Love Me, Istanbul

#8: A Star For Me

*Flashback*

Levent Sever was furious. His men had failed to do the one thing he ordered - and now the both of them stood trembling before him, with bruises on their faces.

"It was this officer - Vedat," one of them said. "We don't know how he found out ama..."

There was an eerie silence before Levent spoke. "Does Selin know about this?"

"We reported to her as usual, Levent Bey," he said.

Levent rose from his chair. Eyeing his men like a tiger facing his prey, he stood before them as they winced for the incoming outburst. In one swift movement, he slapped both of them hard across their faces and got them rolling on the floor in agony with a bone-breaking kick in their shins. "There are two of you and one of him," Levent said, his voice as calm as a millpond. "And you had the fucking nerve to tell me you got busted."

Signalling his other henchmen to take them away, Levent went back his chair - facing the Bosphorus. Their reports have proven his suspicions true - Demir Erendil is a suspended chief investigator in the IPF, and is in fact the son of the man he murdered 20 years ago. The son of the man who took his wife from him.

I need to do something, he thought. And do it fast.

*End of flashback*

Selin isn't one who was particularly fond of flights - however, she decided to make an exception for this one. She had packed her bright yellow suitcase in the night before and woke up an hour earlier than usual just to get ready. Demir had gotten them tickets on the morning flight to Sinop from Istanbul and promised to pick her up from her place. As for Artemis, she had left Muharrem Usta in charge for the weekend. 

When they finally arrived at Sinop, Demir proceeded to collect the car he rented online at the airport. After signing the paperwork, they drove along the coastal road of Sinop - a small town with the Black Sea stretching like an endless canvas before them. There was a bit of traffic in front of them, but Selin didn't mind one bit. Rolling down the window, Selin couldn't believe how long it had been since the last time she had seen the Karadeniz. With Artemis expanding its ever-growing business chain, Selin could barely take time off for herself.

A short drive later, the car rolled to a halt by a small garden cemetery along their way. Although Selin had no idea why Demir insisted on spending their weekend together at her uncle's hometown, she quickly realised that their trip was not just a casual vacation. He came to search for answers, she thought. Answers that are useful to his job. She had a feeling that she was somehow a piece in his puzzle - that was why he brought her along. Remembering Azmiye's words, Selin felt this might be her moment of truth. Nevertheless, she followed him out of the car and made her way through the garden. As he came towards a stop, Selin felt a kick in the gut as she saw the name on the grave - Asli Erendil.

"Anne," he said. "Ben geldim."

Selin chided herself for thinking otherwise. Of course he'll visit his mother's grave, she thought. What else could it be? Aptal!

"Bu benim arkadaşim," he continued. "Selin."

Selin gave a solemn nod as a sign of respect. Demir bent down to touch the soil on his mother's grave. He plucked out the strands of weed growing on the soil and swept them onto the grass below. A million thoughts swirled in her mind. She wondered how his mother looked like when she was alive. She couldn't fathom why his parents were buried in separate locations - his father was buried in Istanbul, and his mother in Sinop. Usually, people would reserve a plot of land for their parents as a family grave.  Were his parents divorced? Or something happened to his mother here in Sinop?