The Puppetmasters

  Thinking the man recognized them, Rashid yelled for Poya to run further along the path into the shrubs along the hillside. He took off towards Poya and looking back over his shoulder at the man who was now capturing everyone’s attention, missed the short red stake that had been driven into the ground to his left to indicate an unsafe minefield that had not yet been cleared of the landmines.

  The blast knocked Rashid off his feet. He lay unmoving on the hard ground. The crowd and players reacted by scattering the opposite direction. The man finally reached Rashid and helped him to his feet and brushed off the dirt that covered him. Rashid was shaken and momentarily disoriented and deaf. After a few minutes, with the sympathetic man telling him that he had tried to warn him of the nearby minefield, Rashid understood for the first time that the man had been trying to help him. He gave the man a grim smile, looked around at the clearing smoke, dust, and debris raining down on them, and shouted Poya’s name.

  As the air cleared and he regained some of his bearings, he saw the heap of bloody clothing first. He quickly ran over to the boy and grabbed Poya up in his arms. The boy had detonated the landmine when he stepped directly on it. Hundreds of metal fragments had torn through his body. He never had a chance.

  Rashid turned when he heard the roar of an engine, and saw a pickup truck of Afghanistan National Police headed their way. The police were probably coming to help, but he couldn’t take the chance of being recognized. He gently laid Poya’s lifeless body on the ground. He then reached into his pockets and pulled out a wad of Afghani. He shoved it at the kind man and asked him to give Poya a proper burial.

  With tears streaming down his face, and his head down, Rashid quickly ran past the approaching truck. He stumbled, blindly, back to their stone dwelling, still trying to clear his head, and burst into the cave. He threw himself at a surprised Kendall. Through his stilted speech, she got the gist of the horrific events. He sank onto the hard earthen ground pulling her down with him. He wrapped his arms around her, completely consumed with grief and guilt. How had he missed the clear sign of a nearby landmine? How could he have let his guard down even for a moment? Poor Poya. He hadn’t deserved this.

  Kendall held him tight and shushed him quietly, because he was speaking in English. She was afraid others would hear. But their neighbors were already suspicious. Some had seen Rashid and Poya at the game and thought it was odd the two stood where they did, near an uncleared mine field. All of the locals knew better than to stand there. These two people sharing their caves were obviously strangers. Now, word was spreading that they spoke English. Two men quietly went to summon the local authorities or soldiers, whichever they came across first.

  Kendall could feel they were now in danger. She extracted herself from Rashid’s prostrate form and efficiently gathered their things. She then knelt down and grabbed Rashid’s arms. She looked him directly into his eyes and said in a stern low voice, “Rashid, stop! There is no time to mourn. What’s done is done! It’s terrible, and we’ll deal with it later. We are in danger. People have been looking in at us. I think they are talking about us. We must leave now!”

  She stood up and yanked his arms as hard as she could. He seemed to snap out of it, and scrambled to his feet. She took one of Poya’s shirts and wiped Rashid’s face. It took two trips to get all of their stuff back in the jeep.

  As they drove out of the cave area, they could see lights flashing in the distance, coming towards them. Their way was clear in the opposite direction. They headed away from the oncoming lights. Rashid’s face was rigid and tense. He constantly looked in his rearview mirror. For the moment, they were safe. But he figured the authorities were only thirty minutes behind them. He made a split-second decision to head to the Band-e-Amir Lakes. The road to Band-e-Amir was crudely paved, while the infrastructure around Kabul and the government offices had been upgraded to very passable roads. President Shazeb had not welcomed visitors and tourists. Many of the tourist destinations had fallen into disrepair from lack of funds.

  It was now dark, and they had to climb two thousand feet to the ten-thousand-foot elevation of the lakes. Again, Rashid was worried about their headlights being seen. He stopped the jeep, and they put on their night vision goggles. While he drove slowly and carefully in the darkness, Kendall rummaged around for something to eat and drink. They ate on the run. This was beginning to be a habit for them.

  Rashid gripped the steering wheel like he was hanging on for dear life. Kendall couldn’t stand it anymore. She reached out her warm hand and placed it gently over his arm. He could feel the heat radiating the length of his arm. He instantly relaxed and eased his grip. He looked over at her and his eyes were wide and intense with anger.

  “Why Poya? He didn’t deserve this! He was just a boy. I had hoped he would have a stable life with Jangi. I was planning to check on him and make sure he was happy. Once I made a new life for myself, I would gladly have brought him there if his situation wasn’t working out. He deserved to have a new a life. He never had a stable life until he came to live with me. Even then, he was in constant danger from the Shazebs. I wanted him to get educated and go to college.”

  Kendall let him ramble until his voice gave out. She patted his arm. “I’m so sorry, Rashid. I know he meant the world to you.”

  His voice cracked, “I couldn’t even stay to arrange for a proper burial.”

  She murmured soothingly, “It couldn’t be helped.”

  He shook his head. “But if I’d only known. I’m used to the rocks painted red on the sides of the road. That’s how I know of an uncleared minefield. I missed it.”

  His voice faltered and gave out. They rode in silence for a long time, each lost in thought to the unexpected events of the day. Kendall wondered at the passing barren landscape. There were no trees on the sides of the road. But she could clearly make out large reddish-looking lumps along the way.

  Finally out of curiousity, she pointed to one and said, “Rashid, what are those red mounds?”

  He frowned at the distraction to his brooding. “That’s moss. The village men come up here with their donkeys and use pick-axes to harvest it.”

  “Really? What’s it used for?”

  “It’s stored on rooftops and used as kindling for fires.”

  They drove by a stone building close to the road. Before she could ask, Rashid pointed it out, “That’s a tea stop. During the day, we could stop there for a cup of green tea. The men sit outside on a piece of carpet and talk.” She shook her head at the comparison to a Starbucks store back home. What a different world she was in. She wondered if she’d ever see home again.

  As they drove on and began to climb, Kendall could see the clear demarcation of the sedimentary rock in the hillsides. At one point, they drove by a place with poles stuck into the land. Atop each pole was a flag. “Rashid, is that a cemetery?”

  “Yes.”

  “Way out here in the hills?”

  “Yes. Those graves belong to ancestors of the nomads that roam the mountainside.”

  “How do they make a living?”

  “They have herds of sheep and goats.”

  “Oh, like the boys we almost ran into when we left Kabul?”

  “Exactly.”

  Two hours later they arrived at the first of the six lakes that comprise the Band-e-Amir Lakes. The full light of the moon reflected off the clear smooth water. The sight was breathtaking.

  “Rashid, tell me about the lakes.”

  “Hmm. They are in the Hindu Kush Mountains west of Bamiyan. The water is so clear you can see the fish from one hundred feet up the cliff. And the water’s very cold.” He pointed at the obvious rock face. “There’s a natural dam formed by mineral deposits. In fact, it’s one of the few rare lakes in the world formed by limestone and mineral springs. Did you know that it’s considered one of the wonders of the world?”

  “No, I didn’t know that.” She saw a row of tents. “It looks like a bazaar of sorts.”

  “It’s a sm
all bazaar by the largest lake. Most of the population is the same as in Bamiyan. They are Hazaras. The only industry is the flour mills below the dam and the old tourist buildings and monuments. The millstones are turned by using the power of the water.”

  Kendall nodded. “Where are we going now?”

  “To the lake at the far end. We’re going to camp.”

  “In the car?”

  Rashid laughed. “No. It’s not exactly a kaidi, but it’ll do for us.”

  “I’m almost afraid to ask. What’s a kaidi?”

  “A kaidi tent is a large tent that the Kuchi nomads use. Mine is just a light brown—sort of khaki colored canvas tent used for sleeping. We’ll barely be able to sit inside it.”

  “Yikes! So, we’re out in the open most of the time then?”

  “Yep. We should be good unless it rains.”

  “Wonderful! It keeps getting better,” Kendall said dryly.

  “Is that sarcasm I detect?”

  “Sorry. I’ll be a better companion once I’ve had a little food and sleep.”

  They passed a lot of caravans and broken-down cars, a few camels, and horses. Each campsite had a fire around which a family sat. Rashid finally found an isolated spot a little out of the way and pulled over. He explained to Kendall that they had a lot of creature comforts in the jeep, but he didn’t want to call attention to them, so they were going to set up a bare campsite. He thought it was best that they re-group in the morning and make their plans. He was just too tired to think any more.

  Rashid skillfully set up the tent, after which Kendall laid out the bedrolls inside. When she was through, she turned to the next task, and was surprised that Rashid had a roaring fire going. He quickly heated water for tea, and they ate nuts, fruit, and dried mutton from the supplies Jangi and his wife had given them. Kendall felt much better after having some hot tea. She hated the inconvenience of not having a bathroom.

  “Rashid, do you have a flashlight?”

  He frowned, “Yes, but we’re not going to use it now.”

  “Why? I need to find a bush!”

  He laughed. “Oh, that. Well, let me come with you, and I’ll give you the smallest light I have. But we’ll need to walk a ways, because I don’t want anyone to see our light. We can’t afford to draw attention to us.”

  “Do you think we’re in danger here?”

  “Actually, no. This is a tourist place. We have to go back towards Bamiyan in order to find another route to other cities. General Omar’s people should not look for us here. It wouldn’t make sense. Unless someone recognizes us or we do something to stand out, we should be able to blend in.”

  “Okay.”

  “Would you like to bathe tomorrow?”

  Kendall was momentarily confused. “Did you say bathe?”

  “Yes. There is a women’s beach behind the tomb of the Amir. The tomb overlooks the largest lake. From what I understand, there is a structure half built into the water where women can bathe in private. If I take you there, you must wear the local dress.”

  She nodded excitedly, “I know, I know … I need to blend in.”

  They scrambled over the ground and after walking a few minutes, found some large boulders. He handed her the small flashlight, but wouldn’t let her turn it on until she was around the back side of the first large rock. She found that with the full moon, she didn’t need the flashlight after all.

  They made their way back to the campsite, put out the last embers of the fire, and climbed in the tent. From the other side of the lake, they could hear singing and laughter.

  They were both exhausted, with nerves frayed. But neither could sleep. Kendall could hear Rashid’s breathing and knew he was thinking of Poya.

  “Rashid, are you okay?”

  He sighed. “Yes, I’m thinking of Poya. He would have loved camping here.”

  Because of the elevation, the nights were very cold. During the winter, the temperature could get as low as minus twenty degrees. Halfway through the night, they awoke to find a bright blinding light shining in their tent. Rashid opened his eyes to see a large leathery face with several missing teeth looming over him. The man was speaking Pashto and seemed to be yelling at Rashid. He reached into the tent and practically yanked Rashid out. He quickly stumbled out of the tent. Kendall hid her head and thought they were caught for sure.

  The man grabbed Rashid’s arm and pulled it hard. Kendall was frozen with fear at all the commotion. She peeked out of the tent flap, and couldn’t tell if Rashid was leaving on his own or being dragged away by the man. She lay in the tent for hours, not daring to move, while voices could be heard shouting all around her. The tent was surrounded. She wasn’t actually sure she had been spotted when the man first poked his head into the tent. She was curled up next to Rashid, and the man might have thought Rashid was surrounded by blankets and other travel items.

  The noises finally abated, and Kendall held her breath, wondering what she should do. She lay there for hours, waiting for the morning light. Suddenly, she could hear the thud of heavy footsteps approaching the tent. The tent flap was drawn back, and a tall figure in silhouette stood before her.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  PAUL FIELDS DIDN’T WANT TO eat alone, so he had asked his small security staff to order for all of them. It was comforting to have noise and chatter around him as he enjoyed his sumptuous breakfast while looking down on the sparkling waters of the Mediterranean Sea below. He felt safe.

  After breakfast, he asked Mickey to take him to the hospital to see his partner, Glenn Carson. He was feeling generous and gave his staff a few hours off to explore while he was gone. When Fields arrived, Carson was dressed in pajamas and robe and was walking about the corridor. Mrs. Carson was at his side. She looked exhausted. Fields immediately ordered her security guy to take her back to the hotel for some hot food and a nice long nap. Surprisingly, she didn’t protest too much. She was just so relieved that he was going to be fine, and that Fields and her husband had been rescued.

  After she left, the doctor came in and announced that Carson could be released into a doctor’s care in twenty-four hours. He would be allowed to fly back to Seattle so long as he was seen by a doctor as soon as he arrived. The physician was particularly glad that Carson would be flying back in the company jet, a much more comfortable environment than a commercial jet. The latter would have been impossible.

  Fields had a sudden idea that if he could get the U.S. and Israeli government officials to agree to it, Afghanistan doctor Maysah Siddra could attend to Carson on the plane. But that would involve a lot of red tape in a short period of time. Dr. Siddra was not in trouble. It was a matter of finding out if she wanted to go to Seattle, and getting the Israelis to release her. Fields walked Mickey out to the nearby waiting room and asked him to make a series of phone calls to the Israeli officials they had met the previous day and to round up the U.S. embassy official, State Department and intelligence officers who were waiting to speak with him. He would get the ball rolling.

  The CFO got back into bed and looked very relieved. Fields paced about the hospital room for a few minutes at the foot of Carson’s bed.

  “Paul, what is it?”

  Fields didn’t beat about the bush. He closed the hospital room door. “Glenn, I’ve asked Daniel to use all his resources to find any news of Kendall.”

  Carson’s face wrinkled up as he tried to recall her status. “Oh. We don’t know where she is?”

  “No!”

  “Paul, tell me again why she wasn’t rescued with us?”

  Fields did his best to recount the facts.

  “Was it just an unfortunate series of events, or was it purposeful?”

  The CEO didn’t want to blame Glenn, and certainly didn’t want to make him feel personally responsible, but Kendall’s getting left behind was because the concern and focus was on getting the sick man into the chopper. He hedged, “Glenn, I don’t know. Why would it have been planned? Though the Israelis have suggested she wa
s involved in the plot against the Shazebs.”

  “Was she?”

  Fields scoffed at the notion. “I can’t imagine it. She’s a corporate type, and a local girl to boot. I say no way.” He continued pacing and then whirled around and wagged a finger at Carson. “My guess is that by blaming her, it somehow helps Israel … probably by deflecting events away from them. That’s my theory.”

  “The poor young lady. What she must be going through.”

  Fields shook his head. “I can’t even think about that. You have no idea what those barbarians did every night in the courtyard of the military base just beyond our rooms.” He shuddered recalling the proceedings that replayed each evening. “I don’t think I’ll ever get the sound of those screams from my head.”

  Carson looked as if he was going to relapse. Fields strode over to the side of the bed and patted his arm. “There, there. Don’t think about it. You just need to concentrate on resting today, so we can get the hell out of here and head home tomorrow.” Carson nodded and sank back into his bed.

  Fields was ready to leave, and Mickey informed him that representatives from the U.S. State Department, U.S. embassy, intelligence, and Israeli officials would be coming to the hotel right after lunch. A conference room had been reserved. Fields was quiet on his way back to the hotel as he strategized about the meeting. He would control this meeting, not the Israelis or the U.S. officials. He would need to tread lightly, though, because the U.S. State Department was already irritated that he had given them the slip from the Israeli military base and ignored their phone calls earlier in the day. But he hadn’t been ready to meet with them yet. Now he was.