CHAPTER SIX

As one door opened, another closed, which was pretty much the story of my life. Going back to the starting point of my search was not at all easy for me. After a whole year of off-and-on clues and an ongoing investigation, Emir and I arrested the suspect on the run. Unfortunately, he left us way too soon and with explosive information we did not see coming.

With little to no definite answers in hand, I paid Fikret a visit in prison, where I was granted permission for a private conversation, but he refused to meet with me. Though no surprises there either, it was worth a shot. After his long-term conviction, he secluded himself from his family, denying them a single visit. I never understood his reasons, and neither did they. Perhaps it was shame and guilt over his unlawful acts, which had landed him behind bars in the first place.

With no further leads to pursue, I took it upon myself to reopen closed chapters, looking into the Yilmaz history altogether. Something had to give, as I was convinced of a connection despite all odds.

Berkay Yilmaz was the beginning of the new thread. Born in 1939 in Istanbul. He was murdered in 1994 during a public demonstration. Just a few hours after the shooting, a seventeen year-old named Murat Aslan turned himself in and was in possession of the murder weapon. Detailed examination confirmed the accuracy of his confession. He was tried as an adult and convicted for attempted murder, with a sentence of life in prison. He was now thirty-eight years old, serving his time in Istanbul’s federal prison, and was my second person in line to question.

Meanwhile, my plan to stay closer to Bahar was now set in play. With a phone call to Nuran and a dinner invitation, I had her hooked for a very long time. Though I never planned to take advantage of her attraction to me, this was my only way of keeping a closer eye on my former and only, lover, especially after closing Melek’s case. Her uncle was breathing down my neck, yet I still had no progress in finding the person in charge of the mysterious photo message. Perhaps Hakan was as involved in illegal matters as his brother was. Only time was capable of exposing the truth.

One night, I stopped by Nuran’s place to pick her up for dinner. She was elegant as usual, with a provocative touch that turned heads all night. Though we didn’t have much in common, she was a fun person to hang out with. She loved to joke and laugh out loud, but behind her green eyes there was an unusual silence. At times, she’d be in the middle of a conversation and perhaps remember something or someone, then she’d pause and stare for a minute or two.

“You have great taste. The wine is amazing.” She smiled, pouring herself a third glass.

“Thank you. Careful not to get drunk,” I joked.

“It takes a lot more than a bottle for me to get drunk. Don’t worry.”

“Cheers!”

“Cheers to you, detective! So, is your family in Istanbul too?”

“Yes. Both my parents live in Istanbul. I don’t have any siblings, though. I am an only child.”

“Unlike me, I have two younger sisters who live with my mother. They’re still in school. My father is deceased.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you.”

“So, you and Selim are old colleagues, I heard.”

“Yes, that’s right. I grew up in Antalya. My father and Mr. Karaman were business partners and close friends. After my father’s passing five years ago, we moved to Ankara and settled with my aunt.”

“When did you find the time to travel?”

“Before I graduated, I took time off during school holidays and summer vacations. I loved roaming the world and so did Selim, and so we often went together. That was, of course, before he moved to Paris to continue his master’s degree.”

“Interesting…I did not know that.”

“Yes. He loved Paris the most. It’s where he met Bahar.” She smiled, quaffing her glass to the last drop.

“Yes. I heard.”

“How did you and Bahar meet?”

“Well, I was the assigned detective in Melek’s hit-and-run car accident a year ago. Besides, our families knew each other from before.”

“That’s right. I heard about the little girl. She was young, wasn’t she?”

“Yes. Thirteen years old.”

“How sad!”

“Very sad. Unfortunately, Melek had no family, and Bahar loved her like a sister.”

“She sounds like a compassionate person.”

“Who?”

“I meant Bahar.”

“Yes. She is.”

“Tell me about her. What is she like?”

“I am not sure what to tell you, exactly.”

“I am curious about her personality. She doesn’t seem the type to trust people that easily. Sometimes I get that look of uncertainty in her eyes while looking at me. Maybe she doesn’t like me.”

“I am sure it’s not what you think. Besides, you two are working together now, and sooner or later you will get to know her yourself. My knowledge is nothing important.” I smiled back, trying to keep my admiration of Bahar to myself. I was in no position to express my undying love of her. Especially to Nuran.

“Yes. You’re right. Maybe I am worried about it way too much. On the other hand, she and Selim seem to get along well. I really think they will end up together.”

“Well, if that’s the case, then good for them.” I raised my glass for another toast while cursing the thought of such union. I was not prepared to the idea of Bahar with another man. Not in my presence, at least.

“What about us, Kenan?”

“What about us?”

“Are we, like, dating, too? Where do we stand?” She smiled with her eyes half shut. She was already starting to lose herself on the first round of drinks.

“We are two friends who are getting to know each other. Isn’t that a good start?”

“Yes. I guess it is.”

Dropping Nuran off at her apartment did not go as well as planned. Even though I promised myself to be more careful with my every move and not to lead her into any romantic beliefs, her wild kiss could not have waited any longer. She was so eager to move our relationship to the next level. And so I took off before anything more serious could happen, as I had no intention to overstep the line of commitment with her. I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to, either.

The following day, Emir and I met to discuss the proper arrangements for meeting the killer in custody, Murat Aslan. Pulling up his rap sheet, we saw he had no known family except for his elderly father, Mehmet Aslan, age sixty-one. 

Murat’s only sibling died at the age of six. At the time of Murat’s arrest, he was a high school student with advanced grades. What drove him along such a reckless road, all of a sudden? It was a critical question that bothered me the whole ride there. What were his motives for killing Berkay? He wasn’t even involved in any politic gang. What triggered his deadly action?

After checking through the security gate, we sat in the waiting area expecting our suspect of question. Upon his arrival, he stood before us looking clueless of everything. He didn’t even look us in the eyes or care.

“Sit down,” Emir said, pulling up a chair for him.

“I’m Detective Kenan Gocer, and this is my partner Emir Polat. We are here to ask you a few questions.”

“It’s very important that you listen carefully,” Emir said. Murat’s eyes looked farther down, not bothering to acknowledge either one of us.

“Berkay Yilmaz.” Suddenly his head rose up and looked at me as I looked back at Emir. I must have hit a sensitive nerve that caught his full attention.

“What about him? He’s ancient history.” Murat replied.

“Maybe, and maybe not,” I continued. “Why did you kill Berkay Yilmaz? What personal agenda did you have against him?”

“I said what I had to say the day I turned myself in. I have nothing else to add. Feel free to question my attorney.” Murat stood up when Emir walked back to him to stop him from leaving.

“Wrong move. We’re not done yet.”

“Answer the question, Murat. It’s a simple question. Why did you kill Berkay Yilmaz? In your confession you stated that you had a motive, but you never said what it was. What was it?” Once again, my temper was on the rise. I’d had enough denial from around me already. It was time to cut to the chase.

“Look, Murat….We’ve done our research. Your father, Mehmet Aslan, is an out-of-work mechanic. He has been since the day you were born. Meanwhile, you were a hard-working student with high expectations and a part-time job, taking responsibility for your family. What changed overnight?” Emir asked, exchanging a frustrated look with me. Murat remained silent, refusing to talk. He knew we were on to him. He was starting to get nervous while still seated.

“I’ll tell you what changed. Your younger brother, Othman, got sick, real sick, and he was in desperate need of an operation. His heart was about to fail.” Murat’s eyes filled up with tears as I continued to drill his secret pain. “Months went by without a proper treatment. You didn’t have enough money for food, yet on the day that Berkay Yilmaz died, Othman was taken to the hospital to get the operation he needed.”

“It was too late. We didn’t get to him in time.” Murat cried like a child, grieving his brother’s loss.

“Where did you get the money for the operation, Murat?” Emir questioned.

“Someone offered to pay the hospital fees in exchange for your freedom, and all you had to do was to turn yourself in for the murder of Berkay Yilmaz. No questions asked.” I exposed our speculation, waiting for him to confirm its accuracy. “Isn’t that what happened Murat? Isn’t it?”

“Stone.”Murat announced, leaving us speechless.

The same person who ordered the hit on Bahar, and who we originally thought might be after Fikret. Something was not adding up. Berkay’s death was over twenty-one years old. How could that even be possible?

“Who the hell is Stone?” I yelled, slamming my fist on the table, when the guard came in to escort Murat back to his cell. Our time was already up, not that Murat knew who Stone was anyway. Chances were that he had never met the guy either. “Damn it!” We were back to square one. 

With no additional time to spare, Emir and I left the prison site, frustrated, unable to put two and two together. Too many question marks with no explanation. Though we had no clear identity, we knew that the one person known as Stone had multiple connections to more than one crime, which made him a very dangerous villain, a most wanted criminal whom I was determined to find myself.

Increasing security around Bahar was the first step Hakan took upon learning of the new information. I was set not to tell a single soul about meeting with Murat, but after the information he revealed, I had no choice but to tell Hakan the truth. I was afraid for Bahar’s safety. Meanwhile, she continued to live her life as normal as possible, unaware of the dozen watching eyes around her. Every passing night I woke up thinking of her, wishing to go back in time and change the way things ended between us, but no dream was ever to come true.

A few weeks went by with no events. Stone remained a mystery waiting to be solved. My relationship with Nuran was casual. From time to time, she’d try to step over my boundaries, yet I allowed her no chance to cross that sensitive line. My heart was fully committed to another woman, even though she herself was clueless.
In the meantime, I watched Bahar and Selim grow closer. Their mutual work at the new institute caused them to spend a lot of time together, as I lurked in the background watching them from a faraway distance. Many times I’d seen him reach to fix a single hair dangling off her face, I’d picture myself in his shoes and by her side. Life did not seem fair, yet nothing was anymore.

One day, Hakan’s complete background check came in, and Emir walked into my office to hand me the sealed envelope containing the deal-breaking truth. As eager as I was to rip it open, I took my time to browse through the papers that revealed a whole other identity behind what I thought was reality. Mr. Hakan had done prison time. He was arrested on murder charges one month after his father’s assassination, which meant that he had never emigrated to Paris like he had claimed before. Interestingly enough, he was released from prison the same week that Fikret was arrested on embezzlement and weapon smuggling charges. Too many coincidences at once.

My mind was not registering all of Bahar’s family past. Sadly, she was surrounded by so much more drama than I ever thought. Not sure of what was to come next, I decided to sleep on Hakan’s past and not confront him just yet. Of all things, Bahar’s life was on the line, and soon enough, the so-called Stone who tried to kill her on more than one occasion was planning to strike again.

During that same time, my search for my stepsister continued. For the longest time, it seemed as if the earth split open in half, pushing all possible leads beneath the rubble before closing up again forever. Izmir was the last place that Elif had been to since her separation from my mother. I ran her name multiple times through local medical centers and agency databases, but no results were found until the day I got the phone call for which I was impatiently waiting. A disability center located in the heart of Istanbul called to inform me of the possibility of a matching patient with the same name and date of birth.

Quickly, I dropped everything in hand and rushed to check the accuracy of my quest, only to get hit by a heartbreaking event. Elif Korkmaz was in fact my long-lost sister. She was thirty-eight years old and a permanent patient at the disability center. Both her physical and mental health were on the line. Over time, her severe depression put her in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. She lost the will to walk again, surrendering herself within a world of disability and seclusion.

Upon confirming Elif’s identity, I asked to meet her. Just looking at her rocking away in her lazy chair, unaware of her surrounding, broke my heart in awful ways. She was looking out the window observing a bird feeder hanging from down a tree. Meanwhile, I was having difficulty pulling myself together. I wanted to run and hold her tight, and tell her that everything would be okay. That I found her mother, and that she didn’t have to be alone anymore. But of course, I couldn’t.

Slowly, I walked up to her. She was holding on to a piece of jewelry from around her neck, a gold pendant which originally belonged to my mother. I had seen it in an old photograph once before, yet I had no recollection of the story behind it or how it got to Elif in the first place. She turned her eyes up to face me. I smiled, but her reaction remained the same. To her, I was a total stranger.

Just the thought of telling my mother about Elif was, without a doubt, the heaviest burden I had to carry over my shoulders for the next few weeks.
How on earth was I supposed to tell her? My mind was shot with grief, and so I decided once again to keep my discovery to myself. Meanwhile, I visited Elif on daily basis. I had to build a slow yet meaningful connection first, which would somehow make her reunion with my mother less dramatic. 

I wanted Elif to become familiar with me before having to introduce her to her birth mother for the first time. It was a heartbreaking challenge for the both of us, for me to control the urge of revealing the truth, and for her to open up to a new person in her life.

Every day I visited her, I’d bring her flowers of different colors and types. She saved one of each inside her album’s pocket. Soon, she got used to seeing me, and her face would glow upon my arrival. I originally introduced myself as a detective who was doing some research around campus. We would talk a little about her life at the hospital and even my own, and she loved hearing stories about Bahar and me. She loved her even before she met her. 

Elif was fragile in so many ways, but our therapy sessions seemed to have slowly helped her recovery. She was starting to dream again, and to picture the outside world without the fear of disappointment, and so the only thing that was left for me to do next was to tell my mother the truth.

Digging back into someone’s past is a daring move we are not always ready for, yet it’s a critical shift of events when it comes to saving the lives of those we love dearly. Not knowing what to expect is a breeze of oddity driving us into all kinds of directions, even the most dangerous. Every little detail we come upon is crucial enough to draw someone’s destiny and perhaps our own, for better or for worse. To be prepared to dive into the unknown is a bravery not everyone is ready to assume, but once we take a leap into the road of adventure, the impulsive act becomes a part of who we are, of how we think while unable to stop ourselves from living the moment of challenge as we look for the daring truth.