8 8. ANOTHER MURDER
"Hashim? What happened?" Zain asked him as he entered his house. Hashim was sitting in the lounge. He was in clear shock. An expression of disbelief written on his face. Zain followed the direction of his eyes and saw a box placed on the table. He quickly walked over and opened it but with the same speed he put the lid back and looked at Hashim. He was still looking at the box in disbelief totally unaware of their presence.
"Hashim?" Zain called. "Hashim, tell me how did you get that box?" But Hashim did not move. Zain came forward and held him from his shoulders sitting infront of him on the carpet.
"Hashim, please look at me!!" He shook his shoulders. Now Hashim's eyes moved from the box to Zain and tears of sorrow rushed in them.
"Zain, oh Zain!! They killed her. They killed her!!!" He cried.
"Hey.. hush shh." Zain quickly hugged him but Hashim was trembling now.
"How can somebody do this to anybody? How can someone be so cruel? You know how much I tried to find her? I haven't slept properly since that incident and now they are sending me her head. Oh god I could not save her." He was crying, mumbling, trembling and shaking with fear and sorrow. Zain was facing difficulty in handling him but he was. Also crying he held Hashim into his hug, confronting him. Hashim was raising his hands infront of his eyes as their was something on them. "What is it" Zain asked but Hashim didn't say anything. After a long time he was relaxed. He raised his head and watched Zain who was sitting closely and then he looked at Khalil sitting across on a sofa watching him intently.
"What do we do now?" He asked Zain, his voice wet with tears.
"First I have some questions. 1 How did you get that? 2 Why did you keep looking at your hands?" He asked.
" It was placed at my doorstep when I came back home."
"Any note?" Zain asked.
"No. Nothing." Hashim said after thinking for sometime.
"And your hands? What is with them?" Zain asked holding Hashim's hands in his own.
"I dont know. It is like something sticky on them." Hashim replied confused.
"Let me check." Zain said looking at his hands and then he pulled some tissues from the table and cleaned his hands.
"What about now?" He asked.
"Much better." Hashim said.
"Good. Now you should go to the villa. I have to examine this and I cannot examine it here." He said motioning Khalil to take Hashim with him. Hashim tried to protest but Khalil stopped him saying 'You need some rest' and led him outside. Zain sighed and took the box leaving a mourning house behind.
................
Mehak's janaza was held the next day when Zain brought her head in the same box. Hashim was composed to some extent but Zain had to hold him during the whole time. The three days ceremony was held at villa in which only close members of family came. Zain had been very busy. He just visited villa for a very short time to spend his time with his best friend Hashim. They were both on good terms but things were not the same between them. Sometimes Hashim became rude towards Zain and their meetings used to end up in Zain's departures. It was the same case on the third night of murder when Salma said to Zain as he was leaving.
"Dont forget to have breakfast with us tomorrow."
"Now that you are having breakfast with us everyday. You should bring the bread with you." Moona said emerging behind Salma. Salma glared at her but she just shrugged.
"Okay I will." He said and went out. When he had sat in his car he took out his phone. He opened the message box and typed: "Meet me at my place tonight." And sent it to a number namely 'crime partner'.
.................
The next day when Zain arrived at Khalil's Villa, he found routine's hustle and bustle there. Salma and Yumna were rushing to set the table for breakfast while Khalil was getting ready for his office in his room. Every now and then there was a call from his room for Salma. Zain smiled sadly and went to kitchen where he found Moona frying eggs for everyone.
"Salam." She said smiling at her.
"Wasalam." Zain replied and placed the bread on the shelf near her. Yumna was making tea beside Moona.
"What is it?" Moona looked at him exploring his grief expression.
"Nothing. It's just how happy everyone used to be. Now everything is changed."
"Hey. Everything will be fine. I haven't seen you so much disappointed." Moona said changing the side of egg in the pan.
"I am not disappointed. I am just scared." Zain said.
"Why are you scared?" Yumna said pouring some milk in the pan for tea.
"I have stepped forward on this case now." Zain said.
"And what is that?" Khalil said entering the kitchen followed by Salma.
"You two get out of here and wait for breakfast outside. You are creating rush in the kitchen." She said motioning Khalil and Zain out of the kitchen.
"What is the progress?" Khalil asked.
"I will tell at the breakfast." Zain replied holding the newspaper placed on the table. Khalil just noded and went over to Asad as he entered the lounge struggling with his tie.
"Let me." Khalil said. After fifteen minutes they were having breakfast.
"What were you saying back then in the kitchen?" Yumna said having a bite of her breakfast.
"I told you guys that I am having progress in the case."
"And I asked you what was the progress??" Khalil asked.
"I have a spy among them." Zain said.
"And who are them now?" Humna said, irritated.
"It's a company."
"What kind of company?"
"A business company. Just like yours bhai." Zain replied eating his breakfast all the time. While everyone was holding there hands from their own.
"And why would they do that?" Khalil asked confused.
"Apparently they want me to stop investing about themselves in which I am not interested although.." he stopped and took a sip from his cup.
"What???" Humna asked.
"Although I want you guys to watch over youselves from now on. I have arranged for your security but this is a secret among us." There was a sound of Saud's cry coming from Moona's room.
"Oh he is up. Go Moona." Salma said. Moona got up cleaning her hands with napkin.
" It's ok. Humna or Yumna can see." Zain said but everyone smiled and Moona left the dining room.
"What? Why are you all smiling at me?" Zain asked them as everyone was now finishing there breakfast.
"Because you dont know." Yumna teased him.
"What? What I don't know?" He asked.
"She is feeding the babies." Yumna said excited.
"That's great." Zain said. Suddenly his phone beeped. He took out the phone. Humna who was sitting beside him looked at the screen before he turned it away. It said: 'crime partner calling'. Zain picked up the call and went in the kitchen. After about a minute and a half ,he came out.
"I am sorry I have to go. Allahafiz"
"But who's the spy?" Yumna asked.
"You will find out." Zain said smiling at her and left.
"He is hiding something. I am telling you." Humna said standing up from her seat.
"He will tell everything. Dont worry." Khalil also stood up. The breakfast was over.
.................
Zain stopped his car at the side of the road. After a minute the door opened and a guy entered the car. He was wearing sun glasses and a P-cap on his head. His face was almost covered with a black cloth.
"So you are going there now." Zain asked.
"Yes I am." The man said.
"I just wanna say that be careful and smart. We already have lost two lives."
"I will." The man replied looking out on the road from the front mirror.
"And please dont you ever get emotional in front of them. Just control your emotions."
"Okay I will. Have you completed your task?" The man asked.
"I will talk to her tonight."
"Infront of everyone?"
"No I will ask her to have lunch with me tomorrow and there I will ask her."
"Good. The plan is good." The man said and then there was silence in the car for sometime. Then Zain said,
"So best of luck."
"Thank you. Good bye." The man said and left the car.
.................
Moona was reading a book in the lawn when Asad came out.
"Phupho! Your phone is ringing." He said handing over the phone to her and ran inside. Moona looked at the screen. There were two missed calls from an unknown number. She wondered who was calling but didn't call back. She put the phone aside and started reading her book again. She might have read only a page when the phone rang again. Same number. She sighed and picked up the call.
"Hello."
"Hey. Its me Zain. Where were you? I have trying."
"Sorry I hadn't save your number. So tell me what is it?" She replied closing her book.
"I want to talk to you." Zain said.
"Okay. Do talk." Monna said.
"No. In private."
"We are talking in private, Zain." Moona said focusing on every word.
"Oh God. Sorry. What do you say about having lunch tomorrow?" Zain said.
"We are having breakfast tomorrow."
"I know but I cant tell you this In front of everybody." Zain said. A deep desperation in his voice.
"Okay okay. Which place?" Moona asked.
"I am texting you. And thank you." Zain said and hung up quickly.
Moona just sighed and opened the book again but she was not focussed now so she turned it off and went inside.
.................
