تماس رادیویی

CHAPTER TWELVE

The Radio Call

Inside the lorry, the driver looked quickly through the pieces of paper beside the radio. He found notes made by Keesing. They were notes for his calls to Greer in Cairo.

‘It won’t take long now,’ he explained to Farrow. ‘I’m going to call Greer in Cairo. When Greer replies, I’ll cut off the power.

He’ll think that Keesing is trying to get through to him. He’ll go on trying to speak to us. We’ll pretend that we’re trying to speak to him.

That will keep him busy.’

The driver tuned in the radio and gave the call sign. A few moments later, Greer replied. The driver immediately cut off the power and counted twenty.

Then he switched the power on again and repeated the call sign.

Back in Cairo, Greer answered the call sign three times. But all he got back in reply was the call sign.

There’s something wrong with their radio, he thought. I’ll have to keep on trying.

By now Leila was inside the house. She followed Fatima’s instructions and made her way to the man’s bedroom. She stood outside the door and listened. She heard the man using a radio transmitter.

He’s busy with a radio in there, she thought. That gives me time to find the woman.

She again followed Fatima’s instructions and went to the locked door of the woman’s bedroom. She stood listening, but there was no sound. She tapped the door lightly with her fingers and waited.

There was no reply. She tapped the door again, this time a little louder. She heard the noise of someone moving.

‘Who is it? What do you want?’ said a voice on the other side of the locked door.

‘I thought I heard someone crying,’ said Leila. ‘Are you all right?’

‘Who are you?’

‘I’m the servant,’ replied Leila. ‘Are you all right?’

‘Can you take a message for me?’ asked the voice.

‘A message for your husband?’ said Leila.

‘No - no - that man’s not my husband,’ said the voice. ‘Don’t tell him you’ve spoken to me . . .’

‘Who are you?’ Leila asked quietly.

‘My name is Farrow - Christine Farrow. Can you take a message to the police?’

‘It’s all right, Mrs Farrow,’ said Leila. ‘I am a police officer. Stay where you are. We’ll soon have you out of there.’

‘Take care,’ whispered Christine Farrow. ‘The man’s very dangerous and he’s got a gun.’

‘We’ll take care,’ answered Leila. ‘You wait there quietly.

Leila went back towards the front door. Suddenly she heard the door of the man’s bedroom opening. It was Greer coming out of his bedroom.

He had remembered that the servant was still in the house.

Greer stood outside his bedroom door and turned to lock it behind him.

Just as he was turning the key, he heard the call sign again. He stood with the key in his hand.

‘OK - OK, I’m coming,’ he said and opened the door again and went back to the radio.