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Sunday morning, as Suheera and Howie lay in bed asleep, Randall scouted the property for any evidence that Fareed had been there. He’d found the man’s car the night before, parked a quarter mile down the street. He called a friend who repossessed cars for a living and asked him to tow the vehicle away. He had him leave it parked illegally so it would be towed by the police, giving them some record of when and where the car was found, many miles away from the estate.

Randall took all of Suheera’s wedding clothes to the dry cleaners Monday morning, paying extra for express service. He thoroughly cleaned her knife, sheath, shoes and jewelry to remove any possible traces of blood so that there was no chance of her being tied to Fareed’s death. Monday afternoon he took Suheera to the gun range for some target practice, which would give them both gunpowder residue on their hands. She had accompanied him before, and he went often on his own, so being there would not look suspicious.

The clean-up crew at the estate trampled any foot prints, and a good heavy rain Monday night washed away any evidence he might have missed at the estate. Randall was feeling good about his efforts to hide the death. It wasn’t that he wanted to, but felt like the Doroughs had been through enough already.

Howie and Randall were eating breakfast in the kitchen Wednesday morning, the television tuned to the news. Saleena had just come back inside, carrying a tray of dishes, as she and Suheera had dined out in the garden that morning.

“We have breaking news this morning. A body discovered washed up on a Malibu beach late last night has been identified as Malibu resident Fareed Shakir. Authorities have not released the cause of death, but anonymous sources say there were bullet wounds in the chest. For more information, we join Holly Roberts.”

“Mr. Shakir is a well known local architect, who was featured several years ago in Southern California Architecture magazine. He is a prominent and well respected member of the Muslim community, as are his family, who emigrated from Iraq forty years ago. However, in recent months there has been speculation that there is a darker side to the Shakir family.” The reporter was shown standing in front of the closed gates to the Shakir family compound. “Fareed Shakir spent two years in prison after a plea bargain agreement to involuntary vehicular manslaughter, even though witnesses said Fareed deliberately drove into the other car, killing his pregnant wife and older brother. Since his release three years ago, Mr. Shakir’s name has been linked to drugs and prostitution, but he has not been arrested in connection with illegal activity.”

“But the story takes an odd twist, doesn’t it Holly?” the anchor interrupted.

“It sure does, Megan. We’ve learned that Mr. Shakir was arrested for rape four months ago and is out on bond. The victim’s name was not released but sources report it was Suheera Karimi. You may remember her as the Iraqi woman who helped rescue The Backstreet Boys after they were kidnapped on tour last year. She was granted political asylum and entered the US a few months after the rescue. A month after Fareed’s arrest, Miss Karimi’s bodyguard killed a man attempting to kidnap her as she entered a mosque. Police identified the dead man as Fareed’s brother Roshan, who supposedly died in the car accident. The family would not comment on why Roshan’s death was faked and where he had been the last five years.”

“Do we know any details about Fareed Shakir’s death?” Megan asked.

“Not much has been released yet, but sources say the police think Mr. Shakir was about to leave the country using falsified documents, but would not elaborate on the details. Celebrity gossip site TMZ is reporting Miss Karimi married Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys in a secret Malibu wedding on Saturday. Could the two be related? We will continue to follow this story as it develops.”

Randall flipped off the TV with a scowl and looked to Howie, all the blood had drained from his face. Saleena set the tray down with a clatter, shaking at the news.

“Do you know anything about this?” Howie asked.

Randall shook his head. “Are you ok?” he asked Saleena, she looked dazed. Howie’s cell phone rang; he walked into the other room to answer it. Randall knew he needed to tell Suheera, and hoped that she had the good sense to act surprised. He didn’t need to worry; she too paled at the news.

“Will you give us a few minutes?” Saleena asked him, leading Suheera further back into the garden for privacy. “There is a lot you haven’t told me, Suheera! Fareed raped you? And his brother tried to kidnap you? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I just wanted to forget it happened. I was ashamed,” she said softly. “I was going to tell you while you were here because it involves you as well.”

“How?” she asked. “I don’t know who those men are, I’ve never met them.”

“Your brothers Tamir and Miskeen are running a prostitution ring in Baghdad. Naseem is also involved,” she said.

“That doesn’t surprise me. My brothers are idiots,” Saleena said.

“The men who run the ring are your cousins. They live here in Los Angeles.”

“I never heard of any cousins living in America,” Saleena said. “My brothers never mentioned them, neither did my father.”

“I did not tell you that Naseem had arranged to sell me to Miskeen and Tamir,” she said softly. Saleena gasped. “One of the cousins had been living in Baghdad. He was on his way to pick me up when Howie arrived. Your cousin’s name is Roshan Shakir.”

“Fareed’s brother? Fareed and Roshan are my cousins?”

Suheera nodded. “Roshan told me the story, just before he died. He was going to kill me.”

It took a moment for this all to sink in for Saleena. “Do you know anything about Fareed’s death?” she asked.

“No. But the world is a better place without him, he was scum,” she said. “I am just worried about the police coming in and asking questions. I dated the man and killed his brother; you are my best friend and cousin to the dead man…”

“And he died the same weekend you got married,” Saleena finished for her.

“The media are going to try to tie the two together,” Suheera said. “We are supposed to leave for our honeymoon the day after tomorrow – and going out of the country. They may not let us leave.”

“It’s going to be alright,” Saleena reassured her, although she wasn’t so sure. “Let’s go back inside, maybe Howie knows something, his phone rang just before we came out here.”

A few minutes later, Howie walked into the room and sat down. “Do you know anything at all about this?” he asked her. Suheera shook her head, hoping Allah would forgive her the lie. “The detectives are coming this afternoon to talk to everyone.”

When the detectives arrived at the house, they asked to question everyone separately. Suheera was nervous but was able to pass it off as shock at Fareed’s death. She told them the last time she had seen him was the night he raped her. They then questioned Randall, taking him away from the others.

“Now Mr. Meyers, you’ve already had one run in with the Shakir brothers already,” Detective Carter prompted.

“Yes, when Roshan Shakir attempted to kidnap Mrs. Dorough,” Randall said. “I was able to fire a couple rounds into the vehicle as it drove off, one of which killed him, unfortunately. It wasn’t my intention to kill him, just to disable him enough to get my client back safely.”

“And you have extensive training in firearms?” he asked.

Randall nodded. “I’m retired US Army intelligence. I have extensive training in combat and weapons of all sorts. I spent most of my time in Iraq and Afghanistan, sir; I know the culture and the languages well.”

“Did you have any dealings with the Shakirs before all this?” he asked.

“No, sir. I was hired to protect Mrs. Dorough after the rape. They were afraid of the Shakir family as Fareed’s mother threatened an honor killing.” He had to explain that to the detective, who was not familiar with Islamic customs.

“Do you mind if we inspect your weapons?” Detective Carter asked.

“I brought them in from my vehicle, I expected you to ask to see them.”

A few moments later, the detective finished his inspection. “These have all been fired and cleaned recently. Why?”

“I went to the range on Monday, my day off. I try to go at least once a month in order to maintain my skill level,” he explained. “The range owner was there and we spoke, he can vouch for me. There were several other people there as well.”

“Thank you, Mr. Meyers; we will contact you if we have any further questions.”

“Will my clients still be able to leave on their honeymoon as planned on Friday? They are going to Puerto Rico for two weeks.”

“I don’t see why not, unless something comes up in the next day or so. They are not under suspicion, it just seems to be a coincidence that this all happened on the same weekend,” he confided in Randall. “I’d like to have their itinerary and contact information. Will you be going with them?”

“Yes, I’ll be with them as head of their security detail. I’ll make sure to get you that information.”

“Thanks,” the detective said as Randall walked him to the front door. “Mrs. Dorough wasn’t planning on leaving the country with Mr. Shakir, was she?” he asked.

“Oh hell no,” Randall said. “She was afraid of him. There is no way she would have anything to do with the man. Why?”

“On the body, we found two sets of fake ID’s and passports – one set had Mrs. Dorough’s photograph on them.”

“Perhaps he was planning on kidnapping her,” Randall suggested. “We had extra security at the wedding, but nothing happened – everything was quiet the entire evening.”

“Ok, thanks for your cooperation. We’ll let you know if we have any more questions.” Randall breathed a sigh of relief as he closed the door behind the detective.

Later that day, Suheera pulled Randall aside. “Is everything ok?” she whispered.

“Yes, I think so. They are not suspicious of anyone here they said.”

Suheera breathed a sigh of relief. “I do not regret what happened, he deserved what he got.”

“And now he rots in hell with his brother,” Randall added. “May Allah damn them both forever for their sins.”

Saleena returned home, but with plans to come back. After seeing America, she wished to move, there wasn’t much waiting for her in her homeland. Suheera was ecstatic, she wanted her best friend by her side more than anything.

Before they knew it, Howie and Suheera were on their way to their honeymoon in beautiful Puerto Rico. Howie had rented a house on the beach, Randall accompanied them as security. They spent their days playing in the sun, the evenings partying, and the nights making love. When they returned home, there were no more questions from the police and the murder remained unresolved.