Something About Aimee by S.E. Smith

Author:S.E. Smith [Smith, S.E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: S.E. Smith

Chapter Twelve

Qadir frowned when he saw the police vehicles parked in front of the Harris building. He was about to step out of the limo when he saw Tarek exit the building and stride toward the car. A bodyguard pulled the door open and Tarek entered the limo with a sharp command in Arabic. In seconds, the limo pulled away from the curb.

“What happened?” Qadir demanded.

“Carthmen is dead.”

“His heart?”

Tarek shook his head. “A bullet to the head. It looks like a suicide.”

Qadir studied his brother’s face. “You don’t sound convinced.”

Tarek shook his head again. “The angle was wrong—Carthmen was left handed. The gun was in his right hand.”

Qadir lifted an eyebrow. “Murdered? By whom and why?”

Tarek gave him a grim smile. “I can’t answer the who, but I can guess at the why. I’ve been doing some deeper research into Carthmen’s business dealings, following the money. It led to a shell company owned by Atri Holdings. The name sounded familiar.”

“Atri Holdings belongs to Andrius Bronislav, the Lithuanian billionaire,” Qadir replied.

“Yes, and he’s good friends with Rashid al Hamid.”

Qadir grimaced in distaste.

Rashid’s mother, Dima, was Qadir’s great aunt. Rashid’s father was Faiz al Hamid, a sheikh of the northern tribe, who had ruled with a brutal sword thirty-two years ago. Faiz had tried to strip Jawahir of its wealth, killing thousands of people in the process. The marriage of Dima and Faiz was intended to heal the Civil War, but once Faiz had an heir, Dima mysteriously perished in a riding accident.

Rashid had all the ruthless callousness of his late father, but it was extremely unlikely that he would ever rule. His chances of rising to the throne of Jawahir had significantly lessened with the birth of Qadir and his brothers. Rashid’s animosity flared when policies were put in place to diminish the already limited power he held in the cabinet.

“Do you think Rashid was behind the attack? What did Carthmen have to do with it?” Qadir asked.

“Carthmen could have been convenient. What I know is this: There is a connection between Carthmen and Rashid through Atri Holdings. Atri Holdings has been trying to sell our computer chips to countries on our banned list. Unrest is growing in our northern region. One of our mines collapsed, a transport of raw materials was bombed, and a man I have on the inside hasn’t checked in for over a month. Do I believe Rashid was behind the attack on you and the killing of Carthmen? Yes. Can I prove it? No. Various pieces of evidence suggest that he’s the one stirring the pot, but I think it is time I check out what is going on there in person.”

“Make it happen,” Qadir stated.

The limo slowed. Qadir frowned when he saw the street leading to Becker’s closed off. A small crowd was gathering behind a row of cars. A news reporter stood with her back to the building, talking as two people from the coroner’s office emerged from the building with a body in a large black bag.

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