar to you?’

  ‘No.’

  Ashe could see from Sinàn’s eyes that the names were indeed familiar to him. Ashe knew that if the Americans knew Sinàn was friendly with Kurdish separatist politicians suspected by Turkish authorities of sympathy, or more, with the PKK, Sinàn would be interrogated once more, and not quite so humanely. Satisfied Sinàn was no stranger to Kurdish politics in Turkey, Ashe knew better than to poke further into an issue that would probably terminate the conversation.

  ‘So tell me, Sinàn, why didn’t the speech actually take place in Istanbul?’

  ‘The Lodge Master in Istanbul requested a copy of the speech in advance. You can’t just say anything in a Lodge meeting. I was told it was sent to the Grand Secretary of the English Grand Lodge because Britain is the home of Freemasonry. That is where the leading scholars and historians of Masonry live. The Turkish Lodge wanted the approval of English Freemasons.’

  ‘Presumably because the United Grand Lodge of England dispenses Masonic authority in many parts of the world.’

  ‘That is true. The largest Masonic jurisdiction in Turkey is in fellowship with the English Grand Lodge. That is to say, Toby Ashe, that the United Grand Lodge of England recognises Turkey’s largest Grand Lodge.’

  ‘You seem to know a lot about it, Sinàn.’

  Sinàn cleared his throat. ‘My friends in Istanbul explained this to me. They said that a Lodge that is not “recognised” by the English Grand Lodge is not accepted as pure Freemasonry. They told me that in France there is a “Grand Orient” Lodge that does not require people to believe in God. Because of this, the Grand Orient is not “recognised”, as they call it, by the English Grand Lodge. Are you a Mason, Toby Ashe?’

  ‘I haven’t visited for many years. Was the Baba Sheykh a Brother?’

  ‘You asked me about the speech. It was sent to London. We heard nothing. Nothing. Not approval. Not disapproval. All was still set for the meeting in March but then—’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘We received a warning. Definite warning, Toby Ashe. Very convincing. Baba was informed someone wanted to kill him. He must leave Turkey. He was also warned he would not be safe in Iraq. Germany was better for him. We have friends there.’

  ‘Who gave you the warning?’

  ‘People I trusted. Well-informed people.’

  ‘Did you inform the Lodge you would not attend?’

  ‘We were told not to do so. We went west, Toby Ashe. And there you found me.’

  91

  ‘Tobbi!’ It was Laila in the doorway, a star in the afternoon sun.

  Ashe was taken aback by the sight of the princess in a khaki military blouse tucked into desert slacks, her black hair tied right back and covered by a red polka-dot scarf.

  Laila kissed Ashe on the cheek; Sinàn looked on jealously.

  ‘Excuse me, gentlemen. I am your chauffeur for Shariya!’

  ‘I was expecting Major Richmond.’

  ‘He sent me, Tobbi.’

  ‘Not alone, I hope.’

  ‘No, Tobbi, I have two bodyguards. The major is with Jolo. New developments. He wants you to know about it, Tobbi. I will wait outside for you.’

  The two men sat down again as Laila left the bar; it seemed darker without her.

  ‘She likes you a lot, Toby Ashe.’

  Ashe feigned indifference and said nothing.

  ‘You know we do not permit marriage outside our tradition.’

  ‘It’s one of the many remarkable things about your people.’

  ‘You do not wish to marry my sister?’

  ‘Your sister, Sinàn, is a person of dignity whom I respect as a friend.’

  ‘If you respect me, you will respect my sister as a Yezidi.’

  ‘Of course. Now there is something I’d like to hear from your lips, Sinàn. When did the wicked man first become a threat to your people, and to the Baba Sheykh?’

  ‘Like I told the Americans at the interrogation, it was more than ten years ago. There was a rumour around the Yezidi villages.’

  ‘Rumour?’

  ‘That this wicked man killed the Baba Sheykh’s son.’

  ‘His son?’

  ‘Yes, his only son. His only son… was used, the rumour said, to test the effects of diseases, or poison gas. Wickedness. So, it was decided by some people to kill the wicked man.’

  ‘On a rumour?’

  ‘I mean stop the wicked man. When we had him, then we would know. But we could never get close to him. It was after the first Gulf War. Ther
e was an uprising. An uprising in the south and an uprising in the north. We believed the Americans would help us. In the confusion, some people tried to find the wicked man in Baghdad. Then we heard he was gone. He ran away. Now he has come back. And now I ask a question of you, Toby Ashe. I am thinking that this wicked man wants revenge because of the plan to take him that made him escape from Baghdad. But now I am thinking… Why should the Americans and the British want him so much? What has he done to them? And how do you know that this man wants to… I think he wanted to kill me in Hamburg, and you saved me. But then why did he not kill the Baba Sheykh when he found him? Why, Toby Ashe, why do you think this wicked man has taken our holy man? What does he want with him?’

  ‘You really have no idea at all?’

  ‘Please! Please, Toby Ashe! What does he want? If it is money, we will find money!’

  Ashe squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. In a sense, the Yezidi leaders had a right to know. But Sinàn was not obliged to keep secrets. Promises would be worthless.

  ‘OK, Sinàn. Let’s get this straight. I understood from Mr Beck that you were making contact with his department in the USA during your trek with the sheykh. You seemed to know a lot about the wicked man’s work when he was employed by Saddam.’

  ‘Contact, Toby Ashe? What contact? I never make contact! How would I know how to make contact with American secret services? That’s what I kept telling them at the interrogation! Why would they not believe me?’

  ‘Did they…? They didn’t…?’

  ‘Torture me? No, not torture. Just hours and hours of the same questions. And always I gave the same answers. The same things I am repeating to you today. They’re probably watching me now. They want to know who I will contact, I suppose. Surely, Toby Ashe, you are working with them? So tell them, Toby Ashe, tell them I would never think of sending messages to the CIA! That is why I agreed to see you. My sister says you are a good man, and you tell your American friends that what I have said to them is the truth.’

  ‘I can tell them. But if they don’t believe you, why should they believe me?’

  ‘They kept saying their messages came from a man who called himself “the doctor”. And that that was me, because I was in Hamburg and they had traced a message to Germany. I had nothing to tell them. I have nothing to tell you, except please, please find my friend! Tell us where he is!’

  Ashe sighed. ‘I’m sorry, Sinàn. I only wish I knew.’

  92

  Beneath vast skies, Princess Laila continued to cast Ashe appreciative glances. Ashe was conscious that Sinàn, sitting moodily in the back seat with two of Jolo’s militia, was catching every look with ill-disguised contempt. Was it sibling jealousy? Seemed unlikely. Perhaps he was just the moody type. Sinàn showed no interest in talking to the militiamen either. The taciturn Yezidis respected Sinàn’s silence and instead concentrated on closely observing every house roof, alleyway, passing car and cart.

  It seemed most likely to Ashe that Laila’s brother was suffering from depressive anxiety since losing contact with the Baba Sheykh. Nevertheless, he could not entirely shake the conviction that Sinàn somehow held him, Ashe, personally responsible for the Baba Sheykh’s predicament – both before the kidnap, and since. He knew Ashe and the Americans were hiding something.

  The open Land Rover 110 approached Shariya. The collective village was low-lying, situated beneath rolling terracotta slopes. Laila’s long fingers squeezed Ashe’s knee. Uncomfortable, Ashe felt himself itching to get back to Europe. He had an old friend who worked at Freemasons’ Hall. What the hell had the Baba Sheykh been going to say to the Turkish Lodge that necessitated English Masonic approval? Furthermore, the time had come to use Aslan’s arrest of Yildiz and Yazar to help the investigation. If it was Yildiz and Yazar who had warned the Baba Sheykh in Istanbul, how did they know about al-Qasr’s intentions against him? Was it certain al-Qasr was behind the threat to the Baba Sheykh’s life in Istanbul? And if it was, who told him the Baba Sheykh was on the Lodge guest list that night?

  The sight of Shariya did nothing to encourage Ashe to linger in Iraq. The whitewashed warren of single-storey concrete boxes was clearly Saddam’s idea of a village for people he did not trust. But the Yezidis had made a home of it. Vital electricity buzzed through a network of crooked wooden pylons that criss-crossed the village like a cat’s cradle. Ashe couldn’t help noticing the satellite dishes bent back to receive the media vision, like mini Easter Island gods squatting on the roofs.

  Children cheered the returning militia as the Land Rover dodged the occasional pickup truck. Richmond’s armour-plated Mercedes was unmistakable. Inside, Richmond, Jolo and an excitable interpreter huddled over a series of maps, enjoying the air-conditioning and the tension of fresh intelligence.

  Inside the house opposite, a small line of villagers queued up quietly to kiss the sacred base of the senjaq, watched by a stone-faced sheykh who collected the devotees’ money.

  ‘I’m afraid I must leave you, Dr Ashe. I have disputes to settle before I leave. Are you coming with me, Laila?’

  ‘You promised to take Rozeh into Duhok this evening, Sinàn.’

  ‘I’ve not forgotten. I shall… leave you here then. Goodbye, Toby Ashe.’

  Ashe gave him a firm shake of the hand and looked deep into the Yezidi’s eyes. ‘We will find the sheykh, Sinàn. Believe me.’

  The doctor nodded with a faint smile. ‘That is more than we have a right to expect.’

  Inside the Merc, Richmond continually congratulated Jolo on his achievements. Having an interpreter meant that Jolo heard each congratulatory utterance twice, and this made his youthful face twice as proud. Jolo was also delighted at the latest provision of new armour, ammunition and transmission equipment. Major Richmond had been as good as his word.

  There was a good deal of shaking of hands and very soon Jolo, who hugged Ashe warmly, was out of the vehicle and on his way. Richmond turned to the young interpreter. ‘Take a walk. If people want to talk to you, make yourself available. Could be useful.’

  Ashe looked down at the map spread over the dashboard, covered with large felt-pen detail of divisional movements and coded military dispositions.

  ‘OK, Toby. There’s something come up might interest you. As you know, most security work done in this sector is US-controlled. And done pretty well too, by and large.’

  ‘Glad to hear it.’

  ‘Still, we have our uses. Jolo’s detachment has been invaluable out in the western desert between the Jebel Sinjar and the north Syrian border. Recently though, I thought he needed a change of air and space, so I organised some reconnaissance missions for his detachment here.’

  Richmond pointed to the far northeast, close to the Iraqi border with Turkey’s Hakkari Province. ‘You see here, Toby, the Hakkari Mountains respect no border. This seems to have inspired our Turkish friends.

  ‘We expect Turkish special forces activity in this area. Their argument is strong enough to satisfy themselves: if the US won’t come down on the PKK – though they are known terrorists – then it’s Turkey’s responsibility to pursue the “war on terrorism” beyond its borders, as the US and Britain have done.’

  ‘Yeah. I can’t see it making headlines anywhere.’

  ‘Now, have a look round here.’ Richmond waved his finger over a seriously mountainous area some seventy kilometres to the northeast of Duhok. ‘Jolo started a series of observation sorties from this point.’

  ‘Al-Amadiyah?’

  ‘The Kurds call it Amadiyye. Now, see this fan from Amadiyye north to the Turkish border post at Üzümlü, then follow the line of the border about twenty-five kilometres east to the next Turkish border point at Khwari, then back down to Amadiyye.’

  ‘Looks like tough terrain.’

  ‘It is. We need Jolo. His eyes see things differently to the rest of us. Extraordinary. I reckon he could give the Gurkhas a run for their money – in their own country! Now, you see these little Kurdish villages and townships?’
>
  ‘I can just make out Betfa, Kara, Rashi, Baytka, Nerva Zheri—’

  ‘That last one, Nerva Zheri. You need the satellite map to see this properly, but within a five-kilometre radius of the place, Jolo’s seen some unusual activity.’

  ‘Unusual?’

  ‘Turkish special forces. Carrying supplies mostly. Not much surprising in that, though it seems more intense than what we’ve seen before.’

  ‘Something else going on there?’

  ‘It’s odd. In the same territory, they’ve observed small detachments of Ansar al-Sunna forces training there. Now it’s been all I can do to persuade Jolo and his men not to blow these guys into the next world.’

  ‘So what’s your point?’

  ‘The point, Toby, is that given the proximity of their respective operations, the Turkish special forces and the foreign insurgents are literally moving in each others’ footsteps!’

  ‘They could be tracking one another. But why are you telling me this? I mean, if you’re asking my opinion, I’d say at the worst what you’ve got here is Turkish special forces co-opting Ansar al-Sunna terrorists into their war on renegade PKK forces over the Iraqi border.’

  Richmond was surprised how comfortable Ashe was with this thought. ‘Well, that would be a startling new development wouldn’t it, Toby? I mean, mighty embarrassing for the Turkish government, to say the least, if that’s what we’re looking at here! Can you see the headline? “Turkey uses al-Qaeda allies to kill Kurds.” That would do nothing for their hopes of joining the EU. The US might reasonably regard them as a legitimate target.’