The Alamut Ambush

an Arab patriot either. An Egyptian.'

'So that's why he doesn't like the guerrillas much?'

'If they were Egyptian guerrillas he'd like them, Hugh. Egyptians –

yes. Palestinians, Syrians, British and Russians – all damn foreigners to him. And when you think that Nasser's the first real Egyptian to rule Egypt for a couple of thousand years you can see his point. In fact Razzak's more an Egyptian than an Arab in just the same way Shapiro's more an Israeli than a Jew – maybe that's what they've really got in common! Anyway – '

The phone beside Mary overwhelmed the rest of his words with a shattering burst of sound, startling them all.

Mary picked up the receiver. 'It's all right – it's only the house phone. We haven't got a proper one any more. It'll be Penny about dummy2

lunch – yes, Penelope?'

But as she listened her eyebrows lifted in surprise, and her eyes fastened on Audley. She put her hand over the mouthpiece.

'We've got another visitor – and for you, David!'

Audley pursed his lips. 'So soon? I'd rather expected Jake to wait for me to come to him. But it seems I was wrong.'

'It isn't Colonel Shapiro,' said Mary. 'It's the Egyptian – Colonel Razzak.'

'Razzak!' Audley frowned and blinked. ' Razzak?'

'For you? But how the devil did he know where to come?' Butler snapped. 'I made sure no one tailed me, and the driver's not born who can keep up with Hugh – '

He stopped dead as his question answered itself: any toddler in his pedal car could keep up with Audley's driving, and with Audley none the wiser – if he even bothered to look in his mirror.

'Well, don't look at me,' Audley said defensively. 'I'm not a field man used to peering backwards all the time, blast it. And no one but Faith and Hugh – '

Audley stopped too, for once one second behind everyone else in making the connections, and laughably put out by it. Roskill couldn't help grinning at him: that celebrated incompetence in practical matters was at last playing a practical dividend.

'And Jake' he said. 'So at least we don't have to test your theory about Shapiro and Razzak. You've proved it yourself, David. The real question's why Razzak's coming out into the open now.'

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Audley sucked his lower lip, glaring at a point in space two feet in front of his nose. 'The real question is why it's Razzak and not Jake. Damn it – I was depending on Jake.'

'Will Razzak know enough to connect young Jenkins' death with Firle?' Butler asked.

'What are you getting at, Jack?'

'Well, if he does he'll be scared stiff we're going to pin it on him.

The very fact we're here means we know one hell of a lot. It's logical.'

'So why's he making contact with us now?'

'To stop us doing anything,' said Audley quickly. 'From what he said to you, Hugh, I'll bet it's time he's trying to win. Anything to get us off his back until whatever he and Jake are doing is completed. And that gives us a club to hit him with – let's get him up here, Miss Hunter.'

'A club to hit him with?'

'A lever, I should have said, Miss Hunter. If it was Jake it would be different. But Razzak doesn't know me, and he's not going to tell us more than he has to.'

'But he wants your help.'

'He wants us to delay doing anything. And that's a risk I'm not going to take unless I know exactly why, down to the last detail.

Which means we're going to have to throw a scare into him.'

'What I've seen of him, that isn't going to be easy,' said Roskill. 'He doesn't strike me as the scaring type. And we haven't got much to scare him with, when it comes to the crunch.'

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'I'm afraid I shall just be in the way,' Mary said diffidently. 'He's certainly not going to be scared of me.'

Audley focused on her. 'Now you could just be wrong there, Miss Hunter – you could just be wrong. If I've got it right Jake wanted me involved because he knows I feel the same way about the Middle East as he does. I'm a dove from conviction, not necessity.'

He looked from Mary to Roskill. 'But you two are different.

You've each got a score to settle with someone. Razzak won't have allowed for that, but it's something he'll understand when he meets it. The Koran says that Allah rewards those who forgive — but then it lays down that those who avenge themselves when wronged incur no guilt!'

'But, Dr. Audley – David – I don't want vengeance. It won't bring Alan back.'

'Hugh doesn't feel that way, do you, Hugh?' Audley nodded at Roskill. 'You've wanted an eye for an eye from the start. Now's your chance to force Razzak to show you how to get it. I'll give you a cue, don't worry.'

Roskill studied Audley suspiciously. The tricky sod was up to something for sure; his very eagerness betrayed it. But so far their objectives still seemed to coincide...