“Are you sure?” I pressed. “You were closer to him than just about anyone.”
“I swear I have no idea.” Nasser looked flabbergasted. “You don’t think Ali was cheating on you, do you?”
“No, but he owned a whole house without telling me.” Emotion clogged my throat. “Which means hewashiding something.”
He slid his laptop in front of him. “What’s the name of the LLC?”
“The FiveA’s.”
He punched a few keys. “Let’s take a look.”
“What are you doing?”
“Searching the Virginia Corporation Commission.”
“What will that tell you?” I asked. “Can you see the operating agreement?”
“No, that’s private.” He focused on the screen. “But every LLC has to have a registered agent. Either a lawyer or a member of the LLC who lives in-state.”
My pulse pounded. “What does it say?”
“Fred Perkins.”
The name wasn’t familiar. “Who’s that?”
Nasser kept his eyes on the screen. “He’s the registered agent.”
“Have you ever heard of him?”
His face clouded. “No, but he’s an attorney.”
“I thought you were Ali’s attorney.”
“I am . . . I was.”
“Why wouldn’t Ali use you if he needed a lawyer?”
“That’s a good question.” Nasser exhaled. “Maybe Perkins specializes in real estate law or business law.”
My mind churned. What if Ali had other reasons for not wanting Nasser involved in this particular transaction? I always thought my husband trusted his cousin implicitly. My stomach soured. Maybe Ali had a dirty little secret that he wanted to hide even from his closest friend.
Nasser shook his head, disbelief etched on his face. “There has to be a good reason for this.”
“I agree. Now, I need to know what that good reason was.”
“Maybe they had business together,” Nasser suggested. “It’s possible Perkins is a member of the LLC.”
“How do we find out? Ali was paying the mortgage out of a joint account. Don’t I own the house now that he’s gone?”
“If you do, the agent, Fred Perkins, should have contacted you by now.”
“I guess I’ll have to reach out to him.”
“Let me do it for you,” Nasser offered.
“No.” I refused a little too quickly, almost reflexively. “I’ll do it myself.”
“You don’t trust me?” Hurt showed on Nasser’s face. “Wallahi, I swear to God, I knew nothing about this. I wouldn’t hurt you like that. And neither would Ali.”
