Baksheesh by Esmahan Aykol Read Free Book Online Page B

swallow it and keep it trapped in my throat so that it wouldn’t burst out of my mouth. I kept on swallowing. Experts advise taking deep breaths when you’re upset. I inhaled the smell of kebabs with four deep breaths.
    It was no good. Completely useless. I got up and went to the cloakroom.
    I wanted to make that man regret the day he was born and never set eyes on him again. He wouldn’t have been the first person I’d cut out of my life. I studied my face in the mirror. What was happening to me? Why was I so irritable? If this went on much longer, I’d have no one left in my life. Already, my mobile phone had stopped ringing. Should I start taking antidepressants? I had to find a way of getting through this with the least amount of damage, with or without Prozac. I’d ask Özlem for the name of a psychiatrist next time I spoke to her.
    By the time I returned to the table, I’d pulled myself together. Batuhan had finished his Adana kebab and was putting away a portion of baklava. What an appetite! He tried to squeeze a sliver of baklava into my mouth but I refused, saying I was on a diet. Men have a certain way of treating women who are dieting. He didn’t miss the opportunity.
    â€œHah. Now I know why you’re so touchy. Dieting has affected your nerves.”
    I tried to pretend I hadn’t heard the word touchy. He carried on jabbering.
    â€œYou don’t need to diet. You’re already thin. It wouldn’t look good if you got any thinner. Anyway, Turkish men like plump women. You know that.”
    I refrained from blurting out, “Who said I wanted Turkish men to like me?”
    Instead, I smiled.

    The best thing about being perceived as a murder suspect by a person of reasonable intelligence was that it created a great excuse for calling Selim. So it was true – every cloud, in its way, does indeed have a silver lining.
    Before going to the shop, I went home to make my phone call. However, as soon as I stepped inside, I changed my mind. I didn’t want to be chasing after him or anyone else. If necessary, I’d fork out and hire myself a lawyer. That way, if Selim and I ever got back together, it would mean I hadn’t sacrificed the pleasure of being able to needle him by saying, “You abandoned me in my hour of need.”
    I tried to make a plan. I wasn’t prepared to sit at home, meekly waiting for the Turkish police to finish their investigation. I’d proved I was a genius at solving murder cases once before, and I was quite prepared to take on and solve the murder of Osman Karakaş like a professional detective.
    After taking a shower, I put on some proper clothes to rev myself up a bit. By the time I left the house, I was almost high on adrenalin.
    As I was knocking on the door of the late Osman Karakaş’s Tatar neighbour, it occurred to me that I really should start referring to this dear man by name. After all, he had come into my life as such a force for good. How would I like it if people always referred to me as “the German”?
    When Yücel Bey saw me, he put his hand against the wall to steady himself and stop himself from falling. He was clearly very surprised.
    â€œAh, my dear lady, did they let you go? I heard the police had taken you in. What were they thinking of ? A lady like you. Come in, please. I’m sorry, my office is a bit untidy. I’ve found a new place, you see. We haven’t signed the contract yet, but I thought I’d make a start on sorting out the paperwork. Would you like some tea? Or something cold?”

    I hadn’t been able to get a word in edgeways until then, so I didn’t miss my opportunity.
    â€œI won’t drink anything, thank you. But if you have time, I’d like to talk to you.”
    â€œEven if I didn’t have the time, I would make time for a lady like you. Come in. I’ll sort out my files tomorrow. So, what was it you wanted to talk