Midnight Runner - Jack Higgins [29]
He did as ordered and described the events of the night before. He shook his head. "I can't understand it. The Red Dragons came highly recommended."
"Those incompetents in Washington came highly recommended, too."
"Yes, I'm obviously going to have to get better sources. Now, what's the agenda for today?"
"We land at Hamam airport, then we'll take a helicopter to Shabwa Oasis in the Empty Quarter, then further into the Empty Quarter, to the oasis at Fuad. I have a camp there. I'd like you to see it."
"What goes on there?"
"You'll see."
"Mystery on mystery, hmm? Do we go to Hazar Town?"
"Oh, yes, I'd like to see Tony Villiers."
"Are you going to have him bumped off?"
"I'd rather not. I like Tony. He's a superb commanding officer, and since the Sultan forbids him to go into the Empty Quarter, he's really not much threat." She shrugged. "We'll see. I've taken certain steps which should give him pause for thought."
"Such as?"
"Oh, let that be another little mystery for now, Rupert. Pass me the Times." She opened it to the financial pages.
V illiers had left most of the Scouts in Cornet Bobby Hawk's hands and was proceeding down the desert road to Hazar Town. This was hill country, filled with rocky defiles and great cliffs the color of ocher. There was no traffic, not a sign of another human being, not even a goatherd.
He had two Land Rovers with eight men, including himself, a light machine gun mounted in each vehicle. It was incredibly hot and dusty, and Villiers was looking forward with pleasure to his room at the Excelsior Hotel, a bath, and a fresh uniform.
They stopped by a pool at a spot called Hama at the foot of some cliffs. The water was deep and cool, and one of the men stood on watch with a machine gun, while the others took off their bandoliers and sandals, walked into the pool in their robes, and splashed each other like children. Villiers lit a cigarette and watched, amused, but the smile quickly vanished as a spattering of stones came down the cliff in a shower. He glanced up, and his men started to plunge through the water to their weapons. A shot rang out and the leading man went down, a bullet in his head.
The machine gunner raked the cliffs up above for a full minute, as the men reached their rifles and fired up, too, but there was no reply. Villiers brought it to a stop. There was silence now.
Selim crawled to him beside one of the Land Rovers, and Villiers waited for a while, then stood up.
"No, Sahb," the Sergeant said.
The silence was eerie. "It's all right. Whoever it was has gone already. I don't know why, but it was hit-and-run."
"Maybe Adoo bandits from the Yemen, Sahb. Or maybe Omar there offended someone?" They gazed at the floating body.
"No, it could have been any one of you." He turned to his men. "Go on, get him out of the water."
Three of them waded in and pulled the body out. They had a couple of body bags in one of the Land Rovers amongst the general supplies and got Omar into one.
"Put him on the hood of number two Land Rover," Villiers ordered. "And tie him on tight. The next few miles are rough."
Someone produced a coil of rope and they placed the body as instructed, running the rope across and beneath the vehicle. The other Scouts watched in silence, subdued.
"Right, we'll move out now," Villiers said.
Selim sat beside him, looking troubled. "Sahb, one thing puzzles me. If the man who did this thing simply wanted to kill only one of us, why not the Sahb, why not the most important of us?"
"Because they didn't want me dead," Villiers told him. "They just wanted to send a signal, Selim."
Selim looked even more troubled. "Can this be so, Sahb? Who would want this?"
"Someone from the Empty Quarter. One of those people who shouldn't be here and perhaps shouldn't be there, Selim. We'll find out soon enough." He smiled. "As Allah wills."
Selim, deeply disturbed, looked away, and Villiers lit a cigarette and leaned back.
T he Port of Hazar was small, with