The Hunt for Truth Read online

“Detective Martins.” A voice rang out from across the long room.

  Arya turned immediately and spotted her lieutenant, Mike Cooper, standing across the room. It does not seem to matter where LT Cooper stood; no one could miss spotting him. He was tall, well over six feet, had broad shoulders and was built like a middle linebacker. The legend has it that he got drafted by the Giants after his third year in college, but something happened in his personal life that made him join the force.

  Arya turned around to meet LT’s gaze, who gestured for Arya to come into his office right away.

  Arya motioned her hand to gesture that she was on her way.

  As LT Cooper closed his doors, Arya turned towards Sania and said, “Give me five minutes. I want to talk to you.”

  Sania nodded, “Sure.”

  “Do you know the Starbucks that is across the street?”

  Sania nodded again.

  “Get a table and wait there. I will be there in a jiffy.”

  “Sure,” Sania said, sounding like she was whispering.

  Arya embraced Sania one more time, said, “See you in five,” and rushed towards the LT’s office, leaving Sania standing with hope.

  3

  Out of nowhere, the clouds rolled in and masked the sun, which was shining brightly a few minutes before. Sania made her way to the corner table in Starbucks with a raspberry mango iced tea in her hand. The sky above grumbled, threatening to open up. Sania peered through the glass wall, looking for her friend, Arya.

  Sania felt weird and happy running into Arya under these circumstances. It had been many years since she saw Arya. As a flash of lightning split the sky, Sania reminisced about the last time she saw Arya.

  She remembered the day as it was yesterday. The day was seared into her memory for a well-founded reason. It was the day that her life changed forever.

  June 22, 1992

  * * *

  “Chug, chug, chug….” The chants from Sania’s friends filled the Goose, a bar in Queens, NY. The girl on the front lines leading the chants was her best friend, Arya.

  “I can’t… I… I am going to throw up,” Sania slurred after downing one of the many tequila shots.

  “C’mon Sania, don’t be silly. The night is just getting started, isn’t it, ladies?” Arya egged everyone on.

  “Chug! Chug! Chug!” The chants continued as a hot bartender topped Sania’s empty shot glass with another round of Crouching Tiger.

  As Sania hesitated to down the latest shot, Arya jumped on the table and began to dance.

  If the chants didn’t turn everyone’s attention towards them, Arya’s sexy moves on the table did the trick. Before you know it, all of Sania’s friends joined the dance party.

  “Are you Ms. Aziz?” Sania turned around to find a police officer staring at her. The officer was young, must be in his early twenties, and looked like an Abercrombie model; blonde hair, blue eyes, delicate skin, and a body to die for.

  Sania nodded hesitantly, feeling confused. The many shots she downed didn’t help with her thinking, and she had a clueless look, staring at the officer.

  The chants came to an abrupt halt, and all the eyes landed on Sania.

  Arya stopped dancing and jumped down from the table. Sania’s gaze shifted to Arya and noticed something weird. Arya had a silly smile on her face.

  Before Sania could figure out what the hell was happening, the police officer pulled his handcuffs from the belt buckle and approached Sania.

  “Ms. Aziz, you been nothing but trouble,” he said in a husky voice, leaning weirdly a lot closer to Sania’s body.

  “What?” Sania’s voice quivered.

  “We need to go downtown, bad girl,” the officer said, ripping his shirt open. The music erupted in the bar, and the officer started grinding behind Sania.

  “What the …?” Sania mouthed, feeling stunned as Arya and the girls joined the dance party.

  “Happy bachelorette night, bad girl,” Arya screamed, planting a kiss on Sania.

  Arya and the girls had hired one of the bartenders to pretend as a cop for the bachelorette night. The night turned raucous as the girls cut loose, and they partied like there was no tomorrow.

  As the clock edged closer to 4 AM, the music died down, and the bar began to empty out — including their friends.

  “Girls, last call.” The bartender smiled at them.

  “I am done… I drank enough for weeks,” Sania smiled.

  “How about one for the road?” Arya insisted, gesturing the bartender for another round.

  After downing the last shot, Arya remarked, “Baby, you know, Reza is one lucky guy to land you.”

  Sania smiled shyly, “Have you seen him? I am the lucky one.”

  “Don’t sell yourself short; you are quite a catch.”

  As Sania waved dismissively, the door burst open, and Reza darted into the bar. Reza’s eyes swept the room hurriedly, trying to find Sania. The same moment his eyes landed on the far corner table where Sania was sitting, she looked up. Their eyes met only for a brief moment, but that was enough for Sania to realize that something was wrong. People say that eyes don’t lie, and, at this moment, it was very much true. Reza’s eyes had tears welled up, and, the moment both of their eyes met, tears started streaming down his face.

  Seeing her love in distress, Sania jumped from the table and rushed towards Reza.

  “Baby, what happened?” Sania put both her arms around Reza’s back and tightly embraced him.

  Sania’s voice and the warmth of her body broke the wall that held his tears. Reza began to convulse as he sobbed against Sania’s shoulders.

  “My family is dead,” he said in almost a whisper.

  “What are you saying? Who?” Sania said in a shocked tone.

  Reza slowly raised his head and said, “Everyone.”

  4

  September 12, 2001

  Germantown, Philadelphia

  Starbucks Coffee

  * * *

  Sania jerked back to the present when she heard a voice sounding her name, piercing through her consciousness. Sania turned her head towards the sound and found Arya leaning towards her to give her a friendly hug.

  “So sorry, Sania, it took longer than I thought,” Arya said, embracing Sania for a long moment before making herself comfortable in the chair across from Sania.

  “We are all going crazy with what happened yesterday,” Arya explained the state of everyone’s mindset after what the terrorists did to the homeland.

  “Fucking Bin Laden… and fuck the jihadis…,” Arya continued with her heartfelt rant.

  “So many people lost their lives yesterday, all because these fuckers thought that they will go to paradise to fuck the virgins….” Arya stopped her sentence mid-way as she realized there was a family with two small kids in a nearby table.

  “Sorry about the language.” Arya raised her hand as a gesture to apologize for being foul-mouthed.

  The father in the nearby table, seeing the detective badge that was clipped on Arya’s belt, waved his hand to dismiss the apology. “No need, Detective. Thanks for doing what you do.”

  Arya smiled while the local barista bought her a cup of coffee to the table. The pleasantry exchange between Arya and the barista indicated that she was a regular in this joint, and the barista knew exactly what she wants.

  Arya, after taking a sip of her hot coffee, looked up towards Sania.

  “Sorry for the outburst. We are all on edge, walking a tight rope - not knowing which shoe is going to drop next.”

  Sania stayed silent, feeling lost in her own situation.

  Arya realizing Sania’s predicament placed her hand on top of Sania’s hand, and both made eye contact for a prolonged moment.

  “Don’t worry, Sania. Reza will be okay.”

  Sania’s head dropped, and she just shook her head.

  “Trust me. Reza might have got stuck somewhere with what happened yesterday, and before you know it, he will call you.”

  Sa
nia pulled her hands from under Arya’s palms and said, “It is not about Reza.”

  Arya gasped in surprise, raising both her hands to cover her mouth. “Are you saying what I think you are saying?”

  Sania nodded slowly.

  “You didn’t marry Reza Tariq!” Arya said in a raised voice.

  “Shhh....” Sania motioned her hand for Arya to keep her voice down. She felt a dozen eyes in the coffee shop landing on her, thanks to Arya.

  “But, I heard the officer address you as Ms. Tariq?” Arya asked, whispering.

  “Yeah. My husband’s name is Sam Tariq.”

  “You married someone with the same last name as Reza?” Arya asked, feeling surprised.

  “Yes. Sam’s last name is Tariq,” Sania answered flatly.

  “His first name is Sam?” Arya asked with a puzzled look. Sam and Tariq didn’t seem like a name that goes together. Sam sounded more like a Christian name.

  “Samir Tariq. He goes by Sam here in the States,” Sania clarified.

  Arya sat back, thrown off by the surprise that her friend ended up not marrying the love of her life. They seemed so much in love in college, and she definitely thought they were going to end up together, especially with the history they had.

  Sania, realizing a myriad of questions would be hurled at her by Arya, said, “Arya, I know you wanted to know what happened after that night in the bar, but….” She paused to look straight into Arya’s eyes and said, “I am not ready to talk about the past — Reza. Right now, Sam is missing....” Sania could not complete her sentence as she got choked up, trying to hold back her tears.

  Arya realized that she had gone off on the wrong track. The curiosity about the past has blinded her from treating Sania as a victim. Sania had just reported her husband as missing. Arya’s behavior was unbecoming as a detective or a friend, and it was time for her to act accordingly.

  “I am sorry, Sania.” Arya crossed over to Sania and gave her a hug.

  “No… I didn’t mean to make you feel bad,” Sania choked up.

  “I know…. Let us start from the beginning; tell me how long it has been since Samir is missing,” Arya asked, sitting back in her chair.

  “I don’t know…. I can’t say when Sam went missing,” Sania struggled with her response.

  “I meant to ask, when did you realize Sam was missing?” Arya rephrased her question.

  “After the towers came down.”

  5

  Arya shuddered, and her facial muscles constricted in shock when she heard her friend utter those dreaded words. The images of the tower coming down flooded her thoughts, and left her speechless. It took her a moment to regain her senses to imagine what her friend must be going through.

  “I am so sorry, Sania. I didn’t realize Samir worked in the towers.” Arya’s voice trailed off as her gaze met Sania’s.

  “What are you talking about?” Sania said, raising her eyebrows. “Samir was not in the towers.” She felt surprised that Arya had thought Samir was in the towers.

  “Oh, I thought you said….” Arya stopped her sentence mid-way when a barista stopped by their table to drop off Arya’s macchiato. After thanking the barista, a young blonde woman who looked like a college kid, Arya gazed back at Sania and apologized, “I misconnected the dots.”

  Sania nodded in understanding and said, “I must have called him at least ten times after the towers came down, and he never answered.”

  Arya listened with concern. “Is that why you think he is missing?”

  Sania nodded, biting her lower lip to control her emotions.

  “You know, Sania, phone lines have been jammed from yesterday. It is quite possible that he tried and couldn’t reach you.”

  “I know deep down that is not the case,” Sania said firmly.

  “Okay… I know you said Sam was not in the towers; was he in New York?”

  Sania quietly shook her head.

  “He had business in New York, but he didn’t go there yesterday. He went to Los Angeles.” Sania went on to explain that Samir took the evening flight on September 10th to Los Angeles.

  “How did he go to the airport? Did he take a cab?”

  Sania shook her head and said, “No, I drove him to the airport.”

  “You did?” Arya asked rhetorically. Sania driving Samir to the airport crosses off one of the questions Arya had. Can anyone confirm Samir went to the airport?

  “I know this might be odd, but it is something routine that I have to ask…,” Arya hesitated with her question.

  “What?” Sania gave her a quizzing look.

  “Has he ever been on a trip where he didn’t call you for an entire day?”

  “Yes. But this is different.” Sania leaned forward on the table and asked Arya, “I forgot to ask you. Are you married?”

  “No,” Arya answered, feeling slightly taken aback by Sania’s tangential question.

  “Boyfriend?”

  “Not anyone I cuddle every night; you know what I mean.” Arya sat back in her chair and said, “What’s with these weird questions? If you want to catch up and chat about my love life, I am game for it. But….” She stretched the ‘but’ word and continued, “Do you seriously want to do that now?”

  “Did you call your parents after the towers came down?” Sania asked with a stoned face, not reacting to Arya’s questions.

  “Yes. Why?”

  “Exactly,” Sania thumped her index finger on the table.

  “What?” Arya looked flabbergasted.

  “I don’t know anyone who didn’t call their loved ones yesterday after the towers came down. Husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, parents, sisters, and brothers…,” Sania said, holding her gaze at Arya.

  “You got me.” Arya pointed her index finger at Sania and, with a smile, said, “Like the old days.”

  Sania’s lips slightly parted for a smile and said, “You still owe me.”

  “Whaaatttt?”

  “From all the bets you lost in our sorority games. You still owe me.” Sania smiled.

  “Whatever.” Arya laughed, waving her hand dismissively.

  “Thanks,” Sania said, extending her hand across the table to hold Arya’s. “It is comforting to have you, my best friend, to help me with this awful situation.”

  “Don’t worry, Sania. We will find him,” Arya said, holding Sania’s hand.

  After a moment, Sania lifted her gaze and asked Arya, “Can you promise me you will find him?”

  Arya knew nothing about the case assignment and if it was already assigned to a different detective. But, at that moment, she knew Samir Tariq’s case was going to be hers. There was no way she was going to let her friend down.

  “Yes,” Arya firmly said, holding Sania’s hands.

  6

  A flood of memories burst into Sania’s head upon meeting Arya. As with anyone’s past, not all of them were good. There were plenty of good memories, but a slice of terrible memories came along with it that she preferred to remain buried.

  A loud honk jolted her back to the present. At the nick of time, Sania swerved her car back to the lane and avoided hitting the car to her left.

  “Sorry,” she mouthed to a pissed-off driver, who hastily gave her the middle finger before pulling ahead of her.

  Sania made sure the rest of the drive to her house was uneventful. The last thing she needed was an accident and getting her baby hurt.

  Just as Sania was getting out of her Toyota Highlander, she heard her name being called out. Sania turned around to spot her neighbor, Kate Halladay, waving at her. Sania responded back, but not with the same enthusiasm.

  Kate motioned for Sania to wait as she hurried towards her.

  “Any news about Sam?” Kate asked, breathing hard like she had just run a hundred-meter dash.

  Sania shook her head. “No, Kate,” she mouthed.

  “What about the cops?”

  “They haven’t started the investigation yet,” Sania replied flatly.

&nbs
p; “Unbelievable!” Kate shook her head before adding, “The first 24-48 hours are the most crucial in the missing person case, and I can’t believe they haven’t started to look into it.”

  “I don’t know Kate; this is all new to me. I never thought I will be in this position,” Sania said despondently.

  “Don’t worry, Sania. It will all be okay,” Kate said in a low voice and hugged Sania.

  “You know, I can look into it,” Kate continued, rubbing Sania’s back gently.

  “You can?” Sania asked as she slowly withdrew from Kate’s arms.

  Kate nodded enthusiastically. “Definitely.”

  Sania’s expression changed in a moment from optimism to uncertainty. “Kate, you have been a good friend, and I don’t want to ruin it by taking advantage of your goodwill.”

  “Don’t be silly….” Kate waved dismissively before continuing, “If not for a moment of need, what is a friend for…?”

  Sania became overwhelmed with emotions and hugged Kate. “Thanks. Will Tom be okay with it?”

  Tom Halladay is Kate’s husband, and they both work as partners in running their private security firm, Dark Shadow.

  “Of course, this is as much his idea as mine. We both love you, and you know we will do anything for you.”

  Sania knew in her heart that Kate and Tom feel that they owe an enormous debt to her. She also knew why; her past actions seemed to be paying forward when she really needed it. The day that started with complete despair has now transformed into a day with hope. First, she ran into Arya – her best friend, who happened to be a detective, who promised her that she will find Sam. And now, Kate and Tom have offered to use their private security resources to look into Sam’s disappearance.

  It seemed almighty Allah is looking out for her.

  “Sam will be okay. Don’t worry; we will find him.” Kate’s words breathed more optimism to Sania.

  “Inshallah,” Sania mouthed silently.