In the Lap of the Gods

by Tony Criddle

  The large brass rings on the heavy bedroom curtain screeched harshly as Laleh eased into the room, and stunning didn’t do her a lot of justice. She’d been gifted with all the best features of the diverse peoples of her vast, sandy nation. Amini moved towards her with arms out-stretched while Sinclair and Nick scrambled to their feet. Both where a little over-awed.

  A darkish brown skirt hid bare feet, while a bronze flowery blouse, buttoned to the neck, covered the upper half. Proud, high breasts pushed provocatively against the constraints of the thin sateen blouse material, and mutton chop sleeves tumbled half-way down her arms. Glistening blue/black hair framed the almost perfect ovoid features below and her complexion was certainly no darker than Nick’s. The whole was emphasised by a delicate plum lipstick.

  But it was the eyes that compelled. Dark brown and penetrating, they were framed by eyelashes brushed with a dark mascara and highlighted by a medium blue eye shadow. They seemed to skewer you. And she looked sad as well, although a stubborn tilt to her neck said a fighter dwelt in there somewhere. Amini was hugging her before they could see anymore. Jock came forward with a proffered hand, but Nick was still shell shocked, and lingered behind.

  “Laleh, you haven’t really been introduced to Nick and Jock properly. Nick’s the one with his mouth still open. They’ve taken quite a few risks for us.” Amini grinned.

  Jock Sinclair took her hand in both his, raised it, and kissed it gallantly. He wasn’t just an extrovert, he was a romantic extrovert, and it gave Nick time to clamp his jaw. He thrust out his own hand.

  “I should thank you gentlemen. These are difficult times.” Her English was formal and only fractionally accented. Her voice was like chocolate dripping over expensive toffee. “Until Farhad appeared I had no idea how this would end for me.”

  “Welcome Laleh, I’m glad that we could help.” He was still floundering and it all sounded a bit inane.

  It was Sarah who would mostly control the rest of that day. She sat the girl next to her brother on the divan then brought her coffee. She was a woman, and knew that after Laleh’s traumatic week she wouldn’t want to talk. She needed to come down first.

  “I show Laleh around town. Be back this afternoon. You boys tidy up at airfield.” It was said with authority, there wasn’t room for argument. A few minutes later the men trooped out sheepishly to the vehicle, and Sarah and Laleh headed down town.

  Nick strung it out as long as he could, but by early afternoon he’d had enough. “Bugger it. Lock up the hangar Jock, we’re going home.”

  The Scot looked up from the aircraft documents. “No resistance from me laddie.” He swooped up the hangar key-ring. “Give me a couple of minutes.”

  Nick rinsed the coffee mugs and two minutes later signalled to Amini. The women had beaten them home. There was a pot of stew already prepared.

  That evening the meal was on the table before six. A shrewd Sarah broke the sombre mood. “It been long two days, time you all eat.”

  Nick had cracked a merlot to honour it but in fact the wine glasses barely got sipped from. They were exhausted, and after they’d eaten Sarah shovelled what was left in a container to take with her. She stacked the dishes to wash in the morning, and set off home with Sinclair following her out. The other three scanned magazines as they drooped further, but within the hour Nick raised his head.

  “Do you guys want a nightcap?”

  “England introduced me to a taste for alcohol Nick. A final one wouldn’t do any harm.” Both Iranians smiled.

  “If you have soda Nick, I would like to join you in a whisky.”

  “We can get any of the mixes at the embassy or in Qom, Laleh. There’s ginger ale, Seven Up or Coke if you prefer it?”

  “Soda will be fine Nick. Not too much whisky.” She was beginning to unwind herself.

  They sipped their drinks slowly and in silence. It was a time to meditate not natter. When the drinks were finished they trooped off to their beds.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Sinclair arrived early the next morning but coffee was flowing for a second time before Laleh emerged. This time her clothing was subdued like Bakhtaran matrons tended towards on ordinary days, but somehow she added a flair that was more elegant than her country cousins would ever achieve. All three males stood. Nick asked how she took her coffee and moved to the kitchen area to make it. As he poured, he pondered.

  This was all new to him and he felt uncomfortable. His instincts were to play the gentleman, to appear protective and in control, but he couldn’t stop feeling uneasy around her either. This was somewhere he hadn’t been before, nor something he intended or even understood.

  Sarah was washing crockery and saw his bemused expression. She looked passed him to the girl.

  “You treat her good Nickie, she hurting,” Sarah whispered.

  Nick threw his housekeeper a startled look, wondering what the hell she could see. He hadn’t worked a lot out for himself yet but he did know he wasn’t reacting the way he normally did, not in the defensive way he’d always reacted before. He tried to analyse.

  It had been the long time between drinks, was testosterone the culprit, rampant pheromones now trickling into his crystal atmosphere? Nick didn’t know for sure, but somehow doubted it, although he did know he was fumbling like an adolescent. He took her coffee. It seemed safer than thinking right then.

  Laleh thanked him as she took the mug and Sarah followed up with some sliced fruit. Nick let her eat while Sinclair fixed a coffee for himself, not sure what to say anyway. He still felt tongue tied, but being around her was already some sort of catalyst. Somehow he felt responsible for them both, and already it was important to come up with a plan. And they seemed to accept that it would be him that safe-guarded them. Nick thought about it while the girl finished her coffee. The others looked at him when he cleared his throat.

  “A hell of a lot has happened in the last few days but the basics haven’t changed guys, so let’s not get carried away. And right now I’m looking for answers, so jump in if you think of something because we’ve got to set some priorities. Jock and I should be okay for a while for instance, but you two may need to get out as soon as you can.”

  Farhad and Laleh Amini were lounging on the sofa. He moved his hand to cover hers.

  “There’s no point in pretending that Laleh and I have any future here anymore Nick, but we’re slap in the middle of the sixteenth largest country in the world and it’s surrounded by other Islamic states. They’ve all got elites who aren’t too popular with the ordinary people and that bit of Russia to the north doesn’t exactly help much either. Probably the only safe thing would be to get out through Turkey. It’s an Islamic country, but more Westernised and pro-American than most.”

  “Did Abdul suggest how it could be done?”

  “It’s all too new Nick. He didn’t have any answers. I took down several phone numbers of people who might help, but I’ll have to be careful. We don’t know which way they may have to jump to save their own skins. There’s another option though. The sailors I escaped with come from the Zagros mountains north-west of here and said to put the word out with the elders if I needed help. They’d find me.”

  “It’s winter though Fred and the Zagros stretch over 1000 kilometres from here to Turkey. It’s bloody freezing up there right now, and I doubt Lily would make it over that distance in those temperatures.”

  Laleh sounded peeved when she broke in. “Nick, stop treating me as if I wasn’t here. Not all women in patriarchal societies are content to wear gags, and I’ve lived with that macho bullshit all my life. You come up with something and I’ll tell you whether I can do it or not. I’m stronger than I look, and getting killed if I can’t is a pretty strong incentive.”

  Amini glanced at his sister but not with anger. Nick guessed he’d over-stepped some line on the ground and blustered as he tried to qualify.

  “I’m really sorry Laleh but it wasn’t intentional. I’ve mostly done the planning for the things
I’ve been involved in. It’s a pilot thing. This is a bit different, but really it’s just another problem to solve.”

  “I know that Nick, and I wouldn’t pretend to know how we can do it, but ask me if I’m prepared to try what you come up with. Don’t assume I can’t.” Her eyes were glistening again as she stood and headed for the courtyard. “If you’ll excuse me I’ll get some fresh air while you guys hammer a few things out.”

  Sarah gave Nick a blistering look that would have melted rock and followed her.

  “Shit, I really blew that.” He could think of nothing else to say.

  Sinclair’s smile had a laconic touch. “You’re obviously not very good around the ladies Nick me lad. Maybe that’s why you’re still a bachelor.” He wasn’t one to let the pilot off the hook.

  “Up yours Jock. It wasn’t what I said. She’s pretty wound up about something and I was in the firing line that’s all.”

  Amini stood and paced, battling with rampaging thoughts. He made up his mind and turned to the other two. “Nick, Jock this is my fault. We’re all pretty much tied up with each other out here so it’s only fair that we all start on the same page. We come from different cultures, and that could cause problems enough, so things that affect us all should be shared by all.”

  “When it comes to saving our asses I suspect we’re all pretty much the same Fred, but Jesus H Christ, Lily sure is touchy.”

  “Well you guys will have to decide how you handle this, but it’s got to do with sacking the American Embassy. As you said Nick, there were more than just students there, and Laleh was caught in her office by two of the so-called religious police. She was knocked around and raped, and was pretty traumatised when Minu got there to pick her up.”

  Sinclair whistled, but Nick went further. “Jesus. That must be horrible for any woman, let alone in this country Fred. She might never get over something like that. No wonder she’s a bit anti.”

  “I’m not making excuses for anyone, I’m stating the facts, so don’t take it the wrong way, but knowing Laleh she was in a mini skirt and obviously one of us. Our lighter skin colour and features are fairly distinctive, even though the women’s noses aren’t as big. Fundamentally it was a power-play, a way to get back at us.” The smile was wry.

  “I’m ashamed to admit it, but I can see now that Iranian women have always been chattels and this was about putting a brand on her, about making her unacceptable in her own country. I’m sure you’ve heard of arranged marriages, honour killings and using rape as a punishment in other Islamic countries? Well, it happens here too. She’s strong and highly intelligent though, and her degrees included a fair bit of psychology. It all helps. If she’s treated the right way I think she’ll get over this fairly quickly.”

  “How should we play this then Fred. She wouldn’t want us to know about something like that would she?”

  “I told you she was pretty tough Nick. On the way to our beds last night she told me to tell you when the time was appropriate. I think it’s now, before we go any further. She won’t be pregnant because Abdul did a dilatation and curettage procedure, a D and C you English people shorten it to. It’s why she was in the hospital and why she is going to need some understanding for a while.”

  “Is there anything we can do now then Fred?”

  Sinclair jumped in. “A brother would try to restore her fractured ego and self-esteem Nick, but it’s different when another male does it. You pissed her off, so it’s up to you to start building her back up again.” The Scot flicked his head. “I suggest that you get your arse out there and start doing it.”

  Amini nodded but said nothing. Nick looked startled.

  Women had always been a bit of a mystery but now he realised that Sinclair was too. It just hadn’t been obvious with no eligible women around. He clambered to his feet and headed for the courtyard.

  The women were seated with one of Laleh’s hands in Sarah’s when Nick approached the bench. Intoxicated butterflies rioted around his insides, and he needed guidance, any sort of guidance. He expected Sarah’s look to be venomous but somehow it wasn’t.

  Sarah rose with a small smile as he got nearer, which said something he couldn’t fathom, and held her head high as she walked passed him. Nick sat but kept his mouth shut. He didn’t want to put his foot in it again so he thought carefully before he spoke.

  “Laleh, I’m really sorry I seemed to ignore you. It wasn’t intentional, but it wasn’t very clever either.”

  “I assume that Farhad has told you why I’m edgy right now.” That was a statement not a question. “The last few weeks have been horrible. Not just what happened in the embassy but that it could have happened at all. It seems that the comfortable, safe world I was used to vanished overnight. I know it was a power thing, done by people who’ve never had any before, but I feel dirty and I want to feel clean and whole again.” She paused to dab at a few tears.

  “Right now I need to know that I’m still appreciated as a person, that my opinions are at least considered, and that I might even be desired by someone in the future. I just can’t see any of that at present, but I’m sorry I over-reacted and you were there to cop it. I lived in England for several years and I know it’s completely different over there.”

  There was nothing to follow that up with so Nick didn’t try. He looked at her, then the hand Sarah had been holding. He hesitated, but then thought what the hell.

  Nick anticipated a fierce withdrawal when he did move to hold it, but it didn’t happen. Her slim fingers curled around his slightly although she continued looking straight ahead. He was happy for it to stay that way. He sat with her without a need for words, and sensed her growing calmer.

  “Laleh, let’s have another cup of coffee and I’ll try again. I’d really like your opinion on some of the stuff we need to talk about. The priority is to get you and Farhad out of the country safely, but we have to be careful. You’re both safe here for a while, so let’s concentrate on that first.”

  The girl half turned towards him, maybe looking for guile or cynicism, but whatever she saw she seemed satisfied. She nodded briefly before standing and moving back to the house. She held onto his hand until she floated through the door.

  Arak made the mullah’s office in Tehran within thirty minutes of seeing the company vehicle on the Qom road. He’d been told what to look for by telephone before he flew to Abadan but it was some five days later when he’d phoned his findings in. The mullah had insisted on a personal rundown in the capital, and Arak was ushered in as soon as he arrived.

  “Welcome Mohammed.” The mullah seemed distracted. “This breach could become more serious than we expected and we must contain it right away. I sent you because you were the only active detective before you joined our group. I need to know everything you know.”

  Arak cleared his throat. “Ah, now I understand mullah, but there was not that much to find out.”

  “Were his team of any use?”

  “Not much Holiness, they had no idea where he was. He didn’t confide in them, but they did put me in touch with some Imams he spent time with. I found his body from what they said.”

  “So he was definitely murdered?”

  “When I found him he still had a knife in his chest, but the smell would have given it away before long anyway.”

  “Do you know who did it?”

  “Almost certainly a naval commander called Farhad Amini. The local mullahs agreed that Achmed should shake up military officers because they were mostly the shah’s men, and the naval base was the second place I visited. It was Tuesday morning before I got there though, and the idiot officer on duty told me that the CO had been absent since Thursday. Amini was the CO and was unlikely to confide in his juniors if it was personal, so they were waiting for him to appear again.”

  “Do you know where Amini is now?”

  “Unfortunately, no mullah. The body was in a wardrobe in his office, but no one knows where Amini is right now. He said he needed a small crew wit
h him to test the engine on a boat, but that was obviously a trick. The Dezful police reported finding it near the city later but the crew hadn’t set it on fire so it wasn’t discovered immediately. They were long gone by then. Amini took a large sum of money from the establishment safe as well.”

  “What’s your best guess?”

  Arak was careful. “I think he was going on the run anyway and Achmed got in the way mullah. Some of Achmed’s dealings were a bit suspect as well, so I think it was personal. The crew Amini took with him were all Bakhtaran, and from where the boat was found I’d say they’ve taken off into the Zagros mountains to be with their own people. It will be close to impossible to find them in there.”

  The mullah nodded thoughtfully. “So it’s a simple escape, not the start of resistance. Thank you Mohammed. You may return to Qom.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  They had some ground rules to establish and it was a non-flying day so they huddled. Christmas was just over a week away and everything would stop for it. They needed a plan.

  Sinclair filled the Amini’s in on Baha’i first. He let them know that whatever their religion, the Bakhtaran wouldn’t let religion get in the way of a good party. They would all share in the Christian and New Year holidays, and probably the odd religious ceremony too. This Christmas week would be ‘different’ for the Aminis.

  The concept was alien to them. Their beliefs had been set when they were much younger, but neither professed to much religious affiliation these days anyway. They wouldn’t have a problem with the week ahead.

  “And neither would the Bakhtaran,” Jock told them. Whatever religion they professed to, lively uninhibited music and abandoned dancing would go with it, and they were all partial to the strong liquor they brewed. It didn’t seem to matter if it was made from bran, vegetable peelings or fruit either. It tasted close to paint thinner, with pretty much the same effect on the brain. Even the kids got in on the act.