Heroes Never Die (17 page)

“How else will I quote you?”

“Maybe I don’t want to be quoted.”

She was sure she had already discovered why he had turned against the United States, but she was hoping to capture his secret verbatim.  “You like being mysterious, don’t you?”

“No
, I just don’t like being quoted.”

“All right, I won’t quote you
, but I hope you will still answer my questions.”

“Questions about me can wait.  Today I want to show you parts of my kingdom.  If you pay close attention, you will learn more about
me than I could ever tell you.  When we leave here, don’t be alarmed.  Machine guns will be pointed at you.”

Stephanie’s eyes grew wide.  “Machine guns will be pointed at me and I’m not supposed to be alarmed?”

He tossed back his head and let out a thunderous laugh.  “My guards will not harm you,” he assured her.  “They are only protecting me.  You will get used to having them around.”

Stephanie followed his lead to the door.  He paused for a moment and frowned with a look of disapproval.  She wondered what she had done to displease him.

“Oh,” she spurted, remembering her veil.  She quickly lowered the hijab over her face.

“Thank you.”  He stepped out into the corridor
and immediately, three armed guards flew to attention.

Abdullah’s black Mercedes Benz was parked outside of the hotel.  Saudi soldiers in American jeeps flanked the front and rear of his car.  Machine guns were mounted on the jeeps, and the soldiers were in position to fire.  Suddenly, Stephanie was glad that her identity was hidden beneath the veil.  The soldiers would never be able to identify her
, and if they knew the real reason she was there, they would have shot her on the spot.

The first stop was King Faisal Street to see the Suq.  The Suq was unlike any shopping mall Stephanie had ever seen.  A narrow dirt path ran between the numerous shops
where merchants openly displayed gold jewelry, rugs, pottery, and anything else you could want.  She smelled the distinctive scent of spicy sandalwood.  She heard customers haggling over prices, but as soon as they saw Abdullah, their faces filled with awe.  People quickly gathered around him, pushing and shoving, hoping for the chance to touch him.  Abdullah enjoyed being with his people, but Stephanie was not accustomed to being surrounded by a zealous mob of curious well-wishers.  She latched onto Abdullah’s sleeve so she wouldn’t be separated from him.  More and more people were pushing against her to get near him.  Abdullah must have sensed her fear because with a single order, the guards dispersed the crowd and cleared a safe passageway.

Abdullah led her to the center of the Suq.  “This place is called Dira Square, but we like to call it chop-chop square.  This is where we punish criminals,” he proudly announced.  “Beheadings are carried out on Friday after the noon prayers.  Saudis are encouraged to attend all executions as a matter of civil duty.”

Stephanie watched as children ran through the fountains of water that gushed up from the stone floors that were laid to resemble geometric stars.  Palm trees and benches lined the square, and she thought it looked more like an outdoor oasis than the site of grim executions.  “How are women executed?”

“Gunshot to the head.  The execution is done privately.  But if a woman commits the crime of adultery, she is stoned.”

“Let me guess – Saudi Arabia has no crime?”

“It’s almost nonexistent.  Most crimes are committed by foreigners
, but they soon discover that we are swift to administer justice.”  Stephanie felt sick.  Chop Square was the last place she wanted to be.

“As you can see,” he continued, “the square is surrounded by the Palace of Justice.  The crime is announced through a loudspeaker.”  Stephanie scanned the enormous buildings that surrounded the square.  The
y were sand-colored with towering archways.  “Would you like me to arrange for you to see an execution?”

“No, thank you,” she politely refused.  She had seen enough.

“Then it’s time to take the train to Dhahran.”  As they walked back to the waiting car, Abdullah pointed to the Great Mosque.  Stephanie noticed a minaret reaching up to the sky from the middle of the stone mosque.  “The muezzin climb the minaret five times a day to call Muslims to pray.”

“Are women allowed inside?”  She already knew the answer, but she wanted to evaluate his response.

“Women do not attend.  For the most part, women are segregated from the men in our society.  Even our schools are segregated.  Our laws protect women.”

Seriously?  The difference in cultures was disturbing, and Stephanie had to remind herself to be gracious.  Her opinion was meaningless anyway.

They climbed into the car and drove to the train station.  On the way, Stephanie saw the University of Riyadh.  She also noticed many modern buildings, skyscrapers, and government buildings.  The wealthy lived in beautiful homes surrounded by orchards, but the poor lived in huts surrounded by trash – the same as at home.

Abdullah and Stephanie boarded the train.  They were seated
in the dining car, and for once the guards were not present.  They were served kabsa, a meal consisting of lamb, rice, and vegetables, with fresh fruit and custard.  After the meal was over, Stephanie settled back to view the scenery from the window, but there wasn’t much to see.  The barren desert stretched for miles.  The monotony was broken one time when she noticed a group of Bedouins roaming the desert on camels.

She turned her focus back to Abdullah.  He was a mysterious man, deeply rooted in tradition.  He was as hardy as the savage desert from which he came, a born survivor, and as hard as she tried, she couldn’t imagine him as a lifeless corpse.  It was difficult not to admire him, but she had been trained to subdue any emotions that might keep her from pulling the trigger.  She was there to do a job
.  Still, she grappled for a way to save him.

Abdullah was proud of the country he ruled, and he enjoyed telling
Stephanie everything she wanted to know about the sights in Saudi Arabia.  But true to his word, he was not interested in answering any questions directly related to his change in foreign policy.  It was urgent to confirm her hunch that he had shifted his policy against the United States due to the exploration of oil in the Dead Sea.  If her hunch was correct, and she could get the information to Kyle in time, Abdullah would not have to die.  The train rumbled closer to the oil-rich Hasa region near Dhahran, the center of oil operations.  The topic of oil would give her the perfect opportunity to press him for more information.

Abdullah looked out
of the window and nodded toward an oil field.  “Do you see that derrick over there?”

Stephanie
noticed several huge storage tanks and a tower-like steel rig that was set upon a square platform.  The rig moved up and down without stopping.  “It looks like a steel workhorse.”

“That’s exactly right.  It works night and day to pump oil.  We are in the Hasa region.  Derricks will be common sights now.”

“Saudi Arabia is the leading supplier of the world’s oil.  How will your country survive when your oil is depleted?”

“One day our oil will be depleted
, but I believe it was one of your American poets who wrote, ‘When nature has work to be done, she creates a genius to do it’.”

“You quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson, but you sidestepped my question.  How will Saudi Arabia survive without its oil revenue?”

“Perhaps the ‘genius’ will be a Saudi.  Then we will be even wealthier than we are today.”

He had artfully dodged her question.  He was as slick as he was strong.  There was no point in pursuing the subject.  He was not going to divulge any information.  The setback was frustrating.

“Have you decided to give up?”

Fear rushed through her body.  “Give up?” she asked with angelic eyes.

“Yes,” he chuckled.  He seemed to be amused by his own cleverness.  “You want to be the one who breaks the story, don’t you?”

S
tephanie forced herself to breathe again.  Her secret was safe.  “I was hoping to be the one.”

He smiled at her simplicity.  “Ever since I decided to withhold my air base from your military, I have been hounded by journalists who want to know why
, and I have already told you more than I told any of the others.  I have a good reason for remaining silent, but when I do decide to talk, you will be the first to know.”

“Can I quote you on that?”  She grinned, remembering that he had asked not to be quoted.

“Why not?  You are a good journalist, for a woman, that is.  You are also very beautiful.”  Stephanie didn’t like the hungry look in his eyes.  “Come to me,” he ordered.

Stephanie stared at him
, not knowing what to do.  He was making another pass at her, and unless she wanted to jump out of a moving train and die of thirst in the desert, there was nowhere to run.  She cautiously rose to her feet.  He reached for her hand and pulled her down to his lap.

“Twice I have tried to kiss you,” he said as he ran his fingers through her hair.  “And twice you have slipped away from me.  I will not let you get away this time.”

“You’re flirting with me,” she said, pretending to be shocked to fend him off.

“No, I am all finished flirting.”  He folded her body back in
to his arms and kissed her.  He moved his hand over her chest and fondled her breasts.  “Name your price,” he panted.  “I will pay whatever you ask.”  She wriggled out of his arms and jumped to her feet.  All she wanted now was to get the hell out of Saudi Arabia.

Abdullah rose to his feet.  He reached for her arm and turned her around to face him.  “Why did you pull away from me?  Surely you know by now how much I want you.”

Stephanie had to think of something fast.  “I’m not sure I can make you understand.”  Her mind raced to come up with a good excuse.

“Try me,” he demanded.

“I don’t want you to break my heart.”  She wanted to kick herself.  It was such a flimsy excuse.

“I don’t want to break your heart.  I just want to have sex with you.  That is why I am willing to make it worth your while.”

Stephanie wondered whether he was even capable of love.  “You’re moving way too fast for me, Abdullah.  You only want sex, but I want love.  I can’t have one without the other.  You need to give me more time to think about this.”

“How much time?”

She was leaving Saudi Arabia the next day.  “I’ll give you my decision tomorrow.”

“All right
.  I will give you until tomorrow, but your decision had better be yes.”

The trembling in her body began to ease.  She was safe, at least for the moment.

***

Stephanie expected Marcus to call any minute to tell her about her phony assignment in the Cayman Islands.  She had not been able to confirm her hunch, and even if she had, if America did strike oil in the Dead Sea, Abdullah would only harden his tough stand against the United States.  Her trip to Saudi Arabia only confirmed what everyone else already knew.  Abdullah was not interested in resolving his differences with the United States.  Assassinating him was the only sound solution.

She thought there was a good possibility that he would follow her to George Town.  He seemed obsessed with her, but whether his obsession would cause him to pursue her remained to be seen.  So far the plan was working, and as long as she continued to follow the plan exactly as she had been trained, nothing could go wrong.

The phone rang, and as expected, the caller was Marcus.  She knew he would be taping their conversation.  “Mickey
, it’s Marcus.  How are you?”

“I’m fine, thanks.”  She sat down on the edge of the bed to take his call.  “How’s everything back home?”

“Not good.  That’s why I’m calling.”

“What’s up?”

“Michael Lee broke his leg in a skiing accident.”

“That’s terrible.  Is he all right?”

“Yes, but he’s going to be on the mend for a while.  He was scheduled to interview Governor David Marshall in George Town before the upcoming election of his Ministers, but now he can’t make it.  I’m afraid I have to terminate your assignment there so that you can keep the interview with Governor Marshall.  Flight 710 leaves in two hours.  I know that doesn’t give you much time, but we have to get you to George Town in time for that interview.  Can you make the flight?”

“I can pull it together here.”

“Excellent.  Your portfolio will be ready when you get here, and then you have to keep moving.  The new assignment will last approximately four weeks.  Any questions?”

“Just one,” she said to give him the secret code.  “Is the sun shining there?”

“The weather is gorgeous there.  And you will have lots of free time to soak up some rays.”

“That sounds like my definition of work.”

“I also need you to hand in the story you’re working on so that we can meet our next deadline.  Can you have it ready before you head to George Town?”

“I’ll finish it while I’m in the air.”

“Perfect.  I’ll see you soon.”  Marcus hung up the phone.

S
tephanie knew that Barry and Kyle would be waiting to hear the news, and she hoped they would be pleased.  She began to pack her belongings for the flight home.  The two-hour advance notice was intended to force Abdullah into making a hasty decision.  Hopefully, he would follow her to George Town.  The only question remaining now was whether the plan had worked.