first trip to Bahrain.
'Now for Christ's sake, bear in mind that we're dealing with a people who run an archipelago, not a land mass bordering another land mass that both sides conveniently call a country. This is a sheikdom consisting of over thirty goddamned islands in the Persian Gulf. It's nothing you're going to measure in acreage, and they never want you to—that's their strength.'
'What are you driving at, Manny?'
' Try to understand me, you unread mechanic. You appeal to that sense of strength. This is an independent state, a collection of eruptions from the sea that protects the ports from the storms of the Gulf and is conveniently situated between the Qatar peninsula and the Hasa coast of Saudi Arabia, the latter extremely important because of the Saudi leverage.'
'What the hell has that got to do with a lousy island golf course? Do you play golf, Manny? I never could afford it.'
'Chasing a little white ball over a hundred acres of grass while the arthritis is killing you and your heart is blowing apart in frustration has never been my idea of a civilized pursuit. However, I know what we put into this lousy golf course.'
'What?'
'Remembrances of things past. Because it's a constant reminder of their present, a reminder to everyone. Their strength.'
'Will you come down from orbit, please?'
'Read the historical chronicles of Assyria, Persia, the Greeks and the Romans. Take a peek through the early drawings of the Portuguese cartographers and the logs of Vasco da Gama. At one time or another all these people fought for control of the archipelago—the Portuguese held it for a hundred years—why?'
'I'm sure you'll tell me.'
'Because of its geographical location in the Gulf, its strategic importance. For centuries it's been a coveted centre for trade and the financial repositories of trade—'
The much younger Evan Kendrick had sat up at that moment, now understanding what the eccentric architect was driving at. 'That's what's happening now,' he had interrupted, 'by leaps and bounds, money pouring in from all over the world.'
'As an independent state without fear of being conquered in today's world,' clarified Weingrass. 'Bahrain services allies and enemies alike. So our magnificent clubhouse on this lousy golf course will reflect its history. We'll do it with murals. A businessman looks up at the paintings above the bar and sees all these things pictured and thinks, Jesus, this is some place! Everybody wanted it! Look at the money they spent! He's now even more anxious to operate here. It's common knowledge that deals are made on golf courses, you young illiterate. Why do you think they want to build one?'
After they had built the somewhat grotesque clubhouse on the second-rate golf course, the Kendrick Group contracted for three banks and two government buildings. And Manny Weingrass was personally pardoned by one of the highest ministers for disturbing the peace at a cafe on the Al Zubara Road.
The drone of the jet bored into Evan's brain. His eyes were closed.
'I object to this subsidiary operation and I want the record to show it,' said Yaakov, code name Blue, of the Masada Brigade, as the seven men climbed into the jet at the far east end of Masqat's airfield. Emmanuel Weingrass immediately joined the pilot, strapping himself into the adjacent seat, coughing quietly, deeply, as he secured the belt. The Mossad officer had remained behind; he had work to do in Oman; his pistol was in the possession of the slender Ben-Ami, who kept it unholstered until the five-man unit had taken their seats in the aircraft.
'The record will show it, my friend,' replied Ben-Ami as the plane sped down the runway. 'Please try to understand that there are things we cannot be told for the good of all of us. We are the activists, the soldiers—and those who make the decisions are the high command. They do their job and we do ours, which is to follow orders.'
'Then I must object to a loathsome parallel,' said the unit member code name Grey. ' “Following orders” is not a phrase I find very palatable.'
'I remind you, Mr. Ben-Ami,' added code Orange. 'For the past three weeks we've trained for a single assignment, one we all believe we can accomplish despite profound doubts back home. We're ready; we're primed for it, and suddenly it's aborted without explanation and we're on our way to Bahrain hunting a man we don't
