Arabesque Page #4

How can you continue

being so good to me...

when I'm such a trial?

Oh, look

at your poor shoes.

You must have done

so much running.

What do you suppose

happened to Mustafa?

He hasn't come back yet.

Dead, I'm afraid.

And servants so hard

to come by these days.

I saw several possible

replacements at the zoo.

My admiration

for Mr. Pollock increases.

Probably Mustafa

didn't feel like dying.

Mr. Pollock didn't do it,

darling.

Don't stop.

It feels divine.

It was Yussef Kassim.

Ah, the guerilla forces.

I was wondering how they

had been passing the time.

I must say, they were

a little miffed at you, darling,

for borrowing their cipher.

I really don't think

they had a chance to see it themselves.

Roll over, my love.

Do you think you can

find the energy to tell me...

what they did

to our professor?

Killed him too, I'm afraid.

Oh, that's heaven.

So Yussef has the cipher now?

What makes you think that?

Surely they were able

to make poor Mr. Pollock relinquish it.

Mr. Pollock swore

he didn't have it.

Mr. Pollock

was lying.

Then I'm afraid he took

the truth with him to his grave.

Before you came home,

I received word that...

Mr. Pollock

had arrived safely in his rooms at Oxford.

A hearty race,

the Americans.

I was also told

that he was riding a bicycle...

and singing a very strange song.

A hearty

and fun-loving race.

But tell me,

my flower,

I don't think

you've explained yet...

how it happens

that Yussef managed to leave you alive.

It's very simple, really.

I promised

I'd work with him.

By spying on me, you mean?

Of course.

How very amusing.

It is.

Marvelous, in fact.

I knew you'd enjoy it.

Darling, you are hurting my shoulders.

Yes, my precious?

Am I?

Oh, I'm so sorry.

Better?

Much.

You must have

been very convincing.

It's a feminine talent.

Well, what a waste

not to exploit it.

I was going to send Sloane

to see Mr. Pollock...

to convince him

to return the cipher.

But Sloane has

so few subtle qualities.

I'm sure the professor

would much rather deal with you.

I thought you were jealous

of the professor.

I'm too busy now,

being jealous of Yussef.

Hello.

Mr. Pollock.

One moment, please,

for the Prime Minister.

Mr. Pollock.

Good morning, sir.

We've been trying

to contact you, Mr. Pollock. We were very worried about you.

No more than I was, sir.

Did you get the information we wanted?

No, sir.

But you do have the cipher?

No, sir.

Do you know who does?

I think so, sir.

Will you be getting it then?

No, sir.

Why is that, Mr. Pollock?

No guts, sir.

I beg your pardon.

As long as you needed

someone to sit down and work, I was your man.

But the situation

has changed somewhat.

What you need now is someone

with a Ph.D. in roughhouse.

I did warn you that

it might become dangerous.

Well, dangerous, sir,

not lethal.

Yes.

Yes, you are quite right.

I apologize, Mr. Pollock.

When one is willing

to die for one's national honor,

it is not

always easy to remember that other people...

have equally important values

to live for.

There is no reason why you,

an outsider,

should risk such a sacrifice

for another man's country.

You take unfair advantage,

Mr. Prime Minister.

How so?

By appealing to a man's better instincts.

I was confident

that you had them.

Well... very well, sir.

Where would you

like me to be... murdered this time?

Try and find

the inscription if you can.

Decipher it, and call me

the moment you have.

Time is getting very short

and-

Oh-

David. David.

Thank God

you're all right.

This isn't your house.

This is my house,

and you weren't invited.

So go away, go away.

I didn't even know you were alive,

but I came to warn you anyway.

Warn me about what?

Nejim's men

are on their way here to get the cipher back.

You've got to get away.

Now slow down a minute.

Aren't you

the same Miss Azir who just stood there...

while your friends

tried to kill me?

Oh, David!

You don't think I enjoyed that?

Oh, well, so long

as you didn't enjoy it.

There was nothing I could do.

You've got

to listen to me!

Every time I listen to you,

someone either hits me over the head...

or tries to vaccinate me.

Maybe it's time

that I called the police.

You mustn't do that.

What do you suggest then,

the Salvation Army?

Come with me now, before it's too late.

What?

And wind up

back in Yussef Kassim's rumble seat? No, thank you.

Tell your boyfriend

I'm a bad sport.

If I'd let him kill me,

I'd never have forgiven myself.

Yussef is not

my boyfriend. I loathe him.

Of course you do.

You just do what he tells you...

because he's holding

your family hostage back in the old country.

How did you know that?

Oh, come on. I've seen that movie.

General Ali Ben Ali,

the man he works for,

threatened to kill

my mother and sisters...

unless I cooperated with him.

And Beshraavi- Who's he got,

your Uncle Max from Newark?

What do you mean?

Forget it.

If you want to live with

Ali Baba and the 40 thieves, that's your business.

Do you think I like being near

that degenerate?

I have to.

Don't you understand?

Yussef ordered me to meet him

and cultivate his friendship,

so I could report

on his actions.

Anyway, the pay is good.

It's not the money.

I swear it. It's my family.

Everyone's got problems...

including me.

So I'd just assume

not get mixed up in yours.

But you are

mixed up in them,

whether you

like it or not.

Beshraavi wants

to rule our country with his money,

General Ali

with his guns.

Both of them

have to know what's in that inscription.

That means

they need you.

David... you must believe

that I hate them both,

that I'm only

doing what they want because I have to.

If you can translate

the inscription...

and we can get it

to my embassy,

we'll both be safe.

Yeah, well, it-it sounds

reasonable, I guess.

Then you believe me?

In this cynical old world,

you have to believe

in something.

So, it might

as well be you.

Okay, I'll buy it.

Thank you.

Take it easy. I'm not quite

myself this morning.

You're wonderful.

Yeah, if I could find my head, I'd go get it examined.

If we're going to have visitors,

we better get out of here.

Want to give it to me now?

Give what to you?

The inscription.

I don't have it.

- Well, who does?

- You do.

Me? No, no.

You've forgotten, Yussef took it

from me in the van last night.

But he couldn't find it.

Yeah, he found it.

He just didn't know that he'd found it.

Maybe we can still

get it back...

with a little help from you.

Where's Yussef?

It's all right.

He's down there.

Okay, where is he?

Over there, I think.

Come on.

Must have had pups

during the night.

I'll know it when I see it.

He dented it last week.

How? Knocking down

an old lady at a crossing?

There it is.

Hey, hey.

It's still there.

I don't see anything.

The candy!

You are brilliant!

The result of a clean mind

and a healthy body.

Yussef.

I've checked all the morning

papers. There's not a word. Do you think he's still alive?

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