The Moses Legacy - Adam Palmer [67]
‘Okay, I know our police can sometimes be a bit… overzealous. But I still don’t understand why you abandoned Professor Mansoor.’
Daniel finally decided to step in. The reporter had already blown his cover and revealed that the Englishman was an expert on Semitic languages, so there was no reason not to show his fluent command of Arabic.
‘We didn’t actually abandon him. We left him temporarily because it was a five-kilometre walk to get help and he’d cut his wrist badly. We bandaged it up as best we could and then set off to get help.’
Walid did not seem surprised by the quality of Daniel’s Arabic. ‘Couldn’t you have called for help? Don’t you have mobile phones?’
‘We tried, but we couldn’t get a decent signal. Then when the police saw us – maybe because he wasn’t with us – they assumed that we’d done something to him and started firing. But you know he’s all right because they said so, and as they pointed out, we were locked in the tomb too. Whoever did it might have been trying to kill us.’
‘And what about what they said about you being responsible for a death in England?’
Daniel wasn’t sure which way the wind was blowing in Walid’s mind. He knew that his and Gabrielle’s fate lay in his hands. He had to say something more to sway him.
‘The man who died was Gabrielle’s uncle. He was a great professor. The police think it was a family dispute but we think he was killed by a jealous rival.’
Daniel wanted to convey a sense of aggrieved innocence and he sensed that offering a hint of high intrigue would create the kind of cover story that a man who led a mundane life would want to believe. As a former amateur magician he knew that getting the audience to want to believe was half the trick.
‘This sounds so…’
Daniel wondered if he had over-dramatized it, so he was relieved when Walid’s face mellowed. ‘I believe you. But I have a family to feed. If we get caught then I will be in trouble too… and that will hurt my family.’
Daniel sighed. ‘You’re right, of course. I cannot ask you to put yourself and your family at risk for us – especially after we took advantage of your hospitality and didn’t tell you the truth. If you can put us ashore, we will be on our way.’
Walid looked at him, surprised.
Daniel followed up quickly. ‘You can keep the money, of course. Consider it as payment for the trouble we’ve put you through.’
Walid met his eyes. They both knew what the other was thinking, as did Gabrielle. The radio report hadn’t said anything about a reward, but at some point a reward might still be offered. Daniel was offering to pay Walid for his silence. Even if a reward was offered that dwarfed the money already paid him, Walid would consider it dishonourable to betray them after accepting their money.
‘I cannot do that,’ said Walid quietly.
‘You don’t understand,’ said Daniel. ‘I want you to keep the money. I have put you to so much trouble already… and you have a family to feed.’
‘No, it is you who do not understand,’ said Walid firmly. ‘I will take you to Cairo.’
Chapter 52
Sarit was in the Wekalat Al-Balah Bazaar, wearing a jilbab that she had just bought to cover her body, and khimar to cover her hair. By dressing modestly she knew that men were less likely to bother her, and she also reduced the likelihood of being recognized. But at one point she would have to take a risk.
What she was looking out for were Western women – specifically Western women with large shoulder bags in which they carried everything under the sun. In some Muslim countries, women tended to be more careless than they would be in a Western street market, because they knew that the draconian laws made theft less likely. However, here the laws were not quite so severe and so the women were more careful.
Eventually, she found what she was looking for: a young, obviously Western woman who had a bag with some other items already and who was interested in trying on one of the colourful dresses. Even better, when the woman spoke, it was with a Liverpool accent. Sarit could do American accents if