On Wings of Eagles by Ken Follett

make the Ministry
        pay for work that had not been done. Bill pointed out that Ministry
        officials, who were in a position to know, had never suggested that the
        reports were inaccurate. If EDS had fallen down on the job, where were the
        complaints? Dadgar could examine the Ministry's files.
    Dadgar asked about Dr. Towliati, and when Bill explained Tow- 40 Ken Follett
     
    liati's role, Mrs. Nourbash--6peaking before Dadgar had given her anything
    to translater-replied that Bill's explanation was untrue.
        There were several miscellaneous questions, including a completely
        mystifying one: did EDS have any Greek employees? Bill said they did not,
        wondering what that had to do with anything. Dadgar seemed impatient.
        Perhaps he had hoped that Bill's answers would contradict Paul's; and now,
        disappointed, he was just going through the motions. His questioning became
        perfunctory and hurried; he did not follow up Bill's answers with further
        questions or requests for clarification; and he wound up the interview
        after an hour.
        Mrs. Nourbash said: "You will now please sip your names against each of the
        questions and answers in Mr. Dadgar's notebook. "
        "But they're in Farsi-we can't read a word of it!" Bin protested. It's a
        trick, he thought; we'll be signing a confession to murder or espionage or
        some other crime Dadgar has invented.
    Abolhasan said: "I will look over his notes and check them."
        Paul and Bill waited while Abolhasan read through the notebook. it seemed
        a very cursory check. He put the book down on the desk. "I advise you to
        sign."
        Bill was sure he should not-but he had no choice. If he wanted to go home,
        he had to sign.
    He looked at Paul. Paul shrugged. "I guess we'd better do it."
        They went through the notebook in turn, writing their names beside the
        incomprehensible squiggles of Farsi.
        When they finished, the atmosphere in the room was tense. Now, Bill
        thought, he has to tell us we can go home.
        Dadgar shuffled his papers into a neat stack while he talked to Abolhasan
        in Farsi for several minutes. Then he left the room. Abolhasan turned to
        Paul and Bill, his face grave.
    "You are being arrested," he said.
        Bill's heart sank. No plane, no Washington, no Emily, no New Year's Eve
        party ...
        "Bail has been set at ninety million tomans, sixty for Paul and thirty for
        Bill. "
    "Jesus!" Paul said. "Ninety million tomans is .
        Abolhasan worked it out on a scrap of paper. "A little under thirteen
        million dollars."
        "You're kidding!" Bill said. "Thirteen million? A murderer's bail is twenty
        thousand."
        ON WINGS OF EAGLES 41
     
        Abolhasan said: "He asks whether you are ready to post the bail."
        Paul laughed. "Tell him I'm a little short now, I'm going to have to go to
        the bank."
    Abolhasan said nothing.
    "He can't be serious," Paul said.
    "He's serious," said Abolhasan.
        Suddenly Bill was mad as hell-mad at Dadgar, mad at Lou Goelz, mad at the
        whole darnn world. It had been a sucker trap and they had fallen right into
        it. Why, they had walked in here of their own free will, to keep an
        appointment made by the U.S. Embassy. They had done nothing wrong and
        nobody had a shred of evidence against thern-yet they were going to jail,
        and worse, an Iranian jail!
    Abolhasan said: "You are allowed one phone call each."
        Just like the cop shows on TV---one phone call then into the slammer.
        Paul picked up the phone and dialed. "Lloyd Briggs, please. This is Paul
        Chiapparone ... Lloyd? I can't make dinner tonight. I'm going to jail."
    Bill thought: Paul doesn't really believe it yet.
        Paul listened for a