PortentsDespite the discomfort of the coarse Lebanese Forces uniform cloth against his skin and a stiff new pair of combat boots, Henri Gilard felt a sense of elation as he trotted up the steps of Christian Phalange Party headquarters in East Beirut. He’d been flattered by salutes at the gate of the heavily-guarded compound, but the real source of his delight was a phone conversation just before leaving for the command council meeting.
His chief accountant had called with a preliminary report indicating somewhere near a hundred thousand pounds in deposits would remain unclaimed by customers that were killed or missing in the recent spate of fighting. He would have significant liquid capital to invest in the rebuilding efforts ordered by his cousin Bashir Gemayel. If they could just mainta
