Dynamite Fishermen (48 page)

“Okay, now you’ve got me completely confused,” Prosser admitted. “What could you possibly hope to accomplish by working for American intelligence? What kind of information would you report?”

“I would gather information about people like Colonel Hisham and Maarouf Zuhayri and those who conspire with the Syrians to keep Lebanon enslaved…”

“Zuhayri is dead and Hisham…Hisham appears to have gone missing. So who else do you know well enough to report on?”

“I know many officers in the Lebanese and Palestinian militias. Some were friends of Husayn. But I have met others on my own. You might be surprised how many, batta.”

“Spying isn’t what you think it is, Rima. Besides, have you considered what could happen to you if those people even suspected you of being a spy?”

“Enough, Conrad—I have come to ask for your help. Will you give it or not?”

Prosser met Rima’s gaze head-on and then hesitated before speaking. “Rima, I’m leaving for Washington tomorrow. I may not be coming back. You were supposed to be leaving for Lyon this week. Have you given up returning to finish your thesis?”

“I can delay returning. What I ask of you is more important.”

“And exactly what are you asking? What would be the next step?”

She handed him a folded sheet of note paper. He opened it. It was a handwritten résumé. It included her full name, date and place of birth, university degrees, and her addresses and phone numbers in Beirut, Lyon, and Tripoli. “If you depart today, then I ask that you present my application to your superiors before you leave,” she said.

Rima’s gaze was fixed upon him and he found it momentarily difficult to think. He looked out across the Corniche into the sun rising over the Mediterranean and then turned to face her.

“All right,” he responded briskly, folding the notepaper twice and slipping it into his shirt pocket. “I’ll do what I can. But here’s what I want from you. Look, it’s too dangerous for any of our people based in Beirut to be seen with you right now. What I want you to do is go back to Lyon and wait for contact there. It may take a few weeks for the wheels of bureaucracy to turn, so you might as well get going on that thesis of yours while you’re waiting for someone to approach you. Besides, that
doctorat
may be useful later. When you’re contacted, you’ll know it’s one of us if he asks you where he can buy some fresh prickly pears.”

Prosser saw a smile of gratitude creep across Rima’s face.

“
D’accord
,” she replied and turned on the ignition.

“
Ma’assalama
, Rima.
Au revoir
.”

She gave Prosser a peck on the cheek, but it was clear she did not intend for him to return it.

He stepped out of the car and onto the street, and by the time he reached the opposite side, the Peugeot was no longer in sight.

As he mounted the curb, Prosser heard a muffled explosion offshore and spotted a black inflatable dinghy about two hundred meters offshore. It was those annoying dynamite fishermen again, landing their daily catch by tossing bundles of dynamite sticks over the side and killing a dozen fish for every one that they sold to the open-air restaurants of Raouché, Ramlet el Baida, and Jnah.

And now he understood that he was one of them.

Prosser stopped at the first espresso wagon and gulped the bitter brew as he watched the dinghy race toward the circle of dead fish. When he had finished the coffee, he tossed the cup away and drew Rima’s sheet of note paper out of his pocket.

Slowly at first, and then with growing assurance, he ripped the paper into small pieces and tossed them over the rail like confetti into the surging waters below.

Author’s Biographical Note

I wrote
Dynamite Fishermen
and
Bride of a Bygone War
to clear my head after eleven years of government service in places like Beirut, Cairo, Tunis, Jeddah, and Amman. I had already decided to write novels at age fourteen, during my first year as a boarding student at Exeter. My English instructor, a World War II combat veteran, advised those of us who wanted to follow the path of Melville, Conrad and Hemingway to first go out and live some adventures so that we would have stories that people might want to read. My adventures started in the Middle East and continued in Washington, Europe, the Russian Far East, Maui, Utah, New York and Boston. Particularly in the Middle East and Russia, I saw failed states and failed societies but was often surprised at how much their people had in common with Americans. This made me think about whether America might someday suffer its own sort of failure. During the 1930’s, Americans watched Germany, Italy and Russia and asked, “Could it happen here?” Today, one might look around and ask the same. In writing
Forty Days at Kamas
and
Star Chamber Brotherhood,
my greatest concern has been that the novels gain a readership before the events they describe come to pass.

A Final Word:
When you turn the page, Kindle’s “Before You Go” feature will give you the opportunity to rate this book and share your rating and comments on Facebook and Twitter. If you enjoyed the book, please take a moment to let your friends know about it. Better yet, post a Reader Review on Amazon.com, Goodreads.com or LibraryThing.com. If the book gives others a few evenings of enjoyment, they’ll be grateful that you reached out to them. And so will I.

With best wishes, Preston Fleming

Other Books by Preston Fleming

Dynamite Fishermen

Classic Espionage. “Civil disorder in 1980s Beirut. An extraordinary novel, each page as eruptive as the city providing the setting.” KIRKUS REVIEWS

http://www.prestonfleming.com/novel-dynamite-fishermen.html

Bride of a Bygone War

Realist Spy Thriller. “CIA agent in Beirut fears his past has caught up to him. An intelligent thriller teeming with vigor. KIRKUS REVIEWS

http://www.prestonfleming.com/novel-bride-of-a-bygone-war.html

Forty Days at Kamas

Dystopian Political Thriller. “Moves at a solid clip. An overtly political story that succeeds as entertainment.” PACIFIC BOOK REVIEW

http://www.prestonfleming.com/novel-forty-days-at-kamas.html

Star Chamber Brotherhood

Dystopian Assassination Thriller. "An engaging fast-paced thriller. Readers will spend pleasant hours rooting for a team of assassins." BOOKPLEASURES.COM

http://www.prestonfleming.com/novel-star-chamber-brotherhood.html

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