supposed to turn right around which would mean that there was no need to leave the airport. Nor did Harry really care to, in spite of the simple curiosity of seeing where Kayyim was going in Beirut.
But it seemed that Kayyim had other ideas. “Mr. Turner,” he said, “would you do me the honor of accepting my hospitality for tonight? After all, you have come all this way and risked your life for me, it is the least I can do. To get on another plane and endure the ordeal of another air flight to the States is foolish. You would feel so much better if you rested tonight and went back in the morning.”
Harry knew he should decline, but something caused him to accept the invitation. Maybe his curiosity was even greater than he thought. In any case, he only hoped that Kayyim adhered to the famous Islamic and Bedouin customs governing the welfare of a guest. A man might be your deadly enemy, but if he came into your house you were obligated to serve him in every way you could; then in the morning, as soon as he was on his way again, you were free to kill him.
Of course, in a city where militiamen break into a hospital and start spraying the patients with machine gun fire you couldn’t count on anything, least of all old Islamic traditions.
Kayyim expressed his delight when Harry agreed though Achmed looked none too pleased which was, for Harry, not a bad sign.
“Good. Then you come with me. We will have no trouble with customs. I am well known in Beirut.”
Before they could disembark, one of the flight attendants approached Harry and surreptitiously deposited a folded piece of paper in the pouch facing his seat, squashing it between the in-flight magazine and the air sickness bag.
When he was certain that neither Kayyim nor his bodyguard were observing him, he retrieved the paper and unfolded it:
I’m staying at the Commodore. I’ll also have access to the U.S. Embassy and to the station in S.F. and the network in N.Y. So if you need anything or need to contact anyone let me know. I’m holding the fort for you. E.
Harry quietly tore up the note and scattered the shreds in a way such that the note could never be reassembled. For the second time today, he had to admit that having Ellie around was not the worst thing that could have happened to him. She’d saved his life in Paris, who knows but he might have to call on her to do the same in Beirut.
As Kayyim promised, customs posed no difficulty. The three of them were passed right through without any official glancing at either their papers or their baggage. There were certain advantages to being a sponsor of terrorism with millions of dollars to spend. For one thing, one probably got invited to lots of parties.
A limousine, armor-plated with bullet-resistant glass and equipped with a machine gun mounted on the trunk that could be operated by the passengers within, was waiting to receive the minister and his party of two. In any other country, a fortified car like this would have made Harry feel quite secure. But not here in Beirut.
A shrill whine woke him that seemed to electrify the air. What made sure that he was awake was the enormous explosion that followed the whine. Within seconds, the walls began to shudder and the glass in the windows cracked further.
Unaccustomed to waking up in the middle of the war, Harry was not immediately able to orient himself. For one thing, his whole system was out of whack, from the exhausting journey that had taken him thousands of miles from California, and all the food and drink he’d consumed along the way. He had no idea how long he’d slept; his watch was missing. The only thing he could say for certain was that it was daylight, from the angle of the sun, midafternoon. Another rocket came down somewhere in the vicinity, and another, and another. It was unnerving, listening to them, and downright discouraging when one began to realize one of them might come careening down right on top of you. How did people get used to
But it seemed that Kayyim had other ideas. “Mr. Turner,” he said, “would you do me the honor of accepting my hospitality for tonight? After all, you have come all this way and risked your life for me, it is the least I can do. To get on another plane and endure the ordeal of another air flight to the States is foolish. You would feel so much better if you rested tonight and went back in the morning.”
Harry knew he should decline, but something caused him to accept the invitation. Maybe his curiosity was even greater than he thought. In any case, he only hoped that Kayyim adhered to the famous Islamic and Bedouin customs governing the welfare of a guest. A man might be your deadly enemy, but if he came into your house you were obligated to serve him in every way you could; then in the morning, as soon as he was on his way again, you were free to kill him.
Of course, in a city where militiamen break into a hospital and start spraying the patients with machine gun fire you couldn’t count on anything, least of all old Islamic traditions.
Kayyim expressed his delight when Harry agreed though Achmed looked none too pleased which was, for Harry, not a bad sign.
“Good. Then you come with me. We will have no trouble with customs. I am well known in Beirut.”
Before they could disembark, one of the flight attendants approached Harry and surreptitiously deposited a folded piece of paper in the pouch facing his seat, squashing it between the in-flight magazine and the air sickness bag.
When he was certain that neither Kayyim nor his bodyguard were observing him, he retrieved the paper and unfolded it:
I’m staying at the Commodore. I’ll also have access to the U.S. Embassy and to the station in S.F. and the network in N.Y. So if you need anything or need to contact anyone let me know. I’m holding the fort for you. E.
Harry quietly tore up the note and scattered the shreds in a way such that the note could never be reassembled. For the second time today, he had to admit that having Ellie around was not the worst thing that could have happened to him. She’d saved his life in Paris, who knows but he might have to call on her to do the same in Beirut.
As Kayyim promised, customs posed no difficulty. The three of them were passed right through without any official glancing at either their papers or their baggage. There were certain advantages to being a sponsor of terrorism with millions of dollars to spend. For one thing, one probably got invited to lots of parties.
A limousine, armor-plated with bullet-resistant glass and equipped with a machine gun mounted on the trunk that could be operated by the passengers within, was waiting to receive the minister and his party of two. In any other country, a fortified car like this would have made Harry feel quite secure. But not here in Beirut.
A shrill whine woke him that seemed to electrify the air. What made sure that he was awake was the enormous explosion that followed the whine. Within seconds, the walls began to shudder and the glass in the windows cracked further.
Unaccustomed to waking up in the middle of the war, Harry was not immediately able to orient himself. For one thing, his whole system was out of whack, from the exhausting journey that had taken him thousands of miles from California, and all the food and drink he’d consumed along the way. He had no idea how long he’d slept; his watch was missing. The only thing he could say for certain was that it was daylight, from the angle of the sun, midafternoon. Another rocket came down somewhere in the vicinity, and another, and another. It was unnerving, listening to them, and downright discouraging when one began to realize one of them might come careening down right on top of you. How did people get used to
Similar Books
