Alina gulped the fear shooting in her nerves; hence, decided to face the inquiry.

"But what do you want to know from me?" She hesitated at first.

"It's a murder case Miss. We have to inquire every person who is related to Mrs. Farhan and the victim, so please if you follow me?" The officer said in a stern tone.

Mrs. Farhan sighed in relief that he didn't hear their conversation.

Alina found no choice and obeyed the officer after giving an assuring glance to Mrs. Farhan.

"So Miss...?" Officer asked.

"Alina. Alina Imtiaz." She said and the officer nodded, writing the info on his notepad.

"How are you related to the owner?" The inquiry started.

"I work here, as Mrs. Farhan's assistant."

"No blood relations with her? Friends before? Any other?"

"No. I'm only her worker."

"From how long you have been working with the lady?"

"One month."

"One month? Well, that's a very short time to get so close to someone." A deep voice interrupted.

Alina turned only to find Asad Qureshi standing, eyeing her suspiciously. She gulped the hesitancy and asked.

"What do you mean, officer?"

"I'm just saying that you two get along very well, for which one month is a very short time." Asad's piercing gaze bore into her. Alina didn't reply and turned her face away from him.

"Continue," Officer Asad said again but instead of leaving he calmly occupied a chair right in front of Alina like he had no other job to do.

"So annoying." The girl thought, glancing at the determinant officer.

"What about the victim named Rasheed, the guard, who was found dead on his chair, early morning? Do you know him personally and about his family?" Questions continued.

"I only knew him as our café's guard. I've no idea about his family." Alina answered.

"What about your family? Any particular reasons why are you working here?"

"Okay... this is getting personal." She thought and contemplated how to answer that question.

"I've only a sister in my family. I'm doing my job here because, of course, I need to feed myself and my sister as I am not blessed with a brother or other relations." She said, trying to be innocent.

The two officers exchanged glances.

"How old is your sister? What does she do?"

"My sister is only fourteen and she mostly stays at home because she is blind."

"Oh, I'm sorry." A sympathetic smile formed on the first officer's face but Asad sat emotionless.

"Rude much."

"Your sister stays alone at the house?"

"No, a part-time maid looks after her when I'm away."

"Okay, fill here these details so when needed we can contact you afterward." He gave Alina a paper and she took it.

"What did you use to do before your job here?" Asad asked and Alina's working pen stopped.

"Ugh. I'm so much hating him." She thought.

Alina was about to answer but a high piercing shriek shook the café, startling everyone.

"It's from the main kitchen."

Voices spoke, followed by cops and workers rushing to the source of the scream. Asad also stood up, his hand moved to his holster as he took out his revolver and paced towards the kitchen.

Alina closely trailed behind, curious and scared at the same time.

Loud gasps filled the room as everyone saw a dead body lying on the cold marble floor. Dark red blood oozing from the body's chest, staining the spotlessly clean white tiles.

It was Mrs. Farhan. Lying dead on the floor.

The deadly bullet must have come from the big glass window in the kitchen which opens in an alley. No gunshot was heard, indicating the killer had put on the silencer.

"Mom!" Her daughter Amber broke into sobs, the horrific scene shaking the poor soul.

"Stop! No one dares to move! Stay where you are! Rehman. Close the café and make sure no one goes out. Amir. You come with me." Asad Qureshi screamed orders and went to the window which was now shattered. Cops immediately obeyed his orders.

Asad broke the remains of glass pieces with his kick and jumped out. His black boot hit the floor of a backside alley but he didn't lose balance. He groaned in frustration when he found the alley empty, only trash cans and abandoned furniture welcomed him. He even checked the roadside area but found no one suspicious. Obviously, the murderer escaped!

"Shit." Mumbling incoherent words Asad went back.

He was furious that who dared to murder when he— Asad Qureshi— was present in the same building! Who dared to deceive him!? Who tried to underestimate his power!?

The scene inside was quite emotional and heart-wrenching. Alina was tightly holding Amber who was continuously trying to wriggle free from her grip and was crying hysterically.

The café workers were forced to stand in the corner and cops were performing their assigned duties. The café was being sealed. The dead body of the unfortunate lady, Mrs. Farhan, was being taken for autopsy.

Mrs. Farhan only had Amber, her daughter, and her husband who was currently in Oman. Most likely, he would be returning soon after what happened to his wife.

"Rehman, ask for backup, make sure no one escapes after proper inquiry and if you suspect anyone arrests him or her. Inform the victim's husband quickly and by the time he will return, this girl will be under the protection of authorities." Asad commanded, taking immediate steps.

The rest of the day was filled with grief. The café was silent, mourning over its owner's death. Two tragic deaths in a day surely had shaken every soul.

Everyone was confused and scared. Thinking why this hell broke on Mrs. Farhan? Why was the guard of the café killed? Were they the killer's next target? Who was behind this mystery? Who was murdering people?

Alina, on her way back home, thinking the same but in a different way. Police didn't let her go easily, they interrogated everyone, took fingerprints and warned that no one was allowed to leave the city before this case is solved and the suspect is behind the bars.

Alina sped her pace, fallen yellowish leaves crunching under her sandals. The sun was on its way to set. The beautiful sky above was painted with orange, light blue and purple hues looking like a perfect picture on a canvas.

Ignoring the inappropriate whistles from the boys smoking cigarettes in the corner, Alina reached the door of her house. Twirling the key in the lock she pushed the gate and stepped inside.

"Oh glad you're back. I thought you were strangled by the cops." A female voice welcomed her and Alina rolled her eyes at her sarcasm.

"So you got the news, Saira." Thumping herself on the sofa she threw her scarf away.

"It's all over the TV. Look."

Alina glanced at the TV, on which the city's famous news channel was broadcasting Officer Asad's interview. He was confidently standing in the group of officers outside the police station with reporters surrounding them.

"Sir, why was the owner killed? Is it a revenge game? Or a conspiracy to spread terror? Or it will be leading to a great terrorist attack?" A news reporter was asking.

"We are finding reasons, and have patience. Whoever is responsible, will surely be punished by the law. We have eyes everywhere, we will take immediate actions of any terrorist activity." Calmness was evident in Asad's tone.

"Sir, do you suspect anyone? Did you arrest any employee working in the late owner's café?"

"We have not arrested anyone, yet. But we are trailing suspects of this case."

"Sir, what about the first murder? Do you think both are killed by the same person?" Their questions were never-ending.

"It is not confirmed but we have doubts that–"

"Sir, how can you say it is not confirmed? Why are our agencies slow? Why are authorities not taking effective measures?" Reporters turned aggressive.

"I've already told you our departments–"

"Nonsense!" Alina furiously switched off the TV, cutting off the voices.

"Where's Maryam?" She asked the woman named Saira.

"She's sleeping." Came a short reply.

"Tell me Saira! You didn't check the background properly?" Alina stood up.

"Of course I did, it was our perfect mark. A woman with only a daughter running a small café. Her husband was indulge in illegal business in Oman and sending her money from there. Poor woman wanted that money to be saved so she tried to invest it and we took that opportunity to successfully scam them, leaving no clue." Saira said.

(mark: a potential victim of con-artists)

"Café's guard was murdered right after I left, removing every record from Mrs. Farhan's PC," Alina was now moving back and forth. "And today Mrs. Farhan, was also killed. Police are investigating the issue. Don't you think we are stuck in a big problem?"

"Not at all, just chill partner. It's a fresh murder case. A hot topic of gossip for the media, the reason why police are paying extra attention to it. Don't you worry. As the time will pass this case will soon be abandoned!" Saira tried to convince her.

"Last night, you left nothing behind? Erased fingerprints from the computer?" Saira asked.

"Yes." Alina mumbled, lost in her thoughts.

She was considering what Saira was saying. She thought that it was true. They only had to wait— with patience.

•••••••

At the Police Department, Asad Qureshi was sitting on his leather chair, studying the case's file. His attention diverted when his phone rang.

"Yes? Officer Asad speaking," He said, picking up the call.

"Sir, we found an evidence."

Asad quickly stood up and asked desperately. "What is it?"

"Sir, according to the autopsy report of Rasheed's dead body, it is clear that the killer first tried to choke him using bare hands but then stabbed him with a knife. And we recovered fingerprints around Rasheed's neck using magnetic Fingerprintpowder. It matches one of the workers of café."

"Who is he?!" He desperately interrupted.

"Not he sir, it's she. Owner's assistant, Alina Imtiaz."

♦♦♦♦♦

Hi everyone!

I hope this chapter was not boring..

From now I'll update weekly.

If you like it, don't forget to vote, comment and share!

_A.M_