option.”
His proposition was simple. Shortly a very large shipment of
arms and other materials would arrive in Baghdad. He planned to take possession
of it but he couldn’t unload them on the open market. There could be no hint of
his participation in this at all. According to his sources, the al-Dulami
family was seeking just such a windfall and had more than enough capital to pay
for it. And they, too, required total secrecy.
“What I need from you is to have your people ready to take
delivery and to have the cash ready to pay for it.”
Zarife frowned at him. “You think anyone will be crazy
enough to carry that much cash around in Iraq? If you do, you’re insane.”
“Not at all. You will be ready when I tell you to transfer
the money to a numbered account. My people will be waiting in Iraq. When the
money is in my bank account, the weapons will be turned over.”
Zarife smiled slyly. “What’s to prevent us from just taking
the shipment ourselves and keeping it?”
“First, you have no details about it, nor can you find out
everything you need. Not and do the job right. Second, I would hunt down you
and every member of your family and slaughter you like pigs. Besides, I have
information and resources that you don’t have. Even assuming you could steal
everything you wanted, which I highly doubt, there are other aspects to this
you can’t possibly know.”
“Why not just steal the shipment yourself and sell it to the
highest bidder?”
“As I told you, I can’t have any connection to this
whatsoever. Again, there are factors of which you’re unaware that demand
complete privacy. Plus, I understand your family is willing to pay anything as
long as the deal is concluded in secret.” He paused. “There’s one other factor.
Once back in power, your family can be a valuable ally to me. If we make this
deal, your continued cooperation and support of my projects would be
understood.”
Zarife thought for a long moment. “And if I agree?”
“I’ll move forward on my end and call you when it’s time to
transfer the money. You need to tell your people in Iraq to be ready to take
delivery. No one will ever know about the deal. No one must ever know
about it.”
Zarife was thinking furiously. “How do you know about any
plans I might have? What makes you even think I have any?”
The man laughed, an unpleasant sound. “Would I be talking to
you if I didn’t?”
Zarife felt something tucked into one of his hands.
“The number on this card will be good for twenty-four hours.
After that the deal is off.”
The car stopped, Zarife heard the door open and hands helped
him out of the vehicle.
“Count to twenty-five before you remove the blindfold,” the
voice told him.
Zarife stood there, shaking, listening to the vehicle drive
off and counting to himself. When he yanked off the blindfold, he discovered he
was back in the alley behind the shoe store. It took him a full five minutes
before he could gather himself enough to walk down the alley to the street and
another ten before he could draw a deep breath.
Hailing a taxi, he gave the driver his home address. He’d
call his office and let them know he’d be delayed returning to work. This was
either an unexpected windfall or a plot to eliminate him and his family. He
couldn’t make this decision by himself.
Zarife had managed to smuggle a secure radio to his father
some time ago. At home he retrieved his own radio from the locked drawer where
he kept it and called the elder al-Dulami.
“That is all he told me,” Zarife repeated. “I don’t know who
he is or why he chose me. I swear to you.”
“Did you get a sense he was laying a trap?”
“No, I don’t think so. I only got a feeling of…of…”
“Of what?” his father prodded.
“Of greed. That was it. Of greed.”
They discussed the situation in detail, examining it from
all sides, knowing they might be falling into a trap. But in the end they
decided Zarife should call
His proposition was simple. Shortly a very large shipment of
arms and other materials would arrive in Baghdad. He planned to take possession
of it but he couldn’t unload them on the open market. There could be no hint of
his participation in this at all. According to his sources, the al-Dulami
family was seeking just such a windfall and had more than enough capital to pay
for it. And they, too, required total secrecy.
“What I need from you is to have your people ready to take
delivery and to have the cash ready to pay for it.”
Zarife frowned at him. “You think anyone will be crazy
enough to carry that much cash around in Iraq? If you do, you’re insane.”
“Not at all. You will be ready when I tell you to transfer
the money to a numbered account. My people will be waiting in Iraq. When the
money is in my bank account, the weapons will be turned over.”
Zarife smiled slyly. “What’s to prevent us from just taking
the shipment ourselves and keeping it?”
“First, you have no details about it, nor can you find out
everything you need. Not and do the job right. Second, I would hunt down you
and every member of your family and slaughter you like pigs. Besides, I have
information and resources that you don’t have. Even assuming you could steal
everything you wanted, which I highly doubt, there are other aspects to this
you can’t possibly know.”
“Why not just steal the shipment yourself and sell it to the
highest bidder?”
“As I told you, I can’t have any connection to this
whatsoever. Again, there are factors of which you’re unaware that demand
complete privacy. Plus, I understand your family is willing to pay anything as
long as the deal is concluded in secret.” He paused. “There’s one other factor.
Once back in power, your family can be a valuable ally to me. If we make this
deal, your continued cooperation and support of my projects would be
understood.”
Zarife thought for a long moment. “And if I agree?”
“I’ll move forward on my end and call you when it’s time to
transfer the money. You need to tell your people in Iraq to be ready to take
delivery. No one will ever know about the deal. No one must ever know
about it.”
Zarife was thinking furiously. “How do you know about any
plans I might have? What makes you even think I have any?”
The man laughed, an unpleasant sound. “Would I be talking to
you if I didn’t?”
Zarife felt something tucked into one of his hands.
“The number on this card will be good for twenty-four hours.
After that the deal is off.”
The car stopped, Zarife heard the door open and hands helped
him out of the vehicle.
“Count to twenty-five before you remove the blindfold,” the
voice told him.
Zarife stood there, shaking, listening to the vehicle drive
off and counting to himself. When he yanked off the blindfold, he discovered he
was back in the alley behind the shoe store. It took him a full five minutes
before he could gather himself enough to walk down the alley to the street and
another ten before he could draw a deep breath.
Hailing a taxi, he gave the driver his home address. He’d
call his office and let them know he’d be delayed returning to work. This was
either an unexpected windfall or a plot to eliminate him and his family. He
couldn’t make this decision by himself.
Zarife had managed to smuggle a secure radio to his father
some time ago. At home he retrieved his own radio from the locked drawer where
he kept it and called the elder al-Dulami.
“That is all he told me,” Zarife repeated. “I don’t know who
he is or why he chose me. I swear to you.”
“Did you get a sense he was laying a trap?”
“No, I don’t think so. I only got a feeling of…of…”
“Of what?” his father prodded.
“Of greed. That was it. Of greed.”
They discussed the situation in detail, examining it from
all sides, knowing they might be falling into a trap. But in the end they
decided Zarife should call
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