" Professor Ragheeb." " Send him in, will you?" "Good afternoon." "Mr Saeed?" "Mr Saeed's away, I'm afraid." "My name's Sloane." "Away?" "Why is he away?" "Flu, Professor." "Medical men aren't immune." "He asked me to look after his appointments." "I'm only checking your glasses." "You look as though I want to drill your teeth." "Do sit down, Professor." "Ragheeb." "That doesn't sound English." "Are you English, Professor Ragheeb?" " Why do you ask?" " Oh, small talk, merely small talk." "The weather's too dull and politics too explosive." "I certainly didn't mean to pry." " May I see your glasses?" " I can't see anything without them." "Hmm." "Yes." " Yes, indeed." " Please." " Have you been exposed to flu recently?" " Does that weaken the eyes?" "No, merely the eye doctors." "There's so much close personal contact in our line, we can't be too careful." "Now... let's just try these." "There." " Read those letters in the mirror." " "A."" ""N, D."" ""A, O, H, T."" "Hmm, not bad." "Now the other eye." ""H, C, U."" ""D, H, L, E."" " "M." No. "N."" " Jolly good." "Look up at me, Professor." "I want to put some drops in your eyes." " Why?" " To dilate the pupil." "It's quite all right, Professor." "You won't feel anything." " There." "That didn't hurt, did it?" " No, it was..." "Here on the final slide is an example of a more cursive form of hieroglyphs, probably from the reign of the great Pharaoh Ramses II." "Now we can still recognise what many of the signs represent." "Here, for example, is the word for "heart", written simply with the picture of the heart." "But here, above the monster Amensit, who, as you can see, is part crocodile, part lion and part hippo, and who waits to devour the heart of the dead man is the glyph for a house." "Below it is a mouth." "These signs have phonetic value only." "They are followed by a drawing of a pair of legs, which, in this case, has no phonetic value." "As an ideogram, it does give us the clue to the meaning of the word" ""to go forth"." "Sex." "I thought there must be some way of attracting your attention, Mr Fanshaw." "I seem to have been talking in your sleep." "That will be all for today." "Professor Ragheeb will be back tomorrow." "Good morning." "May I have a word, Professor Pollock?" "If it's about that outstanding bill at the bookstore, there's a simple explanation:" "Poverty." " No, it's nothing like that." " In that case, how do you do?" "My name is Sloane." "Major Sylvester Pennington Sloane of Her Majesty's 42nd Highland Fusiliers, retired." " Marvellous." " Yes, quite." "I'm private secretary to Mr Nejim Beshraavi of the shipping lines." " The Nejim Beshraavi." " I didn't think there could be two." "Mr Beshraavi would like to see you in London, so if you'll follow me, please, the car is waiting." "Mr Sloane, this is Wednesday." "Shall I tell you about my Wednesdays?" "Right now:" "A healthy jog and a couple of tutorials, an indescribable lunch with the faculty at 12:45..." "Mr Beshraavi will pay you well for your time." "And I could use it, I don't mind telling you." "But, as I said, not on Wednesdays." "Good morning, Mr Sloane." "You people really can't take no for an answer, can you?" "What do you think you're doing?" "Let me go!" "Good Lord, a-aren't you..." "Mr Pollock, may I present His Excellency, Mr Hassan Jena?" " Well..." "Mr Prime Minister." " Good morning, Mr Pollock." "I am Mr Jena's Ambassador to Great Britain, Mohammed Lufti." "Mr Ambassador." "Please forgive this unorthodox method of making your acquaintance." "Please, don't mention it." "There's nothing like a kidnapping now and then to keep the circulation going." "The fact is that there are very few men on this Earth whom I admire more than you." "You're a very great man." "No man is greater than the people he serves." "Your respect must be for them." "Yes, sir." "I..." "I didn't know that you were in England." "You are quite right." "I am not." "You have not seen me." "The first favour I would ask of you is to help keep my visit here a secret." "Of course, sir." "And..." "And the second?" "You know a fellow countryman of mine, Mr Nejim Beshraavi." "The Nejim Beshraavi." "Yes, our richest and most powerful citizen." "We have every reason to believe he intends approaching you with a business proposition." "He already has, sir, but I turned him down." " Oh, dear." " Wrong?" "Your association with him could have been valuable to the cause of freedom." "How?" "All we know is that Beshraavi is opposed to our programmes and plans some violent exercise of that opposition in the near future." "We have to find out what he intends doing and when." "You want me to re-establish contact, accept his offer and see what I can find out?" "We want that very much." "But you must not accept until you know all the possibilities." "The assignment carries a certain amount of risk." "Is that a statesmanlike way of saying that I could get killed?" "Mr Beshraavi respects no one's life but his own." "If you wish, I will stop the car and let you out with nothing further being said." "For generations, the Pollocks have devoted themselves to uncovering the past." "I think it's probably about time that a Pollock involved himself in the future for a change." "As soon as you have any information, you will contact Mr Jena in London." "Ambassador-2779." "Words cannot express my gratitude." "Mr Pollock, very good of you to reconsider my proposal." "I always try my best to cooperate with the very rich, Mr Beshraavi." "Do sit down." "You mustn't mind Hassan, Mr Pollock." " Hassan?" " He's a peregrine falcon." "I've named him Hassan Jena after our beloved prime minister." "They share so many sterling qualities." "A sharp eye, a fierce dedication, and very sharp claws." "Hassan won't harm you, Mr Pollock, if you don't separate him from his master." "He is excessively loyal." "You keep him well fed, I trust." "Of course." "Nobody's that loyal." "I won't presume upon your time, Professor." "I know how valuable it must be." "What do you make of that?" "It's a copy of a Hittite inscription." "Second millennium BC, I would guess." "Take a date, Mr Pollock, as a gesture of friendship." "I'm a very Arabian Arab, I'm afraid." "Friends?" "Flesh, Mr Pollock." "Hassan eats only flesh." " I thought he looked at it wistfully." " It must have been your fingers." "I want to know what that inscription means." "I want to know that very much." "May I ask an indelicate question?" " How much?" " $25,000." "Very well." "I won't quibble, $30,000." "You go right ahead and quibble." "How did you happen to get hold of it?" "Let us say, I happened upon it by chance." "Oh." "Well, may the..." "gods continue to smile on you." "Thank you, Professor." "I value your good wishes." "But I won't keep you from your work any longer." "If you haven't finished by 8:00 tonight, you'll be..." " Tonight?" " That is correct." "I'm sorry." "I didn't mean to interrupt your threat." " If I'm not finished by 8:00..." " Then you'll be my guest for dinner." "I see." "If I should happen to run just a smidge over?" "You'll find this house a comfortable place to work in, Mr Pollock, however long it takes you." " Hello." " Hello." "Hello." "Hello, hello, hello." "What are you doing?" "Oh, these English crosswords are devilish, don't you think?" " You're an American." " Yes, sir." "Indeedy-do, ma'am." "I don't meet many Americans." "Actually, I don't meet many people who are dressed like that either." "Do you like it?" "Would you do me up, please?" "Ah-ah." " Oh." " Can you manage?" "Well, I..." "I always tremble when I'm happy." " I take it you're a houseguest here." " Why do you take that?" "One doesn't usually arrive for high tea dressed in a nighty." "One also isn't a houseguest in one's own house." "Oh, it's your house." "I got the impression it was Mr Beshraavi's house." "Nejim gives that impression with everything he borrows, but I assure you it is my house, and he's the guest." "Would you care to stay for dinner?" "I'm afraid that our street urchin has already invited me." "How bothersome." "You are working on the cipher, aren't you?" "Let's not talk about work." "Let's talk about you." "Listen, I don't know what Nejim has told you..." "There you are, Yasmin." "I hardly expected to find you here." " In her own house?" " In the library." "Yasmin has so many talents, she has practically no time for reading." "I'm sorry to tell you this, my dear, but Mr Pollock is as poor as a church mouse." " Will you come and change for dinner?" " Excuse me." "Those slippers are absolutely beautiful, my darling." " Are you wearing them for my benefit?" " Of course." "Mr Pollock does not have your exotic refinements." " He prefers nighties." " She said it, I didn't." "Mr Pollock, some Bedouins are in the habit of saying to their guests," ""All that I possess is yours"." "I am not one of them." "Delicious, Beshraavi." "What is it, squab?" " Lark." " Lark?" "Good heavens." "They've been soaked in honey for eight days." "What about you, Mr Pollock?" "Or is the prospect too exotic?" "I trust you'll notify my next of kin." "Go on, Mr Pollock." "Courage." "Oh, I am sorry." "That's all right." "I've always had a sweet tooth." "I hate being clumsy." "I despise it." "But you never are, my dear." "This is the first time I've seen you be so gauche." "You've dropped something, Mr Pollock." "Well... so I have at that." "What do you suppose it is?" "It looks like a little piece of folded paper, doesn't it?" "Let's see if there's anything written on it." "Was that you?" "I'm terribly sorry." "Let's see if there's anything written on it." "There is something written on it." "Don't keep it a secret." "What is it?" "It's a prescription." "I suffer from indigestion." "All those dry books I try to digest." "Perhaps we can have it made up at the chemist just around the corner." " Don't bother." " No bother." "One of the servants..." "It would be for them." "It's absolutely unnecessary." "I think I'd better be getting back to work." "The dinner was delicious, and... that was quite a lark." "Well..." "He certainly was strange, even for an American." "I'm sure you and Mr Beauchamp have business to discuss, so I'll develop a splitting headache before your talk gives me one." " Good night, Mr Beauchamp." " Good night, Miss Azir." "When are you going to let me show you around my bank?" "The moment I find myself in need of refinancing." "You, I'll see later, no doubt." "Beauchamp, you've been oozing good fellowship all evening." "When a banker oozes, someone's in trouble." "Let us have your bad news." "I was too discreet to mention it in front of your guests, but do you know what they've been saying about you on the exchange?" "Your brokers gossip like Arab women at the well." "They say when Prime Minister Jena arrives the day after tomorrow, he will sign the treaty." "They say the treaty specifies Anglo-American finance in return for a promise your country uses English and American tankers." "They say your ships will be laid up for good." " Do they?" " If they go on saying that, old boy, in a week your shares will be down ten points." "Don't worry." "There will be no treaty signed, old boy." "I happen to have in my employ a most dependable soothsayer." "Psst." "In here." "Now then, Miss Azir, I wonder if you'd tell me what this is all about." "Call me Yasmin." "At least while you're in my bathroom." "Now then, Yasmin, I wonder if you would tell me what is going on?" "Professor Ragheeb didn't fall out of any window." "They murdered him!" "Beshraavi?" "I doubt if it was him personally." " How do you know?" " What difference does it make?" "They killed him, and they'll kill you too." "You'd better keep out of this." "Me?" "Why should Beshraavi have anything against me?" "He needs me to decipher the inscription." " And when you've done it?" " Good point." "The message is too important for anyone he doesn't own to know about it." "What about you?" "Lock, stock and barrel?" "This is ridiculous." "We're in England, a civilized country, in the middle of London." "Over there is Regent's Park." "There's the zoo." "Over in Buckingham Palace, the Queen is probably playing Scrabble." "He can't own anyone here." "Everyone has his price." "How much, Mr Pollock?" "$30,000." "I did not settle so cheaply." "Why should you care what happens to me?" "I care about all things that live, Professor." "$30,000 in exchange for your old age is a very bad bargain." "Do you know..." " Who is it?" " Yasmin, why have you locked the door?" "Yasmin?" "Can you hear me?" "I was about to take a shower, darling." "You know how I despise locked doors." "Forgive me, Nejim." "People who lock doors generally have things to hide." "Would you care to search me?" "Would I find your thoughts?" "Well?" "Darling, don't ask me to speak with my mouth full." "You know, at dinner, just for a moment," "I thought you deliberately knocked over the plate and gave a note to Mr Pollock." "Imagine." "That really is extraordinary." " Jealous?" "You?" " I'm jealous of your thoughts, Yasmin." "I'm jealous of everything I can't see or hear." "Your shower's still running." " I'll turn it off." " No, take your shower." "Maybe I won't tonight." "I'm so sleepy." "In that case, please do." "I want you wide awake." "There now." "Wasn't I right?" "Isn't that refreshing?" "You might say that." " You feel wide awake now?" " Yes... but I wish I weren't." "You sound very tense, my love." "Turn around." "Let the water run down your back." " It soothes the nerves." " I don't think it would." " Nejim?" " Yes?" "Why is Mr Pollock working on that inscription?" "It's a business matter." "It would only bore you." " What was that?" " I dropped the soap." " Should I pick it up?" " Oh, no, no, I..." "I'll manage." "Somehow." " Have you got it?" " Yes, darling." "It's all right." "Extraordinary sensation." "Perhaps it was the way he looked at you." " Who?" " Pollock." "Darling, if you start getting jealous over everyone who looks at me, it will do terrible things to your blood pressure." "I don't think you have to worry about college professors." " Why not?" " They're only interested in work." "They're the most dangerous kind, my love." "They're such expert peekers." "Don't worry." "If I were standing stark naked in front of Mr Pollock, he'd probably yawn." "I think it's time I dried you." "Excuse me, Yasmin." "The phone." " Yes?" " Mr Beshraavi." "Yes, what is it, Sloane?" "I don't know where Mr Pollock is, sir." " Isn't he in the library?" " I don't think so, sir." "He was your responsibility." " What about the cipher?" " I don't know, sir." "Well, go and check." "Yes, sir." " Mr Pollock." " Yes?" " Do you have the inscription?" " It's in my pocket." "I hope it's written with waterproof ink." " It isn't there." " It isn't there?" "Must you mismanage everything?" "I don't know where Mr Pollock is either." "What do you mean?" "You've got to find him!" "Come up here at once, and bring that butler of hers!" "What are you doing?" " This is no time for dessert." " Well, they're good." " Here, have one." " Come on." "Come on." " He is not on the ground floor, sir." " You searched every room?" "Every room, sir." "Sloane, Pollock was in your charge." "I trusted you." " Now, you." "What's your name?" " Hemsley, sir." "Hemsley." "Yes, of course." " What have you been up to, Hemsley?" " N-Nothing, sir." "Have you been disobeying my orders?" "I-I work for Miss Azir, sir." "Ah, so you do." "I appreciate loyalty, Hemsley." "Tell me, how would you like to work for me?" "I'm satisfied with my present position, thank you." "Are you?" "Please tell me when you're dissatisfied with it, Hemsley." "Welcome aboard, Hemsley." "Thank you, sir." "Don't worry, Hemsley." "Here's a bonus." "Oh." "Well, thank you, sir." "Don't mention it, Hemsley." "Would you like another bonus?" "Oh, not just now, sir, if you don't mind, sir." " Where's Mr Pollock?" " He came up here, sir." "Up here?" " Where up here?" " To this room, sir." "No hanky-panky, Mr Beshraavi." "From man or bird." "Believe him, Nejim." "He means it." "He said he'd kill me." "Close the door, lady." "Lock it." "Get him, Mustafa." "But carefully." "Whatever he does to Miss Azir," "I will do to you, personally." "Don't think that I haven't enjoyed it." "It's been a nice change." " Thanks a lot." "Bye now." " No, they won't shoot if I'm with you." "You still need me." "Need you?" "Lady, I can't live without you." "Messy business." "My apologies, miss." "I'm sorry you had to see it." "Was I glad to see you?" " Are you with the police?" " Inspector Webster, CID." "How in the world did you know?" "We've been watching the house." "Nasty customers." "My house?" "Yes, miss." "Since Mr Beshraavi's been staying with you." "Might I suggest we move along?" "We'll have to get down to the station." "All right, all right." "Who's the ruddy nit who's broke my tank downstairs?" " I'm up to me neck in drowning fishes." " There's been some trouble." "Oh, and who are you?" "The ruddy Sheriff of Sherwood Forest?" "Webster, CID." "Oh." "Oh, I see." "You better let me see your card." "I've got to make a report." "Somebody's got to pay for them fish." "Yes, of course." "All right, let's go." "I don't get it." "Whose side are you on?" "What difference does it make?" "Let's get out of here." "You're not with the authorities, and you're not with Beshraavi." "And you can't be with Prime Minister Jena." "Who are you with?" "Her." "Swell." "Ain't it a gas about my promotion?" "Number three to General Ali himself." "He's coming round, waking up." "So you're with us again, teach." "I don't know whether I am or not." "Whose side are you on?" "Don't worry about sides, daddy-o." "Yussef Kasim is the name." "Kyle Webster you've met." "And dear Miss Azir." "For a poor, subjugated Arab lady, you lead one hell of an emancipated life." "Mr Beshraavi on the one hand, and Mr Yussef Kasim on the other." "Do you get Sundays off?" "Skip the college talk, teach." "To the point, daddy-o:" "Where is the cipher?" " The cipher?" " Yeah, the cipher." "We know you've got it." "No point fooling." "You're in the middle of nowhere." "The Marines can't save you for democracy here." "That cipher, where is it?" " Ask me later, alligator." " Where is it?" "I left it at Beshraavi's." "After all, it belongs to him." "Wrong again, teach." "He snatched it." "It belongs to this cat right here." "Where is it?" "Miss Azir, after all we've been through together, couldn't you find it in your heart to put in a small word on my behalf?" "He told me he had it in his pocket." "Tattletale." " Where is it?" " Cool it, Webster!" "There's a better way." "Nice business associates you have, Miss Azir." "Why don't you tell them where it is?" "Because I don't know where it is." " You told me you had it." " You told me lots of things too." "Looks like we're just a pair of pathological liars." "I was honest about one thing." "I told you to keep out of this, didn't I?" " That you did." " Then why didn't you listen to me?" "Because I'm such a big know-it-all." "OK, teach, here's your chance to be a big "tell-it-all."" "Somehow I get the idea you've seen too much television." "Webster." "Hey, Miss Azir, come on down here and I'll scrub your back." "Professor, can you hear me?" "An earnest professor of math studied figures while taking a bath." "Professor, what did you do with the cipher?" "Cipher, cipher, who's got the cipher?" " Number nine's got the cipher." " "Nine"?" "What's that mean?" "That's for me to know and you to guess." "Where is it?" "That tickles." "Professor, you can tell me." "Where is the cipher, hmm?" "~ Candy I call my sugar Candy..." "This is beginning to bug me." "Let's get rid of him." " What are you going to do?" " Dump him." " You heard him." "He doesn't have it." " Then who does?" "That's what you're going to find out, sweet mama, as soon as you scoot on home and ask your rich sugar daddy." "Webster." "Olé!" "Olé!" "Olé!" "Olé!" "Olé!" "Olé!" "Wee!" "Yahoo!" "Wee!" " We were quite worried about you." " Were you, Hemsley?" "How sweet." "But I expected to see you wearing a burnous by now." "I'm sorry, miss." "Don't sulk, Hemsley." "I'm in no position to throw the first stone." "Allah be praised, miss." "Ah, Yasmin, there you are." "I'm so delighted that you've decided to come back." "Your concern is so comforting, Nejim." "Your shower must have been quite stimulating." "It was." "But how do you suppose he happened to be in there, my pet?" "I neglected to ask him." "All I know is he was waiting for me with those scissors when I stepped in." "I wonder what made him come up here in the first place?" "I don't suppose it could have been your promise to keep him a prisoner here until he'd finished his work." "Oh, dear, I hope not." "I thought I was being so hospitable." "Westerners so often misunderstand us, don't you find?" "Oh, I am exhausted." "Of course you are, my poor darling." "Let me give you a massage." "How can you continue being so good to me when I'm such a trial?" "Oh, look at your poor shoes." "You must have done so much running." "What do you suppose happened to Mustafa?" " He hasn't come back yet." " Dead, I'm afraid." "And servants so hard to come by these days." "I saw several possible replacements at the zoo." "My admiration for Mr Pollock increases." "Probably Mustafa didn't feel like dying." "Mr Pollock didn't do it, darling." "Don't stop." "It feels divine." "It was Yussef Kasim." "Ah, the guerrilla forces." "I was wondering what they were up to." "I must say, they were a little miffed at you for borrowing their cipher." "I really don't think they had a chance to see it themselves." "Roll over, my love." "Do you think you can find the energy to tell me what they did to our professor?" "Killed him too, I'm afraid." "Oh, that's heaven." " So Yussef has the cipher now?" " What makes you think that?" "Surely they were able to make poor Mr Pollock relinquish it." "Mr Pollock swore he didn't have it." "Mr Pollock was lying." "Then I'm afraid he took the truth with him to his grave." "Before you came home I received word that Mr Pollock had arrived safely at his rooms at Oxford." "A hardy race, the Americans." "I was also told that he was riding a bicycle and singing a very strange song." "A hardy and fun-loving race." "But tell me, my flower, I don't think you've explained yet how it happens that Yussef managed to leave you alive." "It's very simple, really." "I promised I'd work with him." " By spying on me, you mean?" " Of course." " How very amusing." " Isn't it?" " Marvellous, in fact." " I knew you'd enjoy it." " Darling?" " Yes, precious?" " You are hurting my shoulders." " Am I?" "Oh, I'm so sorry." " Better?" " Much." "You must have been very convincing." "It's a feminine talent." "Well, what a waste not to exploit it." "I was going to send Sloane to see Mr Pollock to convince him to return the cipher." "But Sloane has so few subtle qualities." "I'm sure the professor would much rather deal with you." "I thought you were jealous of the professor." "I'm too busy now being jealous of Yussef." " Hello." " Mr Pollock." "One moment, please, for the Prime Minister." "Mr Pollock." "Good morning, sir." "We've been trying to contact you, Mr Pollock." "We were very worried about you." "No more than I was, sir." " Did you get the information?" " No, sir." " But you do have the cipher?" " No, sir." "Do you know who does?" " I think so, sir." " Will you be getting it then?" " No, sir." " Why is that, Mr Pollock?" " No guts, sir." " I beg your pardon?" "As long as you needed someone to sit down and work, I was your man." "But the situation has changed somewhat." "What you need now is someone with a Ph. D in roughhouse." "I did warn you that it might become dangerous." "Well, dangerous, sir, not lethal." "Yes." "Yes, you are quite right." "I apologise, Mr Pollock." "When one is willing to die for national honour, it is hard to remember that other people have equally important values to live for." "There is no reason why you, an outsider, should risk such a sacrifice for another man's country." "You..." "You take unfair advantage, Mr Prime Minister." "How so?" "By appealing to a man's better instincts." " I was confident that you had them." " Well... very well, sir." "Where would you like me to be..." "murdered this time?" "Try and find the inscription if you can." "Decipher it, and call me the moment you have." " Time is getting very short and..." " David." "David." "Thank God you're all right." "This isn't your house." "This is my house, and you weren't invited." "So go away." "I didn't even know you were alive, but I came to warn you anyway." "About what?" "Nejim's men are on their way here to get the cipher back." " You've got to get away." " Now slow down a minute." "Aren't you the same Miss Azir who just stood there while your friends tried to kill me?" "Oh, David!" "You don't think I enjoyed that?" " Well, so long as you didn't enjoy it." " There was nothing I could do." "You've got to listen to me!" "Every time I listen to you, someone either hits me over the head or tries to vaccinate me." "Maybe it's time that I called the police." "You mustn't do that." "What do you suggest then, the Salvation Army?" " Come with me, before it's too late." " What?" "And wind up back in Yussef Kasim's rumble seat?" "No, thank you." "Tell your boyfriend I'm a bad sport." "If I'd let him kill me, I'd never have forgiven myself." "Yussef is not my boyfriend." "I loathe him." "Of course you do." "You just do what he tells you because he's holding your family hostage back in the old country." " How did you know that?" " Oh, come on." "I've seen that movie." "General Ali Ben Ali, the man he works for, threatened to kill my mother and sisters unless I cooperated with him." "And Beshraavi, who's he got, your Uncle Max from Newark?" " What do you mean?" " Forget it." "If you want to live with Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, that's your business." "Do you think I like being near that degenerate?" "I have to." "Don't you understand?" "Yussef ordered me to meet him and to cultivate his friendship, so I could report on his actions." "Anyway, the pay is good." "It's not the money." "I swear it." "It's my family." "Oh, look, everyone's got problems, including me, so I'd just as soon not get mixed up in yours." "But you are mixed up in them, whether you like it or not." "Beshraavi wants to rule our country with his money, General Ali with his guns." "Both must know what's in that inscription." "That means they need you." "David, you must believe that I hate them both, that I'm only doing what they want because I have to." "If you can translate the inscription and we can get it to my embassy, we'll both be safe." "Yeah, well, It sounds reasonable, I guess." "Then... you believe me?" "In this cynical old world, you have to believe in something." "So, it might as well be you." " OK, I'll buy it." " Thank you." "Take it easy." "I'm not quite myself this morning." "You're wonderful." "Yeah, if I could find my head, I'd go get it examined." "If we're going to have visitors, we better get out of here." "Want to give it to me now?" " Give what to you?" " The inscription." " I don't have it." " Well, who does?" " You do." " Me?" "No, no." "You've forgotten, Yussef took it from me in the van last night." "But he couldn't find it." "Yeah, he found it." "He just didn't know that he'd found it." "Maybe we can still get it back..." "with a little help from you." "Where's Yussef?" "It's all right." "He's down there." "OK, where is it?" "Over there, I think." "Come on." "Must have had pups during the night." "I'll know it when I see it." "He dented it last week." "How?" "Knocking down an old lady at a crossing?" "There it is." "Hey, hey." " It's still there." " I don't see anything." "The candy!" "You are brilliant!" "The result of a clean mind and a healthy body." "Yussef." "I've checked all the morning papers." "There's not a word." " Do you think he's still alive?" " Stop bugging me." "How would I know?" "Have you heard from the girl?" "She'll give me a blast when she knows something." "Oh, no, he's taking it." "Why couldn't he be on a diet?" "What do you know?" " Thirty-five." "Which one is it?" " Number nine." " You were actually telling the truth." " What do you mean?" "Yussef was here." "I was here." "The cipher was here." "All you had to do was yell, but you didn't." "That absurd story about your mother and sisters must be true." " You mean you didn't believe me?" " Not a word." " Then why did you come with me?" " I didn't know where the van was." "Miss Azir, I humbly apologise." "I don't accept." "The least you can do when I tell you something is believe it." "With your track record?" "Uh-oh." "Let's go." "Be ready to duck." " Fourteen." " I only hope his sweet tooth holds up." "We're victims of the Establishment." "Ask him to move." "It's no use." "They can't move, speak or even listen." "If they do, they're beheaded." "Oh, nonsense." "He's a man, isn't he?" " Excuse me, soldier." " He's a guardsman." "Excuse me, guardsman." "I'm sorry to bother you." "I know you're on duty, but..." "There is something under your foot that belongs to us." "OK?" "Please." "Pretty please." "David, make him lift his foot!" "You've been learning from Nejim." "Fifty-two!" "You'd think after all that..." "Oh, no." "He's found it." "Sink, sank, sunk." " He must be calling Yussef." " I don't think so." "He knows Yussef's number." "Keep an eye on Webster." "Look here." "Webster sold out to Nejim." "Seems to be a popular indoor sport these days." "You're not including me, I hope." "Of course not." "We're believing you today." " 3:30, but it doesn't say where." " It doesn't have to." "If he's meeting Nejim at 3:30, there's only one place it can be." "Inthefifthrace the runners are as follows..." "I must go and advise my horse." " Are you coming, my love?" " You go, my darling." "I think I'll put some money on her." "What an excellent idea." "But only to win, of course." "It would be a grave mistake to back another horse at this late stage." "Well, if it isn't Mr Dillingham." "By Jove, it's actually Lady Hetherington-Cartwright." " Don't overdo it." " I didn't know you could." "I haven't seen Webster." "He's handing the inscription to Sloane at 3:30 by the winning post." " Do be a dear, Mr Dillingworth." " Ham." "Dillingham." "Tell me what you fancy for this race." "I'm putting my jolly old shirt on number nine." "Keep your eyes on the winning post." "You'll have to get it somehow." " And then what?" " Meet at Trafalgar Square at midnight." "It's been positively smash to have bumped into you this way, old thing." "Do give my regards to your husband next visiting day." " Ta-ta." " Toodle-oo." "What odds did you get?" "Two to one." "They'reoff." "It's Pollock." "Who is that?" "They're turning into the stretch." "Three furlongs left to race, and it's..." "That bungling idiot, Sloane." "Darling, we won!" " Hello?" " Prime Minister Jena, please." "It's very urgent." "This is Mr Pollock." "Pollock." "Mr Pollock, what has happened?" "Mr Jena, there's been some trouble." " A man was killed at Ascot today." " Yes, I heard." "Have you also heard who it is they think killed him?" "Mrs Pollock's idiot son, David, that's who." "I need your help." "I don't think there's anything I can do for you right now, besides suggesting that you stay clear of the police." "Mr Prime Minister, I don't think I've made myself clear." "Right now I'm wanted for murder." "You're the only one who can explain what I've been doing." "But, Mr Pollock, I thought I'd made myself clear." "For security reasons, I have never seen you." "I am not even in England." "Whatever the circumstances, we must disclaim any knowledge of you." "Where are you?" "Have you the message?" "If the message is not deciphered soon, then..." "Come here, my darling." " I brought you some presents." " How sweet." "More shoes?" "But, darling, you've already given me dozens." "I couldn't resist these." "Quite a coincidence, Mr Pollock turning up at the right place and right time." " Don't you think so?" " I would hardly call it a coincidence." "Neither would I. How do you account for it, my flower?" "He must have been following Yussef's man, the one who was killed." " Do you think so?" " It's the only explanation." "You wouldn't have mentioned it, of course." "I?" "Those are rather attractive, don't you think?" "Exquisite." "I really must thank whoever was responsible for getting him there." " Then you wanted him to have it?" " Certainly." "Who else is going to decipher it?" "I want you to find him again," "I want you to stay with him until he finishes his work, and then I want you to bring the answers to me." " Is that clear, my angel?" " Very clear." "I know that I can trust you to do that for me." "Unless, of course, you're growing weary of my little gifts." "Oh, and if I don't hear from you by noon tomorrow try and think of some remote corner of the world where I won't find you." "I don't think you can... but try." "Thank you, sir." " Mrs Ragheeb?" " Oh, but, sir..." "I must speak to Mrs Ragheeb." "Mrs Ragheeb, I'm an associate of Professor Ragheeb at Oxford." "This is tremendously urgent." "It's about your husband's... murder." "Murder?" "Why do you say "murder"?" "Your husband was murdered by some agent of Nejim Beshraavi." "He was killed for a Hittite inscription." "I don't know why." " I know very little, but I know that." " No, Amir." "Mrs Ragheeb, I know this is a terrible time to trouble you, but I've got to know what that inscription means." "I thought, perhaps, among your husband's notes..." " A Hittite inscription, you say?" " Did he tell you anything about it?" "Show it to me." "Mrs Ragheeb..." "I told him he was mad to meddle in such things." "Madness and suicide." "And now... he's in there." "But he must have told you something." "He must have mentioned where he got it, who gave it to him." " We have to know." " "We"?" "Who else?" "A girl." "Her family's in great danger." "Her mother and sisters, General Ali will kill them." " Is the girl named Yasmin Azir?" " Yes." "And she told you that her mother and her sisters are in danger?" "Yes." "Yasmin has no such family, Mr Pollock." "There is only her father." "General Ali would never harm him." " Why not?" " Because General Ali is her father." "David, I was so worried about you." "Oh, you were?" "The police think you killed Webster." "Have you seen the papers?" "I don't care what they say as long as they spell my name right." "I had a hard time convincing Nejim I had nothing to do with your being at Ascot." "I'm sure that you were very convincing." "I told him you must have been following Webster," " but I'm not sure he believed me." " How could anyone not believe you?" "He made me promise to keep you working on the cipher and to call him the moment you've broken it." " Oh, damn." " What's wrong?" "Nejim had me followed when I left the house but I thought I'd lost them." "Now they're back again." "Duck." "Oh, it's all right." "We lost them." "Next time let me know so I can fasten my seat belt." "Where is the inscription?" "May I see it?" "Why do you want to see it?" "I don't know." "I've never seen it." "When you've seen one, you've seen them all." " As long as you have it." " Well, I don't have it." "What do you mean?" "Of course you do!" "Look out!" " Would you like me to drive?" " What have you done with it?" "Relax." "I haven't forgotten your mother and sisters." " I mailed it to myself." " Oh, no." "How will you be able to work on it?" "I won't have to." "I know what's in it." "What does it mean?" "Tell me." "It said, "The... plague shall not pass until the swans... fly high in the kingdom of Vesta."" " Vesta?" "What does that mean?" " How should I know?" "My job was to translate it into English." "Well, I suppose it will mean something to somebody." "I'll call the embassy and tell them, but I'd better drop you off first." " Where are you staying?" " Right here with you." "It's not safe for you to be out on the streets." "What if the police stop us?" "The way you drive?" "Why should they stop us?" "All right, David." "I'll look for a phone box." "No, no, I'll look." "That way maybe we can keep from hitting it." " Want me to come with you?" " What for?" " Think how cosy it would be." " But so hard to dial." "Don't tell me that the ambassador spoke with you at this hour?" "As a matter of fact, he did." "They are preparing for Mr Jena's visit tomorrow." "What did he say?" "He didn't understand the message." "He said to come right over." "Er... it's all right." "You can get out here." "I'll meet you later." " Why?" " Stop asking so many questions." "There are police at the embassy." "They'll recognise you." "Do you want to be arrested for murder?" "All right." "I'll meet you in Knightsbridge at the Kelly Hotel." "I'm registered in the name of O'Malley." " O'Malley?" " There's a discount if you're Irish." "Follow that car." "All my life I've waited for somebody to say that." "Thanks, guv." "I enjoyed that." "Yussef?" "Yasmin!" "Get down!" " David, you followed me." " No, I didn't." "You went to the embassy and I came here to my hotel." "There." "Over the wall." "Wait!" "Down here." "Can't say I care much for your embassy." "David, I wasn't deceiving you." "I had to find out what the message means." "Yussef is the only one who knows." "That's why I came here." "Not one of your brighter ideas." " You stay here." " David!" "Oh, David!" "Oh, David!" "I couldn't let you die without hearing the end of your story." "Come on!" "But it's true." "Everything." "I swear it." "As true as your poor old mother and your three sisters?" " Of course." " I went to Mrs Ragheeb." " Oh, no." " She was very well-informed about you." "You told her you and I were working together?" " Naturally." " No wonder." "No wonder what?" "She'd say anything to keep you from trusting me." "She's an agent of Yussef's, like her husband." "Don't you see what you did?" "The moment you let her know I was double-crossing them, she called Yussef to warn him." "So he lured me to the construction site, to kill me!" "What is there about you that makes you so hard to believe?" "Perhaps it's because I'm such a terrible liar." "But never with you, of course." "I wish I could say the same." ""The plague shall not pass until the swans fly high in the kingdom of Vesta."" " You made it up?" " Uh-huh." " What's the real message?" " I haven't worked it out yet." "We'll have to do something." "I packed a suitcase." "It's in the back." "I can't very well go back to my house." "Nejim isn't the understanding type." "Haven't you any ideas?" "Yeah." " Darling?" " Mm-hmm?" "I got the message." "Oh!" "Yasmin!" "Good morning." "Good morning." "Good morning." "Good morning, my darling." "You pass bachelor's requirement number one." "You're lovely in the morning." "I was dreaming of someone much more romantic." "You." "No, come back here." "I have something else." "I've cracked the cipher." "David, that's wonderful." "What does it mean?" "It's a phoney, 100 per cent phoney." "It isn't Hittite." "It's an ordinary, common-or-garden grade-school code." " Look." "Here, you want these?" " No, certainly not." "You see, bird sign, bird sign, bird sign." "Sex differentiation factor." "You mean it's dirty?" "No, a three-year-old child could understand." "Female bird:" "Goose." "Female bird:" "Goose." "Male bird:" "Gander." ""Whither do you wender..."" " No, that's "wander"." " Wander." " "Upstairs, downstairs..." - "Or in my lady's chamber."" " What does that mean?" " I don't know." "We've got Beshraavi, the British constabulary, the whole human race howling after our blood just for a lousy nursery rhyme." " It's got to mean something." " It must." " Who wrote it in the first place?" " Ragheeb, I imagine." "Exactly." "Ragheeb." ""Upstairs, downstairs..." "in my lady's chamber."" "Mrs Ragheeb must have the answer." "She couldn't have." "She would have told Yussef." "That's right too." "When I showed her a copy of it, she tore it up." "She looked at it, and she didn't give a damn." " Wow!" " David... what are you talking about?" "A copy of the message means nothing, the translation means nothing." "The message is a screen." "It's a doodle." "All that matters is the original piece of paper." " The original?" " Of course." "It isn't the cipher." "It's something else on that paper." "Something underneath the cipher." "Arise, arise, oh, my beloved." "To the Hammersmith Post Office." "Have you got it?" "Don't you trust me with anything?" "No watermark." " What do you see?" " Gander, goosy, goosy." "Just keep your eyes on the road." "It must be here someplace." "Are you burning it?" "That's how you detect invisible ink." " Weren't you ever in the Boy Scouts?" " I flunked the physical." "You should have tried my troop." "We'd have waived it." "Wait, wait!" "Stop the car!" " What are you doing?" " I'm about to invent the wheel." "Well, there it goes." " No, no, wait." "Look!" " I don't see anything." "The eye." "The eye of the third bird." "What's that?" "A microdot." " What do you see?" " Take a look." " She's a beauty, isn't she?" " She certainly is." "But the microscope's a trifle small." "Haven't you anything larger?" "Certainly, sir." "So that's what they wanted Yussef to know." "Something on this order, sir?" "I'm afraid not." "Haven't you anything larger?" "I'll look, sir." "What do we do now?" "It says when, but it doesn't say where." "When is the 18th?" "Monday was the 14th." "Tuesday, Wednesday..." " It's today." " Today?" "Come on!" "This is the largest we have, sir." "Shall I..." "Hey, David, look!" " Oh, no!" "Do something!" " Lift it out of the way?" "I don't care." "Do anything!" "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen." "Mr Jena will be happy to answer your questions now." "All right, mate." "Lots of room." "That's it." "Keep on going." "Lots of leeway back there." "Bring her on back, mate." "OK, fine." "Plenty of leeway." "Plenty of leeway." "Lots of room." "Right on back." "Good." "Right on back, mate." "Right on back." "Fine, fine." "Good." "Plenty of room, mate." "That's good." "Thanks, mate." "This is your first visit to England." "What are your first impressions?" "We could use some of your English rain in our dry country." "In our country, there's a great deal of oil and very little water." "A highly inflammable situation." "All right, Hemsley." "Water remains our most serious problem." "To paraphrase Marie Antoinette:" "I can hardly say of my people, "Let them drink oil."" "May I see your press card, please, sir?" "Diners Club?" "I'm afraid I don't recognise you." "We're doing a piece on the Arabic cuisine." " I'm sorry, sir." "It's not on my list." " Get out of the way." "I'm sorry, sir." "Would you comment on the treaty you intend signing?" "You've been misinformed, sir." "I shall not sign the treaty." " Listen!" " Let us through!" " He's about to be killed!" " I hardly think so, this is England." "I have studied the terms of the treaty most carefully, and I could not, in good conscience..." "They have fought too long and hard..." "Please!" "Let us through, please!" "What is happening?" " Mr Pollock?" " I'm sorry, sir." "Are you all right?" "It appears that I am." "What happened?" "I was a little late deciphering the message." "That's what." " Here." "Let me help you up." " Thank you." "Mr Pollock was brilliant." "He deserves a medal." "Who is responsible for this?" "Do you know?" "Yes, sir." "Nejim Beshraavi." "Beshr..." "Mr Pollock, I must speak with you." "Excuse me." "Excuse me." "Come, Mr Prime Minister." "The car is waiting." " I must speak with Mr Pollock." " There's no time." "We don't know who else here might be involved." "I must speak to Mr Pollock!" "Come on." "They did it." "After all that, they did it." "We just stood there." " Where are we going?" " We have to find Jena." " Did I understand you to say..." " That wasn't Jena." " It sounded like you said..." " I tell you, it wasn't!" "It looked very much like him, but it wasn't Jena." "It was Hassan Jena." "I know him." " Oh!" " He knows me." "I've spoken to him many times." "He came to Oxford." "Jena's never set foot in England before today." "He wanted people to think that." "He was here." "He's the one who sent me to Beshraavi in the first place." "That man?" "The one who was shot?" "Yes." "Now do you believe me?" " Why didn't you tell me?" " I never knew who you were." "That's why he looked so frightened." "Nejim hired him to impersonate Jena, only he neglected to mention that part of his job was to be murdered." "We have to find the real Jena." "Come on." "You expect me to believe that nonsense?" " What proof do you have?" " He didn't recognise me." "But..." "Wait..." "Why should he recognize you?" "Yasmin, are you trying to tell me something?" "I am a spy." "Hey." "Wait!" " Can you prove that statement?" " Do you think we carry calling cards?" " Then why didn't you tell me?" " You wouldn't have believed me." " Where are we going?" " I want to see where it happened." "Where what happened?" "Did you record the Prime Minister's arrival on tape?" " Yes." " Run it for me." "The Prime Minister's life may depend on it." " You're a bit late." "He's been shot." " Do as I say." " Is that tape ready to roll yet?" " It's all set." "Put it up on the monitors." " Which one is that?" " The real one." "It has to be." "There was no way to get to him before this." "Yes, it's Jena." "Those are his favourite slippers." "Can you see what's happening inside the car?" "The windows are too dark." "Hold that." "Can you freeze it?" "Look, the shoes are different." "He's not wearing slippers anymore." "That's where it happened." "In the car." "We've got to find it." "She's a government spy." "Look." "Come on." "Give me a hand, will you?" "You seriously think..." "What else would they have done?" "Left him in the airport?" "It's the treaty, isn't it?" "If it had gone through, Nejim would have been ruined." " Jena was going to sign it?" " That's why they needed a substitute." "To denounce the treaty before the assassination." "I have a vivid imagination." "I must say, I never saw myself unpacking a prime minister." "Our life expectancy may be nil, but I'd like you to know this has been a very real, warm, human experience." "It's uncanny." "What is it?" "Where am..." "You're among friends, sir." "At least for the next 30 seconds." " Are you all right?" " I think so." " Is that you, Miss Azir?" " Let's get him out." "Ploy number one." "We've got him, sir." "It's about time you did something right." "Well, get him out!" "Hey, you two!" "Lend a hand here." "And you!" "Undo these chains." "Put it down!" "Open it, Sloane." "Imbecile." "Must you mismanage everything?" "Down!" "Flat!" "Now!" "Come on!" "Run for it!" "Wait!" " Can you ride, Mr Prime Minister?" " You ask that of an Arab?" " What do you want?" " We, er... er..." "You can't ride in that skirt." "Hup!" " Are you all right, sir?" " Yes, thank you." "That way!" "I don't see what he can do now." "He'll think of something." "I knew you couldn't keep a good man down." "There!" "Get them, Sloane!" "This time get them!" "David!" " Are you all right?" " No." "I'm ashamed of myself." " I ride better than that." " Come on!" "This side!" "Those stairs must lead somewhere." "Are you sure?" "If they don't, watch out for the last one." "Here comes old Eagle-Eye." "This is like a recurring dream I used to have." " How did it end?" " Don't ask." "Here goes." "Don't, David." "Please, don't." "You'll be a sitting duck." "How come my recurring dream never ended this way?" "I don't know." "Mine always did." "I guess I just travel in better dreams." "Do I have your... solemn pledge that you'll never spy again?" " Only on you." " Oh, swell." "Hey!" "You clumsy idiot!" "Oh, it's you, Mr Pollock." "Oh, hello, Fanshaw." "David... you can swim, can't you?" "Sorry." "Not a stroke." "David!" "Here we are again, taking a bath together." "David, you lied to me!" "Sure." "It was my turn."