They asked him to accompany them for questioning.
He did not resist.
Layan saw the exchange and immediately became distressed.
“Where are you taking him?”
“Only to ask some questions,” an officer replied.
“He didn’t hurt me.”
“We need to understand what happened.”
“He saved my life.”
The officer nodded.
“We’ll listen to everything you have to say.”
But as Imran was led away, Layan reached for his sleeve one final time.
He looked back.
“You’ll be all right,” he said.
She shook her head.
“You don’t know that.”
Imran’s face softened.
“No,” he admitted. “But I believe it.”
Then they were separated.
For the first time in three years, Layan was leaving the mountain without him.
A Father’s Impossible Phone Call
Mahmoud was at home when the telephone rang.
It was late afternoon.
He had spent part of the day sorting through old documents related to the missing-person investigation.
