The Great Heist

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Commander Ali strode briskly out of the control room into the adjoining hallway. Ignoring the nods and subtle greetings from his agents and police officers alike, he listened to the brassy voice of the Minister of Interior from the other end of the call.

“Have you anything of worth on the robbers of the World Cup as yet, Director?” the hectoring voice of the older man boomed through the phone’s speaker.

Commander Ali was hesitant, contemplative even in his response. “We have nothing of worth, for now, Mr. Minister,” he said and quickly added. “But we will have something pretty soon, I promise you.”

“You better do, because this is dragging for too long, and it’s becoming a sort of a menace and disgrace for us all.” The voice returned over the sound of indistinct noises in the background.

“I understand, sir,”

“No, you don’t, Director,” the voice refuted, “because if you do, you will have an answer for me already. And will be raining hell as we speak on those SOBs—Sons of Bitches—who dare to disgrace our country while the whole world was watching.”

Commander Ali began placatively. “Believe me, I really do understand, Mr. Minister,” he continued, his voice turning icy cold this time “And I do want those bastards more than you do. I want to make them suffer and feel sorry at the same time for having the balls to rob us and turn our nation into a laughing stock in front of the whole world.”

“If you really do, then, prove it already. Find something… Anything out about the robbers and turn off this growing heat and pressure we are both in once and for all.” The voice sort of implored over the phone this time, as the noise in the background grew louder.

Are those footsteps I’m hearing in the background? Commander Ali found himself wondering right away, as he tried to make sense of the indistinct patter in the background.

Well, I will be damned if those are not footsteps, he thought seconds later, convinced beyond doubt. Surely, he is afoot with his details in tow while making this call.

But where could he be going?

“You know I had to convince the Prime Minister against having an airtime anytime soon as per your suggestion, right?” the voice was saying as he snapped out of his thoughts.

“Thanks so much for following through with my plans and for your vote of confidence in me, sir,” Commander Ali acknowledged.

“Well, make that vote of confidence count sooner rather than later, Director!” the voice stressed sharply. “Because I think you and I both know that my stalling tactics won’t hold for long unless, of course, you have something tangible. And we also know that, sooner or later, the Prime Minister would have no other choice but to grant airtime, if for anything at all, for the sake of the hungry media, right?”

“I’m aware of that too, sir,”

“You better be, because as I speak with you now, I’m just walking out of the Green Palace. And I have no mind of paying any more visits to the Palace anytime, soon.”

I guess that explains the drumming footfalls in the background, Commander Ali thought to himself, satisfied with his earlier assessment.

Noting that the man on the other end was waiting for a response from him, Commander Ali promptly said, “I promise not to fail you, sir. I will see to it that everyone involved in this grand heist is apprehended and brought swiftly to justice.”

“Well, do that and bring this whole circus to a close,” the voice shot back, unmoved. “Or, you will leave me no choice but to take this whole case from you, and place it in capable hands as the Prime Minister has asked me to do.”

At that, Commander Ali loosed a shaky breath and quickly refocused his attention on the call.

“And by capable hands, I damn well hope you know what I mean?” the voice asked menacingly.

“Yeah, I do, sir,” Commander Ali answered, his voice dropping considerably by an octave.

How can I be possibly lost on something like that? He thought in mild annoyance.

“Very well, then,” the voice breathed in satisfaction to his response. “Now get to work, Director.”

With those as final words, the call ended with two sharp beeps.

Standing alone now in the long corridor with the cell phone already removed from his ear, Commander Ali’s mind cycled back on the thoughts of what the Minister had subtly hinted at on the phone just now.

Surprisingly, a shudder racked his body at the mere possibility of what the Minister had suggested.

In a way, he knew the Minister was right on all grounds. If the current trend were to continue and they were unable to arrive at something tangible; the Minister will have no choice but to involve the Qatar State Security Bureau (SSB) and their counterparts from the Internal Security Forces (ISF)—locally known as ‘Lekhwiya’.

Besides, it’s obvious they will need all the help they can get in this particular situation.

To face the facts, he actually had no problem with the SSB and ISF involvement in this. But what he did have a problem with was the manner with which these two agencies worked. Not that his agency was a saint or anything. In fact, he knew there was no saint or angel in the Intelligence world. However, when compared with these agencies in brute force and barbaric measures they employed in their operations, the State Security Service comes no closer to none.

Their sabotage methods and hard-boiled operations are notoriously known within the Arabian mainland and across the Persian Gulf. To the extent that they have been branded as Qatari’s version of the CIA and DIA.

The SSB and ISF?

Well, those I can stand and handle, he thought in a compromise on the spot. At least, they still have little decency in them.

But, involving the military in this now?

Not those! He found himself screaming in his mind this time. Involving them is as good as pouring gasoline into an already growing fire. With them, everything was bound to go to shit.

And God knows, if there’s anything they don’t need at the moment; that would be a scenario that would turn into a full-blown crisis. Well, this was bound to happen with the military’s involvement, anyway.

I must fix this before it blows over and gets to that, he thought with some newfound resolve and assurance. That, I would do!