The Aisha Prophecy (42 page)

Clew asked him, “Is this when you flew to Tehran?”

“Not yet. Only sentenced. Don’t get ahead of me. In the meantime, I had my own problems.”

His main source of funding, Saudi Overseas Charities, seemed to have frozen his access to those funds. He flew to Riyadh to look into it. It was there that he saw what these “handmaidens” had done, never mind that it was really only Niki. Aside from announcing that this “coming” was imminent, they’d helped themselves to ten billion dollars.

“Moreover, as you know, Haskell’s banker friend was there. And Rasha’s father. They were out of luck as well. All at once, this was bigger than I had imagined.” He looked at his watch. “We’re still waiting for Kessler?”

“And Hester Lazarus. Get to Tehran.”

“I called and tried to get through to Mansur. It was then that I learned that the flogging had begun. I rushed to Tehran and I… stopped it.”

“Her name was Farah,” said Clew. “I’m told that she died.”

“She died in peace. Don’t ask for details.”

“But you spoke to her. Did she know that the Darvi girls were here? Did she know that Elizabeth and Aisha were here?”

No, Sadik, told him. Not specifically here. Nor did she seem to recognize Elizabeth’s name. If he wondered, however, so might someone else. He decided that he ought to try to find out. If she wasn’t involved, she might know who was. She might have an interest in containing this thing before her own Aisha came under suspicion and ended up as a target. At the very least, she ought to be warned.

He had no means of contacting Stride. He didn’t know where Kessler was either, but perhaps he and Stride were still together. Netanya would know. Netanya always keeps tabs. Through Netanya he contacted Kessler.

His motive? His intentions? He found that they were evolving. First find Elizabeth. Through her, find the girls. Let Elizabeth know that they were playing with fire and many had already been burned.

“But the more I learned, and the more I considered it, this prophecy appeared to be a very good thing. Mansur himself said it. It made men stop and think. So perhaps we shouldn’t be too quick to say that your Aisha’s not the Aisha of the prophecy.”

Harry raised a hand. He touched a finger to his lips. He said, “Hold that thought. I need a minute.”

He got up, left the kitchen and, making no sound on the carpeted floor, he walked down the side hall to the nearest guest bedrooms. The first was Aisha’s. The door was inches ajar. The room was dark and silent. He looked in.

He saw Aisha in her bed. She was lying on her stomach. The light from the hallway caught the glow of the salve that Elizabeth had dabbed on her arms and bare shoulders. Beside her, in the bed, was young Rasha, also still. Between them, a ball of gray fur, Rasha’s kitten. Neither, he supposed, felt like being alone. Any dreams seemed unlikely to be pleasant.

He carefully eased the door closed. He returned to the kitchen where he said to Sadik, “I don’t think they heard you. I wish I hadn’t. Please tell me that you weren’t serious.”

“I said perhaps. Don’t dismiss it too quickly.”

“Is this the ‘one way’ you started to mention?”

“This thing could work miracles, Harry.”

“But at what cost?” asked Whistler. “Having our Aisha hunted? Having our Aisha killed? Or do you prefer to use the word ‘martyred?’”

“Harry… this is me. You’re not talking to some nut. The least you can do is hear me out.”

“No, the least I can do is end this discussion. You’d keep her hidden for… what? Five more years?”

“Harry, she’s going to be hunted regardless. Sure, we could change her name, give her a new identity. Make her a Catholic. Say she’s Spanish or Italian. But that means she can’t be with Elizabeth Stride with whom she’s now widely identified. Can you see Aisha agreeing to that? Can you see Elizabeth agreeing?”

Clew nodded. “He does have a point.”

“Then we’ll tell the truth. The whole thing was a hoax. Niki did this all on her own. The prophecy. The ten billion. All of it.”

“Yes, it’s the truth, but who would believe it? We still have trouble believing it ourselves and we know the truth beyond doubt.”

Harry heard someone coming in the front door. He knew that it could only be Kessler and Stride. “Not a word of this to them. Not from either of you.”

“We’ll talk again later,” said Sadik.

“No, we won’t.”

Harry rose from his chair. He left his half-eaten sandwich. “Not until we’ve given it more thought.”

FORTY FOUR 

They’d come in hand in hand, their clothing still dripping, Elizabeth carrying her shoes and her purse, both of them smelling of chlorine. Kessler apologized for holding them up. Harry told Kessler what he’d said to the others. Hester Lazarus was coming, no stranger to Kessler. Elizabeth didn’t seem to be listening.

“May I hope,” Harry asked him, “that Roy Orbison stayed dry?”

Kessler handed him the sleeve. “He’s not a swimmer.”

“Go change,” Harry told them. “There’s fresh coffee in the kitchen. If you have no objection, we’ll get started.”

Kessler said, “You needn’t wait. But if you do find a moment, you might want to look in on Charles Haskell.”

Harry saw, in Kessler’s eyes, what hadn’t been spoken. He saw that Elizabeth was still somewhere else. He would look in on Haskell when he found a spare moment. He felt sure that the need was not urgent.

Sadik touched a pencil to the screen of the laptop. He said, “A number of these have been starred. What are they?”

Harry leaned over his shoulder to look. “They’re the ones Rasha says are legitimate charities. She put question marks where she wasn’t certain.”

“Well, she’s mostly correct and I’ve noted others. Of the more than twelve hundred accounts on this list, roughly two hundred are legitimate.”

Clew asked him, “What sort of charities?”

“Faith-based, Islamic, but not narrowly so. The Red Crescent, for example, the Islamic Red Cross. Some distribute the Koran in foreign language translations, but always accompanied by practical texts on subjects such as how to dig wells. The Koran is always part of a literacy program. No use sending it if they couldn’t read it. Others fund the construction of local mosques where none existed before.” He asked Clew, “Have you ever been in a mosque? I don’t mean a tourist mosque. A real one.”

Clew said, “I’m not aware of the distinction.”

“A local mosque is important. It’s not just good for preaching. Like most churches, it’s also a community center and perhaps the only one for many miles. It’s where food is distributed to those in need. It’s where children get their vaccinations. It’s where fishing and farming techniques are taught. It’s where people meet their neighbors and become better neighbors. Very few are hotbeds for the radicals.”

Clew sniffed. “One learns something every day.”

Sadik curled his lip. “Are we being snide? A lot of nonsense is preached from your pulpits as well. Your faithful don’t run home to get their guns.”

“As a rule.”

“Muslims are people. They just want good lives. Religion is important, but I’ll tell you this. Give young Muslims a choice between taking up jihad and finding a good job and a decent apartment, they’ll take the job and the apartment every time.”

“Doc…”

“No job, no apartment, means you can’t find a wife. No wife means no children. You are nothing without family. You want a hotbed? No hope? There’s your hotbed.”

“Doc, I get it,” said Clew. “Let’s move on.”

Sadik grumbled a bit, but he got back to work. He touched his pencil to some of the entries. “An encouraging number have been set up for women, mostly funded by women although not entirely. These stress literacy and pre-natal care for the most part, but also practical skills for the workplace and other vocational training. Many provide limited medical services. Also nurseries, daycare centers, for women with jobs and even meals on wheels for the shut-ins.”

“I’m impressed.”

“You should be. Some good work is done there.”

Clew asked him, “And these charities are all Saudi?”

“Yes, but not all are Sunni. And certainly not Wahhabi. It looks like… let me see… roughly one in five are Shiite and are based in the Saudi Eastern Province. The Shiites who live there call it the Hasa. They’re a Saudi minority and are treated as such. They’re obliged to take care of their own.”

Clew nodded. Poorly treated. And yet that’s where the oil is. A day of reckoning would not surprise him.

“You said about two hundred. What’s their total in dollars?”

“Roughly two and half billion,” said Sadik.

Harry asked, “It’s just sitting there unspent?”

“They don’t simply shovel it out,” Sadik told him. “There’s a lot of planning involved.”

“On the presumption that they all have been skimmed, what adjustment would you make to that figure?”

Sadik shrugged. “I couldn’t guess.”

“Go ahead,” Harry told him. “Take a shot.”

Another shrug. “A billion? This comes out of thin air.”

“But a nice round number. We’ll go with that. We’ll prorate it over the two hundred.”

Sadik wasn’t sure that he understood. “It comes from where?”

“I just told you. From the skimmers. When we’re finished reviewing the names on this list, you can start making the transfers. Hester Lazarus will help you. She’s due here shortly. She’ll be making a few of her own.”

Sadik said, “You haven’t told us her role in this.”

“Let’s just say that she’s very good at paperwork.”

Sadik rubbed his forehead. “I must not be too bright. Say I’ve done as you suggest. Say I start moving money. How do these two hundred charities get at it?”

“Good question. Here’s another. How do they keep it? What stops it from being re-skimmed?”

“Banking it elsewhere,” said Sadik.

“Someplace neutral,” said Harry. “My vote would be Credit Suisse in Geneva where I have friends on the board. As to how they’d get at it, they’d do so through you. You would control it. You’d approve all disbursals. You can surrender control on a case by case basis when you’re assured that they’ll be properly administered.”

“Um …how will I say that I came by this money?”

“You didn’t come by it. You rescued it for them. Not only that, you increased it substantially. I would think they be pleased to see that.”

“Harry …I’ll be asked how I did this.”

“Yeah, I know, but hold that thought. We’ll get to it later. First things first. Will you take this on?”

“Manage three and a half billion? Some two hundred accounts? Take it on when? My spare time? On my lunch break?”

“Well, someone has to do it. Otherwise the money sits. No new community centers.”

“I’d need help,” said Sadik. “An accounting staff certainly.”

“Do you have one in mind?”

“Hamas has one. It’s very efficient. And Hamas, by the way…”

“Doesn’t steal. So you’ve said. I’ll need to think about that. It would give them instant legitimacy.”

“Hey.” Sadik waved. “Do you see me standing here? Try to think of me as legitimate. Besides, we’ve been elected. Or do you not read the papers?”

“I said I’ll consider it. What’s next?”

“All the rest of the money,” said Sadik. “This still leaves six and a half billion more spread over a thousand accounts.”

“Flight money,” said Harry, “for a thousand opportunists. They might have to re-think their retirement plans. Do you have any thoughts on what to do with it?”

“For a start, pay for some of the damage that’s been done.”

“You mean Mangiamo? Rebuild it?”

“And a car for Elizabeth. I know. I’m thinking small. But such things should not be overlooked.”

“Understood. What else are you thinking?”

“Well, I owe four million to the government of Iran. No, wait a minute. That’s not Iran’s money. They made the Darvi girls’ father cough it up. But I’ll need more than that to fund my own work. My old well will probably run dry.”

“The Saudis?” asked Harry. “You think they’ll cut you off?”

“Don’t say Saudis in general. There are many fine Saudis. But once they find out I’ve taken over these charities, I expect to be persona-non-grata with some. I’d prefer not to have to go begging.”

“Suits me,” Harry told him. “Take whatever you need.”

“You trust me so much?”

“I might check in now and then.”

“I see,” said Sadik. He was drumming his pencil. “Would you object if I used some for political purposes?”

“You’re thinking of running for office yourself?”

“Not me. Worthy candidates. I do what I do.”

“These worthy candidates… they’d all be Hamas?”

“I’m thinking woman candidates. My daughter, for one. Good mind, good heart. She’ll make a difference.”

“I’ve no doubt of that. It’s your call.”

“As for the others, no militants. That I will promise. The need now is for those who can administer and build. The militants will one day be irrelevant.”

“If you say so.”

“Harry, like the Saudis, we have many good men. We have more than our share of good women. Beyond that, we have earned the support of the people through our own social programs that no one else gives them. You saw the elections. We got seventy percent. We exist for that seventy percent.”

Clew said, “My government might take issue with that.”

“Which part? That we exist for so many? You can give your government a message from me. Tell them, talk to me when they have a government, regardless of party, that exists for more than the five percent who write the biggest checks to their campaign funds. Tell them to kindly explain to me how this can be called democratic.”

Clew raised his hands. “You tell them,” he said. “But I’d wait until you’ve made it work.”

Harry took another look at the list. He ran his finger down among the middle-range thieves. He asked, “Which of these would you say is most able to get Rasha’s mother out of the country?”

“And safely to Switzerland?”

“Say by this time next week.”

Sadik studied the names. He touched his pencil to one. “This one is that smuggler I told you about. He has his own fleet of planes. Netanya’s men caught him. I got him released. He should be willing to do me a favor.”

“Gratitude has a very short shelf life, my friend.”

“This one, I assure you, will be more than grateful if we let him keep some of his money.”

“You’ll handle it?” asked Harry.

“As soon as we’re done here. What’s next?”

“You know the Hasheem has put a price on Elizabeth. Is it bankrolled by any of the names on this list?”

“I don’t know,” said Sadik, “but I can find out.”

“When you do, you might try to get it rescinded. If he, or they, should fail to see it your way, put a bounty of five million on each of them.”

“Happily,” said Sadik. “Count it done.”

“And another on that sheik who runs the Hasheem. He should learn how it feels to be hunted.”

“I’ll call it Rasha’s dowry. Just kidding. I won’t. But what about Haskell’s two associates while we’re at it? Why not put a bounty on them?”

“We’ll get to them. They’ll keep. Let’s move on.” He said, “The Nasreens have an earlier version of the disk. It’s been scrambled, but it still has all of these names. I’m sure they’ll give it up without compensation, but we still ought to make a contribution.”

“Actually, that was Niki’s suggestion. She’s contrite about more things than you know. One of them is for threatening to expose the Nasreens when they didn’t want to take her out of Iran. She says she didn’t mean it. She says she would not have. Even so, she would like to make amends.”

“Then she should do it face to face, not by getting them some money.”

“She knows that. I told her that my wife would arrange it. My daughter, I’m sure, would accompany her. As I’ve told you…”

“They’re Nasreens. Yes, I heard you.”

Sadik paused. He said, “On that subject - compensation - what about the four girls? Shouldn’t we do something for them?”

“Such as?”

“I don’t know. An annuity? A college fund, maybe.”

Harry shook his head. “I think you want to be able to say that none of them took a cent. We’ll take care of them. They’re not going to be hurting. As for Aisha, I’m told that she’s pretty well fixed. Her parents left her a nice fortune in trust. She gets it when she comes of age.”

Sadik’s eyes widened. “Of age? What age would that be? Might it be when she reaches full womanhood?”

Harry hooded his eyes. “Screw the prophecy, doctor. It’s whenever her parents’ last will says she gets it. I would guess twenty-one, but I don’t know that.”

“This prophecy would seem to have some growth potential left. But as you wish, we won’t belabor it. What else?”

Harry touched his finger to the top of the list. “Highlight those first three Saudi names.”

“The three largest accounts?”

“Yes, do you know those names?”

Sadik looked. “Yes, of course. The first and the third are in the Saudi Oil Ministry. Not royals, but they’re very high up.”

“So they’d know Haskell?”

“No question about it. If he’s doing business with Saudi oil, he would have to have paid them both off.”

Harry asked him, “And the second? Who is he?”

“A mean one,” said Sadik. “He’s First Deputy Minister, Saudi Security. His office cracks down on all critics of the system.”