One Tablespoon War

Chapter 1

Ahmed had never liked Monday mornings. He felt like they were meant for torturing the poor human souls, and he insisted on sleeping late every Monday just to oppose the norm. He was strange like that.

This Monday, however, Ahmed had gotten up at half past five, taken a jog in his garden, showered and was now admiring himself in the mirror. He was never one to take much interest in his appearance, but today, even he had to admit, he looked gorgeous. His body looked well-maintained, muscular but not too much. His face had a fresh glow to it, and he smelt strongly of aftershave.

He had a big meeting today. A wife of some major businessman had called him up last night, and asked for an appointment. She wanted to investigate something, but she was unwilling to discuss the matter over phone, and wasn't eager to disclose her identity either. Ahmed had been intrigued by her secretive manner, but being a Private Investigator, he was used to it. He knew the minute she walked through the door he would recognize her, or at least be able to coax something out of her. All the same, he was determined to make a good first impression.

He quickly dressed up in a navy blue striped shirt with beige pants. He gelled his hair up into a slick hairstyle. It wasn't stylish, but he looked like he meant business and that was what he wanted. He called out to his maid, asking her to pour fresh orange juice for him, as he hurriedly collected all his papers in a leather briefcase. He had been working on three cases recently, and all of them were nerve wrecking. Worst of all were the nagging people who hired him to look into their cases. He didn't understand how he was expected to show any result at all when they would not let him work.

He put on cologne and threw one last look in the mirror. Satisfied, he made his way downstairs to the dining room, where his breakfast awaited him. It was an important day, and he wanted to make sure that everything was absolutely perfect.

Later that day, he had plans for a rendezvous with his friend Ali Zain. He was an important lawyer, and almost never had any time for the two to hang out together. Although he was quite important in the world of justice, Ali Zain was more famous for being the son of President Abdul Jabbar Ahmed. Ahmed was aware of how much that irked his friend, for he had always wanted to create a name for himself in the world, and now he was stuck with his father's for life. Even when the two met, it was almost impossible to escape the guards who accompanied him wherever they would go. It was like heaven when the two would somehow manage to escape outside for a smoke.

He hoped they managed to get some time alone today as well. Ahmed had something important to discuss with his friend, and he preferred not to do it in the presence of his guards. It was part of a case, and as long as the case continued, he did not have the permission to disclose any information to anyone other than his client.

Ahmed sighed. Sometimes, he wondered what they had seen in this profession. He felt like his veins would burst with the amount of cortisol they carried. Rubbing his hands together, he got off the chair and made his way into the driveway. It was going to be a long day.

                                                                                    **

It had been a crazy day so far. Ahmed had walked into his office, situated on main Shahbaz, to be greeted by Maria Irfan. He absolutely detested this girl, and the more apparent that fact became, the more she seemed to cling on to him. Today, she was dressed in a red skin tight shirt that had a neck just deep enough to show her cleavage everytime she bent. She dropped her little folder so many times, that at one point during the conversation, Ahmed had to ask if she had touched something greasy in the morning. Her actions made him uncomfortable, and he found himself looking away in embarrassment. She had put on a set of black capri pants that were clinging to her butt as if they were holding on for dear life. He had never seen someone so slutty before. Ahmed knew he should have been flattered that this girl was throwing herself at him so openly, but in reality, she disgusted him. He had class, and he preferred to chase after girls rather than pursue those who came to him.

The only thing good that came out of her visit was that she had news for him.

'Hello gorgeous,' she had said, her chest heaving as if she was having trouble breathing. Ahmed recognized this as one of her antics and forced himself to look away.

'Get to the point, Maria,' he said in his most stern voice.

'Okay,' she said, looking a little disappointed. She fell back dramatically into her chair, her shirt sliding up, showing a bit of her stomach. This girl really was too much. 'I've news for you.'

'What?' Ahmed asked, trying not to sound interested. This girl did not need to be encouraged.

'The National Assembly received a letter yesterday, a death threat,' she spoke, her eyes glued to his as if she had X-Ray vision. 'AJ doesn't want it to get out, but he asked me to convey this to you.' She handed him an envelope, sealed and marked 'confidential'.

Ahmed wondered why he sent it through her, but then assumed that it was because she was sure to get the message through even if he denied to meet her. However, the manner in which she spoke about the President, calling him AJ, intrigued him a bit. Not so much, however, to spend more that a few seconds pondering over it. His mind shifted to the contents of the envelope. He scanned the paper quickly, not taking in what it said. Looking up, he saw Maria still standing, leaning against the wall. 

'Go,' he said. Maria did not need to be told twice.

Ahmed returned his gaze to the letter he held in his hands. He did not understand what he was expected to do of it. He had read it inside out thrice now, and it still flew over his head.

Someone will die tomorrow, Ahmed. I know who it is. I cannot do anything to help it either. I know this is not your job, but I want you to help me overcome the chaos that will arise later. I want you to take over the case and find out who the killer is. But not right now. Just pretend nothing is wrong and go on with life. Come tomorrow, you will have the biggest case of your lifetime.

-WicketKeeper10931

He winced at the use of his old username. His best friend's father, who was like a father to himself, too, had helped him make his very first email id. It would have seemed funny to some, but Ahmed wasn't laughing. In fact, he was worried. Very, very worried. He could not understand what was going on. If someone was going to die the next day, why wasn't anything being done to stop them? Who was going to die? Ahmed had an idea who, but he certainly hoped his hunch was unfounded.

If the President got killed, the nation wouldn't just lose a leader. Ahmed would lose a father.

--->

Picture on side of who I think should play Ahmed Jatoi!