"Revenge?" said Smith. "Revenge on what?"

"On something called Hamah , where every member of his family was killed."

Smith started. "Good G.o.d," he said, "are you telling us .., is it possible ... ? Amanda, who were you being trained to a.s.sa.s.sinate?"

"Mr. Hafiz al-a.s.sad, the president of Syria ," she said.

There was a stricken silence that lay heavily on them, and then Farrell said, "My G.o.d -thrown to the lions!"

But Joe went to Amanda and stood behind her chair.

Smith said incredulously, "Did they really, honestly, believe that you could do that?"

"Why not?" she said bitterly. "What difference did it make, they said, male or female, once I was trained for eighteen hours a day, and I'd already told them to go ahead and kill me, I didn't care. They had aerial photographs of the grounds, they'd found an old map, they seemed to know where a sniper could hide. They made it sound easy."

"There had to have been a few bribes," Smith said flatly. "Otherwise ..." In a gentler voice he explained to her, "The Muslim Brotherhood, the president's most dangerous opposition for years, was rooted in Hamah . Hamah is a city, Miss Pym. The Brotherhood did their own killings -guerilla attacks on soldiers, government people-until eventually a.s.sad cracked down on them by wiping out half the population of the city. It was a terrible ma.s.sacre. Many of the surviving Brotherhood fled to Germany ."

" Germany ?" repeated Farrell with a start. "One of their men used some German words, the ones who captured me."

Mrs. Pollifax said, "And if this crazy plan had succeeded?"

Smith walked over to the window and stood with his back to them. "Let me put it this way," he said. "In the past decade or two there have been civil wars, ma.s.sacres, insurrections, and violence throughout the Middle East: in Iraq, Iran, Morocco, Syria, North and South Yemen, and in territories occupied by Israel. Iran and Iraq fought a b.l.o.o.d.y war for ten years. Israel bombed targets in Iraq , Tunisia , and Lebanon , and invaded Lebanon . The Palestinians began throwing stones, and the intafadal was born; Iraq invaded Kuwait , which began the Gulf War, and I scarcely need point out that this involved America for the first time in a Middle East war.

"In whatever peace can be established in the Middle East ," he continued, "al-a.s.sad is a lynchpin: he matters. Never mind what one thinks of him, he wants peace -on his own terms, of course-but he does want peace, and at the moment Syria is an island of comparative stability. Replace him and G.o.d only knows what furies might be released."

"Which is what Zaki wanted," added Amanda, nodding. "The furies. I'm sorry but I never knew -about the Middle East , I mean."

Smith said dryly, "In the future I fear it will need a great, great deal of attention." He nodded. "It was wise of you to insist on being out of Syria before you spoke of this. Even our American Emba.s.sy there might have found this unbelievable and a.s.sumed you were delusional. Now there are four of you as witnesses to where you were found, and your testimony to be sworn to. It will be a matter for the State Department to tactfully and officially explain to President a.s.sad what he unknowingly permitted in his desert. Not mercenaries training to fight in the Sudan -half of the Sudan is populated by Muslims, and some of your group may very well be there for that purpose-but a bitter, angry member of the Muslim Brotherhood, the ikhwam muslimin."

"That name again," said Amanda, nodding.

"A group," he added, "that at the moment is doing its best to destabilize Egypt . Now .., you all had a good sleep last night? You are rested?"

They nodded.

"I am going to put you on a plane tonight for New York . Miss Pym has no pa.s.sport but I have wired for the number of her pa.s.sport and once in New York -"

Here Mrs. Pollifax interrupted him. She said, "I reached my husband Cyrus last night by phone," she told him. "He's meeting us at Kennedy Airport with hotel reservations for the four of us to spend a few days in New York . To buy Amanda new clothes and show her around Manhattan ."

Farrell said sternly to Joe, "And you, young man, will take her to a nightclub."

"Gladly," said Joe, smiling at her.

Amanda looked at him shyly. "Really?"

"You're also invited to come back to Connecticut with Cyrus and me for a few days -if you'd like," continued Mrs. Pollifax. "Kadi Hopkirk often spends weekends with us, and I think you'd enjoy meeting her because she's about your age and lives in New York , where she studies art."

Amanda's face glowed. "All that? So much?"

"As for the clothes-buying expedition," Joe said firmly, "I shall insist on going along to be sure you buy a few sleek, bright and really dashing outfits, as befits any sniper-trained guerilla. I mean, how can you top that?"

Smith cleared his throat and looked rather helplessly at Rawlings.

"Yes," said Rawlings, grinning, "I think we have all the information we need for now. As for your guide, Antun, he's in good hands. He smuggled enough people into Jordan to have a fair number of helpful friends. As you seem to have acquired also, Miss Pym."

Amanda smiled at him gratefully.

"So we'll return you now to the Jordan Intercontinental and I'll pick you up personally at six o'clock for the airport."

Even Farrell nodded happily at this, and as they rose to leave the office he said in an aside to Mrs. Pollifax, "d.u.c.h.ess?"

"Yes?"

"Amanda and Joe .., think they'll end up marrying?"

"I don't know about that," said Mrs. Pollifax thoughtfully, "but after what they've gone through, and what they know about risks and dangers -and each other-I would guarantee they'll be the best of friends for the rest of their lives."

"As we've become, you and I, d.u.c.h.ess," he said gravely, and reaching for her hand he tucked it under his arm as they followed Amanda and Joe out of the building. "But I'm still willing to bet any amount there'll be a wedding for those two before the next year ends."

end.