Before 24 Billion and Counting

Chapter 20 Part 2 Caught

I stood up slowly and raised both hands and held the palms outwards. That AK 47 look alike seemed far too ready to use.

"That's me," I said, loud enough for the nearby stewardess to hear me. She turned my way, and shouted, "He's here captain." And her flying golden curls refolded around her head like a shampoo ad.

The army officer advanced cautiously, and moved the stewardess behind him. The soldier in the doorway raised his gun to a horizontal position. Surely he wouldn't use it with all these passengers around, but if he thought the purpose was to intimidate me it worked. I stayed very still.

The officer, I was not able to interpret the star he wore, said." Ok come here, to the gangway, keep your hands up, and move slowly."

I did as I was bid, trying not to provoke a protest from the owners of knees, two trousered pairs and one elegant stockinged, exposed from the edge of a skirt.

On reaching the aisle, the officer said, "Drop your hands and put your wrists together - slowly."

With a practised and fluid movement he manacled me with handcuffs.

The tension relaxed. I was no longer dangerous. The soldier with the gun entered the cabin and took hold of my arm.

"Have you hand luggage?" the officer asked, referring to a computer printout.

"Yes - a khaki rucksack and duty free bag in the locker directly above my seat."

He nodded and reached into the locker, and drew out the rucksack and the duty free bag next to it. "These them?"

"Yes."

"Right Corporal Jenks, lead him out."

I heard the aircraft captain's voice over the PA system saying there would be a delay while they found my hold luggage. The rumble of containers being moved started below.

I was manoeuvred by Jenks still gripping my arm out of the aircraft, up the ramp, and into an ante room off the main corridor with the officer following us holding my cabin baggage.  

The room was a brightly lit windowless cube with the one door, a plastic surface table and four tubular stacking chairs.

"Sit," ordered Jenks.

He moved to the corner of the room still standing, and the officer sat opposite me at the table. He dumped my belongings on the floor.

"I'm Major Lopez, US Army. I am detaining you on instructions from my government pending your being moved to a destination for interrogation. This preliminary interview is to confirm your identity. Please give me all your documents and personal belongings. You may stand if it makes that easier."

He removed the handcuffs.

There was the click of a safety catch being unlatched behind me.

I emptied my pockets and put the contents before him. Passport, boarding pass and flight ticket, wallet, small change, a little muddle of receipts from my shopping in the air terminal, and my phone.

Lopez picked up the wallet, and riffled through the credit cards. He picked out the Barclaycard, and faced it towards me.

"This yours?"

I had to wind up my game. I was still in a torpor of failure from the recent past, from the moment I had lost Ellen. I somehow had to retain some measure of control of my life.

"Well," I said," depends doesn't it? Do I own it or do I lease it from Barclay because I have an account with them."

"Now look bud, don't get smart with me. Is this your wallet from which I extracted this card and is your name on the card?"