"Brother Yaqoob would know", one of the teachers hesitantly answered.
Yaqoob Khan was the watchman of the mosque who also served as a Khadim or volunteer helper of the mosque. He was in his early forties but didn't look any older than thirty. He was white skinned, heavily bearded yet lightly built man with a commanding posture and wore a net skull cap. He was responsible for the tasks of smaller nature relating to the interior of the mosque like keeping an eye on the consumption of electricity, keeping the madrasa children disciplined during the congregational prayers, receiving bills and mail, etc.
"Call him here at once!" said Sheikh Abdul Haadi, trying his best to control his emotions. Two younger teachers took off to fetch him. Minutes later, visibly confused by the urgency displayed by the staff, Yaqoob Khan arrived in the president's office. The president maintained his usual soft tone and welcomed him in. He wanted this news to be known to as least people as possible. He calmly asked Yaqoob, "When did these letters arrive, brother Yaqoob?"
"They arrived yesterday, Sheikh Sahib." Answered Yaqoob Khan without wasting a second. "The postman arrived yesterday evening, you were busy leading the Asr prayer. I waited to give them to you in person as soon as you were free but you left quickly for a scheduled visit to some madrasa after you had finished the prayer. So, I placed them on your office table for you to see."
Abdul Haadi knew Yaqoob was right. He had been invited a week ago by one of his colleagues to a madrasa his colleague managed, and he had paid him a long-awaited visit yesterday. He had not returned to the mosque until after the Isha prayer and had almost immediately retired to quarters without having a peek at the office.
Yaqoob hesitantly asked, "Is anything worrying you Sheikh Sahib?"
To which Abdul Haadi thanked him for his tireless services to the mosque and said to him, "No brother, there is nothing to worry about. But if there arises a special need for your service, will you be willing to lend us a hand?"
"Of course, Sheikh Sahib. I will be honored. You just say the word!" said Yaqoob Khan dutifully and asked for permission to get back to his guard duty, which he was granted and he left the office. The door of the office was shut again.
Sheikh Abdul Haadi had noticed the crumpled letter from Muhammad Daud did not have a date mentioned on it and he could not blame the writer for it. But it was the various different dates mentioned on the rest of the letters that troubled him. He asked his colleagues why the organization received different letters with different dates on one day. To which one of the teachers pointed out that three government holidays had coincided on three consecutive days and the post offices were closed for three days.
Sheikh worried if the letter had taken too much time to reach him. He had connections in the government that he could use to retrieve his stranded student but he needed to be sure of his whereabouts before he could involve the authorities into the matter. For now, he knew he was on his own. He did not prefer the option of waiting but he understood the gravity of the situation and the fact that all sorts of homework were needed to be done before asking someone to step in. So, he directed his juniors to try the phone numbers of every member of the lost group and their families to find out if they had shared any vital piece of information with their families before the attack. As Yaqoob walked back to his post, he couldn't help but wonder why such seasoned teachers were so panicked. He understood that the president of the organization, whom he greatly respected, was not telling him everything. He knew that Sheikh was not in any condition to handle stress, after all, he was the one who brought his medicines. The atmosphere of the room had been beyond tense. There was no respectable way to pull out the answers to his questions, so he decided to let things go in their pace and wait for Sheikh to let him in when he thinks the time is right.