Night Train to Memphis - Elizabeth Peters [126]
‘But I’m in disguise,’ I protested.
‘He was studying your rear view,’ John said disagreeably. ‘I told you those jeans were too tight. Dare I inquire how Foggington-Smythe became so familiar with the contours of your – Christ! Feisal, watch out for that – ’
A splintering crunch announced the destruction of a small shed.
‘Don’t distract me,’ Feisal said between his teeth.
The last few hundred yards of the detour ran along the top of a bank above an irrigation ditch. I think three of the wheels were on the path most of the time. We missed the guy on the bicycle, though.
Once we were back on the highway John cleared his throat. ‘Would you like me to drive for a while?’ he asked tactfully.
I had been about to offer myself. Night driving in Egypt was something no sane tourist would tackle, but I figured I could do better than Feisal was doing at that moment. I think his eyes were closed.
Feisal hit the brakes. ‘Is there anything to drink?’ I handed him a can of soda. He slid over into the passenger seat and John took his place behind the wheel.
‘So what else is new?’ he inquired, returning to the road. ‘They didn’t get the license number, but they do have a description of the car. They aren’t certain whether my motive for making off with Vicky was lust or politics or – ’
‘Kidnapping an American tourist for any reason is enough to stir things up,’ John said thoughtfully. ‘Did you abduct me too?’
‘They know or assume we’re all together, if that’s what you mean. Odd, now that you mention it; they were somewhat vague as to your precise role. It’s been on all the news broadcasts. The government is appalled, shocked, and distraught. They will pursue the hunt with the utmost diligence and punish the perpetrator – ’ He swallowed. ‘Appropriately.’
‘Oh, very good,’ John said. ‘By accusing you of abduction they’ve enlisted the assistance of every honest police officer and worthy citizen, and they’ve left open the possibility that I may be a crypto-terrorist too.’
‘That’s crazy,’ I exclaimed. ‘I can tell them – ’
‘You may not have the chance,’ John said.
We went on awhile in gloomy silence. A snatch of song drifted back to me from the front seat. ‘There’s a girl from Minnesota, She’s long and she’s tall . . .’
I leaned forward. ‘She was from Birmingham, I believe.’
‘Wrong. Tennessee. One for me.’
‘I got the song right,’ I protested. ‘Anyhow, she wasn’t a girl, she was a train.’
‘Half a point, then. Why don’t you get some sleep? You must be tired. Heroic rescues take a lot out of a girl.’
‘The hell with that. I’m not going to sleep while you two big, strong intelligent men make all the decisions. Where are we going?’
Feisal chuckled. ‘She does have a strange charm all her own, doesn’t she? I’m beginning to understand why you – ’
‘She grows on you,’ John agreed. ‘As for where we’re going, that depends to some extent on what we encounter along the way, but I think we’ll head for Minya. That must have been what Schmidt meant by his delightfully mysterious clues; it’s the nearest stop to Amarna. The train he’s taken doesn’t arrive until seven in the morning and it may be late. If we can make it in time we’ll look out for him at the station. If we miss him we’ll check the hotels.’
‘How are you planning to get across the river?’ Feisal inquired.
‘I intend to avoid the bridges. They are the most logical places for roadblocks. We’ll stay on the east bank until we reach Amarna and then take the ferry across. There are a number of advantages to that agenda; they will expect us to take the main road, and it’s always a good idea to do what the enemy doesn’t expect.’
‘Skip the lectures on crime, will you?’ Feisal said sourly ‘There’s only one little problem with your agenda, Johnny. We can’t get to Amarna from here.’
‘The road – ’ John began.
‘Ends a few kilometres north of Asyut. They haven’t finished it.’
‘There’s a track, surely.’
‘There are a number of paths, yes. For donkeys and camels. If we follow the river, there’s one point where the cliffs come