When he lit a cigarette, his hands were trembling and his body was seized by a strange excitement. It was a feeling he had experienced only twice before in his life.
In both instances he had been a member of an expedition on the brink of an important discovery.
But this – this was different. It was something momentous – the find of a lifetime. Something to rival Knossos or the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb in the Valley of Kings.
When he turned to face her he was surprised at the steadiness of his voice. ‘Have you any idea of the importance of all this if what you tell me is true?’
She frowned. ‘I suppose you mean the treasure?’
‘To hell with the treasure!’ He came back to the table and dropped into his seat. ‘All we know about the Queen of Sheba is contained in the Bible. There hasn’t been a single inscription found referring to her by name, not even in Marib, which is supposed by most experts to have been her capital. Such a discovery would create a world sensation, and not only in academic circles.’
‘I see,’ she said slowly. ‘That explains why my husband kept his discovery to himself.’
Kane snorted. ‘The damned fool. Only a properly equipped expedition can handle this sort of thing successfully.’
‘But don’t you see?’ she said. ‘He was trying to prove something to me. This had to be his own discovery, alone and unaided. If fame came to him, then he had achieved it by his own efforts, owing help to no man.’
Kane laughed harshly. ‘If he tried to penetrate the
Empty Quarter on his own, then he was a fool. If he hasn’t died of thirst, he’s probably lying face-down in the sand somewhere with his throat cut.’
Deep pain appeared in her eyes and she nervously clasped and unclasped her hands. ‘You said Shabwa was a bad-security area, Captain Kane. What exactly did you mean by that?’
He shrugged. ‘The borders of the Aden Protectorate and Oman are in dispute with Saudi Arabia. There’s been constant tribal friction for years. Military security in the area is handled by the British, and believe me, they’ve had their hands full. Because they can’t be everywhere at once, they’ve labelled certain places bad-security areas. In other words they can’t be responsible for what happens to anyone stupid enough to go there.’
When she looked across at him her face was troubled. ‘And Shabwa is one of these areas?’
Kane nodded. ‘Very much so. People do visit the area, of course. At the moment there’s an American geologist called Jordan up there looking for oil. He’s managed to survive by tossing Maria Theresa silver dollars around like confetti and surrounding himself with a picked band of cut-throats, who make sure he stays alive because it’s to their own advantage.’
‘Have you ever been there?’
He nodded. ‘Often, but then I’m pretty well known amongst the tribes in that area. They’re mostly Musabein, and friendly enough if they take to you. The trouble is that the fringes of the Empty Quarter are inhabited by outlaws. Men cast out by their tribes for various reasons – mostly unpleasant. If they get hold of you, they’ll skin you alive and peg you out in the sun. Nice people.’
There was complete horror on her face. ‘And you think something like that must have happened to my husband?’
He shrugged. ‘There’s a fair-to-even chance.’ She shuddered violently and buried her face in her hands. Kane got to his feet and stood beside her, a hand on her shoulder. ‘Believe me, Mrs Cunningham, I’m only trying to be honest with you. Anything could have happened to him.’
She pushed herself to her feet and stared up into his face, one hand clutching his arm. ‘But he could be alive? It is possible, isn’t it?’
For a moment he was going to tell her just how slim that chance was and then he smiled and patted her reassuringly. ‘Sure, it’s possible.’
She started to cry. Kane slipped an arm around her shoulder and led her gently into the bar. ‘I think it would be a good idea if you went to your room and rested for a while. I’ll make a few enquiries. I might be able to find something out. If your husband was in Dahrein two months ago, someone must have seen him.’