Fury: Book 2: Sleeping with the Enemy by Colin Falconer

Author:Colin Falconer [Falconer, Colin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
Publisher: Skyview Publishing
Published: 2022-08-28T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 27

The Saturday evening crowds milled around Zion Square. Arab shoe-shine boys rapped their brushes on wooden boxes to attract the attention of prospective customers. The aroma of roasting coffee lured passers-by into the boulevard cafes on Ben Yehuda and King George V streets, where European exiles in shiny double-breasted suits tried to remember a lost life. Stilettos clipped on the pavements, music blared from Arab shops, the cries of the hawkers split the hubbub.

Henry Talbot saw Sarah join the queue outside the Zion Cinema and purchase a ticket at the booth. He bought a bagel from a Yemenite hawker and ate a few mouthfuls without appetite. He gave the rest to one of the shoe-shine boys. He looked up at the hoarding: Abbot and Costello in Hollywood.

He bought a ticket and went in.

Once inside, he waited a few moments at the back of the cinema for his eyes to grow accustomed to the dark. There was a sudden shock of laughter at the antics on the screen, the English words subtitled in Hebrew and Arabic.

Sarah was sitting just a few feet away, in an aisle seat at the back. She had almost certainly spotted him the moment he walked in. He ignored the usherette and slipped into the seat beside her.

Another sudden shout of laughter. He supposed comedies were perfect for her line of work. When people were laughing, they couldn’t eavesdrop.

‘Do you like Abbot and Costello?’ she said.

‘I would rather dip my head in boiling oil. But we’re here now.’

‘Did you bring the chocolates?’

‘I forgot. Will the Mandate’s files on the Haganah do instead?’

More laughter.

‘You have them with you?’

‘A bit bulky, don’t you think? But I can get them.’

‘The complete file?’

‘Everything.’

Sarah took a deep breath. ‘Well.’

‘Will that release me from my commitment to you?’

‘That’s not my decision.’

‘What more could you possibly want from me?’

‘We start with a famine and move swiftly to a feast,’ she said. ‘You’re an enigma.’

‘Do you have a jeep and British uniforms?’

‘Of course.’

‘Of course,’ Talbot said, mimicking her. ‘I can arrange for you to have the file for eight hours. What you do with it is up to you. At the end of that time you must return it to me intact. Is that clear?’

‘It’s not much time.’

‘For classified information, it’s an eternity. You’ll need two men who can impersonate British officers. In other words, a pair of arrogant bastards.’

‘Where do we make the pick-up?’

‘At the Hill of Evil Counsel.’ Talbot passed her an envelope in the darkness. ‘Two sets of identity papers to get you inside. And a map of the grounds. You tell me when you’re ready and I’ll nominate the time. You’ll have one shot at this.’

‘One shot is all we’ll need.’

A whoop of laughter from the audience. A man across the aisle was actually rocking in his seat, dabbing at his eyes with a huge white handkerchief.

Talbot turned to Sarah. ‘Are you staying for the end of the picture?’

‘Only if I’m struck with paralysis in the next five minutes.’

‘Then there’s hope for you yet.

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