The Exodus Quest

THIRTY-SEVEN
I

Augustin was climbing back astride his motorbike when his mobile rang. 'Doctor Augustin Pascal?' asked a man.

'Speaking,' said Augustin. 'Who's this?'

'My name is Mohammed. I shared a cell with a friend of yours last night. A Mister Daniel Knox.'

'He asked you to call me?'

'Yes. He wanted me to pass a message to you about your friend the woman Gaille, the one who's been taken hostage.'

'What message?'

'After he saw her, he was very upset. I asked how I could help. Then this morning, before he went off to Borg el-Arab with Detective Inspector Farooq, he gave me this number.'

'What was the message?' asked Augustin.

'I would have called earlier, but they only just let me out. It's gone crazy around here. All the police are heading off to-'

'Tell me this bloody message!' shouted Augustin.

'Okay, okay.' He took a deep breath, as though trying to remember word-for-word what he'd been told to say. 'Apparently the way your friend Gaille was sitting in the video was exactly the same as in the mosaic. Exactly the same. Mister Daniel said you'd know what that meant.'

Augustin's skin tingled. Of course! How had he failed to spot it himself? 'Where's Knox now?' he asked. 'I need to speak to him.'

'That's what I was trying to tell you,' said the man. 'He went off to Borg with Farooq, hoping to find this mosaic. But word is they didn't find anything; and now he's done a runner.'

'He's done what?'

'I wouldn't be in his shoes. Not for anything. That Farooq is one mean bastard. He doesn't like anyone getting the better of him.'

'No,' agreed Augustin ruefully. 'And thanks.' He ended the call, sat there a few moments, wondering what to do, how best to help. His first thought was to go look for Knox, but that was a tall order on his own and with the police out hunting. Anyway, if he knew Knox, he'd want him to go for the mosaic, because that was the way to help Gaille. The only question was how.