Stopping World War Three Read online

  I shrugged my shoulders. ‘I’d like to find him myself.’ I waved a hand towards Penny. ‘Miss Smith may be able to give you a pointer. After all, she started the British end of the organisation with him.’

  Musaphia stared hard at Penny. ‘I don’t think that’s correct, my dear. Neither you nor Primar were charged with that task.’

  I looked at my secretary waiting to find out how she was going to respond to the allegation but she countered quickly and effectively. ‘Who are you, Mr. Musaphia?’ she asked firmly. ‘Who are you really? I can’t imagine any organisation recruiting a man who’s eighty-four years’ old for any kind of reason. I’m highly suspicious of this meeting and of the questions you ask. If you want to throw us out of this hotel that’s your prerogative. Nothing will be lost from my point of view.’

  Musaphia’s face creased into a smile. He paused for a moment to puff on his cigar, then he turned to me. ‘I like her’ he mused. ‘She has spirit and fire... and she’s full of life. If I were in your place, I’d never let her go.’

  ‘You never answered the question,’ I said to Penny. ‘Why did you say you formed the British end of the organisation if you didn’t?’

  ‘We’ll discuss that later,’ she retorted sharply, ostensibly nursing hurt feelings.

  ‘She’s right, you know,’ I told our host as I considered the argument. ‘You’re eighty-four. What interest could you possibly have on something that’s going to happen in the next fifty years. You’re never going to live to be a hundred-and-thirty-four.’

  The three of us sat calmly on the terrace. Musaphia had a glazed look in his eyes as my words faded into the fragrance of flowers on the sea breeze. ‘Do you imagine that things happen slowly, Mr. Scott? It took Hitler seven years to become ready for war after he became the Chancellor of Germany. Only seven years to take a nation on its knees to become a power determined to capture Europe, Africa, India and eventually the world. I’m told that Islam has about two billion followers at present. How long will it take them to find a leader when adversity strikes? Someone to lead them to become a fighting nation because that’s all mankind understands... to fight and kill! How many years, Mr. Scott... you tell me!’

  A small cog in the wheels of my mind suddenly clicked. ‘I’d like to go back on something you said earlier. ‘You said you knew the reason why I’m here. I’m going to insist on further information. In fact I’m not going to leave until you tell me something to my advantage.’

  ‘Do you really want to know? Well I’ll tell you. To find your wife of course. That’s why you’ve come.’

  I was stunned at his answer unsure whether he was simply putting me off the scent. ‘To find my wife?’ I managed to say. ‘What do you know about her?’

  ‘I know that she was kidnapped a few days ago. I thought that was why you came out here... the reason why you’re willing to co- operate... even against your will... with the organisation. Am I wrong?’

  I looked at Penny who shrugged her shoulders. ‘It’s all news to me,’ she related. ‘I was never told she was abducted. ‘ She turned to Musaphia. ‘Do you have any more details?’

  Musaphia shook his head slowly. ‘‘I heard she was kidnapped. That’s why I invited you here. I’m always concerned when personal problems interfere with business. I have contacts everywhere. Everywhere.’

  ‘But I received a letter in her handwriting to say she had left me.’ I turned to my secretary for confirmation. ‘You saw the letter. Primar said that a woman answering Jan’s description came into the office and left the letter there.’ As I spoke the words, I realised how easily I had been duped. It was Primar and his deceitful methods to get me to fly to Israel.

  ‘Ah... Primar again,’ continued our host. ‘His name seems to turn up all over the place. Too many times for my liking. You realise now that the letter was false.’

  ‘It was in Jan’s handwriting. I’m certain of that>’

  ‘Of course. They made her write it.’

  ‘Then why didn’t they tell me she’d been kidnapped in the first place? If they wanted me to come out here why didn’t they say so?’

  Musaphia bit harder on his cigar. ‘Because she may have been kidnapped for another reason. Who’s to know? Don’ imagine she was taken by the organisation. We’re not interested in tactics of that kind.’

  ‘No... of course not!’ I spat sarcastically, trying to keep my voice and my temper at reasonable levels. The bomb on the plane. The police in Crete. Commander Spring and our doubles. Tomar Duran. None of it is the fault of the organisation. Anyone with half a brain could see that!’

  He nodded sagely. ‘Take it easy, Mr. Scott. We’re on your side... remember.’

  ‘Oh, yes... you’re on my side! Well you tell me who’s taken my wife and where she is at the moment. You tell me that!’

  ‘Please lower your voice,’ advised the old man firmly. ‘We don’t need to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves. I’ll try to find out some details for you. I can do no more than that. It’s my understanding that she was brought to Israel but the source is not reliable. Just leave it with me.’

  ‘How can you possibly know that she was brought here unless you were party to it?’

  ‘I told you. I have contacts everywhere.’ An expression of surprise appeared on his face as I got to my feet. ‘Why are you leaving?’ he asked puzzled. ‘What about your breakfast? They’re very sensitive about guests leaving their food here. It reflects on the cook and the reputation of the hotel.’

  ‘To hell with their reputation!’ I shouted angrily. ‘Look, Musaphia, I want my wife back! You find out where she is! You telephone me tomorrow and tell me exactly where she is!’

  I noticed Penny’s face fall at my comment but she didn’t matter to me any more. She had lied to me, deceived me, and, if the truth were known, there were many more things to come out of the woodwork that she was hiding from me. After the outburst, I stormed out of the room leaving Penny to trail behind. She caught up with me on the pavement outside the hotel.

  ‘Hey!’ she chided. ‘You were a bit rough on the old man, weren’t you? He didn’t mean you any harm. In fact he could be quite useful.’

  ‘Oh, really,!’ I scorned. ‘He didn’t mean any harm! Then how come he knows that Jan was kidnapped? That she may have been forced to write that letter to me? Why didn’t anyone else mention such minor unimportant matters to me? Dammit! I am her husband! And you... you have a lot of questions to answer. Do you know, I’m getting fed up being pushed around! Now it’s going to be my turn to do the pushing!’

  ‘You’re upset, Jason, but be very careful. Some of the things Musaphia told us were true. This is not a game. It’s for real.’

  ‘You got me into this, Penny,’ I accused firmly, ‘you get me out! I don’t care for your 21st Century Crusaders... just get me out!’

  I expected her to sulk at my rudeness but instead she took my hand and led me to the shore. We walked along the beach enjoying the cool breeze and then doubled back to return to Arlosoroff Road, As we reached one of the larger streets, we stood at the edge of the pavement ready to cross the road. It was then that I noticed a large black car moving in our direction from the middle distance, approaching at a steady rate, smoothly, easily, intently... like a great predatory cat cruising towards its prey. The car seemed to surge forward suddenly and within seconds it near-side wheels shot across the pavement to the point where we were standing. We leapt back in alarm as it missed us but the margin was very slim. Gathering our wits, we started to race across the road. However, the car turned around within a very short distance and made its way back relentlessly. I tried to determine the face of the driver but my effort was frustrated because the window of the vehicle was fitted with darkened glass. The decision to cross the road left us extremely exposed. I felt like an inadequate matador in a giant bull-ring. I place my arm firmly around Penny�
�s waist as the car moved again in our direction. Now that we were two-thirds the way across the road, the driver would assume that we would sprint for the pavement on the other side. It was the most logical thing to presume. But as the car approached at speed, I feinted as though intending to run to the pavement and then turned sharply the other way, taking Penny with me. The ploy worked admirably because the car raced past us without causing any harm. From then on, we reached safe ground and watched the vehicle cruise off into the distance.

  ‘Who would want to kill us here?’ I asked. ‘I mean no one knows who we are!’

  ‘Maybe it has something to do with Musaphia.’

  ‘Why should he want to kill us?’

  ‘I didn’t mean that. A man with a lot of contacts also has a lot of enemies. Someone may have been watching and they saw us with him. That’s the only thing I can think of.’

  ‘I think we ought to buy guns to protect ourselves,’ I suggested. ‘It’s time we fought back against these assassins!’

  We continued on our way until arriving back at the house. As I fumbled for the key I noticed that the front door was slightly ajar. I pushed it open slowly but the shutters were closed causing the room to be shrouded in darkness. As we entered, I closed the door and switched on the light. To my astonishment I found myself staring into the face of an enormous Arab dressed in a wealth of dark rags which smelled abominably.

  ‘What in the name of... !’ I began, staring at the giant turning to find another man laying full-length on the bed-settee with his hands behind his head in a relaxed pose. ‘Primar!’ I exclaimed. ‘So you finally turned up.’

  ‘I’m always turning up, Jason,’ he laughed easily. ‘Often in the right places at the wrong time. But I’m very disappointed in you. You let m down once. I won’t let it happen again.’

  ‘Let you down!’ I exclaimed furiously. ‘What are you talking about? You were the one who let us down!’

  ‘No... no... no!’ he countered sharply. ‘Let’s get the story straight, Jason. I waited for you at Stansted Airport. You didn’t turn up!’

  ‘Come on, Primar!’ I snarled. ‘We were there early in the morning. Chedda picked us up.’

  ‘Chedda! Who the hell is Chedda?’

  ‘‘The pilot you sent to meet us!’

  ‘You’ve got it all wrong. I sent no pilot.’

  ‘Yes you did. He rushed us into a Kfir Junior aircraft and we took off right away.’

  He shook his head sadly. ‘Are you mad? A Kfir Junior! Why would I use an Israeli aircraft?’

  ‘To take us to Israel as you planned.’

  He sat up sharply. ‘Look... the last thing I want to do is to wave the Israeli flag all over the place to alert everyone. We need to keep a low profile... use discretion. Our plane is an ordinary Cessna.’

  I calmed down a little at his explanation. ‘Chedda led us to believe he was working for you. He said you’d given him direct orders.’

  ‘Well he was lying. I may have been a little late but I was there waiting for you. As far as I was concerned, you never turned up.’

  Penny moved forward to add to the conversation. ‘I think what Primar’s not telling you is that he planted the bomb on the Kfir Junior. I don’t know who he intended to kill but he thought it would be someone important. We took their place on the wrong plane and nearly paid the price.’

  ‘I don’t believe a word of it!’ I rattled curtly. ‘Chedda had our photographs in his hand. How do you explain that one?’

  ‘It makes no odds who’s right or wrong,’ returned Primar.

  ‘Doesn’t it?’ I told him fiercely. ‘I ought to take you apart!’

  He laughed loudly. ‘What... for being on the wrong plane?’

  I dropped the subject and started on a new tack. ‘What the hell are you doing here, Primar? This is private property. You’ve broken in and you’re trespassing!’

  ‘My dear old chap,’ he went on amiably. ‘I’ve come to welcome you. I couldn’t bear the thought of an old acquaintance arriving in Tel Aviv without a proper welcome.’

  ‘All right, Primar,’ I growled. ‘The time for playing games is over. I don’t know who you tried to kill on Chedda’s aircraft. The fact is you nearly killed us! You murdered Chedda. And where’s my wife? I’ve just been told that she was kidnapped!’

  ‘Easy... easy!’ he responded pushing the bed back so that it became a settee again. ‘You’re fraught with allegations. Who said I tried to kill you? How would I know if your wife was kidnapped? You read the letter she left you. If she was abducted, where’s the ransom note... the telephone calls demanding money... the threats to her life? You mustn’t listen to the prattle of old men in their dotage. Men pretending to be Gods, men who have nothing more to do in life than to play games with people from high-class hotels.’

  I started to lose my temper and advanced towards him menacingly. The giant Arab moved at tremendous speed to cut off my approach, holding me tightly around the neck and forcing my right arm behind my back.

  ‘Oh, forgive me,’ continued Primar insincerely. ‘I forgot to introduce you to my very good friend Kemal. He’s taken an interest in my welfare and has volunteered to act as my protector.

  You can’t be too careful in foreign parts, can you? Some people entertain evil thoughts and wicked intentions.’ He made a sign with his hands and Kemal released me.

  ‘How did you know where we were staying?’ enquired Penny, seeming unperturbed at my predicament.

  Primar ignored the question as though she wasn’t there, still looking in my direction. ‘I want you to join me in a little venture, Jason. I’m setting up in the Middle East. There’s a place many miles distant from here... a group of mountains to be exact. My fortress. I intend to make it my headquarters for a while anyway. Modern methods of surveillance are such that one must always keep on the move.’

  I turned to Penny and stared into her eyes. ‘Did you know about this... venture? She shook her head slowly. I looked at Primar again. ‘Why me? I’m not interested in politics or causes.’

  ‘How would fifty million pounds in sterling suit you?’ he replied. ‘You can have the equivalent amount in US dollars if you want. The figures don’t really matter.’

  ‘I’m not worth it,’ I riposted. ‘I could never be worth that kind of money to you or to anyone else.’

  He laughed again. ‘Such innocence. Such modesty. I like it1 I’m willing to offer you a deal that will set you up for life.’

  ‘Why should you bother to offer me anything? What have I got that’s so important to you?’

  Primar looked quickly towards Penny. ‘My God! Haven’t you told him yet?’ She shook her head and he turned back to me. ‘I thought you were a businessman, Jason. How long does it take the penny to drop? Like everyone else, we’re interested in Operation Bull’s Eye.’

  I became absolutely speechless for a few moments failing to understand what he was talking about. ‘What’s Operation Bull’s Eye?’ I managed to say weakly.

  Don’t come the old soldier with me!’ he warned. ‘You work for Dandy Advanced Electronics. You must know all about it!’

  ‘Dandy’s a conglomerate with many different operations. I work on the domestic side of computer engineering. No one’s privy to information outside their particular division. Even the executives only learn of brief divisional activities from the Chairman’s Report or the Annul Accounts.’

  ‘Well then tell me something about the organisation in which you work. They have an advanced weaponry division. You must know that!’

  ‘Well of course I do!’

  ‘Then you know as well as I do about the plans concerning the new enhanced laser gun for use in warfare. Apparently it’s common knowledge that it can destabilise weaponry, armoured vehicles, tanks, helicopters and airplanes within a range of three miles and can be h
andled by two men on a transportable unit. It can reduce armoured tanks to dust in half a minute. A very powerful modern laser gun against all kinds of enemy in warfare.’

  ‘I don’t know where you get your information from. I mean it may be common knowledge to you but no one has appraised me of those facts.’

  Primar moved his hand as a signal and the giant Arab placed an arm around my neck restricting my breathing. ‘He could kill you within ten seconds if necessary,’ warned Primar seriously.

  ‘It wouldn’t help your cause,’ I hissed, gasping for breath as I tried to ease the pressure on my windpipe.

  ‘Listen, Jason.’ he said in a menacing tone, ‘listen to me carefully. I want the plans of that new laser gun and you’re going to get them for me!’ He motioned to Kemal to release me and came close. ‘I’ll keep my end of the bargain concerning the reward. You’ll be a very rich man.’

  ‘You’re out of your mind!’ I told him point-blank. ‘There’s no way I can get those plans. The security at Dandy is so tight you can hear it squeak. It’s a mission impossible. There’s no point in trying.’

  He looked at me with an extremely disappointed expression on his face. Somehow he thought I was going to be a soft touch. ‘We can’t have negative thoughts like that,’ he expounded. He made a sideways movement of his head towards his bodyguard who took hold of me by the shoulders and dragged me roughly into the kitchen. When we arrived at the sink, he turned on the cold water, holding my head in a fixed position under the tap for what seemed to be eternity. After a while, the Arab let me go and threw a towel across the room. I caught it wondering whether it was a measure of good faith only to realise that it was to prepare me for the next stage of torture. Before I could start to feel sorry for myself, I was propelled back into the other room and pushed forcefully into a chair.

  ‘Well,’ suggested Primar, brushing imaginary dandruff of the lapels of his jacket. ‘Shall we continue?’

  Kemal grabbed me by the hair with one hand and lifted me about six inches off the seat of the chair. After a few seconds, as the pain surged through my body, Primar removed his hand from his jacket pocket, holding an object which remained hidden from view. Without warning, he took Penny’s arm and thrust it behind her back at the same time pressing a button on the flick-knife in his hand. The small steel blade sprang from the shaft of the handle to its limit with the point resting on the skin at the side of her neck close to her jugular vein. ‘Okay,’ he growled menacingly. ‘If you won’t co-operate, perhaps a little persuasion is necessary. What do you say, Miss Smith?’