by Farah Zaman
Hassan wrinkled his nose. “Eww, who wants camel poop? It sounds nasty.”
The teenagers chuckled and Layla said, “It’s Camel’s Scoop, smarty-pants.”
They sat on a bench on the boardwalk, slurping on their sweet confections. Afterwards, they browsed in the shops until the twins lost the skip in their steps and were drooping with tiredness.
“Let’s have lunch now,” Adam said. “We’ll go to the mosque afterwards and rest a little.”
They lunched at the Kebab Korner, eating grilled shrimp with rice and salad, washed down with chilled lemonade. Adam glanced around the room and almost dropped his drink. The two men from the boat were sitting just a few tables away. A frisson of unease swept through him. Were the men following them for some reason? Their experience of being followed in the past had not turned out well. He continued to keep a sharp watch on them, but they did not look in his direction.
The teenagers moved on to a mosque next. After a refreshing rest, they took a taxi to the Marzuqah Mall. It was a gleaming circular structure rising several stories high, with hundreds of stores.
“Look, there’s an arcade with bumper car rides,” Layla said as they studied the directory.
“Ooh, bumper cars,” Hakeem said with shining eyes. “Let’s go there first.”
“Okay, bumper cars it is,” Adam agreed.
The glass elevator zoomed upwards, bits of the world outside flashing by. After an enjoyable hour on the bumpy rides, they bought smoothies at a Just Juice café. They sat next to the glass front, sipping their drinks as they watched shoppers sauntering by. Adam’s eyes narrowed as two men walked into the store opposite them.
They wore caps and their backs were to him but there was something familiar about their body shapes and the set of their shoulders. Were they the two men he had seen earlier? Maybe I’m being too paranoid.
They spent the rest of the afternoon taking in a children’s movie and playing games at an arcade. In between the fun, they fit in their prayers in the mall’s mosque. It was dark outside by the time they rode up the elevator to have dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Passing by a toy store, Hassan and Hakeem stopped to stare at the toys displayed in the window.
“Can we get that chopper?” Hassan pointed to a red and white helicopter.
“Please, please, can we get it?” Hakeem pleaded.
“I’m pretty sure you already have a couple of helicopters,” Adam said.
“Not like this one,” Hakeem whined.
“We’d better get it,” Layla said. “Or we’ll never hear the end of it.”
“Alright,” Adam grumbled. “Let’s go.”
In the store, he picked up the helicopter and scowled at the long checkout line. “Why don’t you go ahead to the restaurant and order the appetizers,” he said to the others. “I’ll come as soon as I’m done here.”
“Good idea,” Zahra said. “I wasn’t looking forward to standing around waiting.”
In the line, Adam blew out a breath and shifted from one foot to the other as the minutes ticked by. Why was there only one cashier in a busy store like this? It was bad management. At long last, his turn came. Paying for the helicopter, he took the shopping bag and left the store.
He nearly jumped out of his skin when two men materialized next to him. To his shock, they were the same two he had seen in the boat and restaurant. They were so close, they were almost touching him.
“Hey, what are you doing?” He shrank away from them.
“You’re coming with us, Danyal,” the one with the goatee said. “We’ve finally got you.”
Adam’s jaw dropped. Before he could set them straight, the brutes grabbed hold of him and towed him towards the stairs.
Chapter Four:
A Scare and a Sketch
“Hey, hey, stop it,” he cried, trying to wrench himself free. “I’m not Danyal!”
“Yes, you are,” the bald man said, grabbing the shopping bag from Adam. “Stop fighting and come with us quietly.”
“I’m not Danyal, I tell you. I’m Adam from America.”
“And I’m Chang from China.” The man with the goatee grinned, showing brown-stained teeth.
Realizing that he could not reason with the beasts, Adam opened his mouth to yell. Quick as a wink, the man with the goatee clamped an enormous paw over Adam’s mouth. Incensed, Adam struggled even harder against them.
“Stop it,” the bald man hissed, his fingers digging painfully into Adam’s arm. “You can’t escape us, so quit fighting.”
Consumed by fear and rage, Adam butted his head against the ruffians and kicked out at them. A couple of shoppers slowed down, curious to see what the cause of the kerfuffle was.
“This boy is a thief,” the bald man boomed out, waving the helicopter in the air. “He just stole this toy from the store. The police will deal with him.”
Shaking their heads in disgust, the gawkers hurried on. Triumphant at their ruse, the two wretches dragged Adam towards the stairs. He could not believe they were kidnapping him in full view of so many people. He continued to resist them, but he could feel his strength ebbing.
A voice shouted, “Stop! Where are you taking my brother?”
It was Layla. Adam sagged in relief as his siblings and friends appeared in front of them.
“Your brother?” The man with the goatee said with a rasping laugh. “That’s a nice story.”
Layla’s mouth dropped open. “Of course, he’s my brother.”
“No, he’s not,” the bald man said. “Get out of our way, you stupid kids.”
“You’re the stupid ones.” Layla lifted her pointed chin, her eyes flashing fire at them. “Let my brother go right now.”
“Look kids, we know this boy and we know he’s not your brother,” the man with the goatee said. “Now run along and go bother some other people.”
Hassan and Hakeem flung themselves at the men, grabbing at legs that were like tree trunks.
“Leave our brother alone,” Hakeem shouted.
“Let him go, you bad men,” Hassan yelled.
“Get lost, you little monsters.” The bald man slapped them away.
Zaid pulled out his cell phone. “I’m calling the police right now if you don’t let my friend go.”
To their surprise and relief, the men scowled and let go of Adam. Dropping the helicopter on the ground, they took off towards the nearest escalator and vanished from sight.
“Thanks, guys.” Adam sucked in a deep breath and flexed his shoulders. His body felt as if he had been pushing against a brick wall. “You all came in the nick of time. Those hoodlums were about to cart me down the stairs.”
“I can’t believe they tried to kidnap you in the middle of a mall.” Layla’s eyes burned with indignation. “It’s a good thing Hassan and Hakeem were looking out for their helicopter and saw what happened.”
“You boys are heroes.” Adam hugged them.
“Did the men want to steal our helicopter?” Hakeem asked.
“No, squirt. They actually wanted to steal me.”
“Why?” Hassan asked with wide eyes.
“They took me for someone else.”
“Who?” Zahra asked.
“Danyal Hazni, the boy who was kidnapped.”
“That’s crazy,” Layla said. “Why would they think you’re him?”
Adam shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know. Maybe they thought he escaped from his kidnappers or something. They probably wanted the reward for finding him.”
Zahra snorted. “Even if Danyal escaped his kidnappers, do they really think he would be gallivanting around the city? What idiots.”
“They were probably blinded by greed and couldn’t think straight,” Layla said. “They looked like they had more brawns than brains.”
“But if they really wanted the reward, why did
they run away when I said I would call the police?” Zaid said. “Wouldn’t they have stuck around?”
“Yes, that’s kind of weird,” Adam said. “I can’t believe they were trying to grab me the whole time they were following us.”
“They were following us?” Zahra said.
“Yes.” Adam went on to tell them about seeing his aggressors several times that day and pegging them for pickpockets at first and then tourists.
Layla glared at him. “Why didn’t you say something earlier? If those men had disappeared with you, we’d have been clueless.”
Adam protested, “I had no idea they were going to grab me.” A thought occurred to him and he said, “Oh my God.”
“What is it?” Zaid asked.
“The day we arrived…those two men. I just realized they mistook me for Danyal too. They were trying to grab me, not pick my pocket. They looked a lot like these two from today.”
“Maybe they were after the reward too,” Zahra said.
“We should report what happened to the police,” Zaid said. “What those men did was almost criminal.”
“Shouldn’t there be a security office right here in the mall?” Layla said. “Maybe we can go there.”
“Alright, let’s go find it,” Adam said.
Fifteen minutes later, Adam was giving his statement to the officer on duty in the security office.
After he was done, the officer said, “I’ll take a look at the camera footage for that area. It will take a few minutes.” He turned his attention to the monitor on his desk. After several minutes of clicking with the mouse, he said, “I’m sorry. It looks like the camera for that area is down.”
“It’s okay,” Adam said. “I don’t think those men will bother anyone else. Thanks for your help.” Once they were outside the security office, he said, “Let’s go have our dinner now. I’m starving.”
When they returned to Villa Wadha that night, Dr. and Mrs. Horani were waiting up for them. “You had a good time?” Mrs. Horani asked as the teenagers and twins flopped down on the sofas in the living room.
“Some men tried to steal Adam at the mall,” Hassan blurted out as he cuddled up to his mother.
“Yes, we had to rescue him,” Hakeem said, leaning in for his share of cuddling.
Adam sighed inwardly as his parents frowned. He would have preferred telling them in his own time. Like maybe never.
“Is this true?” Dr. Horani asked. He was dressed in blue and white striped pajamas, his hair mussed.
Adam sighed. “Yeah.” He went on to tell them what had happened.
After he was done, Mrs. Horani said, “We never thought anyone would mistake you for Danyal Hazni.” She was wearing a lavender robe over her nightclothes and a fleecy pair of white slippers. “It’s too bad there’s no camera footage to identify those men.”
“I don’t think you should go to the city by yourselves again,” Dr. Horani said. “The same thing might happen.”
Adam squeezed a cushion moodily. They were going to lose their independence. He should have warned Hassan and Hakeem not to say anything. Not that it would have done any good. The two imps had a penchant for blabbing out secrets.
“Uncle Adil, can we spend the night at the orphanage tomorrow?” Zaid asked. “The Dar-un-Nur Orphanage is coming for a visit.”
“Oh yes, that’s right,” Dr. Horani said. “Mr. Mazin mentioned it to us. I don’t see any reason why you can’t.”
“Just don’t get into trouble,” Mrs. Horani warned. “Anytime the four of you are together, all sorts of things happen.”
Adam shared a guilty look with the others. If his parents knew the teenagers were planning to find a murderer, they would have a fit.
Adam strolled along the wide avenue, passing skyscrapers, wind towers and minarets that rose over the city like stern guards keeping watch. Around him, the streets pulsed with life, the wind scattering the sounds like avalanches descending from a mountain.
Footsteps pounded behind him and a voice shouted, “Thief! Thief!”
Adam cried out in shock as strong arms grabbed him in a stranglehold.
“Let me go,” he yelled, struggling against the brutal fingers that bit into his arms. “Let me go.”
“No, you’re a thief,” a harsh voice said. “We show no mercy to thieves. We’re going to lock you up for a long time, Danyal Hazni.”
“I’m not Danyal Hazni,” he cried in panic. “And I’m not a thief. Let me go.”
“Not a chance,” came the rough reply. “We’ve got you and we’re not letting you go.”
“Help!” he shouted as they dragged him into a dark tunnel. “Help!” All he heard was the sound of mocking laughter echoing around him.
Adam woke up, his heart pounding and his body wet with sweat.
What an awful dream.
Sitting up, he grabbed a tissue from the nightstand and mopped the moistness from his face. It had taken him a long time to fall asleep last night. His mind kept replaying the incident at the mall. If Layla and the others had not appeared in time, what would have happened? Would the men have taken him to the Haznis to claim the reward money or would they have taken him elsewhere first? And why had they run away at the mention of the police? That was the most jarring note of all.
Adam drifted off to sleep again, still puzzling over the enigma.
The next morning, the teenagers headed over to the orphanage to begin their first stint of volunteering. Since they were spending the night, they had brought along a few necessities in knapsacks. After stashing them in the student lounges, they headed to the event room. When they entered the humongous space, Ms. Tubaa and Mr. Rakin were briefing the volunteers on the tasks to be done. Heba saw them and waved a hand in welcome.
After the briefing, she came over to them and asked, “Are you staying the night?”
“Yes, we are,” Layla said. “We’ve already put our overnight bag in the lounges.”
Heba smiled. “That’s wonderful. You won’t regret it.”
Adam and Zaid spent the next thirty minutes helping to bring in tables and chairs and setting them up. The room was finally arranged to the satisfaction of Ms. Tubaa and only the streamers were left to be hung. Since there were more than enough hands to take care of that, Adam thought it was a perfect opportunity to start some sleuthing. Mr. Rakin, who taught English and Literature, looked ripe for the picking. He slouched against the windows, arms folded across his chest, a look of boredom on his face.
“Let’s go talk to Mr. Rakin,” Adam whispered to Zaid. His friend nodded and the youths headed across the room to where the teacher stood.
“Hello, Mr. Rakin,” Adam said. “You seemed to have found a nice spot here.”
Mr. Rakin straightened to his full height. It put him at eye level with Adam and Zaid, who were both a few inches shy of six feet. With his craggy, dark-stubbled face and wide mouth, Mr. Rakin was not exactly handsome, but the older girls blushed and simpered when they were around him. “You’re the doctor’s kids, aren’t you?”
“I am,” Adam said. “Zaid is my friend.”
“Are you enjoying your visit?” Adam detected the faint twang of a foreign accent even though Mr. Rakin spoke impeccable English.
“Yes, it’s a nice old building,” Zaid said. “Heba took us on a tour.”
“Who’s Heba?” Mr. Rakin lifted a brow. He would be more at home wearing overalls in front of an easel than wearing a uniform in front of a chalkboard.
“Her uncle was murdered a few months ago,” Adam said. “He used to teach here.”
“Oh, that Heba,” Mr. Rakin said. Adam placed him somewhere around thirty.
“Did you know her uncle well?” Zaid asked.
Mr. Rakin shrugged. “We were fellow teachers but a whole generation apart.”
“Heba told us he was killed for a book,�
�� Adam said.
“Yes, that’s the rumor going around.” Mr. Rakin’s manner was stiffer now.
“Do you know why he might have been killed for it?” Zaid asked.
Mr. Rakin frowned. “No.”
“It’s too bad the murderer hasn’t been caught,” Adam said.
Mr. Rakin did not answer. He was staring across the room with a strange expression. Adam turned and saw the sweet-faced Ms. Rima who taught art and home economics, entering. Her ivory face wore a perturbed look as she spoke with Ms. Tubaa. A minute later, she turned to the volunteers and raised her voice. “Listen up, everyone. I have an emergency and have to leave for a few hours. I’m looking for one of the older students to take over my seventh standard art class. Anyone interested?”
The students looked at each other but none of them volunteered.
“I suppose I can do it,” Zaid said. “But you’ll have to come with me, Adam. I don’t think I’ll be good at handling a bunch of students by myself.”
“No problem,” Adam said. “I’ll gladly come.”
Zaid raised his hand and Ms. Rima came up to them. In her mid-twenties, she was the youngest teacher at the orphanage. She glared at Mr. Rakin, her tip-tilted nose in the air. Without a word, he strode away, his jaw rigid.
What was going on between the two of them?
“Shukran. Thank you so much,” Ms. Rima said to Zaid. She did not wear a scarf and her sleek dark hair had been gathered in an updo. “The students are in classroom nine. They’re drawing their favorite foods right now. When they’re done, you can have them work on something else. They’ve been through a lot of trauma as you know, so we try to make them express their feelings as much as possible. Maybe you can have them draw a scary dream they’ve had. Or something which has frightened them. Think you can handle it?”
Zaid nodded. “Adam will be helping me.”
“Thank you both.” She gave them a distracted smile before hurrying away.
When the youths entered classroom nine, the students were talking and laughing as they were wont to do when the teacher’s back was turned. Mahmood, the boy who owned the monkey, was there. He gave them a quick glance before ducking his head bashfully.