The Abyssinian Proof (36 page)

S
ABA SAW
A
MIDA
stride into the compound. She also caught sight of a turbaned stranger behind him in the lane before he turned and disappeared. She walked stiffly across the courtyard, her bandaged legs rubbing against each other beneath her robe. She followed the oleanders to Amida’s cottage and, finding the door ajar, pushed it open and went in.

“Amida,” she called.

Amida came to the door, unbuttoning his jacket. “Hello, little sister,” he said, regarding her grim face. “Has something happened?”

“Mama is dead.”

“What?” Amida sank against the door frame. “What happened? Did someone…?”

Saba wondered what he suspected. Whatever it was, she was sure, was nowhere near as bizarre as the truth.

“Constantine thinks she was poisoned by something on that monstrance above the divan. It fell and she cut herself on it.”

“Poisoned?” Amida repeated in a disbelieving voice. “But she was strong and healthy.”

“She was ill, Amida. Very ill, even before the poisoning.” She paused. “We just didn’t see it.”

Amida sank shakily onto the sofa. He sat unmoving, head in his hands.

Saba sat beside him and waited.

“I should have known there was something wrong,” Amida admitted finally, lifting his head. “When Kamil Pasha brought the cross back, I thought maybe the shock had done that to her. I wish…” He choked down a sob.

Saba sat closer and put a tentative hand on his shoulder. When he didn’t react, she left it there.

“I wish I had a chance to explain things before she passed away. I can’t bear the thought that she died thinking I was responsible for Malik’s murder.”

Saba said nothing. He was responsible, she thought, but her anger had leached away under the onslaught of sorrow. There was room only for one measure in every cup, she mused, and hers was filled with grief. There would be no room for anger until she had drunk this cup dry.

She went into the kitchen, poured a glass of water, and gave it to him. He stared at the glass in his hand, but didn’t drink. His shoulders heaved. She took the glass from him and laid a hand on his arm. There would be time for recriminations later.

O
MAR JUMPED UP
from sleep, fully alert. Avi was pulling at his arm. “Chief, Chief. The Frank is at the village. He followed Amida from the jail and then he left and came back again with two men.”

Omar was immensely relieved to see Avi. “Alright. Calm down and tell me what you saw.”

Mimoza had been asleep on a mattress in the corner. She sat up and asked drowsily, “Where’s the fire, husband?”

“Right here,” Omar retorted. “Where else would it be? Don’t worry, I’m not going to see my mistress. She’s still asleep. Like you should be.”

“Avi.” She blushed to see that the boy had overheard. “What are you doing up so late? It must be midnight.” When she saw Omar and Avi turn to leave, she jumped up and tried to block their way. “He’s a child, Omar. Not a policeman.”

“Worry about me. I’m the policeman.” Omar kissed her on the cheek and pushed past.

A carriage waited in the lane. Omar leaned down and asked Avi, “How did you get the driver to bring a beggar boy across Fatih in the middle of the night?”

Avi pulled out his sack of coins, which had shrunk considerably. “I went to the station first, but they said you had gone home.”

“Good boy. Now I need you to go get the magistrate.” He gave the driver directions and told him to hurry. This mission would keep Avi out of harm’s way.

As soon as the carriage had pulled away, Omar ran for his horse. They had waited at the station all evening for Amida’s signal or Avi’s return. Finally, Kamil had suggested they each go home, in case Avi had gone there instead. Omar had left instructions at the station to inform him at once if the fox sketch or Avi arrived.

One mistake after another. Most of all, Omar berated himself for falling asleep before Avi had returned safely. Allah was right not to have entrusted a son to him. If he went to the station now to fetch his men, Owen might slip away before they reached Sunken Village. He cursed. He should have sent Avi to the station first. He decided to go to Sunken Village and keep an eye on Owen until Kamil arrived. He’d stick to Owen like a nit.

W
HEN HE GOT THERE
, Omar tied up his horse, ran down the stairs into Sunken Village, and, keeping his back against the wall, moved slowly toward Amida’s cottage. He crept up to the windows. The curtains were drawn and he couldn’t hear any voices. He checked the other cottages and Balkis’s house. There was no sound or movement, as if this were a normal chilly autumn night and everyone was asleep.

Suddenly the sounds of a piano drifted from Amida’s cottage.

Omar found an open window to a back room and climbed over the sill. The door of the room was ajar, and he saw a light and heard voices that he guessed were coming from the direction of the sitting room. Pressing his back against the wall, he edged toward the light. He heard footsteps approaching in the corridor. Just as someone pushed open the door, Omar disappeared into the wall.

K
AMIL GALLOPED THROUGH
the black, deserted streets of the city over the back of Pera hill, past the cemetery, and down to the Old Bridge. Avi had said three men, so Kamil had taken Yakup with him. They were both armed with revolvers. Avi had strenuously objected to being left behind.

They clattered across the Old Bridge, through Oun Kapanou Square, and down Djoubalou Boulevard. Finally, the enormous shadow of the Sultan Selim Mosque rose before them. Kamil and Yakup jumped off their horses and ran down the stairs into the open cistern.

It had taken them over half an hour to reach Sunken Village. Add to that the time it had taken Avi to get to Beshiktash, and Kamil reckoned Omar had already been in Sunken Village for an hour. He hoped the police chief had taken reinforcements, but knowing Omar, he had barreled in like a bear after honey. He supposed he might have done the same. It was their only chance to arrest Owen, and neither of them wanted to let him slip away. For a moment, he pictured a satisfied Omar with three criminals all trussed and ready to be carted to jail. No, he thought, three men were too much even for Omar to handle by himself.

The village was still and dark, the central square deserted. There was no sign of Omar. Kamil and Yakup split up and made a circuit, keeping close to the walls, then converged on Amida’s cottage.

Kamil froze. From the curtained windows he heard the strains of a sonata, perfectly executed. Not Amida. Owen.

Kamil told Yakup to wait outside the front door, then crept around the side of the house. He found the open window, climbed in, and felt his way through the room. Light seeped under the inner door. He pushed it open slowly and peered out. He was in a corridor leading to the sitting room. Cautiously, he edged his way forward until he could see into the room beyond.

The room was brightly lit by Amida’s Venetian lamps, two of which stood beside each other on a table by the sofa, as if someone had needed extra light there. Owen was sitting at the piano. Behind him was a man Kamil had never seen before, idly flipping a deck of playing cards. He didn’t see a third man, or Amida, or Omar. Kamil’s eyes were drawn to the floor, where a leg protruded from behind the sofa.

Suddenly his head exploded with pain and he dropped to his knees. His vision was blurred, but he recognized Remzi standing over him, cudgel in hand.

The piano playing ceased. “Kamil,” Owen called out, his voice betraying his surprise. “Is that you?” He got up and came toward him. “What the blazes are you doing here?” He reached down his hand to help Kamil up.

Kamil struggled to stand on his own. He pressed a hand to his head and it came away bloodied. He felt nauseous, but his vision gradually cleared. Remzi had disappeared. Behind Owen stood a tall, powerfully built man with ginger hair, who was wearing a suit too small for his massive shoulders. He had sharp, wary eyes in a blunt face and the revolver in his hand was pointed at Kamil.

Owen turned and frowned at the man. “Put that away.” To Kamil, he explained, “This is my associate Ben. He acts as my bodyguard. You can’t be too careful in this part of the city, especially at night.”

Kamil waited.

“Why don’t we go somewhere you can wash up?” Owen suggested, blocking Kamil’s view of the body behind the sofa.

“No, thanks.” Kamil had no intention of confronting Remzi, who was somewhere behind him. To reach the front door he’d have to get past Ben, who was eyeing him intently. His weapon was still in his hand, although it was no longer pointed at Kamil. Still, Kamil could sense Ben was aware of his every move.

Owen and Kamil stood facing each other. Through his blinding headache, Kamil regarded the tall, lanky Englishman’s face, his pale eyes, patrician nose, and ever-present smile. Kamil thought Owen looked momentarily lost.

Owen’s smile grew wider. “What’s the use,” he said lightly. “You’re always one step ahead of me, Kamil.” He settled back on the piano stool and reached for a glass and a bottle on a nearby table. “The Ardbeg is almost gone, I’m afraid, but there’s a drab left. The beggar has good taste in whisky, at least.” He poured some of the amber liquid and reached the glass out to Kamil. “This’ll help.”

Kamil took one step and staggered as a jagged edge of pain ripped through him. The next step was passable and the third bearable. He could see more of the body behind the sofa now. It was still hidden from the waist up, but from the slender calves Kamil could tell it wasn’t Omar. He was relieved.

He took the glass of whisky from Owen and drank it down.

“Your gun? I presume you have one.” Owen put out his hand. “Please.”

Reluctantly, Kamil drew the Colt from the holster under his jacket and handed it to him. Owen placed it on the table next to the bottle. Kamil reached out his glass and Owen refilled it, a parody of the gracious host at a dinner party.

“Why are you here, Kamil?” Owen asked. “I really wish you hadn’t come,” he added sadly. “I was rather fond of you.”

Kamil noted the past tense. “Where’s Amida?”

Owen nodded toward the sofa. “There he is, poor chap. Had a bit of a whack.”

Taking his glass, Kamil approached and bent over the body. Amida lay on his stomach between the sofa and a low table, illuminated by the two Venetian lamps. He was naked from the waist up. His back was tattooed with wings, one of them complete, the other an outline waiting to be filled in.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Owen commented. “Wouldn’t mind having a set of those myself. Bet it’d be a big hit with the ladies.”

“Is he…?” Kamil turned Amida’s face to the side and examined it.

“Dead? No, I don’t think so. There appears to be life in the fellow yet. ‘And cheeks all pale, which, but an hour ago, blushed at the praise of their own loveliness,’” he recited.

Kamil set his glass of whisky within reach on the table. He sat on the arm of the sofa, facing Owen on the piano bench across the room, and fished in his pocket for his cigarette case. Ben tensed and took a step closer. Kamil held up the cigarette with a thin smile, then leaned over and picked up Amida’s ormolu device to light it. “What do you want with Amida?” he asked Owen.

“We had some business to discuss.” Owen flapped his hand in the air. “I know, I know. It seems a devil of a way to discuss anything, but believe me, it was necessary. That fellow was playing me for a fool.”

On the floor, Amida groaned. Kamil knew how he felt.

“He’ll have a bump in the morning,” Owen explained apologetically, “nothing more.”

“What business does a cultural attaché have in Charshamba in the middle of the night?” Kamil asked.

“I could ask the same of the good magistrate.”

Tired of the standoff, Kamil decided to place his cards on the table, “You’re here for the Proof of God.”

Owen looked impressed. “Bravo, Kamil. Bravo.”

“Why do you want it?”

“Why does one want anything, Kamil? What do you want? Wealth? Fame? Glory?” He let his fingers trickle along the piano keys as he sipped his whisky and regarded Kamil’s impassive face. “No, I think not. You’re not ambitious, my friend. And neither am I. We’re nourished by the goodwill and respect of our fellow men. We’re very much alike in that regard. This is nothing more than a simple business transaction.”

“Well, fill me in, then,” Kamil suggested calmly. “Have you found what you were looking for?”

“Can’t tell you that. It’s a matter of some discretion. You understand.” Owen turned around, crossed his legs, and leaned toward Kamil. “What have you got your heart set on, my friend?” he asked earnestly. “I’m very well connected. Maybe I can help.”

“You haven’t got anything I want. Your associate Remzi already found that out.”

Owen looked offended. “I thought you and I were on the way to becoming friends. But clearly I haven’t yet earned your trust.”

Kamil held out his empty glass and gestured toward the bottle. “That’s good whisky.”

Owen chuckled and handed him the bottle. “Leave a finger for me.”

In filling his glass, Kamil managed to drop his cigarette and spill whisky on the sofa. Suddenly, his eyes froze on Ben across the room. He had taken out his gun and was training it on Kamil.

“What are you doing?” Owen demanded.

“He’s up to something,” Ben grumbled, shoving the gun back in his waistband.

Owen craned his neck at Kamil. “Surely not.”

Kamil took out his handkerchief and blotted the sofa. “We were discussing the Proof of God,” he prompted, leaving the damp handkerchief draped over the back.

“I’m intrigued. How do you know about it?”

Kamil didn’t answer, but took another cigarette from his case and lit it with a match, keeping the matchbox in his hand.

“I didn’t think anyone besides these Melisite types knew about it.” Owen gestured toward Amida. “Although this young man has exhibited more bravado than good sense. He told us he knew where it was, but I believe he knows nothing.” He looked at Kamil quizzically. “In fact, he thinks you have it. He said he followed you, hoping to wrest it from you.” When Kamil didn’t answer, he asked, “Unlikely, I know, but what do you make of his assertion? Do you have it?”

“You’re right,” Kamil answered. “He doesn’t know where it is.”

“And you do?”

“I do.”

“Ah. Will you tell me?”

“Maybe. First tell me what happened to Malik.”

“Who’s Malik?”

The fact that Owen didn’t even know the name of the man whose death he had occasioned infuriated Kamil. “The caretaker of the Kariye Mosque.”

Owen took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Believe me, Kamil, that wasn’t my idea. I simply asked one of my local associates to find a way to get the man to talk. He was uncommonly stubborn. Why should he care? It’s only a packet of old papers. It’s beyond me, really, why anyone should care. The buyer in London belongs to some kind of group that reveres—I’m not exaggerating,
reveres
—this thing. It’s utterly ridiculous. I sense that you’d agree with me on that, at least.”

“Were you there?”

“Where? In the mosque?” Owen paused. “I owe you the truth. I was there, with my two associates. And, believe me, I was disgusted. These Orientals have their own ways of getting things done, but one mustn’t interfere. Only in this case, it did no good. A waste, an utter waste. But that will all be redeemed now when you tell me where it is.”

“I don’t think so.”

Owen began to pick out a tune on the piano with one hand. “That’s a shame. I have a lot of money riding on this, my friend, enough to finance a small kingdom.” He shook his head in amused disbelief. “For a pile of paper in a crushed silver box. It’s inconceivable to me why my buyer is willing to bankrupt himself to get it, but,” he gave Kamil a charming, lopsided smile, “his loss is my gain. I’d be happy to share the profit with you.”

Kamil was becoming impatient. Where was Omar? He couldn’t tackle all three of these men by himself. Yakup was outside waiting for his signal, but he wouldn’t be fast enough to cross the room before Ben could fire off a shot.

He had no choice but to stall for more time. “What will you do with all that money?” he asked Owen.

“Retire to an estate and finally claim the position in English society that I should have inherited from my father. You know what I mean, Kamil. You’re the son of a lord, just as I am. We’re naturally drawn to one another. Birds of a feather.” He leaned forward. “You should trust me.”