The Red-Light Area

Iblis Bin Al Said

Click! Flash! Click! Click! The flashes, the camera clicks and loud journalist screaming for attention disoriented us as soon as we walked through the entrance lobby. The hotel was full of prominent people that reeked of power and money and majority of them were wearing same apparels─ thobe.

“The hotel is under high security. They are our guests, Pietro.” Raien stated eying everyone.

“And we are cops.” I stated the obvious, making him roll his eyes.

“Why are we here?”

“Because we need something that has been left here.”

“And what is that?”

“You will find out soon.”

I walked past a couple of girls, shaking head as they chatted animatedly and took the elevator to reach the rooftop.

“It’s not going to work. Those Arabs are intelligent and powerful even if one among them has done it still nobody would accept that. You will have to take the risk besides if it is one among them, we would never be able to prove it.” Raien shirked as soon as the elevator accelerated vertically.

“It isn’t an Arab, Raien. It is somebody disguised as an Arab. Iblis Bin Al Said isn’t an ordinary man who would visit our city for a mere crude-oil deal. I have found out a lot about him. He is the Sultan of Sahababad. Some body has used his name to distract the investigators.” I said looking at the camera placed in a corner of the elevator. “He is the same man who has killed Juana. I could still listen to her shrieking voice. Somebody was chasing her and then the body was found. Why would an Arab kill her?”

“Because she had denied pleasing him?” Raien articulated, looking anything but confident. “And there couldn’t be only one Iblis Bin Al Said in the world right. Maybe he was some other Iblis bin.”

“Even if he was, which I believe it isn’t. He must be here and all those transactions must be made within our city. The IP address of the bank belonged to Sahababad which meant the man knew Juana before he arrived in the city. It isn’t Hussein’s mother mystery that we need to solve. It’s Juana’s killer that will take us Hussein’s murderer.”

“So, somebody killed Hussein for Juana? An Arab?”

“Hell no! why would an Arab take it personally? He wasn’t even a regular client. The club would have provided him a replacement. I think there is a personal vendetta involved.”

“How do you know all of it?”

“Well, that’s a stupid question considering we were the first one to get the evidences. Also─ the Bookshelf in Juana’s apartment had her bank statements. There were four international transactions all from the Middle-East.”

‘But according to the police record─ all her past transactions were made in the city.”

“Who said one cannot maintain double set of accounts. By the way, the passbook I am talking about was hidden in a form literature book. She wanted to keep it a secret. That’s not it either: There was a type-writer too. Do you know what does it mean?”

“that she was an old school?”

“No, that meant she was a writer. There were ten empty ink cartridges. The type-writer was used more frequently.”

“But why type-writer when we have laptops and computer system. If she enjoyed writing she would have brought a computer system, everyone hates the noise a typewriter makes.”

“Stupid man! Every type of electronic system has storage, both temporary as well as permanent. Importantly, it allows retrieval. She didn’t want her letters to be read or found by anyone else and only typewriter is most secure tool to perform those functions. If she had used a computer system the data would have become possessable by third parties.”

“Woah! The lady was something.”

“NO, she was more than something. She was more than a mere prostitute. Maria told me that she was always looking for adventure in order to forget more important things. She used to talk mysteriously about eternal things, like surrendering to the soul of universe. She always wanted to feel the adrenaline flowing in her veins and that had often landed her into trouble. She used to forget that the only thing that should be flowing through them is blood and not drugs.”

We ended up in a lovely unoccupied suite looking out at the Tower of pleasure located in the Red-light area as soon as we stepped on the terrace. A glass door separated us from entering the main terrace and I used the scissors to unlock it. We entered inside and could see the rooftops of the city, the lights coming on one by one, the families getting together to have Friday supper and almost everything.

“We just committed a crime you know, that right?” Raien let out a low chuckle and I gave him an incredulous look which he ignored. “There are cameras everywhere. How-”

“The scissors don’t only open doors. Now get inside and hurry up.” I said as I started the search. And the feeling I had in the strip club returned: the more beautiful everything was around me, the more wretched I felt.

“You love her and she loves you, isn’t that right? You wouldn’t have endangered your life like that, if you don’t, Paige.” I heard the annoying voice and ignored it.

“Denying and lying, both won’t take you anywhere-”

“I don’t know, Raien? If you’re asking me if I liked her company, the answer is yes. If, on the

other hand, you’re asking me if I could live without her, the answer is also yes. I am a f*****g mess, man. Let’s talk about it later and finish the task we are here for.”

“And what is it? What are you searching for?”

“It’s this!” I said smirking as I watched his eyes going soccer balls.

“How did you find this?”