3/5/2009
94
Monsieur Claude Parrain
This—”
he pointed to a small, deeply tanned Frenchman in a fresh white suit
and a Panama hat—“is Monsieur Claude Parrain. He is an emissary of
your government representing the Academie des Sciences department
of archeology and antiquities.”
“Bonjour, Lieutenant
Bolang, your reputation precedes you.” He shook
Paul’s hand. “I am directly responsible to the Foreign Bureau in Tunis.
My job is to represent the interests of our government in this exploration.”
He wiped his neck with an already damp handkerchief. “Whatever may be found
belongs to France, and I must see all protocol is
adhered to.”
Paul
knew Parrain as a career bureaucrat. The little man’s smile was tinged
with irony, and he watched Paul with a curious stare, a blend of pity
and apathy. He knew the circumstances at Fort Saint, and his manner
insinuated a level of conspiracy outside of his responsibility. Parrain
was a minor official in cultural affairs; he had no official knowledge
of the Legion’s operations and little of classical archeology. Paul
kept his features bland. Parrain still had some authority over the use of
French property. He was not a man Paul wanted to antagonize purposelessly.