“That is true. I have met the ambassador, who seems to be an affable man. I shall telegraph him if I cannot persuade the local police to cooperate. He will have contacts with the Egyptian authorities.”

I was relieved that her innate self-control had asserted itself, at least temporarily. She sounded as though she could go into battle with the ambassador and the government bureaucrats. “When did you meet the ambassador?”

Liezel pursed her lips as she thought. “Several months ago. He and an entourage of German officials that included ambassadors, high-ranking military officers, aides, and attachés toured the laboratory and made inquiries about the research projects in various departments. Ours was of nominal interest, since it is in a very preliminary stage. They were more enamored of those with potential military applications. I am worried that some of it will be used in the near future. There is great unrest in Germany and other European countries.”

“Yes,” I said with a grimace. “It is unfortunate that countries are ruled by men, who are contentious by nature. From birth they take great pride in stroking their egos by evincing superiority in all matters, including the most trivial ones. If women were in charge, they would sit down and negotiate rather than declare senseless wars that result in mutilation and death. They would do so over tea and scones.”

“But they are not in charge and most likely never will be.” She stood up and brushed the sand off her skirt. “I have enjoyed our conversation, Mrs. Emerson, but now I must square my shoulders and face the arduous ordeal awaiting me.”

“Come along and I will introduce you to Nefret. Despite her delicate countenance, she is not only fluent in Arabic, but also formidable when dealing with the bureaucracy. I don’t recall that you told me your specific area of research, Liezel.”

“Eric and I were experimenting with methylenedioxy-based compounds to ascertain if they might be of use in the control of abnormal bleeding. The lab rats’ behavior has been erratic and unpredictable, so we have been unable to test it on human beings. Thus far we have failed to find a safe, functional application.”

I was unable to comment, since I had no idea what she was talking about. Such occurrences rarely happen, but my command of convoluted chemicals was negligible. “Here is Nefret. I have told her of your situation and she will gladly help you. She is a medical doctor. Perhaps you and she can discuss your research at some time during the day.”