the backseat while the driver followed his prey toward Khayyam Street and the Homa Hotel.
Karim and Reza ate a light dinner at the Silk Road. Reza wanted to pile on course after course, to show off, but his friend said he wasn’t very hungry. Reza winked and whispered that what Karim needed was some of the home brew, the very best, like they used to have when they were young and crazy. He wouldn’t take no for an answer, and Karim realized that he wouldn’t mind something to dull the ache in his legs before the long ride back across the border, so he said yes, just one drink at Reza’s villa in the hills, and then he would go. He had the telephone number of a taxi that would pick him up from Reza’s place afterward, he said, so his friend could drink all he liked.
As they were leaving the restaurant, a dark form darted from the alley nearby. He was a compact, muscular man, dressed like one of the laborers who came across the Pakistan border like so many stray goats. As he neared Reza, he lurched toward him with his arm outstretched and bumped him on the upper arm. Reza cried out in pain. He reached for his wallet to make sure that he hadn’t been robbed and then cursed the man, who had disappeared around the corner.
“Akh! That hurt. It stings, too, like he stuck me with something. The bastard. This country won’t be safe for decent Persian people anymore. What did he do?” He was rubbing his shoulder where he had been bumped.
Karim was frozen in place. He had seen the man’s face, just after he pushed into Reza, and he had recognized it. It was the face of the Pakistani operative Hakim, who had helped bring him out of Iran.
“Should I call the police?” asked Reza, still rubbing the bruise on his arm. “What do you think?”
Karim hadn’t moved. He sensed what was happening, but he would not allow the true picture of it to take shape in his mind.
“No police,” said Karim. “Let’s go to your place. You’ll be okay.”
“I need a drink, bro, and maybe a ho,” babbled Reza in English, trying to sound like a rapper again. But already his voice was weaker.
Reza drove his Peugeot north again, toward the suburbs above the university. His driving was erratic. He would speed up and slow down at the wrong times, like an old lady, and other cars were honking at him. After twenty minutes, Reza apologized that he was feeling a little faint, and Karim drove the rest of the way to Reza’s home. It was a villa in the hills above the city, with a bit of land around it; a reward to Reza for his service to the program. Reza directed Karim into a darkened driveway. He leaned against his friend’s shoulder as they walked up the path and toward the house. The lights of the old city were twinkling in the distance, the green dome of the mosque appeared as a distant emerald.
“You need to lie down,” said Karim. He could feel his friend’s body going limp as the paralysis set in. There were tears in Karim’s eyes as he laid Reza down on the couch. He brushed them away. His friend’s breathing was becoming shallower and he was beginning to whimper like a dog that wants attention. How could this be happening?
Karim knew he should call a doctor. There was still time, perhaps. Reza groaned. Spittle was coming out of his mouth. Karim touched his hand. It had gone cold.
“There, there,” said Karim. “You’ll be all right.”
Tears were pouring from his eyes now. What had he done? How had he set this in motion? Karim thought of the American, Mr. Harry. Who was this man who had acted like his friend? He leaned over Reza, covering him like a blanket with his body. He felt his breathing, each rise and fall slower, and the sound more raspy. And then the breathing stopped. Still Karim lay there atop him, trying to prevent the life spirit from slipping away from his friend into the Mashad night.
There was a sharp rap at the door. When Karim didn’t answer, the door blew open with sudden force and two dark forms surged into the apartment. Karim clutched the body of his friend tighter.
“Get up, Karim, please,” said Jackie. She was trying to soften her voice, but there was an edge of tension. “We’ve