Chapter Four
Ismail bin Abou checked his appearance in the full-length mirror one last time. There was no real need to do so. He already knew that he was impeccably dressed in the most modern Western style, from his white silk shirt, bright red cravat and dark blue suit down to his fine Italian-made shoes, polished to a mirror like sheen. But there was still some little time before he and his underlings would assemble in the reception hall of his villa and one must do something rather than simply waste time. Satisfied with his appearance, he donned the last item of his ensemble, a plain white Bedouin headdress. Once he put it on it was clear to anyone with eyes to see that he was not simply a distinguished, prosperous-looking middle-aged man who could have come from anywhere in southern E
