“Isn’t that what happens with a dam?” Renata asked.
“Except there’s no dam here,” Kurt said. “By the laws of fluid dynamics, the water in the channel should be the same level as the water in the river. Not only that, the velocity of the water coming out of that channel should be slower than the river water because the channel water has to do the work of spinning those giant turbines. With a project like this, you usually have to deal with backflow, not a gusher at the end.”
“Maybe they’ve figured out a way to accelerate the water that we’re unaware of,” Joe said.
“Possibly,” Kurt said. “At any rate, that’s not our problem.” He turned back to Renata. “Where’s our friend now?”
“Maybe it is our problem,” Renata said, looking up from the screen. “He’s docked right beside the construction zone and is proceeding on land. Looks like he’s about to enter the main building.”
Kurt raised the small binoculars he’d brought along and looked over at the construction site. Even from this distance he could see a strong security presence. There were guards patrolling with dogs at their side, others checking cars that were arriving through the gated entrance. “It looks more like a military base than a construction site.”
“A veritable fortress,” Joe said. “And our friend Hassan has taken refuge inside.”
“Now what?” Renata asked.
“We dig up anything we can find on Osiris International,” Kurt said. “And if Hassan doesn’t come out soon, we have to find a way in.”
“That’s going to be a lot more difficult than sneaking into the museum in Malta,” Renata said.
“What we need is an official excuse to be there,” Kurt suggested. “Something governmental. Any chance your friends at the AISE could make a call for us?”
Renata shook her head. “We have about as much influence here as your country has in Iran. None.”
“I guess we’re on our own, as usual.”
“Maybe not,” Joe said, grinning broadly. “I know someone who might be able to help us. An Egyptian government official who owes me a favor.”
“Hopefully, it’s a big one,” Renata said.
“The biggest,” Joe said.
Renata remained puzzled, but Kurt suddenly realized what Joe was getting at. He’d almost forgotten Joe was a national hero in Egypt, one of the few foreigners to ever be awarded the Order of the Nile. He could probably get whatever he asked for. “Major Edo,” Kurt said, remembering the man who Joe had helped.
“He was promoted to brigadier general, thanks to me,” Joe said.
“Is that why he owes you a favor?” Renata asked.
“That’s not even the half of it,” Kurt replied for him. “You’re looking at the man who saved Egypt by preventing the collapse of the Aswan Dam.”
“That was you?” Renata asked. The incident had made headlines around the world.
“I had a little help,” Joe admitted.
She smiled. “But you were the one?”
He nodded.
“I’m very impressed, Joe,” she said. “That would entitle us to a little help.”
Kurt thought so too. He stepped toward the bow and said to the water taxi’s pilot, “Thanks for your time. We’re ready to go back to the dock.”
The boat turned around. Now all they had to do was find Brigadier General Edo before Hassan left the building.
43
Joe sat on a plush chair in a swanky downtown office. The modern decor, subdued lighting and soft music gave off the aura of success. It was a far cry from the stormy night several years before when he’d first met Major Edo in a smoky interrogation room.
And that was unfortunate.
“So, I take it you’re not in the military anymore,” Joe said.
Edo’s hair was longer, his Clark Gable looks even more evident now that he’d traded in his fatigues for a sharply tailored suit.
“Advertising,” Edo said. “That’s the name of my game now. It’s much more lucrative. And it allows me to be”—he waved his hands around in an artsy manner—“creative.”
“Creative?” Joe asked.
“You’d be surprised how that’s frowned upon in the military.”
Joe sighed. “I’m happy for you,” he said, trying to sound sincere. “I’m just surprised. What happened? You were promoted to general, last I heard.”
Edo leaned back in his chair and shrugged. “Changes,” he said. “Big changes, you know. First, the protests. Then all the fighting. It became a revolution. One government fell. A new government took over. And then, of course, the protests began again and that government fell. Many in the military were purged. I was forced out with no pension.”
“And you chose advertising for your new career?”
“My brother-in-law has made a fortune in the business,” Edo said. “It seems everybody wants to sell someone something.”
Joe wondered if there was any way Edo could still help them. “I don’t suppose you could get us a meeting with the head honchos at Osiris Construction?”
Edo leaned forward and focused more sharply. “Osiris?” he asked with obvious concern. “What are you involved in, my friend?”
“It’s complicated,” Joe said.
Edo opened a drawer and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He stuck one between his lips, lit it and then began to wave it around as he spoke, never putting it back in his mouth. At least some things hadn’t changed. “I would leave Osiris alone, if I were you,” he warned.
“Why?” Joe asked. “Who are they?”
“Who aren’t they,” Edo replied. “They’re everyone who used to matter.”
“Maybe you could be more specific?” Joe asked.
“The old guard,” Edo said. “The military men who were swept out of power a few years ago. The military had been in control of Egypt since the Free Officers took over in 1952. They’ve been the hand on the wheel. Nasser was military. Sadat was military. Mubarak also military. They’ve been running things all this time. But it’s more than that. I’m sure you’ve heard the term military-industrial complex. In Egypt, we took that to a whole new level. The military men owned most of the businesses, they decided who got the jobs. They hired friends to reward them, enemies to placate them. But since the Revolution, things have been different. There’s too much scrutiny for things to go back to the old way. Osiris came out of that. It’s run by a man named Tariq Shakir. He was a full colonel in the secret police. He had great ambitions to lead the country someday. But he knows his past will prevent that from happening. So with the help of others in the old guard, he’s found a different way. Osiris is the most powerful corporation in Egypt. They get every contract. And not just from our government, but from others. Everyone is wary of them. Even the sitting politicians.”
“So this Shakir is a kingmaker and not a king,” Joe said.
Edo nodded. “He will never step to the forefront, but he wields great power both here and abroad. You’ve seen what’s going on in Libya, Tunisia and Algeria?”
“Of course,” Joe said.
“The new governments in those countries are made up of Shakir’s friends. His allies.”
“I heard they were members of the old guard in their own respective lands,” Joe said.
“Yes,” Edo said. “Now you see how it ties together.”
Joe had the distinct impression they were getting in deeper than they expected with each turn, almost as if they’d hooked a small fish that had been eaten by a larger fish and was being chased by a giant shark.
“Osiris has its own private army,” Edo said. “Castoffs from the regular units, men from the Special Forces, assassins from the secret police. Anyone too hot for the regular military can find a home at Osiris.”