Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi

Author:Ahmed Saadawi
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2018-01-23T05:00:00+00:00

5

As Mahmoud was lounging on his bed, Brigadier Sorour Majid was in his grand office in the Tracking and Pursuit Department, standing in front of the air conditioner. He knew it wasn’t good for his health, but he was unbearably hot. Maybe he had high blood pressure. His staff had waited till he’d finished his siesta before confronting him with the latest issue of al-Haqiqa, which was edited by his childhood friend Ali Baher al-Saidi.

He had read Mahmoud’s article twice and thought it contained information that shouldn’t have been disclosed without approval from the Tracking and Pursuit Department, but what could he do about the freedom of the press that had suddenly descended on the country? Saidi had made a mistake with this article and should have discussed it with him before publishing it.

His plump cheeks were icy from the air conditioner, but Brigadier Majid still felt on fire. He threw the magazine onto his vast desk, picked up one of his cell phones, and called Saidi.

As usual, Saidi was laughing.

“What’s the problem, man?” Saidi asked.

“Did your journalist actually meet this criminal?”

“I don’t think so. He spoke to some local guy with a wild imagination. It’s a simple story, my friend. The guy’s a liar,” said Saidi.

“Yes, but maybe this is the criminal we’re looking for. What color was his skin? Did he have scars from bullet wounds or injuries that had been stitched up?”

“I have no idea. It’s all based on the fantasies of some lowlife, my friend.”

“This is not fantasy. Where can I find your journalist?”

“It’s Friday today, my friend. Aren’t you at home?”

“Where does this kid live?”

Brigadier Majid wrote down the address on a scrap of paper and hung up. He pressed the service bell, and a young muscular man came in, gave a military salute, and stood at attention.

“Call Ihsan for me,” the brigadier said.

About a minute later, a plump, close-shaven young man came in. He had short hair and was wearing a pink shirt and black linen trousers.

“Go right away to this address and bring me this journalist, Mahmoud Riyadh Mohamed al-Sawadi,” said the brigadier.

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