"دیدمش"

CHAPTER FOUR

‘I Saw Her’

Drink this, Mr Smith,’ said Mr Diinya. He handed Tom a glass of strong brandy. Tom sat, shocked, white-faced, unable to speak. He drank the brandy slowly.

‘How - how did it happen’ he asked.

‘A car accident. Miss Thomson was driving along a dangerous road. No one knows what happened. Her car went off the road and fell down the hillside.’

‘Yesterday evening’ Tom asked.

‘I beg your pardon?’

‘The accident - it happened yesterday evening?’

Diinya looked at him.

‘Mr Smith, the accident happened a week ago - last Sunday to be exact. She had been away to Bursa for the weekend and.’

‘But that’s impossible’ said Tom. ‘I saw Angela yesterday!’

‘Yesterday?’

‘Yes. I was on the airport bus, coming into Istanbul. I saw her in the street.’

‘I’m terribly sorry, Mr Smith, but you’re making a mistake.’

‘No, I tell you I saw her. I.’

‘Mr Smith,’ Diinya said patiently, ‘Istanbul is a big city. There must be hundreds of women here who look like your fiance.’

Tom said nothing.

‘The British Consulate were very helpful,’ continued Mr Diinya. ‘They made all the arrangements for the funeral. It was on Wednesday.’

‘Have her parents been told about this’ Tom asked.

‘That is a problem, I’m afraid. Her parents are on holiday in France. The British and French police are trying to contact them.’

‘So they don’t know yet,’ said Tom quietly.

‘No, they don’t, I’m afraid.’

There was a long silence.

‘Can I have another brandy, please’ asked Tom.

‘Of course.’

Tom tried hard to think clearly.

‘I thought I saw her yesterday,’ he said softly.

‘I understand, Mr Smith. It’s a great shock - a terrible tragedy for you - for all of us.’

After a pause, Diinya asked, ‘What will you do now, Mr Smith? Is there anything I can do to help?’

‘I’m not sure,’ said Tom. ‘I need some time to think. I don’t know what to do.’

‘Do you know anyone in Istanbul?’

Suddenly Tom remembered Kemal.

‘Yes, yes, I have friends, don’t worry. Look, Mr Diinya, I can’t decide anything now. I think I’ll stay in Istanbul for a day or two. I’d like to visit the Consulate, and maybe the police.’

Mr Diinya opened a drawer in his desk and took out a card. He wrote on it and handed the card to Tom.

‘I’ve written down the telephone number of Mr David Pennington. He’s the man in the Consulate who made the arrangements for the funeral. The other number is my office telephone number. Contact me if you need anything. I’m here during the day.’

Tom stood up.

‘I must go now,’ he said. ‘Thank you, you’ve been most kind.’

Mr Diinya walked with him to the door. ‘Well, Mr Smith, once again, I’m terribly sorry.’

‘You know I was so sure I saw her, So sure’ Tom said.

‘I understand,’ replied Diinya. ‘It’s a terrible shock.’

The two men shook hands.

‘Remember, come here any time if you need anything,’ said Mr Diinya. ‘Goodbye, now.’

‘Goodbye,’ said Tom, and walked out into the street.

Mr Diinya turned and walked back into his office. He closed the door carefully and sat down at his desk. For a few minutes he sat thinking. Then he picked up the telephone.

Tom walked slowly through the crowded streets of old Istanbul. The streets were busy, and full of interesting people, shops and cafes. But Tom did not see any of those things. He was not interested in Istanbul, he was not a tourist any more. Tom was thinking of Angela. He remembered the journey on the bus from the airport. He was sure he had seen Angela. She had been there on the pavement, getting out of a car. But Diinya said it was not Angela. Angela was dead. She had died a week ago.

Tom walked through the streets of the city. He walked through the Grand Bazaar. He walked on and on through narrow old streets. He didn’t know where he was, or what time it was. He thought about Angela. He thought again about his journey on the bus from the airport. Again and again he thought about it, and again and again he saw his fiance. Then he stopped walking, and stood for a moment on the pavement. He was standing on a street beside the sea.

Angela isn’t dead, he thought. I saw her!

He looked in his pocket and found Kemal’s telephone number. He walked quickly across the street to a cafe. He went inside to the telephone.

‘Hello, Kemal? Hello, it’s me, Tom. Remember.? Yes, yes, fine thanks. Listen, remember you said I could phone you if I needed anything? Well, something has happened. Can we meet somewhere?’