The Hunt for Truth

by Sury Patru Viswam

  “He couldn’t say that with certainty. He said that he knocked on their door the next day, and no one answered the door. After a week, he came to know from the landlord that Hazmi and Mihdar vacated their apartment.”

  “I guess Omar came to pick them up,” Arya said, reflecting on what they just learned.

  “The neighbor felt the same,” Greg said quickly.

  Edgar met Arya’s gaze and nodded, gesturing his agreement with Arya’s viewpoint.

  “That’s all I got, guys. Does it help?” Greg asked, turning on the engine of his car.

  “Greg, this is good. Thanks, man, this helps.” Edgar appreciated Greg for quickly jumping on this and helping them out.

  “Yeah, Greg, this is awesome. This man – Omar – was a mystery for us till now, and we didn’t even know his real name. And thanks to you, we not only have his name but a whole lot more.”

  “Anytime guys and give me a ring if ….” Greg’s response came to an abrupt halt when he heard Arya jump in with another question. “Greg, what were they talking about?”

  “Who?” Greg asked, trying to place Arya’s question.

  “Omar and the two guys. You earlier mentioned that the neighbor had witnessed a spirited conversation between them when he approached them.”

  “Got it,” Greg said as he understood the context of Arya’s question. “Hold on.” Greg pulled his notebook and flipped pages to the neighbor’s section.

  Arya and Edgar exchanged a look and patiently waited for Greg to respond.

  “Here it is…. The neighbor said they heard them talking in Arabic, and they talked about a friend missing a flight.”

  “Friend?” Arya repeated, trying to make sure that she heard it right.

  “Yeah. It seemed Omar was telling them that they have to go on a trip without their friend as he got the package for phase two.”

  “Phase two? What does that mean?”

  “He didn’t know. They never discussed it in front of him.”

  “Did he hear anything more about the package?” Edgar asked.

  “Nah… They stopped talking when the neighbor got closer to them. He didn’t hear anything more,” Greg said quickly.

  Hearing the word package from Greg triggered a profound thought inside Arya’s head. “Marisomo,” she whispered.

  Edgar stopped his line of questioning midstream and shifted his gaze towards Arya.

  “Marisomo. Omar must be talking about the package he stole from Marisomo.” Arya reacted like she was hit with a sudden bolt of lightning. She was invigorated with this discovery. “What else could it be? We know that he stole a package from Marisomo. He must be talking about that.”

  “Maybe, maybe not. It could be something else that we are not aware of,” Edgar threw an alternate viewpoint.

  “Could be, but you know what I think of coincidences,” Arya retorted.

  “I think I am with Arya on this one,” Greg jumped in. “A good cop would never believe in coincidences, especially without an explanation.”

  “Hallelujah!” Arya gestured a virtual high-five to Greg.

  “All I am saying is that I would feel more comfortable if we had any other supporting evidence. Do we?” Edgar asked, shifting his glance from the phone to Arya.

  An uncomfortable silence filled the air.

  “Nothing from my end, guys,” Greg said, breaking the silence.

  “You said that they were talking in Arabic, right?” Arya turned her attention to Greg.

  “Yeah. The neighbor said that him knowing Arabic was the only reason he was able to make out their conversation. Otherwise, he would know zilch.”

  “Us too,” Edgar stated the obvious.

  Arya and Edgar queried a few more questions about the phone call that Omar received, but Greg was not able to add much to it. It looked like Omar didn’t talk anything of value in front of the neighbor. After a few more questions, Arya and Edgar realized that they have got all they could get from Greg. The conversation came to a natural end. After a few pleasantries, they bid goodbye to Greg and thanked him again for his great work in Culver City.

  Edgar exhaled a long sigh as he glanced at Arya. “This is crazy!”

  Arya lifted her eyebrows and gestured the feeling was mutual.

  “What does it all mean? Omar being involved with the same guys as Samir?” Edgar gave a quizzical look.

  “You know what my gut tells me,” Arya paused and met Edgar’s gaze. “Samir and Omar knew each other. Samir knew the two Culver City Middle Easterners, and he got them a place to stay. From Greg, we now know that Omar met with the same two Culver City guys. You see, all of them are connected.”

  “Uh ah,” Edgar listened keenly. “No contention so far. I was just saying that we cannot make the leap about the package.”

  “Hear me out.” Arya leaned closer to Edgar. “We know for a fact now that Samir and Omar conspired together and stole a package from Marisomo.”

  Edgar nodded, gesturing his agreement.

  “From Greg, we know that Omar mentioned that Hazmi and Midhar’s friend would miss a trip with them. For a second, let us assume that friend he was referring to was Samir.” Arya stared into Edgar’s eyes. “With that connection, everything else makes sense.”

  “Samir has the package from the Marisomo break-in. Omar has assigned Samir, or they have decided together, that Samir would cancel the trip with the Culver City men and take part in phase two.” Arya summarized.

  Edgar remained silent, contemplating the scenario in his head. “It is possible.” He gestured that Arya’s scenario was a realistic one. “Do you think Omar instructed Samir or they decided together?”

  Arya thought for a moment. “You know what I think – there are no equals in these types of partnerships. I think Omar had the upper hand, and Samir was following his orders.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “Identity. Whose was protected?” Arya paused, giving Edgar to contemplate his response.

  “Omar. Omar Al-Farooq. Look at the entire landscape – Aries Financials, Marisomo break-in, bank accounts, credit card transactions, flight bookings, and setting up an apartment for the Culver City men. Whose fingerprints are in all of this?”

  “Samir Tariq.”

  “Exactly,” Arya said with emphasis. “Whose name was protected?”

  “Omar.”

  “We wouldn’t have even known his identity if not for the lucky break of a neighbor, who was well-versed in Arabic, spotting them in the mosque.”

  “Jesus! You are right,” Edgar arrived at the same place as Arya.

  “What does it all mean? What is phase two?”

  Arya shrugged her shoulders. “Beats me, no clue.”

  “Where is Samir now? Has he gone missing for phase two?”

  “Not just Samir.” Arya met Edgar’s gaze. “We have a lot of people missing – Omar, Nafisa, Hamid, Midhar, and Samir.”

  An ominous and dark coincidence dawned on both Edgar and Arya. All of them went missing around the same time, right before 9/11.

  31

  Edgar and Arya arrived at the precinct fifteen minutes past eleven o’clock in the morning. As they walked by the desk officer, Edgar and Arya motioned their hand to wave a casual greeting to him, as they do every day.

  “Hey Jimmy,” Edgar called out as he walked past the desk officer.

  Jimmy held the receiver in his hand and seemed to be pre-occupied on the phone. At first, he didn’t notice Edgar and Arya walking past him, and he didn’t respond to them. It took a few seconds before it dawned on him that the voice that greeted him belong to Edgar.

  “Hey, Edgar, Arya….” Jimmy raised his hands and called out their names loudly.

  Edgar and Arya turned around and saw Jimmy calling after them loudly.

  “What’s up, Jimmy?” Edgar walked towards Jimmy. “So, you heard me at last. Your ears are not totally out…,” Edgar laughed, poking fun at Jimmy for his delayed greeting.

  Arya walked behind Edgar,
and they neared Jimmy’s desk.

  “Yeah, very funny.” Jimmy frowned or at least pretended to glare at Edgar for pulling his leg. From the moment Jimmy turned sixty, he had become the butt of ‘old man’ jokes in the precinct. For people looking from outside, it might look distasteful and offensive. Jimmy didn’t take it that way at all; he knew that it came from a good place. Jimmy Rollins had been working in the Germantown precinct for almost thirty-five years now. He has seen every officer in the precinct from their rookie years, and he is like a father figure to most of them. Jimmy didn’t take any offense with the jokes; he thought they were almost endearing.

  “I was just about to haul your ass back here. Where you guys been screwing around?” He shifted his gaze from Edgar to Arya.

  “What is it, Jimmy? Do you need a refill for your Viagra?” Arya pushed Jimmy’s shoulders playfully.

  “Yeah, yeah, make fun. Wait till you get to my age and let us see how your libido works. You, young ones, would feel lucky if you get half of the action I get,” Jimmy retorted back.

  The banter continued for another couple of minutes before it winded down.

  “Did LT ask you to page us?” Arya brought the conversation back to the phone call Jimmy mentioned.

  Jimmy waved his hand. “Nah. LT is not here. He stopped by this morning, but it was very brief. He had to rush back for some meeting.”

  “Possibly JTTF,” Arya guessed.

  Jimmy motioned his head, gesturing his agreement. “I would say so.”

  “If not LT, what is it?”

  “A young girl walked in thirty minutes back regarding her missing husband,” Jimmy started.

  “Sania Tariq?” Arya quickly asked as she turned her head towards the waiting room.

  “She is not here,” Jimmy motioned his hand to point towards the interview room. “I asked her to wait in Interview Room Two.”

  “Thanks, Jimmy, will talk to her.” As Arya and Edgar were about to head towards the stairs, they heard Jimmy’s voice asking them to wait.

  “It is not Sania Tariq that is waiting. Her name is Julia Berg,” Jimmy said evenly.

  Arya glanced towards Edgar as if to ask him if he knew any Julia Berg.

  Edgar shrugged. “Never heard of that name.”

  “Me neither.” Arya turned her attention towards Jimmy. “Why did you want to call us? Did she ask for us?”

  Jimmy slowly shook his head. “No. She was here to file a complaint about her missing husband – Eli Berg.”

  “Eli Berg?” Arya repeated the name slowly. She then closed her eyes for a moment as if she was trying to place the name.

  “Never heard of him too.” She shrugged her shoulders and turned towards Edgar to see him concur with her.

  “Let me make it easy for you, guys. I asked her about you two, and she doesn’t know either of you,” Jimmy started. “The reason I called is that I know you would like to talk to her about her case,” Jimmy said cryptically.

  “Us? Why?” Edgar looked surprised and curious at the same time.

  “She mentioned that her husband left home on the night before 9/11 and hasn’t seen him since then.”

  “Night before 9/11,” Arya repeated as if she was trying to confirm that she heard that right.

  “Yes. Just like your friend’s husband.” Jimmy nodded.

  Arya’s interest was certainly stoked now. “Did she say that her husband was a friend of Samir Tariq?”

  Jimmy shook his head. “No, she did not.”

  Arya was bewildered. She thought Jimmy wanted to call them because there was a connection between both the cases.

  Jimmy shifted his gaze from Arya to Edgar and brought it back towards Arya. “However, she said that her husband was having an affair, and he left her house that night to meet up with his mistress.”

  Jimmy paused for a moment as if he knew that would make his next statement more dramatic.

  “Guess who her husband was having an affair with?” Jimmy’s gaze squarely landed on Arya.

  Arya drew a blank; she had no clue. She stole a glance towards Edgar, and he looked even more bewildered.

  “Who?” Arya asked, feeling lost.

  “Sania Tariq, your friend,” Jimmy declared, leaving Arya and Edgar stunned.

  32

  Interview Room Two

  * * *

  There was no front wall to the interview room, only a mirrored wall. The interview room must have been painted at the beginning of the last decade, as the interior walls were exposed with peeled paint. The room was painted with a dark shade of grey, and it looked slightly bigger than it actually was, possibly due to the mirrored wall. There was a table in the middle of the room, with chairs on either side of it. One chair was on one side of the table and two chairs on the other side. They were all made of aluminum.

  Julia Berg sat on the side of the table that had only one chair, and the two chairs placed on the other side of the table were empty. She was shown to the interview room by the desk officer when she walked into the precinct almost twenty minutes before. She nervously drummed her fingers on the table, feeling nervous and antsy. She took a big gulp from the can of Coke in front of her. It was her second can of Coke in the last twenty minutes, and it was not helping her nerves. She desperately needed a smoke.

  Like every other interview room in a police precinct across the country, this one was brightly lit. There is a reason why the interview rooms were all lighted up bright and vivid. It is for the mirrored wall. The mirrored wall actually serves as a one-way mirror. The one-way mirror is made up of a glass that is coated with a thin transparent layer of aluminum. This makes the mirror reflective and transparent at the same time, reflective at the brightly lit end and transparent at the darker end. This is the reason why the suspects are always placed in a brightly lit interview room, and the cops stand back and observe their behavior from the darker room.

  Julia lifted her gaze from the binder in front of her and stared at the mirrored wall. She has seen enough Law and Order shows on TV to know that it was a see-through wall. She started to wonder if Arya Martins was on the other end of the mirrored wall. Julia had earlier learned from Carter, her Private Investigator, that the lead detective on Samir Tariq’s case was Detective Arya Martins. Detective Martins is also Sania Tariq’s close friend.

  Walking into the precinct, Julia understood that it would take overwhelming proof to convince Detective Martins to believe in her side of the story. Julia’s gaze shifted to the blue binder on the table, and she knew it in her heart that she had convincing evidence with her. Carter had come through with the evidence of Eli’s transgressions, not just the present but also the past.

  Julia’s inner thoughts were interrupted when she heard the door. Her gaze lifted from the binder in front of her and landed on the door across the room. A man and a woman walked into the room. Julia, without thinking, rose from the chair as their gaze fell on her.

  Arya gave a customary smile and introduced herself as Detective Martins before gesturing towards Edgar and introduced him.

  “Julia Berg.” Julia extended her hand to Arya first and then did the same with Edgar. Julia had a nervous smile on her face as they exchanged introductions.

  “Please,” Arya gestured towards the chair for Julia to take a seat.

  “Do you need something to eat or drink?” Edgar offered.

  “No. Thanks for asking,” Julia replied politely.

  “I guess you know why I am here,” Julia nervously looked at both the detectives.

  “To be honest, not much.” Arya exchanged a brief look with Edgar before continuing, “We were told that you walked into the precinct asking to see us.”

  Arya decided not to reveal that the desk officer had already shared the information about her suspicion of Sania having an affair with her husband. Arya wanted to hear from Julia firsthand and read her face. Not for a second, Arya believed that Sania would be the kind of a person to sneak around and have an affair with someone’s husband. Her bias was w
ith Sania, and she suspected that Julia was somehow involved with Samir. Julia was possibly trying to distract the investigation with this ‘affair’ story. On the other hand, Edgar was not sure about Arya’s theory. He thought Arya’s interpretation was little farfetched and probably biased due to her history with Sania.

  “Oh! I thought…,” Julia hesitated with words. “The desk officer would have mentioned my missing husband.”

  “We didn’t have much of a chance to catch up with Jimmy Rollins – the desk officer. He was on a call,” Arya said, before turning the attention back to Julia’s husband. “About your missing husband….”

  “Eli Berg,” Julia filled in the name.

  “Eli Berg,” Arya repeated the name as she noted it down.

  “When did he go missing?” Edgar asked.

  “September 10th,” Julia said.

  Arya lifted her eyes from the notebook and gazed at Julia. “Did you say September 10th?”

  “Yes.”

  “When did you file the case?” Edgar asked.

  “I haven’t reported him missing.” Julia’s words drifted towards the end.

  It was Edgar who jumped in with the next question. “Was there a reason why you didn’t report him as missing for five days?”

  “Because I know he was not missing,” Julia replied curtly.

  Julia’s reply was confounding, and it baffled both the detectives.

  “What do you mean?” Arya asked. “I thought you said your husband is missing.”

  “Yes. In the beginning, I thought Eli ran away….” She cleared her throat and continued, “But now, I think he is missing.”

  “Ran away?” Edgar asked. “With whom?”

  Julia shifted her gaze from Edgar to Arya and said, “With her friend, Sania.”

  33

  “Wait…. Are you saying that your husband, Eli Berg, has been having an affair with Sania Tariq?” Arya asked.

  “I am not just claiming; I know it for sure.” Julia’s voice rang with an air of certainty. Her face carried an expression of anger and defiance, which is synonymous with a person who believes that they have truth on their side.