Read Online Allure of Deceit by Susan Froetschel - Free Book Online Page A

Parsaa’s oldest son, quickly removed his hands and stood, staring at the girl and then at the tongues of fire curling and swelling around the flat object in the stove.
    Sofi approached, holding the lantern high.
    Najwa. The girl had arrived in Laashekoh with other children, gathered by traffickers to be sold in Pakistan. Parsaa and American soldiers, with the help of Paul Reichart, had returned the children to their homes in a province just north of Helmand. But the men had never found Najwa’s home. The other children did not know her and could not remember when she had joined the group. “She may have been among the first,” offered one of the older boys before leaving to reunite with his family.
    The soldiers, the aid worker, and Laashekoh women had questioned the girl.
    Sofi placed the lantern on the floor. She poured what was left of the day’s water into a bowl, gathered clean rags, and began gently dabbing at the burns on the girl’s hands. Sofi urged Saddiq to go outside and collect extra water stored in a large cylinder.
    Parsaa examined the fire, poking at the object with a stick.
    â€œIt’s a book,” Sofi murmured. “The one we were reading.”
    An old copy of The Historical Geography of Afghanistan . It was too late to rescue the book from the flames .
    Najwa did not move and stared off to the side of the room with a strange expression, as if in a satisfied trance. Saddiq placed a bucket of water next to his mother, and she sprinkled drops on the loose bandages. Parsaa crouched next to the girl. “What are you doing in here?” he demanded.
    She stared at Saddiq and then at Parsaa, before turning her head, trying to hide behind her headscarf. “I meant no harm,” she said softly. “I am awake now.”
    The story was strange and short. Najwa insisted she did not know how she found her way into the house, let alone the bedroom. Parsaa asked Sofi to search the girl. His wife complied and found a peshkabz tucked in the roll of one sleeve. The knife’s curved blade was honed to a vicious point and the handle was lapis lazuli. Sofi held it up wordlessly and then handed it over to her husband.
    Parsaa told Saddiq to check his brothers. The group waited in silence until he returned and advised his father the other boys were fine and sleeping soundly. His father then sent Saddiq off to wake the family who had been keeping Najwa. Before long, Saddiq returned with Talibah, who was shaken about being woken in the middle of the night. She glared at Najwa, and Parsaa showed her the weapon. She shook her head.
    â€œShe must have brought it with her,” Parsaa said.
    Bending over, Talibah struck Najwa about the head, shouting that the girl could not be trusted. Parsaa pulled the woman away. Still, Talibah refused to allow Najwa to return to the small room that the family had set aside for her, and Sofi nodded in agreement.
    So others could feel secure, Parsaa locked Najwa inside a storage shed, along with plenty of covers, food, water, and a pot so the girl could relieve herself. Sofi promised to change the girl’s bandages in the morning.
    When Parsaa returned, Saddiq waited by the dying fire, staring at the thin layers of gray ash. The father placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Try to get some sleep.” The boy looked troubled and turned away without a word.
    Parsaa returned to the bedroom, where Sofi was straightening Komal’s covers. His wife’s hand lingered on the child’s soft hair before she joined him under the wool covers.
    â€œDo you think Najwa intended harm?” Sofi whispered.
    Parsaa didn’t think so. He wrapped his arms around his wife and reminded her that many women and boys carried knives for work.
    â€œPerhaps Najwa grabbed the book to defend herself? Could she have been after Komal and changed her mind?”
    Parsaa murmured that the girl reached for the book and not the child. “She was