the best of luck. Most of our magazines just print glossy guff about sporting events and fashion shows. There’s less moral outrage than in the other UAE countries, of course—you should try living in parts of Saudi Arabia, it’s still the Stone Age there—and here sometimes, just below the surface.’
‘What do you mean?’
Milo waved his hand airily. ‘Oh, raids take place and people go to prison. You never quite find out what’s going on. Everyone knows about the secret police. They had a perfectly workable system before the West arrived. Now they have a sort of polite totalitarian state. Hey, I don’t want to frighten you. I’m meant to be part of the welcoming committee.’
‘It’s a pleasure to find someone I can talk to,’ said Lea.
‘Let’s change the subject. How’s your daughter coping with the move? I assume that’s the pretty girl I see charging about on her bike.’
‘Cara seems to be taking to it well. Of course the weather’s still a novelty. She’s joined the computer club and is going to the beach. The kids at her London school were a pretty wild crowd, and she’s easily led. I didn’t want her getting into drink and drugs.’
‘There’s not too much chance of that happening,’ said Milo. ‘They don’t publicly whip offenders here like they do in Saudi, but arrests are made over tiny quantities of soft drugs and even over-the-counter medicines. In theory you can get a mandatory sentence for being in possession of flu medication. One guy was held after poppy seeds were found on his clothes. It turned out they had fallen off a bread roll he’d eaten at the airport.’
Lea’s eyes widened. ‘Is that for real?’
‘It was in the papers, it must be true.’
She couldn’t tell if he was joking. ‘Do you think Dream World will work?’
‘I don’t see why not. So long as people are rich and stupid enough to want novelties like underwater casinos and refrigerated shops selling fur coats. The Americans won’t come here and the Europeans are too broke, so it’s the turn of the Russians, the South Americans and the Chinese.’
‘That’s what Roy says. But what happens after that?’
‘My dear, there’ll be plenty of things to worry about before we reach that point,’ said Milo, sipping his coffee with a smile. ‘The road to democracy is filled with nasty surprises.’
‘I heard our predecessor got a nasty surprise right outside this house.’
Milo raised an eyebrow. ‘You mean Tom? Old Busabi has been busy. I was here the night he died.’
‘How did he manage to cut through a power cable?’
‘Nobody knows that he did. He’d certainly been using a fairly lethal electric saw to take out dead tree roots—the garden wasn’t like it is now. But he was found dead in the street. It was an odd thing—’
‘Why?’
‘Darling, it was dark . What the hell did he think he was playing at?’
‘What happened to his daughter?’ Lea instantly regretted asking the question.
Milo turned aside and made a fuss of checking his watch. ‘Look at the time, I must be getting on. It’s nearly noon—the safe hour.’
‘What do you mean?’
He pointed up to the ceiling. ‘The sun is directly overhead. There are no shadows at noon. Middle Eastern cultures believe that death hides in the shadows. You’re fine for now.’ He rose and made his way to the front door, turning to her. ‘Oh, don’t look so serious. Silly old men love to tease pretty women. But do one thing for me. Keep an eye on your daughter.’
His change of tone surprised her. ‘Why?’
Milo shrugged. ‘There’s an unhealthy lassitude that descends on rich people at the equator. The heat breeds strange notions.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘She has your looks. This is a place where the most primitive beliefs can suddenly resurface.’ He cut himself off. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be here to keep an eye on you.’
And with that he was gone.
Chapter Seven
The Next Doors
A YELLOW
‘What do you mean?’
Milo waved his hand airily. ‘Oh, raids take place and people go to prison. You never quite find out what’s going on. Everyone knows about the secret police. They had a perfectly workable system before the West arrived. Now they have a sort of polite totalitarian state. Hey, I don’t want to frighten you. I’m meant to be part of the welcoming committee.’
‘It’s a pleasure to find someone I can talk to,’ said Lea.
‘Let’s change the subject. How’s your daughter coping with the move? I assume that’s the pretty girl I see charging about on her bike.’
‘Cara seems to be taking to it well. Of course the weather’s still a novelty. She’s joined the computer club and is going to the beach. The kids at her London school were a pretty wild crowd, and she’s easily led. I didn’t want her getting into drink and drugs.’
‘There’s not too much chance of that happening,’ said Milo. ‘They don’t publicly whip offenders here like they do in Saudi, but arrests are made over tiny quantities of soft drugs and even over-the-counter medicines. In theory you can get a mandatory sentence for being in possession of flu medication. One guy was held after poppy seeds were found on his clothes. It turned out they had fallen off a bread roll he’d eaten at the airport.’
Lea’s eyes widened. ‘Is that for real?’
‘It was in the papers, it must be true.’
She couldn’t tell if he was joking. ‘Do you think Dream World will work?’
‘I don’t see why not. So long as people are rich and stupid enough to want novelties like underwater casinos and refrigerated shops selling fur coats. The Americans won’t come here and the Europeans are too broke, so it’s the turn of the Russians, the South Americans and the Chinese.’
‘That’s what Roy says. But what happens after that?’
‘My dear, there’ll be plenty of things to worry about before we reach that point,’ said Milo, sipping his coffee with a smile. ‘The road to democracy is filled with nasty surprises.’
‘I heard our predecessor got a nasty surprise right outside this house.’
Milo raised an eyebrow. ‘You mean Tom? Old Busabi has been busy. I was here the night he died.’
‘How did he manage to cut through a power cable?’
‘Nobody knows that he did. He’d certainly been using a fairly lethal electric saw to take out dead tree roots—the garden wasn’t like it is now. But he was found dead in the street. It was an odd thing—’
‘Why?’
‘Darling, it was dark . What the hell did he think he was playing at?’
‘What happened to his daughter?’ Lea instantly regretted asking the question.
Milo turned aside and made a fuss of checking his watch. ‘Look at the time, I must be getting on. It’s nearly noon—the safe hour.’
‘What do you mean?’
He pointed up to the ceiling. ‘The sun is directly overhead. There are no shadows at noon. Middle Eastern cultures believe that death hides in the shadows. You’re fine for now.’ He rose and made his way to the front door, turning to her. ‘Oh, don’t look so serious. Silly old men love to tease pretty women. But do one thing for me. Keep an eye on your daughter.’
His change of tone surprised her. ‘Why?’
Milo shrugged. ‘There’s an unhealthy lassitude that descends on rich people at the equator. The heat breeds strange notions.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘She has your looks. This is a place where the most primitive beliefs can suddenly resurface.’ He cut himself off. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be here to keep an eye on you.’
And with that he was gone.
Chapter Seven
The Next Doors
A YELLOW
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