BooksBarbecue
Back The Desert of Glass Save as PDF
Chapters (84)
  1. BY MICHAEL C. GRUMLEY
  2. Prologue
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. 63
  66. 64
  67. 65
  68. 66
  69. 67
  70. 68
  71. 69
  72. 70
  73. 71
  74. 72
  75. 73
  76. 74
  77. 75
  78. 76
  79. 77
  80. 78
  81. EPILOGUE
  82. II
  83. III
  84. IV

“I’m still not sure.  But it’s not sexual.  Maybe something worse.”

“What’s worse than that?”

“I don’t know,” she repeated.  “Something deeper.”

“And you think digging too much into this man’s past resulted in your sister-in-law going missing and your friend crashing his car.”

“Correct.  And they almost got me tonight.”

Now it made sense.  The woman appeared so disheveled because she’d just had the scare of her life.

“What are you planning to do?” he asked.

“I don’t know yet.”

“How did you know we were investigating at the glass?”

Mona reached down to retrieve her purse, digging through it and producing the map.

Rickards studied it.  “This is an old aeronautical map.”

“Yes.”

“And you got this from…”

“From the man who passed the folder to me before he died.    Abasi Hamed.”

“And you said the rest of the papers were taken.”

“I believe so.”

Rickards inhaled.  He studied the sheet of paper from different angles.  “And what’s this red X?”

“A location a few hundred kilometers from the Desert of Glass.  I believe that’s where Hamed said he shot down a private jet in 1977, and what eventually drove him to learn the truth.”

“About who he shot down?”

Mona nodded.  “And why.”

Angela moved in next to Rickards, studying the map from the side.

“Where does Saad keep these children who he takes from his orphanages?”

“At his estate, I believe, a large compound outside of Cairo which is also protected space, according to the government.”

“So, no one’s allowed to get near the desert glass or his estate?”

“Correct.”

“But this red X isn’t near the glass, at least as far as I can tell.”

“I have a theory, but I can’t be sure.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“When I spoke with him,” began Mona, “Hamed said he was pursuing the jet when he shot it down.  So, I don’t think the plane was traveling toward the glass or even Saad’s estate.  I think it may have been traveling away from it.”

“Away from the desert?  Or away from his estate?”

“I don’t know.  Either.”

Rickards reexamined the map.  “That’s all?”

“No,” Mona continued.  “He also said he knew who was on the plane.”

“So who was it?”

“He said… Allah.”

Joe and Angela both looked at the woman in surprise.  “Allah?”

“Yes.”

“As in the God of Islam?”

“I don’t think he meant it was actually Allah.  But perhaps something close.  Something just as bad.”

“What would be just as bad as killing Allah?” asked Rickards.

“Perhaps something Allah cherishes just as much.”

Angela’s gaze widened, and she laid a hand on Joe’s arm.  “He shot down children.”

59

59

There was no sound.  No one was moving except Townsend, who slowly walked forward and leaned in to whisper to both Rickards and Angela.  “I need to talk to you two.  Privately.”