The Exodus Quest

III

Inspector Naguib Hussein was writing out his report at the station when his boss Gamal came over. 'Don't you have a wife and daughter to get home to?' he grunted.

'I thought you wanted our paperwork up to date.'

'I do,' nodded Gamal. He perched on the corner of the desk. 'Word is, you found a body out in the Eastern Desert.'

'Yes,' agreed Naguib.

'Murder?'

'Her head was bashed in. She was wrapped in tarpaulin and buried beneath sand. I'd say murder was a possibility.'

'A Copt, yes?'

'A girl.'

'Investigate, fine,' scowled Gamal. 'But no waves. This isn't the time.'

'How do you mean?'

'You know how I mean.'

'I assure you I-'

'Haven't you learned yet when to speak and when to shut up?' asked Gamal in exasperation. 'Don't you realize how much trouble you caused your colleagues up in Minya?'

'They were selling arms on the black market.'

'I don't care. There are crimes we can solve and crimes we can't. Let's deal with the ones we can, eh?' He gave a companionable sigh, as though he didn't like the way things worked any more than Naguib did, he was just more realistic. 'Haven't you been following what's going on down in Assiut?' he asked. 'People out on the streets. Fights. Anger. Confrontation. Just for a couple of dead Coptic girls. I won't risk that spreading here.'

'She may have been murdered,' observed Naguib.

Gamal's complexion was naturally dark. It grew darker. 'From what I understand, no one has reported her missing. From what I understand, she could have been there years, maybe even decades. You really want to provoke trouble at a time like this over a girl who may have been dead for decades?'

'Since when has investigating murder been a provocative act?'

'Don't play with me,' scowled Gamal. 'You're always complaining about your workload. Concentrate on some of your other cases for the moment: don't go chasing off into the desert after djinn.'

'Is that an order?'

'If it needs to be,' nodded Gamal. 'If it needs to be.'