Honour Among Thieves

the car was out of sight. General Hamil swung round, angry that anyone had dared to enter his office without knocking. His ADC came to a halt in front of his desk. He was shaking, only too aware of the mistake he had made. The General raised his swagger stick and was about to strike the young officer across the face when he bleated out, 'We've discovered the village that the traitor Aziz Zeebari comes from, General.' Hamil lowered his arm slowly until the swagger stick came to rest on the officer's right shoulder. The tip pushed forward until it was about an inch away from the ball of his right eye. 'Where?' 'Khan Beni Saad,' said the young man in terror. 'Show me.' The Lieutenant ran over to the map, studied it for a few moments and then placed a finger on a village about ten miles north-east of Baghdad. General Hamil stared at the spot and smiled for the first time that day. He returned to his desk, picked up the phone and barked out an order. Within an hour, hundreds of troops would be swarming all over the little village. Even if Khan Beni Saad did only have a population of 250, the General felt confident someone would talk, however young. Aziz was able to keep up a steady thirty miles per hour while Scott tried to work out where they were on the map. He couldn't pinpoint their exact location until they had been driving for nearly an hour, when they came across a crude handpainted signpost lying in the road that read 'Khalis 25km'. 'Keep going for now,' said Scott. 'But we'll have to stop a couple of miles outside town so I can figure out how we get past the checkpoint.' Scott's confidence in the old chiefs judgement that there would be no army vehicles on that road was growing with every mile of flat desert road they covered. He continued to study the map carefully, now certain of the route that would have to be taken if they hoped to cross the border that day. 'So what do we do when we reach the checkpoint?' asked Cohen. 'Maybe it'll be easier than we think,' said Scott. 'Don't forget, they're looking for four people in a massive army truck.' 'But we are four people.' 'We won't be by the time we reach the checkpoint,' explained Scott, 'because by then you and I will be in the boot.' Cohen scowled. 'Just be thankful it's a Caddy,' said Aziz, grinning as he tried to maintain the steady speed. 'Perhaps I should take over the wheel now,' said Cohen. 'Not here,' said Scott. 'While we're on these roads, Aziz stays put.' It was Hannah who saw her first. 'What the hell does she think she's up to?' she said, pointing to a woman who had jumped out into the middle of the road and was waving her arms excitedly. Scott gripped the side of the window ledge as Cohen leaned forward to get a clearer view. 'Don't stop,' said Scott. 'Swerve round her if you have to.' Suddenly Aziz began laughing. 'What's so funny, Kurd?' asked Cohen, keeping his eyes fixed on the woman, who remained determinedly in the middle of the road. 'It's only my cousin Jasmin.' 'Another cousin?' said Hannah. 'We are all cousins in my tribe,' Aziz explained as he brought the Cadillac to a halt in front of her. He leaped out of the car and threw his arms around the young woman, as the others joined them. 'Not bad,' said Cohen when he was finally introduced to cousin Jasmin, who hadn't stopped talking even when she shook hands with Scott and Hannah. 'So what's she jabbering on about, then?' demanded Cohen, before Aziz had been given the chance to translate his cousin's words. 'It seems the Professor was right. The soldiers have been warned to look out for an army truck being driven by four terrorists. But her uncle has already been in touch this morning to warn her we'd be in the Cadillac' 'Then it must be a hell of a risk to try and get past them,' said Hannah. 'A risk,' agreed Aziz, 'but not a hell of a risk. Jasmin crosses this checkpoint twice a day, every day, to sell oranges, tangerines and dates from our village. So she's well known to them, and so is my uncle's car. My uncle says she must be in the Cadillac when we go through the checkpoint. That way they won't be suspicious.' 'But if they decide to search the boot?' 'Then they won't get their daily ration of cigarettes, or fruit for their families, will they? You see, they all take it for granted we must be smuggling something.' Jasmin started chattering again and Aziz listened dutifully. 'She says you must all climb into the boot before someone passing spots us.' 'It's still a hell of a risk,