Read Online The Camel of Destruction by Michael Pearce - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Michael Pearce
Ads: Link
Mufti—’
‘The Mufti!’
The Mufti was the chief authority on religious law. One thing Owen could do without was for this to become a religious dispute.
‘But what good will that do?’ asked the Widow bitterly. ‘The Mufti will speak to the Ministry and then what? They will do nothing. For Adli Naswas has already spoken to them. And money speaks more loudly than words in our city.’
She dug the old man heavily in the ribs.
‘Here, you, wake up! A fine thing! Supposed to be my protector and falls asleep! Why,’ said the Widow Shawquat with relish, ‘I might have been raped four times!’
----
Chapter 5
« ^ »
This is the fourth lunch he’s had at our expense this week!’ said Nikos indignantly. ‘This way financial disaster lies.’
‘I’m following up a lead,’ protested Georgiades. ‘It’s the only one we’ve got.’
‘You’re following it up with too much enthusiasm,’ said Nikos.
‘I’m like that,’ said Georgiades.
‘You’re like that when you think you’re getting something for nothing.’
Georgiades shrugged. ‘A man’s entitled to a free lunch occasionally.’
‘There is no such thing as a free lunch. Someone has to pay for it. I do.’
‘Who is this “I”?’ Georgiades asked Owen. ‘Has he taken over running the Department or something?’
‘I am the voice of Lord Cromer,’ Nikos announced grandly.
‘He left Egypt four years ago.’
‘His spirit lives.’
Georgiades turned to Owen. ‘You’re not going to let him get away with this?’
‘Four is a bit much.’
‘Just when I was getting somewhere,’ said Georgiades dejectedly.
‘Where are you getting?’
Georgiades helped himself to a drink of water from the large earthenware pitcher which, as in all Cairo offices, stood in the window to be cooled by the air which came through the shutters.
‘Is this OK?’ he asked Nikos, with the glass in his hand. ‘Or does Lord Cromer object to people having free drinks, too?’ Nikos disdained to reply.
‘Are you getting anywhere?’
Georgiades perched himself on the end of Nikos’s desk. ‘I’ve got three names,’ he said. ‘I’m following them up.’
‘Anything interesting?’
‘Two are from the Agricultural Bank.’
‘Directors? Or officials?’
‘Officials. Working lunches, my friend the
patron
says.’
‘You’ve no idea what they were working on?’
‘Not yet. I am, as it happens, having lunch with one of them tomorrow.’
‘Another!’ cried Nikos.
‘You want me to stop?’ Georgiades asked Owen.
‘You’d better go ahead. But try to cut them down,’ advised Owen.
‘It might be nothing. A lot of papers. Sounds like the civil service to me. The third man might be more interesting, though.’
‘Name?’
‘Jabir. Jabir Sabry. Young. Effendi. Suit, of course. But no papers.’
‘Have you talked to him?’
‘No. I need to know more about him before I do that. With the people from the Agricultural Bank it was OK. I could be a businessman talking to businessmen. They understand that sort of thing. But I don’t even know that this bloke is a businessman.’
‘Did they drink? Aisha said that Fingari had started coming home the worse for wear. He’d been mixing with a bad lot, she said.’
‘They drank. They all drank.’
‘Yes, but people from a bank wouldn’t count as a bad lot, not to her.’
‘It was lunch. They’d do proper drinking separately.’
‘You might try and find out about that.’
‘Yes. Actually,’ said Georgiades, ‘there’s something you might be able to find out.’
‘Yes?’
‘Better than me. Apparently, this man Jabir was an old friend of Fingari’s. At least, that’s the impression the
patron
got, hearing them talking. College, or possibly, even, school.’
‘You want me to ask Aisha about it?’
‘Could you?’
‘I’ll try. The trouble is, it’s always difficult getting to talk to women on their own. I’ll have a go, anyway.’
But, as he approached the Fingaris’
‘The Mufti!’
The Mufti was the chief authority on religious law. One thing Owen could do without was for this to become a religious dispute.
‘But what good will that do?’ asked the Widow bitterly. ‘The Mufti will speak to the Ministry and then what? They will do nothing. For Adli Naswas has already spoken to them. And money speaks more loudly than words in our city.’
She dug the old man heavily in the ribs.
‘Here, you, wake up! A fine thing! Supposed to be my protector and falls asleep! Why,’ said the Widow Shawquat with relish, ‘I might have been raped four times!’
----
Chapter 5
« ^ »
This is the fourth lunch he’s had at our expense this week!’ said Nikos indignantly. ‘This way financial disaster lies.’
‘I’m following up a lead,’ protested Georgiades. ‘It’s the only one we’ve got.’
‘You’re following it up with too much enthusiasm,’ said Nikos.
‘I’m like that,’ said Georgiades.
‘You’re like that when you think you’re getting something for nothing.’
Georgiades shrugged. ‘A man’s entitled to a free lunch occasionally.’
‘There is no such thing as a free lunch. Someone has to pay for it. I do.’
‘Who is this “I”?’ Georgiades asked Owen. ‘Has he taken over running the Department or something?’
‘I am the voice of Lord Cromer,’ Nikos announced grandly.
‘He left Egypt four years ago.’
‘His spirit lives.’
Georgiades turned to Owen. ‘You’re not going to let him get away with this?’
‘Four is a bit much.’
‘Just when I was getting somewhere,’ said Georgiades dejectedly.
‘Where are you getting?’
Georgiades helped himself to a drink of water from the large earthenware pitcher which, as in all Cairo offices, stood in the window to be cooled by the air which came through the shutters.
‘Is this OK?’ he asked Nikos, with the glass in his hand. ‘Or does Lord Cromer object to people having free drinks, too?’ Nikos disdained to reply.
‘Are you getting anywhere?’
Georgiades perched himself on the end of Nikos’s desk. ‘I’ve got three names,’ he said. ‘I’m following them up.’
‘Anything interesting?’
‘Two are from the Agricultural Bank.’
‘Directors? Or officials?’
‘Officials. Working lunches, my friend the
patron
says.’
‘You’ve no idea what they were working on?’
‘Not yet. I am, as it happens, having lunch with one of them tomorrow.’
‘Another!’ cried Nikos.
‘You want me to stop?’ Georgiades asked Owen.
‘You’d better go ahead. But try to cut them down,’ advised Owen.
‘It might be nothing. A lot of papers. Sounds like the civil service to me. The third man might be more interesting, though.’
‘Name?’
‘Jabir. Jabir Sabry. Young. Effendi. Suit, of course. But no papers.’
‘Have you talked to him?’
‘No. I need to know more about him before I do that. With the people from the Agricultural Bank it was OK. I could be a businessman talking to businessmen. They understand that sort of thing. But I don’t even know that this bloke is a businessman.’
‘Did they drink? Aisha said that Fingari had started coming home the worse for wear. He’d been mixing with a bad lot, she said.’
‘They drank. They all drank.’
‘Yes, but people from a bank wouldn’t count as a bad lot, not to her.’
‘It was lunch. They’d do proper drinking separately.’
‘You might try and find out about that.’
‘Yes. Actually,’ said Georgiades, ‘there’s something you might be able to find out.’
‘Yes?’
‘Better than me. Apparently, this man Jabir was an old friend of Fingari’s. At least, that’s the impression the
patron
got, hearing them talking. College, or possibly, even, school.’
‘You want me to ask Aisha about it?’
‘Could you?’
‘I’ll try. The trouble is, it’s always difficult getting to talk to women on their own. I’ll have a go, anyway.’
But, as he approached the Fingaris’
Similar Books
