A Bombing Enigma Read online

  Cynara gasped in shock. “What are you saying Charles. Do you hear yourself? How can you justify this? There need not have been any casualties. Instead, Elizabeth should have gone to the police. Jimmy could have been stopped all together.”

  “Jimmy was determined and could not be stopped,” Charles said obstinately.

  Cynara shook her head in vexation and asked, “What was Elizabeth’s plan?”

  “She met Jimmy and told him how miserable she was with George. He also hated George because of his dalliances. She convinced Jimmy she too wanted to convert to Islam and become a martyr. Elizabeth wore a wig along with an overcoat and accompanied him to Qureshi’s shop where they bought the necessary Islamic books,” Charles responded.

  “A wig that resembled Ruth’s hair? Was she trying to frame Ruth?” Cynara questioned.

  “That was just by chance. Elizabeth had to wear a disguise to protect herself. Jimmy also understood it was imperative that nobody should recognize her. The Stewarts are a very well-known family in all of Yorkshire,” Charles explained. “Elizabeth went through the motions of converting along with Jimmy. Jimmy had originally planned to join Abaan in Iraq. Abaan was angry at his treatment in England and wanted to carry out a terrorist attack on British soil. However, his group in Iraq refused to allow him to return to England. Jimmy decided to carry out the attack in Abaan’s place and become a martyr.”

  “He was really true to Abaan and sacrificed his life for him.” Cynara shook her head sadly. “Jimmy wanted to carry out the suicide bombing at a venue in London?”

  “Yes, in London,” Charles replied. “Elizabeth convinced him into targeting the races in York instead, so they could annihilate George Stewart as well as still hurt the British people. Jimmy agreed. They destroyed all the evidence that could link him to Abaan, like the USB pen drives on which he had saved Abaan’s messages.”

  “What about the one I found with Abaan’s email?” Cynara asked.

  “It was not in Jimmy’s possession. Elizabeth thinks he probably left it in the car and George placed it in the box with the rest of his USBs,” Charles said. “Shortly before their suicide mission, Jimmy recorded a message to the world. On the day of the bombing, he strapped himself with the bomb. Elizabeth took him into their box at the races, under the pretext of some work.”

  “Where did they get the bomb?” Cynara interrupted.

  “Through a friend of Abaan’s. Jimmy was in touch with him and had actually told Abaan of his plan. Abaan supported him and put him in touch with someone who sold him the bomb. Elizabeth paid for it,” Charles replied.

  “So Abaan knew about Elizabeth?” Cynara queried.

  “He knew Jimmy had a woman friend who was becoming a Jihadi along with him. However, he did not know her identity. Elizabeth had sworn him to secrecy,” Charles said. “Abaan must have thought she perished in the bombing along with Jimmy.”

  “What happened next?” Cynara asked.

  “It all went flawlessly, as intended. Elizabeth left the venue just about five minutes before the explosion, and Jimmy did not even realize. She had strategically positioned him in a back corner of the Melrose box. He could not see anything from there,” Charles replied.

  “Elizabeth really betrayed him,” Cynara stated.

  Charles continued, ignoring her comment. “Jimmy died along with George. Nobody suspected Elizabeth. She was to remain in mourning for a year, before recovering. In the meantime, you finished university. I asked Elizabeth to advertise this position at the manor and coached you to apply for it. You accepted the job and I started the process of moving back. A very happy ending all around. But then you stumbled upon that email and everything changed,” he said flatly. “The police discovered Abaan’s identity and found Qureshi. Elizabeth called me in a panic. She was terribly worried Qureshi would identify her despite the wig. We had no other choice. Elizabeth killed him.”

  Cynara winced painfully. “She again dressed up as Ruth?”

  “Yes, she wore the wig and the large overcoat. She called a taxi from the road outside.” Charles’ matter of fact tone chilled Cynara’s heart.

  “Where did she get the gun?” Cynara asked.

  “Jimmy had bought that along with the bomb,” Charles said. “He actually bought two guns, one for each of them.”

  “Was Sharon the next victim?” Cynara asked.

  “Unfortunately, after Ruth was interrogated by the agents and confessed to her relationship with Abaan, she started thinking about Jimmy. Abaan’s email had mentioned his girlfriend. She knew he was not intimate with any women in Bradford. He was quite shy. She did not deem it possible that he had made a close association with someone in the short time he lived in York, before his suicide. In fact, the only woman she had ever seen him talking to was Elizabeth. This instinct made her confront Elizabeth.” Charles looked almost apologetic.

  Cynara was filled with trepidation as she listened wide-eyed. Mustering courage, she asked shakily, “Elizabeth killed Ruth? It was not a suicide?”

  Chapter 47

  “Yes, Elizabeth killed Ruth. She had no other options. They argued at Elizabeth’s in-laws. Elizabeth tried to convince Ruth that she was wrong in her thinking. However, Elizabeth realized it was only a matter of time before Ruth shared her suspicions with the police. Elizabeth slipped a little something in her drink. Ruth felt ill and left early. Elizabeth paid her a visit that night and killed her. She made it look like a suicide,” Charles said calmly.

  “How did she manage that?” Cynara gasped.

  “It was easy. The medicine made Ruth very groggy. She always kept a spare key in a flowerpot. Elizabeth used that to let herself in and went upstairs. Ruth was lying almost comatose on her bed. Elizabeth forced her to get up and took her to the bathroom. She made her lie down in the tub. Ruth did not offer any resistance, as the effect of the medicine was so strong. Elizabeth slit her wrists and the rest you know,” Charles continued with his monologue.

  Cynara listened in amazement. It was as if he was narrating a fictitious story. “What drug did Elizabeth use? The police carried out an autopsy. Why was it not found in her system?”

  “It is one of those which goes undetected. Elizabeth obtained it a long time ago when she used to volunteer at a hospital,” Charles stated. “She had kept it for her alcoholic mother.”

  “Is it really that easy to kill someone and make it seem like a suicide?” Cynara wondered aloud.

  “Murder is always easy, as long as you know what you are doing,” Charles proclaimed. “And Elizabeth remembered from her hospital days what a suicide attempt looks like. It has to be multiple cuts, as if the person is building up courage to actually take his or her life.”

  “Elizabeth murdered Ruth in cold blood,” Cynara accused.

  “Her hands were tied. She had no choice.” Charles tried to justify Elizabeth’s actions before continuing. “We realized that it was imperative to give proof of Abaan and Jimmy’s friendship. The authorities were leaning towards terrorism, and we needed to lend some credibility to the theory. So we thought of Jimmy’s diary.”

  “Elizabeth planted the diary for me?” Cynara asked.

  “Yes. She placed it strategically on the bookshelf knowing you were reading the books in order. The diary strengthened everyone’s belief Abaan was involved in Qureshi’s murder,” Charles replied.

  “What about Sharon? Why was she killed?” Cynara asked.

  “Unfortunately, when Elizabeth and Ruth argued at the in-laws, Sharon overheard the conversation. She confronted Elizabeth after Ruth’s inquest. Again, Elizabeth had no other recourse. Sharon wanted money. Blackmailers never stop. Elizabeth went to her cottage late at night, under the pretext of giving the money. Sharon had called and informed her that she was alone as her mother was sleeping in the manor. Elizabeth shot her using the same gun.” Charles continued with his story.

  “My God!” Cynara swore. She was finding it difficult to absorb. What was wrong with her brother? He was so under Elizab
eth’s spell that he was actually rationalizing these murders. It was almost as if he was hypnotized. Bradley was right. The entire plot had been for killing George and getting his money. One target led to so many more deaths. It was bizarre. “The agents said Sharon had accessed her email from Elizabeth’s computer in the study?” she asked.

  “Elizabeth hinted to her mother-in-law to bake her a cake knowing Sharon would be the person to deliver it. While Sharon was here, Elizabeth asked her to check her email under the pretense she had forwarded something relevant for Sharon’s mother but was unsure whether it had gone through or not. Sharon, without suspecting anything, logged in from Elizabeth’s machine.” Charles responded.

  “You wanted the police to check Elizabeth’s computer and find the email from AKF,” Cynara guessed. “Who sent that?”

  “That was me, my master stroke, to keep everyone believing Abaan was orchestrating the murders,” Charles said glibly.

  “But how did you send it? It came from some anonymous source?” Cynara asked.

  “I am quite the hacker,” Charles proclaimed.

  Cynara just looked at him in shock. How could he brag in this situation? “I never knew,” she murmured.

  “When Sharon accessed her email, I had a shadowing program running on the computer and obtained her password. That is how we managed to delete all her emails on the server,” Charles explained.

  “And you erased everything on her computer as well?” Cynara asked.

  “I gave the Eraser software to Elizabeth and she took care of it when she went to Sharon’s cottage, after shooting her,” Charles said.

  Cynara winced painfully at his callous words. “You used her murder to lay the blame on Abaan.”

  “Yes. Everyone was now convinced that Abaan had instigated the murders. This was followed by Fatima’s visit, which actually helped us, made the Abaan angle stronger. We planted the mailbox bomb, and set up the fake Fatwa,” Charles said.

  “How did you plant the bomb? Where did you get it?” Cynara interrupted.

  “Same source as everything else. I set the timer on the bomb meticulously, knowing you would return to the cottage around 5 p.m. At exactly 4:45, I activated it. Then it was just a matter of persuading you to come for a run,” Charles said. “The bomb along with the Fatwa were supposed to really make everyone believe terrorists were targeting Elizabeth. The terrorism theory again became the focal point.”

  “Bradley then discovered the Fatwa website was fictitious,” Cynara recalled.

  “He screwed it up,” Charles vented.

  Cynara was dumbfounded at her brother’s vehemence. “The website was fake. Who set it up using TOR?”

  “Me of course. I really am very good with the internet,” Charles uttered with a hint of pride.

  “I had no idea.” Cynara looked at him perplexed.

  “Yes it is something I have never disclosed. You were very young when I actually got in trouble because of hacking my school’s and the city’s networks,” Charles recalled. “Dad had to intervene and pull a lot of strings to keep me from being locked up. It did not stop me, but just taught me to be careful. I am a real web guru now.”

  “Our parents never said anything.” Cynara shook her head in bemusement. This was a side to her brother she had not witnessed before.

  “The internet is my passion and I dabble in the dark web all the time,” Charles continued. “It has been a very useful skill that Elizabeth has really appreciated.”

  “Elizabeth as the grieving widow, was that all an act?” Cynara asked. “Her helplessness at the deaths, the bomb, and her shooting, everything was part of a performance?”

  “She is an accomplished actress and thrives on it. It could have been her career, she is that good. The circumstances since your arrival have really allowed her to show off her acting prowess. She has enjoyed it,” Charles reflected.

  “How could she be so heartless, enjoying at the expense of all these deaths?” Cynara queried tremulously.

  “She is not heartless but we needed to reach our goal. It was all going perfectly until Bradley’s snooping. It shook our well laid web of terrorism,” Charles said bitterly. “Even you started becoming skeptical about the involvement of terrorists.”

  “I discussed my doubts with you,” Cynara recalled.

  “Yes and I tried to persuade you otherwise. It was only a matter of time before the police would also share your misgivings. We needed another subterfuge, Fatima.” Charles eyes glinted bleakly.

  “Fatima?” Cynara felt sick.

  “After you fell asleep, Elizabeth and I paid her a call. She was quite taken aback to see us but invited us inside.” Charles paused and put his hands on Cynara’s shoulders. “There were no alternatives.”

  Cynara shook her head wildly, stood up, and broke away from his embrace. She tried to stay logical in her thinking, “You have been drugging my nightly drinks?”

  “Yes every time Elizabeth and I needed to meet,” Charles admitted.

  “The night of Ruth’s inquest, I had woken up thinking I heard something but could not tell what it was,” Cynara recalled.

  “You probably heard me returning to the cottage after meeting Elizabeth,” Charles confessed.

  “How did you get past the police patrolling the property when you went to Fatima’s?” Cynara asked.

  “That was easy. They followed a fixed route. I always managed to visit Elizabeth in the manor without ever being noticed. Similarly, that night, we left the grounds, walked to the end of the street, and called a cab,” Charles answered.

  “What did you say to Fatima?” Cynara asked.

  “We showed her a printout of an email that Elizabeth pretended to have received from Abaan, addressed to Fatima. It just said that he was in the country and wished to see her,” Charles replied.

  “Did she not wonder where you got the email?” Cynara asked.

  “She reacted so emotionally that she did not think at all and truly believed Abaan was communicating with her via Elizabeth. We suggested she call the authorities and show them the email, in case he was in some sort of trouble and needed the help. She was an honorable woman. Her love for her brother was greater than her fear of the police. She called them in the hopes of protecting Abaan. Well, the rest you know. Elizabeth shot her and we left that cursed photograph in the trash,” Charles said regretfully.

  “The photo?” Cynara asked. “Where did you get it?”

  “It was mine. Elizabeth had emailed it to me last year. I had it printed in Perth. It was such a lovely picture. We left it at Fatima’s, all slashed up, for effect. The purpose was to make everyone continue to think Elizabeth was still a target. It never occurred to us that Bradley was going to insist on looking in the attic. Luckily, none of you realized the truth. It would have ended there but then Fatima’s husband showed up and we all learnt that Abaan is already dead. That was the final blow to the terrorism theory.” Charles seemed like a stranger with his cold-heartedness.

  “Who shot Elizabeth?” Cynara asked. “Was it you?”

  “I felt very worried that the police would now start suspecting Elizabeth. So I came up with the idea of an attack on her,” Charles said.

  “How did you drug the police?” Cynara asked.

  “I knew their routine. They usually left their car unlocked and luck was on my side that night. I reached the car unobserved and spiked the thermos with potent sleeping pills. They passed out shortly after they finished their coffee. I dragged the officer on the front side of the manor to the back. Elizabeth had left the front door open for me. You know the rest. I shot her and ran back to the cottage,” Charles replied.

  “And here I thought you had been asleep in your room when Mrs. Simpson knocked at the door,” Cynara said.

  “The shooting went well. It worked in our favor. Marie accused Nancy and all attention turned to George’s affairs. Elizabeth and I sighed with relief thinking that it could all end. Elizabeth could drop the weeping widow act. The police would hun
t for that elusive killer, an estranged girlfriend, or a disgruntled husband of one of George’s old flames. But then your meddling changed everything,” Charles said ruefully.

  “My meddling,” Cynara spluttered.

  “Yes. You met with Janine and learned Elizabeth had always known about the affairs,” Charles said.

  “Yes, I realized she knew about the affairs and Jimmy’s diary,” Cynara admitted.

  “It dawned on Elizabeth that Janine had always been a threat, since the day Elizabeth confronted her about the affair. She should have eliminated this threat long ago. It was too late now. The secret was out,” Charles paused. “Bradley and you lied to her about the gun.” Charles looked at Cynara accusingly.