[ murder spoilers. proceed with caution. ]
alex still couldn’t believe the news. how could something like this happen in the valley? though no one knew ismail’s cause of death yet, it seemed unnatural and wrong, a bubble that someone popped. it unsettled him to know that something like that could happen in the town he saw as nothing short of idyllic, and his shattered worldview was only a piece of his inner turmoil. ismail had been his boss. one who overworked and underpaid him, but someone he felt he knew nonetheless.
all of this boiled in his mind as he settled uneasily into the chair across from lewis and waited for him to start the tape recorder. it came to life with a mechanical whisper, and alex’s eyes followed the ribbon’s perpetual motion just for anything to steady his gaze.
“where were you on the night of tuesday, october 6?”
alex looked up at lewis. he was afraid lack of eye contact might rouse suspicion. “i went home after work and did some grading. i had dinner, and after that i went to the beach for a while. i’ve been staying at henry’s, as i’m sure you know, and it’s hard not to have space of my own. i wanted to get some fresh air and clear my head some.
“which isn’t to say henry isn’t an excellent host,” he was quick to amend. his nerves ticked up again. “i just haven’t lived in my own home and slept in my own bed for so long. it takes a toll.”
“yes, a toll,” lewis echoed before looking back at his question sheet. alex wondered what that meant. he swore he wasn’t guilty, but an interrogation could make anyone feel that way. his skin itched as he waited for the next question. “can anyone confirm your whereabouts?”
“no. i was alone on the beach,” alex answered, dismayed. his nerves climbed another notch, and he began to feel antsy. alex was never antsy.
“what was the nature of your relationship with mr. haq?”
“he was my former boss. at joja mart. i worked there as a clerk, and did a lot of thinks. worked in the stock room, greeted guests, worked the cash register.”
“you did a lot there,” lewis mused.
“i did,” alex replied.
“was it stressful?”
what did that mean? or did it mean anything at all? was he reading into the questions too much?
well, that one was probably a yes, at least he knew that.
...unless?
“alex?” the mayor prodded him, and he twitched slightly.
“oh, sorry,” he jerked his gaze from the wall behind lewis, so he could look him in the eye. “yes, it was stressful. i worked a lot of hours at joja mart. it was tiring, especially in addition to my workload teaching the students.”
“i can only imagine...and how often did you interact with him? ismail.”
“uh, most days, i would say. he was usually there when i worked if he didn’t have business outside the store.”
“when did you last see him?”
“i haven’t seen him for a while, actually. i haven’t been to the store since i quit, and i didn’t see him around time. i just heard about him around town.”
“around town?”
“yes. i heard he was seen a few times around town, very upset. i, ah, heard that joja mart fired him, and he wasn’t happy with it. understandably so, of course. who could blame him.”
“certainly,” lewis mused in a way that made alex nervous. it’s just your friend lewis. it’s just your friend lewis. maybe if he repeated it enough times, he’d believe it. until then, his foot tapped against the floor, desperate to release some of the tension inside him.
“and who was it that you spoke with about him? who saw him around town?”
“uh, i talked to sasha, actually. very briefly. we met in passing at the general store the other day, and we talked about joja mart closing. she mentioned ismail got fired.”
“hm. and did anything seem out of the ordinary either in town or in your interactions with mr. haq prior to tuesday, october 6?”
“other than joja mart closing down and him losing his job, no. but like i said. i haven’t seen him in a while.”
“of course...and do you know anyone else who might have information pertaining to mr. haq’s death?”
alex thought for a minute. he hadn’t talked to many people around town since he heard the news, and he didn’t have any further ideas about why or how anyone could have done this. he still wanted to believe it was an accident. “i don’t.”
“all right then. those are all the questions i have for you today. but do you have any other insights or information about the case that you wish to share?” lewis asked, looking at alex over the top of his glasses, which had fallen slightly down his nose.
“no, i don’t. not right now. but i’ll be sure to let you know if i learn anything else that might help.”
“thank you, alex. i do appreciate it. never in all my years as mayor as anything like this happened. we do need to get to the bottom of it.”
“yes, of course. i want to help in any way possible. this is our community. we have to keep it safe.”
“indeed, we do,” lewis agreed as he switched off the recorder and rose from his seat. with one hand, he gestured toward the door. he didn’t need to tell alex twice. he forced his stride to remain even when in reality he wanted to bolt from the house. he never wanted to do something like that again.
