No Way Home by M S James

Author:M S James
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd
Published: 2020-02-16T16:00:00+00:00

The Majlis

Philip had taken Jake to school whilst I sat and stared at nothing in particular, drumming my fingers on the dining room table. We had a rather fine painting of camels and their riders charging heroically across the desert which gradually came into focus as I stared ahead. We had inherited the painting from the previous tenants of the house. It wasn’t one that Philip and I would ordinarily have chosen, but over the months of living with it I began to appreciate its qualities. It certainly captured the ferocious tenacity and fearlessness of those who lived in that barren, unyielding terrain. They were a proud disdainful people who had never been conquered; why would any of the Great Powers want to conquer them? There was nothing there. Nothing until the Americans found a use for the black gold which oozed out of the ground. Being astute as well as wily, the Arabs, under the leadership of Abdulaziz Al Saud, had taken the oil production into their own hands and made the House of Saud, as well as many of their countrymen, wealthy beyond the dreams of Croesus.

The man who I wanted to intercede on my behalf was the Governor of Riyadh, a descendant of the founder of Saudi Arabia. He had a reputation for not suffering fools gladly but was even-handed in his judgements. Obviously, a man to be reckoned with.

The telephone rang. I braced myself before lifting the receiver, hoping it wouldn’t be bad news.

‘Marhaba, it’s Mahmud here.’

‘Marhaba. How are you?’

‘Fine, thanks. I think you should go to the Governor’s majlis. As you say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.’

‘And you’ll come with me?’

‘Yes, but Philip should be there also.’

‘Thank you very much, Mahmud. We are very grateful.’

‘Can you come to the office this morning and we’ll decide what to put in your petition to the Governor? The three of us can meet mid-morning.’

Later, gathered around Mahmud’s desk, Philip started. ‘I think we should keep it simple. A brief outline on how Anna came to be missing and our belief that she is with someone in the Riyadh area.’

‘Yes, but we have to start the petition in the correct way. He is a very important man and we need to address him in the appropriate manner.’ Mahmud added, ‘Also, you must be cautious in your speculation as to the motives of whoever is “looking after” her. His Highness will understand the possibilities without you spelling them out.’

Within half an hour we had the petition mapped out. Mahmud would translate it into Arabic and we would present the Governor with three sheets: the top one would be a photo of Anna, the second the petition in Arabic and finally the petition in English with our contact details.

‘When is the majlis?’ I asked.

‘Tomorrow,’ Mahmud replied.

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