Beneath the bridge, on a wide concrete walkway, there was a shantytown of the kind Katya had seen only in news footage—and even then, only in videos of impoverished, dejected places like the slums of Brazil or the lawless parts of Africa, where human life was treated as cheaper than that of an animal. But here, in one of Saudi’s wealthiest cities? Most of the people in Kandara were women, and judging from the faces—most of them unveiled—they were predominantly Indonesian and Filipina, although among them were Africans, other Asians, and Indians. There were at least a thousand, probably more, stretching for blocks, most sitting with their backs against concrete walls in the shady spots. Corrugated metal panels formed lean-tos in places. Some people had built shelters from old boxes, mostly to protect themselves from the sun. Mothers sat with children heaped on their laps, their men in front of them, lying on cardboard or old blankets. The police did not keep crime statistics on different neighborhoods, but it was well known that this was one of the worst.
