work-and Borg had remembered that Schulz had been heading,in
the direction of Qattara when Towfik lost Win.
Something was going on, and he did not know what, and that worried him.
He was always worried. If it was not the Egyptians, it was the Syrians; if
it was not the Syrians it was the Fedayeen; if it was not his enemies it
was his friends and the question of how long they would continue to be his
friends. He had a worrying job. His mother had once said, "Job, nothing-you
were born worrying, like your poor father-if you were a gardener you would
worry about your job." She might have been right but all the same, paranoia
was the only rational frame of mind for a spyinaster.
Now Towfik had broken contact, and that was the most worrying sign of all.
Maybe Kawash would have some answers.
A train thundered in. Borg was not waiting for a trafiL He began to read
the credits on a movie poster. Half the names Were Jewish. Maybe I should
have been a movie producer, he thought.
The train Pulled out, and a shadow fell over Bor& He looked up into the
calm face of Kawash.
The Arab said, '7bank you for coming.- He always said that
Borg ignored it: be never knew how to respond to thanks. He said, 'Vhat's
new?"
"I had to pick up one of Your youngsters in Cairo on Friday. "
"You had tor
31
Ken Folleff
"Military Intelligence were bodyguarding a VIP, and they spotted the kid
tailing them. Military don't have operational personnel in the city, so
they asked my department to pick him up. It was an official request."
"God damn," Borg said feelingly. "What happened to himro
"I had to do it by the book," Kawash said. He looked very sad. "rhe boy was
interrogated and killed. His name was Avrarn Ambache, but he worked as
Towfik el-Masiri."
Borg frowned. "He told you his real name?"
"He's dead, Pierre."
Borg shook his head irritably: Kawash always wanted to linger over personal
aspects. "Why did he tell you his name?"
"Were using the Russian equipment-the electric shock and the lie detector
together. You're not training them to cope with it."
Borg gave a short laugh. "If we told them about it, wed never get any
fucking recruits. What else did he give awayr'
"Nothing we didn't know. He would have, but I killed him first."
"You killed him?"
"I conducted the interrogation, in order to make sure he did not say
anything important. All these interviews are taped now, and the transcripts
filed. We're learning from the Russians." The sadness deepened in the brown
eyes. "Why-would you prefer that I should have someone else kill your
boysr'
Borg stared at him, then looked away. Once again he bad to steer the
conversation away from the sentimental. "What did the boy discover about
Schulz?"
"An agent took the professor into the Western Desert."
"Sure, but what for?"
"I don't know."
"You must know, you're in Egyptian Intelligence!" Borg controlled his
irritation. Let the man do things at his own pace, he told himself;
whatever information he's got, he'll tell.
"I don't know what they're doing out there, because they've set up a
special group to handle it," Kawash said. "My department isn't informed."
"Any idea why?"
The Arab shrugged. "I'd say they don't want the Russians to know about it.
These days Moscow gets everything that goes through us."
32
TRIPLE
Borg let his disappointment show. "Is that all Towfik could manage?"
Suddenly there was anger in the soft voice of the Arab. "Tbe kid died for
you," he said.
"IM thsink him in heaven. Did he die in vain?"
"He took this from Schules apartment." Kawash drew a hand from inside his
coat and showed Borg a small, square box of blue plastic.
Borg took the box. "How do you know where he got it?"
"It has SchuWs fingerprints on it. And we arrested Towfik right after he
broke into the apartment."
Borg opened the box and fingered the light-proof,envelope. It was unsealed.
He took out the photographic negative.
Ile Arab said, "We opened the envelope and