He Shall Thunder in the Sky taps-12 Read online

  “I would rather you talked business than nonsense, Mr. Russell,” I said with some asperity.

  “You are right, ma’am. I should know better.”

  He sampled the wine the waiter had poured into his glass and nodded approval. While our glasses were being filled, his eyes focused on Nefret, and a frown wrinkled his forehead. She was the picture of a proper young lady—pretty and innocent and harmless. The low-cut bodice of her gown bared her white throat; gems twinkled on her breast and in the red-gold hair that crowned her small head. One would never have supposed that those slender hands were more accustomed to hold a scalpel than a fan, or that she could fend off an attacker more effectively than most men.

  She knew what Russell was thinking, and met his doubtful gaze squarely.

  “A number of people in Cairo will tell you I am no lady, Mr. Russell. You needn’t mince words with me. It’s Ramses, isn’t it? What’s he done now?”

  “Nothing that I know of, except make himself thoroughly disliked,” Russell said. “Oh, the devil with—excuse me, Miss Forth.”

  She laughed at him, and his stern face relaxed into a sheepish grin. “As I was about to say—I may as well be honest with all of you. Yes, I did approach Ramses. I believe there is not an intelligence organization in Egypt , military or civilian, that has not tried to get him! I had no more luck than the others. But he could be of particular value to me in capturing that fellow Wardani. You all know who he is, I presume.”

  Emerson nodded. “The leader of the Young Egypt Party, and the only one of the nationalists who is still at large. You managed to round up all the others—including my niece’s husband, David Todros.”

  “I don’t blame you for resenting that,” Russell said quietly. “But it had to be done. We daren’t take chances with that lot, Professor. They believe their hope of independence lies in the defeat of Britain , and they will collaborate with our enemies in order to bring it about.”

  “But what can they do?” Nefret asked. “They are scattered and imprisoned.”

  “So long as Wardani is on the loose, they can do a great deal of damage.” Russell leaned forward. “He is their leader, intelligent, charismatic and fanatical; he has already gathered new lieutenants to replace the ones we arrested. You know the Sultan has declared a jihad, a holy war, against unbelievers. The mass of the fellahin are apathetic or afraid, but if Wardani can stir up the students and intellectuals, we may find ourselves fighting a guerrilla war here in Cairo while the Turks attack the Canal. Wardani is the key. Without him, the movement will collapse. I want him. And I think you can help me to get him.”

  Emerson had been calmly eating his soup. “Excellent,” he remarked. “Shepheard’s always does a superb potage а la duchesse.”

  “Are you trying to annoy me, Professor?” Russell asked.

  “Why, no,” said Emerson. “But I’m not going to help you find Wardani either.”

  Russell was not easily roused to anger. He studied Emerson thoughtfully. “You are in sympathy with his aims? Yes, well, that doesn’t surprise me. But even you must admit, Professor, that this is not the right time. After the war—”

  Emerson cut him off. My husband is easily roused to anger. His blue eyes were blazing. “Is that going to be your approach? Be patient, be good little children, and if you behave yourselves until the war is won, we will give you your freedom? And you want me to make the offer because I have a certain reputation for integrity in this country? I won’t make a promise I cannot keep, Russell, and I know for a fact you, and the present Government, would not keep that one.” Refreshed and relieved by this outburst, he picked up his fork and cut into the fish that had replaced his bowl of soup. “Anyhow, I don’t know where he is,” he added.

  “But you do,” Nefret said suddenly. “Don’t you, Mr. Russell? That’s why you asked the Professor to join you this evening—you’ve located Wardani’s hideout, and you are planning to close in on him tonight, but you’re afraid he will get away from you, as he has always done before, and so you want… What the devil do you want from us?”

  “I don’t want anything from you, Miss Forth.” Russell took out his handkerchief and mopped his perspiring forehead. “Except to remain here, and enjoy your dinner, and stay out of this!”

  “She cannot dine alone, it would not be proper,” I remarked, draining my glass of wine. “Shall we go now?”

  Emerson, eating heartily but neatly, had almost finished his fish. He popped the last morsel into his mouth and made inquiring noises.

  “Don’t talk with your mouth full, Emerson. I do not suggest you carry out Mr. Russell’s insulting proposal, but an opportunity to talk with Mr. Wardani is not to be missed. We may be able to negotiate with him. Anything that would avoid bloodshed—including his—is worth the effort.”

  Emerson swallowed. “Just what I was about to say, Peabody .”

  He rose and held my chair for me. I brushed a few crumbs off my bodice and stood up.

  Russell’s eyes had a glazed look. In a quiet, conversational voice he remarked, “I don’t quite know how I lost control of this situation. For the love of heaven, Professor and Mrs. Emerson, order—persuade—ask Miss Forth to stay here!”

  “Nefret is the only one of us who has met Mr. Wardani,” I explained. “And he is more likely to listen to an attractive young lady than to us. Nefret, you have dropped your gloves again.”

  Russell, moving like an automaton, reached under the table and retrieved Nefret’s gloves.

  “Let us make certain we understand one another, Russell,” Emerson said. “I agree to accompany you in order that I may speak with Mr. Wardani and attempt to convince him he ought to turn himself in—for his own good. I will make no promises and I will brook no interference from you. Is that clear?”

  Russell looked him straight in the eye. “Yes, sir.”

  I had not anticipated this particular development, but I had thought something of interest might ensue, so I had come prepared. As I watched a bemused Assistant Commissioner of Police help Nefret on with her cloak, I realized she had done the same. Like my outer garment, hers was dark and plain, with no glitter of jet or crystal beads, but with a deep hood that covered her hair. I doubted she was armed, for the long knife she favored would have been difficult to conceal on her person. Her skirt was straight and rather narrow, and layers of petticoats were no longer in fashion.

  My own “arsenal,” as Emerson terms it, was limited by the same consideration. However, my little pistol fit neatly into my bag and my parasol (crimson to match my frock) had a stout steel shaft. Not many ladies carried parasols to an evening party, but people had become accustomed to my having one always with me; it was considered an amusing eccentricity, I believe.

  “I will drive us to our destination,” Emerson announced, as we left the hotel. “Fortunately I brought the motorcar.”

  Unfortunately he had. Emerson drives like a madman and he will allow no one else to drive him. I did not express my misgivings, for I felt certain Mr. Russell would express his. After a long look at the vehicle, which was very large and very yellow, he shook his head.

  “Everyone in Cairo knows that car, Professor. We want to be unobtrusive. I have a closed carriage waiting. But I wish the ladies would not—”

  Nefret had already jumped into the cab. Russell sighed. He got up onto the box next to the driver and Emerson politely handed me in.

  After circling the Ezbekieh Gardens the cab passed the Opera House and turned into the Muski. The hour was early for Cairo ; the streets were brightly lighted and full of traffic, from camels to motorcars. The excitement that had filled me at the prospect of action began to fade. This section of Cairo was boringly bright and modern. We might have been in Bond Street or the Champs Йlysйe.

  “We are heading toward the Khan el Khalili,” I reported, peering out the window.

  But we never reached it. The cab turned south, into a narrower street, and passed the Hotel du Nil before coming to a stop. Russell jumped do
wn off the box and came to the door.

  “We had best go on foot from here,” he said softly. “It isn’t far. Just down there.”

  I inspected the street he indicated. It appeared to be a cul de sac, only a few hundred yards long, but it was nothing like the enticingly foul areas of the Old City into which I had often ventured in search of criminals. The lighted windows of several good-sized houses shone through the dark.

  “Your fugitive appears to be overly confident,” I said disapprovingly. “If I hoped to elude the police I would go to earth in a less respectable neighborhood.”

  “On the other hand,” said Emerson, taking my arm and leading me on, “they aren’t as likely to look for him in a respectable neighborhood. Russell, are you sure your informant was correct?”

  “No,” the gentleman replied curtly. “That is why I asked you to come with me. It’s the third house—that one. Ask the doorkeeper to announce you.”

  “And then what?” Emerson inquired. “Upon hearing our names Wardani will rush into the room and welcome us with open arms?”

  “I’m sure you will think of something, Professor. If you don’t, Mrs. Emerson will.”

  “Hmph,” said Emerson.

  Russell struck a match and examined his watch. “It is a quarter past ten . I’ll give you half an hour.”

  “Hmph,” Emerson repeated. “Nefret, take my other arm.”

  Russell withdrew into a patch of shadow and we proceeded toward the door he had indicated. The houses were fairly close together, surrounded by trees and flowering plants. “What is he going to do if we don’t come out within thirty minutes?” Nefret asked in a low voice.

  “Well, my dear, he would not have implied he would rush to our rescue if his men weren’t already in position,” Emerson replied placidly. “They are well trained, aren’t they? I’ve only spotted two of them.”

  Nefret would have stopped in her tracks if Emerson had not pulled her along. “It’s a trap,” she gasped. “He’s using us—”

  “To distract Wardani while the police break in. Certainly. What did you expect?”

  Raising the heavy iron ring that served as a knocker, he beat a thunderous tattoo upon the door.

  “He lied to us,” Nefret muttered. “The bastard!”

  “Language, Nefret,” I said.

  “I beg your pardon, Aunt Amelia. But he is!”

  “Just a good policeman, my dear,” said Emerson. He knocked again.

  “What are you going to do, Professor?”

  “I’ll think of something. If I don’t, your Aunt Amelia will.”

  The door swung open.

  “Salaam aleikhum,” said Emerson to the servant who stood on the threshold. “Announce us, if you please. Professor Emerson, Mrs. Emerson, and Miss Forth.”

  The whites of the man’s eyes gleamed as he rolled them from Emerson to me, to Nefret. He was young, with a scanty beard and thick spectacles, and he appeared to be struck dumb and motionless by our appearance. With a muffled oath Emerson picked him up and carried him, his feet kicking feebly, into the hall.

  “Close the door, Peabody ,” he ordered. “Be quick about it. We may not have much time.”

  Naturally I obeyed at once. The small room was lit by a hanging lamp. It was of copper, pierced in an intricate design, and gave little light. A carved chest against one wall and a handsome Oriental rug were the only furnishings. At the far end a flight of narrow uncarpeted stairs led up to a landing blocked by a wooden screen.

  Emerson sat the servant down on the chest and went to the foot of the stairs. “Wardani!” he bellowed. “Emerson here! Come out of your hole, we must talk.”

  If the fugitive was anywhere within a fifty-yard radius, he must have heard. There was no immediate reaction from Wardani, if he was there, but the young servant sprang up, drew a knife from his robe, and flew at Emerson. Nefret lifted her skirts in a ladylike manner and kicked the knife from his hand. The youth was certainly persistent; I had to whack him across the shins with my parasol before he fell down.

  “Thank you, my dears,” said Emerson, who had not looked round. “That settles that. He’s here, all right. Upstairs?”

  He had just set foot upon the first stair when two things happened. A police whistle sounded, shrill enough to penetrate even the closed door, and from behind the screen at the top of the stairs a man appeared. He wore European clothing except for low slippers of Egyptian style, and his black head was uncovered. I could not make out his features clearly; the light was poor and the dark blur of a beard covered the lower part of his face; but had I entertained any doubt as to his identity, it would have been dispelled when he vanished as suddenly as he had appeared.

  Fists and feet beat on the door. Amid the shouts of the attackers I made out the voice of Thomas Russell, demanding that the door be opened at once. Emerson said, “Hell and damnation!” and thundered up the stairs, taking them three at a time. Skirts raised to her knees, Nefret bounded up after him. I followed her, hampered to some extent by the parasol, which prevented me from getting a firm grip on my skirts. As I reached the top of the stairs I heard the door give way. Whirling round, I brandished my parasol and shouted, “Stop where you are!”

  Somewhat to my surprise, they did. Russell was in the lead. The small room seemed to be filled with uniforms, and I noted, more or less in passing, that the young man who had admitted us had had the good sense to make himself scarce.

  “What the devil do you mean by this, Mrs. Emerson?” Russell demanded.

  I did not reply, since the answer was obvious. I glanced over my shoulder.

  Straight ahead a corridor lined with doors led to the back of the villa. There was an open window at the far end; before it stood the man we had followed, facing Nefret and Emerson, who had stopped halfway along the passage.

  “Is that him?” Emerson demanded ungrammatically.

  There was no answer from Nefret. Emerson said, “Must be. Sorry about this, Wardani. I had hoped to talk with you, but Russell had other ideas. Another time, eh? We’ll hold them off while you get away. Watch out below, there may be others in the garden.”

  Wardani stood quite still for a moment, his frame appearing abnormally tall and slender against the moonlit opening. Then he stepped onto the sill and swung himself out into the night.

  Emerson hurried to the window. Putting out his head, he shouted, “Down there! He’s gone that way!” Shouts and a loud thrashing in the shrubbery followed, and several shots rang out. One must have struck the wall near the window, for Emerson ducked back inside, swearing. After milling about in confusion, the policemen who were inside the house ran out of it, led by Russell.

  I descended the stairs and went to the door, which they had left open. There appeared to be a great deal of activity going on at the back of the villa, but the street was dark and quiet. Cairenes were not inclined to interfere in other people’s affairs now that the city was under virtual military occupation.

  After a short interval I was joined by Emerson and Nefret.

  “Where did he go?” I asked.

  Emerson brushed plaster dust off his sleeve. “Onto the roof. He’s an agile rascal. We may as well go back to the cab. I’ll wager he’s got well away by now.”

  Mr. Russell was quick to arrive at the same conclusion. We had not been waiting long before he joined us.

  “Eluded you, did he?” Emerson inquired. “Tsk, tsk.”

  “Thanks to you.”

  “I was of less assistance than I had hoped to be. Confound you, Russell, if you had given me five minutes more I might have been able to win his trust.”

  “Five minutes?” Russell repeated doubtfully.

  “It would have taken Mrs. Emerson even less time. Oh, but what’s the use? If you are coming with us, get in. I want to go home.”

  We spoke very little on the way back to the hotel. I was preoccupied with an odd idea. I had caught only a glimpse of the silhouetted figure, but for a moment I had had an eerie sense of dйjа vu, as whe
n one sees the unformed features of an infant take on a sudden and fleeting resemblance to a parent or grandparent.

  Nefret had put the idea into my head. I told myself it was absurd, and yet… Had I not sworn that I would know Sethos at any time, in any disguise?

  The carriage drew up in front of Shepheard’s. Russell got down from the box and opened the door for us.

  “It’s still early,” he said pleasantly. “Will you do me the honor of joining me in a liqueur or a glass of brandy, to prove there are no hard feelings?”

  “Bah,” said Emerson. But he said no more.

  We made our way through the throng of flower vendors and beggars, dragomen and peddlers who surrounded the steps; and as we mounted those steps I beheld a familiar form advancing to meet us.

  “Good evening, Mother,” he said. “Good evening, Nefret. Good evening—”

  “Ramses,” I exclaimed. “What have you done now?”

  It might have been more accurate to ask what someone had done to him. He had made an attempt to tidy himself, but the raised weal across his cheek was still oozing blood and the surrounding flesh was bruised and swollen.

  Russell stepped back. “I must ask to be excused. Good night, Mrs. Emerson—Miss Forth—Professor.”

  “Snubbed again,” said Ramses. “Nefret?” He offered her his arm.

  “Your coat is torn,” I exclaimed.

  Ramses glanced at his shoulder, where a line of white showed against the black of his coat. “Damn. Excuse me, Mother. It’s only a ripped seam, I believe. May we sit down before you continue your lecture?”

  Nefret had not said a word. She put her hand on his arm and let him lead her to a table.

  In the bright lights of the terrace I got a good look at my companions. Emerson’s cravat was wildly askew—he always tugged at it when he was exasperated—and he had not got all the plaster dust off his coat. Nefret’s hair was coming down, and there was a long rent in my skirt. I tucked the folds modestly about my limbs.

  “Dear me,” said Ramses, inspecting us. “Have you been fighting again?”