Midnight Runner - Jack Higgins [35]
"Tough luck," Rupert said.
"Yes, but the second man, my Sergeant, Selim, was only murdered a short while ago down on the docks." He smiled at Kate. "You must have remarkable sources."
"It's the secret of my success, Tony. But enough of this. Let's order."
The meal was excellent, for the chef had a French mother, and had trained in Paris. Rupert Dauncey and Villiers, as soldiers will, discussed their personal experiences in the Gulf War and the former Yugoslavia.
"So you were behind Iraqi lines with the SAS?" Rupert asked. "How long?"
"Oh, before the war started. We knew it was coming and exactly what Saddam Hussein intended." Villiers shrugged. "People like me with a working knowledge of Arabic were at a premium. Like Kate's brother Paul."
"Did you know him?"
"We were in the same regiment, the Grenadier Guards, but he was long after my time. I knew him there, though. He had his men kill my second-in-command, Cornet James Bronsby. The Rashid have a very effective technique. They slice the skin down from the chest. It takes a long time. The loss of masculinity is the final touch, but then Kate will have told you all this."
"Actually, I hadn't," she said.
"Why? Were you ashamed?"
"No. My people expected it. It's their way." She shrugged. "And you got your revenge, Tony. Dillon killed four of my men the following morning. And one of them was my brother George."
"If he couldn't take the consequences, he shouldn't have joined."
Abdul appeared with three glasses of cognac on his tray. Kate sipped a little of hers. "I hear you have a new second-in-command, another Household Cavalryman?"
"Yes, a Lifeguard this time, Cornet Bobby Hawk. A nice boy. You'd like him."
"Perhaps he shouldn't have joined."
The threat was implicit and he was angry now, tired of playing games, so he swallowed the cognac down.
"Oh, you can do better than that, Kate. Tell me, why didn't Abu go for a head shot on me out there at Hama?"
"Why, Tony, I'm shocked. You're far too important, not only to Hazar but to me. You're the best commander the Scouts have ever had. And you follow the Sultan's instructions."
"Which means your instructions."
"I rule the Empty Quarter, Tony, and I don't need the Scouts there. I don't want them. Police the border country, the high country, but stay on your side of the line."
"Why? Do you have something to hide over there?"
"That's my business. Next time you speak to Charles Ferguson, tell him to mind his." She nodded to Rupert. "We'll go now. We have an early start in the morning."
He pulled back her chair and said to Villiers, "It's been an interesting evening, Colonel."
Villiers stood up. "You could say that. Goodnight, Kate."
She smiled and led the way out, and Villiers said, "Another cognac, Abdul," and went back to the terrace to think things over.
Kate Rashid and Rupert walked back to the villa, Abu behind. "He's quite a man," Rupert said. "But he's right. Why don't you have him killed?"
"That might come later, but not for the moment. As I said, his work in the high country with the Scouts is useful to me, and good for Hazar."
"But what about his link with Ferguson?"
"Villiers can't tell him anything if he doesn't know anything. That's all that matters."
"Well, you're the expert. What's our schedule tomorrow?"
"The helicopter will be ready at seven. We'll call in at Shabwa, it's expected of me, then we'll fly on to Fuad Lake."
"How far?"
"Another hundred miles deeper into the desert." They had reached the steps leading up to the door of the villa and she turned to Abu. "Where are the Scouts at the moment?"
"They've been operating out of El Hajiz. There's good water there, but they may have moved."
They were speaking in English. "Villiers Sahb will join them soon, I think. You stay and watch him. When he leaves, follow. Take one of our Land Rovers."
"What are your orders?"
"I think he needs another lesson. He's proving difficult."
"The new officer?"
"Perhaps a fright will be enough. It is all as Allah wills. I leave it with