main entrance. A man lounging there leaped to open the door for him. “Shokran,” he said to the man as he breezed by into the interior, his robes flaring as they trailed behind him.
The Gold Souk has been at this location for more than a century, since Doha was the center of the pearl trade. As oil replaced pearls as the economic engine of prosperity and gold became important in cementing familial relationships in the newly rich Bedouin nation, Pakistani and Persian traders moved in and dominated the marketplace. Qatari tribesmen concerned themselves with other matters. The pearls now come from Japan, and the gold and precious gems are from everywhere.
Gold bracelets and trinkets of all types twinkled from dozens of showcase windows as Khalid passed the larger, more ornate windows, turned quickly down a side hall and slipped into a small shop.
“Welcome, my friend!” A man in white robes with a small white skullcap rose from behind a jeweler’s workbench and rushed around the counter to greet Khalid.
“Salam, Hamid.” They exchanged the traditional kisses, which are really just a close juxtaposition of the face used in greeting. Trust is assessed and built with proximity.
A younger man came in from a small room in the back with a small pot of tea and two cups and put them on the gem counter in the center of the shop. He brought two seats, then pulled the blinds to the windows on the hallway in front, and left by the front entrance, locking the door behind him. Hamid brought a blue velvet drape and put it over the counter, then dropped some diamonds from an envelope he was holding onto the counter. He turned on the jeweler’s light, and the two men huddled over the diamonds.
“If it is God’s will, our shipment will be ready soon,” Hamid said.
“Allah be praised,” Khalid said.
“My friend in the diamond business is ready for his reward.”
“Insha’Allah. But what does he offer for proof of the special nature of this gem?”
“The Americans went to the island where our product was produced, and they are trying to follow him. He is being very careful. He was going to ship our product by air freight, but that is impossible now. It will come by sea.”
“Here?”
“No. He will keep it in the Atlantic Ocean for now. He suggests you test it.”
“Yes, we have a plan to do that.”
“First, he must have 5 million Euros.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHEROKEE TRUST FUND
“Mr. Cooper Jordan, please. This is Nadine Spears, special assistant to Mr. MacDonnald Wilde with First Bank, Tulsa, Oklahoma.” Pamela’s feminist ire was riled, but her voice was pure Oklahoma gentility.
“Is he on?” Donn asked, anxiously.
Pam shook her head, and then nodded, handing the phone to Donn.
“Mr. Jordan, Donn Wilde. How is the weather in sunny Charleston today?” Donn boomed out his greeting as if he were sitting at a big desk overlooking the skyline in Tulsa instead of a rented, windowless office in the DTRA Command Center in suburban Virginia.
“Why, it’s warm here, too. My reason for asking, Mr. Jordan, is that I’m going to be down your way tomorrow, and I need to impose on your hospitality, if I may.”
He paused, smiling, effervescent.
“How true that is, Mr. Jordan. Banking is not the gentleman’s business it once was, and it’s a damn shame.” He paused again, laughing. “The city of Charleston maintains an account at your bank, sir. Tomorrow we’re going to wire $400,000 into it for some bonds they’re offering. We need to complete the transaction tomorrow, as the subscription period ends on September first. We’ve arranged to have the city treasurer pose for some promotional pictures, you know, signing the bonds, shaking hands. We were wondering if you had a meeting room, something discrete, tasteful, that we could use for about half an hour.”
Donn leaned back, putting his feet on the table.
“Yes, sir, it’s
The Gold Souk has been at this location for more than a century, since Doha was the center of the pearl trade. As oil replaced pearls as the economic engine of prosperity and gold became important in cementing familial relationships in the newly rich Bedouin nation, Pakistani and Persian traders moved in and dominated the marketplace. Qatari tribesmen concerned themselves with other matters. The pearls now come from Japan, and the gold and precious gems are from everywhere.
Gold bracelets and trinkets of all types twinkled from dozens of showcase windows as Khalid passed the larger, more ornate windows, turned quickly down a side hall and slipped into a small shop.
“Welcome, my friend!” A man in white robes with a small white skullcap rose from behind a jeweler’s workbench and rushed around the counter to greet Khalid.
“Salam, Hamid.” They exchanged the traditional kisses, which are really just a close juxtaposition of the face used in greeting. Trust is assessed and built with proximity.
A younger man came in from a small room in the back with a small pot of tea and two cups and put them on the gem counter in the center of the shop. He brought two seats, then pulled the blinds to the windows on the hallway in front, and left by the front entrance, locking the door behind him. Hamid brought a blue velvet drape and put it over the counter, then dropped some diamonds from an envelope he was holding onto the counter. He turned on the jeweler’s light, and the two men huddled over the diamonds.
“If it is God’s will, our shipment will be ready soon,” Hamid said.
“Allah be praised,” Khalid said.
“My friend in the diamond business is ready for his reward.”
“Insha’Allah. But what does he offer for proof of the special nature of this gem?”
“The Americans went to the island where our product was produced, and they are trying to follow him. He is being very careful. He was going to ship our product by air freight, but that is impossible now. It will come by sea.”
“Here?”
“No. He will keep it in the Atlantic Ocean for now. He suggests you test it.”
“Yes, we have a plan to do that.”
“First, he must have 5 million Euros.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHEROKEE TRUST FUND
“Mr. Cooper Jordan, please. This is Nadine Spears, special assistant to Mr. MacDonnald Wilde with First Bank, Tulsa, Oklahoma.” Pamela’s feminist ire was riled, but her voice was pure Oklahoma gentility.
“Is he on?” Donn asked, anxiously.
Pam shook her head, and then nodded, handing the phone to Donn.
“Mr. Jordan, Donn Wilde. How is the weather in sunny Charleston today?” Donn boomed out his greeting as if he were sitting at a big desk overlooking the skyline in Tulsa instead of a rented, windowless office in the DTRA Command Center in suburban Virginia.
“Why, it’s warm here, too. My reason for asking, Mr. Jordan, is that I’m going to be down your way tomorrow, and I need to impose on your hospitality, if I may.”
He paused, smiling, effervescent.
“How true that is, Mr. Jordan. Banking is not the gentleman’s business it once was, and it’s a damn shame.” He paused again, laughing. “The city of Charleston maintains an account at your bank, sir. Tomorrow we’re going to wire $400,000 into it for some bonds they’re offering. We need to complete the transaction tomorrow, as the subscription period ends on September first. We’ve arranged to have the city treasurer pose for some promotional pictures, you know, signing the bonds, shaking hands. We were wondering if you had a meeting room, something discrete, tasteful, that we could use for about half an hour.”
Donn leaned back, putting his feet on the table.
“Yes, sir, it’s
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