MEHAR
Present day
Few hours ago, I got a call as I was about to start cooking dinner.
I answer, "Hello?.. "
"Hi, may I speak to Miss Mehar Ansari?"
"Yes, this is her." I reply quickly.
"We need you to come down to the police station, ..it's about your brother.. Yaqtan Ansari.. Is 4 alright for you?"
Upon hearing this I turn the stove off and walk towards the kitchen island and seat myself on a counter stool.
I glance at the clock and reply,"I'll be there." I was quick to answer but I'm unable to do anything else. I just sit there confused.. what can it be? I think about what it could be and soon my thoughts wander to our childhood.. thoughts that fill my heart with regret. He had such little time and I wish I had spent more of it with him. I look at the time again and it's already 3.40. It's been a week already and getting a call like this had startled me.
I reach the police station after a 20 minute drive. The one story building stands in front of me, and I stride past the cars, with a rising curiosity.
Passing through a narrow hallway, and pushing through passersby, replaying the conversation in my head, I finally reach officer Ayberk's room.
He is a man in his late thirties, with wide shoulders and a hint of grey hair. He seems to be busy as he fails to acknowledge me.
I knock on the door twice, and finally grab his attention. He glances at me and asks me to come inside.
"You must be Miss Ansari.. sorry to keep you waiting.. Please take a seat."
I nod in reply and look at his table instead. How messy it is. Pile of files in the corner.. papers everywhere, a photo frame turned to his side.
The sound of the door is what pulls me out of my thoughts."Lareb bring Mr. Ansari's file here." He motions me to sit while directing his workers.
The tall man strides past me hastily, and puts a green file right in front of the officer.
He turns few pages, and I sit there with bile rising in my throat. I've never been this agitated.
"Why am I here? .. I was told it's about my brother." I break off the long silence.
"Hmm.." he says to himself as he turns more pages, making me feel slightly more annoyed.
He finally stops, and looks at me directly, "I'm afraid the initial cause of death is inaccurate.. Yaqtan Ansari didn't have an accident, he was murdered."
He puts it out simply, like it was nothing, and while I crumble inside into tiny shattered pieces.
The room starts to spin, and my head starts hurting. I can't hear anything what the officer is saying. I hold my head in my hands.
"Why would someone do this to him?.." I whisper to myself.
The officer picks up the phone and asks someone to bring a glass of water inside immediately. The officer tries to calm me down. Nothing can calm me down.
After a few minutes someone walks in with a chilled glass of water.
I gulp down the water, but the stinging pain remains.
"I'm sorry, I know it's been a long week for you, and a difficult one indeed-"
I cut him off, "I just need to know how it happened."
"Yes, Miss Ansari.. We are working on it but all we know now is that Yaqtan was murdered due to blunt forced trauma.. this can happen from a blow to the head, and we believe thats what resulted in the serious damage to the brain.. therefore leading to his death."
I'm unable to speak, and before I know it, my eyes start to get wet. I blink away the tears and close my eyes shut. The officer doesn't say anything for awhile.. We just sit in silence.
I finally get hold of myself and ask,
"Do you have any leads.. I mean on .. who could do such a thing?.." I manage to speak.
"Actually that's why I called you here, I was wondering if you knew anything about this .. I mean did he have any grudges? Enemies? Anything would help."
"Uhm .. Yaqtan and I weren't exactly close.. I-I don't know .. I have no idea who'd do such a thing.." I feel my face heating up as I try to hold back my tears.
"Please take as much time as you need, I know it must be really difficult for you." He says as he closes the file.
"Any small detail would help, something you think which may not be of much importance might actually lead to our murderer." He adds as I get up.
As I'm walking out I try and think of someone but it's pointless. I can't even remember the last time we hung out. And that's when it hits me, I may not know him well but I know who does.
I text him and drive straight to Yaqtan's old apartment.
3 rings later he finally opens the door, and right away I notice his bloodshot eyes. Uzair and Yaqtan were inseparable, whatever memories I have with Yaqtan are memories I share with Uzair as well.
"Hey, sorry it took me a while" he says as he motions me to sit on the couch.
"It's alright.. how are you?", I ask looking at him.
"I've been better." He says as he seats himself in front of me.
"When seconds count between living or dying, the police are only minutes away."
