and had wanted to experience more of life before settling down. His carefully penned letters had trailed her all the way to New York, conveying his passions and desires. Even now, with the memory of their love as alive as the man in her arms, she didn’t regret her decision to leave him, but she did rue the pain that Rafan had suffered, and she felt so much more deeply for the agony of his most recent and far greater loss.
“Thank you,” he said softly, still holding her and trembling noticeably. “She never forgot you.”
He stepped back and took her hands. He spoke softly. “I lost more than Basheera. I lost the woman I loved. Her name was Senada, and she was murdered two days ago.”
Without letting go of Jenna’s hands, he led her to a couch in the waiting area, moving them away from a long line of Saudis streaming into the terminal from one of the royal family’s wide-bodied jets.
“Murdered?” Jenna said with the same disbelief that she’d felt after Dafoe had told her about GreenSpirit’s death.
“The police found her shot to death next to her husband. They think Senada was killed by the men who took over the tanker.”
Jenna found herself reeling from the news that Rafan had been involved with a married woman. This was the Maldives, not Manhattan. An involvement with a married woman could have gotten him killed. “How could what happened to that tanker have anything to do with your friend?”
“Her husband was a fisherman. The police are saying that he helped the jihadists by taking them to Malé on his boat. Then something went wrong,” he spoke those last words slowly, “or they killed him to keep him quiet. Her, too.”
“Do you think she was involved somehow?”
“No, she never would have helped jihadists. She believed in her faith but she thought the Islamists were insane. She hated what they were doing to Islam in the eyes of the world. And she never would have done it for him. It was an arranged marriage. They didn’t love each other. They barely spoke to each other.” Rafan let go of Jenna’s hands. “I might have caused her death. I don’t know.” He shook his head. “I may never know.”
“How could you have been involved in any way?”
“I called her. I’d given her a phone so when he was at sea she could call me and not have to worry about him checking phone bills. Or I could call her. She turned it off whenever he was home, so if it went straight to voice mail I’d know that he was around.” Rafan took a choking breath. “Two days ago I called and a man answered. He started yelling ‘Who is this?’ I think it was her husband. I hung up immediately. A few hours later, I tried again, but there was no answer and Senada never got back in touch. I called the police anonymously.”
Rafan’s pooling eyes overflowed.
“Had you known her long?”
“Forever, but we didn’t really become…” He hesitated.
Jenna said, “Romantic?”
Rafan nodded and continued, “Not till a few years ago. She was Basheera’s closest friend from the time they started school.” He turned away, voice failing. Jenna handed him a tissue.
“I don’t know if I can help you much.” Rafan’s shoulders rose and fell in the weakest of shrugs. “I’m not strong. I wasn’t sure I could come out here to see you.”
“Rafan, don’t worry about us.” She reclaimed his hands. They felt cold, chilled by the brute reality of violent death.
“I can’t even bury her,” he said. “A woman I love, and I can’t go near the funeral. ‘Why is he here?’ her brothers will say. They always had their suspicions. Her oldest brother even threatened to kill her.” He sighed. “And now the police are questioning me.”
“What?”
“They found Senada’s phone and saw the last call that she got. Now her brothers will want my blood. They won’t blame the jihadists—they’ll blame me for loving her.” He groaned. “I had to sneak Senada into the cemetery to say good-bye to my sister. Can you imagine that?” He looked so piercingly at Jenna that it felt like the walls that had separated them for so many years had burned to cinders in a flash of sorrow. “And now I’ll have to sneak into the cemetery to say good-bye to her. I just want to die.”
She pulled him close, and when he tried to retreat, she held him tighter.
“No,” she said to him. “You can’t