Read Pigment for Free Online Page A

of concrete that protrudes from the earth, there is a large cement porch, a doorway -- without a door -- and a window frame facing some the pavement, that may have served as been a driveway at one time, but it is buckled and over-grown with weeds. Clean and simple, though old, with worn walls of peeling paint. There is a lone rusty chair on the porch upon which one of the locals sits and watches the street.
    Inside, Jalil approaches one of the two desks, and speaks with the armed officer closest to the door. His French is solid, as is Jalil’s, and so the conversation flows unhindered by any language barrier.
    “Mon nom est Scott Jalil. My name is Jalil Scott.”
    Akida, the Regional Police Commander, stands at the doorway, and answers before his man has a chance. “Jes suis commandant Akida. I’m Commander Akida.”
    Jalil approaches him. “ Je suis venu des États-Unis pour trouver ma fille, Aliya Scott . I’ve come from the United States to find my daughter, Aliya Scott.”
    “ M. Scott. Je ne vous attendais pas. Mr. Scott. I wasn’t expecting you.” He extends his hand. They shake. A strong confident hand, with a welcome sense of genuineness to Jalil from which he assesses they have things in common. Both have military experience, both have seen things they can’t unsee, both have lead men to face these unseeable things. Akida leads him to the bigger desk in the corner and offers him a seat, then sits across from him behind his desk. “ Oui, nous sommes à la recherche de votre fille et le jeune homme irlandais . Yes, we are looking for your daughter and the young Irish man.” His hand leaves Jalil’s to swat a fly squatting on his desk, flapping down hard on the wood. He missed.
    “ Elle était pas seul . She wasn’t alone.” A revelation...Of course. He’s been so consumed with Aliya’s disappearance. She was all he could think of. How could he not even think to consider if Kennen or anyone else had gone missing? He’s too far removed from the news media inundating Tamika back in LA, and his instincts aren’t as sharp as before Teheran.
    “ Il est un long chemin à venir pour les jeunes amants qui se sont enfuis à jouer dans la nature . It’s a long way to come for young lovers who ran off to play in the wild.”
    “ Il est plus que cela. Tu le sais . It’s more than that. You know it.”
    “ Je ramasse faits. I am gathering fact s.” He swats at the insect, which has now brought a friend to fly by his head.
    “ Alors, vous savez, ils ne sont pas les amateurs. Then you know they weren’t lovers.”
    “ Et comment voulez-vous savoir? And how would you know this?”
    “ Aliya m'a dit. Aliya told me.”
    “Quand? When?”
    “ Il y a quelques semaines. A few weeks ago.”
    “ Filles ne partagent pas toujours tout avec leurs pères. Daughters don’t always share everything with their fathers.”
    The conversation he and Aliya exchanged at the airport flashes in Jalil’s mind.
    Akida continues, “ Peut-être changé leur relation. Perhaps their relationship changed.”
    “‘ Peut-être’ est pas un fait. Perhaps’ is not a fact.”
    “ Tu as raison. Mais ils voyageaient ensemble. Ce que nous savons avec certitude, M. Scott. You are right. But they were traveling together. This we know for certain, Mr. Scott.”
    Akida’s deputy peeks in. “Tayari, Mheshimiwa.”
    Akida excuses himself. “J e dois y aller. Il ya eu une tentative de vol dans les mines. I must go. There’s been an attempted robbery at the mines.”
    “ Chaque minute compte pour Aliya... Every moment counts for Aliya...” Jalil stands between Akida and the doorway, blocking his exit.
    “ Alors vous ne devriez pas me garder de mon travail. Qui sait, les deux incidents pourraient être liés ... Ou ils pourraient sortir de leur amour cabane demain. Je souhaite que tout ce qu'il est est. Then you shouldn’t keep me from my work. Who knows, the two incidents could be related...Or they could come out from their love hut