The Exodus Quest

II

'So what do we do now?' asked Naguib.

'Can't you take it to your boss?'

'He won't listen. Not to me. You know how people get. As if you're a burden specially designed to test them. And what do we have, in all honesty? Lighting. A mosaic.'

'But we're right,' protested Knox.

'Yes,' agreed Naguib. 'But that's not enough. You have to understand how Egypt works. There's so much inter-service jealousy and rivalry. If the tourist police so much as hear that we're accusing them of being behind this…' He shook his head. 'They'll fight back hard. It'll be a matter of honour. They'll demand evidence, scoff at it, counterattack, accuse us of all kinds of evils. My boss is my boss precisely because he knows how to avoid this kind of confrontation. Believe me, he won't even hear me out, not unless I can give him irrefutable proof.'

'Irrefutable proof? How the hell are we supposed to get that?'

'We could always find the hostages ourselves,' muttered Naguib, half joking. But then he shook his head, discounting the thought. 'Amarna's just too big. And the moment Khaled realizes we're out looking, he's sure to cover his tracks.'

'Yes,' nodded Knox, as the glimmer of an idea came to him. 'He is.'