John James had heard stories about the prisons and the police forces in these foreign lands. What he had heard did not put his mind at ease. He knew, given the incident of the previous night, that the police would not look past him for suspects. They'd take whatever evidence there was and make it condemn him. Or ignore it.

As Henri led him down the stairs, James' mind began to fill with wild thoughts of escape. If half of the stories he'd heard were true, he knew he wouldn't be able to survive imprisonment in Egypt. He wouldn't be able to stand the confinement. Not again. It would be too much like before. And with the doubt he'd seen in the eyes of his friends still haunting him, John made his decision. He had to get away, to escape.

As they reached the reception desk, John tensed.

"Don't even think about it, pal," growled Henri, his grip tightening on James' arm. Just at that moment the front doors of the hotel opened up and several uniformed police officers entered, lead by a man dressed in a suit. John felt a moment of despair wash over him as he watched his chance to escape disappear.

"Inspector," called Henri, "here's your man. I'm taking him back to my office."

The inspector nodded his head, then turned to his men.

"Start interviewing the hotel's guests and employees. Find out what they know about this murder. Ahmed, I want you to go to the murder scene, check it out and secure it until I can get there. I'll be along shortly."

The officers nodded. Seeing several of the guests and some employees in the lobby, the officers approached them to begin their questions. The inspector followed Henri and James to the back office. Kadira watched the entire proceding with troubled eyes, a slight frown on her lips. This kind of thing just didn't happen in her hotel!