The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog - Elizabeth Peters [66]
“My father, I thank thee and bless thee. But what shall we do? He is drugged or sick; he cannot move. I had counted on his strength to help us.”
“I feared we would find him thus,” Abdullah replied. “One does not chain the lion without clipping his claws, or cage the hawk without—”
“Abdullah, I love and honor thee as a father, but if thou dost not get to the point I am going to scream.”
The old man’s bearded jaws opened in a smile. “The Sitt is herself again. We must go quickly, before the guards return. My men wait at the crossroads.”
“What men?”
“Daoud and the sons and grandsons of my uncles. They all have many sons,” Abdullah added proudly. “The sun is setting; it is a good time to attack, at nightfall.”
It did not occur to me for a moment to protest this dangerous and illegal procedure, but when he tugged at my sleeve I resisted. “I cannot leave him, Abdullah. They may carry him away or kill him if they are attacked.”
“But, Sitt, Emerson will have my heart to eat if you—”
“So long as he is alive to eat it. Hurry, Abdullah. And—take care, my dear friend.”
His hand gripped mine for a moment and then he was gone. I twisted around to watch, and saw him vanish over the wall as silently as he had come.
I had, of course, no intention of remaining on the roof. My normal strength might not have sufficed to lift the grille; fortunately that little matter had been taken care of. One side of the heavy metal square now rested on the lip of the opening; I had only to push it aside. The opening was, I thought, just large enough to admit my body. It would have to, for I meant to get in by one means or another.
Before I could carry out this scheme I heard the men returning. Their voices were more subdued this time, and after a moment another voice broke in. It spoke Arabic, but I knew from the accent and the tone of command that the speaker was not an Arab. Fear—for my husband, not for myself—and fury strengthened every sinew. He was here—the leader, the unknown villain who had perpetrated this foul deed.
The group paused outside the door and I hesitated, hands clenched on the metal, scarcely feeling the pain of my bleeding fingers. I must not act prematurely. They had no reason as yet to suspect rescue was imminent.
Then the speaker switched to English. “Wait here until I come for you. I want him wide awake and rational when he sees you.”
To my astonishment the voice that responded, in the same language, was that of a woman. “I tell you, he is not so easily deceived. He will know I am not—”
“That, my dear, is the point of this exercise—to test the truth of his claim of amnesia. In that costume and in the gloom, with a gag hiding the lower part of your face, you look enough like her to deceive an affectionate spouse—for long enough, at least, to win a betraying cry of alarm from him. That will tell me what I want to know. And if he believes you are she, I will have at last the means of persuading him to tell me what I want to know.”
A wordless murmur from the woman brought a mocking laugh from the leader. “The threat will be enough, I believe. If not—well, my dear, I won’t damage you any more than I can help.”
Every violent emotion I had repressed during the days of waiting now boiled within me, with raging curiosity added to the mix. I had an inkling of what the villain planned, and I was on fire to see my double. His despicable trick might succeed, if the copy was faithful enough.
The door swung open, admitting a glow of light. It did not come from the sun, which was now below the horizon. The man who entered carried a lamp. You may believe, Reader, I studied his face intently. His voice had been familiar, but the features I saw did not match the appearance I expected. They were distorted by shadows, and masked by a heavy black mustache and imperial. It might be he; I could not be certain.
Putting the lamp on the table, he bent over Emerson and shook him roughly. There was no response. Straightening, the monster swore under his breath and turned toward the door.
“I told you to keep out!”
The woman’s voice was almost