Finding Nouf by Zoë Ferraris Read Free Book Online

and he felt somehow that he owed it to Othman.
    On the other hand, solving a problem like this would mean learning everything he could about Nouf, and that would be nearly impossible. Only her sisters would know very much, but he wouldn't be allowed to speak with them, nor ask personal questions. He had never met the oldest one, but he had seen a few of the others when they were still young enough not to wear veils. On one occasion years ago, when he'd come to the house to prepare the men for a desert trip, the girls had met him with quiet awkwardness. They'd been a well-behaved bunch, and in the absence of notable personality traits, he'd found it difficult to tell them apart. Perhaps he'd even met Nouf back then. But the only one he remembered was the infant he'd held. For a brief, anguished moment, that little creature had struck him with a sense of his own terrific power. She'd screamed, and he'd quickly handed her back.
    There must be a lot of official cases like this, he thought. Cases where a man has to understand a woman's life—to know the details of her last few days, weeks, months; to know where she spent her time, and why, and with whom; to know her desires, her secrets. But the job's disappointment was probably sharp: women, so used to secrecy, undoubtedly took their mysteries to their graves.
    Othman caught his eye. "Shall we walk?" he asked.
    This was their typical maneuver—taking polite leave to talk alone. Gratefully, Nayir nodded, and they rose and stepped onto the terrace.
    A balustrade snaked around the house. Dusk was beginning to fall, wrapping the sky in a hazy pink. Nayir followed Othman along the winding terrace. Eventually it turned into a dirt stairway with two black walls on either side. Down they went, interminably lower, until they heard the faint grunting of animals settling into sleep.

5
    A T THE BOTTOM of the stairs they entered a courtyard, and Nayir realized he had been here before, many times in fact, but had always come at it from a different route. Now he recognized the low bower of figs that hung near the stone stables. To his left was the estate's most informal entrance, the rear gate that Nouf must have used. It was a giant wooden door through which two trucks could pass without touching. The door served as a docking bay for the family's foodstuffs and receivables. It was also where Nayir and his men came to load the camels and various accouterments that the Shrawis took with them to the desert.
    But Othman led Nayir off to the right, through an iron gate and into a garden encircled by hedges. A gravel pathway twisted through the shrubs and the trees, and they walked along it, slowing their pace. "I still can't believe this is happening," Othman said.
    "I'm sorry—"
    "I know you did everything you could," he interrupted, and then added, "And thank you for bringing Nouf to the house."
    "No problem," Nayir said, noticing the tension in Othman's face. They came upon a stone bench and an empty fountain, but they went on walking. "The examiner didn't release any paperwork," Nayir said. "I take it that he called you."
    "Yes."
    Nayir thought back to the examiner's office, uncertain whether to tell Othman that he'd seen the body and learned about the manner of her death. He decided to wait for Othman to speak; he seemed to have something to say.
    They walked in a circuit through the garden, exchanging a few words when the silence grew awkward.
    "I spoke with the examiner just before the service," Othman said abruptly. "I was surprised that she drowned."
    Nayir nodded. "The way he saw it, she must have been stuck in a wadi. The floods happen very fast. It can be hard to get out in time."
    "You've heard of this happening before?"
    "Yes, but it's rare."
    "Seems to me she should have been able to see it coming."
    "It's possible she might have been unconscious," Nayir said, "maybe because of the heat. By the way, did you ever find the camel?"
    "Yes. She's here," Othman said. "Although