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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

Saad nodded as he continued from one page to the next.  When he reached the end for the second time, his worry had lessened.  What the woman had was damning but still incomplete.  Many dots were still unconnected, which meant she was still grasping and likely lacked an answer to the biggest question of all.

Why?

Nevertheless, it was still enough for this woman to get someone else to notice, perhaps someone with enough clout to form an investigation.  A low likelihood, but still sufficient to silence her.

Almost on cue, Khoury’s phone rang, and he fished it out, answering and listening to someone as they spoke.

Saad could read the look on his chief’s face.  They had located the woman.

“Get her.  Quickly,” was all Khoury said.

He ended the call and looked back at Saad.  “Our problem is about to be resolved.”

Saad nodded again, coughing, before returning to the back of the folder and stopping at one of the maps.   This one depicted Eastern Libya and the desert on the far side of the giant glass field, as well as the one behind it highlighting the area to the north.  Both were aeronautical maps used by pilots and took Saad a mere second to realize who they must have come from.

62

62

Layla Abo surprised both Saad and Khoury when she burst into the bright room behind them, scanning before spotting them outside and racing toward the outer door, pushing it open and rushing into the warm evening air.

The two men turned without saying a word, studying the look of shock on the woman’s face.  It looked as though the doctor had seen a ghost.

In her hand were several folded pieces of paper which she raised and handed to Saad.

His reaction was identical to what hers had been aboard the plane—puzzlement followed by gradual recognition.  It was the same recognition one displayed after being hit over the head by the proverbial board.

The needle to reveal the child.

The drawing on the paper, on each of the pages, was of the same object, drawn in different sizes and different colors, but they were unmistakable.

All this time, Saad had mistakenly assumed the image would resemble an actual needle.  He realized only now that his interpretation had been far too literal.  It was not a needle they had been looking for, but instead, an object that appeared needle-like.

Thin and sharp, like a blade or a point.  Or, in this case, what looked to be a sharp, twisted spiral crystal.

63

63

“We need to get you to the police.”

Mona Baraka stared at them as Joe, Angela and Leonard Townsend all emerged from the bedroom, Townsend with a phone already to his ear.

“What were you talking about in there?”

“It doesn’t matter,” said Rickards.

Mona narrowed her brow.  “Somehow, I doubt that.”