The Alamut Ambush

Mary watched them both for a moment, reluctance written plainly on her face.

'We can't keep him waiting any longer, Miss Hunter,' Audley said.

'Ask him up, please – and trust me!'

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XIII

CHARACTERISTICALLY, PENELOPE DID not show Colonel Muhammed Razzak where to go; from the tentative way he put his head round the door it was clear that she had given him the same vague directions that she gave to everyone else.

The liquid brown eyes – Omar Sharif's eyes set incongruously in that battered face – passed over each of them uneasily before finally settling on Mary. Already this was something less than the jolly, confident Razzak of the previous night.

'Madame,' the Egyptian bent courteously over Mary's hand, though he was too well-versed in English protocol to kiss it. 'Your niece informs me that you are holding a levee and that I may join it. I hope I am not intruding.'

'Indeed you are not, Colonel Razzak. You come most carefully upon your hour. We were talking about you only a few minutes ago.'

Marvellous – she was bloody marvellous, thought Roskill proudly.

Not even Audley could have scripted her better!

'You have the advantage of me, Madame,' Razzak was holding himself very straight now. 'You make me nervous!'

'Oh, surely not, Colonel. I've been hearing how gallant you are.'

'Madame – ?' Razzak spread his hands speechlessly. He had been so very much the master of the situation the previous evening that dummy2

it was immensely morale-raising to see Mary floor him now, unintentionally or not. Roskill felt his own confidence and resolution hardening.

'This is Dr. Audley, whom you wish to meet, my niece said. And this is Major Butler – and Hugh you already know. And I am Mary Hunter ... Do please sit down, Colonel.'

Razzak nodded to each of them in turn before easing himself down into the leather armchair which Audley had vacated.

'And just what exactly are you and Jake Shapiro up to together, Colonel?' Audley said conversationally.

Razzak's eyes were opaque, but he was unable to stop them shifting between Audley and Mary. It struck Roskill that he was now watching one of the Audley techniques from the inside – the very technique that had been used on Butler and himself, God damn it! Mary's intelligence probably was only a bonus; for Audley she was at once a catalyst and an inhibiting factor, to be used in either role as necessary.

'Don't worry about Miss Hunter,' Audley went on smoothly. 'Miss Hunter has an interest in what we're going to talk about. And she knows far too much to be left out of things now.'

'Far too much?' Razzak's tone was controlled. 'And exactly how much is far too much?'

'She knows Hassan was responsible for her nephew's death.'

Audley underscored the name heavily. 'The man we lost was her nephew, you see, Colonel.'

It was Roskill's cue, unmistakably.

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'And he was a friend of mine – a good friend,' said Roskill menacingly. 'So this isn't just routine for me. This is personal.'

'What Hugh means is that he's not so concerned with diplomatic niceties, whoever else may be. And you know how rough the Anglo-Saxons get when they take the law into their own hands.'

Audley smiled suddenly. 'In fact you could say he's taking a very old Anglo-Saxon law into his hands. A thousand years ago in these parts the family of a murdered man had a choice of justice. They could ask for wergild, which was paid in cash, or they could take vengeance, which was paid in blood. Hugh's very old-fashioned –

he doesn't want wergild. And as his friend I have to go along with him.'

The Egyptian stared at them in astonishment. Whatever line of approach he'd prepared for, it wasn't this!

'And as for me, Colonel Razzak,' Audley continued, 'it comes down to this: I know Llewelyn wasn't Hassan's target. And now I know that you met Shapiro up on the hill there somewhere. But Llewelyn doesn't know either of these things yet, because we haven't told him. All you have to do is to convince us that it's worth our while to sit down on what we know for a time. It's up to you.'

'Up to me?' Razzak said softly. 'My dear Dr. Audley, I came down here to help you, not to be threatened by you with – ' he searched for words ' – with Anglo-Saxon laws!'

'To help us? Colonel, I'm not so naive and nor are you! You came down here to find out how much we knew and then to buy some more time with some more promises. But promises aren't good dummy2

enough. I want the whole story now.'

Razzak squirmed forward and began to manoeuvre himself out of the chair. 'I was told you were a man of sympathy, Dr. Audley. I was told wrong. As far as I'm concerned you can tell Mr. Llewelyn what you like – '

'Llewelyn?' Audley snorted. 'I can see you haven't got the message at all. Llewelyn would settle for wergild.'

Razzak stopped on the very edge of the chair. 'And just how would you get blood from me?'

Audley pointed towards the telephone. 'By picking up that phone and dialling a man I know in Fleet Street, Colonel Razzak. And I'd say 'Larry, old man, I've got a little story for you'– '

'You wouldn't dare – '