Criminal Mischief

42

They took off for Cairo. Faith had chosen that for her fuel stop, so that she could arrive at their destination with plenty of fuel for a long flight out if anything went wrong.

They landed at Cairo and refueled without incident. Faith was approached by three men in airline uniforms, and they pointed out their aircraft, a Dassault French jet with three engines. Its passengers could be seen to be boarding.

Faith returned to the Gulfstream. “One of those in the pilot’s uniforms is our agent in charge of the operation.”

“I thought you were AIC,” Stone said to Brio.

“I am. Think of me as the super AIC.”

“Right.”

Faith said, “I’ve shared the coordinates of our destination with them, and they’ll take off fifteen minutes after we do and maintain that distance. We’ll be in constant radio contact. They understand that, should they enter the palace, they should go unarmed.” She handed Brio a handheld radio. “This will keep you in touch with them. It has a range of a few miles.”

Brio tucked it into a pocket of the jumpsuit she was wearing.

“I don’t think you should dress that way for entrance into the palace,” Stone said. “The sultan and his people would find it disrespectful.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll change before we land.”

“What’s our flight time?” Stone asked Faith.

“About three hours.” She took out a chart and showed them how their destination had been marked with an X. “Middle of nowhere,” she said, “and it’s a big desert, as you will see. Our route calls for us to take off and fly along the route of the Suez Canal, then turn inland at altitude, which will be FL 280, so you’ll have a view, of sorts.”

“Let’s do it, then,” Stone said, with more enthusiasm than he felt.

They had dinner, then tried to get some sleep. When Stone awoke, the sunrise had turned the sky red, and they were flying lower than he had expected. The air was crystal clear, and there was nothing but the Arabian Desert as far as the eye could see. The terrain and its emptiness inspired awe. The intercom buzzed.

“Yes?”

“Good news,” Faith said. “Our destination has an instrument landing system to guide us in. We’re descending now.”

Stone looked outside the window until they touched softly down, but saw only sand and stone. As the airplane slowed to taxi speed and made a turn he saw a large grove of palm trees, with a cluster of spires rising above them. The airplane came to a stop, and the engines shut down, but the APU continued to supply power and air-conditioning.

Brio, having changed into a modest, dark dress, was looking out windows on the opposite side of the aircraft. “Do you see anyone?”

Stone checked his window again. “There’s a cloud of dust,” he said. “Looks like men on horseback and camels.”

Faith let down the airstairs door, and before anyone could exit a man in an arab headdress and robes over white trousers entered. “Good day! I am Colonel Said of the Royal Mounted Corps. I am to transport you to the royal palace.”

“On camels?” Brio asked.

“No, madam. We have brought Range Rovers for you and your luggage. You are Madam Ness of the FBI, are you not?”

“I am,” she replied. “How do you do?”

“Very well, thank you.” Then he turned toward Stone. “And you are Mr. Stone Barrington, are you not?”

“I am. How do you do?”

“Still very well, thank you.”

Faith had appeared, and he asked her to point out the luggage so his men could take care of it.

Shortly, they were in a slightly worn Range Rover, driving rapidly toward the grove of palm trees. Stone could not see a road, as such, but their way was smooth. Once among the palm trees men, horses, camels, and other vehicles appeared.

“This is the Saud Oasis,” announced Colonel Said. “One of the largest in the whole of the Arabian Desert. You will be at the palace shortly.”

The palace appeared as a dream, a collection of brightly colored spires floating inside a high wall. “How old is the palace?” Stone asked Colonel Said.

“It dates from the twelfth century but has been rebuilt many times since that day. I am told that another aircraft has landed on our field. Whom does it contain?”

Brio spoke up, “Special agents of the FBI, who will assist us in our work and depart at the same time we do. They will not require food or lodging overnight.”

“I see. Are they armed?”

“Yes, with the standard weapons of our service. They are not hostile. They are merely here to protect us.”

“I will explain this to the sultan in such a way that he will not order them shot and their aircraft burned.”

“Thank you,” Brio said.

He led them into the palace, which was cooler inside than Stone had expected.

“Your quarters are adjacent to each other,” the colonel said softly to Stone. “For your convenience.”

Stone nodded but said nothing in response. “What power source does the palace operate on?” he asked.

“There is an oil field nearby, which meets all our needs, but we are beginning to install solar equipment, as well.”

They came to a large pair of double doors, behind which lay a vestibule, with doors leading off two sides. Said directed Ness to be led to one, while he led Stone to the other.

The room was very large, perhaps forty feet in length, and there was much gilt and red in the décor. The bed was larger than an American king-sized one, and a box of switches rested on a bedside table.

“Here are lights and American satellite TV,” Said said, flipping switches. Flipping one of them caused a very large TV set to rise from the floor at the foot of the bed.

Stone was shown a large, well-stocked bathroom and a seating area in the bedroom with a cluster of sofas and chairs before a large gas fireplace.

“Your clothing will be delivered, pressed, presently, but there are two cases that are locked, one large, one small.”

“Those contain gifts for the sultan, which I will present at a later time,” he said.

“Do they contain any explosives?” Said asked.

“Certainly not,” Stone replied. “Everything inside is for the amusement of the sultan.”

“Very well. Someone will come to escort you to dinner at seven o’clock. The dress will be black tie.” They coordinated their watches. “Your clothes will be here shortly.” He bowed, then left the room.

There was a knock on an interior door, and Brio appeared. She walked toward the bed and beckoned Stone to follow her. “Have you noticed this?” She leaned over the bed and pointed up at the canopy above. Stone followed her finger and saw that a mirror, as large as the bed, hung above.

“It would seem that the sultan has provided for our every entertainment,” Stone said.

“It would not surprise me to learn that the suite is equipped with cameras and microphones,” Brio said.

“Oh, good,” Stone replied. “We can watch ourselves later.”