The Camel of Destruction by Michael Pearce Read Free Book Online Page A

one or two papers. Although off-hand I can’t… I’ll get Petros to check.’
    ‘Anything else?’
    ‘I really can’t recall…’
    ‘You know, Mr. Zokosis, you surprise me. You gave me the impression at the Continentale that his work was important.’
    ‘Did I? A businessman’s way of talking, perhaps.’
    ‘You wanted me to change the date of his death.’
    ‘Not quite as crudely as that, I hope. But certainly his death was inconvenient to us. You see, we were just negotiating— we thought we
had
negotiated, in fact—an important arrangement with the Ministry and we didn’t want to go through all that again.’
    ‘The arrangement was to do with what?’
    ‘An injection of funds. Well, no, perhaps that is to go too far. Let us say, the Ministry was going to underwrite a credit arrangement on our part.’
    ‘You were going to borrow money and the Ministry was going to guarantee it?’
    ‘That’s the general idea, yes.’
    ‘And Fingari’s role in this?’
    ‘He represented the Ministry in the negotiations.’
    ‘And was also on your board.’
    ‘Yes.’ Zokosis smiled. ‘It’s all right, Captain Owen. There is nothing underhand about it. The operations of the Bank are so crucial to the agricultural sector that it makes sense for the Department to be party to our deliberations. We requested the appointment because we wished to be open about our thinking.’
    ‘Yes, I’m sure. But that doesn’t seem to me to be quite the same thing as entering into a financial relationship.’
    ‘One is a natural extension of the other. Especially in the present situation,’ said Zokosis seriously, ‘with the whole agricultural sector in danger of collapsing. You are, of course, aware—?’
    ‘One has only to look at cotton prices,’ said Owen. ‘However, I am still wondering about Fingari’s role in the matter. Did he have the power to authorize the arrangement himself?’
    ‘Heavens, no! It had to go right the way up.’
    ‘And did?’
    Zokosis smiled. ‘I can see you’re still unconvinced. Would you like to have a word with our Chairman?’
    ‘You’re not the Chairman?’
    ‘Oh no. I’m merely Chief Executive.’
    He led Owen along the corridor, knocked on a door and entered.
    ‘Mr. Singleby Stokes,’ he said.
    ‘Hello, old man,’ said the white-haired, white-moustached man sitting behind the desk. ‘Don’t think we’ve met.’ He rose and shook hands. ‘Not been in the country long, of course.’
    ‘Four years,’ said Owen.
    ‘Ah well. Been here for forty years, myself. Started in currants in Alexandria. One thing led to another and here I am today.’
    ‘A banker?’
    ‘And other things. Plenty of irons in the fire. Safe pair of hands, that’s what I am. And if you’re like that, a lot of things come your way.’
    ‘Captain Owen was wondering about our arrangement with the Ministry. He wants to know if it’s bona fide,’ said Zokosis.
    ‘Bona? About as bona as anything is in Egypt, old boy. Absolutely copper-bottomed. Talked to the C-G myself.’
    ‘You’ve talked to the Consul-General?’
    ‘See him regularly, old boy. Tuesday evening, regular as clockwork. Get the old tables out. Whist. Bridge. Don’t go there to talk business, mind. Bad form, that. But the occasional word. Keep him posted.’
    ‘I see,’ said Owen.
    ‘You see,’ said Zokosis.

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Chapter 4
    « ^ »
    I myself,’ said the Under-Secretary impressively, ‘ordered it to be locked the moment I came in. And it has been kept locked ever since.’ Abdul Latif held up his hand.
    ‘The Parquet—’ he began.
    ‘Well, of course,’ said the Under-Secretary brusquely, ‘it was opened for the Parquet. But then it was locked again. Mr. Fehmi explicitly asked that it should be. And I, of course, was willing to conform.’
    ‘Mr. Fingari almost certainly had some appointments,’ said Owen. ‘Might not someone, the clerk in the office, perhaps, have come in to collect the diary so that they could cancel his