CHAPTER ONE

Journey to Istanbul
It is early morning on a sunny spring day in April. Heathrow Airport, London, is usy, as usual. Hundreds o! people are arri"ing, lea"ing, or waiting !or planes. In the #eparture Lounge o! Terminal One, a man is sitting reading a newspaper. He does not li$e airports. There are too many people, and he is always ner"ous when he !lies. He loo$s at his wat%h impatiently. Then he hears the announ%ement o"er the loudspea$ers. &'ritish Airways announ%e the departure o! (light 'E)*+ !or Istan ul. ,ill passengers please pro%eed to -ate ./ !or oarding.& Tom 0mith pi%$s up his suit%ase and wal$s towards -ate ./. Twenty minutes later, the plane is preparing to lea"e. It mo"es slowly a%ross the airport to runway num er two. Tom is sitting loo$ing out o! the window. The plane suddenly mo"es !orward, ra%es down the runway and rises into the air. Tom loo$s down at the houses and roads !ar elow, and smiles. London is ehind him. Now he is on his way to Istan ul.

Tom rela1ed and too$ a letter !rom his po%$et. Resat 'ey Apt ..23, 4amerot 0o$a$, Aya5pasa, Istan ul My dear Tom, Thank you for your letter. I am so happy that you can come and visit me for a holiday. Life here in Istanbul is very interesting. I am enjoying my work, but I miss you very much. It will be wonderful to see you again. I'm sure we will have a very nice holiday. pring is here, and the weather is beautiful. I have to work on Monday !"th of #pril $ the day you arrive. o I can't come to the airport to meet you, but you can take a ta%i from the #ir Terminal to Taksim &uare. That's in the centre of the new part of the city. There's a big hotel called the 'ark (otel near the s&uare. I'll meet you there at ) o'clock. *e'll meet in the #merican +ar. The view over the city is beautiful. I can't wait to see you again, Tom. I have so much to tell you. o remember, the 'ark (otel, Taksim &uare, ) o'clock. ee you on the !"th. love, #ngela.

Tom sat !or a moment, loo$ing at his !ian%ee&s letter. Then he put it in his po%$et. He loo$ed down at the green !ields o! (ran%e, as the plane %ontinued its 6ourney a%ross Europe. &Ha"e you een to Istan ul e!ore7& said a "oi%e. It was the young man in the ne1t seat. &No, I ha"en&t,& said Tom. &Ha"e you7& The man smiled. &8y home is in Istan ul. I&m studying in London at the moment. I&m going home !or a holiday.& &Really7& said Tom. &,here are you studying7& &At London 9ni"ersity.& The two men sat tal$ing, as the stewardesses egan ser"ing lun%h. The young man told Tom his name was 4emal. His parents had a shop in Istan ul. &Are you meeting someone in Istan ul7& 4emal as$ed. &8y !ian%ee,& said Tom. &0he&s wor$ing in Istan ul.& &That&s interesting. How long has she een there7& 0he went to Istan ul two months ago. 0he wor$s !or a small %ompany whi%h is starting to e1port to England. 0he&s ma$ing all the arrangements.&

&E1porting always seems so di!!i%ult,& said 4emal. &It seems di!!i%ult,& Tom agreed. &'ut that&s Angela&s 6o . 0he&s an e1pert in importing and e1porting. Her !ather has an import:e1port agen%y in London and she has wor$ed !or him !or some years. 0he&s almost %ompleted her wor$ in Istan ul now. The %ompany has already started to send goods to England. 0he&ll e %oming a%$ to London soon.& &,hat $ind o! goods do they e1port7& as$ed 4emal. &All $ind o! things 2 rass ornaments, %o!!ee2pots, trays leather and ony1 arti%les 2 Angela&s !ather thin$s these goods will sell "ery well in England.& &That&s interesting,& said 4emal. &8y parents sell things li$e that in their shop in Istan ul.& The two men went on tal$ing as the plane !lew o"er Italy and -ree%e towards Tur$ey. 0oon they were des%ending to ;esil$oy Airport, Istan ul. ,hen the plane stopped, 4emal stood up. &I hope you en6oy your stay in Istan ul,& he said. &Here&s my telephone num er. I! you need anything, phone me. I li"e in 0isli. It&s not !ar !rom the %entre o! the %ity.& &Than$s, 4emal, that&s "ery $ind o! you.& &Not at all,& replied 4emal. &Ni%e to meet you. And now, good ye.&

Tom went through Customs and Immigration and wal$ed towards the airport e1it.

CHAPTER T,O

The American Bar

A us !or the City Air Terminal was waiting outside the airport. Tom got in and sat down eside the window. Other passengers got on and the us le!t the airport and dro"e towards Istan ul. 0oon they were dri"ing past the houses and apartment lo%$s near the %ity. Then they passed the old %ity walls. Tom !elt e1%ited, and loo$ed at e"erything. He saw eauti!ul old mos<ues and street mar$ets. The us was now approa%hing the %entre o! old Istan ul. It stopped at some tra!!i% lights. A %ar stopped eside the us. The door opened and a woman got out. Two men were with her. 0uddenly Tom 6umped to his !eet. It was Angela= &Angela=& Tom shouted. &Angela= Here= It&s me, Tom=& He $no%$ed on the us window. 0uddenly the tra!!i% lights %hanged and the us mo"ed !orward. Tom ran to the a%$ o! the us. Angela and the two men were going into a uilding. &Angela=& he shouted. &An...& He stopped. It was too late. The us was mo"ing <ui%$ly down a wide street. The

passengers were loo$ing at Tom and he suddenly !elt !oolish. He wal$ed a%$ to his seat and sat down. ,hat a surprise, he thought to himsel!. I must tell her when I see her this e"ening. Then the us %rossed Atatur$ 'ridge and Tom loo$ed at the oats on the -olden Horn. Again he !elt e1%ited. The us arri"ed at the Air Terminal at a <uarter to !our. There were some ta1is waiting there. Tom went up to one. &The Par$ Hotel, Ta$sim 0<uare, please,& he told the dri"er. &English7 ;ou %ome with me. I ta$e you <ui%$ly.& At a <uarter past !our, the ta1i arri"ed in the s<uare. &Here you are, sir, the Par$ Hotel.& &Than$ you,& said Tom, and paid the dri"er. Tom went into the hotel. He !ound the Ameri%an 'ar and sat down at a ta le on the terra%e. A waiter %ame out. &A eer, please,& said Tom. He sat in the a!ternoon sunshine, and loo$ed down o"er the %ity o! Istan ul. The "iew was "ery eauti!ul. He was loo$ing at the sea. The 'osphorus was !ull o! ships. There were "ery ig ships going to Russia and little sailing

ships. In the distan%e, he %ould see the mos<ues and pala%es o! old Istan ul. How eauti!ul and how e1%iting= Tom loo$ed at his wat%h. It was nearly !i"e o&%lo%$. He got up and wal$ed up to the hotel entran%e. There were lots o! people going in and out o! the hotel. 'ut he did not see Angela anywhere. He went a%$ to the ar and ordered another eer. Come on Angela, Tom said to himsel!. #on&t e late. >ust inside the Ameri%an 'ar a man in a grey rain%oat was sitting at a ta le. He was drin$ing %o!!ee and smo$ing %heap %igarettes. A newspaper lay open on the ta le in !ront o! him, and !rom time to time he loo$ed at it. 'ut the man wasn&t reading the newspaper 2 he was wat%hing Tom. It was now twenty past !i"e. Tom sat in the e"ening sunshine. He loo$ed at his wat%h again, and waited. Hal! past !i"e. ?uarter to si1. It was getting dar$. He loo$ed at the lights on the 'osphorus. 0trange, thought Tom. Angela isn&t usually late. Tom sat at the ta le, on the terra%e o! the Ameri%an 'ar, waiting !or his !ian%ee. He waited, and waited, and no ody %ame. And the man in the grey rain%oat sat patiently inside the ar, smo$ing, and wat%hing Tom. &Another eer, sir7& as$ed the waiter.

&No, ring me a telephone7& &;es, sir, inside.&

la%$ %o!!ee, please. Ha"e you a

Tom went into the hotel. There was a telephone eside the re%eption. Tom dialled Angela&s num er. The phone rang and rang, ut no ody answered it. He put the phone down and turned towards the re%eption des$. &E1%use me,& he as$ed the re%eptionist, &4amerot 0o$a$ 2 do you $now where it is7& &;es, it&s "ery near. -o out o! the hotel entran%e and turn right. ,al$ along the street 2 and 4amerot 0o$a$ is !ourth on the right.& &Than$ you,& said Tom. Tom went a%$ to the ar. He dran$ his %o!!ee and paid !or his drin$s. It was now a!ter eight o&%lo%$. Tom pi%$ed up his suit%ase and le!t the hotel. Inside the ar, the man in the grey rain%oat stood up and pi%$ed up his newspaper. He put some money on the ta le and wal$ed out into the street. He stood on the pa"ement !or a moment or two, then started wal$ing.

CHAPTER THREE

A Shock
4amerot 0o$a$ was a narrow, <uiet street o! old apartment uildings. Tom wal$ed along the pa"ement, loo$ing at the num ers on the doors. There was only one street light and it was di!!i%ult to see. 'ut !inally, he !ound Angela&s address, num er ... The uilding had a large glass door. Tom pushed it, ut it was lo%$ed. There was no ell. He $no%$ed on the door. Nothing happened. He $no%$ed again, louder this time, and listened. 0ilen%e. #amn, he thought. He was impatient now. And worried. He stood a%$ in the middle o! the street and loo$ed up. There were !i"e !loors, and all the windows were la%$. There was no light anywhere in the uilding. Angela, he said to himsel!, Angela= ,here are you7 A short distan%e away, the man in the grey rain%oat stood in a dar$ doorway. He was wat%hing Tom, wat%hing e"ery mo"e he made... Tom did not $now what to do. He $no%$ed on%e more on the glass door 2 again nothing happened. (inally, he

pi%$ed up his suit%ase. ,ith a last loo$ at the uilding, he turned and started wal$ing a%$ towards Ta$sim 0<uare. Tom 0mith, he thought to himsel!, as he wal$ed. ;ou need a hot ath and a good sleep. Then you %an de%ide what to do. The Par$ Hotel was e1pensi"e, ut Tom remem ered seeing one or two small hotels near Ta$sim 0<uare. (inally, he was standing outside the An$ara Hotel. He went in. &-ood e"ening,& he said to the woman at re%eption. &I&d li$e a single room, please.& The woman nodded. &,e ha"e a ni%e room upstairs. Come, I&ll show you.& They went upstairs and she opened a door. &@ery ni%e room,& she said. It was small, %om!orta le. ut it was %lean and it loo$ed

&I&ll ta$e it,& he said, and ga"e the woman his passport. &The athroom is along the %orridor,& she said. &'rea$!ast is !rom eight to ten o&%lo%$. -oodnight.& Tom put his %ase down and sat on the ed. He suddenly !elt "ery tired and unhappy. He was not ha"ing a good

dinner in a ni%e restaurant. He was not sitting with the woman he lo"ed. He was sitting alone, in a %heap hotel, in a strange %ity. (or a long time he sat on the ed thin$ing, 'ut I saw Angela. I saw her !rom the us= (inally he stood up. O4, he thought. Tomorrow morning I&ll go to Angela&s o!!i%e and !ind out what has happened. There&s a "ery simple e1planation, I&m sure. I&ll !ind out tomorrow. He had a hot ath and got into ed. He was "ery tired a!ter his long 6ourney and soon !ell asleep. The man in the grey rain%oat wal$ed a%ross Ta$sim 0<uare. There was a telephone $ios$ in the %orner. He dialled a num er, and waited. Then he spo$e. &He&s in the An$ara Hotel,& the man said. &He waited at the Par$ Hotel and then he went to the girl&s !lat. Now he&s in the An$ara Hotel... ;es, yes o! %ourse I will.& He put down the phone and le!t the $ios$. The ne1t morning, Tom !elt mu%h etter. He had rea$!ast, then too$ a ta1i to the o!!i%e where Angela wor$ed. The ta1i dro"e through the usy streets and %rossed the -alata 'ridge into the old %ity. (inally, it turned into a small

street near the Railway 0tation. It was a narrow street o! shops, small usinesses and wor$shops. The ta1i stopped in !ront o! a grey uilding. A(. 4aramian and Co. E1port:Import Agen%yA, said the sign a o"e the door. Tom pushed open the door and went in. A se%retary was typing at the re%eption des$. 0he loo$ed up as Tom %ame in. &-ood morning,& she smiled. &-ood morning,& said Tom. &8y name&s Tom 0mith. I&m loo$ing !or Angela Thomson 2 she&s my !ian%ee. I arri"ed in Istan ul last night and waited !or her, ut she didn&t...& The se%retary was staring at him. 0he stood up. &,ait a moment, please, 8r 0mith.& 0he hurried o"er to a door mar$ed AO!!i%eA, and went inside. Tom %ould hear her tal$ing to someone. The door opened and a man %ame out. He loo$ed "ery serious. &8r 0mith, my name&s #iinya. Please %ome in.& Tom went into the o!!i%e. &Please sit down, 8r 0mith,& said #iinya. &Loo$ 2 er, I don&t $now how to tell you this, 8r 0mith. I ha"e some "ery

ad news !or you. I&m "ery sorry indeed, ut 8iss Thomson, your !ian%ee 2 is 2 is dead.&

CHAPTER (O9R

'I Saw Her'

#rin$ this, 8r 0mith,& said 8r #iinya. He handed Tom a glass o! strong randy. Tom sat, sho%$ed, white2!a%ed, una le to spea$. He dran$ the randy slowly. &How 2 how did it happen7& he as$ed. &A %ar a%%ident. 8iss Thomson was dri"ing along a dangerous road. No one $nows what happened. Her %ar went o!! the road and !ell down the hillside.& &;esterday e"ening7& Tom as$ed. &I eg your pardon7& &The a%%ident 2 it happened yesterday e"ening7& #iinya loo$ed at him. &8r 0mith, the a%%ident happened a wee$ ago 2 last 0unday to e e1a%t. 0he had een away to 'ursa !or the wee$end and...& &'ut that&s impossi le=& said Tom. &I saw Angela yesterday=& &;esterday7&

&;es. I was on the airport us, %oming into Istan ul. I saw her in the street.& &I&m terri ly sorry, 8r 0mith, mista$e.& &No, I tell you I saw her. I...& &8r 0mith,& #iinya said patiently, &Istan ul is a ig %ity. There must e hundreds o! women here who loo$ li$e your !ian%ee.& Tom said nothing. &The 'ritish Consulate were "ery help!ul,& %ontinued 8r #iinya. &They made all the arrangements !or the !uneral. It was on ,ednesday.& &Ha"e her parents een told a out this7& Tom as$ed. &That is a pro lem, I&m a!raid. Her parents are on holiday in (ran%e. The 'ritish and (ren%h poli%e are trying to %onta%t them.& &0o they don&t $now yet,& said Tom <uietly. &No, they don&t, I&m a!raid.& There was a long silen%e. &Can I ha"e another randy, please7& as$ed Tom. ut you&re ma$ing a

&O! %ourse.& Tom tried hard to thin$ %learly. &I thought I saw her yesterday,& he said so!tly. &I understand, 8r 0mith. It&s a great sho%$ 2 a terri le tragedy !or you 2 !or all o! us.& A!ter a pause, #iinya as$ed, &,hat will you do now, 8r 0mith7 Is there anything I %an do to help7& &I&m not sure,& said Tom. &I need some time to thin$. I don&t $now what to do.& &#o you $now anyone in Istan ul7& 0uddenly Tom remem ered 4emal. &;es, yes, I ha"e !riends, don&t worry. Loo$, 8r #iinya, I %an&t de%ide anything now. I thin$ I&ll stay in Istan ul !or a day or two. I&d li$e to "isit the Consulate, and may e the poli%e.& 8r #iinya opened a drawer in his des$ and too$ out a %ard. He wrote on it and handed the %ard to Tom. &I&"e written down the telephone num er o! 8r #a"id Pennington. He&s the man in the Consulate who made the arrrangements !or the !uneral. The other num er is my o!!i%e telephone num er. Conta%t me i! you need anything. I&m here during the day.&

Tom stood up. &I must go now,& he said. &Than$ you, you&"e een most $ind.& 8r #iinya wal$ed with him to the door. &,ell, 8r 0mith, on%e again, I&m terri ly sorry.& &;ou $now I was so sure I saw her. 0o sure...& Tom said. &I understand,& replied #iinya. &It&s a terri le sho%$.& The two men shoo$ hands. &Remem er, %ome here any time i! you need anything,& said 8r #iinya. &-ood ye, now.& &-ood ye,& said Tom, and wal$ed out into the street. 8r #iinya turned and wal$ed a%$ into his o!!i%e. He %losed the door %are!ully and sat down at his des$. (or a !ew minutes he sat thin$ing. Then he pi%$ed up the telephone. Tom wal$ed slowly through the %rowded streets o! old Istan ul. The streets were usy, and !ull o! interesting people, shops and %a!es. 'ut Tom did not see any o! those things. He was not interested in Istan ul, he was not a tourist any more. Tom was thin$ing o! Angela. He remem ered the 6ourney on the us !rom the airport. He was sure he had seen Angela. 0he had een there on the pa"ement, getting out o! a %ar. 'ut #iinya said it was not Angela. Angela was dead. 0he had died a wee$ ago.

Tom wal$ed through the streets o! the %ity. He wal$ed through the -rand 'a5aar. He wal$ed on and on through narrow old streets. He didn&t $now where he was, or what time it was. He thought a out Angela. He thought again a out his 6ourney on the us !rom the airport. Again and again he thought a out it, and again and again he saw his !ian%ee. Then he stopped wal$ing, and stood !or a moment on the pa"ement. He was standing on a street eside the sea. Angela isn&t dead, he thought. I saw her= He loo$ed in his po%$et and !ound 4emal&s telephone num er. He wal$ed <ui%$ly a%ross the street to a %a!e. He went inside to the telephone. &Hello, 4emal7 Hello, it&s me, Tom. Remem er...7 ;es, yes, !ine than$s. Listen, remem er you said I %ould phone you i! I needed anything7 ,ell, something has happened. Can we meet somewhere7&

CHAPTER (I@E

A Disappointing Day
&0o,& said 4emal, &you really thin$ you saw her, do you7& 4emal and Tom were sitting in the Ameri%an 'ar at the Par$ Hotel. Tom thought %are!ully !or a moment e!ore answering. &;es,& he said slowly. &;es, I do. ;ou pro a ly thin$ I imagined it. I understand that. 'ut I&m %on"in%ed I saw her, that&s all.& 4emal nodded. &I %an&t stop thin$ing a out yesterday,& Tom %ontinued. &I %lose my eyes and I %an see Angela there on the pa"ement. I %an&t !orget that.& &Listen, Tom,& said 4emal. &,e only met yesterday ut already we&re !riends. ;ou&re in my %ountry, you&re my !riend, and you need help. I! you thin$ you saw Angela, that&s enough !or me. I elie"e you. Now we ha"e to de%ide what to do.& &There are two things I want to do as soon as possi le,& said Tom. &I want to go to the street where I saw Angela.

Then I want to go to the 'ritish Consulate. I ha"e an appointment !or this a!ternoon.& &O4,& said 4emal. &The street where you saw Angela. #o you thin$ you %an remem er where it is7& &No pro lem,& said Tom. &,e %an dri"e along the same route as the airport us. I&m sure I&ll remem er it.& &And what do you thin$ you will !ind there7& &I&m not sure. 'ut she was going into a uilding with two men. At least we %an !ind the uilding 2 may e that will tell us something.& &O4,& said 4emal. &8y %ar&s outside. Let&s go.& Tom and 4emal were dri"ing through the %ity. &It was a wide street,& said Tom. &,e %ame to a rounda out a!ter the tra!!i% lights. ,e turned le!t and then we passed an old a<uedu%t.& &A$saray,& said 4emal. &It&s near here.& 4emal dro"e o"er Atatur$ 'ridge. A!ter a !ew minutes, they saw the old a<uedu%t. Then they %ame to a large rounda out and turned right. &This is it,& said Tom. &It&s somewhere near here.&

They were approa%hing some tra!!i% lights. Tom loo$ed out o! the window at the uildings on the le!t. &No,& he said. &Not here.& They dro"e on to the ne1t tra!!i% lights. &This is it,& said Tom. &This is the pla%e.& 4emal stopped the %ar. &;ou get out. I&ll !ind a par$ing pla%e.& Tom got out and loo$ed around him. He was in a wide street o! shops and o!!i%es. A newspaper $ios$, a tra"el agen%y 2 he remem ered them !rom the day e!ore. He stood loo$ing at the uildings opposite until 4emal arri"ed. Tom pointed a%ross the street to the entran%e to an o!!i%e uilding. &That&s it, I thin$,& he said. They %rossed the street and loo$ed at the name plate eside the entran%e to the o!!i%e lo%$. There were many names there a lawyer, a dentist, a do%tor, and many other o!!i%es. Tom stood loo$ing at the names !or a !ew moments. &,ell,& he said !inally, &I&m sure she went into this uilding. 'ut whi%h o!!i%e was she going to7 ,as she going to see a lawyer, or a dentist, or a do%tor7 How do we egin to !ind out7&

4emal too$ his arm gently, and they wal$ed slowly a%$ to the %ar. &Listen, Tom,& he said. &;ou&re going too !ast. ;ou %an&t e1pe%t to !ind out e"erything immediately. ,ait until you see the man at the Consulate. A!ter that, we&ll thin$ a out it. Then we %an de%ide what to do. ,e $now she was going into that uilding. That&s something, anyway. Now loo$, it&s lun%h2time. ;ou must e hungry. I $now a good restaurant near here ...& &;ou&re right,& said Tom. &,e ha"e to e patient.&

CHAPTER 0IB

Visit to the Consulate

A!ter lun%h, 4emal dro"e Tom to the 'ritish Consulate in 8esrutiyet 0treet. He stopped the %ar at the gate. &,ell, good lu%$,& he said. &I&ll wait !or you.& Tom opened the %ar door. &It&s "ery good o! you to help me li$e this 4emal. Than$s "ery mu%h.& &Not at all,& said 4emal. &0ee you later.& Tom went through the Consulate gates. The old Consulate, with eauti!ul gardens round it, loo$ed li$e a pala%e. Tom pushed the ig door open and went in. &I&d li$e to see 8r #a"id Pennington, please,& he said at the re%eption des$. &8y name&s Tom 0mith. I ha"e an appointment.& A!ter a !ew minutes, a tall man wearing glasses %ame to meet him. &8r 0mith, my name&s Pennington. How do you do7& said the man, holding out his hand.

Tom shoo$ 8r Pennington&s hand. &How do you do,& he replied. &Come into my o!!i%e, please, 8r 0mith. 8r #iinya told me you were %oming.& They wal$ed up the eauti!ul stair%ase o! the Consulate and went into 8r Pennington&s o!!i%e. &0it down, please,& said Pennington. &8r 0mith, I&m "ery sorry a out your !ian%ee. It was a great tragedy. Please a%%ept my %ondolen%es.& &Than$ you,& said Tom. 8r Pennington too$ two !iles !rom his des$. &This is our report on the a%%ident,& he said. &And this is the poli%e report. I %an gi"e you %opies o! these, ut perhaps you&d li$e to as$ me some <uestions !irst.& Tom thought !or a moment. &8r Pennington,& he said, &I thin$ I saw Angela yesterday.& Pennington stared at Tom. There was silen%e in the room. Pennington loo$ed down at his des$, then he loo$ed at Tom again. Tom was a le to hear the noise o! the tra!!i% in the street outside the gardens. (or a long time Pennington said nothing. At last he spo$e.

&8r 0mith,& he said, &I don&t thin$ you !ully understand. ;our !ian%ee...& &I $now,& Tom interrupted. &Angela was $illed in a road a%%ident last wee$end. Her !uneral was last ,ednesday. 8r #iinya told me that this morning. 'ut I&m telling you I saw her yesterday.& &8r 0mith, I thin$ you should read these reports %are!ully e!ore you say anything more.& He passed the !iles o"er to Tom. &Can I get you a %up o! tea or something7& &A %up o! tea would e ni%e. Than$ you.& Pennington le!t the o!!i%e. He %ame a%$ a !ew minutes later with some tea. There was silen%e in the room while Tom read the reports. Presently he loo$ed up. &A!ter the a%%ident,& Tom as$ed Pennington, &how did they identi!y the ody7& &That was di!!i%ult,& said Pennington. &As you $now, the a%%ident happened on a dangerous road a out C++ $ilometres !rom here. ;our !ian%ee&s %ar %rashed through a wall y the side o! the road, and !ell down the hillside. The %ar urst into !lames and was %ompletely urned out. The 2 the ody was "ery adly urned, so identi!i%ation was di!!i%ult. 'ut the poli%e !ound your !ian%ee&s hand ag lying near the %ar. Her passport and papers were in the hand ag. The poli%e !ound

out that the %ar was owned y a %ar hire %ompany. 8iss Thomson had hired the %ar !or the wee$end.& &,hat a out Angela&s parents7& Tom as$ed. &I&m a!raid her parents don&t $now a out the a%%ident yet. They&re on a %amping holiday in (ran%e 2 the poli%e are trying to %onta%t them.& &,hat was she doing on that dangerous road7& &0he spent the wee$end in 'ursa, sightseeing. It&s a "ery interesting old town. 0he was on her way a%$ to Istan ul.& Tom thought !or a moment. &And are the poli%e <uite satis!ied7& Tom as$ed. &;es,& said Pennington. &The poli%e are %on"in%ed that it was an a%%ident. The !ile is %losed.& &And you people at the Consulate,& said Tom <uietly, &are you satis!ied7& (or a moment Pennington said nothing. &;es, 8r 0mith, we are,& he said. &Our 6o , among other things, is to loo$ a!ter 'ritish %iti5ens in Tur$ey. ,e ha"e loo$ed into this matter "ery %are!ully. And we are satis!ied that it was an a%%ident.&

Tom said nothing. &I really am "ery sorry,& Pennington went on. &I understand how you must !eel. ;ou&"e had a terri le sho%$. 8y ad"i%e to you now is to lea"e Istan ul. There is nothing you %an do here.& &I&m eginning to thin$ you&re right,& said Tom. &Perhaps I should go home. ;ou $now, I really thought I saw Angela, ut now...& &,here are you staying7& as$ed Pennington. &The An$ara Hotel, near Ta$sim 0<uare.& &,ill you e all right7 #o you $now anyone here7& &I&m all right, than$ you. I ha"e a !riend here.& &,ell 8r 0mith, please thin$ %are!ully a out what I&"e said. I hope you&ll ta$e my ad"i%e. I! you need anything e!ore you lea"e, %onta%t me. I&ll e glad to help you.& &Than$ you,& said Tom, standing up. &Than$ you !or all you&"e done.& &Not at all,& said Pennington. &I&m sorry your "isit to Istan ul wasn&t a happier one. Ha"e a good 6ourney home. -ood ye.& The two men shoo$ hands and Tom le!t the Consulate.

CHAPTER 0E@EN

The

an in the !rey "aincoat

4emal was waiting in the %ar outside the Consulate gates. &,hat did he say7& 4emal as$ed, as Tom got in the %ar. &The same as #iinya,& Tom replied. &It was an a%%ident. Angela&s dead. The !ile is %losed.& 4emal started the %ar, and dro"e away !rom the Consulate. &8r Pennington ad"ised me to go a%$ to London,& Tom %ontinued. &I&m eginning to thin$ he&s right.& 4emal said nothing. &The poli%e thin$ Angela is dead, and the people at the Consulate do too. I&m the only person who doesn&t thin$ she&s dead. 0o what am I going to do7 0tay here in Istan ul7 -o home7 Really, I 6ust don&t...& &Now wait a minute, wait a minute, Tom,& said 4emal. &How long ha"e you een in Istan ul7& &Not "ery long...&

&;ou&"e een here less than twenty2!our hours. And what has happened to you in this time7 ;ou&"e had a terri le sho%$. ;ou&"e een told that your !ian%ee was $illed in an a%%ident a wee$ ago. 'ut you are sure you saw her !rom the us last night. 0o now you are %on!used and you don&t $now what to do. That&s right, isn&t it7& Tom nodded his head slowly in agreement. &,ell, I&ll tell you what you&re going to do,& 4emal went on. &;ou&re going to %ome with me to the Top$api Pala%e. ,e %an wal$ through the eauti!ul gardens there and thin$ a out e"erything %are!ully. Then we %an de%ide what to do ne1t.& Tom smiled. &;ou&re right, o! %ourse. It has een a di!!i%ult day.& &E1a%tly,& said 4emal. &Now it&s time to rela1 a little.& They were dri"ing down narrow streets, to the -olden Horn. &This is the -alata 'ridge 2 it %rosses the -olden Horn,& said 4emal. &Loo$, isn&t it eauti!ul7& They dro"e slowly a%ross the sunlight. ridge in the right

&It is eauti!ul,& said Tom, loo$ing out a%ross the 'osphorus. &@ery eauti!ul.&

They %ontinued a%ross the ridge, turned le!t, and dro"e past the Railway 0tation. A !ew minutes later they %ame to 0anta 0ophia 2 one o! the oldest and most eauti!ul uildings in Istan ul. It was on%e a %hur%h, then a mos<ue and now it is a museum. &,e&ll lea"e the %ar here,& said 4emal. &(irst, I&m going to show you the Pala%e o! Top$api.& They got out o! the %ar in a large par$. They were standing in !ront o! the !irst gate o! the Pala%e. &The 0ultans o! Tur$ey used to li"e in Top$api Pala%e,& 4emal e1plained. 4emal and Tom ought an entran%e ti%$et. They wal$ed through the gate into the gardens o! the Pala%e. &This is the !irst %ourtyard o! the Pala%e,& went on 4emal. &O"er there are the royal $it%hens. And o"er there the harem 2 that&s part o! the Pala%e where the women li"ed.& They were wal$ing down a wide path. 4emal loo$ed round and then he too$ Tom y the arm. &,al$ a little !aster,& he said <uietly. Tom saw that there was a strange loo$ on 4emal&s !a%e. &Is anything wrong7& he as$ed. &4eep wal$ing,& said 4emal. &And don&t loo$ a%$.&

They wal$ed a%ross the %ourtyard towards the se%ond gate o! the Pala%e. &4emal, what&s wrong7& said Tom <ui%$ly. &0omeone is !ollowing us,& answered 4emal. 0omeone !ollowing us7& said Tom. &,hat do you mean7& There&s a man in a grey rain%oat wal$ing ehind us. I saw him when we %ame into the Pala%e. I wasn&t sure at !irst, ut I&m sure now.& They wal$ed on and then ran through the se%ond gateway. 4emal loo$ed a%$. The man was still !ollowing them. &This way. ?ui%$ly.& 4emal led Tom to the entran%e o! the Treasury. Inside, it was "ery %rowded and it was also dar$ a!ter the right sunshine. &,e&re going to separate now,& said 4emal. &The man won&t e a le to !ollow oth o! us. ;ou ta$e a ta1i a%$ to your hotel. Ha"e you got some money7& &;es,& said Tom. &Right, I&ll phone you this e"ening.& &,hat are you going to do7& as$ed Tom.

&I&m going a%$ to my %ar.& &'e %are!ul,& said Tom. &;ou too,& said 4emal. &0ee you later.&

CHAPTER EI-HT

A Surprise #hone Call

It was se"en o&%lo%$ when Tom arri"ed in Ta$sim 0<uare. He got out o! the ta1i and wal$ed towards his hotel. He !elt ner"ous. ,as someone wat%hing him7 ,as someone sitting in a %ar wat%hing his hotel7 He hurried inside. &-ood e"ening,& said the woman at re%eption. &-ood e"ening,& said Tom. He too$ his room $ey and went upstairs. He lo%$ed his door, too$ o!! his shoes and lay down on the ed. He !elt tired, ut ner"ous and e1%ited at the same time. (or a long time he lay on the ed, listening to the noises in the street outside, and thin$ing a out one person 2 Angela. The phone rang. It rang loudly, and Tom 6umped ner"ously. 4emal, he thought, and pi%$ed up the re%ei"er. &;es7& &This is re%eption, 8r 0mith, I ha"e a %all !or you.& &Than$ you,& said Tom.

&Hello7 Is that Tom 0mith7& It was a woman&s "oi%e. &;es. ,ho is that7& Tom as$ed. His heart was eating !ast. &;ou don&t $now me, 8r 0mith, ut I&m a !riend o! Angela&s. I ha"e something to tell you. Can we meet somewhere7& &,ho are you7& &8y name&s >ulie. As I said, I&m a !riend o! Angela&s. Listen, I don&t want to tal$ on the phone. Can we meet somewhere7& &;es, yes, sure,& said Tom, thin$ing <ui%$ly. &#o you $now the Ameri%an 'ar at the Par$ Hotel7& &I $now it. I&ll e there in twenty minutes.& There was a %li%$ and then there was silen%e. Tom put the phone down and 6umped to his !eet. &I must tell 4emal,& he said to himsel!. He pi%$ed up the phone. &Re%eption7 Can I ha"e Istan ul 3/ DC E)7& Tom waited impatiently. &0orry, sir, there&s no answer,& said the woman at re%eption. &O4, I&ll try later.& Tom put the phone down, and le!t the room. There were only a !ew people in the Ameri%an 'ar when Tom went in. He sat down at a ta le y a window. (rom there he %ould see e"eryone who %ame through the door. Tom sat drin$ing a eer and wat%hing the door. ,ho was >ulie7 ,hat did she want7 Tom would soon !ind out.

A girl %ame in a !ew minutes later. 0he had long londe hair, and was wearing 6eans. The girl loo$ed round the ar, then wal$ed o"er to Tom&s ta le. FHi,& she said. &I&m >ulie.& &Hello,& he said. &I&m Tom. Please sit down.& 0he sat down. The waiter %ame o"er. &,ould you li$e a drin$7& said Tom. &A %o!!ee, please,& she said. The waiter nodded and le!t. &0o you&re Tom,& >ulie said. &;ou loo$ 6ust li$e your photograph. Angela showed me a pi%ture o! you.& &'ut how did you !ind me7& Tom as$ed. &I went to the 'ritish Consulate today,& >ulie e1plained. &I spo$e to 8r PenningtonG he told me the name o! your hotel. I $new you were %oming to Istan ul and I wanted to spea$ to you.& 0he loo$ed round ner"ously. &Listen, Tom,& she went on. &There&s something strange going on. ,hat do you $now a out Angela&s a%%ident7& &Only what the Consulate told me today,& said Tom. He told >ulie a out his %on"ersation with 8r Pennington. &And are you satis!ied7& she as$ed. Tom loo$ed at her.

&Tell me what you thin$,& he said slowly. &All right,& said >ulie. &Let&s start at the eginning. Angela %ame to Istan ul two months ago. I met her at a party soon a!ter she arri"ed and we e%ame good !riends. At the eginning, she was happy. 0he en6oyed her 6o , she li$ed wor$ing !or her oss...& &#iinya 7& &That&s right. E"erything was !ine. I saw her <uite o!ten. ,e used to ha"e lun%h together, and go sightseeing. And then, two wee$s ago something happened. Angela seemed worried a out something 2 something to do with her wor$. I as$ed her what was wrong ut she didn&t want to tal$ a out it. Then one lun%h2time we were together in a restaurant and suddenly #iinya %ame in. The moment she saw him, she e%ame ner"ous. I thin$ she was a!raid o! him.& &-o on,& Tom said. &,ell, I don&t $now anything else. 0he ne"er told me what she was worried a out. I saw her a !ew more times, and then she had the a%%ident.& 0he loo$ed at Tom. &'ut it is strange, isn&t it7& >ulie went on. &0he was worried a out something 2 her 6o , or her oss, or something. 'ut she wouldn&t tal$ a out it. And then she had an a%%ident.&

0he stopped. &That&s all,& she said. &That&s what I wanted to tell you.& Tom leant a%ross the ta le. &0hall I tell you something7& he said <uietly. &;esterday, on the way into Istan ul, I saw her.& >ulie stared at him. &,here7& she as$ed. &I was in the airport us, %oming into the %ity. ,e were in 8illet 0treet near A$saray. Angela was going into a uilding with two men.& &,hat do you mean, going into a uilding7& uilding7 ,hi%h

&,ell, I don&t $now. There are a lot o! o!!i%es in the uilding. I went there today. There was a dentist, and a do%tor...& &#o%tor,& said >ulie. &That&s interesting.& &,hat do you mean7& &Angela had a "irus two wee$s ago 2 a ad atta%$. 0he was getting pills !rom a do%tor. That e1plains it 2 she needed more pills, or treatment. 0he was going to a do%tor=&

Tom thought !or a moment. &0o that&s where she was going,& he said. &To the do%tor&s. 8ay e I %an go and as$ the do%tor a !ew <uestions.& >ulie loo$ed worried. &'e %are!ul, Tom,& she said. &,hat do you mean7& &>ust e %are!ul,& she repeated. &0omething strange is happening. It %ould e dangerous !or you i! you as$ too many <uestions.& &O4,& said Tom. &'ut I&m sure Angela is in this %ity somewhere. 0he&s in trou le. The poli%e and the Consulate say she&s dead, so they won&t help. 'ut I thin$ she&s ali"e. 0he&s in Istan ul somewhere, and I&m not lea"ing until I !ind her=&

CHAPTER NINE

'!oo$bye%

r Diinya'

Later that e"ening Tom phoned 4emal. He told him a out his meeting with >ulie. 4emal listened while Tom e1plained what had happened. &O4,& he said, when Tom had !inished. &Listen 2 I thin$ I understand what&s happening. Angela was wor$ing !or #iinya. Right7& &;es.& &And then she was worried a out something 2 something at wor$. Right7& &;es.& &O4, and then she had her a%%ident. 'ut it wasn&t an a%%ident. Tom 2 you $now what I thin$7 I thin$ Angela is ali"e. 0he&s here somewhere in Istan ul. #iinya is holding her prisoner.& &,hat7& &Thin$ a out it, Tom. Angela was worried a out something at wor$. ,e thin$ it was something to do with #iinya and his e1port usiness. And now she has

disappeared. 'ut she isn&t dead 2 there was no %ar a%%ident 2 #iinya is holding her prisoner, I&m sure o! it.& &'ut,& egan Tom. &I don&t...& &Listen, Tom,& %ontinued 4emal, &what a out the man in the Top$api Pala%e today 2 the man who !ollowed us7 ;ou $now what I thin$, Tom7 I thin$ #iinya and his !riends ha"e een wat%hing you sin%e you arri"ed in Istan ul. They $now where you are staying, they $now you went to the Consulate, and that&s how they !ollowed us to the Pala%e today. They $now e"erything a out you, Tom.& &-od,& said Tom <uietly. &8y -od, 4emal, I thin$ you&re right. ;ou must e right. 'ut what are we going to do now7& &I&ll tell you,& said 4emal. &They $now where you are staying and they $now you&re loo$ing !or Angela. That&s why they&re wat%hing you. They want to !ind out what you do ne1t. ,ell, I&ll tell you what you&re going to do ne1t. ;ou&re going to lea"e Istan ul. Now listen...& Ne1t morning, Tom %he%$ed out o! his hotel. &Than$ you,& he said to the re%eptionist, &and good ye.& &Lea"ing Istan ul7& &;es, I&m going home.& &-ood ye, sir. Ha"e a good 6ourney.&

Tom too$ a ta1i to #iinya&s o!!i%e. The dri"er stopped outside. &,ait here, please,& said Tom. &I&ll e a%$ in a !ew minutes.& He went into the o!!i%e. &-ood morning,& he said to the se%retary. &Is 8r #iinya here7 I&"e %ome to say good ye.& 0he went to the o!!i%e. 8r #iinya %ame out. &Ah, 8r 0mith.& &-ood morning, 8r #iinya. I&"e %ome to say good ye.& &Lea"ing so soon7& &;es. I went to the 'ritish Consulate yesterday and spo$e to 8r Pennington. It seems there&s nothing I %an do here. I&m going a%$ to London. Than$ you !or your help.& &;ou&re wel%ome, 8r 0mith. On%e again, I&m "ery sorry a out your !ian%ee. I&m sorry your "isit to Istan ul wasn&t a happy one.& &Than$ you and good ye. 8y plane lea"es at midday.& &At midday7 I see. -ood ye, 8r 0mith. Ha"e a good 6ourney.&

The two men shoo$ hands. Tom turned and le!t the o!!i%e. His ta1i was waiting. &The airport, please,& he said as he got in. The ta1i mo"ed o!!. Another %ar, par$ed twenty metres away, mo"ed away !rom the pa"ement and started !ollowing. At the airport, Tom wal$ed o"er to the 'ritish Airways des$. He as$ed a out the !light to London, ut he did not %he%$ in. Then he ought a newspaper and sat down to wait. He loo$ed round the usy airport. 0omewhere among all these people, he thought, someone is wat%hing me. He opened his newspaper and started reading. Then there was an announ%ement o"er the loudspea$erH &'ritish Airways announ%e the departure o! their !light T4I*I !or London. ,ill Passengers please pro%eed to -ate / !or oarding.& Tom pi%$ed up his things and wal$ed towards passport %ontrol. There were lots o! people at the entran%e to passport %ontrol. Tom went into the %rowd o! people and mo"ed towards a large man whose relati"es were saying good ye. 0uddenly he turned and went into the men&s toilet. In the toilet he too$ o!! his 6a%$et and started to wash his hands and !a%e. No one !ollowed him into the toilet. Then there was another announ%ementH 'ritish Airways (light T4I*I !or London. This is the !inal announ%ement. ,ill passengers

please pro%eed immediately to -ate /. This gate is now %losing.& Tom heard the announ%ement ut didn&t mo"e. He loo$ed at his wat%h, and smiled to himsel!. The man in the grey rain%oat wal$ed o"er to the telephone $ios$s and dialled a num er. &Hello7 I saw him lea"e. ;es 2 he&s on the plane.& The man put the phone down and wal$ed away towards the e1it. Hal! an hour later, Tom was in a ta1i on his way to 4emal&s !lat in 0isli. 4emal opened the door. &Hello, Tom,& he smiled. &E"erything O47& &No pro lem,& smiled Tom. &I went into the %rowd at passport %ontrol. Then I hid in the toilet at the last minute.& &,ell done. #iinya and his !riends will thin$ you ha"e gone a%$ to London. Now you %an stay here in my !lat and we %an start loo$ing !or Angela.& &And we $now where to start, don&t we7& &;es 2 #iinya&s o!!i%e,& replied 4emal.

CHAPTER TEN

An Important Disco&ery
4emal and Tom had something to eat. Then they sat down and made their plans !or the e"ening. &,e&ll wat%h #iinya&s o!!i%e this e"ening,& said 4emal. &,hen he %omes out we&ll !ollow him. Then we&ll !ind out where he li"es.& &,on&t that e dangerous !or me7& as$ed Tom. &He $nows me, remem er. ,hat i! he sees me7& 4emal smiled and stood up. &I&"e thought a out that. And I&"e got 6ust what you need. Loo$.& 4emal opened a drawer. &Put this on,& he said. &A wig=& said Tom. &And a !alse mousta%he, too. -o on, try them on.& Tom put on the wig and mousta%he. He loo$ed in the mirror.

&No one will re%ognise me now,& he laughed. &Not e"en my own mother=& &-ood,& said 4emal. &And i! you also wear dar$ glasses you will e %ompletely disguised.& It was se"en o&%lo%$ and the shops and small usinesses in the <uiet street were %losing. Tom and 4emal sat in the %ar, waiting patiently. &He&ll e lea"ing soon,& said Tom. (urther down the street, they %ould see the entran%e to #iinya&s o!!i%e. They sat in silen%e, wat%hing. Time passed slowly. Ten past se"en, <uarter past, then suddenly 2 &There he is,& whispered Tom. &That&s him.& #iinya %ame out o! his o!!i%e and lo%$ed the door %are!ully ehind him. He loo$ed along the street. Then wal$ed o"er to a grey 8er%edes %ar and got in. The 8er%edes mo"ed away !rom the pa"ement and dro"e along the street. It turned right onto the main road. &Let&s go,& said 4emal and dro"e down the street. They turned right, !ollowing the 8er%edes. The main road was usy, and they dro"e along in the tra!!i%. &There it is,& said 4emal. &A out !i!ty metres away, in !ront o! that ta1i.&

&Care!ul,& said Tom. &#on&t dri"e too %lose. 0tay ehind the ta1i.& They dro"e along the main road, wat%hing the 8er%edes. &He&s turning le!t.& &O4.& Tom and 4emal !ollowed. They were now dri"ing along the wide street eside the sea. (or twenty minutes they dro"e towards the su ur s o! the %ity. Now they were outside the %ity %entre and the tra!!i% was mo"ing !aster. The 8er%edes turned o!! the main road. &0low down,& said Tom. &;ou&re too near.& They slowed down until the 8er%edes had turned the %orner, then dro"e !aster. ,hen they turned the %orner, the road was empty. &#amn,& said 4emal, and dro"e !aster. They %rossed another side street, and loo$ed <ui%$ly right and le!t. &Le!t,& said Tom. &There he is=& They turned and dro"e along a <uiet street o! pri"ate "illas. This was the most dangerous part e%ause there was not mu%h tra!!i%. I! #iinya loo$ed round now, he would see that someone was !ollowing him...

&He&s stopping,& said 4emal, as he saw the 8er%edes& ra$e lights going on. 4emal dro"e slowly. The 8er%edes was now !i!ty metres in !ront o! them. &He&s turning,& said 4emal. The 8er%edes turned o!! the street and dro"e through the gates o! a large "illa. The "illa was surrounded y trees and ushes. Already the gates were %losing ehind it as the 8er%edes dro"e up to the house. Tom and 4emal dro"e past the %losed gate and %ontinued along the street. &,ell,& said Tom. &That&s where #iinya li"es.& &That&s a start,& said 4emal. &Come on, let&s go home now.& 'a%$ in 4emal&s !lat, they dis%ussed what they had seen. &I thin$ that Angela is in the "illa,& said Tom. 4emal agreed. &,hat do we do now7& as$ed Tom. &,e %an&t get into the "illa. There are pro a ly men guarding it.&

&I agree,& said 4emal. &,e thin$ she&s in the "illa ut we %an&t get in there.& &It doesn&t matter. The "illa isn&t important,& said Tom. &,hat do you mean7& &Thin$ a out it,& Tom replied. &Remem er what >ulie said. Angela was worried a out something at wor$. 0he wor$ed in the o!!i%e, she ne"er went to the "illa. 0o what we&re loo$ing !or is in the o!!i%e. The "illa isn&t important.& &;ou&re right,& said 4emal. He stood up and wal$ed o"er to the window. &Listen, you&"e een inside the o!!i%e, what&s it li$e7& &,hen you go in the door,& Tom told him, &there&s the window, and a small re%eption des$. Then there&s an o!!i%e, and a door to #iinya&s pri"ate o!!i%e at the a%$.& &Anything else7& Tom tried to remem er the inside o! the o!!i%e. &;es,& he said. &There&s a door, another door, at the a%$.& &O4,& said 4emal. &They must ha"e a wor$shop or a store through that door. That&s where they&ll $eep all the things they e1port. 0o somehow we ha"e to ha"e a loo$ inside...&

4emal thought !or a moment. &I&"e got an idea,& he said suddenly. &#iinya e1ports ony1 ornaments to England. 8y parents sell things li$e that in their shop. 0o, i! I had a o1 o! ornaments and I wanted to sell them "ery %heaply, who would uy them !rom me7& Tom loo$ed at him, then smiled. &#iinya,& he said. &E1a%tly,& smiled 4emal. &Now, let&s thin$ %are!ully...&

CHAPTER ELE@EN

A Cle&er Trick
I rahim #iinya was alone in his pri"ate o!!i%e. He was wor$ing at his des$, !inishing some paperwor$. He always did his paperwor$ alone e!ore going home. He loo$ed at his wat%h. Another ten minutes, then he would e !inished. There was a $no%$ at the door. #iinya loo$ed up !rom his papers. He didn&t mo"e. There was another $no%$, louder this time. He put the papers in his des$ and lo%$ed it. Then he got up and went out into the o!!i%e. He %ould see a man outside, standing in the doorway. &,e&re %losed,& he said through the glass door. &Come a%$ tomorrow.& &I&m sorry,& said the man. &It&s urgent, please.& #iinya was annoyed. He unlo%$ed the door and opened it. &,e&re %losed. Can&t you see7&

&I&m "ery sorry to other you,& said 4emal. &'ut I was hoping to !ind someone here. I ha"e a pro lem. ;ou see, I need some money <ui%$ly. I must ha"e it tomorrow morning, early. It&s !or well, it doesn&t matter why I need the money. That&s my pro lem. 'ut I ha"e some ony1 ornaments to sell and I heard you would e interested.& He held out a eauti!ul ony1 ashtray. &,ould you e interested in uying !i!ty o! these7& #iinya too$ the ashtray and loo$ed at it %are!ully. 4emal %ould see he was interested. &@ery good <uality,& said 4emal. &(i!ty, did you say7& &That&s right. They&re in the %ar outside.& &How mu%h do you want7& #iinya as$ed. &.),+++ lira !or !i!ty,& said 4emal. &That&s too mu%h,& said #iinya. &I&ll gi"e you )+++.& &Please 2 I need the money urgently,& said 4emal. &Then you will a%%ept )+++,& said #iinya. 4emal loo$ed disappointed.

&All right.& he said. &;ou %an ha"e them !or /+++ lira. They&re in a ig o1 in the %ar. Could you help me %arry them7 They&re "ery hea"y.& #iinya went with him to the %ar. Together they %arried the o1 into the o!!i%e. &This is really "ery $ind o! you,& said 4emal. &They are hea"y.& They %arried the o1 to the a%$ o! the o!!i%e. 4emal loo$ed <ui%$ly at the door. &Ha"e you got a store somewhere7& he as$ed. &I&m sure you don&t want the o1 in your o!!i%e.& #iinya thought !or a moment. He loo$ed at the large o1 in his small o!!i%e and said, &One moment.& He too$ a $ey !rom his po%$et and unlo%$ed the door. They pi%$ed up the o1 and %arried it through into the wor$shop. It was a long, wide room, with windows on one side. There were a lot o! arti%les in the room 2 ony1 ta les, lamps, ornaments, rass and leather arti%les. On a wor$ en%h, there were rows o! tools and %utting e<uipment. &This is !ine,& said #iinya. &Put it down here.& They put down the o1. #iinya too$ out his wallet. &/+++ lira,& he said.

At that moment the telephone in his o!!i%e rang. #iinya loo$ed annoyed. &E1%use me one moment,& he said to 4emal. He went a%$ to his pri"ate o!!i%e. 4emal loo$ed at his wat%h and smiled as #iinya disappeared through the door. ?ui%$ly he loo$ed round the wor$shop. There was a door at the other end. He loo$ed out o! the windows. Outside there was a small %ourtyard, and at one end o! the %ourtyard, a wall, two metres high. On the wor$ en%h at the end o! the wor$shop, there were se"eral ony1 ta le lamps. 4emal loo$ed <ui%$ly at them. They had een %ut in hal! with a %utting instrument. The inside had een remo"ed. 4emal loo$ed %losely. 0uddenly 4emal heard #iinya say good ye. He turned <ui%$ly away !rom the wor$ en%h. &0orry to $eep you waiting,& #iinya said as he %ame a%$ in. &Not at all,& said 4emal. &I %an see you&re a "ery usy man.& #iinya %ounted out /+++ lira.

&Than$ you,& said 4emal. &I really need this money. ,ell, I won&t ta$e any more o! your time.& #iinya wal$ed with him to the door into the street. &Than$s again,& said 4emal. &-oodnight.& &-oodnight,& said #iinya, and %losed the door. 4emal went a%$ to his %ar and dro"e home. Tom was waiting !or him. &#id it wor$7& he as$ed, as 4emal %ame into the apartment. &Per!e%tly,& smiled 4emal. &8y rother phoned 6ust at the right moment, when we were in the wor$shop. #iinya elie"ed my story, too. And he ga"e me a "ery low pri%e !or the ony1.& &,hat did you see in the wor$shop7& 4emal loo$ed serious. &,ell, not "ery mu%h, I&m a!raid. It&s 6ust a wor$shop, or a store. There were lots o! ony1 and leather arti%les, rass and tools. And there were some ony1 lamps eing repaired, I thin$. 'ut there&s a %ourtyard outside, and another uilding opposite. I&m sure that it elongs to #iinya. And more important 2 there&s a wall at one end o! the %ourtyard, whi%h isn&t too high

&8eaning7& &8eaning that it wouldn&t e too di!!i%ult to %lim o"er it.&

CHAPTER T,EL@E

Disaster'
The ne1t morning, a!ter rea$!ast, Tom and 4emal sat loo$ing at a street map o! Istan ul. &Loo$ here,& 4emal said. He pointed to a small street. &#iinya&s shop is in this street. Now, loo$ at the street ehind his shop. ,e&ll ha"e to !ind a way into the %ourtyard !rom that side.& &#o you $now that part o! the %ity7& as$ed Tom. &Not "ery well. As !ar as I remem er, there are only o!!i%es, warehouses and wor$shops there. At night it will e <uiet, ut we&ll ha"e to e "ery %are!ul.& &O4, we&ll do it tonight,& said Tom. They le!t 4emal&s !lat in 0isli at ten o&%lo%$ and dro"e a%ross the %ity to #iinya&s shop. They par$ed the %ar two lo%$s !rom the wor$shop. There were not many street lights there and it was dar$. &Come on,& said 4emal. &,e must wal$ !rom here.& They wal$ed along the dar$ streets. They were oth wearing dar$ %lothes. They %ame to the street whi%h ran ehind #iinya&s wor$shop and %ourtyard.

&;ou see7& said 4emal <uietly. &Only o!!i%es, warehouses and wor$shops 2 no ody li"es in this street. The %ourtyard must e up this alleyway, ehind these uildings.& They loo$ed up and down the dar$ street. No %ars, no one in sight. &Let&s go,& whispered 4emal. They wal$ed <ui%$ly up the alleyway. Tom&s heart was eating !ast, his mouth dry with !ear. They stood ehind one o! the warehouses, eside the %ourtyard wall. 0omewhere in the distan%e a dog ar$ed. &Help me up,& whispered 4emal. &?uietly=& Tom stood with his a%$ against the wall. He held his hands together. 4emal put his !oot in Tom&s hands and rea%hed up. &O4,& 4emal whispered. 4emal loo$ed %are!ully o"er the wall. The %ourtyard was empty. 4emal pulled himsel! up and sat on top o! the wall. &-i"e me your hand,& whispered 4emal down to Tom. &I&ll pull you up.&

Tom rea%hed up. 4emal too$ his hand and pulled. Tom put his other hand on the top o! the wall and %lim ed on to the wall eside 4emal. 4emal dropped silently to the ground in the %ourtyard. 0uddenly there was a noise. It %ame !rom inside the wor$shop. 4emal pointed to the side. They hurried silently o"er to the wall, and waited. Another noise. A door opened and %losed inside the wor$shop. A light %ame on in the wor$shop and shone out a%ross the %ourtyard. Tom and 4emal stood !ro5en against the wall. They e1pe%ted a door to open and men to run out into the %ourtyard. 'ut nothing happened. They heard people tal$ing and mo"ing a out inside. 4emal put his mouth %lose to Tom&s ear. &This is our only %han%e,& he whispered. &,e ha"e to try to see what they&re doing in there.& They mo"ed "ery slowly towards the window. It was so <uiet that Tom %ould hear his heart eating. At last they were going to !ind out what was happening. There were some men in the wor$shop. One o! them was wor$ing with an ony1 ta le lamp. The lamp had een %ut in hal!. He put a small plasti% ag inside the lamp. Then he !i1ed the two hal"es o! the lamp together again.

Tom loo$ed at all the ony1 and rass ornaments, the %utting tools, the pile o! plasti% ags on the ta le. 0uddenly he understood what was happening. Ornaments !or e1port to England, and inside the ornaments 2 opium= &0o that&s it=& he whispered to 4emal. &They&re smuggling drugs in the ornaments=& Tom stepped a%$ !rom the window. Perhaps he was e1%ited y what he had seen. Perhaps he !orgot where he was. 'ut suddenly, he put his !oot on a stone and slipped. He put out his hand and $no%$ed against a pie%e o! wood. The pie%e o! wood !ell to the ground with a loud %rash. A light %ame on, a door opened, and men rushed out. &Run=& shouted 4emal. &0top=& shouted a man. &Cat%h them=& 0e%onds later, Tom and 4emal were at the wall. They 6umped, ut Tom was too slow. One o! the men %aught his legs and pulled him to the ground. 4emal turned to help Tom. Then it was too late. The other men 6umped up and pulled him a%$ into the %ourtyard. A !ew se%onds later it was all o"er. Tom and 4emal were prisoners.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Journey Into Danger

&This way= Hurry up=& said one o! the men, pushing Tom and 4emal towards the door o! the wor$shop. &-et inside=& said the man. Tom and 4emal stepped inside and stopped, sho%$ed. #iinya was standing in the wor$shop. He had a gun in his hand. (or a !ew se%onds he stared at them silently. &,ell, well,& he said slowly, &our !riend, the Englishman. @ery %le"er. Oh, yes, "ery %le"er. And you=& His !a%e was red with anger as he loo$ed at 4emal. He stepped !orward and hit 4emal in the !a%e. Tom mo"ed !orward. &#on&t mo"e, or I&ll $ill you now,& said #iinya. The gun was pointing at Tom. &-et o"er there.& Tom and 4emal stood eside the wor$ en%h. #iinya loo$ed at them oth !or a long moment. &0o,& he said !inally. &;ou ha"e seen all this.& He pointed to the plasti% ags and the ony1 ornaments. &@ery %le"er o! you. ,e should ha"e $illed the English girl e!ore. Then this would ne"er ha"e happened.& &,here is she7& as$ed Tom. &,here is Angela7&

&Oh, don&t worry a out her. 0he&s O4. Let&s say 2 she is a guest at my "illa. ;ou&ll e a le to spea$ to her "ery soon 2 I&m sure you&ll ha"e a lot to tal$ a out 2 e!ore you all die=& He laughed 2 a %old, %ruel laugh. &O4, let&s go, said #iinya to his men. &,e&re ta$ing these two with us.& The men pushed Tom and 4emal out o! the wor$shop and through the shop to the door. The 8er%edes stood in the street. &-et inside,& said #iinya. Tom loo$ed up and down the street. 'ut there was no one there to help them. &#on&t try anything !oolish, Englishman. ;ou %an&t es%ape. -et in.& Tom and 4emal sat in the a%$ o! the %ar, with a man on ea%h side o! them. The others got in the !ront. They dro"e away !rom the shop, turned on to the main road, and dro"e a%ross the %ity towards the su ur s. &Ta$e a loo$,& said #iinya, smiling. &Istan ul y night. 0o many people, so mu%h li!e. Ta$e your last loo$ at it, you !oolish young men. It&s the last time you&ll see it.& &,hat,& egan Tom, &has Angela got to do with this7&

&,e needed her at the eginning,& replied #iinya. &0he was "ery use!ul. 0he helped us to arrange the e1port o! the things to England. 0he didn&t $now anything a out our 2 our other usiness. 'ut one day, she le!t something in the o!!i%e, and %ame a%$ !or it in the e"ening. 8ost un!ortunate !or her. 0he saw what we were doing. A!ter that, I %ould not let her go.& &,here is she7& as$ed Tom urgently. &Ah 2 I&m not a %ruel man,& replied #iinya. &I did not $ill her. I ha"e $ept her in my "illa.& &That&s e%ause you didn&t $now what to do,& said Tom. &E1a%tly. 'ut we ha"e no %hoi%e now. ;ou $now too mu%h a out us.& &,hat a out the drugs when they arri"e in Europe7& as$ed Tom. &That&s easy,& replied #iinya. &,e ha"e !riends in England. The goods are deli"ered to dealers in England and our !riends uy them. ;our !ian%ee helped us a lot. I shall soon e ri%h 2 "ery ri%h.& The 8er%edes turned o!! the main road, and dro"e along the small street towards #iinya&s "illa. The %ar dro"e in through the gates o! the "illa, up to the house. It stopped near the !ront door. It was a ig "illa with three !loors. There were steps leading up to the !ront door.

&Out,& said #iinya. They got out o! the %ar. There was one small light a o"e the !ront door o! the "illa. The rest o! the house was in %omplete dar$ness. Tom loo$ed around 2 he was loo$ing !or a way to es%ape. #iinya saw him. &I! you try to es%ape, I&ll shoot you,& he said. &Now, get inside.& They started wal$ing up the steps to the !ront door. &0TOP=& shouted a "oi%e. 0uddenly a linding light %ame on. The garden o! the "illa was !ull o! men running towards them. (or a se%ond #iinya stood !ro5en on the steps, sho%$ed. Then he ran towards the door. It opened suddenly and two men 6umped out. They had guns pointing at #iinya. &0top= This is the poli%e. 0top or we&ll shoot=& #iinya dropped his gun and slowly put his hands a o"e his head. His men did the same. &The poli%e,& 4emal said. &,e&re sa!e.& At that moment the door o! the "illa opened and a girl ran out. &Tom=& she shouted. &Tom=&

Tom turned round <ui%$ly. &Angela=& (or a long time they stood, una le to spea$, holding ea%h other. &Oh, Tom,& said Angela. &;ou&re here at last=& He loo$ed into her eyes. &Angela, my lo"e,& he whispered. &Are you all right7& &Oh, yes, I&m all right. I&m !ine. The poli%e %ame here to the "illa a out an hour ago. ,e $new you were %oming, the poli%e were !ollowing you. Oh, Tom, I was so worried that #iinya would $ill you.& 0he put her arms round him again. &Oh,& said Tom suddenly. &Angela, my lo"e, I want you to meet a "ery good !riend o! mine.& He turned and smiled at 4emal. &Angela, this is 4emal.& &Hello, 4emal, ni%e to meet you,& said Angela. &Hello,& he said. &I&"e ne"er met you e!ore, ut I !eel I $now you "ery well=& They laughed. &4emal has een wonder!ul,& said Tom. &,ithout his help, we wouldn&t e here now.&

&Oh, I only helped you a little,& said 4emal. &A little=& said Tom. They wat%hed as #iinya and his men were ta$en to a poli%e %ar. &How did the poli%e $now what was happening7& as$ed Tom. At that moment a %ar dro"e up to the "illa. A man got out o! the %ar and wal$ed towards them. He smiled. &Hello, 8r 0mith,& he said. &,e meet again.& &8r Pennington=& smiled Tom.

CHAPTER (O9RTEEN

Time (or a Holi$ay

Later that night, Tom, 4emal and Angela were rela1ing. They were sitting in 8r Pennington&s !lat in the Consulate uilding. #a"id Pennington was telling them what had happened. &>ulie %ame to see me here at the Consulate,& he e1plained. &0he told me a out her %on"ersation with Tom. Then I was %on"in%ed that Tom&s story was true. I %onta%ted the Tur$ish poli%e again. A!ter that I tried to %onta%t you, Tom, ut you had le!t your hotel. ,e thought you&d gone a%$ to England.& &No,& smiled Tom. He loo$ed at Angela. &I had some urgent usiness here in Istan ul.& They all laughed. &How did they treat you in the "illa7& as$ed Tom. &They treated me "ery well,& replied Angela. &,hen my "irus was "ery ad, they too$ me to the do%tor. 'ut I was terri ly worried on the 8onday you were arri"ing in Istan ul. #iinya $new you were %oming e%ause I had told him earlier. And I $new he was going to send someone to !ollow you. I was terri ly worried.&

&They made a ig mista$e when they too$ you to the do%tor,& said Tom. &I! I had not seen you !rom the us...& &#on&t,& said Angela, &don&t e"en thin$ a out it.& &,hat a out the %ar a%%ident7& said 4emal. &How did they arrange that7 I wonder whose ody was in the urnt out %ar7& There was silen%e while they thought a out that. &The poli%e will ha"e to !ind that out,& said Pennington !inally. &It was a "ery %le"er plan o! #iinya&s,& said Tom. &@ery %le"er.& &;es,& agreed Pennington. &And drug2smugglers li$e #iinya %an ma$e millions o! pounds.& &,ell 2 it&s o"er now,& said Angela. 0he turned to Tom. &#o you remem er the letter I wrote to you Tom7 I said that li!e here in Istan ul is "ery interesting. I was right, wasn&t I7& They all laughed. &;es,& said Tom, &a little it too interesting !or me= A!ter all this, do you $now what I want7& &,hat7& &I want a really dull, uninteresting holiday in Istan ul=&

2 THE EN# 2 Hope you ha"e en6oyed the reading= Come a%$ to httpH::english2e2 oo$s.net: to !ind more !as%inating and e1%iting stories=