Nightmare in Morocco (9 page)

"I knew it!
Just don't even tell me!"
Milton rolled his eyes and shook his white head like a playful, old lion
.
"You bought that darn green rug!"

* * *

As soon as the tour returned to the hotel, Noa checked the mileage on the bus
.
This, her last routine job of the day, marked the end of her duties until the group met in the evening for the extravagant welcome dinner in the hotel's "Arabian Room."

As Noa entered the hotel lobby, she saw Greg through the glass window of the gift shop
.
Though he pretended to be looking at the brass souvenirs, as soon as he saw Noa, his eyes
brightened
to match his sudden smile
.

His reaction gave her the feeling that he had been waiting for her
.
She was not surprised when he caught up with her on the way to the elevator
.
"Noa, won't you have some coffee with me before you go up to your room?"

Noa was looking forward to a shower and maybe a rest in the air conditioned coolness of the comfortable hotel room before the big dinner
.
She was about to decline Greg's offer, but something in his earnest manner made her hesitate
.
"I really need to talk to you
.
I have something very important to say."

Noa followed him into the lounge, where he ordered coffee for both of them
.
But when it came, he did not drink, only stared down at his cup, avoiding her eyes with an
uncharacteristic
shyness
.
"Noa, I was wrong about Taber taking my money,"
he confessed finally, with some obvious embarrassment
.

"I'm glad you didn't accuse him, then
.
What made you change your mind?"

"Well, he's turned out to be a pretty right guy, helping me file a report and all."
He stirred sugar into the already sweet Arabic coffee
.
"It's just that...well...this isn't easy for me to say, but I...guess I was a little jealous when I saw you having dinner with him
.
And I felt like Taber resented my intrusion
.
He knew I was bound to offer to pick up the tab
.
So naturally I thought maybe Taber had taken my wallet to show me up, to make a fool of me in front of you."

"Taber would never do anything like that."

"Oh, Taber set me straight when he explained that the two of you were just business partners
.
I hope what he said is true, Noa."

Anxious to change the subject, Noa asked, "Do the police have any leads on the stolen money?"

"No, but the more I think about it, the more I believe someone in the gift shop must have picked my pocket
.
Maybe it was that guy in the hooded robe
.
He could easily have sneaked up on me without my even seeing him."
 

"You know, Greg, you could be right
.
This afternoon in the medina, Belda was attacked by a figure in a brown, hooded robe
.
I think he might have been after her ring."

The blue eyes widened
.
"This could be serious
.
Did you tell Taber or anyone about this?
Maybe you should."

"No
.
I scared the attacker away before any damage was done
.
Belda wasn't hurt and thinks this the work of a common purse snatcher
.
Now I'm beginning to wonder..."

"If the same person who took my money tried to get Belda's jewel?"
Greg ran a hand through sun lightened, brown hair
.
"Maybe there's a thief working from this hotel
.
Maybe he followed the tour down to the medina
.
I don't trust this place anymore, Noa
.
I'll be glad when we leave here!"

Noa thought with a chill of apprehension that whoever attacked Belda was sure to be leaving Tangier with them
.
She wasn't at all sure that Cathy was not in some way involved, but even if she wasn't, she had no doubt but that the thief was someone signed up for this tour, and that meant only one thing: their trouble was only beginning!

* * *

As Noa entered the luxurious dining room where the welcome dinner was to be held, she was greeted by a scene that could have come straight out of the "Arabian Nights."
The dinner was to be served in full blown Moroccan style, complete with music and entertainment
.
The waiter, in wine colored
tarbrush
and robe, led her to a low table where Greg, Johnny Ramos, and Cathy lounged comfortably upon cushioned benches that arched around the table.

Cathy sat between the two men, obviously delighted by all the attention
.
The daring black cocktail dress that she wore was too grown up for her
.
Noa did not like the way Johnny, the bus driver, eyes already bright from too much liqueur, leaned toward Cathy, his hand roaming familiarly across the bare skin of her back
.
From the nearby table, she saw Marie Landos raise a skeptical brow and realized she was not the only one watching Johnny with wary eye.

Greg moved over, making room for Noa on the cozy seat beside him
.
"This is great, isn't it?"

Noa's gaze drifted to a table in the far corner, and her eyes unexpectedly met with Taber's
.
Surrounded by such Arabic splendor, dressed in a flowing
kaftan
threaded with gold, he put Noa in mind of some rich and all powerful sultan
.
His eyes were so bright and
smoldering
in the darkness, the lashes so black they looked as if they were smudged with kohl.

Noa, breath catching in a strange way, smiled and waved to him, expecting to be greeted with that flash of white teeth against olive skin that she knew so well
.
But instead, his black eyes remained cold and unresponsive as he
barely acknowledged
her greeting
.
Noa felt a sinking feeling in her heart
.
It wasn't like Taber to retreat into dark corners
.
Why didn't he come over and join them?
The waiter brought a flaky pastry filled with meat and sweet almonds
.
The low, primitively pleasant sound of a lute filled the air
.
But the delicious food, the romantic atmosphere, was wasted on Noa
.
She cast a sidelong glance at Taber, whose dark face and glowering eyes loomed an angry shadow in the candle lit glow of the room
.
She kept wondering what was wrong
.
What had she done to make him appear so foreign and distant?

"I'm not used to eating with my fingers," Greg commented as he broke off a piece of the steaming pastry.

"Just imagine its pizza
.
When in Morocco
—
"

"Do as the Moroccans do?" Greg finished for her
.
"I'd still trade my gold watch for a fork and spoon."
Noa heard a purring sound near her feet
.
Greg noticed the kitten with an amused smile
.
"We've got a guest
.
I guess animals aren't barred from the restaurants here like they are back home."

"Evidently not," Noa said
.
The kitten rubbed against Noa's leg, unashamedly begging for food
.
"This one looks like a steady customer."

"He's cute!" Cathy cried
.
"I'll bet he's hungry."

Johnny Ramos put a chunk of meat on a piece of napkin and called boisterously, "Here, my friend!"
They all watched as the unexpected intruder lapped up the meat, then with a cat's indifference to loyalty, moved on to the next table.

Neither the Wards nor Marie Landos' group of girls were
infallible
to the kitten's charms
.
Contented, and with a full stomach, it made its way to the last table, where it curled up comfortably on the empty pillow next to Taber
.
Noa watched Taber stroke its silky fur
.
She suddenly imagined herself snuggled up next to Taber on the cushion, his lean fingers stroking her neck and shoulders, and felt a tug of envy for the kitten.

"Look!
Here come the dancers!"
From the adjoining table, Belda rose to snap a picture of the pretty, dark haired girls who entered the room, single file
.
The girls were dressed in what looked like golden bikinis draped with the shimmer of a thousand sparkling veils
.
Noa was fascinated by their graceful movements as they performed a modest version of the traditional "belly dance."

The flashbulb went off again as one of the costumed dancers pulled a protesting Milton from his seat
.
"Go, Milton, go!" Belda cried
.
Clowning, Milton rolled his ample stomach and hips in imitation of the belly dance
.
Noa thought he looked as if he were trying to balance a runaway hula hoop
.
His movements attracted the attention of the kitten,
which
darted out to scamper among the dancers, chasing their long veils.

One of the costumed girls approached Noa, attempting to pull her, as she had Milton, into the circle
.
Noa firmly declined, unwilling to be drawn in to the center of attention.

"I'll go!"
Cathy leaped up to join the dancers
.
The dark eyed girls, delighted by her enthusiasm, began to teach Cathy a few simple moves
.
"This isn't much different from disco dancing," Noa heard Cathy exclaim.

"She's good!"
Belda cried
.
Her flash went off again and again as Cathy, with some success, copied the dancer's movements
.
The black dress and bright platinum hair made her stand out, made every move appear to Noa exaggerated
.
Noa saw Johnny Ramos watching Cathy, his large eyes in the pale face aglow with desire
.
"You can join my harem any day!" she heard him say with bawdy loudness as Cathy returned to their table.

"Why don't you dance for us, Noa?" Greg teased.

"Yes!" Belda encouraged, overhearing him
.
"Come on, Dear
.
I must have a picture of our tour guide!"

Greg tugged at Noa's hand
.
"Come on, I'll go with you!" Despite her reluctance, Noa let herself be tugged out to the floor
.
After all, it was part of her job to see that the group had fun. This was a special moment for them, an evening to go down in their scrapbooks and be remembered for the rest of their lives
.
She would not let it be spoiled by Taber's bad mood
.

One of the dancers draped a shimmering veil over Noa's tawny hair
.
The kitten pounced about, striking out at the hem of Noa's long skirt as she raised her arms above her head and shook her hips slightly
.
"This'll make a great picture," Belda called
.
"Smile for the camera, Noa."

Noa instinctively smiled into the lens.

"That's perfect, Noa
.
Now, don't you move
.
Greg, you come up and put your arm around her.

Greg obediently did as he was told.

"Perfect!"
Belda laughed
.
"You two were made for each other!"

As Noa glanced away from the flash's bright light, her eyes once again locked with Taber's
.
"What's wrong, Noa?"
Greg tightened his grip on her shoulder
.
"The lights didn't blind you?"
Noa, aware of Greg's arm tight around her, saw
Taber's dark gaze move from Greg back to her
.
Then, without another glance or word, he stalked from the room.

"It looks as if we've got the table all to ourselves!"
Greg said
.
With surprise and a sense of bewilderment Noa's eyes fell upon the two vacant cushions once occupied by Cathy and Johnny Ramos.

* * *

At twelve o'clock, Noa obtained the key to Cathy's room from the desk, and finding it vacant, stopped to ring Johnny's number, which she found scribbled on a pad near the phone
.
Growing increasingly worried, she returned to the lobby,
deciding
to look for them one final time in the cocktail lounge.