Honor Among Thieves

“It seems that at two o’clock this morning the Americans launched several Tomahawk missiles at Mukhbarat headquarters in the center of the city.”

“And what was the result?” Al Obaydi asked anxiously.

“A few civilians were killed,” replied the Chief Administrator matter-of-factly, “but you’ll be glad to know that our beloved leader was not in the city at the time.”

“That is indeed good news,” said Al Obaydi. “But it makes it even more imperative that I return to Baghdad immediately.”

“I have already confirmed your flight reservations, Excellency.”

“Thank you,” said Al Obaydi, staring out of the window.

Kanuk bowed low. “I will see that you are met at the airport when you return, Excellency, and that this time everything is fully prepared for your arrival. Meanwhile, I’ll go and fetch your passport. If you’ll excuse me.”

Al Obaydi sat down behind his desk. He wondered how long he would be merely Head of Interest Section in Paris once Saddam learned who had saved his life.

Tony dialed the number on his private line.

The phone was picked up by the Deputy Warden, who confirmed in answer to Cavalli’s first question that he was alone. He listened to Cavalli’s second question carefully before he responded.

“If Dollar Bill’s anywhere to be found in this jailhouse, then he’s better hidden than Leona Helmsley’s tax returns.”

“But the county court files show him as being registered with you on the night of June 16th.”

“He may have been registered with us, but he sure never showed up,” said the voice on the other end of the line. “And it doesn’t take eight days to get from San Francisco County Court to here, unless they’ve gone back to chaining cons up and making them walk the whole way. Perhaps that wouldn’t be such a bad idea,” he added with a nervous laugh.

Cavalli didn’t laugh. “Just be sure you keep your mouth shut and your ears open, and let me know the moment you hear anything,” was all he said before putting the phone back down.

Cavalli remained at his desk for an hour after his secretary had left, working out what needed to be done next.

Chapter Twenty-Six

The second emergency meeting between the Foreign Minister and his Deputy took place on Tuesday morning, again at short notice. This time it was an unexpected direct call from the President that had both Ministers rushing off to the palace.

All Hannah had been able to piece together from the several phone calls that had gone back and forth that morning was that at some point Saddam’s half brother had called from Geneva, and from that moment the Deputy Foreign Minister appeared to forget the report he was preparing on the American bombing of Mukhbarat headquarters. He fled from the room in a panic, leaving secret papers strewn all over his desk.

Hannah remained at her desk in the hope that she might pick up some more information as the day progressed. While both Ministers were at the palace, she continued to check through old files, aware that she now had enough material to fill several cabinets at Mossad headquarters, but no one to pass her findings on to.

The two Ministers returned from the palace in the late afternoon, and the Deputy Foreign Minister seemed relieved to find Miss Saib was still at her desk.

“I need to make a written report on what was agreed at the meeting this morning with the President,” he said, “and I cannot overstress the importance of confidentiality in this matter. It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that if anything I am about to tell you became public knowledge, we could both end up in jail, or worse.”

“I hope, Minister,” said Hannah as she put her glasses back on, “that I have never given you cause for concern in the past.”

The Minister stared across at her, and then began dictating at a rapid pace.

“The President invited the Foreign Minister and myself to a confidential meeting at the palace this morning—date this memo today. Barazan Al-Tikriti, our trusted Ambassador in Geneva, contacted the President during the night to warn him that, after weeks of diligent surveillance, he has uncovered a plot by a group of Zionists to steal a safe from Sweden and use it as a means of illegally entering Iraq. The safe was due for delivery to Baghdad following the lifting of an embargo under UN Security Council Resolution 661. The President has ordered that General Hamil be given the responsibility for dealing with the terrorists”—Hannah thought she saw the Deputy Foreign Minister shudder—“while the Foreign Ministry has been asked to look into the role played in this particular conspiracy by one of its own staff, Hamid Al Obaydi.

“Our Ambassador in Geneva has discovered that Al Obaydi visited the engineering firm of Svenhalte AC in Kalmar, Sweden, on Monday, June 28th, without being directed to do so by any of his superiors. During that visit he was informed of the theft of the safe and the fact that it was being transported to Baghdad. Following his trip to Kalmar, Al Obaydi stayed overnight at our Interest Section in Paris, when he would have had every opportunity to inform Geneva or Baghdad of the Zionist plot, but he made no attempt to do so.

“Al Obaydi left Paris the following morning and, although we know he boarded a flight to Jordan, he has not yet shown up at the border. The President has ordered that if Al Obaydi crosses any of our national frontiers, he should be arrested and taken directly to General Hamil at the headquarters of the Revolutionary Command Council.”

Hannah’s pencil flew across the pages of her shorthand notebook as she tried to keep up with the Minister.

“The safe,” continued the Deputy Foreign Minister, “is currently being transported aboard an army truck, and is expected to arrive at the border with Jordan some time during the next forty-eight hours.

“All customs officers have received a directive to the effect that the safe is the personal property of the President, and therefore when it reaches the border it must be given priority to continue its journey on to Baghdad.

“Our Ambassador in Geneva, having had a long conversation with a Mr.—” the Minister checked his notes “—Pedersson, is convinced that the group accompanying the safe are agents of the CIA, Mossad or possibly even the British SAS. Like the President, the Ambassador feels the infiltrators’ sole interest is in recovering the Declaration of Independence. The President has given orders that the document should not be moved from its place on the wall of the Council Chamber, as this could alert any internal agent to warn the terrorist group not to enter the country.