Shadow of Doubt

Chapter 20

Sa'ad's POV

TWO DAYS AGO

I left Baffah Sadiq's residence without much spirit and energy after Hafsah broke the news of going to Lagos. She had literally made me weak and she was finding humour in it all, I had never thought of the possibility of not seeing her for a week seeing as I work with them and all, now that it's here I couldn't help the sadness that enveloped me. The way Hafsah cared for me was a different kind of caring I'd never received before. She talks more than I do but she was still a listener, an adviser, a partner. She always had a helping hand to give.

Ever since we fell in love, I called her even at odd hours to ask for her opinion on something or what she'd do in certain situations. She always answered patiently, being a slow talker and all. She never showed tiredness and she was always willing to listen.

The truth is, she was my breakthrough in life.

And all I wanted was to do right by her.

I called Abdallah twice but he didn't pick up so I knew he was busy in the office. But this was quite urgent as well, I knew I couldn't sit tight and wait for him to call me back or wait till we met at home.

I arrived at the building and went straight to his office, being a private organisation, nobody asks a lot of questions. Besides, I was familiar with a lot of them.

"What a pleasant surprise." He said with a mischievous laugh and I knew he knew something brought me. I sat down in the chair across from him and sighed. "Let me guess, Iram."

I simply nodded and carried on "Abdallah, my purpose has shifted into making her happy. How do I do that when I'm trying my best to see her father in jail?"

"Sa'ad, I know who you are and I'm glad that you've not let your feelings cloud your judgement. I always trust your instincts from the very beginning and right now, your instinct is telling you to slow down. You should listen to it."

"He had my parents killed."

"He was present at the murder scene." Abdallah corrected, as if careful about choosing his words. "It's hearsay, there's nothing you can do about it right now. It's either you confront him or let it go totally." he said every word carefully and that only affirmed to me how he had played a great role in being my moral compass for a while.

"I can't let it go Abdallah." I countered immediately. "I've wanted justice for 20 years, I didn't come this far to give up now."

"So, what would you do?"

"I'll shelve the investigation for now." I said without hesitation. I just wanted to be with Hafsah. I realised it wasn't worth losing Hafsah at the moment when I didn't have even half of the evidence I needed. The only thing I had was a memory of Baffah Sadiq at the scene and his badge. "Maybe in the near future when I have a higher ranking, I can bring it back but for now, I don't want to lose Hafsah."

"Trust me, this is the best decision." Abdallah said with a tight smile, as if he was feeling sorry for me. I felt sorry for myself too. Having to choose between avenging my parents murder and keeping Hafsah was not easy for me.

I never wanted revenge, all I wanted was justice and answers. All I wanted was Baffah Sadiq behind bars and the answers to why my parents were murdered in cold blood.

"My investigation files are in the office at my station, I'll bring them home. I want you to keep them safe for me because always looking at them would make me want to dig deeper."

"They'll be safe with me until you're ready In Shaa Allah." His face had different emotions. He was clearly relieved that I'll be taking a break on the investigation, knowing he has been trying to convince me for a while and he also looked emotional from knowing how much it meant to me.