Chapter 1
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
It was half past two in the afternoon. Exhausted, I was driving home along Morocco Highway, annoyed by the snarled traffic. My mobile rang. I didn’t recognize the number.
“Hello?” I said.
“Taleb Alrefai?” a woman’s soft voice asked.
“Yes,” I replied.
“Good afternoon.”
“And the same to you.”
“This is Khalid Khalifa’s office calling.”
I was busy writing when my phone rang.
“Good evening,” a rough voice announced. “I am Mubarak Al-Abdullatif.”
“Good evening.”
“Perhaps you know the reason why I’m calling? My sister Awatef has told me about the book you’re writing. We had hoped to find an amicable solution.”
Just like his sister, I thought.
“I know you met in her office and I know she offered you excellent compensation.”
I chose to stay silent.
