‘They’ll be looking for me too,’ Feisal objected.

‘Not as assiduously as they will be looking for us. Try to find one that has four wheels and some rudimentary brakes if you can. And don’t dawdle.’

Feisal went out, shaking his head. Granny, bless her heart, was still trying to make up for being so mean to me. She had been trotting in and out with trays and bottles.

‘Now,’ John said, reaching for a beer. ‘Tell me what happened after Maxie sprang you.’

‘Should you be drinking alcohol?’

‘I certainly shouldn’t be drinking the local water. Please try to concentrate on essentials, my dear. We don’t have much time and I need to know what’s been going on. Where did you run into Schmidt? Obviously he didn’t succeed in intercepting you.’

‘Obviously. But he was waiting when I came out.’ I gave him a brief synopsis of succeeding events to which he listened with amused and infuriatingly detached interest.

‘Good old Schmidt. We’ll have to get someone to present him with a medal and kiss him on both cheeks. He’d love that.’

‘I’ll settle for getting him out of this in one piece. I don’t trust him, John. If I don’t turn up pretty soon he’s apt to go looking for me. Trying to sneak into the institute disguised as James Bond, or – ’

‘I hardly think even Schmidt would do anything so useless. He must realize his best hope of helping you is to blow the whistle on Blenkiron. How much does he know?’

‘Uh – ’

John said something under his breath. Then he said it out loud.

‘Dammit,’ I said defensively, ‘there wasn’t time for a leisurely discussion! He said he thought he knew and I said I did too and then . . . Uh.’

‘What do you think you know?’ John inquired very softly.

‘Well . . . I assume Larry’s using the Queen of the Nile to transport his loot. He had to get rid of the tour group so he could make a quick run, no stops, no delays. The reason for the changes in schedule really was concern about low water levels, he has to get through the locks – ’

‘The schedule wasn’t changed. It was the one he intended all along.’

‘You knew – ’

‘No, I did not. Never mind that, it’s a side issue. You are correct so far. Once the boat reaches Cairo the loot – how well you put it! – will be transferred to the airport.

I’m sure I hardly need mention that Blenkiron owns one or two airlines.’

‘Or that the Luxor airport is too small for big cargo planes?’

‘Clever girl.’

‘How long will it take him – ’

The sound of someone at the door made me break off. It was Feisal. ‘A friend of mine has gone after the car,’ he announced. ‘He’ll bring it by in an hour or so.’