like I said,’ Fawzi continued, ‘and I never got a look at their faces —’
Suddenly the swing door opened and the male nurse put his head in. ‘Sorry, Special Agent,’ he said, ‘but you’ll have to wind it up. The patient’s lost a lot of blood, and you’ve already had too much time.’
Daisy put her notebook away and got up. She tossed her long plait of blonde hair backwards and pouted at him with her wonderful lips. She had a way of setting her mouth as if she was actually smiling through the pout, so that you couldn’t tell if she was mad at you or giving you the come on. It was a look so enticingly feminine that for a moment all of us — even the male nurse — watched her fascinated. A wave of raw yearning washed over me, so quick and powerful that I couldn’t prevent it. I felt a hotness growing in my groin and I struggled to forget how long it was since I’d actually had a woman. In some lights, I told myself, Special Agent Brooke might be not only pretty, but very, very attractive indeed.
‘Well, goodbye, Mr Fawzi,’ she said, ‘and thanks.’
‘But it goes no further than you,’ Fawzi whispered, ‘and you forget the dope, right?’
‘Right.’
After Daisy had gone, I laid the five deals of hashish on Fawzi’s counterpane.
‘Here, my friend,’ I said, ‘a present from the SID. Enjoy . ’
When we drove out of the gate in the white Fiat, I caught a glimpse of a tall Arab woman dressed in loose black robes from head to foot, standing in the shade of the concrete walls. She stared at me through holes in a vampire-like mask of the type some Bedouin tribes wore, and in a flash I was reminded of the woman I’d seen in the vision I’d had while touching Ibram’s dead hand. Then I was distracted by the buzz of Daisy’s mobile, and when I looked again, the woman was gone.
6
‘It’s for you,’ Daisy said, flipping the mobile into my hand, ‘Colonel Hammoudi.’
I fumbled with the controls cursing, and finally put the speaker to my mouth. ‘Sammy here, Colonel.’
‘Good.’ Hammoudi’s voice came back at me, metallic with rasping bass notes. ‘The US embassy’s just released the information that Ibram was staying at the Mena Palace Oberoi at Giza before he died. I want you to get up there and see if you can get anything from the staff, and find out if he left any baggage.’
‘Sir, I could do that job alone,’ I said. ‘It’s nearly five. I’m sure Miss Brooke here needs her beauty sleep.’
‘Oh please!’ Daisy said, her voice loaded, ‘and it’s Special Agent Brooke to you.’
‘Nice try, Sammy,’ Hammoudi said, ‘but you work together. Those are the best terms I could get with the US ambassador.’
‘I read you, sir.’
‘Any joy with Fawzi?’
‘Said the gunmen were wearing long black coats and military-style shamaghs , and he confirmed that one of them was wearing an amulet. It’s sounding more and more like a Militant hit job.’
‘No shit?’ Hammoudi said, impatiently. ‘Anything else?’
‘Two things. Ibram was on the phone to a guy called Monod when he was stiffed. That name mean anything to you?’
‘Not off hand. I’ll run it through records. What was the other thing?’
‘Ibram’s last words. According to Fawzi he said “Firebird” just before he died.’
‘What in hell is that supposed to mean?’
‘Could mean anything or nothing. Ibram was coughing up blood at the time and in my experience that can lead to some very erratic behaviour. Anyway, the only Firebird I know is an American car. Maybe Fawzi got it wrong — the guy’s not exactly a fluent English speaker.’
‘OK, keep me posted.’
I handed the phone back to Daisy, who put it away in her bag one-handed still doing sixty along the Corniche. Suddenly a whole family — mother, father and two small kids — made a kamikaze rush across the road in front of us, and Daisy slammed on the brakes. She’d been driving one-handed and for a second I thought
Suddenly the swing door opened and the male nurse put his head in. ‘Sorry, Special Agent,’ he said, ‘but you’ll have to wind it up. The patient’s lost a lot of blood, and you’ve already had too much time.’
Daisy put her notebook away and got up. She tossed her long plait of blonde hair backwards and pouted at him with her wonderful lips. She had a way of setting her mouth as if she was actually smiling through the pout, so that you couldn’t tell if she was mad at you or giving you the come on. It was a look so enticingly feminine that for a moment all of us — even the male nurse — watched her fascinated. A wave of raw yearning washed over me, so quick and powerful that I couldn’t prevent it. I felt a hotness growing in my groin and I struggled to forget how long it was since I’d actually had a woman. In some lights, I told myself, Special Agent Brooke might be not only pretty, but very, very attractive indeed.
‘Well, goodbye, Mr Fawzi,’ she said, ‘and thanks.’
‘But it goes no further than you,’ Fawzi whispered, ‘and you forget the dope, right?’
‘Right.’
After Daisy had gone, I laid the five deals of hashish on Fawzi’s counterpane.
‘Here, my friend,’ I said, ‘a present from the SID. Enjoy . ’
When we drove out of the gate in the white Fiat, I caught a glimpse of a tall Arab woman dressed in loose black robes from head to foot, standing in the shade of the concrete walls. She stared at me through holes in a vampire-like mask of the type some Bedouin tribes wore, and in a flash I was reminded of the woman I’d seen in the vision I’d had while touching Ibram’s dead hand. Then I was distracted by the buzz of Daisy’s mobile, and when I looked again, the woman was gone.
6
‘It’s for you,’ Daisy said, flipping the mobile into my hand, ‘Colonel Hammoudi.’
I fumbled with the controls cursing, and finally put the speaker to my mouth. ‘Sammy here, Colonel.’
‘Good.’ Hammoudi’s voice came back at me, metallic with rasping bass notes. ‘The US embassy’s just released the information that Ibram was staying at the Mena Palace Oberoi at Giza before he died. I want you to get up there and see if you can get anything from the staff, and find out if he left any baggage.’
‘Sir, I could do that job alone,’ I said. ‘It’s nearly five. I’m sure Miss Brooke here needs her beauty sleep.’
‘Oh please!’ Daisy said, her voice loaded, ‘and it’s Special Agent Brooke to you.’
‘Nice try, Sammy,’ Hammoudi said, ‘but you work together. Those are the best terms I could get with the US ambassador.’
‘I read you, sir.’
‘Any joy with Fawzi?’
‘Said the gunmen were wearing long black coats and military-style shamaghs , and he confirmed that one of them was wearing an amulet. It’s sounding more and more like a Militant hit job.’
‘No shit?’ Hammoudi said, impatiently. ‘Anything else?’
‘Two things. Ibram was on the phone to a guy called Monod when he was stiffed. That name mean anything to you?’
‘Not off hand. I’ll run it through records. What was the other thing?’
‘Ibram’s last words. According to Fawzi he said “Firebird” just before he died.’
‘What in hell is that supposed to mean?’
‘Could mean anything or nothing. Ibram was coughing up blood at the time and in my experience that can lead to some very erratic behaviour. Anyway, the only Firebird I know is an American car. Maybe Fawzi got it wrong — the guy’s not exactly a fluent English speaker.’
‘OK, keep me posted.’
I handed the phone back to Daisy, who put it away in her bag one-handed still doing sixty along the Corniche. Suddenly a whole family — mother, father and two small kids — made a kamikaze rush across the road in front of us, and Daisy slammed on the brakes. She’d been driving one-handed and for a second I thought
Similar Books
