Page 124 of High Treason
“Some will view him as better off. But he might have survived and chosen to use his mind and heart for a noble purpose.” She sounded more awake. “I’m a hopeful kinda gal.”
More like she was complicated.
“Kord, hold on while I check CIA updates.”
He heard a shuffle. “Aren’t you supposed to be recuperating, which means staying in bed?”
“The mind never shuts down, and the IV pole has wheels. Fatima turns off my phone once I go to sleep.”
“Should I come up there?”
“It’s the women’s quarters, remember?”
He chuckled.
“Finally,” she said. “Jeff sent us something we can use. I’m sending it to you so we can discuss it together. Oh, you’ve sent me camera footage.”
“We have time to discuss both.” Pics sailed into his phone. “Got ’em.”
“Youssof and Malik in Baghdad,” she said. “And look at the time stamp.”
“So what were they doing in Baghdad?”
“A question for Malik. Look at the men’s body language.Youssof’s shoulders are back. No strain in facial muscles. Definite lack of intimidation.”
“Cousin-to-cousin conversation or instructions about a conspiracy?” he said.
“One of them or another person has computer knowledge.”
“Youssof hinted toward Parvin being set up, and he confessed to planting the virus in Prince Omar’s phone. What if he planted evidence in her apartment to incriminate the Iranians so the Saudis would look innocent?”
“The Iranian government has denied any knowledge, but they wouldn’t admit to a crime that could destroy them,” she said.
Neither said the obvious of the shadow that hung over their country if they lost Saudi Arabia as an ally.
“I wish I was overseas.”
“We’d be dynamic.” He thought of Liam. “And the past would be behind us.”
“Maybe so. Shall we look at the hospital footage?”
He brought it up. “I haven’t reviewed it yet. Might take a while.”
“I’m looking.” She coughed, and the sound of it hurt his gut. “Don’t say a word. Fatima and Yasmine are my med police.”
For the next fifteen minutes they reviewed the footage with questions here and there. She coughed a few times, but he kept his mouth shut. Fatima had told her brother that Monica was running a consistent hundred-degree fever.
“Nothing jumps out at me,” he said.
She gave the location of a section of the burn unit’s waiting area. “See the old woman near the nurses’ desk? Glimpses of her have been in a few frames at different times.”
“Where?”
She gave the points of interest. “Her sweater is a distinct gray, and I see flashes of it here and there. Can you zoom in?”
He obliged. “Olive-skinned. Not much else to go on, but I’ll check it out.” He texted the inquiry to the FIG.
“Patience is not a virtue for either of us. Anything turn up on Shah’s brother?”
