The inspector outlined the events that had taken place. ‘We were very lucky that the Englishman, Richter, worked out what was happening,’ he said, and went on to describe how James Holden had featured in the scenario.
Edward Dawson’s expression remained composed as he listened, but his brain was reeling from the almost unbelievable story he was hearing. An Arab terrorist group planning an attack right here in Dubai? And that blond-haired English bastard had somehow worked out the real reason behind the incidents they’d orchestrated in Syria and Bahrain. In fact, he’d made the right deduction, but he hadn’t made the right connection.
‘What happened to the terrorists?’ Dawson asked. He was very aware that, if they’d survived and were questioned — most Arab countries used interrogators who were very good at extracting information — they would know nothing at all about either the Damascus shahid or the Manama car-bomb. That would blow Richter’s theory right out of the water, and could lead to more investigations as the authorities tried to work out exactly who Holden had been working with. But if the terrorists hadn’t survived, their lack of knowledge would have died with them.
‘Two of them were killed,’ Hussein replied. ‘The third is still unconscious, but he’ll survive — for a while at least. Once he’s fit to travel, he’ll be taken to Saudi Arabia for trial, since his target was the Saudi royal family. The proceedings won’t take long.’
That sounded convenient. From what Dawson knew of Saudi justice, the surviving terrorist’s fate would be predictable and his punishment swift and brutal.
‘Were there any other casualties?’
‘Unfortunately, yes. The last terrorist opened fire at close range with an assault rifle. Four Saudi princes were killed and three injured. Richter then shot and killed the terrorist, but three bystanders were also injured.’
Dawson nodded. It sounded as if Richter was both resourceful and competent, and he wondered if O’Hagan would suggest taking him out. On the other hand, they were now only about thirty-six hours away from achieving their objective, and it probably made sense not to do anything that might draw attention to them.
‘So, Agent Hutchings, now we know the real target was the House of Saud, we can relax. There never was a threat to a hotel here in Dubai. That part of Holden’s story was just intended to divert our attention. My superiors have specifically asked me to thank you for your time and trouble, but now that the threat has been neutralized, we no longer feel your presence here is necessary.’
Dawson sat in silence for a few seconds, his mind working overtime. This was a sting in the tail he hadn’t anticipated. They had to get themselves into the Burj Al-Arab on Monday.
He cracked his face into a smile. ‘That’s excellent news, Inspector. It’ll be good to get back home again, but we can’t leave Dubai just yet. You may remember that we had a problem with the Gulfstream on our way out here?’ Hussein nodded. ‘Well, the aircraft still needs to be checked out thoroughly, so we won’t be able to leave until Tuesday at the earliest. And we still need to show your officers how to use the explosive detectors, so why don’t we go ahead with the demonstrations on Monday as we’d planned? It’ll only take a couple of hours.’
For a moment Hussein didn’t respond, then nodded. ‘I’d forgotten that we’d arranged that. I’ll check with my superiors, but I don’t think there’ll be a problem.’
They lay side-by-side in the double bed in Richter’s suite, their nakedness covered by a thin sheet, the air-conditioning humming softly in the background.
‘What do you want to do for what’s left of the evening?’ he asked.
‘Not a lot,’ Carole-Anne replied. ‘This has been, by any standards, a very full day. Between us we’ve prevented a bunch of the Saudi royals from being vaporized, shot two terrorists and been threatened with legal action for accidentally shooting a handful of bystanders. Absolutely anything else we do will have to be an anticlimax.’
‘Dinner in bed, then?’
‘No,’ she said firmly, scooping up the hotel guide book from the bedside cabinet. ‘Let’s hit one of the restaurants here. Al-Dana? Or what about Sakura? Do you like Japanese food?’
Richter shook his head. ‘No. I prefer whatever I eat to have at least stopped moving before it reaches my plate. Al-Dana or the Western Steakhouse will do for me. I could eat a steak,’ he added hopefully. ‘And what about tomorrow?’
‘More of the same, with any luck. We can take a cab and drive around, do some sightseeing, I suppose. Have you had a chance to see the Burj Al-Arab yet?’
‘Only in pictures,’ he sighed. ‘OK, I wouldn’t mind doing the tourist bit for a while. It’ll make a change from being shot at.’
‘That’s a deal,’ Jackson said. ‘Now get dressed, take me downstairs and feed me.’
The moment Hussein stepped into his police car, Dawson crossed to the reception desk, picked up the house phone and called O’Hagan’s room.
‘Bring the others and meet me in the coffee shop,’ he ordered. Then he walked outside, pulled out his mobile and punched in a number.
‘Roy,’ he said, when the pilot answered, ‘it’s Agent Hutchings. I’m calling about that fault on the Gulf-stream we discussed earlier. I’ve told Inspector Hussein we can’t leave Dubai until Tuesday morning at the earliest. Is that forecast still correct?’
Sutter immediately grasped the hidden message being relayed to him. ‘Yes. I can’t do anything tomorrow, obviously, and I’ll have to run some more checks on Monday, but if I don’t hit any other problems the bird should be ready to fly by Tuesday.’
‘Good,’ Dawson replied. ‘Just keep me informed.’
A few minutes later, in the coffee shop, Dawson outlined what Hussein had told him.
‘So Holden was actually working for this bunch of Arab terrorists,’ O’Hagan said with a smile. ‘That’s certainly news to me.’
‘Me, too,’ Dawson said. ‘Anyway, the Dubai cops don’t think there’s now a credible threat to any local hotel, so we won’t have to carry out the checks we planned. We’ll just do a demonstration of the detectors, then head for home. The cars will be here at nine on Monday morning.’
Chapter Nineteen
Two Dubai police cars drew up outside the hotel, the inspector seated in the leading vehicle. The four Americans were waiting for him in the lobby, several bags piled beside them.
‘Now I see why you needed two cars,’ Hussein remarked. ‘Are these detectors very big?’
‘No,’ Dawson replied, ‘they’re hand-held units, but the other bags contain batteries, chargers, calibration equipment, test gear and spares. It’s a real comprehensive outfit.’
‘I hope you don’t mind,’ Hussein said, turning in his seat as they drove away, ‘but I have to make a small detour on the way to Jumeirah Beach. It’s not very far out of our way — just down Shaikh Zayed Road.’
‘No problem, Inspector,’ Dawson assured him. ‘As you said on Saturday, the pressure’s off us now.’
Ten minutes later, both cars stopped outside the Crowne Plaza. Hussein went inside and headed for the reception desk to ask for Paul Richter.
The receptionist nodded. ‘Who shall I say is calling?’
Hussein produced his identification. ‘Ask Mr Richter to come down. I need to speak to him.’
After a couple of minutes, the doors of one of the lifts opened and Richter emerged, with Carole-Anne Jackson beside him. They strode across and shook Hussein’s hand.