of the alleyway the man in the checked shirt appeared.
‘Let me take you to my son.’
‘Where is he?’ Makana asked.
‘My shop, just around the corner.’
It seemed like a good idea. Two minutes later they were sitting in the back of a small grocery shop surrounded by sacks of rice and heaps of red onions. The boy had a defiant look in his eyes.
‘Are you Emad?’ Makana asked. ‘Tell me what happened.’
‘There’s nothing to tell,’ the boy said. ‘I often go in there, if I have to.’
‘You were alone?’
Another nod. ‘I didn’t see him at first. I mean, I had my back to him. You know, I was facing the wall. But I heard it moving around.’
‘Heard what moving around?’
‘That would be a cat or maybe a rat,’ the father offered helpfully.
‘No, no!’ The boy’s eyes widened. ‘It was the angel.’
‘What angel?’ Makana was confused.
‘The Angel of Imbaba,’ said Father Macarius. ‘Everyone knows about it. Go on, my son.’
‘Well, I started to take a piss and then suddenly I heard it moving and I nearly died. I swear it flew right past me over my head!’
This earned him a swift cuff around the ear from his father.
‘Don’t lie! I told you about that.’ He shrugged at his visitors. ‘He’s generally an honest boy. Ask anyone. He takes care of the shop when I have business to see to.’
Outside helmeted policemen were milling about in the alley. Batons lifted and fell as they cut a swathe through the crowd. Makana glimpsed the thugs around the entrance. One of them was pointing in their direction.
‘We should probably move swiftly along, Father. You must tell me about this angel.’
‘Yes of course,’ said Father Macarius as they hurried back towards the church. ‘And there is something else about these killings, something that happened a long time ago.’
They had just reached the main road when an unmarked car cut them off and two men jumped out and grabbed hold of Makana, one on either side.
‘Inside,’ they said, and bundled him into the rear of the car.
Chapter Seventeen
‘What do I do with you?’
Okasha sat in the back of the car, hidden from the view of the pedestrians outside by curtains along the windows.
‘Since when did you begin to travel like a minister?’
‘These are dangerous times. I need to take precautions. And don’t change the subject. We were talking about you.’
‘Forgive me, I don’t find the subject particularly interesting.’
‘Why are you here, Makana? What is your involvement with this case and how did you manage to arrive before the investigating team?’
‘I just happened to be nearby.’
‘Coincidence? You’re asking me to believe in coincidence?’ Okasha barked at the man behind the wheel who started off like a racing driver who has just seen the flag go up.
‘Where are we going?’ Makana asked.
‘Nowhere, but it’s easier to talk like this, on the move. Less chance of being disturbed.’
‘I thought you weren’t interested in these murders?’
‘I had a phone call this afternoon.’
‘Who from?’
‘Who is not your concern. All you need to know is that someone high up in the order Allah imposed on this world wants me to oversee what is happening here, and what is the first thing I find?’
The driver was weaving the car through the traffic as if he had a death wish. Makana clutched the armrest on the door which naturally came away in his hand. Okasha didn’t seem to notice. There was a distracted air about him.
‘Does he have to drive this fast?’
Okasha ignored the question. ‘This is not coincidence? I’ll tell you what it is, it’s a bad sign, you showing up like this. First the shooting of that woman and now this.’
‘Are you being transferred to this from Meera’s case?’
‘Meera’s case is still in the hands of the so-called Counter-terrorist Unit. We have to wait for Sharqi to get bored before he hands it over.’
‘In the meantime, you are on these child murders? Are you supposed to solve them or keep things quiet?’
‘You’re walking a fine line, Makana. We have serious problems in this neighbourhood. A lot of tensions.’
‘Which are being increased by people like Sheikh Waheed and his men.’
‘You have no interest in Sheikh Waheed, and I tell you this as a friend. He is not someone you want to trouble.’
‘Are you saying he is not trying to stir up bad feelings towards the Christians?’
‘What is this? Conspiracy theory?’ Okasha circled his hand in the air. ‘Is that what you want to hear? Someone is trying to create chaos inside the country to