The Alexandria Link

Malone noted the boundaries.

“Being able to understand Old Hebrew has given me some insight. Maybe too much. About thirty years ago I noticed something interesting. But to appreciate that revelation, it’s important to appreciate Abraham.”

Malone was familiar with the story.

“Genesis,” Haddad said, “records an event that profoundly affected world history. It may well be the most important day in all human history.”

Malone listened as Haddad spoke of Abram, who traveled from Mesopotamia to Canaan, wandering among the population, faithfully following God’s commands. His wife, Sarai, remained barren and eventually suggested that Abram couple with her favorite handmaiden, an Egyptian slave named Hagar, who’d stayed with them since the clan’s expulsion from Egypt by the pharaoh.

“The birth of Ishmael,” Haddad said, “Abram’s first son, from Hagar, becomes critical in the seventh century CE, when a new religion formed in Arabia. Islam. The Koran calls Ishmael an apostle and a prophet. He was most acceptable in the sight of his Lord. Abram’s name appears in twenty-five of the one hundred fourteen chapters of the Koran. To this day Ibrahim and Isma’il are common first names for Muslims. The Koran itself commands Muslims to follow the religion of Abraham.”

“He was not a Jew nor yet a Christian; but he was true in faith and he joined not gods with God.”

“Good, Cotton, I see you’ve studied your Koran since we last talked.”

He smiled. “I gave it a reading or two. Fascinating stuff.”

“The Koran makes clear that Abraham and Isma’il raised the foundation of the House.”

“The Kaaba,” Pam said. “Islam’s holiest shrine.”

Malone was impressed. “When did you learn about Islam?”

“I didn’t. But I watch the History Cha

He caught her grin.

“The Kaaba is in Mecca. Adult Muslims have to make a pilgrimage there. Problem is, when they gather each year so many people come that several hundred are trampled to death. That’s in the news all the time.”

“The Arabs, particularly Muslim Arabs, trace their heritage to Ishmael,” Haddad said.

Malone knew what came next. Thirteen years after the birth of Ishmael, Abram was told by God that he would be father to a multitude of nations. First he was ordered to change his name to Abraham and Sarai’s to Sarah. Then God a

“The day of that birth may well be the most important day in human history,” Haddad said. “Everything changed after that. The Bible and the Koran differ on many points relative to Abram. Each recounts a separate tale. But according to the Bible, the Lord told Abraham that all the land surrounding him, the land of Canaan, would belong to Abraham and his heir, Isaac.”

Malone knew the rest. God reappeared to Isaac’s son Jacob and repeated the promise of the land, saying that through Jacob would come a people to whom the land of Canaan would everlastingly belong. Jacob was told to change his name to Israel. Jacob’s twelve sons evolved into separate tribes, held together by the covenant between God and Abraham, and they each established their own families, becoming the twelve tribes of Israel.

“Abraham is the father of all three of the world’s main religions,” Haddad said. “Islam, Judaism, and Christianity trace their roots to him, though the story of his life differs in each. The entire conflict in the Middle East, which has endured for thousands of years, is simply a debate over which account is correct, which religion has the divine right to the land. The Arabs through Ishmael. The Jews from Isaac. The Christians by Christ.”

Malone recalled the Bible and said, “The Lord had said to Abram: Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you. I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

“You say the words with conviction,” Pam said.

“They have meaning,” Haddad said. “Jews believe they are what grant them exclusive ownership of Palestine. I’ve spent most of my adult life studying the Bible. It’s an amazing book. And what separates it from all other epic tales is simple. Nothing mystical or magical. Instead, human responsibility is its focus.”

“Do you believe?” Pam asked.

Haddad shook his head. “In religion? No. I’ve seen its manipulation too clearly. In God? That’s another matter. But I’ve seen His neglect. I was born a Muslim. My father was Muslim, as was his. After the war in 1948, though, something overtook me. That’s when the Bible became my passion. I wanted to read it in its original form. To know what it truly meant.”

“Why do the Israelis want you dead?” Malone asked.

“They are the descendants of Abraham. The ones God said He would bless-their enemies the ones He would curse. Millions have died through the centuries, thousands over the past fifty years, simply to prove those words. Recently, Cotton, I was embroiled in a debate. A particularly arrogant man in a local pub told me that Israel possessed the absolute right to exist. He gave me six reasons, which hinged separately on archaeology, history, practicality, humanity, defense, and, to him the most important, entitlement.” Haddad paused. “Entitlement, Cotton. Biblical entitlement. The Abrahamic covenant. God’s land given to the people of Israel, proclaimed in all its glory in the words of Genesis.”

Malone waited.

“What if we have it all wrong?” Haddad glared at the map of Israel alongside another map of Saudi Arabia.

“Do go on,” a new voice said.

They all turned.

Standing in the front doorway was a short man with glasses and a fading hairline. Beside him was a woman, midthirties, small and compact, dark complexion. Both held sound-suppressed weapons. Malone immediately registered the make and model of the guns and knew who these two worked for.

Israel.

TWENTY-FOUR

WASHINGTON, DC

9:50 AM

STEPHANIE FINISHED HER BREAKFAST AND SIGNALED THE waiter for the check. She sat in a restaurant near Dupont Circle, not far from her hotel. The entire Magellan Billet had been mobilized and seven of her twelve lawyers were now directly assisting her. The murder of Lee Durant had provided them all with motivation, but there were risks associated with her efforts. Other intelligence agencies would quickly learn what she was doing, which meant Larry Daley would not be far behind. To hell with them. Malone needed her, and she wasn’t about to let him down. Again.

She paid the bill and signaled a taxi that, fifteen minutes later, deposited her on 17th Street adjacent to the National Mall. The day was bright and su

“Good to see you,” she said as she sat.

Dixon was dressed stylishly, as always, in brown-and-gold glen plaid pants, a white oxford shirt, and a black bouclé vest.

“You sounded concerned on the phone.”

“I am. I need to know about your government’s interest in George Haddad.”