Page 28 of Chasing the Past

She believed him. “Thank you.” Asal couldn’t dismiss the feeling that she knew Gavin from somewhere. Impossible surely and yet she had to ask. “Do we know each other?”

He seemed surprised by the question. “I don’t think so. I knew Sashi quite well. She and Eli were very close, and Eli is my friend but I’ve never been to Egypt before—that is where you were living, correct?”

She told him yes. Was it possible her sister had sent her a photo that had Gavin in it?

Eli and Will returned with the members of the Hope Island Securities team. Right away, she could tell there was something new.

She rose on unsteady legs. “What is it?”

Eli glanced at Declan.

“I found out something interesting.” Declan paused before telling her there was no record of her before her name showed up on the passport entering into Egypt in 2021 after the fall of Kabul.

Asal tried to make sense of it. “How is that possible?”

Declan shook his head. “I don’t know yet. I’m going to do some more digging into it. Hopefully, I can get you answers.”

JT handed Eli a box. “Here are the things you asked me to bring.”

“Thank you.” Eli opened the box and brought out a watch. “This belonged to Sashi’s husband. There are a few other things I managed to grab from Sashi’s apartment after the Taliban was overthrown. Her apartment had taken some damage. I found the items hidden beneath a pile of rubble that had been a wall.

Asal stepped near him. “You think there’s something important about them?”

He held her gaze. “I don’t know. It’s a watch and a picture of Sashi and Tahir along with a photo of her parents.” Eli handed the photo of the parents to Asal.

She searched the couple who appeared to be in their forties at the time the photo was taken. Something about them niggled at the back of her mind but she couldn’t bring it out.

“Their names were Hannah and Zayan.”

“I recognize them,” Asal whispered before looking at Eli who was watching her closely. “Did Sashi ever mention me?”

Eli slowly shook his head. “No, I’m sorry she didn’t. I wonder if she was trying to protect you in some way.”

“When did our parents die?” Tears clogged her throat as she looked at the two people who were like ghosts flitting around in her head.

“She never said. Actually, she never really talked about them. When I asked, she said they were wonderful people who encouraged her to become a doctor.”

Strange that there were no photos of Asal. She placed the photo of her parents back into the box.

“You should keep it,” Eli told her. “In fact, all of these things. Sashi would want you to have them.”

But would she? Her sister never mentioned Asal at all. Had they had a falling out?

“Have you checked all these items to make sure there’s nothing hidden among them?” Janine asked.

Eli shook his head. “No, I never thought they were anything but mementos from her past before.”

“May I?” Janine pointed to the photo in the frame of Asal’s parents.

Asal gave her consent and Janine brought out the photo and removed it from the frame while everyone gathered around.

Once she’d taken it from the frame, she turned the photo over. “There’s nothing here.”

While Janine replaced the photo, Eli brought out the one of Sashi and her husband and slipped it from its frame. “Nothing.”

“What about the watch?” Declan asked.

Eli brought it out and examined the back. “There’s an inscription. For God nothing is impossible.”

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