Honor Among Thieves

After one look at the signature, the fist was quickly exchanged for a salute.

“Passport,” was the only other word he uttered.

Kratz passed over three Swedish and one Iraqi passport with two red notes attached to the first page of each document. “Never pay above the expected tariff,” he had warned his team. “It only makes them suspicious.”

The four passports were taken to a little cubicle, studied, stamped and returned by the official, who even offered them the suggestion of a smile. The barrier on the Jordanian side was raised, and the truck began its mile-long journey toward the Iraqi checkpoint.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Hamid Al Obaydi was dragged into the Council Chamber by two of the Presidential Guards and then dumped in a chair several yards away from the long table.

He raised his head and looked around at the twelve men who made up the Revolutionary Command Council. None of their eyes came into contact with his, with the exception of the State Prosecutor’s.

What had he done that these people had decided to arrest him at the border, handcuff him, throw him in jail, leave him to sleep on the stone floor and not even offer him the chance to use a toilet?

> Still dressed in the suit he had crossed the border in, he was now sitting in his own excrement.

Saddam raised a hand, and the State Prosecutor smiled.

But Al Obaydi did not fear Nakir Farrar. Not only was he innocent of any trumped-up charge, but he also had information they needed. The State Prosecutor rose slowly from his place.

“Your name is Hamid Al Obaydi?”

“Yes,” replied Al Obaydi, looking directly at the State Prosecutor.

“You are charged with treason and the theft of state property. How do you plead?”

“I am innocent, and Allah will be my witness.”

“If Allah is to be your witness, I’m sure he won’t mind me asking you some simple questions.”

“I will be most happy to answer anything.”

“When you returned from New York earlier this month, you continued your work in the Foreign Ministry. Is that correct?”

“It is.”

“And was one of your responsibilities checking the government’s latest position with reference to UN sanctions?”

“Yes. That was part of my job as Deputy Ambassador to the UN.”

“Quite so. And when you carried out these checks, you came across certain items on which embargoes had been lifted. Am I right?”

“Yes, you are,” said Al Obaydi confidently.

“Was one of those items a safe?”

“It was,” said Al Obaydi.

“When you realized this, what did you do about it?”

“I telephoned the Swedish company who had built the safe to ascertain what the latest position was, so that I could enter the facts in my report.”

“And what did you discover?”

Al Obaydi hesitated, not sure how much the Prosecutor knew.

“What did you discover?” insisted Farrar.