The Moses Legacy

Chapter 50

‘We thought we should warn you. If she was trying to kill you then she might try again.’

The police captain was talking to Goliath, who had now fully regained consciousness. The doctors were treating his burns and the police were treating him with compassion and humanity. But he remained handcuffed to the bed frame as a precaution.

‘Thank you for telling me.’

‘You have no need to worry, of course. We will post extra guards outside your room and at the entrances to the hospital. If she does try to come here, she will be arrested before she gets anywhere near you. But we thought that you should be informed.’

‘Thank you.’

‘But having got that out of the way, the best way we can protect you is if you tell us the truth. Why did this woman try to kill you? And why were you driving the jeep that was rented by our Deputy Minister of Culture?’

At that moment a man in a suit entered the private hospital room, flanked by a couple of soldiers. The police captain and the uniformed officer by the bed both leapt to their feet in an obvious sign of deference to the visitor.

A vociferous exchange in Arabic followed; the new arrival appeared to be throwing his weight around and the police captain appeared to be pleading or at least arguing from a position of weakness. Eventually, both men calmed down and the police captain looked – and sounded – beaten.

He took out his evident frustration on a subordinate, barking an order to the unformed policeman, who produced a key and unlocked the handcuffs from Goliath’s wrist and the bed frame. Goliath rubbed his wrist while the uniformed policeman put away the handcuffs. The police captain looked embarrassed at his sudden loss of authority.

‘I don’t understand,’ said Goliath.

‘It would seem, Mr Carter, that you have friends in high places. I have been ordered to release you. You are, of course, free to go at any time. However I would strongly advise you to stay here in the hospital to continue with the silver nitrate treatment for the burns.’