In thirty years of marriage he couldn’t remember seeing Zahra so angry.
‘Perhaps your friend won’t publish the story,’ Sofia offered quietly.
‘Jabril,’ Zahra, said, ignoring Sofia as she leaned over to take her husband’s hand, ‘what have you done? Can you not see the danger you’ve put yourself in? Weren’t the letters enough for you?’
Sofia looked from Zahra to Jabril. ‘What letters?’
Zahra turned to Sofia. ‘About a month ago we got a night letter posted on our door. Since then we’ve got another two.’
Jabril’s heart sank. Zahra had promised she would not tell Sofia.
‘My god, Zahra,’ Sofia said, her eyes wide with fear. ‘What about?’
‘That’s precisely the point,’ Jabril said, cutting Zahra off before she could answer. ‘They’re vague, my dear, but along the lines of “if you don’t stop, someone will get hurt”.’
‘Who’s going to get hurt, and stop what?’
‘Yes! Exactly! I’ve considered posting a letter back asking if they could offer a little more clarification.’
‘This is not funny, Jabril,’ his wife said.
‘No, Zahra, you’re right. It’s not. In any event, we’ve had these types of letters before and they’ve come to nothing. I’m sure it’ll be the same this time.’
‘So you upped my security because of the letters,’ said Sofia.
‘Notes. They’re more like notes, but yes, and only when we got the last note and only as a precaution.’
‘Why haven’t you got security?’ Sofia asked. ‘Considering you’re the one getting the notes, it seems to me you’re the one who needs security, Jabril.’
‘We’re Afghans, my dear.’
Sofia shook her head. ‘I don’t know what that means. How does that keep you safe? Are all those people being killed in bombings not Afghans?’
Jabril had no answer. ‘At least now we think we know who sent them.’
‘Oh no,’ Sofia said, her hand flying to her mouth. ‘And I’ve made everything worse by speaking out at Zahra’s women’s meeting the other day, haven’t I? His wife was there. She told him. No wonder Massoud said what he did to me.’
‘And now,’ said Zahra, turning back to her husband, ‘you’ve commissioned an article outing Massoud as a paedophile.’
‘Not Massoud. A former warlord turned –’
‘Oh please!’ snapped Zahra. ‘Don’t you think everyone will know who you mean? I believe you want martyrdom, Jabril. Why have you bought enemies with all your saved currency?’ she cried. ‘You’ve done so much good and yet you throw your hard-earned coin away on this?’
It pained him to see her fear and to know that he was the cause of it, but it had to be done. There was no going back now. ‘What would you have me throw it away on?’ he asked, turning around in his chair to face his distressed wife. ‘Is not paedophilia worth throwing away my saved coin on? If Dr Abiteboul – a stranger to our country – was willing to testify, shouldn’t I also be willing to do as much? Am I any less a man?’
‘No, Jabril, you are the most wonderful, kindest, most principled man in the whole world, but there are so many other issues in this country you could fight for. Why pick this one? You didn’t think.’
‘A man can only think for so long before he must act. Everything I’ve done to stop this abomination has been for naught. No one in power listens. No one cares or wants to be involved in my campaign but then Dr Abiteboul gave us his information. Even Sofia knew we had to do something with it.’
Zahra turned to her friend in disbelief.
‘I’m sorry, Zahra. I didn’t mean for this to happen.’
‘I knew it was the weapon I needed,’ Jabril said, pulling Zahra’s attention back to him. ‘Can you not see, Zahra, that I had to do something bold with this? I can’t sit by with this information about Minister Massoud and not do something with it. He’s a paedophile. He keeps young boys. What more do we need to know?’ He could see the tears gathering in Zahra’s eyes.
‘And why is it your responsibility to do something?’ she asked.
‘It’s not just my responsibility,’ he said, leaning forward. ‘It’s everyone’s responsibility.’
‘I don’t see everyone out there throwing their lives away naming powerful politicians.’
‘Because they don’t have the information we have. Shh, my love.’ Jabril took his wife’s hand. ‘Everything will be alright. I promise.’
‘No, Jabril,’ she said, pulling away. ‘Everything will not be alright. You must stop this nonsense right now.’
‘It’s too late. I can’t.’
* * *
SOFIA LEFT JABRIL and Zahra arguing, and even though she had a full schedule that afternoon she found it hard to concentrate. Jabril’s threatening night letters, or notes, or whatever they were, had to be from Massoud, warning Jabril to stop, and now she had made it worse by speaking out, and he had made it a thousand times worse by commissioning the article. Sofia had no doubts it was also Massoud who had cancelled her visa, and for the first time she had to consider the very real possibility that she might have to leave Afghanistan for good. Sofia sank her head onto her hands on the desk. How had everything spun so out of control in just one week? Hearing the ping of a message on her phone, she looked up to see who it was just as the phone began to ring.
‘I’ve just texted you an address,’ Daniel said. ‘It’s where two boys were taken this afternoon. I’ve also been told that the men who have them are pretty spooked after the first raid, so whoever goes into the house will have to be very careful.’
‘Oh god, thank you!’ she said, sitting up. ‘I’ll ring Chief Wasim right now.’ After hanging up she rang the chief but it immediately went to his voice mail. She could feel the panic. They’d lost the boys before. They couldn’t lose them twice. Every minute was crucial. She rang the chief again and again it went
