“Minor mishaps,” Ramses said. “Keep watching for the German minions, and do not forget that there remain two Godwin assassins. We seem to have acquired a remarkable number of evil-minded enemies. Any or all of them could be nearby.”

“A comforting thought. I will feel much more relaxed when we are on the dahabeeyah, drinking whiskey and soda on the top deck while Daoud bashes intruders.” He turned his head. “I hear the train, although it is some distance away. Have you figured out how you intend to distribute the baksheesh and the grand prize?”

“I am hesitant to pay the recruits until the trunk is in the freight car and we are prepared to board the train. My father is so intimidating that none of them would defy his orders and depart without completing the mission. I can barely prevent them from brawling with one another.” He paused. “The train should be here within a minute. It is best that we move quickly to lessen the possibility of an attempted attack. Tell the men who carried the trunk to position it at the far end of the platform. Everyone else needs to continue surrounding them.”

The train pulled into the station, the brakes squealing, the carriages rattling. A cacophony of blather broke out as those on the platform jostled for position by the train doors. The conductors opened the doors and shouted for the crowd to back away in order for the arriving passengers to exit. No one listened.

Ramses took in a deep breath as the stationmaster slid open the door of the final car. He and the others were forced to wait as crates, bundles of planks, luggage, and bulky boxes were removed and stacked on the platform. Once the job was completed, he instructed the men holding the trunk to put it in the car. They were struggling to hoist it when a dozen men, light-skinned and fair-haired, loomed in the doorway, armed with iron bars and knives.

“Gunter’s bastards!” David shouted. “They must have gotten into the freight car at the previous station. Defend yourselves, but do not allow them to seize the trunk!”

Ramses grabbed the leg of one of the thugs and yanked him out of the car. The resounding thump as the man hit the platform was most satisfactory. Ramses’s bodyguards rushed forward to disable the others in a similar fashion. Fists, iron bars, and knives were wielded randomly as arms and legs flailed. Expletives in German and Arabic reverberated across the platform, sending the would-be passengers into the sanctuary of the station house. Policemen rushed forward and began to separate combatants.