BANE

CHAPTER ELEVEN

He tried to put his legs in the police’s shoe; but no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t help feeling as if they weren’t doing their job well, and then, there was the press too.

There was no doubt that they helped educate people about his daughter’s disappearance but he knew their main reason was because he gave them something to write about.

They were like predators, hunting down a prey. Some of the stories they wrote were untrue, some people would do anything to make a story sell.

*********************
“You ready?”

“Yes!” straightening her clothes.

“Okey dokey, and here we go.” Their drive to the station was smooth, full of banter and laughter, as if, they were trying to hide their nervousness.

A policeman told them that there were to go in one at a time. The policeman asking the questions invited Banan in first. He smiled at Banan as she came out.

Zaid walked confidently into the room, the room smelt of some kind of cleaning agent. The man asked him to have a seat, he sat down.

“Good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon Sir.”

“Do you know why you are here?”

“Yes Sir, I believe I was brought here for questioning.”

“Why?”

“Probably about my friend’s disappearance more than a week ago.”

“Yes, do you have any idea where she might be?”

“Sabiha is not the kind of person to run away. Trust me on that.”

“So, you are suggesting she might have been taken against her will by someone?”

“That seems to be the only possibility.”

“So, do you have any person in mind? An enemy of hers maybe.”

“Permit me to say, but she is a teenager. Her worst enemy couldn’t be more than a jealous fellow teenager.”

“What about boyfriends?”

“None that I know of, but I believe she would have informed me if that was the case.”

The policeman took something down in his jotter. “You do realize that some people are good in hiding secrets right?”

“Not Sabiha, I can read right through her. Anyway, I don’t think this is the work of a fellow teenager. There’s much more to it. It was a perfect crime, no trace, nothing. The person took his time and struck at the right moment. I think the person is well acquainted with the family; and knew all their plans.”

The police were clueless, maybe it was high time they got an idea of what could be going on; at least, what he thought was going on.“Do you happen to know anyone who is capable of doing that?”

“None that I know of, but her father is a business man, a successful one at that. Anything can happen.”

“But her father said he couldn’t think of anyone capable of doing that.”

“People think that way, but you never know.” The policeman asked him more questions. After a few minutes, he was dismissed.

“This is no ordinary disappearance, I believe this is a kidnap case, and maybe if you tried treating it as such, you might get something.”

Zaid said as he started to leave.
The police man looked on with a confused expression of his face. He concluded the boy was right, it was a perfect crime.

***************
What happened the previous night made him doubt Ibrahim’s sanity? It was around midnight when he heard a noise coming from Ibrahim’s room. 

He ran to the room with a club but to his utmost surprise, it seemed like Ibrahim was having some kind of nightmare. He was sweating profusely and the expression on his face frightened him, he looked like he had been fighting with demons.

He woke him up; Ibrahim woke up with tears running down his face, he looked dishevelled. The first thing he did was accuse Mubarak of bringing everything upon him; he behaved like a true mad man.

Mubarak backed away; he knew what had happened was not normal. He called Hafsy; she assured him that it was natural for someone like Ibrahim to have such episodes.

“He would be better in the morning.” She told him.

**************
The memories were so vivid, memories that hunt you down. He was embarrassed about what had happened the previous night. He wished he could control it. It had been long since something like that had happened.

Mrs Kent was right; he could relapse at any moment and that was why she refused to discharge him, but even Hafsy thought he was over it. He couldn’t face Mubarak, not in that state. Who would want to take responsibility for a madman? No one would ever understand.

*************
He had watched the interview with a sinking feeling in his stomach. It seemed like even the smart boy understood the case more than they did.

They needed to do something and they needed to do it fast. The eighteen year old had a great point; the police would need someone like him someday.