"Wh..". Adam choked on his drink and began coughing. He held up his hand in a staying gesture, indicating questions were forthcoming.

"What?" Adam couldn't help himself blurting it out in a semi-cough. He glanced around and dropped his voice to a hoarse whisper, "Excuse my French, Inspector, but have you gone bloody barmy? I know the law in Aden is somewhat... open to interpretation... but abduction, kidnapping? Isn't that stretching it a tad?"

Guma patted the air above the tabletop with his palms, saying, "Right you are, Adam. I stand corrected. Euphemism is required. Let us use the word... invite. Yes, think of it as an invite. You invite the young lady to share your accommodations, take her on one of your extended... 'charter tours', that's all. But, listen closely."

Adam threw back his Scotch in one go, signaled the honest bartender for another, then listened.

The Inspector began:

"First off: Nobody other than you or me must have knowledge of this discussion, especially that certain crusading journalist. I will maintain plausible deniability.

"Second: Miss Blair has no money, no passport, no contacts. Her room at the Aden Rock was ransacked; whoever deposited her at the Blue Heron undoubtedly left her with nothing. Dangerous people want her out of the way. We both know who they are." Guma lifted an accusing eyebrow at Adam before continuing with, "But she is a fugitive and I cannot protect her. I can neither get her out of the country undetected, nor prove her innocence. The young lady is in a ghastly pickle, Adam.

"Third: You represent her one possible hope."

Adam thought in desperation. He couldn't get involved with this horseshit. Meeting in public with Inspector Guma was bad enough. But he couldn't work with him. And he sure as hell didn't want to get mixed up with this Ava Blair chick. She had got herself on the mean side of his al-Qaeda partners; there was no way he could square it with them. Furthermore, Adam had his own dead serious agenda to fulfill. What made Guma think he wouldn't simply toss Ava Blair to the wolves? Hmm, yeah, why not? he thought, that would resolve things lickety-split... with benefits.

But Adam scrabbled in his brain for a cleaner solution. He didn't want to get involved in homicide... yet. He said, "What about the US Embassy in the Capital? Can't you contact them, request their help?"

"They can do nothing." Guma waved his hand dismissively. "Miss Blair is on her own in this country; she has been implicated in murder; the Embassy bureaucrats in Sanaa can do nothing more than visit her in jail, once she's been apprehended. I'm afraid I must insist upon your cooperation in this matter, old chap." Then Guma added cryptically, "Moreover, Adam, it will give you and your... Vendetta, a more noble justification for remaining in Aden... will it not?"

Guma's rhetorical question, and implied threat, had Adam wondering just how much the Inspector knew about him, and his real purpose in Aden.

The Inspector smiled, raised an index finger to the waiter. He said to Adam, "Don't worry, mate; stay, have another, I'll get the cheque."