WASHINGTON DC: The Sadir Affair (The Puppets of Washington Book 1) (11 page)

Mark was standing by the window of a room at the NSW police station. He didn’t like what was going on. He had taken the two Australian officers the day before to the firing range and his instincts told him these guys were far too smug and comfortable in their own skins, not to say full of it, to be effective. Their brains were somewhere between Mars and Pluto, navigating through a brilliant image of their own worth or capabilities. They were probably very good at what they were doing at some level, but in this particular instance, Mark couldn’t see their value in chasing and apprehending a cat the likes of Samuel. All they talked about was having a beer and shrimps on the barby after they would have captured the Mossad agent. He had not heard one word about a plan. They seemed to rely entirely on Mark’s guidance, which was something he could not, or wanted to offer under the circumstances.

The door burst open suddenly; Sorenson came in, and sat at the table. “Agent Gilford, please sit down,” he ordered when he saw that Mark was not moving from his spot.

Reluctantly, Mark walked to the table and sat down, facing Sorenson. “What’s up?”

“I’ve just received a message from the CIA in Washington.”

“What did it say?” Mark couldn’t be more disinterested, and it showed.

“I know, you’re a bit at odds with us, Agent Gilford, but I think this little bit of information will get us back on track.”

Mark put an arm over the back of the seat. “All right. What is it?”

“In short, Agent Sadir has been removed...”

“Say what?” Mark yelled, bringing his arm back and onto the tabletop. “Do we know why?”

“Apparently—and that’s only my deduction—the fact that we are tracking Samuel and intending to extradite him back to Canada, ignited suspicions on the part of the CIA.”

Mark shook his head vigorously. “No, Chief, that’s not the reason.” He brought his upper body closer to Sorenson across the table. “You’ve been wallowing into believing that you could just go to Samuel’s place, hand him a warrant and get him to follow you…”

“We’re not…”

“Let me finish,” Mark blurted in the Chief’s face. He was fuming. “I’ve been with you people for two days now, and we’ve done nothing but talk about the problem and not the solution. Your two officers have no idea what or who they’re up against. Neither of them has had any training in sniper attacks. They’re probably very good at their policing work, but I have my doubts as to their ability in the field.” He leaned against the back of the chair again.

Sorenson was staring at him. His face was flushed; he didn’t like being told his men were not making the cut. He had picked them out of the bunch specifically for this mission.

“This message is nothing but a notification for us to look for Samuel somewhere else.”

Mark’s eyebrows went up.
The man is really a jerk,
Mark thought. “Yes, Chief, he’s gone. No doubt whatsoever. As I told you, he’d probably gone to Melbourne before we even arrived on the scene, and now, I’m sure of it, he’s already out of the country.”

“How can you be sure of it?”

“Come on, Chief! Look…, when Sadir was around, he’s the one who sent Prince Khalid to chase after Samuel, right?”

The Chief nodded.

“Then it’s fair to conclude that he alerted Samuel of our intentions. After that, your government agrees to issue a warrant for Samuel’s arrest and for us to extradite him, right?”

Sorenson nodded again.

“Well, since Sadir was still around at the time, he probably sent another message to Samuel saying that things were getting too hot Downunder and to get his ass out of here. And if it wasn’t Sadir who sent the message, Mossad did.”

“But Sadir was on leave as of last night; I mean yesterday afternoon in Washington, he couldn’t have sent anything…”

“Don’t you see…? Good God, man... I’m sorry... Sadir was a double agent, we agreed on that, and he didn’t have to say anything. Mossad kept a tab on him and when he initiated this whole thing by sending the Prince on a wild goose chase, they got the wind up and had the CIA remove him as soon as they could.”

“Fine, but how can you be sure he is not in Australia still?”

“Because he couldn’t sit anywhere here and wait for you to arrest him, now could he?”

“All right, but where does that leave us then?”

“I’m out of here, Chief. Book me on the first available flight to Vancouver. Ms Kartz is next. Please, Sorenson, get a move on. I’m telling you, if I don’t get to Vancouver before Samuel does, Ms Kartz is dead.”

Mark was at the door before the chief could say another word.

The sunlight shimmered over the wavelets clapping against the boats of the marina. Talya was waiting for Aziz to return with their hamburgers. She was ravenous, and the prospect of eating what she considered the best hamburgers she had ever tasted was making her hungrier. Yet her impatience was soon allayed when a young man in jeans and T-shirt approached her. He sat on the bench near her. His dark hair, bronze complexion and gorgeous blue eyes aroused Talya’s senses.

“It’s a nice spot, isn’t it?” the young man said to her, jovial.

Talya was not surprised with the man’s forwardness. People on Bowen Island felt at ease talking to strangers. They often did away with formalities. “Yes, it is. Have you been here before?”

“No, this is my first time....I’m sorry, I haven’t introduced myself. The name is Jay, Jay Kravitz.”

“Talya Kartz.” She extended her hand.

He took it and brought it close to his lips, which gesture made Talya burst into laughter.

“Oh, I see you’re not used to gentlemanly manners.” He let go of her hand, smiling.

His remark had her melt into a stammer. “It’s not that… it’s just that… well… no, you’re right. I haven’t had my hand kissed before… I mean not in a long time.” Talya blushed.

Coming back, his hands full with hamburgers and pops, Aziz noticed that Talya was chatting with the man he had met already. He grinned. He was pleased to see her enjoy someone else’s company.

“Hey, you two… I see you’ve met Talya,” Aziz said to Jay. “Here’s your soda, and lunch.” He handed Talya a hamburger and a can of Coke.

Talya put the Coke in her lap and unwrapped the hamburger avidly. “Thanks. So you two know each other?” She looked at each man in turn.

“Yes,” Jay said, “we’ve met on the stairs this morning. I’m staying at Mrs. Allison’s B&B, same as you guys.”

“Oh, you’re the other guest then,” Talya said, biting into her hamburger with visible delight.

Aziz took a seat beside Jay and opened his can of pop. “What brought you to the island?”

“I just needed a break. I’ve been working six, seven days a week this winter and I had to take a breather.”

Talya looked at him appreciatively. He must be an athlete of some sort, she thought, with these muscular arms and legs. “What do you do?” She was full of curiosity.

“I’m a physiotherapist. I work in Whistler at the skiing clinic.”

Aziz’s ears perked up. “Wow! No wonder you’re busy. Skiing is not a sport that comes without injuries.”

“You’re right, but it’s not the sprained ankles or dislocated shoulders that give me the most work, it’s the training before these guys go down the slopes.”

“Are you telling me that you get people in shape
before
they tackle the mountains?” Aziz asked.

“Sure. That’s the bulk of my clientele. I’ve got dozens of people in training before the season starts, and dozens more throughout the winter months.”

“That must be tiring,” Talya put in, munching on her hamburger.

“More demanding than tiring really. When I get guys who exercise year-in and year-out, that’s okay, but when I get the old-fogy wanting to get on his skis after lazing around the pool all summer, I’ve got my work cut out for me.”

“Yeah… I... hear what you’re saying,” Aziz said, biting another mouthful.

Both arms on the back of the bench, Jay watched Aziz eat away for a moment, a smirk on his face. “You know, Doc, these hamburgers are not really good for you?”

Aziz tried to laugh, but could only mumble, “Yeah... You can blame our lady for that. She insisted on coming here especially for this particular luncheon delight.”

“Oh no, I didn’t!” Talya giggled. “You wanted it as much as I did. You know how good they are.”

Putting his elbows on his knees while they were bantering, Jay focused discreetly on Talya’s legs. “Can I ask you something?”

His attitude immediately reminded Talya of Hassan taking the same position when he was embarrassed to put a question to her. “Sure, what?”

“What brought you down to a wheelchair?” Talya’s face froze. Aziz saw her flinch. “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have asked... It’s just... Well, I’m curious because… because it’s my profession.”

Talya lowered her gaze to her legs and then lifted her eyes to Jay with a timid smile on her lips. “How I got in the chair is not important anymore…”

Jay raised a hand to stop her. “Okay… no problem…”

“No, what I mean is that what happened cannot be undone, but I want to walk again and maybe there is a chance I will... I’m not sure.” She looked at Aziz for an explanation of some sort or a way to get out from under Jay’s gentle but questioning stare.

“Yes... You see, Jay, Talya’s spine was slightly damaged but when the inflammation receded, her x-rays showed that there was perhaps a chance to replace a vertebrae and she would regain the use of her legs, much like removing a vertebrae that has been damaged by an invasive tumour.” Jay nodded and waited for the rest of the explanation. “But the operation is risky. The surgeons have not agreed yet on what should be the best course of action.”

The lines of Talya’s face receded into outward sternness. “And you didn’t tell me about this…?”

Jay saw annoyance turn into sheer anger in her eyes.

Aziz shook his head. “I didn’t tell you, because nothing has been decided yet.”

“You people are all the same,” Talya flared. “You’ve got my life, my very existence into your hands, and you don’t even tell me what the score is! I can’t believe you’ve kept that from me.” She put her chair in motion and turned it in the direction of the path along the water at full speed.

Jay tapped Aziz on the knee, saying, “Stay here, I’ll get her back.” He ran after her and halted in front of her chair, grabbing the handles and switching off the motor.

“Get out of my way,” Talya yelled, wanting to reach for the switch.

He pushed her hand back. “No, I won’t and you’re not going anywhere until you hear me out!”

His resolute stance got Talya to return her hands to her lap. She looked up at him.

“Okay, Talya Kartz, as I see it, you’ve got a heck of a stubborn streak in you, and Dr. Hendrix didn’t want to get into a battle of wits between you two before the surgeons had made a decision.”

“But, it’s my body, for heaven’s sakes,” she argued angrily. “I’ve got the right to know.”

“Yes, you do. But you don’t have the right to treat your friend the way you do. He’s your physician and he knows where shattered hopes would send you, right?”

“I guess so.”

“So, stop being so petulant about it, and come back.” Bending down to her ear, he whispered, “Let him know that you’re sorry, for once.” She looked up at him, obfuscated. “Yes, you’ve probably been blaming everyone around you for what happened to you, and in that blame there’s no place for remorse, is there?”

She glowered. His blue eyes were penetrating. Talya felt as if she was sinking aboard a boat without a rudder, engulfed in his captivating eyes. “No there wasn’t…,” Talya said quietly.

“Let’s go then.” He walked around and without looking back went to regain his seat beside Aziz. The two men observed Talya manoeuvre her chair around and come back to face them.

“I was doing it again, wasn’t I?” Talya said, looking at Aziz ruefully.

He smiled and shook his head. “Yes, you were, milady, but that’s okay…”

“No, Aziz, it’s not okay! Jay here is right, I’ve got to recognize when someone’s trying to help before I insult you.”

“Let me ask you something else, Talya,” Jay interrupted, “would you mind if I had a look at your legs, back at the B&B, of course, so I could tell you how much work we’d have to do to get these pins of yours back in shape, if or when the surgeons make up their minds.”

“But don’t you have something else to do?” Talya objected. “I mean aren’t you supposed to go back to Whistler sometime?” She was trying to avoid an examination that would reveal how much she had neglected herself for all these months.

“No, I mean yes, I’ll have to return to work sometime, but I’m free for the summer. I’m only on contract for the winter.”

Khalid boarded the flight to Singapore feeling angry. He was furious, and not against anyone but himself. He had not seen Mark since he had left him at the airport with the officers. Mark had only called him to say that he was going to stay in town for a bit and to have a good flight back to Paris.

Being unable to untie his hands, or unable to contact Talya, drove him nearly crazy. He had tried to send her an email, but got no answer. Next, he tried contacting Aziz. No response. When he finally reached the Hotel de Crillon, nearly 24 hours after leaving Sydney, he rushed to Mrs. Marie Dobonnet’s desk.

“Capitaine!” the good woman exclaimed when she raised her eyes to him. “It is so good to see you’ve made it back.”

That statement was nothing less than puzzling. Khalid was about to speak when Mrs. Dobonnet added, “You know, when your Mr. Flaubert called from Vancouver, I didn’t know what to say. I thought you had been delayed somewhere or worse—you had had an accident.”

“No, Marie, nothing of the sort…”

“But your pilot phoned a couple of times last week. He said to tell you that the Lear is back at Orly. And from these messages, I really didn’t know what to make of it all. I was worried, I can tell you.”

Khalid couldn’t help but smile at the dear lady. “As you can see, I am back and not a scratch on me. I had just been called to make a detour to the States, that’s really all there was to my unexpected absence.”

“Hum, yes, well...” Marie Dobonnet didn’t believe a word of it. “Mr. Flaubert left a telephone message for you, though.”

“Oh? Do you have it or did you leave it in the apartment?”

“No-no, here it is,” said she, taking an envelope out of the desk drawer.

“Thank you,” Khalid replied distractedly, opening the missive quickly. It read:

Don’t worry anymore. Talya is going to be fine. Phone me when you get back.

“Thank you again, Marie,” Khalid said, unable to wipe the grin off his face as he made his way to the elevator.

He hardly took the time to set his carrying case down before picking up the phone and dialling James’s number at the office. He looked at his watch. It was about 10:00AM in Vancouver.

“Carmine Resources, how can I direct your call?” he heard Sabrina, the receptionist say.

“Is James in?” was Khalid’s answer.

“Oh Goodness me,” Sabrina screeched over the line, “Khalid! How are you? Where are you? We’ve been looking for you all over the place. What’s happened? You know about Talya…?”

“Sabrina…, my dear, not so fast... I’ll tell you all about my latest adventure when I get to Vancouver…”

“When…?”

“That, I don’t know…, but would you mind if I talked to James now?” It was good to hear such a bubbly, friendly voice at the other end of the line. It abated some of Khalid’s inner irritation.

“Yes, of course, I’m sorry. Let me transfer you.”

Khalid heard the click, and within seconds, James was on the phone.

“Khalid! At long last. Where have you been? Obviously you got the message I left at the Crillon…”

“Yes, I did…”

“Well then, let me tell you... this is so unbelievable...”

“James… please.…”

“Okay…, here it is; Talya has turned the corner. She apparently watched a TV program last week about some invalid woman who had made life impossible for her husband... Anyway, the next day, she finally got out of the apartment on her own and went shopping.”

“You don’t say!” Khalid couldn’t grasp the meaning of that story or its resulting effect immediately. “Does that mean she’s feeling like herself again? What about her legs—any progress?”

“No, not yet. But now that she’ll be trying and be more positive about everything, there is hope yet.”

Still perplexed and unconvinced, Khalid sounded somewhat reserved. “That’s great news, James. I really wish I could see her…”

“Then why don’t you? I thought, we all thought, you were on your way here actually. What happened to you? Did Fred send you somewhere?”

“You could say that…”

“Alright, I hear you. You can’t talk about it, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“But, I think you should know that I spoke to Fred myself. I was wondering why you didn’t show up last Wednesday and when I found out that you had cancelled your reservations at the Sands, I called him.”

“Did he say anything…?”

“Nothing, except that he didn’t know where you were and that he would look into it. That’s all.”

“I see.” Khalid was unwillingly terse, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell James why he had made such a fool of himself in running after Isaac—or whatever his name was.

“Okay, now that you’re up-to-date, the question is when can we expect you?”

“I wish I could be in Vancouver tomorrow, but at this point, I have no idea when I will cross the Atlantic again.”

That statement took James aback. He had to pause before he could answer. Khalid’s voice was that of a man who had come at the end of his tether. “Okay, Khalid. You must be tired. Maybe you could call me again… soon… I hope.”

“I’ll do that,” Khalid replied evasively. “Oh, I almost forgot. I’ll be able to write to you now. While I was in the States... I bought a new laptop... and if you wouldn’t mind, I will email you.” This childish remark came out of his mouth and he regretted having said it the moment he uttered the words. To admit that he was thrilled with his acquisition was so out of character for him. Being happy about buying something as common these days as a computer, put him among the uneducated people of this world, he thought. He was annoyed with himself.

“Good! Glad to hear it.” James paused again. “I better let you get on with whatever you were doing. Just keep in touch, okay?”

“I’ll do that, yes, of course...”

When Khalid hung up, he went to sit in front of the fireplace. He was exhausted, mentally and emotionally. The enormity of his error dawned on him; it crept inside his brain as if a disease had slowly invaded his mind. He couldn’t believe what he had done. He had gone through this malefic plan on the spur of the moment. Although guided by the words of Mr. Badawee, he was the one who had built this whole castle of cards—a vengeful, evil construction of deceptions that he thought would appease his anger—that had come crashing at his feet in Sydney.

He got up, went to the phone again, picked up the receiver hesitantly at first, but then more decisively dialled Pierre Masson’s number.

“Pierre?” he said as soon as the pilot said hello.

“Ah, Khalid, you’ve made it back. How was your stay in Canada?”

“Well…, it was a bit eventful, but interesting, shall we say.” Khalid wanted to bury his Australian jaunt among the memories to be forgotten as soon as possible.

“Good. Are we going somewhere else then? Because you’re not calling just to say you’re back, I guess.”

That remark told Khalid that he had ignored the friendship he had developed between him and Pierre for too long. “Yes. Actually, I’d like to go back to Canada. Say, by the end of the week. Could you be ready by then?”

“No problem. Are we going back to Ottawa?”

“No, not this time, Pierre. We’ll stop over in Montreal and then go on to Vancouver as originally planned.”

“Sounds good...” Pierre hesitated. “Would you want to take the controls this time? It’s been some time since you’ve put in a few hours.”

“Yes, I think I will. And you’re right, I need to put in the hours.”

“Do you want to take a dry run during the week then?”

“Do you think that’s necessary?”

“Yes, Khalid, I do. You’ve been away for months now, so I think it’s absolutely necessary, yes.” The firmness in the pilot’s voice didn’t escape Khalid’s notice.

“All right then, let me know when.”

“I’ll call you as soon as we’re ready.”

Throughout this short conversation, Khalid remembered the words of his uncle; “
If you do see her, give her my regards. What she suffered is my fault
.” Not only did the wish demonstrated that his family was not holding any grudges against Talya, but it also gave Khalid pause. Why was his uncle saying what she suffered was his fault—a question that bothered him and another reason to go to Talya.