Word of Honor by Hallee Bridgeman

Author:Hallee Bridgeman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romantic Suspense;FIC042060;FIC042040;FIC027220
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2022-07-27T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

FIFTEEN

Lynda stood in front of the monitor and watched the young man on the screen. He was thin and gangly with dark tan skin, close-cut curly hair, and brown eyes. He wore a T-shirt with the logo of the Yemen national soccer team. His student records listed him as Kadeem Nasser. She and Agent Smith would interview him together, but she’d requested just a few moments to observe him.

“He’s very scared,” she said.

“Terrified,” Agent Lewis said. “But of them or us?”

“That is the question.” Lynda looked at Emma. “Ready?”

They had not yet discovered whether the students spoke English. Emma would serve as their translator.

Lynda stood in the corner of the room while Agent Smith and Emma sat at the table. “Good morning, Mr. Nasser,” Agent Smith said. Emma quickly provided the greeting in Arabic. When Kadeem’s eyes went to Emma, Agent Smith said, “You will look at me when I speak. Not at her. She is not here.”

He kept his gaze on Emma until she relayed the message, then his eyes flew to Agent Smith.

His desire to comply twisted Lynda’s heart. She began to suspect he did not speak English. “Where are you from, Kadeem?” she asked through Emma.

He looked back and forth from her to Emma. “Maʼrib,” he said, a bead of sweat sliding down his forehead.

“Look at me, Kadeem.” When he looked at her again, she asked, “What does your family do in Maʼrib?”

“My mother is a cook,” he said. “My uncle owns a restaurant.”

“What kind of restaurant?”

“Falafel. Soldiers like to eat there.”

She knew the answer to her next question, but she needed to ask it to put him in the right frame of mind. “What about your father? What does he do?”

His face fell, and tears filled his eyes. “He died.”

“He died? How?”

“An accident. At an oil refinery.”

She paused, and Smith stepped in. “When did he die?”

“Three years ago.”

“I bet that was hard,” Lynda said. “You were a teenager. What happened to your family when your father died?”

A muscle in Kadeem’s jaw ticked. “My mother and sisters moved in with my uncle.”

“And you and your brother?” Smith asked.

With impatient movements, he swiped at his eyes. “There was no room.”

Smith opened the file folder in front of him. Kadeem’s photo could clearly be seen. “Tell me about coming here to go to school.”

His shoulders straightened. “We applied.”

While Smith turned the pages in the folder, Emma took a quick sip of water. Lynda observed Kadeem’s interest in her water bottle.

“What did you apply for?” Smith asked.

“There was a scholarship for boys. We thought we could go to school here, in Turkey, and then get good jobs and our mom and sisters wouldn’t have to work for my uncle anymore.”

“How did you hear about the scholarship?” Lynda asked.

“We were in an orphanage. A man came.”

“So, a man spoke to you about the scholarship.”

Kadeem nodded.

“How many of you applied?”

“All of us.”

Smith sat back and tapped his finger on the arm of his chair. “How many got scholarships?”

Kadeem shrugged. “Just Samir and myself.

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