A Devil Is Waiting - Jack Higgins [56]
Ferguson burst into laughter. “Sara Gideon, I suspected you were a woman of parts, and I’ve just been proved right. Anything to add?”
“Well, I would point out that you all speak Arabic to some degree or other, but as Pashtu was one of the main reasons you recruited me, I do think I should be included on this one. I’m good, sir, my Pashtu is fluent, and I can pass myself off as an Afghan woman.”
Holley couldn’t help himself. “Not with that scarlet mop of hair, you can’t.”
“I’ve done it before in the right clothing, Daniel—you’ll see.”
He wasn’t pleased, but he gave up. Ferguson said, “My decision. You’ll go as interpreter, Sara, I’ll supervise things in Peshawar. Harry will be representing the Prime Minister, and Dillon and Daniel can handle any rough stuff. Now I really must go to my office.”
Ferguson reappeared almost an hour later to find Sara, Holley, and Dillon deep in conversation while Roper worked at his screens. “They want me back at Downing Street. Sergeant Doyle can drive me. What’s been happening?”
Roper said, “I contacted Greg Slay in Hazar, and he snapped my hand off before I even got a chance to discuss money. He’ll definitely be there when we reach Peshawar. I contacted Colonel Hamza. The Hawker landed three hours ago and is still there. They can’t touch it because the owner is too important politically. No sign of Ali Selim, who is obviously on the other side of the border making for Amira. Colonel Hamza will give us all the support he can, but it will have to be unofficial.”
“Fair enough,” Ferguson said.
“He’s suggested an air taxi firm run by a man named Wali Hussein as our best bet if we want to hire a helicopter. Hussein apparently operates three old Russian Raptors and has the right dodgy reputation—smuggling, illegal pickups over the border, that kind of thing. Colonel Hamza is going to suggest to him that it would be in his best interests to help us. It will be a comfort to have an exceptional pilot like Slay along.”
“You seem to have covered just about everything,” Ferguson said.
“We aim to please,” Roper told him. “We’re going to be in and out on this one, so no point in staying at one of the downtown hotels. Colonel Hamza suggests a place called Rangoon close to the airport. He’s having a word with them.”
“Excellent,” Ferguson said. “I’ve got a good feeling about this, but I’d better get moving and see what they want at Downing Street.”
He went out, followed by Doyle, and Sara said to Holley, “Is he always so cheerful?”
“A rare occurrence. Enjoy it while you can.”
Dillon said, “The smell of power, the possibility of action, is what brings an old soldier to life again, Sara, so you’ve got something to look forward to. I’d grab a little shut-eye while you can, if I were you. You’ve got a long flight ahead of you tomorrow morning.”
“A sensible thought. I’ll see you here later.” She gave Holley that special smile and walked out.
At the same moment, Ferguson had arrived outside the Prime Minister’s study at Downing Street to find Henry Frankel, sitting alone and working his way through a file.
He glanced up. “You look agitated, Charles.”
“I am, Henry. We’ve got a lot on, and that’s putting it mildly.”
“Miller’s already here, Charles. The PM wanted a private word.”
Ferguson frowned. “Without me? Why is that?”
“To be frank, I think the PM believes this enterprise to be rather more hazardous than he at first thought.”
Ferguson was immensely irritated. “I’m damned if I can see why.”
Frankel smiled pleasantly. “Well, you can go and find out, Charles, they’re ready for you now.” He went and opened the study door and ushered Ferguson in.
Harry Miller got up from his seat opposite the PM, who said, “There you are, Charles, do come in. I wanted to have a word with Harry to make sure that he fully appreciates the personal risk he is taking in this matter.”
“But, Prime Minister, the whole thing will be quite simple, I can assure you. I shall be at our Peshawar base to handle matters, the Pakistan authorities will look the other way, and I have arranged for a clandestine helicopter