The Levanter Part 14

'Alas, Minister.' He really said 'alas'.

'What are you talking about?'

'I did not want to tell you.'

'Tell me what?' The game was forgotten. Dr Hawa's voice had a rasp in it now.

'The news I have had from Beirut, Minister. We are being betrayed."

'How betrayed? By whom?'

'It is the Italian.'

'Which Italian? One of those in Milan you call your friends?'

'No, no. This is the one in Beirut. Remember, Minister, I told you. These people in Milan have long been trying to sell in our markets here. Unsuccessfully but they have tried. They have a selling agent in Beirut, a scorpion named Spadolini. Well, this Spadolini - his mother was a Romanian - this scorpion has learnt all about our car-battery project.

How has he learned? Who knows? A spy in the Milan offices perhaps? Possibly, as a concerned agent of the Italian company, he was given some advance hint. We cannot be certain. But certain it is that the scorpion is preparing to strike!'

'Strike? Speak plainly, Michael, for G.o.d's sake.'

'Fearing to lose this little agency of his, fearing to be by-pa.s.sed, recognising the business potential of this joint venture of ours, he has put forward the proposal that the new plant shall be located not here at Der'a, not here in Syria, but in the Lebanon.'

'But how can he succeed in this? The proposal from Milan was made to us..'

The Armenian, his duty done, shuffled off with a heavy sigh, and the Greek money-changer strode in briskly to replace him.

'These are hard-faced men, Minister. A proposal commits them to nothing. Production is all they care about because production is money. This little schemer in Beirut has found something to offer them that we as yet cannot - factory s.p.a.ce.'

'We would build.'

'This is already built. Near Tripoli. Six thousand two hundred square metres of floor s.p.a.ce and of recent construction. It was planned for production lines of typewriters and business machines, but there were licensing difficulties with the American parent company and the plan fell through. The buildings have never been used and are going for a song. They are not ideal for lead battery production and alterations would have to be made, but the floor s.p.a.ce is there and waiting. In Milan they are already thinking, already tempted.'

'You know this for a fact?'

'They are sending a senior manager and an engineer from Milan this week to inspect the place. I know because I have good friends in Milan. But friendship will not override self-interest. We must show them that we have more to offer than this Spadolini and that we can move faster.'

'But how?'

'That is what concerns me. We have good arguments on our side, but nothing to back them up. When their representatives arrive here and we sit down at the negotiating table they will have questions to ask. Among the first will be - when do we start to get a return on our investment, when can production begin? And, as we try to answer, we will know that in their minds there is the vision of six thousand, two hundred square metres of factory floor s.p.a.ce, unused and waiting for them, in Lebanon.'

'You said that there would have to be alterations.'

'Minor changes, Minister. Nothing. If we had work already in progress to show them it might be different. But ..." He left it 'What sort of work in progress?'

'Something to impress. Land allocated and surveyed. Bulldozers already clearing and grading. Plans on the drawing board. Evidence that we are serious.'

'You know that is impossible, Michael.'

'With respect, Minister, difficult but not impossible.'

'You know that I cannot authorise funds for speculative use. Finance would never approve this expenditure. Once the joint venture is approved, of course. . . .'

'Of course. But by then it could be too late.'

There was a silence. One of them rattled dice and again there was silence.

Dr Hawa broke it finally. 'I think that you have something to propose, Michael. What is it?'

'Agence Howell could finance this preliminary work.'

'How would you get your money back? This cannot be a pilot project. You made that clear from the start. Do not tell me that you have become altruistic, Michael, for I shall not believe you.'

'I want this venture to succeed, Minister, and to succeed here, because I want the agency for its products. I am prepared to pay to secure that agency. Call it an insurance premium if you will. There is nothing altruistic about that.'

Short laugh. 'I am much relieved. I would not like, after so long, to have to revise my ideas about you, Michael.'

'Never fear, Minister.'

Then what you want from me is a directive, eh?'

'Yes, please. It should cover our occupation of three hectares of land adjoining the present battery works. The precise details of this parcel of land are set out in the supplementary memorandum I have already submitted. The directive should further authorise the Abouti Company to make a survey and carry out the preparatory work necessary for building, including the cutting of a new access road. In accordance with Agence Howell instructions of course.'

'And at Agence Howell's expense.'

'Certainly. I cannot tell you, Minister, how much I would appreciate your help in this.'

'Help in spending your money?"

'In removing the source of anxiety.' The Armenian returned briefly to take a bow. 'Minister, if this Lebanese scorpion, having injected his vile poison, had stolen this business away while I slept, I would never have been able to sleep again.'

Dr Hawa burst out laughing.

'Minister?'

'You and your business ethic, Michael! You cannot bear to lose, can you? Winning is all that matters, not just money. After all these years I can read you like a book."

'So easily, Minister? I must mend my ways.' I could imagine him pretending to smile away a non-existent discomfort.

'You never will, Michael. You can't.' He chuckled. 'Well, I will look at the papers again and think about it. Come and see me tomorrow. You may bring a draft directive if that will make you sleep better tonight.'

'Thank you again, Minister. More brandy?'

After a moment or two the dice began to rattle again and the backgammon pieces to click.

When Dr Hawa had gone Michael poured me a brandy and looked at the one he had been nursing himself.

'Well, so far so good,' he said.

'This empty factory near Tripoli,' I asked, 'does it exist?'

'Oh yes. A white elephant. We were offered it six months ago. When the price is low enough we may buy it for a warehouse.'

'And this man Spadolini? Does he exist?'

'Of course. He has the present agency. Hard worker. Not a bad salesman. If this car-battery business had been going forward with our partic.i.p.ation I would have taken him into the Beirut office.'

'If it had been going forward? Isn't it?'

He ignored the question. 'Abouti will need copies of the factory lay-out and the specifications that I brought back from Milan. The land details, too. He should have it all in the morning.'

'Are we really going to pay him for this work?'

'Pay Abouti?' He finished his brandy. 'Not a penny. Let the fat thief whistle for his money."

It is almost unheard of for Michael to refuse to pay a debt, even when he believes that the creditor has cheated him. And there had been that 'if. I knew then that he had at last decided to cut his losses, and that, in Syria anyway, the days of the Agence Howell were numbered.

Later that week the survey team moved into the dry-battery works and the land adjoining it.

'What do you think Ghaled will do?' I had asked.

'Nothing at first. A few men with theodolites, rods and measuring chains won't disturb him much. Wait until the earth-moving starts though. Then it'll be different. Heavy machinery all over the place and men to stand guard on it at night I That'll soon cramp his style.'

But Michael was wrong. The pressure began to work immediately and, while it did not change any of the factors in the equation, it was the means of converting one of the unknown ones into a known.

Michael spent most of that day out at the tile and furniture plants. He did not tell me what he was doing, but I could guess. With the end of the Agence Howell's Syrian operations just around the corner the more goods he could ship out before the corner was reached the smaller the final writeoff would be.

The call from Issa came at four-thirty in the afternoon. Issa seemed to be Ghaled's local chief-of-staff now as well as works manager and his tone was peremptory.

'Where is Howell?'

'I don't know, but I expect him back soon. I can ask him to return your call.'

"No. Give him this message. You will both report here tonight at eight o'clock.'

'Mr Howell may have made other arrangements.'

'Then he will cancel them. You both report here at eight o'clock. That is an order.'

Michael was thoughtful when I told him.

'You read the directive carefully, Teresa. There was nothing in it about the Agence Howell paying Abouti was there?'

'Not directly. His costs are to be charged to Green Circle. There's no way of Issa's knowing that isn't the government. No way of Abouti's knowing either. Anyway they would a.s.sume it was a government expenditure because of the directive. So would Ghaled.'

'Well, perhaps it isn't that that he wants to see us about.'

But it was.

We were received by Ghaled in Michael's office and he had a copy of the Ministry directive in front of him. We were not asked to sit down.

Ghaled waved the papers under Michael's nose. 'What do you know of this?' he demanded angrily.

'Of what, comrade Salah? May I see?'

Ghaled threw the papers at him. Michael retrieved them from the floor and studied them solemnly.

After a moment or two he made a clucking sound.

'Well?'

'I did warn of this possibility, comrade Salah.'

'And you were at the same time warned to prevent it. Why did you not obey?'

'Even if I had known that this directive was about to be issued, which I did not, there are limits to my powers, comrade Salah.'

'Limits that you determine.'

'I cannot give orders to the Ministry.'

'You do not have to. The Minister listens to your advice and requests, doesn't he? Answer me. Doesn't he?'

'When he has asked me for advice, yes, he listens. About this directive he did not consult me.' Michael peered at it again, his lips moving as if he were having trouble in understanding the words. 'It orders a survey to be made of this and the adjacent land in accordance with an earlier policy decision. Your orders, comrade Salah, were that your headquarters here were not to be disturbed. I cannot believe that a few more men working here during the day-time will disturb you.' As he spoke he turned the page and then gave a theatrical start of surprise. 'Ah, yes. I see the difficulty.'

'You do, eh?'

'An access road is to be engineered.'

That is part of the work ordered, yes. What else do you see, comrade Michael? If you are having trouble reading it, I can tell you. The contractor is empowered to erect temporary buildings for fuel dumps and other purposes, and night-shift work is authorised. The contractor is to work in cooperation with the Der'a police who will furnish special patrols.'

'This is very bad, comrade Salah.' Michael looked genuinely shocked.

'It would be bad,' said Ghaled, 'if any of this work were to be done. Your task is to see that it is not done, or, if it must be done, that the start of it is delayed until the end of June. There must be no inconvenience. You hear me?'

'Yes, comrade Salah, I hear you.'

If he had left it at that the next half hour might have been less frightening; but Michael could not leave it at that. Having gone to considerable trouble and at least some expense to create a force majeure that should have driven any sane leader in Ghaled's position on to the defensive, he was affronted by Ghaled's cool dismissal of the threat as no more than an avoidable inconvenience. For once a committee spokesman lost his temper, and none of the rest of the members was quick enough to cover up for him.

'Unfortunately,' he went on nastily, 'although I hear, I am not omnipotent, comrade Salah. Any more than you are. The ability to hear an unrealistic order is no indication that the hearer is capable of carrying it out. I will do what I reasonably can without exciting suspicion. No less, but certainly no more.'

It was a pity that Issa had come into the room while Michael was speaking and so be a witness of this act of insubordination. Even if he had wanted to do so, Ghalad could not have ignored it with Issa there. As it was, Issa gaped, started to say something, then stopped and waited for permission to speak.

He did not get it. Ghaled was staring hard and curiously at Michael, rea.s.sessing him. The rea.s.sessment made, he looked at me.

'Do you remember the oath you swore?' he asked.

'Of course, comrade Salah.'