"Maybe you're overthinking this."

There was a new one; usually, I underthink these things. "Maybe."

"I-"

I put my finger on her lips. "Bian, don't talk, listen. We're both confused right now. You're beautiful and sexy, I'm very attracted to you, and…" I paused, then said, "When this is over, you need to have a word with your fiance. We'll see where we stand. Sound right?" In keeping with the watery theme, I added, "This is either a rain check or maybe, in a saner moment, it will be rained out."

She threw a towel at me. "Being a noble prick doesn't become you."

"I'm regretting it already."

She was quiet for a moment, then said, "I have to rinse off.

Since you're such a gentleman, why don't you get out?" "If you hear a gunshot, it will be me blowing my brains out." She smiled. "Oh, please don't." I smiled back. She stopped smiling. "Let me pull the trigger."

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

I broke into my duffel bag, shaved, and changed into fresh battle dress. When I emerged from the stately bedroom, Bian had returned to the lounge and had her nose tucked back inside TIME magazine.

It's always a little touchy dealing with somebody after you've been naked together, especially when the chemistry failed and it's your fault. I needed a moment to think through my approach.

Well, the proper course would be to sit down and have an honest heart-to-heart discussion about what happened, to expose my inner feelings, to achieve an emotional communion. Men aren't very good at this; we're emotionally awkward, disconnected, and shallow. I can do better than that, and I decided I would. So I told Bian, "Time to interrogate our prisoner. Let's go."

She ignored me and studied her magazine.

"Now, Bian. We need to have this done before Phyllis and Waterbury arrive."

"Fine." She continued reading.

"Also, presumably he knows bin Pacha. A little background will help when we interrogate bin Pacha later. Make sense?"

"Whatever you say."

"You try to untangle whatever he knows about future bombings, and who he was giving his explosives to. You understand that stuff better than I do."

"I imagine I do." Her nose was still inside her stupid magazine.

"Good cop, bad cop-you're the bad cop."

"Naturally."

I stepped toward her and bent forward until my face was two inches from hers. "Put the personal issues aside. Mission first, Major."

She calmly put down her magazine and stood. "I'm not mad at you-okay? I thought about it. You know what? You were right. It would've been a huge mistake."

Boy, was I ever glad we'd had this discussion and got that cleared up. I said, "Come with me."

We went to the guest suite, and as we entered, Nervous Nellie jolted upright and stared at us. I approached him and untied his gag.

He wanted to rub his dry lips, but his hands were manacled to the bedposts, and he had to settle with massaging his lips with his tongue.

He would always be Nervous Nellie to me, but I asked, "What's your name?"

"Please… sir… my leg, it hurts. Most badly."

I repeated my question.

"Please… maybe you have… I don't know, aspirin?"

Bian looked at him and said to me, "Dead men don't need aspirin."

This, of course, was not a threat of death, which would be a serious violation of the Geneva Conventions; it was a statement of fact. One could see, however, where it might be misinterpreted.

Apparently this guy misinterpreted Bian, because he said with some enthusiasm, "I am Abdul Almiri."

Bian asked, "From where?"

"Please… I am most hungry, sir. Today I have not eaten food. You are required by your laws to offer Abdul food. This is so, yes?"

I nodded at Bian, who left to see what she could scavenge from the galley. Starvation is another violation of the Geneva Conventions, of course, and Abdul clearly knew this. It was ironic that this guy came from a movement that ignores every law of humanity, until the scumbags are caught.

There was intelligence behind those frightened eyes, though, in addition to fear and anxiety, and Abdul was testing to see what the limits were.

I pulled over a chair and sat down beside him. I confided, "I'm going to offer you a little free advice. You need to be careful with the woman."

"Yes… I-"

"Abdul, listen-what I'm telling you might save your life. She's a little unhinged."

"I… I do not understand this word."

"Crazy, nuts, batty, wacko, sociopathic. The lady goes violent at the snap of a finger. You saw this last night in Falluja. Right? One second she seems perfectly sane and under control… and then…" I snapped my fingers, and he winced.

Abdul was now staring at me, a little wide-eyed. He said, "But you are soldiers, yes? I am seeing that you and she wear the uniform of the American crusader." True to form, he reminded me, "The Geneva Convention does not permit these things."

"Look around you, Abdul." He had shifty eyes anyway, but they slid around in their sockets a little. I asked him, "Does this look like a military aircraft? And these uniforms? They're not real."

"I… I do not understand, sir."

"I'm CIA. She's Mossad, Israeli intelligence. A Vietnamese Jew, actually." He looked confused, so I explained, "Even the other Mossad people are scared shitless of them. They have this big chip on their shoulder, always having to prove they're real Jews." While he tried to fit this exotic knowledge into his frame of reference, I added, "And need I really tell you about Mossad? They don't play by any rules. She'll whack you at the drop of a hat."

There is no law against lying to prisoners of war, of course, and in this case, the Arabs have created their own boogeyman. They tell one another so much scary crap about Mossad, they believe anything.

But Abdul was confused. "Whack? This word Abdul does not know, sir."

"Means killing, Abdul." He nodded and I continued, "For her, it's a sport. She has this sick game where she tries to see how many bullets she can pump into a man before he dies." I allowed him a moment to consider that intriguing hobby. I said, "Two hundred and eight."

"I… What is this number?"

"Her record. At least, she claims that's her record. Personally, I think she's a big fat liar. I once watched her pump seventy-two rounds into a guy, and he was tall and real heavy, and he died. Blood loss… too much pain for the heart… who knows? But two hundred and eight bullets?-I think that's just bullshit. What do you think?"

"I… sir, Abdul does not know."

I thought he did know, but decided to help him reach a clearer understanding. "I mean, you saw her last night. Think back. Everybody got one in the left leg, right? Take yourself-she nicked you. She calls that her chip shot. Don't even ask about her hole in one… but it's… Well, hey, for a guy, let's just say it's the worst thing that can happen."

Abdul licked his lips and stared at me. "Yes, but you are the good and honorable man. I remember… you would not permit her to do this horrible thing to us." He tried a gap-toothed smile and revealed an unpopular childhood. "I am very much thanking you for this, sir."

"Oh, well…" I looked into his eyes. "Time was short, Abdul. I could care less, but once she gets started…" I leaned back in my chair and coolly informed him, "You're a bomb maker. We've already confirmed this."

"No… I am not even knowing these men… these men you captured…"

"No?"

"No. I was… How do I say? I was merely seeking a place to sleep. It is our custom… I am of Islam. The Koran requires such hospitality between believers."

Bian reentered the room carrying a plate upon which was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and four or five small bags of trail mix.