not for the kids or Manuela or my folks or anyone else - just me… I can’t explain it to anyone, Manuela most of all, anymore’n I could explain what happened in the mosque at Kowiss, or at the questioning.
I’d better get the hell out or I’m lost. The simplicity of Islam seems to make everything so simple and clear and better and yet… I’m Conroe Starke, Texan, chopper pilot with a great wife and great kids and that should be enough, by God, shouldn’t it?
Troubled, he looked back at the old city, its minarets and walls already reddening from the setting sun. Beyond the city was the desert and beyond that Mecca. He knew that was the way to Mecca because he had seen hospital staff, doctors and nurses and others, kneeling at prayers in that direction. Manuela came out onto the veranda again, distracting his thought pattern, sat down beside him, and brought him partially back to reality. “They send their love and ask when we’re coming home. It’d be good to visit, don’t you think, Conroe?” She saw him nod, absently, not with her, then looked where he was looking, seeing nothing special. Just the sun going down. Goddamn! She hid her concern. He was mending perfectly, but he wasn’t the same. “Not to worry, Manuela,” Doc Nutt had said, “it’s probably the shock of being hit with a bullet, the first time’s always a bit traumatic. It’s that, and Dubois, Tom, Erikki, and all the waiting and worrying and the not knowing - we’re all poised, you, me, everyone, but we still don’t quite know for what - it’s got to all of us in different ways.” Her worry was sinking her. To hide it she leaned on the railing, looking at the sea and the boats. “While you were sleeping, I found Doc Nutt. He says you can leave in a few days, tomorrow if it was real important, but you’ve got to take it easy for a month or two. At breakfast, Nogger told me the rumor is we’ll all get at least a month’s vacation, with pay, isn’t that great? With that and the sick leave we got lots of time to go home, huh?” “Sure. Good idea.”
She hesitated, then turned and looked at him. “What’s troubling you, Conroe?”
“I’m not sure, honey. I feel fine. Not my chest. I don’t know.” “Doc Nutt said it’s bound to be real strange for a bitty, darlin’, and Andy said there’s a good chance there’ll be no inspection and the freighters are definite for noon tomorrow, nothing we can do, nothing more you can do…” The phone in the room rang and she went to answer it, still talking, “… nothing any of us can do more’n we’re doing. If we can get out, us and our choppers, I know Andy‘11 get Kasigi’s choppers and the crews then… Hello? Oh, hi, darlin’…”
Starke heard the sudden gasp and silence, his heart tweaked, then her explosion of excitement and she was calling out to him, “It’s Andy, Conroe, it’s Andy, he’s got a call from Marc Dubois and he’s in Iraq on some ship, he and Fowler, they force-landed with no sweat on some tanker an’ they’re in Iraq and safe…. Oh, Andy, that’s great! What? Oh, sure, he’s fine and I’ll… but what about Kasigi?… Wait a mo - … Yes, but… Sure.” She replaced the phone and hurried back. “Nothing from Kasigi yet. Andy said he was in a rush and he’d call back. Oh, Conroe…” Now she was on her knees beside him, her arms around his neck, hugging him but very carefully, her happiness spilling tears. “I’ve been so worried about Marc ‘nd old Fowler, I was so afraid they were lost.”
“Me too… me too.” He could feel her heart pounding and his was too and some of the weight on his spirit lifted - his good arm holding her tightly. “Goddamn,” he muttered, also hardly able to talk. “Come on, Kasigi… come on, Kasigi…”
* AT AL SHARGAZ HQ: 6:18 P.M. Gavallan was at the office window watching Newbury’s official car with the small Union Jack fluttering swing through the gate. The car hurried along the perimeter road toward the front of his building - uniformed chauffeur, two figures in the back. He half nodded to himself. From the tap on the hand basin he splashed a little cold water into his face and dried it.
The door opened. Scot came in, beside him Charlie Pettikin. Both were pale. “Not to worry,” Gavallan said, “come on in.” He strolled back to the window, trying to appear calm and stood there, drying his hands. The sun was near the horizon. “No need to wait here, we’ll go to meet them.” Firmly he led the way out into the corridor. “Great about Marc and Fowler, isn’t it?” “Wonderful,” Scot said, his voice flat in spite of his resolve. “Ten birds out of ten, Dad. Can’t do better than that. Ten out of ten.” Along the corridor and out into the foyer. “How’s Paula, Charlie?” “Oh, she… she’s fine, Andy.” Pettikin was astounded by Gavallan’s sangfroid and not a little envious. “She… she took off for Tehran an hour ago, doesn’t think she’ll be back until Monday, though maybe tomorrow.” God curse Whirlwind, he thought in misery, it’s ruined everything. I know a faint heart never won a fair lady, but what the hell can I do? If they grab our choppers, S-G’s down the sink, there’s no job, I’ve almost no savings. I’m so much older than she is and… sod everything! In a sick, stupid way I’m glad - now I can’t screw up her life and anyway she’d be crazy to say yes. “Paula’s fine, Andy.”
“She’s a nice girl.”
The foyer was crowded. Across it and out of the cool air-conditioning to the sunset’s warmth and onto the entrance steps. Gavallan stopped astonished. Every one of the S-G contingent was there: Scragger, Vossi, Willi, Rudi, Pop Kelly, Sandor, Freddy Ayre, and all the others and all the mechanics. All were motionless, watching the approaching car. It swung up to them. Newbury got out. “Hello, Andrew,” he said, but now they were all transfixed, for Kasigi stood beside him, not the Iranian, and Kasigi was beaming, Newbury saying in a perplexed voice, “Really don’t quite understand what’s happening but the ambassador, the Iranian ambassador, canceled at the last minute, so did the Sheik, and Mr. Kasigi called for me to go to the Japanese reception so there’ll be no inspection tonight…”
Gavallan let out a cheer and then they were all pummeling Kasigi, thanking him, talking, laughing, stumbling over each other and Kasigi said, “… and there won’t be an inspection tomorrow even if we have to kidnap him…” and more laughter and cheers and Scragger was dancing a hornpipe. “Hooray for Kasigi…”
Gavallan fought his way through to Kasigi and gave him a bear hug, and shouted over the bedlam, “Thanks, thanks, by God. You’ll have some of your birds in three days, the rest at the weekend …” then added incoherently, “Christ Almighty, give me a second, Christ Almighty I’ve got to tell Mac, Duke, and the others… celebration’s on me…”
Kasigi watched him hurry away. Then he smiled to himself.
AT THE HOSPITAL: 6:32 P.M. Shakily Starke put down the phone, glowing with happiness, and came back onto the veranda. “Goddamn, Manuela, goddamn, we made it, no inspection! Whirlwind made it; Andy doesn’t know how Kasigi did it but he did it and… Goddamn!” He put his arm around her and leaned against the balustrade. “Whirlwind made it, now we’re safe, now we’ll get out and now we can plan. Goddamn! Kasigi, the son of a bitch, he did it! Allah-u Akbar,” he added triumphantly without thinking.
The sun touched the horizon. From the city a muezzin began, just one, the voice peerless, beckoning. And the sound filled his ears and his being and he listened, all else forgotten, his relief and joy mingled with the words and the beckoning and the Infinite - and he went away from her. Helplessly she waited, alone. There in the going down of the sun she waited, afraid for him, sad for him, sensing the future was in balance. She waited as only a woman can.
The beckoning ceased. Now it was very quiet, very still. His eyes saw the old city in all its ancient splendor, the desert beyond, infinity beyond the horizon. And now he saw it for what it was. Sound of a jet taking off and seabirds calling. Then the puttputt of a chopper somewhere and he decided. “Thou,” he said to her in Farsi, “thou, I love thee.”
“Thou, I love thee forever,” she murmured, near tears. Then she heard him sigh and knew they were together again.
“Time to go home, my darlin’.” He gathered her into his arms. “Time for all of us to go home.”
“Home’s where you are,” she said, not afraid anymore.
AT THE OASIS HOTEL: 11:52 P.M. In the darkness the telephone jangled discordantly, jerking Gavallan out of a deep sleep. He groped for it, switching on his side-table light. “Hello?”
“Hello, Andrew, this is Roger Newbury, sorry to call so late but th - ” “Oh, that’s all right, I said to call up till midnight, how did it go?” Newbury had promised to phone and tell him what happened at the rest of the reception. Normally Gavallan would have been awake but tonight he had excused himself from the celebration just after ten and within seconds was asleep. “What about tomorrow?”
“Delighted to tell you His Excellency Abadani’s accepted an invitation from the Sheik to spend the day hawking at Al Sal oasis, so it looks very good he’ll be isolated all day. Personally, I don’t trust him, Andrew, and we strongly advise you to get your planes and all personnel out as quickly and discreetly as possible, also to close down here for a month or two till we can give you the word. All right?”
“Yes, great news. Thanks.” Gavallan lay back, a new man, the bed seductive, sleep beckoning. “I’d already planned to close down,” he said with a mighty yawn. “Everyone’s confirmed out before sunset.” He had heard the nervousness in Newbury’s voice but put it down to all the excitement, stifled another yawn, and added, “Scragger and I will be the last - we’re on the plane to Bahrain with Kasigi to see McIver.”
