"Yes," he said, turning his head to spit at the mention of the traitor's name. "Ghani, he came from Pakistan. He had many friends in the Pakistan secret police. The ISI. They work in secret with the Iran secret police, the new Savak, and with CIA, and with Mossad."
I nodded, listening to him, and thinking about something Abdul Ghani had said to me once: All the secret police of the world work together, Lin, and that is their biggest secret.
"So, the Pakistan ISI told the Iranian secret police about their contact on the Khader council."
"Abdul Ghani. Yes," he replied. "In Iran they were very worried.
Six good traitors gone. Nobody ever can find the bodies of those traitors. Only three were left. The three men from Iran, so then they work with Abdul Ghani. He told them how to make a trap for me. At that time, do you remember, we did not know it, that Sapna, he was working for Ghani and planning to move against us.
Khader did not know. I did not know. If I knew that, I would put the pieces of those Sapna men into Hassaan Obikwa's hole in the ground myself. But I did not know. When I came into the trap, near to Crawford Market, the men from Iran fire the first time from a place near me. The police, they think that I am firing my gun. They fire at me. I am dying, I know, so I take my guns and I shoot at the police. The rest, you know."
"Not all of it," I grunted. "Not enough. I was there that night, the night you got shot. I was in the crowd at Crawford Market police station. It was wild. Everyone said you were shot so many times that your face was unrecognisable."
"There was so much blood. But Khader's men, they did know me.
They make a riot and then they fight step and step into the police station, and they take my body out of there and away to the hospital. Khader had a truck near there, and he had a doctor - you know him, Doctor Hamid, do you remember him?-and they saved me."
"Khaled was there that night. Was he the one who rescued you?"
"No. Khaled was one of the men who make the riot. It was Farid who took my body." "Farid the Fixer got you out of there?" I gasped, stunned that he'd said nothing about it in all the close months we'd worked together. "And he's known about it all this time?"
"Yes. If you have a secret, Lin, put it in the heart of Farid. He is the best of them, my brother, now that Abdel Khader is gone.
After Nazeer, Farid is the best of them. Never forget that."
"What about the three guys? The three Iranian guys? What happened to them after you got shot? Did Khader get them?"
"No. When Abdel Khader killed Sapna and his men, they ran away to Delhi."
"One of the Sapna guys got away. You know that?"
"Yes, he went to Delhi also. When I was strong again-not completely fix up yet, but strong enough to fight-just two months ago, I went to look for the four men and their friends. I found one of them. One from Iran. I finish him. Now there are only three left from that time-two spies from Iran, and one Sapna killer from Ghani."
"Do you know where they are?"
"Here. In the city."
"You're sure?"
"I am sure. That is why I have come back to Bombay. But now, Lin brother, we must return to the hotel. Salman and the others, they are waiting for us, upstairs. They want to make a party. They will be happy I can find you-they did see you leaving, hours before, with a beautiful girl, and they told me I will not find you."
"It was Lisa," I said, glancing unconsciously over my shoulder at the bedroom window on the first floor of the Taj. "Do you... want to see her?"
"No," he smiled. "I did meet someone-Farid's cousin, Ameena. She has been looking after me for more than a year. She is a good girl. We want to be married."
"Get the fuck outta here!" I spluttered, more shocked by his intention to marry than I was by his survival of the killing fusillade.
"Yes," he grinned, reaching out to give me an impulsive hug. "But come on, the others are waiting. Challo."
"You go ahead," I answered him, smiling to match his happy grin.
"I'll be with you soon."
"No, come, Lin," he urged. "Come now."
"I need a minute," I insisted. "I'll be there... in a minute."
He hesitated a moment more but then smiled, nodded his head, and walked back through the domed arch toward the Taj Hotel.
