Chapter 2 : A Missing Diplomat

Suzie's Apartment

The following morning Gerry arrived at the Embassy to find considerable toing and froing. "Some sort of Whitehall flap?" he asked of one of the secretaries as she scurried by.

"No idea," she said. "All I know is the Ambassador is in a right state. Oh, and he was looking for you."

"I can't have upset the Trade Minister this much," Gerry thought. "And I don't think I've given Suzie any real cause for complaint." He went in search of the Ambassador and found him in Suzie's office.

"Ah!" Sir Patrick exclaimed on seeing him. "Good. Come on. We're going to Miss Berkham's apartment." Gerry followed him out of the Embassy and down to the Bentley convertible that he had parked outside.

Suzie's apartment was in one of the older timber framed houses overlooking what in the wet season would be Kolin's river. An old woman sat at the foot of the stairs that led to the upper floors peering at Gerry and Sir Patrick in disapproval as the two made their way up to where Suzie had her rooms.

The apartment was wrecked. She wasn't there.

Sir Patrick and Gerry peered at the muddle. Furniture was upturned, drawers had been ransacked, papers were strewn everywhere.

"It looks like there's been some sort of fight," Gerry said.

"A perceptive remark, Mr Daniels. I can only assume that you gained your degree at the University of the Bleeding Obvious." Sir Patrick scowled over his gold half rimmed spectacles as he contemplated the scene.

On one side of the room an upturned chair lay on the floor. Strips of tape wrapped around the front legs and the back support showed where someone - Suzie, Gerry imagined - had been kept tied up. Clean cut marks on the tape suggest that someone had used a knife to set her free rather than that she had managed to escape.

The other odd thing that Gerry noticed was that there was no sign of any of Suzie's personal effects. Clothes, jewelry, everything that might have been thought hers was missing. All that had been left in the flat was furnishings and her work papers and computer.

"Good heavens," said Gerry, "do you think she's been abducted by terrorists? I didn't think that there was anything like that here. There wasn't anything about it in the briefing papers. Shouldn't we call the police?"

"Tell me," said the Ambassador, slowly and carefully, "exactly what did you say to the Minister?"

Taking Things Literally

Gerry explained the conversation that he had had with the Minister. "He seemed to think I had some sort of rights over her. I suppose he thought she was my girlfriend or something. Asked if she'd been 'assigned' to me."

"Ah," said the Ambassador with an air of weariness that was growing with increased understanding. "And how did the Minister respond to Miss Berkham?"

"I think he was quite taken with her. He had no interest in what she had to say but he didn't take his eyes off her all the time she was with us. Even asked if I'd mind if he approached her - in a roundabout sort of way."

"And you said?"

"I think it was something like 'be my guest'. And I wished him luck."

"Ah," said the Ambassador again as though understanding was dawning. "Now tell me, Gerry, how much do you know of Kushtian culture and traditions?"

"Well, there was what they told me in the briefing papers..."

"I'm sure they did a wonderful job but I suspect they haven't included some aspects of Kushtian culture that are, well, rather outside the traditions of most western nations."