DAKAR: The Savoi Affair (The Puppets of Washington Book 4)

Chapter 6

Chapter 6When they arrived at the Meridien Talya was in awe. Majestically dominating the tip of a promontory, the edifice itself could have been easily compared to a mosque. To the right of this magnificent sandstone structure, a golden cupola rested over a low building extension such as the arm of a giant holding a golden ball. To the left, and partly encircling the complex, the ocean’s expanse encroached on it with the fiery rage of crashing waves. A modest plaque, near the entrance told Talya this ‘guest house’ had been designed, built and donated by King Fahd of Saudi Arabia. The building had been erected originally for the purpose of hosting a symposium, which had taken place some years earlier.

The lobby wasn’t a ‘lobby’ per se. This circular reception hall rose to the full height of six marble columns. Daylight streamed through the huge dome above. From its moulded brass rim, ancient lamps descended to some three meters above the floor. The number ‘six’ has significance in Islam and it seemed to have played a major role in the design of the edifice. Six floors encircled the hall, hosting a total of three hundred and ninety six rooms. On each floor there were six corridors counting eleven rooms each, which is the numerical representation of Allah, or sixty-six rooms per floor.

A number of chairs and small antique escritoires were set against the columns. Multi-coloured, intricately woven carpets partly covered the marble floor. An incredible sense of peace and respect enveloped her as Talya entered the place.

The front desk area stretched along two walls partially recessed under the floor above. Discreet spotlights set under the counter illuminated its elaborately carved wooden base. From the hall and beyond a large archway, Talya entered what is called an ‘atrium of life’. A young baobab stood massively at the centre of it. This ‘tree of life’, as it is referred to in the Koran, was surrounded by an impressive terrarium of exotic plants and flowers, and covered by a gigantic glass cupola. It was probably the one Talya observed when they came in.

There were a dozen leather-covered sofas placed at an angle around the terrarium. Standing over immense Persian rugs, a number of men were talking in soft voices. The spotlights casting their beams from the low ceiling encircling the cupola shone discreetly over the green and white marble floor, while avoiding the carpets. Talya would have taken her shoes off if she hadn’t been told this was a hotel and not a mosque.

She hadn’t accompanied Pierre and John to the registration desk. They had told her to wait for them in the atrium. They joined her a few minutes later, handing her the key to her ‘new home’, as John called it. They went up the lift and walked along a large corridor, on the sixth floor to the suite now assigned to her diminutive self—she felt very small indeed amid the grandeur surrounding her.

In an instant, the electronic key unlocked the door to her domain. The suite was in fact a large apartment. Talya’s mouth fell open when she passed the threshold.

“Wow!” Finally, she had found a word to interrupt her amazement and then a sentence came out, “Pierre, John, this is unbelievable. I can’t possibly accept to stay here. I don’t know what to say.”

“Would you prefer we drive you to the Terranga?” Pierre asked, snickering.

Talya smiled. “This is the most magnificent snare anyone has ever lured me into. I’m very much indebted to you both.”

“Never mind that.” John said. “Please, make yourself comfortable. We’ll go to our regular rooms and let you sleep or do whatever your heart desires for a few hours. We need to call our boss and advise him of these new developments. We’ll ring you later to see if you are free to have dinner in our humble company.”

“Of course, I’ll be free. I’ll make sure of it. In the meantime, I’ll follow your advice and rest for a while. And again, thank you.”

They both walked to the door together, leaving Talya to admire the exquisite taste with which her new home had been decorated. Quite incredible! There were two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room and a dining room both opening onto an immense terrace dominating a swimming pool, an outdoor restaurant and the ocean beyond. This is too much, really. What am I supposed to do with all this space? Perhaps I should organize a tea party for the ambassador. The ambassador! Talya had completely forgotten about him.

She went to the one bathroom. Good gracious! A Jacuzzi! Talya stood agape in front of the sunk-in bathtub. Shaking her head, she opened the tap, lifted the lid of one of the jars lined-up on the bath-shelf, and poured some blue salts in the sparkling water. It had been weeks since she had luxuriated in one of those soapy clouds. As the blue water ran into the tub, she went on a tour of her kingdom.

Cream, thick carpets covered the entire suite. The bedrooms had nothing left to be desired, sumptuous and inviting beds in each of them. In one room, dark green flowery cushions emphasized the design of the bedspread and recalled the light green striped wallpaper colours. The second bedroom was a repeat of the same décor, this time in blue. There were lithographs on each wall—landscapes in the green room and seascapes in the blue one.

In the spacious living room, the white four-seat sofa and chairs were arranged about a long table. A black tree stump supported its glass-top, in the middle of which, a brightly-coloured flower arrangement broke the whiteness of the furniture. In the corner to the left of the entrance, there was a bar with four white padded stools standing opposite. A couple of spotlights shone on the series of glasses and decanters arranged on the built-in glass shelves behind it. Encased ceiling lights were casting patches of white and faint pink over the floor and furniture, the effect of which promised to be even more striking at night.

In the dining room, six black chairs around the lacquered table stood proudly in front of a matching sideboard over which the decorator had chosen to hang a vividly coloured abstract painting. There was an enormous crystal bowl of fruit in the centre of the table.

On the terrace, there were three chairs, a lounge chair and a glaze-topped table.

There were magazines on the coffee table, drinks of all kinds in the bar and colourful cushions strewn all about the place. And... all those treacherous mirrors in the bathrooms—no disguise, make-up or a hair out of place would stand the scrutiny of their reflection.

Once undressed, Talya descended slowly into heaven; yes, ‘heavenly’ was the word she would have used to describe the sensation. She read the latest Vogue and sipped on an ice-cold bissap juice, of which she found a big jug in the fridge below the bar. She had forgotten the purpose of her visit.