بازگشت به قاهره

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Return to Cairo

Salahadin took the first train from Venice to Rome. The next morning he was on a plane for Cairo. The plane was late and he did not arrive until after ten o’clock in the morning.

The sun was high in the sky and it was getting hotter and hotter. Salahadin felt better. He preferred the heat of Cairo to the cold deck of The Syria.

He took a taxi to his flat. There was a surprise waiting for him. Leila and Fuad were there. Fuad explained.

‘We arrived this morning from Beirut,’ he said. ‘We were worried about you. You didn’t send a telegram. We thought that something had happened.’

‘Of course, the telegram’ said Salahadin. ‘I forgot to send you a telegram. I’m really sorry.’

‘We phoned the police here in Cairo,’ said Fuad. ‘No one knew anything about you. We were very worried.’

‘It’s my fault,’ said Salahadin.

He told them what had happened. They were happy that he was safe back in Cairo.

‘And this is the box,’ said Leila. ‘The Black Cat is in this box. Let’s open it.’

Salahadin opened the box and lifted out the Black Cat.

‘It doesn’t look very valuable,’ said Leila. ‘I don’t like it at all.’

‘We don’t know its value,’ said Salahadin. ‘We’ll take it to the Cairo Museum tomorrow.’

‘Then you can have a holiday,’ said Leila. ‘You need a rest. Perhaps you’ll show us round Cairo.’

‘That won’t be a rest,’ replied Salahadin. ‘But it’s a good idea.’

‘I’m going to make coffee,’ said Leila. ‘Do you both want some?’

‘Yes, please,’ replied Salahadin. ‘I want some coffee and I want your story, Fuad. What happened at Ba’albek?’ And Fuad told his story.

‘I went to the Beirut police,’ Fuad began, ‘and told them about Barkman’s death. They asked a lot of questions.’

‘Police always ask a lot of questions,’ said Salahadin.

‘I told them about Peterson,’ continued Fuad. ‘And I said that you had gone to Athens.’

‘Did they believe you?’

‘Not at first,’ replied Fuad. ‘Then I told them about the Black Cat. I gave them Barkman’s message. I told them about the cafe in Ba’albek and about Jusef. Then they believed me.’

‘And what happened next’ asked Salahadin.

‘The police asked me to help them,’ replied Fuad. ‘It wasn’t possible for a policeman to go into Jusef’s cafe. The people there knew all the policemen. Jusef was a clever man. The police had to trick him and they asked me to go to Ba’albek. They wanted me to go into the cafe and give Jusef the message from Barkman.

‘I went to Ba’albek in the evening,’ continued Fuad. ‘I found Jusef’s cafe. It was near the ruins of the old city. I sat down and asked for coffee. Then I asked for Jusef. I told Jusef about Borkman’s death.

‘The police were waiting outside,’ Fuad continued. ‘They were hiding in a car. I told Jusef about the Black Cat and he thanked me. Then he hurried out of the cafe.’

‘And the police saw him’ asked Salahadin.

‘Yes,’ said Fuad. ‘They watched him carefully.’

‘Where did Jusef go?’

‘He got into a car,’ replied Fuad, ‘and drove to a farm in the mountains. The police followed him. Then they hid in the hills round the farm and waited.’

‘How many men were at the farm’ Salahadin asked.

‘The police didn’t know,’ replied Fuad. ‘They waited for more police. Then they shouted to the men at the farm and told them to come out.’

‘Didn’t the men at the farm shoot at the police?’

‘No, they didn’t,’ replied Fuad. ‘There were only three of them at the farm. Barkman was dead and Peterson was on The Syria. The three men came out without shooting. The police took them away. They’re now in prison.’

‘Did they catch the leader of the gang’ asked Salahadin.

‘Jusef was the leader,’ replied Fuad. ‘He’s now in prison with the others.’

‘Jusef’s in prison,’ said Salahadin. ‘Borkman’s dead and so is Peterson. That’s the end of the Ba’albek Gang.’

‘And three of the Red Hand Gang were killed in the black car,’ said Leila.

‘That’s true,’ said Salahadin. ‘We’ll have no more trouble for some time.’