by By Jon Land
he’s in a coma,” Ben explained to Colonel al-Asi over the phone days later. “Irreversible brain damage. Not expected to recover.”
“A life in hell then.”
“Fittingly.”
“Regrettable she won’t be able to supply the names of her cohorts all over the world, though.”
“There are other ways to track them down, Colonel,” Ben said, thinking of the way Jake Fleming had traced an e-mail trail all the way to the Winters home.
“Which still leaves forty-nine Iraqi terrorist cells at large in the United States. Sounds like a task for you and Chief Inspector Barnea.”
“Not anymore. Delbert Fisher has their approximate locations. He’s agreed to keep us out of it.”
Al-Asi hesitated briefly. “Where are you calling from, Inspector?”
“It’d be better if you don’t know.”
“But Chief Inspector Barnea is with you.”
“She’s here.”
“You’ll give her my best.”
“Of course.”
“Everything can be fixed, Inspector. You should keep that in mind.”
“Fixed, but not changed, Colonel.”
“True enough. The three of us, we are prisoners of our own sensibilities.”
“I’m tired of being a prisoner.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“Good-bye, Colonel.”
“Salaam-aleikum. Go in peace, my friend.”
Ben pressed End and saw Danielle walking toward him, having just finished her jog down the beach. Sweat glistened in small beads atop her skin. A tan had already sprouted.
“Colonel al-Asi sends his best,” he called to her.
“Did you tell him?”
“I told him. He thinks we’ll be back.”
“He’s wrong.”
“I know.”
She sat down on the chair next to Ben and stretched her legs comfortably, squeezing her eyes closed.
“One question,” he said. “Do you think Nostradamus really envisioned all of this?”
“No, because in the end it didn’t happen. Prophecies are supposed to come true.”
“Makes you a nonbeliever.’’
“Nothing new there,” Danielle said, opening her eyes to look at him. “But I think I’ve finally found the only thing I need to believe in.”
“Hmm,” Ben uttered.
“What?”
“I was wondering if there might be a prophecy in that lost manuscript about us.”
Danielle smiled, ignoring the pain in her jaw. “I’ll be here when you wake up tomorrow morning. Need to know any more than that?”
“Not at all,” Ben said and leaned back under the sun.
