by Farah Zaman
“Al-Aqrab’s henchman?” Zaid repeated. “You mean the one with the mole is not Al-Aqrab?”
“Of course not,” said Aini. “No one knows who Al-Aqrab is. He’s the puppet master pulling the strings behind the scenes. Why are you interested in the one with the mole?”
“He’s been following us, and we wanted to know why,” said Layla.
The gypsy woman looked alarmed. “The one with the mole has been following you?”
Adam told her about the Mole Man following them in Ghassan City and his despicable deed of throwing the cobra at Layla. “After he escaped, we decided to show his sketch at a few hotels to see if anyone knew him. We didn’t have any luck, that’s how we ended up asking you.”
“Why do you think the one with the mole has come back to punish you?” asked Zahra.
The gypsy woman slumped in the rocking chair, her leathery brown face haggard. “I’ve been asking questions about Al-Aqrab. There are some among my people who know about him. At first, I kept my mouth shut but my eyes and ears open. I wanted to learn as much as I could about my husband’s murderer, so I could bring about his downfall one day. That’s how I learned those things about him. Two weeks ago, our tribe gathered one night to celebrate the birth of a child. I overheard my tribesmen talking around the fire about Al-Aqrab. They were saying he was from a rich and powerful family. That he has a tattoo of a scorpion on his upper arm and hundreds of scorpions at his disposal. After hearing this, I asked them if they knew who he was and where he could be found. They told me I shouldn’t ask such questions. I told them they were shielding a murderer, that Al-Aqrab was using our people for his own evil ends. They became angry and said Al-Aqrab is the friend of the gypsies and helps them when everyone else shuns them, that Al-Aqrab would cut out my tongue if I didn’t stop talking about him. When you showed me the picture of the one with the mole, I thought Al-Aqrab had sent him to punish me. That’s why I got scared and ran away.”
“Oh Aini, we’re sorry you had such a fright,” said Layla.
“I hope Al-Aqrab doesn’t find out you’ve been here to see me.” The gypsy woman looked terrified again. “There’s no knowing what he might do to both you and me.”
Layla felt a cold chill race up her spine at Aini’s words. The gypsy woman must be exaggerating. We’re a bunch of teenagers who know nothing about Al-Aqrab. Why would he want to harm us?
Tariq said, “Thank you for telling us your story, Aini. We appreciate it.” He handed her the wad of notes and she took it with a quick smile, the lines of worry easing on her face.
After leaving Aini’s sad little house, Adam said, “I wonder if she’s telling the truth or came up with that story to make some money.”
“She’s scared of Al-Aqrab,” said Zaid. “She’s not faking that.”
“We still don’t know why the Mole Man has been following us,” said Zahra.
“Yes, that’s still a mystery,” said Layla.
“I don’t like it,” said Tariq. “There’s something going on here that worries me.”
That night, the teenagers were in Layla’s suite watching an episode of Desert Dilemmas when there came a knock at the door. Tariq entered, the collar of his shirt askew and his curly hair sticking out as if he had been running his fingers through it. His eyes were wide, and the color seemed to be drained from his face.
“What’s the matter?” asked Layla. “It’s not your grandfather, is it?”
“No, no, Grandfather’s fine.”
“What it it then?” asked Zaid.
“I found a scorpion on my bed.”
Chapter Fourteen:
A Scream in a Dream
“A scorpion?!” they exclaimed in unison.
“Yes. A black, poisonous one. Bilqis saw it and started hissing. It might have bitten me if she hadn’t seen it.”
“Oh, that’s an awful thought,” said Zahra.
“What did you do with it?” asked Adam.
“I killed it with a hairbrush. I don’t know how it got into my room. They don’t usually come into living areas. They’re not even common around these parts.”
They stared at one another as the truth dawned upon them.
Adam said, “It’s the sign of Al-Aqrab. He must have had someone put the scorpion on your bed.”
Layla exclaimed, “I just remembered where I heard that name before.”
“Where?” asked Zahra.
“In the grove, when the man and woman were arguing that night.”
“Are you sure?” asked Tariq.
Layla nodded. “Yes, I’m sure.”
“What does it all mean?” asked Zahra.
“It could be that Al-Aqrab is after you, Tariq.” Zaid’s face was grave. “And those people Layla heard in the grove must be his accomplices. They must have planted the stone in Jasim’s saddle and the scorpion on your bed. It can’t be just a coincidence. Maybe he’s the one who murdered Rashid too. And has the Woman in White scaring everyone.”
“If that’s true, why was the Mole Man following you?” asked Tariq.
“I don’t know,” said Zaid. “I think we’re mixed up somehow.”
“What are we going to do?” asked Zahra.
“We’ll have to be on our guard from now on,” said Adam. “And check our beds every night to make sure no scorpions are lying in wait.”
The moon was a pale blur in a purple-hued sky as Layla slipped through the inner courtyard and headed towards the back of the castle. A gusty wind, laden with the scent of jasmine and roses, whipped at the branches of the olive and date palms, sending them sashaying back and forth. When she came to the fork at the rear of the courtyard, she veered left and walked until she beheld the lone tower looming in front of her, dark and dismal in the night. A flare of light at the top drew her gaze and she hastened towards it, filled with a sense of urgency. Suddenly, her feet became rooted to the spot and she found herself unable to move. She cried out in panic, flailing her arms as she fought against the unseen force holding her back. The next moment, an agonized scream tore through the silence, piercing her to the soul and stilling her struggle against the vise that trapped her. As she watched in horror, a dark shape hurtled out of the window and hit the ground with a sickening crunch. The next moment, a scurrying sound came to her ears and she stared petrified as a sea of black scorpions crawled towards the body.
Layla awoke in the aftermath of the awful dream, her heart racing in fright and goosebumps pebbling her skin. Pushing aside the covers, she sat up and switched on the bedside lamp. She breathed easier as the warm glow lit up the room, chasing away the lingering remnants of her nightmare. After whispering a prayer, she glanced at her bedside clock. It was just after twelve. The night was still young. She only hoped she would be able to go back to sleep after that terrifying dream. As she settled back against the pillows, there came a knock at her door and Adam’s voice floated into her bedchamber.
“Layla, are you awake?”
“Yes, I am.”
“I guess you heard the scream too. We’re going down to the grove to look for the Woman in White. Hurry up and come.”
“I’ll be right there.”
That scream in my dream had been real. I wonder why the Woman in White is paying us such special attention? Is it at Al-Aqrab’s request?
Layla scrambled off the bed and started to get dressed. Bundling her coil of hair in a scrunchy, she dragged on the blue scarf she had worn earlier and pulled on a black abaya over her nightdress. She joined the others in the corridor and followed them down the stairway. Adam had brought a comb. He wedged it in the door to keep it from locking. No animal would be able to squeeze into the small space. They entered the grove.
A thin sliver of moon lit the night sky, sneaking in strips of light through the branches of the leafy ghafs. The bulky trees stirred gently.
If only trees could talk,
they would have told us who the Woman in White was.
“I feel like a spy,” Zahra whispered as they made their way through the undergrowth. After traversing the grove, they saw no signs of the Woman in White.
“She’s gone,” said Zaid. “She must have left right after she screamed. It’s no use looking anymore. I doubt she’ll come back.”
“She screamed really loud,” said Zahra. “It sounded like she was just outside the window.”
Zahra’s words jogged Layla’s memory.
“I thought about that the second time I heard her scream,” said Layla. “Then I forgot about it. Unless our windows are open, we shouldn’t hear her so clearly.”
“She could be using an amplifier,” said Zaid. “A bullhorn would give her the volume to make her screams sound so creepy.”
“That must be her little trick,” said Adam. “Quite smart of her, I must say.”
“If she’s working for Al-Aqrab, she must have a few tricks up her sleeve,” said Layla.
As they were about to return to the stairs, they froze when they heard the slow tread of footsteps coming into the grove.
“Quick, behind the bushes,” Adam whispered. They crouched behind the low-lying shrubbery and listened as the footsteps drew nearer. Peering from their hiding place, they watched as a figure in a dark cloak headed to the back of the grove, sidestepping tree trunks and undergrowth along the way.
“That’s the cloaked figure I saw that night,” said Layla.
“Let’s follow him,” said Zaid.
“Okay, but quietly,” said Adam. “We don’t want him to hear us.”
The teenagers slinked after the Cloaked Man until he came to the castle’s wall. He opened a gate and went through it, closing it behind him.
Adam signaled to them to step away from the gate.
After they were a safe distance away, he said, “We can’t take the risk of following him. He might be just outside.”
“I wonder who he is,” said Zaid. “And what he’s doing creeping about here.”
“Maybe he’s Al-Aqrab accomplice too,” said Layla. “They could all be working together.”
They found Tariq alone at breakfast the next morning and told him about chasing after the Woman in White last night and coming across the Cloaked Man. Tariq looked troubled when they were done.
“I know you find it exciting,” he said, “but please be careful. If they’re Al-Aqrab’s accomplices, they’re dangerous and you could get hurt.”
“We won’t take any chances,” Adam promised.
Before Tariq left the sunroom, he said, “Can you meet me at the stables a little earlier this afternoon? About two should be fine. We’ll take the horses to the foothills again. After we return and have refreshments, there’s a special place I want to show you.”
“Ooh, which place is that?” asked Layla.
Tariq chuckled. “It’s a surprise. I’ll see you at two.”
After breakfast, the teenagers visited Shaykh Sulaiman, who was happy to see them. They spent some time in the recreation area before Adam suggested splitting up and looking for any suspicious activity.
“I’ll take a look at the postern gate in the grove and see what’s outside,” he said. “Then I’ll hang around the inner courtyard.”
Zahra said, “I’ll take the forecourt.”
“I’ll go down to the stables,” said Zaid.
“And I’ll take a look at the third floor inside the castle,” said Layla. “I want to find the spot where the Woman in White was standing the night we came.”
“Let’s meet in my suite before lunch to compare notes,” said Adam.
After the teenagers split up, Layla headed into the castle. She felt as if she was in another world as she climbed the dim stairway and stood on the even dimmer landing of the third floor. Shafts of sunlight came through the windows at the end of the hallways, revealing wispy cobwebs and dancing dust motes. She found the spot overlooking the forecourt where the Woman in White had stood on the night of their arrival. There was a jumble of shoe prints in the dust.
“Aha, Woman in White,” she said. “This proves you’re no ghoul, if ever there was any doubt. You’re flesh and blood alright, and we’re going to catch you soon.”
Layla wandered around the empty, dusty chambers. The third level of the castle looked like the inside of an abandoned old house. It’s a pity all this space is going to waste. She was about to descend the stairs to return downstairs when she saw a strange sight before her.
On the gallery above the stairs, green polyester curtains hung from one end of the wall to the other. It was very odd, considering no windows were there. Curious, Layla walked over and pulled aside one of the panels. The grommets slid across the rod and the curtains parted to reveal a most surprising sight. It was a portrait gallery of the Al-Khalili family.
Layla recognized the people of the household at once. Shaykh Sulaiman was there as well as Tariq, the cousins, and several other men and women whose relationship to the household she could not determine. Finally, she stared at the portrait of a man that bore a startling resemblance to Faisal. He had the same striking bone structure but had dark eyes, straight hair and a neatly clipped beard. His smiling countenance was unlike Faisal’s brooding demeanor.
Rashid.
She stared at his picture, feeling immensely sad he had met such a tragic end. Had he really been murdered as Tariq thought? Was his murderer now targeting Tariq? How do we fit into the picture? Why was Al-Aqrab’s henchman following us? And why is the Woman in White trying to scare us? Is the Cloaked Man in cahoots with them?
Lost in her morbid thoughts, she closed the curtains and descended the stairs.
“What are you doing here?” The harsh query startled Layla out of her reverie. She looked down to see Hala scowling at her at the foot of the stairs.
“I went up to explore the third floor,” she said, annoyed at the other girl’s tone. “Tariq said we could look around whenever we want.”
“You’re making yourself quite at home here, aren’t you?” Hala’s voice had a spiteful bite.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Maybe you think you’ll be living here one day.”
“You’re crazy.” Layla’s voice was cold as she reached the last stair and stood eye to eye with the antagonistic girl. “Tariq is nothing more than a friend to me.”
“Like I believe you,” Hala sneered.
Layla felt a hot rush of anger. “I don’t care. You’re the one who’s chasing after him, not me. Stop being so pathetic.”
“How dare you.” Hala’s face filled with fury and she gave Layla a hard shove. Caught off-guard, Layla teetered for a moment before she fell back against the banister, hitting her head and back against the solid wood. Wincing, she straightened up, glaring at the other girl and battling the urge to retaliate and push her right back.
“If you ever lay a hand on me again,” she snapped, “you’ll regret it.”
With a sneer on her lips, Hala disappeared down the hallway. Tears pricked Layla’s eyes as she rubbed the back of her head. She had done nothing to deserve the other girl’s enmity and the unfairness of her attack stung. As she blinked the tears away, Layla realized the pin that held her gray scarf together must have dropped off when she hit the banister. She could now feel her exposed hair.
The next moment, she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Not wishing to be discovered in tears and with her hair showing, she ran into the hallway opposite the one Hala had taken. Coming to a door at the end, she turned the knob and peered cautiously into a sitting room. It was empty and quiet. She entered and closed the door, wiping the tears with the end of her scarf before wrapping the fabric as best as she could around her head. She froze as she heard footsteps coming towards the suite she was hiding in.
In a panic, she ducked behind
a large sofa, hugging her arms around her as the door opened and someone came and sat down on the sofa. She almost gasped in dismay when she heard Faisal speaking into a cell phone. She had unwittingly placed herself in the position of eavesdropper. Now, she could not very well walk away without embarrassing them both. Shrinking into a miserable ball of mortification, she tried not to listen to what he was saying but it was impossible.
“Of course, I understand,” Faisal was saying. “I know there’s no turning back. I made a commitment and I’m sticking with it.” There was a minute of silence as he listened to the person at the other end. Then he gave a harsh laugh and said, “I’m certainly not getting cold feet. Yes, yes, I know it’s not going to be easy. I promise you I’ll do whatever it takes, no matter the cost. You can count on me.”
With that note of finality in his voice, he ended the call and Layla heard him striding over to the bedchamber beyond. Seeing her chance, she got to her feet and crept over to the door. Moments later, she was flying down the stairs. Her ire with Hala was now replaced by a sudden chill. There had been an ominous quality to Faisal’s words. Was he one of Al-Aqrab’s accomplices?
Chapter Fifteen:
A Trying Time
The teenagers met before lunch in Adam’s suite to compare notes. In order for Layla to report on her encounter with Hala and subsequent flight to Faisal’s room, she had to tell the boys of her very first run-in with the girl on the night of Jumana’s arrival. Predictably, they were outraged.
“You have to tell her father,” said Adam. “Otherwise, she’ll continue her spiteful behavior.”
“It will make things worse,” said Layla. “And she won’t listen to him anyway.”
“Then you should tell Tariq,” said Zahra. “I think she’ll pay attention to him. You can tell him she made a nasty remark and when you replied, she pushed you against the banister. You don’t have to tell him all the details.”
