So he would have to go to Beirut. Well, the drive was easy enough. The problem was doing it without alarming anyone that his enemies had set to spy on him.
When he left the palace complex, it was in a garbage truck. Ivan had protested, but Alai told him, "A Caliph who is afraid to be filthied on God's errand is unworthy to rule." He was sure this would be written down and, if he lived, would be included in a book of the wisdom of Caliph Alai. A book he hoped would be long and worth reading, instead of brief and embarrassing.
Dressed as a pious old woman, Alai rode in the back seat of a little old sedan driven by a soldier in civilian clothes and a false beard much longer than his real one. If he lost, if he was killed, then the fact that he dressed this way would be taken as proof that he was never worthy to be Caliph. But if he won, it would be part of the legend of his cleverness.
The old woman accepted a wheelchair to take her into the hospital, pushed by the bearded man wh
o had driven her to Beirut.
On the roof, three men with ordinary, scuffed suitcases were waiting. It was ten minutes to five.
If someone in the hospital had noticed the disappearance of the old woman, or looked for the wheelchair, or wondered about the three men who had arrived separately, each carrying clothing for a family member to wear home, then word might already have gone out to Alai's enemies. If someone came to investigate, and they had to kill him, it would be as good as setting off an alarm by Rajam's own bed.
Three minutes before five, two young doctors, a man and a woman, came onto the roof, ostensibly to smoke. But soon they withdrew out of the sight of the men waiting with their suitcases.
Ivan looked at Alai questioningly. Alai shook his head. "They are here to kiss," he said. "They are afraid of us reporting them, that's all."
Ivan, being careful, got up and walked to where he could see them. He came back and sat down. "More than kissing," he whispered.
"They should not do that if they aren't married," said Alai. "Why do people always think that the only two choices are either to follow the harshest shari'ah or else discard all the laws of God?"
"You have never been in love," said Ivan.
"You think not?" said Alai. "Just because I can't meet any women does not mean I haven't loved."
"With your mind," said Ivan, "but I happen to know that with your body you have been pure."
"Of course I'm pure," said Alai. "I'm not married."
A medical chopper approached. It was exactly five o'clock. When it came close enough, Alai could see that it was from an Israeli hospital.
"Do Israeli doctors send patients to Beirut?" asked Alai.
"Lebanese doctors send patients to Israel," said Ivan.
"So must we expect that our friends will wait until this chopper leaves? Or are these our friends?"
"You have hidden in garbage and dressed as a woman," said Ivan. "What is riding in a Zionist helicopter compared to that?"
The chopper landed. The door opened. Nobody got out.
Alai picked up the suitcase that he knew was his because it was light--filled only with clothes instead of weaponry--and walked boldly to the door.
"Am I the passenger you came for?"
The pilot nodded.
Alai turned to look back toward where the couple had gone to kiss. He saw a flurry of motion. They had seen. They would speak of it.
He turned back to the pilot. "Can this chopper carry all five of us?"
"Easily," said the pilot.
"What about seven?"
The pilot shrugged. "We fly lower, slower. But we often do."
Alai turned to Ivan. "Please invite our young lovers to come with us." Then Alai climbed into the helicopter. In moments, he had the women's clothing off. Underneath, he was wearing a simple western business suit.