over us, a small revolver in his hand. He looked almost embarrassed.
‘ Ana asif, ana asif . I’m sorry this is necessary.’
The sight of him pointing the gun while apologising profusely was so incongruous that the three of us could only watch in frozen surprise as he tucked the mud-packed cylinder containing the astrarium under his arm.
‘What are you doing? Are you crazy?’ Jamal shouted.
‘Excuse me for resorting to such extreme measures, but this object is infinitely more valuable than you imagine.’ Omar’s voice was clipped and bizarrely polite. Then he aimed the gun upwards, as if about to shoot a warning signal into the air.
A blind anger roared through me. Not caring whether I lived or died, I sprang towards Omar and punched him on the jaw, so hard that he fell to the deck, dropping the cylinder. It rolled to the side of the boat and lodged against the railing. His eyes rolled into the back of his head. He was unconscious.
Suddenly terrified, I stared down at Omar’s body. ‘Who is he?’ I blurted out.
Faakhir lifted one of Omar’s arms and shook it, as if testing that he really was out cold.
‘A nobody. A middleman,’ he said. ‘He doesn’t worry me. It’s who he might be working for that is the real concern.’
Faakhir’s calmness and professional control was staggering. Somehow, in the midst of extreme distress, I registered that he too wasn’t quite what he appeared.
I dropped to the deck and cradled Isabella in my arms again, beginning to realise the impossibility of bringing her back to life, the sky and the deck receding from me. I was in shock.
Jamal picked up the fallen gun and aimed it at Omar. Faakhir grabbed his cousin’s wrist. ‘Stop! Kill him and we’re all finished!’ He took the gun, then squatted beside me, gripping my hand. ‘Oliver, you must listen! You must let me go now so that I can keep the astrarium safe. But I promise I will return it to you.’
Water seeped from Isabella’s wetsuit, forming a pool around my knees. Her hand lay outstretched on the deck, the fingernails already bluish.
Faakhir shook me. ‘Oliver, concentrate. For Isabella!’
I nodded now, unable to speak.
He turned to Jamal and said something in his own dialect. Immediately they hoisted Omar’s unconscious body into the small life raft hanging from the side of the boat, then lowered it into the sea. Finally the reality of the moment came rushing painfully back,
‘What are you doing?’ I asked. My voice sounded oddly emotionless.
‘Don’t worry,’ Faakhir said. ‘The current will carry him ashore. He will be found alive within hours. But this way I have more time.’
He picked up the cylinder with the astrarium inside and then sat on the edge of the boat. ‘Oliver, when you get back to shore with Isabella’s body the harbour master will have to contact the police immediately. If they interrogate you, it is important that you don’t mention I was on this boat. You have never heard of the astrarium. You and Isabella were on an innocent tourist dive. Understand?’ Faakhir’s face was grim. ‘Oliver, do you understand?’
‘I understand.’
Faakhir took my hand.
‘I will see you in a few days, my friend,’ he said. ‘I will come to you. If this really is the actual astrarium, then Isabella would want you to take it back where it belongs.’
Before I had a chance to ask any questions, he’d slipped backwards into the water and, with a ripple of his black flippers, disappeared from sight.
Jamal slowly steered our boat back to shore. I stepped onto the jetty carrying Isabella’s body wrapped in a blanket. I remember talking to her, telling her everything was all right, I was there to protect her and everything was going to work out, my voice sounding curiously distant. Behind me, I was vaguely aware of Jamal arguing with the harbour master.
Minutes later a police car and an ambulance screeched up to the kerb. Before I’d even reached the Corniche an ambulance
‘ Ana asif, ana asif . I’m sorry this is necessary.’
The sight of him pointing the gun while apologising profusely was so incongruous that the three of us could only watch in frozen surprise as he tucked the mud-packed cylinder containing the astrarium under his arm.
‘What are you doing? Are you crazy?’ Jamal shouted.
‘Excuse me for resorting to such extreme measures, but this object is infinitely more valuable than you imagine.’ Omar’s voice was clipped and bizarrely polite. Then he aimed the gun upwards, as if about to shoot a warning signal into the air.
A blind anger roared through me. Not caring whether I lived or died, I sprang towards Omar and punched him on the jaw, so hard that he fell to the deck, dropping the cylinder. It rolled to the side of the boat and lodged against the railing. His eyes rolled into the back of his head. He was unconscious.
Suddenly terrified, I stared down at Omar’s body. ‘Who is he?’ I blurted out.
Faakhir lifted one of Omar’s arms and shook it, as if testing that he really was out cold.
‘A nobody. A middleman,’ he said. ‘He doesn’t worry me. It’s who he might be working for that is the real concern.’
Faakhir’s calmness and professional control was staggering. Somehow, in the midst of extreme distress, I registered that he too wasn’t quite what he appeared.
I dropped to the deck and cradled Isabella in my arms again, beginning to realise the impossibility of bringing her back to life, the sky and the deck receding from me. I was in shock.
Jamal picked up the fallen gun and aimed it at Omar. Faakhir grabbed his cousin’s wrist. ‘Stop! Kill him and we’re all finished!’ He took the gun, then squatted beside me, gripping my hand. ‘Oliver, you must listen! You must let me go now so that I can keep the astrarium safe. But I promise I will return it to you.’
Water seeped from Isabella’s wetsuit, forming a pool around my knees. Her hand lay outstretched on the deck, the fingernails already bluish.
Faakhir shook me. ‘Oliver, concentrate. For Isabella!’
I nodded now, unable to speak.
He turned to Jamal and said something in his own dialect. Immediately they hoisted Omar’s unconscious body into the small life raft hanging from the side of the boat, then lowered it into the sea. Finally the reality of the moment came rushing painfully back,
‘What are you doing?’ I asked. My voice sounded oddly emotionless.
‘Don’t worry,’ Faakhir said. ‘The current will carry him ashore. He will be found alive within hours. But this way I have more time.’
He picked up the cylinder with the astrarium inside and then sat on the edge of the boat. ‘Oliver, when you get back to shore with Isabella’s body the harbour master will have to contact the police immediately. If they interrogate you, it is important that you don’t mention I was on this boat. You have never heard of the astrarium. You and Isabella were on an innocent tourist dive. Understand?’ Faakhir’s face was grim. ‘Oliver, do you understand?’
‘I understand.’
Faakhir took my hand.
‘I will see you in a few days, my friend,’ he said. ‘I will come to you. If this really is the actual astrarium, then Isabella would want you to take it back where it belongs.’
Before I had a chance to ask any questions, he’d slipped backwards into the water and, with a ripple of his black flippers, disappeared from sight.
Jamal slowly steered our boat back to shore. I stepped onto the jetty carrying Isabella’s body wrapped in a blanket. I remember talking to her, telling her everything was all right, I was there to protect her and everything was going to work out, my voice sounding curiously distant. Behind me, I was vaguely aware of Jamal arguing with the harbour master.
Minutes later a police car and an ambulance screeched up to the kerb. Before I’d even reached the Corniche an ambulance
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