Temple_The Prophecy of the Hidden Treasure by Bill Thompson

Author:Bill Thompson [Thompson, Bill]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ascendente Books
Published: 2017-08-11T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Having nowhere to spend the night in Jerusalem, Abdel gratefully accepted Brian's offer to use his second bedroom. That offer almost didn't become reality, however. Instead of fighting the hubbub and sporadic demonstrations outside, not to mention the endless line to reenter the hotel, they decided to stay in the suite until cocktail hour. Brian shared his computer, allowing Abdel to check emails and conduct some business. That allowed the time to pass more quickly, and at five they went downstairs for Brian's nightly martini and an early dinner. Soon after they were seated, a hotel employee approached and asked when Mr. Malouf would be leaving the building. The government had put a 10 p.m. curfew in place, he advised. Brian saw through the man's question – it was clear that the hotel's security team was carefully monitoring those people who belonged in the building and those who did not.

Brian explained that he had asked his friend to stay overnight since he wasn't allowed to return to his house in the Old City. The employee excused himself to speak with the manager. When he returned, he asked Brian and his guest to stop by the front desk after dinner. There the night manager, a man with whom Brian had interacted previously, apologized for the inconvenience but said that his orders were that no one except registered guests could be on the premises after the curfew. Mr. Malouf would have to leave.

He rarely pulled strings to make things happen, but now it was required. Abdel truly had no place to go. "We'll be back in a moment," Brian said, looking at his watch and calculating the time in D.C. With the manager keeping a close eye, he and Abdel sat in the lobby as he placed a call, spoke for a moment, put it on hold and walked back to the front desk. He handed his phone to the manager, who listened as Cynthia Beal, personal assistant to the president of the United States, requested that Mr. Sadler be allowed an exception to the rule.

The manager handed his phone back and left for a few minutes, returning to say he was pleased to allow Mr. Malouf to spend the night, given his stature in Jerusalem as a prominent antiquities dealer. "But only the one night," he advised. "I'm afraid tomorrow we must enforce our policy."

Brian took the master bedroom and Abdel the other. Drained from the long day, they turned in early.

At 1:49 a.m. three bombers soared into the sky from the deck of the USS Harry Truman, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean Sea. Within the hour, the Syrian base from where the dud missile had been launched lay in smoking ruins. Soon after, the White House press secretary issued a brief statement saying that there would be no further strikes unless Israel and its allies were provoked again.

They awoke around seven, turned on the news and watched the head of the Palestinian Liberation Organization offer peace in

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