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“Now both Jahleel and Manseh are dead, and his brother thinks I sent Jahleel to kill Manseh to cancel my debt. He called the police.”
“What have you gotten yourself into this time Al-Hafeez?” his father asked, worry creasing his brow.
Al-Hafeez had barely finished giving his father the explanation when the butler came into the drawing room. “Master, the police are here to see Sheikh Al-Hafeez.”
He looked at his father, panic in his eyes, and then back at the butler. He had only made two moves in the direction the butler indicated when his father slapped his hand on his shoulder, grinding him to a halt.
“Wait!” his father said and walked around him and out to the entrance hall. “Good evening officers,” he said and smiled.
“We are here for Sheikh Al-Hafeez. He is wanted in the investigation of a murder.”
“How is that so?” the old man asked.
“The victim’s brother identified him as the man fleeing the scene of the crime.”
“That’s it?” the old man asked, after waiting for more from the officers. “The victim’s brother fed you a story, and that’s what you use? My son is going nowhere with you.”
“You know the laws here Sir, and we have the highest respect for you and your family,” the officer said and shifted nervously. He looked back at his partner, a short stocky fellow that appeared to be having his first run straight from the police training center. “If he is involved we will have to take him in.”
“But you have no such proof other than the words of a low life, right?”
“No matter,” the officer said. “He has to come with us.”
“My son is going nowhere with you,” the elder Sheikh Ramadan retorted. “Look, we can work something out. I will personally come in with him in the morning, and I would very much appreciate your discretion on the matter. My son is not going to sleep in a prison cell!”
The officer in charge nodded, and then turned to the other next to him. “Very well, Sir, but I suggest you get a lawyer,” he said, and tipped his hat before walking off.
After they had gone, the old man looked at his son with disgust and grunted. “What the hell have you gotten yourself into this time?” And then he walked off.
For all the trouble he had gotten into all his life, this had been the worst, and he wasn’t sure as yet how he was going to make it out of it in one piece. He sighed and stood there as he watched the flashing lights of the police car disappear from the estate, and then he went to his office. Not even a drink of brandy could drown the noise in his head, and for the first time in his life, he regretted his actions.
CHAPTER 2
The sister towers in the busy Metropolitan area served as Jameela Harding’s home away from home. She had migrated to the United Arab Emirates a few years ago, chasing a job opportunity that would land her at the top. It did, and now she spent more hours in the law office than she did in her own apartment. At present the back seat of her car was strewn with paper and files from the many cases she had; from reports she had to make, and from research into cases she was still conducting. She didn’t try to organize them most of the times because they ended up being a mess by the end of the day again.
She pressed the button that opened up the trunk of her silver Volvo. She got out and went to the back and pulled out a box she kept there. She opened the back door and lifted some of the files and placed them inside there. She used her body to push the door back in, and struggled under the weight of the box.
“Let me help you with that,” she heard a voice say as she got to the elevator. It was Nathan, and one of the partners in her firm.
“Oh, thank you,” she replied, and handed the box to him. Then she fixed the straps of her bag onto her shoulder and pressed the up button.
“So, when are you going to let me help you with dinner one of these nights?” he asked.
The elevator bell dinged then, and Jameela hastened inside, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the question. “Why do you keep asking Nathan? I told you, I am not interested in dating anyone yet. I am just coming out of a relationship and…”
“I know, I know,” he said as the metal doors closed before them. “I had to ask anyway.”
“So, what’s going on with the bosses? I heard they called you in yesterday,” she said in an effort to change the subject. Nathan was a handsome man, with dark brown hair and a charming personality, but he didn’t catch her eye in the way she wanted a man to. Besides, she did not consider herself emotionally available. Her love life had been tumultuous in the last few years she had decided it would be best if she went on a relationship hiatus.
“Nothing much, except that I just got handed the case concerning the oil scandal,” he said and tried unsuccessfully to downplay both the magnitude of the job and his obvious excitement.
“You what? No way,” she said and nudged him on the arm. “Good for you. Wow.” The elevator opened then and she walked into the office. She almost ran into an intern balancing a tray of coffee, and heading towards what seemed like a marketplace. “I can’t say I don’t envy you. I’ve done a lot of research on Smithson and Gordon. Are you sure you don’t need a partner? I could use a break from this office.”
Nathan laughed as they got to her desk and he placed the box there. “Why would you even be researching them. That’s corporate law; you mostly specialize in criminal cases.”
“I know, but I have some knowledge of corporate law. Sometimes a change is good.”
“Well, you need to stick to criminal, before you steal all my glory,” he laughed. “I’ll catch up with you later,” he told her as he walked in the direction that had the corporate law sign hanging from the roof.
