Chapter 8: The Talking Urn
When at last the fumes had cleared from his brain and he could think plainly again, Hakem Rafi the thief gave careful consideration to his plight. Fate had spared him twice now after his theft of the urn, but he could not expect kismet’s favoritism to continue. The police had arrested someone else they suspected of being the thief; but when he turned out not to be the culprit, they would continue their search. Hakem Rafi could not dodge them forever.
He went into a darkened alley, sat down against the wall, and removed the urn from his pocket once more. Even in the dim light, the beauty of his treasure was dazzling and Hakem Rafi stared at it fixedly for several minutes.
But beautiful as it was, he knew he could not keep it in its present condition. As an urn
