Judas Country

He looked down at my pocket. 'Shoot through your pocket and it jams,' he said softly. 'If it's a revolver you won't even get off one shot.'

'Not if you use a Smith Bodyguard, the one with the enclosed hammer. Get off all five, most likely.'

'Only five?' he said, slightly mocking.

'I don't suppose I've got more than five enemies left in the world.'

A silly conversation, but it had already achieved all I wanted. He shrugged and lifted himself back on to the bar stool. 'You're right, I did forget my umbrella.' By now, Ken and Suzie would be well out of sight.

'I'm sure you're doing the right thing.' As I turned away I took my second pipe out of my pocket and shoved it in my mouth. Maybe I heard a sharp little hiss behind me.

I sat down again. Nina asked: 'And what was all that?"

'Call it a delaying action.'

'Who is that man?'

'An Israeli, Mihail Ben Iver."

'What doeshe do between drinks?'

'Ken thinks he's in their secret service. Could be: they don't give up easy, over there. Though I don't know what they're not giving up easy on right now.' I picked up the Othello bottle and shook it: still about a third full. 'Shall we finish this?'

She held out her glass. 'Did your friend… was it in Israel?'

I nodded, filled our glasses, started to pack a pipe. 'Well, what shall we talk about now? '

She stared. 'Good God, where did you spend the last two years – in a nunnery?'

I grinned and struck the first match.

'Or,' she added acidly, 'are you afraid of losing your amateur status before the next Olympics?'

'It was more Ken's party than mine. Now make with the light chatter.'

Trust me to get the one who had an accident with a bicycle saddle,' she growled. 'Well, the usual question you start with is How did I come to be on the game?'

'Okay – how did you come to be on the game when you're so ready to pick fights with the clientele? '

For some reason she didn't throw a bottle at me. She just nodded, and her voice was suddenly gentler. 'Yes, I don't really know why I do it. That's what's so sweet about Suzie: the way she sticks with me. Would you believe she's had two offers at good houses in Beirut in the last six months but she wouldn't go without me? And I can just see anybody offering me a good place in Beirut.'

'You mean youwant to go on the game in Beirut?' My second match died of surprise.

'Haven't you seen the money they throw around over there? A girl can do pretty well for herself if she knows the business. Oh, I don't mean getting yourself sold off to some old goat in Saudi Arabia; that happens to some poor kids. But if you've got a work permit and the proper protection… Well, if I was a tennis player I'd want to play at Wimbledon, wouldn't I?'

'I suppose so. I'd just never thought of Beirut as the Wimbledon of… Well.' I finally got the pipe drawing. 'How did you get to Cyprus?'

'I was born here; my father was in the British Army. So I can speak Greek pretty well and when I left home it seemed better to come a long way… And that's all I'm telling you about my family.' She took a defiant swig of the wine.

'Fair enough.' I sipped quietly for a while.

Then she asked: 'Have you known your friend Ken for a longtime?'

'About twenty years. We met in the RAF, on my first squadron. Night fighters. Then we did a tour on Transport Command together, some work on tactical transport development… then we got the idea of coming out and setting up our own show.'

'lust like that.'

'It took a couple of years before we were really on our own: getting civilian licences, working for charter airlines to get marketing experience. Nobody would lend us money for our own aircraft until we knew the civilian ropes."

'What are they going to lend you after this little trouble?'

I shrugged. T suppose we may have to change our style a bit. I haven't had time to talk to Ken about it, yet.'

'Who takes the decisions?'

'On the operations side – the flying – I'd take Ken's word; he's the best pilot. But mostly it's a straight partnership.'

She finished her glass and about a second later a waiter appeared, looking expectant.

I said: 'D'you want any more?'

'I don't think so, thank you,' she said steadily.

So I asked for the bill and he simply said: 'Fifteen pound, please.'

When I'd got my breath back, I said: 'Look, chum, I expected to get bitten but not swallowed whole.'

'Fifteen pound,' he said impassively.

Then Nina said something fast and low in Greek and without changing his expression by a millimetre, he said: Ten pound.'

I paid him, said to her: 'I know some governments who could use your touch with price control.'

She smiled briefly and stood up.

As we reached the bar I peered around, but it was solid Canadian soldiery. Ben Iver had vanished without me noticing.

She found her coat, a thin white mac, and I helped her into it. 'Well, where would you like to go now? Ledra Palace for a last jar?'

'Good God.' She swung around and glared at me. 'Are you going to screw me or not?'

I made shushing noises, but far too late. About half a dozen soldiers turned on their bar stools and looked at us – mostly at her.