First, I doubt anybody on this forum knows what any agent would or would not do in a dangerous situation. I personally do not know any. Having said that, anybody armed is also dangerous and it is obvious that the American was armed. It was also stated that the waiter wanted Changez to detain the American and that is not a good idea in the best of circumstances. It spells trouble especially for the one who does not have the gun.
The American would defend himself no matter what. He could have had reinforcements back at his hotel; but even given that possibly he was alone and he would have killed anybody who tried to detain him. And a man with a gun could have killed Changez and his friends without any trouble unless they also had guns and then some folks would be killed in the crossfire...among them Changez I feared.
I would never have thought before the last scene that Changez really meant the American harm but if he did what the waiter suggested then he surely is dead. Some kind of altercation occurred at the end of the novel. I don't think the waiter wanted to give his tip back or to return the American's jacket which he never took off. So we cannot ignore what was stated in the novel.
I am always surprised how what is stated is often ignored. I believe that there is always room for interpretation but the waiter and his group definately were not a friendly group, were following them and wanted Changez to detain the American...all of that is clear.
Would a skilled agent act that way? I doubt it. There are more elegant and less risky ways to do away with unwanted people. But this is fiction and drama, it is a gestalt we are talking about.
