Page 101 of Never

Layan smiled. ‘With a happy ending.’

***

Next day, there was a major sandstorm at Abéché. Such storms sometimes lasted only a few minutes, but this one went on longer. The airport was closed and the press tour of refugee camps was postponed.

The day after, Tamara had a rendezvous with Karim, but she suggested they meet somewhere other than the Lamy Hotel, for fear that people would begin to notice how often they were there together. Karim said they were unlikely to be seen at the Café de Cairo, and gave her an address outside the city centre.

It was a clean but basic coffee house patronized entirely by local people. The chairs were plastic and the tables were covered with a wipe-clean laminate. On the walls were unframed posters of the sights of Egypt: the Nile, the pyramids, the mosque of Muhammad Ali and the necropolis. A waiter in a spotless apron welcomed Tamara effusively and showed her to the corner table at the back where Karim was waiting. As usual he was immaculately dressed in a business suit and an expensive tie.

‘This isn’t the kind of place where I’d expect to see you, my friend,’ Tamara said with a smile as she sat down.

‘I own the place,’ Karim said.

‘That explains it.’ She was not surprised that Karim owned a café. Everyone at the top in Chad politics had money to invest. ‘The General’s speech was exciting,’ she said, getting down to business. ‘I hope you’re prepared for reprisals by Sudan.’

‘We would not be surprised,’ Karim said with an air of complacency.

There was an implication in there somewhere that disturbed Tamara. She said: ‘The Sudanese army might even attack across the border, using the excuse that they are pursuing subversives.’

‘Let me tell you,’ he said, and his expression became smug, ‘if they come, they will get a surprise.’

Tamara concealed her alarm. Aiming to harmonize with his mood, she tried to grin, and hoped it did not look as fake as it felt. ‘A surprise, eh?’ she said. ‘They will meet more resistance than they’re expecting?’

‘And how.’

She wanted more, and continued to act the awestruck ingénue. ‘I’m glad the General has anticipated this attack, and the National Army of Chad is ready to repel it.’

Fortunately Karim was in a boastful mood. He loved to drop portentous hints. ‘With overwhelming force,’ he said.

‘This is very…strategic.’

‘Exactly.’

She flew a kite. ‘The General has prepared an ambush.’

‘Well –’ he was not quite willing to assent to that – ‘let’s just say that he has taken precautions.’

Tamara’s mind was in a whirl. This was beginning to sound like serious conflict brewing. And Tab was out there. So was Dexter.

She tried to keep the tremor of fear out of her voice as she said: ‘If there is a battle, I wonder when it will begin?’

Karim seemed to realize that his bragging had already given away more than he had intended. He shrugged. ‘Soon. Could be today. Could be next week. It depends how ready the Sudanese are – and how angry they get.’

He was not going to come up with any more information, she realized. Now she needed to get back to the embassy and share the news. She stood up. ‘Karim, it’s always a pleasure to talk to you.’

‘For me, too.’

‘And good luck to the army, if the battle happens!’

‘Believe me, they will not need luck.’

She tried not to hurry out of the café and into her waiting car. As the driver pulled away she debated who she should report to. Obviously the CIA needed to get this news immediately. But so did the military. If there was a battle the US army might need to get involved.

When she got to the embassy she made a snap decision and went to Colonel Marcus’s office. Susan was there. Tamara sat down and said: ‘I’ve just had a disturbing conversation with Karim Aziz. The government here is expecting the army of Sudan to launch a raid on a refugee camp, in retaliation for the General’s speech, and the Chad National Army is at the border in force to ambush the Sudanese if they come.’

‘Wow,’ said Susan. ‘Is Karim reliable?’

‘He’s not a blowhard. Of course no one can be sure what Khartoum will do, but if they attack, there will surely be a battle. And if they attack today, there’s a group of media and embassy civilians who may get caught up in the fighting.’