Exiled Heart by Jennifer Haynie

Author:Jennifer Haynie [Haynie, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: On-the-Edge Publications
Published: 2019-03-11T16:00:00+00:00

23

Tuesday afternoon, Ziad checked his in-box on the desk used by District Five’s reserve officers. Two interoffice envelopes rested in it. The first held his letter officially transferring him to his new posting. The second contained a glossy eight-by-ten with a sticky note from Detective Rothschild attached to it.

Ziad studied the note. He stared at the photo. A frame from the video surveillance when the detective had interviewed the Egyptian sailor. A sick feeling started in his stomach.

It showed the tail of the Arabic character for Brother on the man’s left hand.

Exactly like what he’d seen on his three suspects.

Why did a sailor in Charleston have the same tattoo in the same location as the three suspects in Jeddah? He drummed his fingers on the desk. Not good. Not good at all because it meant Prince Yasin’s reach extended far beyond Saudi Arabia. He considered the article he’d read on Saturday, plus Ben’s new job on the Zap task force.

Maybe his friend could help. He picked up his cell phone and dialed.

“Ben Evans.”

“Ben, it’s Ziad.”

“Hey! How’s it going?”

Ziad endured the small talk before asking, “Do you have a few minutes to meet me this afternoon?”

“What’s up? You and Claire patched things up, right?”

“We did.” Not that they’d had any time together since then. “It is about what happened Saturday night. Claire told you, yes?”

“Yeah. Faith’s lucky she wasn’t alone.”

Ziad outlined what he’d found.

Suddenly, Ben was all business. “We do need to meet. Say, four o’clock at the Starbucks on King Street?”

Ziad did a quick calculation in his head. He had to be at the Quick Fill by six to work until ten, but he could do that. “Yes. I will be there.”

Ziad spent the rest of his shift drafting reports before he changed into his Quick Fill golf shirt and a pair of khakis and headed downtown.

Ben was on time.

Once at a table on the second floor where they couldn’t be overheard, Ziad slid the photograph to him.

Brow furrowing and hand rubbing his chin, Ben studied it. He shook his head. “This is nuts.”

“Nuts?”

“Incredible. Like Prince Yasin’s establishing a distribution network here in Charleston. What else do you have?”

“His name. Yousif Ali. He sails with the Lady Beatrice.”

“Bad stuff. Bad, bad stuff. But this is a great lead.”

“What can I do to help?”

“Nothing.”

That stung. Really, it did. But then again, Ziad was now a mere reserve officer and a convenience store clerk, not a member of the elite FBI.

Ben focused on him. “I don’t want to bark up the wrong tree.”

“What?”

“Get this wrong. But then again…” He cleared his throat and straightened. “I’ll pass this on to the task force, okay?”

What else could he do? Frustration balled in Ziad’s stomach.

“I’ll keep you posted.” Ben checked his watch. “Look. I hate to say it, but I need to go. I’m picking Em up since my Forester’s in the shop for an oil change.”

He rose and took both the photo and the note with Yousif Ali’s stats with him.

Ziad remained where he was.

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