‘I understand. Well, I can only offer to give you a cabin. The Nile Star will be sailing tonight. We shall be in Aswan the day after tomorrow.’
‘Can’t we get there any faster?’
Dena laughed. ‘The whole idea is for the tourists to relax and see a bit of the country. Maybe you could do with a bit of a rest yourself.’
Makana was reminded that he was not at his best. Dena led the way down a narrow staircase to a corridor running the length of the vessel. Halfway along she produced a key to unlock a cabin door, which turned out to be a rather cramped office with a bank of grey filing cabinets and shelves along one side and a desk that was almost as wide as the cabin. Compared to Faragalla’s office in Cairo this was a model of efficiency – everything was neatly set in place. She cleared the surface of the desk of everything save a telephone and some pencils. Motioning him towards a chair she went behind the desk and sat down. Clasping her hands together on top of the blotter she studied him for a moment.
‘Do you mind if I smoke?’ she asked, reaching into a drawer for a packet of cigarettes and an ashtray before he could answer.
‘Not at all,’ he replied.
‘We’re not supposed to smoke in front of the customers. It gives a bad impression.’ She struck a match and lit hers and then leaned across to light his. ‘Some cultures frown on women smoking almost as much as ours.’
‘We can take some comfort in that, I suppose,’ he smiled. ‘How long have you worked for the company?’
‘Oh, only six months. But I really like it.’ She nodded enthusiastically. She was in her twenties he reckoned. This was probably her first job after finishing her studies.
‘And how is it working out with Ramy down here all the time?’
Dena regarded him cautiously. ‘Is that why you’re here? To assess his work?’
‘I can’t really discuss that.’
‘What exactly do you do for Mr Faragalla, if you don’t mind me asking?’
‘Management consultancy. I look for ways of improving the company.’
‘This is because he hasn’t been back to Cairo, isn’t it?’
‘I’m not sure what you mean?’
‘I tried to persuade him to go back, just for a bit, but he refused.’ Dena stubbed out her cigarette in the glass ashtray with hard stabs. ‘I knew this would happen.’
‘It sounds like you and he are quite close.’
Her eyes flicked up, quick and sharp. ‘We work together, that’s all.’
‘Still, you must have been happy to hear that he was moving down here full-time.’
‘Well, naturally, it makes my job a lot easier.’ Everything was already neatly in place on the desk but still, she shifted a pencil as if it held some deep significance.
‘Really? Because it looks like you have things pretty much under control,’ Makana smiled. ‘You must have been used to taking care of everything before. How often did he come down here?’
‘Once a fortnight. Sometimes more often.’ She got to her feet abruptly and smoothed down her jacket, suddenly bored with his company. ‘You must be tired. It’s a long journey by train. I’m surprised you didn’t fly down.’
‘I’m not here to create problems for you,’ he said as he stood up. ‘All I want to do is talk to him.’
It was plain that she didn’t trust him. She had made up her mind that he was a threat and she would do everything she could, he was sure, to prevent him speaking to Ramy.
‘As I explained, there was business in Aswan for him to attend to.’ Dena stopped short and glanced at her watch. ‘I have to get back to work.’ She ushered him out of the office, locking the door carefully behind her. ‘I shall arrange for a cabin to be made up for you. You can wait upstairs. Have you eaten breakfast?’
‘No.’ Breakfast sounded appealing. If he was going to be stranded on this vessel for days he might as well make himself comfortable.
The dining room had just been vacated by the tourists. A couple of waiters were trying to tidy up. The buffet table formed an island of white cloth in the middle of the room out of which popped outcrops of plastic flowers and steel food dispensers. As he helped himself to what the tourists had not managed to finish, Makana wondered idly how much it cost to fly halfway around the globe to