Page 133 of High Treason
During a short evening walk outside the Saud home, Kord enjoyed Monica’s grip on his arm. He hadn’t talked to the doctor after her appointment due to another meeting with Prince Omar and Ali.
She leaned into him and slipped her arm into the crook of his.
“Have you given in to my charms?” he said.
“No, Agent Davidson. Just maintaining my balance. Sorry for burdening you.”
“You’re overdoing it.” Telling her he enjoyed it might not be a good idea. “Like the scarf, by the way.”
“It makes the prince happy.”
“So would resting more.”
“The fresh air is good medicine, and the scent of spring flowers boosts my morale.”
“As long as you don’t have a relapse. What did the doctor say?”
“That I’m a good patient.”
“Why don’t I believe you?”
She laughed. “Tell me about your meeting with Prince Omar this afternoon.”
“You inspired him.”
“How?”
He told her about the live video with Malik. “You were asleep. Saw no need to wake you. Not one sign of deceit in Malik’s words or body language. Threw me.”
“He’s playing the role of his life.”
“And he’s trained.”
“Does the prince know we believe Malik is still a suspect in the conspiracy?”
“He does. But he needs more proof and names.”
“In all that we’ve discovered about the suspects, we have two outsiders who can be questioned—a distraught father, whom I believe, and an Iranian national. The FBI and CIA are gathering more intel, but we’re missing an important piece that links them all.”
Kord reached for his phone and pointed to the marble bench. “Perfect time to check in again with my Iranian contact.”
Once seated, she removed her arm from his. “Everyone likes to be wakened at 2:30 a.m. Can you put the call on speaker?”
He glanced around before tapping in Rere’s number. The informant answered on the first ring. “That was quick.”
“Just picked up my phone to call you. Learned something tonight. Hold on while I make sure no one is around.”
When Rere indicated he was in place, Kord urged him to share all the details.
“My source points to Malik al-Kazaz as the originator of the assassination plot against Prince Omar,” Rere said.
“Is the source reliable?”
“The man has a connection inside Saudi with the conservatives. Malik arranged for Parvin Shah to handle the kill, offered to pay her $500,000 once the job was complete.”
“How did he recruit her?”
“We don’t know.”
