Page 34 of Kiss Her Goodbye

The detective nods, glancing around the parking lot.Looking for cameras, I’m willing to guess, but no such luck at this address.

“You said he spoke,” he asks the boy now.“What did he say?”

“He called my sister Zahra.He said he was a friend of hermother’s.That he would take her to her.But my sister is not Zahra.The man should know that.”

“Do you know who Zahra is?”Detective Marc asks.“Does she live here, too?”

“I will assist with that,” Aliah interrupts curtly.“You must finish.Pazir is an Uber driver.It’s important he get to work.”

The detective gives her a look but seems to decide not to press it.“Final question: Would you know the voice if you heard it again?”

The boy immediately nods.“Yes.”

“Because it’s distinct?”I interject, as this is what I want to know.Sabera and her family have just arrived from Afghanistan, the two murdered men are also from there, meaning… “Did he sound like he’s from your home or neighboring country?”

“Oh, no, he is not one of us.”Again, a look at his father, followed by a quick exchange of whispered words.

His father frowns, then focuses on Detective Marc.“The man spoke English the way our neighbor, Sabera, speaks English.”

“The missing woman?”Detective Marc glances at Aliah.She glares back.

“Yes, but not quite.Same but different.”

“And how does Sabera speak?”

“British,” Aliah supplies.“Her mother grew up in London.Sabera learned English from her, including the accent.”

“Except not,” I muse.“Same but different.Australian?”It’s all I can think of off the top of my head.

The boy shrugs; this is clearly beyond his pay grade.

“We will go now,” Pazir states.

Detective Marc nods, hands over a business card, then does a neat little pivot to regard me more fully.

“And who are you again?”

“I’m the woman already looking for Sabera.Feel free to catch up.”

“Excuse me?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whine to someone who cares.At the moment, you need to come meet Zahra.Because both of her parents have now vanished, and there’s no way this is over yet.”

CHAPTER 13

NAGEENAH APPEARS WARY WHEN WEall reappear on her doorstep.Aliah speaks to her rapidly in their shared tongue; then, with a slight nod, Nageenah allows us to enter.I notice the detective nods at her respectfully but doesn’t try to shake her hand.Daryl, however, reaches out reflexively, only to have Roberta quickly yank down his arm.He grimaces at his cultural faux pas, then tucks his hand behind his back as if to keep from repeating the mistake.

Nageenah leads us past the kitchen to the living area at the rear of the apartment.The baby is now sitting on the floor, chewing on a wooden block, while his older brother zooms a toy car across the sofa.I don’t immediately spy Zahra; then her head pops up from behind the sofa.She takes in the gaggle of grown-ups, then slips back down into her hiding place.I don’t blame her.At least the patrol officer has moved on, but six adults is about five too many for a space this small.I also have no idea how we’re going to talk about anything meaningful with three children present, including one who apparently remembers everything.

Aliah exchanges low words with Nageenah, then heads into the kitchen to put on a kettle of water.

The three-year-old is eyeing Detective Marc with a look of wonder, his gaze fixed on the gold shield dangling from the man’s neck.The baby is less subtle.He drops his block, waddles over to the detective, and grabs his pant leg.

Nageenah utters a word of reprimand, but the detective merely smiles, unloops the chain from around his neck, and hands over the desired item, only for the three-year-old to jump up, grab the new toy from his younger brother, and bolt out of the room.

Immediate wailing, flailing of tiny fists.Before Nageenah can respond, however, Daryl hefts up the toddler into his arms.In some act of dance partner telepathy, he and Roberta appear to arrive at a mutual conclusion.

“Hey, little man, wanna tango?”A quick two-step and the baby’s drooling mouth is converted into a silent O, as Daryl cha-cha-chas both of them out of the room.Not to be outdone, Roberta peeks behind the sofa.