A large rotating fan swished soundlessly above but Dracup still felt a trickle of perspiration run down his collar. He took another sip of iced water and replaced the glass carefully on the brass tabletop. “So what brings you to Addis, Prof?” Dan Carey grinned. His main feature was a wide, roguish smile, enhanced by a long vertical scar that ran from one side of his mouth to the corner of his right eye. It gave him a rakish, dashing look. He was a wiry, tough-looking man in his mid to late thirties. “It’s a long story,” Dracup replied. Where could he begin? Better to stick to a simple explanation. “I’m interested in Lalibela and its religious background. I want to spend a few days gathering information, taking photographs.” Carey nodded. “Research project, is it? Charles seemed pretty excited.” “Of a kind,” Dracup agreed. He felt uneasy at his economy of truth; there was something about Carey that invited openness. “Well, I’ve been to Lali a couple of times and I can tell you this much – you won’t get a lot out of the priests and holy men.
