Scene 11

At exactly 10 in the morning Maille stepped into the Blue Souq, a place that had the atmosphere of a duty-free shopping mall and not of an old bazaar, even though it was built in traditional Arab architectural style. There was a penetrant hum in the air and the smell of freshly toasted sesam seeds. Maille found the «Crystal Cafeteria», settled down in his seat and waited.

He discreetly observed the women who had came there ostensibly to shop, some in groups, a few alone, others with husband or child. Most of them were hidden behind a veil or hijab, a bit bored perhaps, but self-confident, with a critical eye, and speaking, whenever the opportunity allowed it, masterfully to the shopkeepers who were from either India or Bangladesh. Each one of them could have been Agent Enigma – but which one of them actually was? All that Maille could do was to bind his soul with patience and hope to be recognised by the lady.

Time ticked by. At times Maille felt as though some figure had passed by him several times, but he was not certain. To his eyes the black garments of the women were as uniform as the white ones of the men. The longer he sat in the restaurant the more he felt like a pawn on a chessboard: with at times white and at times black figures passing him as if they were motivated by some higher intention, a part of a grander design or strategy.

Enigma remained invisible. Maille ordered water, then tea and then cappuccino for the second time. Suddenly a brochure lay before him on the table: «Discover Sharjah – A Visitor’s Guide». How had it got there? He had noticed nothing. Inside the brochure he found 2 sheets with satellite maps, on which was marked a particular place with red crosses. Alongside were typed a couple of sentences, each with an exclamation mark at the end, as if they were calling out to him from a distance and saying: «Good Day Hektor Maille! If you have this in your hands it means that I have recognized you! Welcome to Sharjah! Yesterday the signal moved from Sharjah in direction of East Coast, than got lost! Equipment is ready for you in Fujairah! (See map!) Good luck! Your friend!»

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