A Hundred Thousand Dragons (34 page)

‘You arrogant bastard,' breathed Jack.

Von Erlangen laughed. ‘I know what I want and I get it. If I had let her live, she would have come to you. I could not allow that.'

‘One of these days,' said Jack soberly, ‘you'll get what you deserve. You might have fooled Vaughan, but you can't fool me. I know why you're here. You're after the gold.'

Amir and Kazim looked up alertly. ‘Gold, boss? Did he say gold?'

Von Erlangen bit his lip. ‘You'll get your share. Mr Haldean, you know far too much.'

‘Yes, I do, don't I?' said Jack with a smile. He'd seen the reaction of the two Arabs. A bit of dissension in the camp wouldn't hurt. ‘Gold,' he said, making his voice carry. ‘The gold you stole from the convoy. There's about a hundred thousand pounds in that tomb, yes?'

Amir and Kazim started forward. ‘That's a lot of dough.'

‘You'll get your share,' said Von Erlangen thinly.

Jack made his stance and his voice as casual as possible. He had an idea in mind, a desperate idea, but the one hope he could think of. ‘The thing is, Von Erlangen, old bean, this isn't a lost city anymore. Quite a few people know about it, such as the London police, the Transjordan police and the RAF. I had to call at Kantara to refuel and Masterson, the Commanding Officer, promised to send a flight over to see how I was getting on.'

‘You're lying.'

Jack shook his head. ‘No, I'm not.' He studied his fingernails. ‘You've left quite a trail of corpses behind you, Von Erlangen. It's been noticed.'

Von Erlangen's face twisted in sudden fury. Raising his hand, he was about to strike when the two Arabs gave a yell of terror.

‘Look, boss!' shouted Kazim. ‘Look!'

Vaughan came out of the ante-room. He was swaying and his feet made a shuffling, dragging echo on the stones. Clasped to his chest was the skull. Even in the harsh sunlight, the skull glowed a faint yellow. Vaughan's face was deathly white as he stumbled to the altar. He collapsed, the skull rolling away from him. His hand grasped feebly at the air, then he shuddered and lay still, his eyes wide open to the glare of the sun.

Isabelle gave a little cry of dismay and buried her face in Arthur's chest.

Jack looked at Vaughan's open hands. They were burnt and chapped as if rubbed by something corrosive. The skull, which had been so impressive in the darkened tomb, looked like a cheap stage prop. ‘You set it up, didn't you? You put that skull on the coffin. What was on it? Phosphorus?'

‘Exactly, Mr Haldean. I thought a phosphorescent skull would deter any wandering Arab.'

Jack knelt beside Vaughan. The sight of the dead man stretched out beside the sickly yellow skull filled him with unexpected anger. There was no dignity in Vaughan's death. He had died by an underhand trick. ‘He's been poisoned,' he said flatly.

‘Sometimes,' said Von Erlangen, drawing on his cigar in satisfaction, ‘appearances, however dramatic, are not enough. A little nicotine – a very useful substance and quite deadly in its effect when properly prepared – mixed with the phosphorus gets the poison into the blood with gratifying results.'

‘And you deliberately sent Vaughan down there.'

‘Of course I did!' Von Erlangen's temper flared again. He turned on Amir and Kazim, who had shrunk back, talking in a stream of Arabic. ‘Silence, you fools!'

‘It's ghosts, boss, ghosts!'

‘It's no such thing. I killed him, d'you hear? You knew I was going to. I said I'd take care of it.' The two men continued to talk, darting quick, frightened glances at Vaughan. ‘Silence!' roared Von Erlangen, real fury in his voice. Amir and Kazim reluctantly subsided, looking uneasily at the skull.

Von Erlangen turned back to Jack. ‘Now, Mr Haldean, I have shown considerable patience. You were telling me that the RAF are on their way, I believe?'

‘They are.' Jack forced himself to smile. ‘You can't escape, you know. Even if you get away, they'll pick you up in the desert.' He gestured to the sky. ‘You can see for miles up there.'

Von Erlangen looked up and Jack could see him become thoughtful. ‘How much weight can that plane of yours carry?'

Jack remained silent.

‘Amir,' said Von Erlangen without heat. ‘Hit the girl. Make sure you hurt her.'

‘No, wait!' said Jack quickly. ‘Don't do that.' He spoke reluctantly. ‘The plane can carry about four thousand pounds.' He knew he was overestimating wildly.

‘Four thousand, eh?'

‘That's about two thousand kilograms.'

‘I know, Mr Haldean, I know. It should be enough.'

‘Just a minute,' said Jack. ‘If you're thinking of collaring my plane, I'd like to point out aircraft don't fly themselves. Unless those two boneheads of yours are pilots, you're stuck.'

‘Amir,' called Von Erlangen, without taking his gaze from Jack, ‘we have some leather straps with us, haven't we?'

‘Yes, Boss.'

Von Erlangen turned to Jack, his teeth showing in a humourless smile. ‘I remember you being open to persuasion, Mr Haldean. As I mentioned before, these gentlemen can be very enthusiastic. They have worked for me before.'

‘Shall we beat him up, boss?' called Kazim, grinning. ‘We've got a camel-whip on the truck.

Von Erlangen's smile grew wider. ‘A camel-whip? Just the thing. Camels are obdurate animals, and require a yard-long cane to urge them into action. Used on human flesh, the results are fascinating. And should that not prove enough . . . Well, surely you haven't forgotten how I managed to influence your decision last time.'

Jack folded his arms and laughed. Von Erlangen's words had shaken him but he was damned if he was going to show how the sick taste of fear filled his mouth. ‘Come off it. What sort of state would I be in to fly anything after you'd finished with me? It took me months to recover last time. You'll have to do better than that.'

‘There are other ways,' said Von Erlangen, softly. His gaze slid towards Isabelle. ‘You would not, I believe, care to see the girl treated as you were. Such a disagreeable way to die.'

Arthur jerked his head up. ‘You wouldn't do that!'

‘Captain Stanton, I would.'

Arthur said nothing, but held Isabelle closer.

Von Erlangen watched them for a moment, shrugged and turned to Jack. ‘Mr Haldean? The ball, as you say, is in your court.'

Jack reached for his breast pocket, smiling as Von Erlangen started forward. ‘You don't mind if I smoke, do you? Thank you.' He took a cigarette and held it thoughtfully for a while before striking the match. ‘You see, you've given me a bit of a problem. I don't like you. I don't like what you did to me, I don't like what you did to Vaughan and for what you did to Freya you deserve to die.' For a moment his eyes were like black fire. He gave a short laugh. ‘However, she's gone and I'm no martyr. I don't want to be hurt and I don't want to see my friends hurt either. Having said that, I didn't ask them to come. They insisted.'

‘In that case . . .'

‘In that case, Von Erlangen, old fruit, why don't you talk sense? The trouble is, you keep on gloating away about doing nasty things to people, which is, I s'pose, the first thing that occurs to you, but you won't actually offer me what I want.'

‘Which is?'

‘Money.' He stood up straight and put his hands wide. ‘For God's sake man, what the blazes d'you think I want?'

For the first time Von Erlangen looked discomfited. ‘Revenge?'

‘As if! Do me a favour. I'd sooner see you dead than alive but I'm damned if I'd fly halfway round the world for the privilege. I came for the money. There's a hundred thousand in gold salted away here and, by God, I wanted it.'

‘And yet you informed the RAF?'

‘I didn't tell them about the gold. Good God, no. What d'you take me for? I told them in case I met you. If things had gone to plan, I'd have been out of here with the money before you were any the wiser.' He jerked his thumb at Arthur and Isabelle. ‘They've got an expensive way of life. They like money as well.'

Arthur shifted uneasily. Isabelle put her hand on his arm and squeezed it. She didn't know what Jack had in mind, but she didn't want to spoil it.

Jack flicked the ash off his cigarette. ‘You want my plane. The least you can do is offer me a decent slice of the cake and I'll fly you wherever you want to go.'

Von Erlangen walked over to Jack and, taking his chin between very firm fingers, searched his face. Then he stepped back and nodded. ‘You have changed, I think, from the young man I met in Q'asr Dh'an.'

Jack laughed. ‘Absolutely. I'm older. Much older. I aged after meeting you. Do you know what happened to me after my heroic last stand? I was severely censured, stripped of my privileges and, as a huge favour, allowed to sweat my guts out in the service of my beloved country. With enough money I can start to get my own back. I've got some scores to settle and, by God, I'm looking forward to doing it.'

‘Your friends cannot come with us,' said Von Erlangen with a sudden change of tone.

Jack shrugged indifferently. ‘All right.'

‘Jack!' said Isabelle, appalled. She couldn't help herself.

He turned to her apologetically. ‘I'm sorry, Isabelle. You'll be all right.' He drew Von Erlangen a little distance away. ‘We'll have to be careful,' he said in a low voice. ‘The woman isn't just anyone, you know. Her father is Sir Philip Rivers. If she comes off worse, I'm for it. There are very few places British justice can't reach. Bloody uncomfortable places for the most part and I don't want to live in them.'

‘I shall bear it in mind, Mr Haldean. What shall we do with them now? I cannot spare a man to guard them.'

‘I'd tie 'em up,' said Jack with another shrug. ‘But you're the boss.'

On instructions from Von Erlangen, Isabelle and Arthur were securely tied up. After Amir and Kazim had finished, Jack leant over to check the rope. Von Erlangen was very close at hand.

‘Jack,' hissed Arthur. ‘What the hell are you playing at?'

‘I'm not playing, I'm afraid. You'll be all right. You'll be a bit uncomfortable until the RAF arrive, but I can't help that. Keep quiet and when you get back to England, we'll share the money.'

A few yards away, Von Erlangen nodded in satisfaction. He despatched Kazim to fetch the lorry and, sitting with a machine-gun across his knees, ordered Jack and Amir to bring the gold up from the tomb. There were eighty canvas bags, each weighing about twenty pounds. In the relentless sun it was back-breaking work and it was over an hour before the gold was out of the tomb and loaded on to the back of the lorry. During that time Jack had not looked at Isabelle and Arthur.

When the last bag was on the truck, Jack opened his water bottle, took a long drink and, wetting his handkerchief, mopped his face in relief.

‘Thank God that's over. Now we've got to get it loaded on the plane.' He caught a pleading glance from Isabelle that would have melted a heart of ice and, taking his water bottle, uncapped it and walked over to them. ‘Drink?' he asked, kneeling beside them.

Isabelle nodded. Her throat was nearly completely dry and she couldn't speak until Jack held the leather-covered bottle to her lips. ‘Jack,' she said unhappily, as he helped Arthur to drink, supporting his shoulders with his hand. ‘Please don't do this.'

His face softened and for a moment it looked as if he were about to speak, then he turned as Von Erlangen approached. ‘I'm leaving them some water. It'll be a bit awkward for them with their hands tied, but they should be able to manage. I don't want them to die of thirst before they're rescued.'

Von Erlangen seemed highly amused. ‘I can promise you they won't die of thirst, Mr Haldean.' He leaned forward and caressed Isabelle's face. ‘That would be most unpleasant.'

Arthur stirred menacingly but said nothing.

‘Shall we go?' asked Jack abruptly.

He sat on the back of the lorry beside Amir while Von Erlangen and Kazim sat in the cab. The engine started, the lorry pulled away and the echoes of the engine gradually rumbled away into silence.

‘I wish I knew what Jack was up to,' said Isabelle, her voice flat with despair.

‘I do,' said Arthur. ‘Have those bruisers gone?' He wriggled himself into a different position. ‘When Jack gave me a drink, he put his arm down beside me. He had a knife hidden up his shirt sleeve. I'm sitting on it now. As he knelt down he whispered, “As soon as we've gone, cut the ropes and follow us, but for God's sake don't be seen.'' He eased himself up. ‘Why, Isabelle, you're crying.'

‘I know,' she choked. ‘I thought we were going to die.'

‘If we don't look sharpish, we might. We're not out of danger yet, not by a long chalk.' He wriggled the knife into position. ‘I want a long and happy life with you and that swine isn't going to stop me.' With a feeling of relief, he felt the rope go. Rising stiffly, he cut Isabelle free. Clumsily, they got to their feet, feeling the circulation return slowly to their arms and legs. ‘Let's go,' said Arthur, slipping the knife into his boot.

They were only a short way up the gorge when Isabelle stopped. ‘I can hear someone coming,' she said quietly, her mouth close to Arthur's ear.

‘Back to the Tombs,' whispered Arthur. ‘Quickly.' He'd thought the chances of Von Erlangen letting them live were slight. He cursed inwardly. All the rifles were gone and the Arabs had machine guns. One knife wasn't much use against a tommy gun. Perhaps he could lie in wait? Perhaps.