The boy continued reading, unresponsive to the presence of a stranger. Puzzled, Daoud stepped forward and cast a shadow over the book. The boy looked up and smiled. A smile of such innocence and warmth that the detective found himself smiling back.
"Good afternoon." Daoud's fingers drummed against the envelope that held the photo of the murdered girl.
More smiles, no answer. Thinking the boy hadn't heard, he repeated himself.
A blank stare. Another smile. Loose-lipped and gap-toothed.
Daoud looked at the book in the boy's spreading lap. The Arabic alphabet. A child's primer. Filthy, fluttering fingers held it awkwardly. A smell arose from the boy's homemade clothing. The stink of someone who didn't know how to wipe his ass properly.
An idiot. Figured.
"See you later," Daoud said, and the boy continued to stare, intensely, as if committing the detective's face to memory. But when Daoud stepped away the boy suddenly grew alarmed. Dropping the primer, he pulled himself clumsily to his feet and held on to the pipe arbor for support. Daoud saw that he was a tall one, with heavy, sloping shoulders, and wondered if he was dangerous. He tensed in anticipation of trouble, but the boy showed no signs of aggression, only frustration. Eyes rounding, he moved his lips furiously, churning soundlessly, until finally a croak emerged, followed by garbled noise that Daoud had to strain to understand:
"Hellosir. Nie-niceday!"
"An idiot who could speak. A meager blessing, but maybe the poor guy had enough sense to be of some help.
"Good book?" he asked, looking at the fallen primer, shielding his nose with his hand to block out the stink. Trying to make conversation, establish rapport.
The boy was silent, staring at him, uncomprehending.
"Learning the alphabet, my friend?"
More blank stares.
"Want to look at something?" Daoud tapped the envelope. "A picture?"
The boy craned his neck, gawked at him. Rolled his eyes. Idiotically.
Enough of this, thought Daoud. He turned to leave.
The boy rocked on his feet and started gurgling and gesturing wildly. He pointed to his eyes, then to Daoud's lips, reached out suddenly to touch those lips with a grubby finger.
Daoud stepped nimbly away from the contact and the boy pitched forward, adding shouts to his gestures, slapping his own ears so hard it had to hurt.
Definitely trying to communicate, thought Daoud. He strained to understand.
"Seedwords! Seedwords! No ear, no ear!"
As the boy kept up his singsong, Daoud played it back in his head. Seedwords? Words? See dwords. See the words. No hear-
"You're deaf."
The boy's smile lit up his face. Gapping his hands, he jumped up and down.
Who was the real idiot? Daoud castigated himself. The poor kid could read lips but he-the brilliant detective-in his attempt to keep his nostrils unsullied had been hiding his nose and mouth when he talked.
"Seedwords, seedwords!"
"Okay." Daoud smiled. He came closer, made sure the boy had a clear view of his lips. Overenunciated: "What's your name, my friend?"
Straining neck cords, a moment's delay, then: "Ahmed." Muddily.
"Your family name, Ahmed."
"Nsif."
"Nasif?"
Smiles and nods.
"Hello, Mr. Ahmed Nasif."
"H'lo."
The effort of speaking made the boy's body go tense. Words were accompanied by the flapping of hands, the strange finger flutters.
This is more than just deaf, thought Daoud. Some sort of spastic condition. And mentally defective, just as he'd first thought. Speak to him as if to a child.
"I am Sergeant Daoud. I am a policeman."
More smiles. The crude pantomime of shooting a gun. "Boom boom." The boy laughed, and drool trickled down a corner of his mouth.
"That's right, Ahmed. Boom, boom. Would you like to look at a picture?"
"Boom, boom!"
Daoud pulled the photo out of the envelope, held it close enough for the sheep-eyes to see, not so close that the flapping hands could grab out and maul it.
"I'm looking for this girl, Ahmed. Do you know her?"
An emphatic nod. Eager to please.
"You do?"
"Did, dirl!"
"Yes, a girl. Does she live here in Silwan, Ahmed?"
The boy said "dirl" again, the word preceded by something Daoud couldn't make out.
"Say that again, Ahmed.".
The boy pawed at the photo. Daoud pulled it back.
More pawing, as if he were trying to hit the picture.
"What's her name, Ahmed?"
"Badirl!"
"She's a bad girl?"
"Badirl!"
"Why is she a bad girl, Ahmed?"
"Badirl!"
"What had she done wrong?"
"Badirl!"
"Do you know her name, Ahmed?"
"Badirl!"
"All right, Ahmed. She's a bad girl. Now tell me her name, please."
"Badirl!"
"Where does she live, Ahmed?"
"Badirl!"
Sighing, Daoud put the picture away and started leaving. Ahmed gave a loud shriek and came after him, putting a padded hand on his shoulder.
Daoud reacted swiftly, turning and pushing the boy away. Ahmed stumbled and landed in the dirt. He looked up at Daoud, pouted and burst into loud sobs. Daoud felt like a child abuser.
"Come on, Ahmed. Settle down."
The door to the house opened and a small woman stepped out, bosom drooping, round dark face emerging like a hickory nut from within the folds of her melaya.
"What is it?" she said in a high, sharp voice.
"Mama, Mama, Mama!" wailed the boy.
She looked at the fruit of her loins, then over at Daoud with a combination of sadness and muted anger. A look that said she'd been through this many times before.
The boy reached his hands out, cried "Mama." Daoud felt like apologizing but knew it was the wrong approach for someone like her. To the traditional ones, raised on beating by fathers and husbands, kindness was interpreted as weakness.
"I'm Police Sergeant Daoud of the Kishle Substation," hesaid, stiffly. "I'm searching for someone who knows this girl." A wave of the photo. "Your son said he did and I was attempting to learn what he knew."
The woman snorted, came forward and glanced at the photo. Looking up without expression, she said, "He doesn't know her."
"Badirl!" said Ahmed, clucking his tongue.
"He said he did," said Daoud. "Seemed quite sure of it."