Coldly and impatiently, she answered, “They won’t pin it on an innocent person. The important thing is that you get away.” She pointed to her handbag. “I’ve taken the money and some jewelry. I opened the cupboard with a knife and threw some clothes on the floor. Did you get gloves?”

“Yes.”

“Very good; here is the iron bar.” She pointed to the table in the middle of the room. “Don’t touch it without your gloves on, and be careful not to drop anything under the bed.” Her face seemed even paler contrasted with her glittering eyes. “I must go,” she said. They embraced.

“Stay for a while,” he pleaded, clinging to her.

“No, I must go.”

“Have you forgotten anything?”

“Pluck up your courage and act calmly, and…”

“What?”

She gave him a strange, distant look. “Nothing,” she whispered. “Get under the bed.”

They embraced a third time. She broke away quickly and left him, calling loudly for Aly Seriakous. Quickly, he hid under the bed. Karima returned with the servant and told him to close the windows. She waited until he had done so, then switched off the lights and left the room.

Saber got out from under the bed. It was pitch dark. He put on his gloves and groped toward the table and found the bar. He gripped it firmly and crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. Nothing else existed at the moment. Just the feel of the bed, the smell of her perfume, and the crescendo of silence. No escape now. One death-dealing blow. One blow is better than all this endless waiting and futile searching. Karima’s love, like a thin cloud and yet more dangerous than the task he was about to perform. The beggar was still chanting away. Did he ever stop? It was a lost call. Just like the advertisement, and his mother’s wealth, and those days of long ago. When would he see Karima again? Embrace passionately and safely?

He heard the servant Seriakous humming softly on the roof. Then silence and darkness. After what seemed an eternity, he heard the key turn in the lock. He quickly crawled under the bed. Footsteps approached, the door opened, and the room flooded with light. He could scarcely breathe, and he thought that his heartbeats could be heard a mile away. Six feet appeared to him. The old man was saying, “You can go now, Aly, but don’t forget the plumber.”

Two feet disappeared. Khalil sat on the edge of the bed, his feet a mere two inches from Saber’s face. “I’ll meet him tomorrow. But I won’t stand for any nonsense,” Khalil said.

“Yes, I agree,” said Sawi, the doorman.

“He’s a cunning devil. He came close to death four times, and he still hasn’t learned his lesson.”