‘Right,’ Stanza said as he hobbled to his wardrobe and pulled out his holdall.
Mallory decided the man would move quickly enough if necessary and went back to the door. ‘Stay here until I get back. You’ve got food and water for the night?’
‘Yes,’ Stanza said without looking up at him as he emptied the contents of one shelf into the bag and went to another.‘Let me know as soon as you hear anything.’
‘You’ll be the first to know.’ Mallory closed the door behind him and a quick check over the rails revealed the abandoned fire hose around the base of the fountain. The smoke was still thick and began to irritate the back of Mallory’s throat. He decided to see if Des had found out anything more about the attack. It might also be prudent to head over to the Palestine Hotel and book a couple of rooms in case they had to vacate the Sheraton.
An hour later Mallory was back on the fifth floor outside his room with his key in one hand and Tasneen’s handbag in the other. He was concerned about a bit of information he had received and how Tasneen might react to it. He had spent fifteen minutes with a US Army captain who had given him the low-down on what had happened and the plans for the hotel’s immediate future. It turned out that six or seven insurgents had been involved in the rocket attack. Four of them had been killed as they’d tried to drive away while the rest had escaped on foot through a block of flats on the other side of Sadoon Street. The fires had been put out and although there had been several injuries only one of them had been serious and no one from the hotel complex had died. Des had placed a sign on his office door that read ‘4-0’ with a footnote reminding everyone not to be complacent since we had enjoyed home-field advantage.
Mallory informed Stanza that all was well, after which the man immediately focused on his work - which seemed odd after his previous two weeks of complete inactivity.The journalist launched into a not entirely coherent listing of requirements that he claimed needed taking care of right away. It included the hiring of a fixer or a city guide. Mallory was anxious to get back to Tasneen and agreed with everything Stanza said. He finally extricated himself with a lie that the army was waiting to see him on a security issue. Stanza let him go but not without getting an assurance that they could hit the road first thing the next day.
Mallory put his key in the lock and tapped the door lightly as he pushed it open. Tasneen was looking out at the city through the closed balcony windows and faced Mallory as he came into the room.
‘Is everything OK?’ she asked.
‘Kind of,’ he said, holding up her handbag for her to see. ‘At least the fire’s out . . . There’s just one small problem: the Americans have put the hotel complex on full lockdown.’
A look of horror spread across her face.Tasneen knew from working in the Green Zone what full lockdown meant.‘Full?’ she asked, hoping he had exaggerated that part of it.
‘Nothing in or out of the complex until further notice.They’ve done it before and, trust me, they mean it.’
‘How long for?’
‘I’m going to call them every hour but - well, they said at least until dawn.’ Mallory screwed his face up a little as he said the last word, aware of the implications, or at least the more obvious ones.
Tasneen sat down heavily on the edge of the bed, an expression of utter disbelief on her face. ‘I can’t stay here until night-time, even.’ She looked up at him, hope in her eyes.
‘I don’t know what to say . . . I tried to get you a room but there aren’t any.’
She began shaking her head even before he had finished. ‘It doesn’t make any difference. I can’t stay here, Bernie. Not even in the hotel.You don’t understand. ’
‘I do,’ he said coming closer and sitting on the bed.
‘No, you don’t. This is Iraq. I am a Muslim girl.’
‘I know, I know, but there isn’t anything we can do. If we went down to the checkpoint to try and force them to let you out it would only draw more attention to you when they refuse - which I know they will. Right now no one knows you’re in here. If you walk outside you won’t be able to come back in because you’ll be seen.You can’t stay in the lobby. It’s a mess and they’ve already begun clearing it up. It’s open air down there and the furniture is all stacked up.’
The gravity of the implications of all this was almost too much for Tasneen to bear.
‘Listen to my plan,’ Mallory urged. ‘As I said, no one knows you’re in here. No one.You stay until you can go, in a few hours or even at dawn.You can sneak along the corridor to the emergency stairs and by the time you appear in the lobby no one’ll know where you stayed. That’s not so bad, is it? Huh?’
Tasneen pondered it all until she came to accept that there were no alternatives. Mallory’s plan had made her feel a little better, at least the part about no one knowing where she was. But there was one glaring problem with it.
‘Why don’t I leave you alone?’ Mallory said, getting to his feet. ‘I’ll come back when it’s OK for you to leave.’
‘Where are you going?’
‘I might be able to use a friend’s room.’
‘And what will you say if he asks why you can’t use your own room?’
‘I’ll think of something.’
‘What if someone comes looking for you?’
‘No one’s going to come into the room,’ Mallory assured her.
‘But the hotel staff have the key. They might come in.’
Mallory suddenly wanted to take her in his arms, hold her close and assure her that everything would be all right. ‘What is it you are specifically worried about? I understand the reputation thing and all that, especially with a westerner.’
‘It’s my brother. He will be worried and he’ll want to know where I am.’
‘You can’t tell him?’ Mallory said, making it sound like a question although he meant it as a statement.
‘Of course not.’
‘Then tell him you’re staying with a girlfriend.’
Tasneen shook her head. ‘He will want to know who and why and . . . Abdul can be very protective.’
‘There’s a saying that if you want to hide the truth stay as close to it as possible.’
She did not understand.
‘Tell him the truth so far, that you were at the hotel seeing the Herald about his job.Then the hotel got hit and you had to stay - but in your own room, of course. That would be the only lie.’
‘But what if he comes to find me?’
‘He can’t get in,’ Mallory reminded her.
‘He can be very persistent.’
‘Not as obstinate as the Yanks. Trust me on this. He’s not getting through those checkpoints. A lockdown is a lockdown with these guys and there are no exceptions. Plus he’s an Iraqi. I’m sorry but you know what I mean. If he tried too hard the Americans would arrest him.’
Tasneen knew he was right.
Mallory could see her relax slightly, although her expression remained pensive.
She pulled her phone from a pocket, selected a number, pressed the call button and pushed it under her hair to her ear.
‘Go to the window,’ Mallory said quietly. ‘Better reception.’
She got off the bed and went to the window.‘Abdul,’ she began and then after he answered rattled off in Arabic. The conversation went back and forth for a while before it ended abruptly. Tasneen looked up at Mallory and then smiled slightly. ‘I think he’s happy with the story. I emphasised the job. I told him he could start tomorrow. Is that OK?’
‘I think that’s what we agreed just before the restaurant blew up.Which reminds me.You must be starved.’
‘I’m not really—’ Tasneen began.
‘I’ve been through this with you before. The last time you said you weren’t hungry you embarrassed me by getting the server to pile so much food onto your plate that I had to do the same.’
She grinned and her face lit up.
‘I know somewhere I can scrounge a meal,’ Mallory said, going to th
e door. ‘I’ll check on a few things, see if the checkpoint is going to remain closed. Be back in a while.’
When Mallory left the room Tasneen lowered her head as her thoughts remained on her predicament. She did not regret coming to see Mallory, although she could have done without this situation. If it all turned out OK then securing the job for Abdul would have been worth it.
She felt that her feelings of attraction towards Mallory had increased. He had acted well during the bombing and had protected her. He was so easy to be with and he amused her. But there was something else which she was not sure ought to continue. She had taken to daydreaming again, fantasising about being in different places in the world, but now she was not always alone. Bernie was often there and what surprised her was her willingness to become involved with him, something she had never contemplated with anyone else.
The dangers were obvious but at the same time she felt safe with Bernie. He would not pressure her. It could remain just a fantasy. He had implied that he’d be in Iraq for a while, although she understood that he would have to go home occasionally. But Abdul could never know there was anything between them, even though it was only a game. In the Islamic faith only the man could marry outside his religion - a family’s religion was dictated by the male, not the female.
Life was a never-ending series of complications. Tasneen sighed and went back to the window to look out over the city. It was a long time since she’d had such a view of Baghdad. Her heart began to ache for its people and she wondered when they would ever see peace again.
Mallory was back within an hour, carrying a trayful of several plates covered in foil. He’d appropriated the food from Des who, it had to be said, was a generous man. Unsurprisingly, Des had a contact in KBR’s kitchen upstairs. As Mallory was leaving the office Des had made a joke about wanting to see the video. Mallory ignored it but was concerned that Des even suspected that Tasneen was with him. It might be worth having a word with him just in case he added it to his repertoire.
They began the meal in silence but after Tasneen asked Mallory what countries he had been to they embarked on a lengthy discussion that included politics, food, fashion and music as well as geography. Before long they had forgotten the brutal conflict outside the room except when a distant explosion or rattle of gunfire interrupted them. But they were determined to keep their thoughts elsewhere.
It was the looming prospect of bedtime that eventually stilled the conversation. Mallory took the initiative by tossing a pillow on the floor, lying down on the carpet and announcing that the spot would suit him perfectly. Tasneen removed her shoes and stretched out on top of the bed. They were out of sight of each other but continued talking until Tasneen quite matter-of-factly said that he could join her if he wanted to. He insisted he was fine. When she said he could stay on the floor if he wanted but said again that she did not mind him being on the bed he changed his mind lest the invitation should not be repeated. He placed his pillow on the bed and lay beside her but left a respectable gap between them.
Mallory had no illusions that the invitation was anything more than a friendly gesture but her close proximity set his imagination going and he fought to control it. They talked for a while longer and then Tasneen rolled onto her side. Mallory glanced over to see that she was facing him. He decided to remain on his back. This was not the time or the place to become intimate with her. Taking advantage of her predicament in such a way would be wholly unscrupulous. If she became frightened she would be trapped and Mallory could not bear the thought of her being in the room with him and not wanting to be. This was far more than he had expected and it was satisfying enough. They eventually drifted off to sleep, although he remained aware of her presence throughout the night. At one point she turned over and brought her knees up to her chest and Mallory looked at her, feasting his gaze on the heart-like shape of her bottom and wondering what it would be like to caress it with his hands and, better still, feel it pressed tightly against him. He eventually rolled away to ease the feelings of desire and it was not long before dawn reached for the balcony windows and Mallory sat up and went to look at the city. It was Baghdad’s most beautiful time of day. The minaret of the Firdous Mosque came to life, its speakers crackling before a voice called for morning prayers. Mallory dialled a number on his cellphone. When the call was answered Mallory asked about the state of the lockdown, closed the phone and went back to the bed to look at Tasneen. She did not stir but as he moved a strand of hair from her face she rolled onto her back with a sigh and opened her eyes. She sat up, startled as she focused on the unfamiliar surroundings but relaxed on seeing Mallory, remembering where she was.
‘Good morning,’ he said. ‘Sleep well?’
‘Thank you,’ she said as she slid off the bed and stood up.
Mallory watched her find her shoes and pull them on.
‘They just opened the checkpoint . . . I shouldn’t come down with you,’ he said as she pulled on her jacket.
‘I can find my way out.’
‘Take the fire escape down to the mezzanine floor. It’s written on the door in the stairwell.’
‘I’ll find it,’Tasneen said as she picked up her handbag and checked that she had everything.
Mallory followed her to the door, unlocked it and paused before opening it. ‘Maybe one day we can look back and be amused by all this . . . I enjoyed you being here.’
When she looked up at him he could not read her expression. ‘I think I will say that I enjoyed it too,’ she said. He felt relieved and was suddenly bursting to hold her and kiss her lips. If there had been an invitation in her eyes he would have. He wanted to ask when he might see her again but it seemed pointless. He would let fate play the next hand. ‘Wait,’ he said as he moved around her to open the door enough to look out onto the landing. ‘Mind how you go. Drive carefully,’ he said.
Tasneen moved past him in the confined space, her breasts touching his chest, her smell filling his head. Seconds later she was gone and only then did Mallory remember that he’d intended to check her car for bombs. He doubted whether anyone would target her but, as he always told himself, that was not the point. He would have to let it slide this time, though.
Mallory took a look in all directions for prying eyes before closing the door. But he was too far from the edge of the landing to see down onto the third-floor walkway where an Iraqi security guard was leaning on the rails, smoking a cigarette. The man could see the top of Mallory’s door from his position and since its opening and closing was the only movement at that early hour it caught his attention. Then he saw the moving head of a woman who was walking along the landing and a moment later she passed through the lobby and out of the hotel.
9
The Team Deploys
Mallory climbed out of the shower and towelled himself dry as he went through the list of things he had to do that day. First he had to contact the office in London and tell them to give his relief the go-ahead to move to Baghdad. Next he needed to inform Des that he would be available to accompany his client to Fallujah - although Mallory was still unsure if that was the best way to proceed. But he had extracted all the pleasure he could from daydreaming about Tasneen and the million dollars and it was time to turn some at least of the fantasy into reality.
There was a knock on the door and he checked his watch. It was ten past seven. Too early for the drivers. The knock came again.
‘Who is it?’ he called out, standing to one side of the door out of habit. No one to his knowledge had been shot through a door but it was the sort of thing that went through his mind on such occasions.
‘It’s Stanza.’
‘One second.’ Mallory went back into his room and pulled on a pair of trousers and a T-shirt, wondering if something was up. Stanza had never called on him this early before. When he opened the door Stanza was standing there, dressed as if ready to go out.
‘What time are the men coming in?’ Stanza asked.
‘I told them to be in at nine
.’
‘Nine,’ Stanza repeated, making a calculation.
‘I still don’t know about Farris.’
‘When will you know?’
‘If he turns up then I’ll know.’
‘This is not gonna work out like this, is it?’ Stanza said testily.
Mallory sighed inwardly, wondering when Stanza was going to get the message regarding local staff.
‘We need to get together to discuss a plan of operation, ’ Stanza said. ‘We have things to do, places to go, people to see and I need reliable drivers and a guide. I’m sorry, Mallory, but that’s your job and it’s not going very well.’
Mallory decided that Stanza had a flea up his backside about something. Having started the day in such a good mood he would not allow the little knob to wind him up. ‘Give it until nine. By then we’ll know about the drivers and we should also have a fixer.’
‘A fixer? Who?’
‘I told you.’
‘Oh. The one-armed guy.’ Stanza had left a message about finding a fixer with Blant from the Post but he had not received a reply yet. His confidence in Mallory’s guy had eroded from the moment he’d agreed to meet him. ‘I have some feelers out for a fixer myself. I’ll also look for a driver. We’ll talk at nine, then,’ Stanza said, turning on his heel.
Mallory closed his door and took a moment to calm the anger that was threatening to ruin his morning.The twat had managed to wind him up with his final comment about looking for a driver and fixer himself. Stanza was beginning to show his true colours: he was either a real bastard or he was trying to bully Mallory in particular. If Stanza kept on like this Mallory would simply tell him to shove his job. But that would mean letting Tasneen’s brother down, which would not help his cause with her.
He took out his mobile phone and scrolled through the numbers. Stanza was right to a certain extent, though. The team had slipped a notch and that was Mallory’s responsibility. In truth it wasn’t of huge importance to him but he had standards to maintain.
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