“Yes. I left Tokyo that evening, but by the time I arrived, she was gone.”
Damon tilts his head slightly, “Security footage?”
“No.” Abrahim shakes his head and folds his hands in his lap. “It is an old facility. Poorly maintained. Underfunded. There are entire wings no one uses anymore. The few cameras still mounted on the walls no longer work.”
“And Maryam hasn’t contacted you?” Hawk probes.
“No.”
“And she hasn’t returned home?”
“No.” Abrahim shifts uncomfortably in his seat. “She does not live with me, but she hasn’t returned home to her husband, either.”
And there it is…it’s always the spouse.
I open my mouth, but Hawk speaks before I get the opportunity to say something that would probably lose us this job. “What can you tell us about him?”
“He is not a good man.” Abrahim’s expression hardens, and voice grows more bitter. “Our father arranged the marriage before he died. I argued against it, and Maryam cried for weeks. But tradition mattered more than anything to him.” He shakes his head. “I have regretted it every day since.”
“Did she ever say she was afraid?” Hawk presses. “Would she have wanted to leave him?”
Abrahim doesn’t answer right away. When he does, hiswords are careful. “She tried to be brave, and she is well cared for. But yes. She was afraid.”
“Why bring us in?” I ask.
“Because you’re the best,” Abrahim answers immediately. “And this situation requires discretion. I do not trust the local authorities; her husband is the head of the police force.”
Hawk asks a few more pointed questions: names, timelines, jurisdictions, and the chain of command at the hospital. Abrahim answers all of them that he can without hesitation, before pulling a slim folder from beside his chair and sliding it across the table. Inside are copies of interviews with medical professionals, Maryam’s driver’s statement, and a short list of officers loyal to her husband. It isn’t complete, but it’s enough to sketch a plan to help us find this missing woman.
“I think we have all we need for now,” Hawk confirms.
“I have arranged accommodation nearby for you,” Abrahim adds. “Close, but not here. I understand your preference for independence.”
Hawk tips his head. “Appreciated, but we have already secured our own lodging.”
The meeting ends with polite formalities. Outside, the sun dips low, stretching shadows across the perfect gardens. The air cools just enough to tease relief, carrying the scent of night-blooming flowers and distant traffic.
“Well,” Damon exhales once we’re in the SUV and rolling away. “That wasdifferent.”
“Yeah,” Gunnar says quietly.
Hawk watches the estate disappear behind us. “Something’s off.”
I nod, staring out at the city lights that blur together as we speed past. “Yeah. But what?”
I wake up already tired. The aftermath of the adrenaline drop that follows a day of rough calls gives college hangovers a run for their money. There isn’t a muscle in my body that doesn’t have a dull ache. I stare at the cracked plaster overhead, stretching to relieve the soreness.
As I’m contemplating rolling over and going back to sleep, there is a heavy knock at my door. “I swear, if you’re still horizontal in thirty seconds, I will come in there and physically remove you from that bed,” Zahra calls through the wood.
Shit… I forgot.
“You say thateverytime,” I shout back.
“And one day, I’ll mean it. Now, hurry up and move your tiny ass, the shuttle leaves in fifteen minutes.
I roll out of bed, quickly tugging on loose linen pants and a short-sleeved shirt. After brushing my teeth, I pull my hair into a messy bun atop my head. Outside my apartment,Zahra is leaning against the wall, a thin scarf draped artfully over one shoulder and a woven bag hanging from her elbow like she’s about to be interviewed for a lifestyle article about Nurses Who Take No Shit.
“You ready?” she asks.
