Friends Always Win in the End!
by Ruwen Rouhs
Chapter 16
Tracking Down the Wanted
The pics on Arash's wildlife cameras didn't show anything special had happened during the last two nights. A sequence of images from the backyard was an exception. Around midnight at the first nigh a young fox showed up, foraged for food in the garden and finally smelled the plate of cat food Arash had left at outside the door to the garden. Tentatively the fox climbed up the four steps to the door, nosed at the food and retreated to the garden. Sitting on his hindlegs he seemed to contemplate the situation. Then he obviously decided the food was for him. He climbed up the steps again and gobbled up the food. The next night he showed up again. Went straight up to the door and inspected the now empty plate and then went back to the garden. There he waited some minutes, tapped the ground with his tail and finally left with hanging tail. It looked he was deeply disappointed. Arash and Severin shook with laughter. "We'll have to get cat food later so he doesn't have to leave hungry again."
They put off the shopping and went up to Arash's room in the attic. While Arash rummaged through his papers, Severin lay down on the bed. "The pillow smells like you," he said with his nose buried in the cushion.
Closing his eyes Severin asked, "Have you finally found what you need? What do you need anyway? There's no schoolwork during the vacations."
"A handout! My father wrote a leaflet a few weeks ago. In it he describes the experiences of two young women in the prison of the secret police, the Evin prison."
"And why do you need that?"
"The two were activists in the Women-Life-Freedom movement. They were both tortured, first tortured with electric shocks and raped! My father called for the end of the Mullah regime in the leaflet!"
"And that's why they want to kill you, the Mullahs and their secret service?"
"I assume so. They believe in kin liability."
"In what?"
"Collective punishment! If VAJA men beat me up, they'll beat up my father! If the Mullahs kill me, they kill my father! It's as simple as that!"
Arash looked dismayed, as if he had only just realized the danger he was in. Severin had never seen him like this. He stood up and put his arm around him. But Arash shook him off. "No! Now I realize that I put you in danger too, you and Naim and Tanner! They could have pushed Naim under the water to drown him."
While Severin was still thinking about what that could mean, Arash pushed him aside. "You have to go home now. I'm staying here!" "
No, I'm staying with you or you're coming with me."
"No way! I'm staying here. If I come with you, I'll not only endanger you, but your whole family also!" "Then I'll stay here! A friend doesn't abandon his friend in danger!"
When Arash shook his head, Severin took him in his arms, "We're teammates, we're friends, we're...." then he thought for a moment, "I...., I... I need you Arash!"
Later they got a message from Henner: "We got Goldtooth. One of our liaison officers recognized him on the street in front of a mosque. He followed him to his apartment. The special unit wanted to arrest him there. When they came to his door, he jumped out of the window into the yard. He broke his ankle in the process. Now he's waiting to be interrogated."
Severin: "Great! And now?"
Henner: "Where are you? At Arash's house? I'm coming over with Tanner. Stay there!"
Severin: "We just wanted go home. Why stay?"
Henner: "Danger is not over jet! You two are still on the list of the VAJA. One of Arash's pursuers has been eliminated. The other is still free and the Iranian secret service probably has more helpers."
Severin: "Do the police know them?"
Henner: "All of them? No! Certainly not."
Later Severin messaged his mother using the family account:
"Hi mom, we're fine. Arash is mowing the garden and I'm cleaning the aquarium. Henner has been messaging. He wants to come over tonight for a role-playing night. Is that ok?
Sophia Stark, Severin's mother: "Does it have to be at Arash's place? Can't Henner come over for role play. Tell him he's invited."
Severin: "Oh, mom! It can get noisy when we're role-playing. Why don't you allow it? I'll be 18 soon, remember."
Sophia Stark: "I ask your dad!"
After some minutes Severin's mother messaged back: "You can stay at Arash's place. Dad agrees, but just for one night. And! Don't stay up too late or get drunk!"
Severin: "Thanks mom. You know I don't tolerate alcohol and Arash either. Give my love to Dad. Greetings to Lisa. Tell her, there is no reason to be jealous. Role Plays are boring for girls!"
It was already dark when Henner arrived Tanner in tow. Severin and Arash's stomachs were rumbling because they had eaten only cookies since breakfast. As if he had known, Tanner had talked his father out of four delicious kebabs and bought some Coke.
Over lunch, the two of them heard the latest news. "When our liaison police officer reported Goldtooth whereabout, the R4-buggy was parked outside the house he visited. Shortly afterwards, when the special unit arrived, the car was gone. But we were lucky. In the afternoon, a patrol officer noticed the car in the garden of a villa in the diplomatic quarter. Now we just have to find out who is living there."
"Can't the police just walk in and arrest him." "You think so? Probably, the residen ce belong to the embassy. Therefore, they are off limits. It's the same for their guests, that is for Goldtooth buddy."
"Then the special unit has to wait till her leaves the premises?"
"Waiting is the frustrating thing about being a police officer."
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