142 | John W. Warner IV mosque shone like a jewel, and the Great Pyramids hazily loomed beyond as shadowed sentinels of the mysterious deep desert. Bea remembered that McMaster had said pilots needed to avoid all three pyramids because their radios and navigational instruments would go haywire near them. She had tried it once and it was true, the pyramids were still emitting strange energy waves. Bea stopped in her tracks and looked at the .dark shadows on the old buildings: a flash of deja-vu hit her for a frozen-in-time second or two, a distant feeling of her sitting atop an ancient temple while water ran in a carved-out channel in the stone, one where she could soothe her blistered feet in a round basin of cool, swirling fluid. Always, it was the long shadows. The strange past-life feeling vanished as quickly as it had arrived, leaving her slightly dumbstruck and dizzy. Alice stopped to admire a seller of silks. Bea grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out. Come on, Doll Face, times wasting. Lets take the tram. Oh,yd a At British Headquarters Middle East in Garden City, a block of commandeered flats surrounded by barbed wire, the nearby streets and alleyways swarmed with Czech, South African, Greek, Cypriot, Slav, Maltese, Pole, Dane, Sudanese, Rhodesian, American, and Indian uniformed personnel. Bea turned to the grand old Anubis Hotel across the street on the corner, its intricately carved Beaux Arts exterior rivaling any ancient monument for grandeur. Thats Rodgers billet. I see they dont spare the plush cushions and pet peacocks for the high-rank Yanks. Bursting with opulence and grace, the grand foyer shone. They walked through the hotels salon with fine stone pillars, tall carved ceilings, checkered floors made from a dozen marbles, and gilt hanging chandeliers wrought in traditional Egyptian style. In the lush, hexagonal arabesque courtyard there were indeed a few birds and peacocks by the misting fountain, their shrill voices cracking the sunny calm. Cigarette smoke and mild incense mixed, and multinational patrons sipped Turkish coffee, rose water-infused potions, and mint tea, a scene that bore the hallmarks of timeless antiquity. The war seemed far away, and thats how everyone wanted it. Have tea for an hour or so while I attend to my skull physic down the way. Back in a tick. Alice sat at a small table. Plenty to read in the papers. See you soon. Break a