“No,” el Ferruch said simply. “Ahmed Mohammed has learned that the Germans’patience is exhausted. They’re going to come f(, you probably tonight, and the Sfiret6 and Deuxi@me Bureau are going to look the other way.”
“And?” Fulmar said.
“I saw the pasha of Marrakech this morning,” el Ferruch said. “About you.”
“And?” Eric repeated.
“Somewhat reluctantly, he gave me permission to take you to Ksar es Souk.” He added, significantly, “Provided I can get you to Ksar es Souk.”
“You needed his permission?” Fulmar asked. El Ferruch nodded. “What the hell would I do at Ksar es Souk?”
“I don’t know, since there’s no tennis court and no women,” el Ferruch said. “None that you could go after, in any event.”
“Why don’t you get on the telephone, call the consulate, say you’re me, and have them send somebody to get me?”
“Because I have been told not to,” el Ferruch said.
“By the pasha?” Eric asked. El Ferruch nodded. “Why not?”
“I went to ask his permission to take you to Rabat,” el Ferruch said. “He doesn’t think you should leave Morocco right now. The reason the telephone lines are out for you is that Thami el Glaoui doesn’t want you talking to your consulate.”
Why, that miserable, crazy sonofabitch!” Fulmar furned.
“Don’t say that out loud, Eric,” el Ferruch said coldly.
“What does he want from me?”
“I told you, he doesn’t want you to leave Morocco right now.”
“Well, fuck him!”
“You have two choices: You can go back to Germany-I can’t stop you from walking out of here. Or you can give me your word You will not try to contact the Americans, and return to Ksar es Souk with me.”
“Give You my word?”
4 6That presumes, of course, that I can get you past the thugs front the Sicherheitsdienst.”
“Give you my word?” Fulmar repeated. “Whose side are you oil? -This is the real world, Eric; won’t you ever learn that?” el Ferruch said. “And in the final analysis, I am on my own side. I went as far as I can, asking Thami el Glaoui to help you.”
,I made the crazy old bastard a lot of money” Eric said petu-I lantly.
44you made yourself what you think is a lot of money in the process. What you made for el Glaoui is less than what watering his golf course costs in a month.”
Fulmar glowered at him.
“You’re an ass sometimes, Eric,” el Ferruch said nastily. “An ungrateful ass!”
They locked eyes for a long moment; then Fulmar shrugged, giving in.
“The one thing I don’t want is the German Army,” he said. “How are you going to get me out of here? In addition to the Sicherheitsdienst people, there is also a pair from the Deuxi@me Bureau out there sitting in a Citro@n just outside the gate.”
“Before we go any further, do I have your word?”
“OK, Christ. Sure.” He held three fingers extended at the level of his shoulder. “Boy Scout’s honor,” he said. “How’s that, you prick?”
Sidi el Ferruch slapped his face as hard as he could.
“Don’t forget again where you are, and what you are, and who I am,” el Ferruch said.
Fulfriar balled his fists, and for a moment el Ferruch thought he was going to punch him. But in the end, Fulmar relaxed his fingers.
“OK,” he said, his voice strained. “I give you my word of honor. Before I try to get in touch with any Americans, I’ll tell you first. Is that good enough?”
“Don’t expect to impose on the friendship between US5” el Ferruch said.
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Fulmar said sarcastically. ,just tell me how you’re going to get me out of here.”
“The Germans are not paying any attention to the natives, and the Deuxi@me Bureau will not interfere with me unless I give them cause,” el Ferruch said. “So the trick is not to give them cause ‘ ”
Five minutes later, Sidi el Ferruch, accompanied by one Of his Berber guards, whose lower face was masked in the Berber tradition, rode the elevator down to the lobby, where Najib Hammi was waiting along with four other Berbers. They walked across the lobby and went outside and entered the automobiles in which they had arrived.