excerpt

“No boss. Wife found him when she got here from having coffee with a
friend; she says nobody has been here other than her.”
The lieutenant notices that the body lies on its side.
“Turn him on his back,” the lieutenant orders.
The two cops turn Matthew’s body on its back. He looks close at the face and
touches the skin by the neck.
“Still warm,” he says. “This happened about an hour ago. What is this, tears?”
He goes downstairs and asks Emily, “Mrs. Roberts, I understand you found
him?”
She nods yes.
“Whose is the limo outside?”
“It’s Hakim’s,” Emily says, and points toward the younger people in the room.
“Who is Hakim?” he asks, and calls Hakim over.
“I am.”
“The limo outside is yours?”
“It’s my uncle’s.”
“Who is your uncle? Where is your uncle?”
“My uncle is Ibrahim Mahdi. I am Hakim Mahdi, and my uncle is at the
Sheraton hotel. This is a hotel limo.”
“How do you know these people? Let me see your I.D. and yours,” he says to
Talal.
He looks at their I.D. cards and gives them both back.
“Jennifer is my girlfriend,” Hakim says.
At this time, Helena arrives, comes in, hugs Emily and expresses her
condolences. Then she goes over to Jennifer and does the same.
The lieutenant walks over to the two officers, who have come downstairs,
and tells them to call the medical examiner before the FBI and the CIA arrive to
take charge.
“What do you want done, boss?” John Taylor, the junior officer, asks.
“There is plenty we need to do, trust me. Don’t you think, Isaak?” The
lieutenant speaking to Isaak Ziegniew, the senior officer.
“I agree, boss, there’s plenty we have to do.”
“Make sure you tell the M.E. no cuts until I get there. I’m going to the office
to look at a couple of avenues, then I’ll be their way.”
“What about these two young punks, boss?” Taylor asks, pointing to Hakim
and Talal, who are talking on the other side of the room.
“Leave them alone, we’ll come back to them if we need to.”
Before he leaves, he tells Emily, “Mrs. Roberts, my condolences again, and if
you think of anything to tell us, please call. You have my card.”

https://libroslibertad.com/2016/11/09/the-circle-a-novel-by-manolis/