Читать книгу Deadline Istanbul (The Elizabeth Darcy Series) - Peggy Hanson - Страница 20

CHAPTER 16

These are nothing like the remains of great empires to be seen in western cities, preserved like museums of history and proudly displayed. The people of Istanbul simply carry on with their lives amid the ruins.

Orhan Pamuk, Istanbul, Memories and the City

At the U.S. consulate in Pera, next to the Pera Palas, work carried on as usual. Junior officers, supervised by their betters, issued visas to the lines of hopeful applicants. “Are you coming back? How long will you be gone?” All the answers were carefully rehearsed. Like people from other countries, Turks wanted to go to America.

Upstairs, in offices with windows overlooking the Golden Horn, sat the men—and occasional woman—who ran the place. The consul-general, William Farrin, neared retirement. Istanbul was the prize last posting he had earned.

Farrin’s deputy, Lawrence Andover, did most of the work, however. Andover had convinced the State Department to let him stay in Istanbul more-or-less forever. His knowledge of the language and culture was valuable in sorting out a complicated city and country. His networks were legendary.

And Andover lacked that driven need for a promotion that could have made life difficult within the Consulate community. He seemed quite happy being deputy to the Consul. A loyal soldier. And a diplomat who charmed everyone.

Farrin didn’t know what he would do without Lawrence.

Lawrence had handled all the arrangements for Peter Franklin, the journalist, at the messy end of that tragedy. That work alone won him a row of gold stars in his boss’s mind.