Allure of Deceit (38 page)

“I don't think Ali knew about this child,” Saddiq said. “But she is ours now.”

The Skype call ended with a click. But the apprehension about witnessing a double-murder and learning why Michael had been killed did not vanish. The group was silent, and Cara recovered first, raising questions about what they should do next. She outlined their options for the recording of the Skype call. She urged copying the files and passing them along to authorities in Afghanistan or India. “Perhaps the US State Department can help arrange the transfer.”

Lydia stood and looked out over the front yard and the tree-lined street where Michael and Paul had once played as young boys. Then she gently shook her head.

Cara did not understand and gently pressed the woman, pointing out that Lydia had to hurry with a decision. “The call has a time stamp,” she warned. “Any delay will be questioned.”

Investigations could be abused. Authorities would pursue the matter only because of Michael's wealth. They would compete to interrogate the Afghans and issue quick pronouncements. Lydia thought of Parsaa and the others in Afghanistan and wasn't convinced that tracing the story to Laashekoh would result in justice. Her son's murderer was dead. The motivations were complex.

The crime was a crisis for the foundation. A key manager had murdered a wealthy man and his wife overseas, and the deaths prompted the creation of the world's largest foundation. Had the killer coerced others? Cara recommended the foundation conduct a thorough audit of Paul's work and connections, checking for fraud or irregularities.

But Cara didn't know Paul and how the foundation mattered to him more than anything else. Lydia turned to Kashif. “Did you sense that the man named Parsaa had any clue about what Paul had done?”

Kashif shook his head. “Paul's admissions were in English. Parsaa thought of Paul as an honorable man and did not realize that Paul had kept secrets from him.”

“And what will happen to the man who killed Zahira?” she asked.

The student shrugged. “Without pressure from the funders in the West, nothing,” the student said. “And even then . . . The husband talked about his wife having affairs. One of the victims confessed to arranging murder himself. This blind man Arhaan would face no charges.” Kashif also trusted that Parsaa would search for the downed helicopter and speak with local authorities.

“The villagers are satisfied.” The student shrugged and then excused himself to return to classes on the peaceful campus in East Lansing.

The woman watched him walk down the street amid gold leaves drifting under the blue autumn sky. “So much could go wrong,” Lydia said, turning to Cara. “If the video leaves our hands, it will be leaked.”

Both women agreed that the only reason an investigation would ensue was because of Michael's wealth. The story would become a media circus, with unwanted attention casting doubt over GlobalConnect and forever changing lives in Laashekoh. “So we agree to trust the Afghan contacts to handle this matter on their end,” Cara said. “And we cooperate if they need us as witnesses?”

Lydia didn't want to lie. Still, there were plenty of reasons to hold back. A key foundation employee had committed a crime, but was dead. Authorities in Afghanistan had other crimes to pursue. An investigation and international publicity would destroy the village of Laashekoh. No one in the clinic had known that Lydia and Cara were recording the Skype call. Once the recording was handed over to investigators, anyone in those offices could leak the tape and track down Parsaa, Saddiq, and Arhaan.

Cara continued when Lydia did not respond. “Paul's crimes won't just damage the reputation of this charity. The publicity could damage philanthropy for years to come . . .”

“And so could a cover-up,” Lydia added.

The two women stared at each other, and Lydia reached for Cara's shoulder. She would not risk ruining the foundation and Michael's legacy. “The evil is done, and no more justice can be done from here.”

Evil must hide, Lydia thought to herself. But all that hides is not evil.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Gratitude to my agent, Alison Picard, and my editor, Dan Mayer, for steadfast encouragement and constant work; the book would not be the same without the contributions of the staff of Seventh Street Books, including Jade Zora Scibilia, Cheryl Quimba, Bruce Carle, Sheila Stewart, and Jill Maxick. This writer thrives on the camaraderie of fellow authors including the fun team at Seventh Street Books and members of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters and Crime, International Thriller Writers, National Federation of Press Women, and Military Writers Society of America, as well as enthusiastic readers including Linda White, Barb Reynolds, Irene Vanh, Joe Malley, Dana Froetschel, Betty Froetschel, and Jennifer LeRoy.

Work at
YaleGlobal Online
and conversations with Nayan Chanda and Rahima Chaudhury have long sharpened my writing on globalization. The countless ideas, experiences, and love sprinkled throughout my books always start with Doug and Nick. And thank you to Afghanistan and Afghan people living everywhere. I have been entranced by the setting, its beauty and history, since 1980. The errors are mine alone, so forgive the wanderings of an imagination anchored in Michigan.

The technology for Photizonet was inspired by physicist Harald Haas and his TED Talk. Details on healthcare in the developing world are from the World Health Organization. The quotations from the Koran are from the University of Michigan's online version; the Dari words are from the Dari dictionary available at http://estragon.100megsfree5.com/dic.htm. Sissella Bok's
Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life
helped with exploring the rationales for lying;
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
was useful for thinking about the connections behind charity, forgiveness, and wrongdoing.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan Froetschel writes for
YaleGlobal Online
, based at Yale University's MacMillan Center. Her previous book,
Fear of Beauty
, was nominated for the 2014 Mary Higgins Clark Award through Mystery Writers of America, and it was also recognized by the National Federation of Press Women as a best book for adult readers and by Military Writers Society of America with the mystery/suspense gold star award in 2014. She lives in Michigan.

Author photo by Steve Dean