by Farah Zaman
After that came the pleasant part of cuddling, playing and reading to the tots. Adam enjoyed renewing his acquaintance with Baby Lina. She smiled toothily at his funny faces and giggled as he played horsy with her. When they took their leave, it wrenched his heart when she wailed and stretched out her arms.
“That was so sweet and so sad,” Layla said, expressing what they all felt.
Heba whispered to them at lunch that she had gotten the keys to the offices.
After the midday prayer, they gathered in the atrium, biding their time until everyone went upstairs. While they waited, they drew lots to select the next office and searcher. Heba’s name was drawn to search Ms. Yusra’s office.
“First timer’s luck,” she said with a wan smile.
“Are you up to it?” Adam asked.
Heba firmed her jaw. “Yes, I’m not going to let you do all the dirty work.”
“We have to decide where lookouts should be posted,” Zaid said.
After a brief discussion, more lots were drawn and they all looked at their slips of paper.
“I’ve got the head of the corridor,” Zahra said.
Layla said, “Mine’s the atrium.”
“I’m by the teachers’ stairway,” Zaid said.
Adam said, “I’ll be next to the students’ stairways.”
“What signal are you going to use in case anyone comes?” Heba asked.
Adm grinned. “In anticipation of our search, I borrowed these from the nursery.” He pulled out four yellow objects from his pocket and placed them on the coffee table.
“Whistles?” Zaid said in amusement.
Layla giggled. “They’re cute.”
“I just hope we don’t have to use them,” Zahra said.
“I agree,” Heba said.
Zaid said, “Layla, if you hear me or Adam blowing our whistles, you should blow yours too. That will alert Zahra to get Heba out.”
Layla nodded. “I will.”
“Once the whistles are blown, everyone should get back to the atrium,” Adam said. “I think the coast is clear now. All set, Heba?”
She swallowed before nodding. Her eyes were slightly dilated.
They dispersed to their different positions. Zaid made a right into the corridor leading to the prayer hall and event room. At the end of it was the teachers’ stairway. Heba and Zahra turned left towards the teachers’ offices. Adam headed straight ahead to the students’ stairways in the main corridor. Layla remained in the middle of the atrium. From where she stood, she would be able to see the other three lookouts.
Once he reached the students’ stairways, Adam braced against the wall. His heart thrummed a little faster as he gripped his whistle. He glanced towards the back of the building. All was quiet there. The kitchen and housekeeping staff would be resting too. He did not expect them to stir. Likewise, his mother and father should stay put in their private room in the clinic.
Unable to stand still, Adam paced the corridor. Ten minutes crawled by and then another five. His heart did a dive as the door to the boys’ stairway opened. Mr. Rakin emerged, his uniform crumpled and his eyes bleary. Without hesitation, Adam raised the whistle to his lips and blew it.
Mr. Rakin started at the shrill sound. As Layla’s whistle echoed from the atrium, he ran a hand over his unruly hair and said irritably, “What’s the meaning of this foolishness?”
“We’re just playing around.” I’ve got to delay him until everyone’s in the atrium. “How come you’re coming from the boys’ stairway? I thought you teachers have your own quarters.”
“I’m the dorm father for the boys. My room is in their dorms.”
“Really? What floor are you on?”
“The second floor.”
“What about the girls? Do they have a dorm mother too?”
“Ms. Yusra is their dorm mother. Her room is on the second floor over there.”
“You’re down early for classes.”
“I have some work to do.” He set off with quick strides towards the atrium. Adam followed behind him, relieved to see Zaid, Heba and Zahra standing with Layla up ahead. His heart slowed down a bit.
Mr. Rakin came to a stop in the atrium. “What are you kids doing here? Shouldn’t you be resting?”
Before any of them could answer, a bunch of keys clattered to the floor at Heba’s feet.
Mr. Rakin’s eyes latched on to them suspiciously. “What keys are those?”
Chapter Fourteen:
Walking with Ms. Yusra
“They’re my keys.” Heba stooped and grabbed the bunch, shoving them into her left pocket.
“Really?” Mr. Rakin gave her a skeptical look. “That whole bunch?”
“Yes, they’re the keys to my house in the village.” There were patches of color on Heba’s cheeks but she held Mr. Rakin’s gaze without flinching.
He frowned, clearly not convinced. “Why are you carrying them around?”
“I was thinking of making a quick trip later to pick up a few things.”
Mr. Rakin looked from one of them to the other, his eyes still suspicious. Adam held his breath, afraid the teacher would ask to see the keys. If he did, they were toast. A tag attached to the chain was plainly marked, Administration Offices. To their collective relief, Mr. Rakin made a sound of impatience, turned on his heel and headed towards the offices. They all breathed a little easier as his footsteps faded.
“I’m sorry,” Heba said, the color gone from her face now. “I nearly gave us away. I forgot my right pocket had a small hole. The weight of the keys must have enlarged it.”
“At least you were able to think quickly,” Layla said.
“Yes, but I hated lying,” Heba said, the shine of tears in her eyes. “I didn’t realize so much deception and sneaking around would be involved when I asked you to help me find Uncle Issa’s murderer.”
“We knew it wasn’t going to be pleasant,” Adam said. “As we told you, we’ve had a little experience of it before. But we’re committed to helping you.”
“How did the search go?” Zaid asked.
“It went fine,” Heba replied. “I looked at Ms. Yusra’s bookshelves first. She’s got books on fitness and science, the subjects she teaches. She seems fond of figurines. Several of them are on her desk and on top of the file cabinet.”
“What sort of figurines?” Zahra asked.
“Pyramids, hourglasses, and crystals. I would expect Ms. Rima to have stuff like that. I checked the drawer next. Under a pile of stuff, I found a book titled Tales of Arabian Magic.”
Adam whistled. “Another suspicious book. That makes two of them so far.”
“I think Ms. Yusra’s book is more suspicious,” Layla said. “It shows she has an interest in magic.”
“Let’s see what we find in the other offices,” Zaid said. “Then we’ll have a better idea of who’s the most likely suspect.”
“We’d better head out now before Mr. Rakin returns,” Adam said.
“Will you come back this afternoon?” Heba asked. “We’ll be having snacks on the lawn again.”
“Oh yes, we’ll come,” Zahra said. “We don’t want to miss out on the fun.”
When the teenagers came back to the orphanage that afternoon, the scene on the front lawn was the same as last Monday. Adam marveled that only a week had elapsed since they had accompanied Heba to the cemetery and her home. So much had happened since then that it seemed much longer.
Heba was eating snacks with several girls on the tarpaulin. Catching sight of Adam and his group, she called out, “Salaams. Grab your snacks and come sit down.”
When they came back with lemonade and cake, the girls were gone.
“What happened to your friends?” Zahra asked.
“They’re going for their Science Club walk. They do it every Monday.”
/> The teenagers looked over at the walkway. A group of students had gathered there, the straight-backed figure of Ms. Yusra among them.
“We should join them,” Layla said. “It will be a good chance to speak to Ms. Yusra.”
“It’s a lovely afternoon for a walk.” Zahra raised her face to the sinking sun. “I don’t mind going.”
“Me too,” Zaid said.
“We’d best hurry before they leave.” Adam gulped down the rest of his lemonade and got to his feet. “Heba, we’ll see you later.”
“Have fun…walking with Ms. Yusra,” she said, her remarkable eyes shining in the afternoon sun.
The group was still on the walkway when the teenagers got there. Adam went up to Ms. Yusra and said, “Salaams. Is it okay if we join you for the walk?”
Ms. Yusra nodded. “We’ll be walking to the village and back. Along the way, we’ll pick up specimens of stones to discuss in class. You can help the students gather them.”
“Sounds like fun,” Layla said. “We ought to be able to gather a pile. But it might be difficult to walk with a heavy load. We might have to drop some along the way.”
Ms. Yusra’s lips twitched, as if she was amused. “Just a few will do.” There was a slight pallor to her face and shadows beneath her eyes. She still looked ill. “Alright, everyone,” she called out. “Let’s go.”
She led the procession, the teenagers next to her. The rest of the students followed, laughing and speaking in merry voices. When they made their first stop to gather specimens of smooth, round stones, Adam racked his brains to think of how to bring up Mr. Issa’s murder. Ms. Yusra provided the opening.
“Have you been to the village?” she asked them.
“Yes, we went with our parents,” Adam said. “We also visited Heba’s house. It’s terrible that her uncle was murdered there.”
The pleasant expression faded from Ms. Yusra’s face. “I’m surprised she still goes there.”
“She told us her uncle was murdered for a book,” Layla said.
“It’s ridiculous,” Ms. Yusra said, her nostrils flaring.
“You don’t believe it?” Zaid said.
“I mean it’s ridiculous that anyone would kill a human being for a paltry thing as a book.”
“Maybe it was a valuable book,” Zahra said.
“Or a book of magical spells that could make the reader rich,” Adam said in a jesting manner as he watched Ms. Yusra closely. Her eyes widened and the blood rushed to her face, filling her cheeks with color.
Turning away, she called out to the group, “Ta’al. Let’s move.”
For the remainder of the walk, she surrounded herself with students, a remote expression on her face. It was clear she was not in the mood for more conversation. As they neared the village center, a young woman called out, “Ms. Yusra, I have a really bad headache. Do you think we could get something to drink?”
Ms. Yusra’s brows came together as she turned to the girl. “Of course, Maryam. You shouldn’t have come if you’re not well. Are you feeling faint?”
“No, just thirsty, Ms. Yusra.”
“We’ll go to a café. I guess we can all have something to drink.”
Minutes later, they came to a flat brick building. A sign at the top of the door said, Marjan Cafe. The pot-bellied proprietor welcomed them when they entered the cool and dim interior. Recognizing Ms. Yusra and the students, he insisted on giving them all drinks on the house.
“Sit at the tables,” he told them. “We’ll serve you soon.” He disappeared behind a door at the back.
The cozy café was not crowded at that hour. There were enough empty tables to seat them all. Their drinks came accompanied by an assortment of sweetmeats from the kind-hearted owner. They ate their treats, serenaded by a lively tune playing overhead.
As Adam chewed on a sesame nougat, Zaid nudged him and whispered, “Look who just came in the door.”
Adam turned to see the muscular man Ms. Yusra had met at the restaurant.
“Uh oh, there’s Ms. Yusra’s husband again,” one of the boys said.
“How do you know he’s her husband?” Adam asked.
“She told us. He always comes to talk to her when we come for our Monday walks.”
“She said ex-husband, you doofus,” a second boy said.
The first boy shrugged. “What’s the difference? He still thinks he’s her husband.”
The ex-husband looked around the restaurant. His eyes fastened on Ms. Yusra. She had already seen him. Standing up from the table, she went towards him, her mouth tight. He pointed to the prayer alcove in the corner and they went behind it.
“Let’s go to that empty table next to the alcove,” Adam whispered to Zaid. “I want to hear what they’re talking about.”
Bottles of mango juices in their hands, the youths made a show of examining the posters on the wall before sidling nonchalantly over to the table. Above the music, came the murmur of voices from the alcove. If only the music was lower. As if in answer to Adam’s wish, the song came to an end. In the ensuing silence, the man’s voice came to them.
“…your dirty little secret. What will they say if they knew where you were that night?”
“Stop it,” Ms. Yusra hissed. “Do you think…”
The music came on again, snatching away the rest of her words.
Adam gritted his teeth in frustration. Drat the music.
Moments later, Ms. Yusra and her ex-husband emerged from the alcove. The man wore a scowl as he made for the door. Ms. Yusra’s eyes were narrowed, her lips a thin line. She looked as mad as all get out. She rounded up everyone and they set off back to the orphanage, their bellies full of snacks and their pockets full of stones.
Danyal was waiting at the boathouse when the teenagers arrived the next night. He seemed in a blue funk, greeting them with a listless air.
Poor thing. He must be fed up with his self-imposed exile.
Heba and Mahmood arrived next. Muk-Muk clung to Mahmood’s shoulder, whimpering at the sight of the water.
“Poor pet.” Layla patted the monkey’s hairy arm. “We’ll only be here for a short while.”
After they were seated in the boathouse, Danyal asked, “Did you go to the bookstore on Friday?”
“Yes, we did,” Zaid replied. “And you wouldn’t believe what we found out.”
“Tell me everything,” Danyal said eagerly.
The teenagers took turns telling him about their visit to the Lighted Scrolls. As expected, Danyal was amazed to hear that The Hour of the Oryx might be a book of magic. They went on to tell him about the books their searches had uncovered in Mr. Mazin’s and Ms. Yusra’s offices. Zaid concluded, “We don’t know if those books are just coincidences or if they’re connected to the murder. Only time will tell.”
Adam reported next on their walk with the Science Club and what he and Zaid had overheard between Ms. Yusra and her ex-husband. “It sounded to me as if he was talking about the night of the murder. And maybe blackmailing her into getting back with him.”
“I hate to think Ms. Yusra is the murderer,” Heba said. “But she seems to be a strong suspect so far.”
“We have to make a log of all the clues we’ve gathered,” Layla said. “If we don’t find out who the murderer is by the time we leave, we can give them to the police to follow up on.”
“That’s a good idea,” Zaid said. “I’ll start one.”
“Danyal, my parents have given us permission to attend the Orphans Evening Out,” Adam said. “We have to talk now about searching your stepfather’s office.”
Danyal heaved a sigh. “My heart is heavy when I think of that snake standing at my mother’s side, acting like the perfect husband. How sad and scared she must be. Sometimes I tell myself I should have stayed and confronted him. But my instinct to survive was greater than my cou
rage.”
“As it should be,” Heba said. “Hopefully the boys will find something to expose him.”
“How will we get to his office?” Zaid asked.
“You’ll have to go through the connecting door from the banquet hall to the main house. Uncle Nidal’s office is on the second floor.”
“What about the servants?” Layla asked.
“They’ll be at the dinner.”
“Wouldn’t the office be locked?” Zahra asked.
“No, he usually leaves it open.”
“I bought paper and pencil to sketch the layout of the house,” Zaid said. “It will help us find our way around easier.”
Danyal gave a detailed description of Villa Hazni as Zaid’s fingers flew over the paper, sketching and making notes. From the way Danyal spoke, they could tell he loved his home. After the sketch was completed, he perked up a bit and regaled them with funny stories of past Orphans Evenings Out.
“Once, there was a snafu and two girls with the same name stood up to claim the surprise gift. They both insisted on having it and wouldn’t agree to flip a coin to choose one of them. My father, taking a page out of Prophet Solomon’s book, proposed a solution. He instructed that the gift be opened, cut in half and given to the girls. When the girls saw the gift was a hard-covered story book, they finally agreed to the coin toss.” They all chuckled.
When they took their leave, Danyal became morose again. “Be careful when you go to search the snake’s office,” he told Adam and Zaid. “Make sure one of you keeps watch just in case anyone goes up there.”
“Don’t worry,” Adam said. “We’ll be careful. We’ll meet here again on Friday night to tell you about it.”
On Wednesday morning, the teenagers helped out in the kitchen. After the last batch of meal boxes were carted off, Adam breathed a sigh of relief. His eyes still smarted from the onions he had chopped, and his clothes positively reeked of them. He could not wait to wash the smell away. When he and Zaid got to the bathroom, the Troublesome Trio were lying in wait for them.
