They went over and sat down.
A beautiful woman in local attire greeted them "Welcome to The Caliph Hotel Mr. and Mrs. Cook. How can I assist you?"
They were both impressed with being recognized, but this was no ordinary place.
"You have a beautiful hotel" said Natasha with sincerity "our accommodation is exquisite."
"Thank you Mrs. Cook. Is there anything I can help you with?" said the assistant Manager with the nametag Reza.
"Actually there is" butted in Matt "we would like to know the history of the hotel."
"Of course sir" said Reza, opening a drawer below her desk and extracting a four page brochure explaining how the hotel was built and the cost.
"Who owns the hotel, is it part of a chain?" asked Natasha.
"No, this is a one of a kind hotel. It is owned by a group of local investors" explained Reza.
"Thank you for your help, we will read the information" said Matt, and they rose and went back to their room.
Chapter 84
Once they got back to the room, it was time to begin trying to locate the source of the money that financed the weapons.
Matt plugged his laptop computer into the power socket, and then plugged a wireless satellite modem into the side. This would allow him to access high speed internet anywhere on the planet.
"Do you have coverage here" asked Natasha.
"This little black box gives me coverage anywhere!" Matt explained.
He checked his emails and there were a few procedural ones which he answered. The rest he transferred to his Pending file for later attention.
Next he fired up Internet Explorer and went to the Google search engine to start research on The Caliph.
There was a great deal of information on the hotel on its own website, including a pdf file of the brochure they had been given by Reza. Ownership however remained a mystery.
Since this was private ownership, there were no company records. They drew a complete blank.
No matter where he looked there was just nothing that could help.
Natasha was watching the progress and suggested "Maybe we should talk to some of the other staff."
Chapter 85
Matt suggested they start outside away from the security cameras that littered the ceilings.
They went for a walk outside the hotel, but it was just too hot for Natasha in long sleeves.
"I will go back to the room and report in, you do the leg work" she suggested.
There was a long garden stretching from the main road in to the hotel proper. Matt noticed a gardener tending to some plants.
"Hello" said Matt "the grounds are beautiful."
"Thank you sir, we have to work very hard to get anything to grow in the desert" said the gardener in heavily accented English.
"Tell me, who owns the hotel?" asked Matt.
"I am afraid I have no idea sir, I am just a humble servant" said the man.
"I am writing a book on famous hotels and I need some more information." Matt passed him a wad of U.S. $100 bills.
"I will help if I can, but I know little" said the young man as he palmed the cash.
"Tell me anything at all that might help my book" suggested Matt.
"I heard some financial people talking one day when I went to get some water inside the hotel. They kept talking about The Boss, he sounded like a very rich man indeed. I am afraid that is all I know."
"Is there anyone else who may be able to help me?" asked Matt.
"The manager of the whole complex is an Indian hotelier called Pushkar. I am certain he will know what you wish to know."
"Thank you, have a good day" said Matt with a wave as he went to seek out Pushkar.
Chapter 86
Matt got back to the room and briefed Natasha on her quick chat with the gardener.
He had another idea when he noticed that in the brochure it mentioned that the whole hotel had state of the art communication systems.
It mentioned wireless internet access everywhere in the hotel, but this would be of little benefit since there would undoubtedly be a firewall controlling access to the secure systems of the hotel.
What Matt needed was an access point on the hotel system for him to attach his laptop by cable.
He went for another stroll. He was looking for the telltale wall plates with a little flap and an RJ45 socket behind it. This would be connected via Category 6 cable to the distribution frame and into the data switches that fed the data to the computer servers.
These were located in most places in the hotel, but because of the camera system, they were of little use.
Finally, he was getting hot and went over to the bar.
"How may I help you sir?" asked the barman.
"I am really thirsty. Can I please have two large glasses, full of ice? Then drown them with Diet Coke" pleaded Matt.
The waiter mixed as requested, only embellishing slightly with a slice of lime.
Matt downed the first one in almost one gulp. The second he sipped for ten minutes or so, scanning the hotel for wall plates.
Finally he noticed that they seemed to be about a foot off the floor about every thirty feet or so around every wall.
By his reckoning, they were probably below table level in the coffee shop adjoining the bar.
Matt rose "I think I will get a snack while I am here".
"Of course Mr. Cook I will transfer your account there" said the barman with a smile.
When Matt walked in, he was instantly greeted "welcome Mr. Cook, please sit over here" said the white jacketed waiter indicating a table in the centre of the room.
"I prefer somewhere out of the way, do you mind if I sit over against the back wall?" asked Matt.
"Of course sir, it is quiet now, so pick any table you prefer" said the waiter. Matt noticed only one other guest dining at another table, it was a stocky woman totally covered in traditional dress.
Matt took a guess and picked a table about fifteen feet from the corner of the back wall.
After he ordered a hamburger and another diet Coke the waiter went away and Matt began to feel under the table. He could feel nothing, so he chanced a quick look as he moved his chair back into a seemingly more comfortable position. The wall was bare.
Matt got up and went to the nearby restroom and returned, mistakenly reseating himself in the next table along. As he sat down, he felt his knee brush the panel he was seeking.
When the waiter returned with the meal Matt asked "would it be ok if I brought my computer down here and I worked at this table for a while, I need a bit of a break from my room?"
"Of course sir, but you would need to finish before around 6pm when it starts to get busy down here".
That gave Matt nearly two hours, more than enough time.
Matt asked to use a telephone and called his room.
"Listen carefully honey, I need some help" he said.
"Please grab my computer. Don’t switch it off, just close it. Leave the satellite unit attached, but don’t forget the power cable. I am in the coffee shop waiting."
Natasha quickly scooped up the technology package as requested and delivered the bundle down to Matt.
"Pull up a chair and order something to eat" said Matt.
"I am ok, I can wait until dinner" suggested Natasha.
Matt just stared until she got the idea.
"Actually I am a bit hungry" she announced and a menu instantly appeared in her hand courtesy of Matt’s white jacketed friend.