Chapter Twenty-eight

Even in his wildest dreams, his forsaken hopes- Zahid could never have imagined that something like this would happen. 

The Supreme Court was going to carry out a thorough investigation of the case. Faaris was already arrested, and the new dates for the investigation were released. This was all that the media seemed to be discussing, and Shahid Raza, while he walked around so very boldly just a day ago, now hid inside his mansion, using his connections to avoid immediate arrest.

Zahid was silently grateful, and a little nervous. This sudden move did put things in his favor but he knew that this did not, in any way, make things easy. 

Amal ranged around from one emotion to the other in seconds- she would be excited one moment, almost jumping about, and the next, she would be scared, happy, thankful, shocked, and nervous all at once.

His client- Samra Syed broke down. When Samra had first applied for an appeal, she did not expect it to get accepted. Now that the supreme court was taking action- she could hardly believe it. 

Harris' reaction, however, was the weirdest. When he had first called Zahid, his excitement seemed out of bounds but he later seemed quieter, his brows drawn together and a troubled expression on his face. Zahid did not pay it much attention though, deciding that Harris was still in disbelief over everything that had happened. 

Zahid rebuilt his report from scratch- trying to discover the best strategy he could use to win this case with only one witness. He studied the video as well, using its content to strengthen his argument.

During the overview, Zahid and Harris discovered that the street vendor who had given them information about Shamoor now refused to know anything about the matter. Aware that he had probably been bribed,  Zahid did not feel too deeply about it for Shamoor had been the one who had led them to Qammar, and rather focussed on what was within his circle of control. 

Hours blended into each other and time seemed to be in a rush to pass, for in what felt like mere hours, Zahid woke up to the Fajar azan on the day of the meeting.

He was exceptionally nervous that day. There were knots in his stomach and the sudden hollowness of anxiety had him moving from file to file, overseeing every source of information he could. His inner perfectionist had risen to the surface for Zahid knew that he could make no mistakes. He could not afford any at a point as vital as this. 

Zahid had only been able to stomach a cup of coffee and a couple of waffle bites that Amal forced into him. In the hours that passed in a flash, and yet, dragged ever so slowly- he eventually found himself getting into his suit.

It was now time. 

He buttoned up his cuffs and just as he put the tie around his neck, Amal intervened. 

"Wait-" she said, trying to pull Eddie away from Zahid's coat. He paused, watching as Amal lectured Eddie about self-control and knowing the effects of cat-hair, a smile creeping up to his face. 

Once she had managed to scoot him away, till Eddie had let out an angry meow and retreated under the bed, Amal finally rushed towards Zahid, taking the tie from him. "Let me do it." 

Zahid's eyebrow arched. "You want to do it?" 

Amal looked up at him. "You think I can't?" she challenged. 

Absolutely. 

Zahid kept his words to himself, biting the inside of his cheek to keep himself from smiling too widely as he gestured for her to go on. 

"Never thought you'd know how," he admitted as Amal focused on the tie at hand. 

"I didn't. Learned it just for you," she raised her head only to wink at him before her gaze returned to the tie, her fingers struggling with the knot. 

Zahid peered down at her, watching as she tied it once, before realizing that the knot wasn't right and undoing it again. The grin had now surfaced to his lips and he casually clasped his hands behind his back, not saying a word as she tied and then untied the knot several times. 

Amal did not have to look at him to know the smug expression on his face. "Don't laugh at me," she muttered, a blush of embarrassment crawling up to her face.

"I'm not laughing." 

When Amal glanced up at Zahid, it took him every bit of strength to hold back his smile, amusement glinting in his eyes.

It was after the eleventh try that Amal's hands fell down in defeat. 

"I did learn, pakka!" She stepped back, handing the tie over to Zahid. Amal watched as he tied it himself, rubbing the back of her neck and mumbling incoherently under her breath, of which Zahid only caught, "-forget so quickly," and "- just wanted to do something for you." 

"You're already doing so much for me, habibti." Zahid stepped towards her, his sincere eyes looking into her own. "I would never have had made it this far without you." 

Amal's heart skipped a beat, the unnerved look on her face melting into a smile. 

"I doubt that-" she began, but Zahid was hearing none of it. He pulled Amal towards him, his arms wrapping around her in a bone-crushing hug, his chin resting on her head. "Zahid!" Amal tried pushing him off, her voice muffled but his hold was too strong. "You're killing me!"

Zahid's hold loosened slightly but he did not let go of her. "One minute," he promised, his eyes squeezing shut, and Amal gave in, allowing him to use her head as a chin rest just this once. The two of them stayed like that for a while, before Amal felt him kiss the top of her head. 

"Pray for me, okay?" he whispered, and Amal raised her head to meet his gaze. 

My prayers are incomplete without you in them. 

"Do you need to remind me?" she said gently, and as Zahid tried smiling, the fear in his eyes did not go unnoticed. "You can do this," she whispered, raising her hand to his cheek, "Allah is with you." 

Her words echoed in Zahid's heart, and the sudden surge of strength he felt within his soul was inexpressible. At that moment, Zahid could not have been more grateful for the woman in front of him who had supported him through every challenge he had faced. 

That day, as Zahid walked out of the house, he knew that this would be one of the most important chapters in his life... but the extent to which it would change his life, even Zahid could never have guessed. 

~~~

The first meeting was more nerve wracking than any court hearing Zahid had ever attended. Although the court setting was one that generated more anxiety as compared to a meeting like this, one held over a circular table; wars fought in offices are sometimes more vital than wars fought in battlefields. 

Harris was with Zahid all along, unusually quiet and nervous- but Zahid did not call him out on that. How could he, when he felt exactly the same way? Samra Syed was present as well, and it seemed like the three of them had arrived far too early for the meeting room was completely empty. 

It was the judge, Farhan Ali, who arrived next. In the manner with which he shook Zahid's hand and greeted everyone, Zahid knew he meant business. 

Shahid Raza and his lawyer were the last to arrive. By the time the door opened and the two of them walked in, Farhan was growing impatient. 

Raza was in his shades, no sign of fear on his face. He looked so eminently calm-for surely when someone who has dodged every arrow thrown his way finds himself in front of a sword, he firmly believes that he would be able to dodge this too... even when the sword is digging into his throat. 

For Zahid to keep his emotions at bay turned out more difficult than he had hoped. He stiffened slightly at the entrance of Shahid Raza, his fingers curling into a fist, and the names and faces of the men Raza had murdered flashing in his mind. 

What struck Zahid as weird at that moment, however, was that Shahid Raza, the man who looked so huge on television looked so... small in real life. When everyone raised from their seats, exchanging handshakes, Zahid noticed that Raza was shorter than he was, and even his handshake seemed weak and prideful...as if he barely raised his hand and expected the other person to shake it. 

It was Raza's lawyer, Tahir, who seemed even more at peace than Raza himself. He smiled at Zahid, asking about his health as if he was some close friend, and if Zahid had not diverted his gaze, he might have noticed that there was something peculiar in the exchange between Tahir and Harris.

"Let's get to business." Farhan did not waste time in getting to the point, no introduction or stretched explanation required as to why they were there. 

The first meeting commenced- focusing mainly on the credibility of the video that had been put up on social media. Experts had labeled the video as authentic but had failed to gather any information on who had posted it. The account from which it had first been put up on Facebook was deleted almost immediately but by then, the video had already been shared and spread on so many other social media platforms. 

Zahid was well prepared, but even he was surprised by the lack of preparation from the defendant's side. With every new point Zahid would bring up, Tahir would pale and share panicked looks with Shahid Raza. The man who had come in looking so confident now fumbled over his words, his points weak. 

The first meeting soon came to an end, and both Farhan and Raza left, Tahir following close behind. 

"That... went surprisingly well, Alhamdulillah," Zahid said, gathering his files. "But it's weird, Harris... Tahir is supposed to be one of the best lawyers out there. How can he be so badly prepared?" 

Harris simply shrugged in response, his face devoid of any emotions. Shoved in his coat pockets, however, Harris' hands were clenched, his nails digging into his skin. 

He knew the answer all too well. 

By the second meeting, Tahir had managed to pull himself up again. The basis of his argument was that even if this video was real, Faaris had only taken Syed away to have a talk with him and had soon dropped him back to his house. The dates of the video, he said, had been altered and this had happened months ago. 

There would have been no way to prove his point, but Tahir had somehow managed to gather an alibi for Faaris. He further argued that whatever Faaris had done had no involvement with Shahid Raza. At that moment, Zahid knew that their strategy was to protect Raza at all costs even if Faaris was to be used as a scapegoat. 

As Tahir brought in proof of his lies, Zahid realized that it was time to bring up his witness. The mention of a witness took Raza and Tahir by great surprise. They could never have imagined that Zahid would ever be able to find a witness. 

Even Farhan seemed surprised, but Qammar was brought in the next day. His hands shook and he kept his gaze lowered throughout the meeting. He had sent his family over to a relative's house on Zahid's suggestion, and thus, when he was questioned, he answered confidently, his voice firm. He proved then, to the world, that you can always pull yourself up, and the lowly man is not he who belongs to a lower class but he who lacks in humanity and strength. 

Qammar talked. He spoke, in detail, about everything that had happened; how he had been hired as the driver and had been there when Faaris had shot Syed Manzoor on Raza's orders. 

Zahid had hoped that Qammar's statement would do the trick. For a while, it did seem that the stance on the case had changed and shifted in their favor, but things were never really that easy... especially when a politician was involved. 

The very next day, Tahir presented a number of alibis and fake proofs of both Raza and Faaris being somewhere else entirely during the time Qammar claimed everything had happened. They even labeled the text messages between Qammar and Raza's men to be 'fake' and had witnesses coming in to support Raza's claim. From the guard of the haweli where Qammar said Syed was taken, to police officers, even, who declared that they had not seen any vans on that side of the town where Qammar claimed he himself had driven Syed and Raza's men. 

Zahid listened to the lies that were so confidently spoken, his fists balled. With every new witness that came in, Zahid wondered how much Raza had bribed them with, and of how a small sum of money had them running over to his side while Zahid had to work so tirelessly for the one witness he had found. 

Things turned back in Raza's favor. Even if the very foundation of their argument was built on a lie, Zahid knew that all of the proofs they provided would still be considered. 

At the end of the first week, both Raza and Tahir looked far too pleased, and while Zahid tried to keep his emotions in check, his nervousness was beginning to show. 

They had come too far to lose now. 

At the last meeting of phase one of the investigation, Farhan asked Zahid for a word when everyone else had left. 

"The defendant's side is too strong," he said, his arms crossed and his brows drawn together. 

"Because of obvious lies-" Zahid said, his temper getting the better of him. 

"Which can't be proven as lies," Farhan pointed out. "Simply just knowing something has absolutely no value in the judiciary." 

The rage within him growing now into helplessness, Zahid leaned back, a sigh escaping his lips. "I know." 

Even Farhan, who was heading the investigation, knew that Shahid Raza was in the wrong and that most of his statements were lies, but this bit of knowledge made no difference if there was no proof to back him up. 

"You've put up a strong fight. If this weren't a murder case, the one witness you brought in would have done the trick," Farhan said and Zahid raised his head to look at him. "The head team is going to look into whatever has happened in the first phase over the next week but be warned, things aren't in your favor." 

This man was just stating facts and if he were not the head of the investigation team, Zahid might not have held too tightly onto the frustration in him that threatened to act out. 

"Faaris will be released in a few days." 

Zahid's head shot up. "What?" 

"The proof Raza has provided is too strong," he said simply. 

Everything seemed to be going wrong now. All that fight was to come to this result? A couple of lies against all the truths he had fought so tirelessly for? 

"The only reason I am telling you this is because you still have a week. There is still hope," Farhan said and with a pat on Zahid's shoulder, he grabbed his suitcase and walked out, leaving Zahid to stare after him. 

~~~ 

There was only one thing that could save them at this point. 

Another witness. 

After all the troubles he had been through to find Qammar, Zahid doubted that he would be able to find and convince another witness within the span of one week...until it hit him. 

The person who had put the video up. 

It was obvious that he was one of Raza's men, for the video was filmed too closely to the scene. What made Zahid much more hopeful, however, was that this was someone who had chosen to stand up against Raza when he had put the video up. He had already chosen his side.

But who was it? 

That was the question, wasn't it? Who was this anonymous figure who had helped them out ever so much and yet wanted to remain unknown? 

Zahid had questioned everyone who was connected with the case. Qammar. Samra Syed. He had even questioned their neighbor, Hafsa, with Amal's help but to no avail. None of them had any idea of who it could possibly be. 

As a last resort, Zahid even turned to newspapers and social media, requesting the anonymous hero to step forth and stand as a witness against Raza, but there had been no response yet. 

He now sat in his office, trying to list down the names of Raza's men that Syed was closely associated with. With only three names on the list at this point, Zahid was not sure if this was going to help in any way. 

He was still pondering over the names when he remembered the list of names Samra had provided them with. Remembering now that Harris had saved the list, Zahid moved towards his friend's desk where his laptop lay, still open.

Harris had left a while back, saying something about checking with the newspaper agencies if they had been contacted but he seemed too flustered and panicked to be going for a task as simple as that. Zahid realized now that Harris had been acting quite weirdly for the past few weeks, and he could not help but wonder if Harris was going through some difficulty.

Deciding to question Harris when he returned, Zahid was about to click on the files when the email that Harris had opened beforehand caught his eyes. 

The money has been transferred. 

Money? Harris needed money? Is that why he looked so troubled-

Zahid froze- the name of the sender of the email right in front of his eyes. His eyes widened and he felt a sudden dread settle in the pit of his stomach. 

Faaris. 

No. That was his immediate response to the vile thoughts that crossed his mind. Shahid Raza's secretary was not the only Faaris in the world.

In spite of his denial, Zahid's heart thumped painfully, each pulse slowing down till he could feel his heart pound against his ribs. 

His brain wanting him to stop, Zahid's gaze skimmed through the emails, and the knot in his stomach only tightened. 

23/5
Can we meet? I have something for you - Harris

26/5
Warehouse, Badin Road 32 A. -Faaris

2/6
No, he won't find out. -Harris

10/6
You will get the money soon - Faaris

His widened eyes took in the several documents Harris had sent Faaris. 'Meeting minutes', 'People involved', 'Proofs'. 

The helplessness that came over Zahid at that moment was unexplainable. Shock. Surprise. Hurt. Embarrassment. Confusion. Disbelief. One after the others, these emotions crashed over him. As if someone had suddenly pulled the ground from beneath him, Zahid could only stare at the laptop screen, all of the color draining from his face. 

Harris. The man Zahid could have trusted with his life in the blink of an eye. The man he could have trusted with anything! But this-

Betrayal tastes bitter but the betrayal of a man you consider a brother has no taste. It is a tasteless poison that takes over your body slowly... seeping into your soul, till your heavy heart drums wildly, as if demanding an escape from the cage it is set in. Your hands begin to tremble as you try to make sense of what is right in front of your eyes. The blatant truth is right in front of you but your fool of a heart screams at you, not believing it to be true-

As he helplessly searched for something to tell him that his eyes were playing tricks on him... Zahid clicked on one of the documents that Harris had sent Faaris.

His gaze skimmed through the contents and Zahid's eyes widened... this time, for completely different reasons. 

All of the information in the document was fake. 

Assalamualaykum.

Whew. I am back after my exam break, but I hope this long chapter made it up for the lack of updates in the past few weeks.

Yes. Harris was innocent all along. A few of you guessed it and much to my surprise, someone actually guessed that he was giving wrong information as well! I love you guys for keeping your faith in him because Harris is a sweetheart and would never betray Zahid.

Halfway through this chapter, I felt like putting in, 'They won the case and lived happily ever after' because things are going to get terribly intense now, and the upcoming storm scares me. Yet, I am determined to have this story penned down Insha'Allah, and I hope that the end result would be worth it. 

To all those who have been with me from the start- you guys are gems, and I am so blessed to have readers like you. I hope you stick through with me for we are nearing the ending, and yet, have so much to go through together. 

Be happy, and keep smiling! It's sunnah. :)