A Prayer for the Devil (21 page)

Luke regained control as he said, “I’m not upset with you as much as I’m embarrassed with my own behavior. I never should have said the things I said.”

Shivering, she replied, “Wait here, I need to get my coat.”

As she ran back to the apartment, Luke yelled, “Get some shoes also.”

A few minutes later she reappeared, wearing a coat, shoes, and a knitted wool hat. She looked at Luke and smiled. “Can we agree to forget the last ten minutes?”

“That sounds good to me.”

Jami motioned to the building and said, “Can we walk? Many of the people who live here are strict Muslims, so it’s probably better if they don’t see me with a man in the apartment.”

In an attempt to lighten the mood, Luke smiled and commented, “Nice hat.”

She laughed. “Are you making fun of me?”

He looked at her. “No, I’m being serious.”

It was hard to ignore just how beautiful she was. Her long thick hair, clear expressive eyes, and gorgeous smile made it hard for Luke to look away. Her feisty personality seemed unusual for someone who grew up in a country where women are suppressed as second-class citizens. As they walked, she said, “Please tell me what you know about the bombing.”

Luke relayed what he had heard from Blade without using his name. She processed the information quickly, asking, “Have you been able to verify any of this?”

“No. I thought you might be able to help.”

“Did you look up the dates for the baseball games he told you about?”

Luke laughed. “You’re kidding me, right?”

She looked at him sincerely. “Why is that funny?”

“Jami, there is no bigger rivalry in professional sports than the Yankees and Red Sox. I played baseball in high school, and for much of my life I dreamed of playing in Boston. I didn’t have to look up the dates; they are etched in my memory forever. Baseball is a religion in Boston.”

She smiled and asked, “How can I help?”

“Can you ask some of the people you trust at the mosque about the construction company?” Then he had another idea. “Maybe we can find mosques that were built around 2004 and see who did the construction. There have to be records for building permits.”

She looked at him and said, “I’ll do anything to find the people who killed my sister.”

Then she stopped walking, turned to face Luke, and asked, “How did you decide that my sister was innocent?”

“When I started thinking about everything that happened, nothing made sense. She wouldn’t have been on that stage if the bombs were planted years ago. And then I read a note that my brother wrote about Ablaa.”

“What did it say?”

He smiled at her. “It said that she was the kindest and most loving person he’d ever met and that she was an inspiration to him.”

She grabbed his arm. “Luke, she really was a very special person. As you can see, I have a temper. Ablaa was always calm, always peaceful and kind. I never saw her raise her voice in anger.”

“I wish I could have met her.”

Smiling, she replied, “Me too.”

As they passed a small coffee shop, Luke asked, “How about I buy us a couple of cups of coffee to go?”

She agreed, and he entered the shop for a few minutes. When he came out, he handed a cup to Jami and said, “I think one of the workers in there recognized me.”

“I’m not surprised. You’re in the newspaper almost every day.”

Luke grew serious. “Jami, you need to be very careful. It’s more important that you’re safe than it is to get information. Only talk to people that you would trust with your life. Whoever killed Ablaa and Aaron would kill us in a heartbeat if they knew what we are doing.”

“Don’t worry, I’m going to pretend that a friend is looking for a building company and wants a recommendation. Then I will ask if there are any local companies that employ Muslims. I don’t think my friends will suspect anything.”

“OK, just be cautious. I’ll research the mosques that were built around 2004, and I may even go visit a few to see what I can find out. Maybe someone will talk to me.”

“Why don’t you call me in the morning and we will compare notes?”

Being cautious, Luke replied, “Let’s not talk about this on the phone. How about we meet in front of the coffee shop tomorrow morning at ten?”

She agreed. They said good-bye, and Luke headed for his car.

LUKE TOOK OUT HIS
cell phone and made a call before starting the car. John answered, “Good morning.”

Relieved, Luke asked, “How did you make out last night?”

“Great. I stayed in the office, and got up early to start work. I’ve already fixed the sink in the doctor’s office, and now I’m organizing Aaron’s office. Someone named Jim Hathaway called. Says he’s going to meet me here this afternoon.”

“He’s a really nice guy. I’m sure you’ll like him.”

In a soft voice John said, “I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done.”

“I’m happy to help.”

Luke told John that he was heading back to the house to work and asked him if he would join them for dinner later. John accepted.

Luke then received a call that was disappointing; Sal couldn’t find anyone who knew anything about a construction company with crescent symbols on their trucks. He promised to keep looking, but
Luke could tell by the sound of his voice that he had already given up. Maybe he had asked Sal for too many favors.

Once home, he went into the library and logged on to the computer. Bringing up an Internet search engine, he typed in the words “mosques built in Boston 2004.” When the results filled the screen, he found a newspaper article describing the construction of a new mosque in Roxbury. Searching the prior and subsequent years, he found four that met his criteria.

He ran out to the car, entered the first address into the navigation system, and immediately headed to Roxbury. Pulling up in front of the mosque, he was amazed at the enormity of the structure. Aware of the fact that Muslims prayed five times throughout the day, he approached the building cautiously, not wanting to disturb anyone.

Luke opened the massive door to peer inside. Seeing and hearing no one, he stepped in. As he looked around he was awed by the architecture. Arched columns led the way to the prayer area, which rivaled that of any Roman cathedral.

Based on his research, Luke knew that this particular mosque also contained a religious school for children and a community room. He walked down a long hallway that led away from the prayer area in hopes of finding someone to talk to. Seeing a young boy walking toward him, he asked, “Can you please tell me where the imam is?” The child smiled and pointed to a doorway just a few steps away.

Luke gently knocked, and a second later the door opened. A peaceful-looking man appeared, dressed in loose-fitting white clothing and a turban. Luke asked, “Are you the imam?”

He shook his head affirmatively, but he warily asked, “Yes, how can I help you?”

Not wanting to reveal his identity, Luke didn’t introduce himself but said, “I have a question for you.” Again the man smiled, but he
didn’t speak, so Luke continued. “Can you tell me the name of the construction company that built this beautiful mosque?”

Staring at him, the imam said, “Why?”

Why? Luke thought to himself. Not knowing what to say, he replied, “I’m doing research on mosques that have been built in the area and wanted to talk to the companies who constructed them.”

The man said softly, “There were many people involved in the construction. We don’t share that information. Please look elsewhere. Now if you will excuse me, our afternoon prayers are about to start.”

Frustrated at the lack of information he was receiving, Luke turned to walk out the door. As he began walking down the hallway, he heard the imam say, “Father Miller, when you decide to tell me the real reason you need the information, perhaps we can talk again.”

Startled, Luke turned around and began walking back toward the office. Before he reached the doorway, it closed. He knocked several times to no avail. With people entering the mosque for prayers, he had no other choice but to turn back and leave through the same door he had entered just minutes ago. Once in his car, he entered the next address and sped away.

The other three imams had a similar reaction to his questions, although they were friendlier. As Luke entered each mosque, he had a sense that they were expecting him. It was almost as if the first imam he had met called every other mosque in the area and told them not to talk. Two imams said they had no idea who built the structures. The last one told Luke that he had only been at his mosque for a few years and that the construction was completed before he arrived.

While driving home, Luke realized that he already knew the best person to provide the information he needed. If anyone could get the name of the company that requested the building permits for these mosques, it was Lori Simpson. The governor’s office certainly
had access to this data. Luke wondered if Lieutenant Governor Dick would question why someone would need this information. He also needed to figure out how he was going to ask Lori without giving her the full story.

As he pulled up to the house, he was glad to see that Lori’s car was still there. Hearing him enter, the children ran to the front door to greet him, and he lifted each one up in his arms. He carried them into the family room, where Deborah and Lori were talking. Deborah smiled and said, “Well, where have you been all day?”

Luke put Abel and Alessa down. “I had a few errands to run.” Changing the subject, he asked, “Were you two up all night?”

Lori answered, “No, why?”

“Well, when I saw your car here this morning, I figured you were probably up all night chatting about your new boyfriend from the restaurant.”

Lori looked at Deborah and said, “I think he’s jealous!”

They all laughed, and Deborah filled him in. “Richard is out of town at the annual governors’ meeting for the next few days, so I asked Lori to stay the night.”

Luke smiled and answered sarcastically, “Yeah, sure.”

Deborah playfully picked up a pillow from the couch and threw it at Luke. Not wanting to engage with her, he caught it and gently placed it on a chair before excusing himself.