A/N: A shout out to my anonymous reviewer. Glad you liked it. Thanks for reading!
Chapter 13
"First, I must thank you for your help," Imam Cemal smiled at them. They had taken seat in his office and Abdul and Sarah had followed them in. Of course the detectives had expected that but they said nothing.
"Thank us?" Fin asked, giving a sideways glance at Olivia who was just as confused.
"Yes, you helped young Abdul and Sarah out of a tricky situation. I realize that things are still being worked out given what happened at the hospital but with your help. I believe both congregations have learned a lot. Sarah comes to prayers with Abdul and he goes to prayers with her and Allah's message of tolerance is being spread through these young people," the Imam said.
"Well we're glad that we could help. Unfortunately, we need your help for this next part," Olivia told him.
"I figured as much. Mr. Abdul, Miss Sarah, thank you for bringing the detectives in. Now, if we could have the room, I'd appreciate it," Cemal said.
"Yes Imam," they nodded and quickly scooted out of the room.
"Ah young love," he smiled before asking, "How much trouble is Sarah's father really in?"
"Depends on what the DA is looking for. Abdul has already voiced wanting to drop the charges so hopefully some anger management courses and a fine. If not, he'll probably have to go to jail," Fin explained.
"You have to understand, where Efraim is coming from. Bathsheba came to me with Rabbi Tuckman to explain. Efraim lost most of his family in the Holocaust. While his parents met after the war, married, and had him, they only had each other. I'm sure you're familiar with what a child of Holocaust survivors can go through," Cemal told them.
"Regrettably, we are," Olivia frowned.
"When Efraim's father died, he flew his ashes back to the Holy Land. When he was there, there was a bombing by the Palestinians and it just triggered something. Bathsheba said that ever since then he's been a different person. Rabbi Tuckman tried to counsel him; he even recommended a doctor but he couldn't get him to admit there was an issue. Perhaps this is enough of a warning to him to get help," the Imam heaved a sigh.
"Maybe but we actually didn't come to talk to you about him either," Fin said.
"Oh? What else could there be?" Cemal wondered.
"The man who attempted to attack Sarah has turned out to be a much worse person than we initially realized," Olivia opened the folder that they'd brought and handed it to the Imam.
"Do you recognize any of these girls?" She wondered. Cemal flipped through the photos and frowned.
"Who are they Imam?" Fin asked.
"Kelebek Aksoy and Zehra Demir. What happened to them?" He wanted to know.
"We aren't entirely sure but we believe that Gus Trism may have sexually assaulted them. Do they still attend services here?" Olivia asked. Cemal looked like he'd been punched in the gut.
"Zehra's behavior changed last month. I grew concerned but when I tried to bring it up to her parents, they refused to discuss it. As for Kelebek, I'm afraid that she is with Allah now," he said.
"What happened to Kelebek?" Fin was sure that he wasn't going to like the answer.
"Her parents said that she was hit by a car when crossing the street but given what you told me I have to wonder if that is what really happened," Cemal shook his head.
"Can we get Zehra's information?" Olivia asked, knowing that they needed to reach out to Melinda as soon as they could with regards to Kelebek.
"If what you're suggesting happened actually happened then neither she nor her parents will be willing to talk to you. Perhaps we need to call them into my office and then we can get the truth," the Imam suggested.
"To be honest, if Zehra was raped, she is not going to be willing to reveal the details in front of men, especially if she's been told to hide what happened to her," Olivia said.
"Yes I could see how that would be a problem. Perhaps I can keep her parents busy in here while you question her down the hall in the library," Cemal proposed instead.
"That could work. Can you set it up and we'll meet you then?" Fin asked.
"Of course. I will try to set it up as soon as possible. Thank you for bringing this to my attention," the Imam said.
"Thank you for all your help," Olivia smiled slightly and stood up, taking the folder back from him. Fin stood as well and they said goodbye before heading back to their car.
"Call Kenny and see if he's heard anything from Melinda," he said once they got back into the vehicle. She was about to when she got a text from Elliot.
"Swing by One PP. Elliot is done with his interview with IAB," Olivia said.
"You got it," Fin nodded and pulled the car into traffic.
To Be Continued…