Beauty and the joker

7. The danger lurking

"Boss, I tried talking to her, but she seems to have genuinely lost her memories. No recollection of Joker whatsoever. And she's married now, to some guy named Zahran Ibne Abdullah." Lara spoke in hushed tones, wary of eavesdroppers.

"Interesting," the voice on the other end responded. "But I care about the Joker. We all know he's alive and kicking, hiding somewhere. I want him. I want to kill him." His voice rose to a scream. "You said this girl was his girlfriend, and now she's married? Are you wasting my time?"

"Never, boss! I have something valuable about Zahran," Lara assured him quickly. "He's wealthy now, but he wasn't always clean. Back in the day, he and his friend were con artists, making copies of old antiques and paintings to deceive people."

"So?" the voice snapped.

"But his friend was murdered," Lara continued, her voice dropping to a whisper. "And that's when he reformed, leaving his criminal past behind."

"Why are you telling me this? I want the Joker!"

"Boss, I think..." Lara paused , "I think Zahran is the Joker."

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Zahran worked diligently when his phone buzzed. A smile lit his face as he saw Raihan's name.

"Assalamualaikum," Zahran greeted warmly.

"Walaikumus as salam, buddy!" Raihan's voice boomed through the phone. "How are you?"

The two friends exchanged pleasantries, catching up on life. Raihan excitedly revealed his and Rebeca's plans to visit the UK and their eagerness to meet Zahran.

Just then, Raihan's tone shifted. "Zahran, have you heard? The Joker's back!"

Zahran's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"He's alive and well! He pulled off another heist, but this time, there's a murder involved."

The news hit Zahran like a punch. He leaned forward, his voice a tight whisper. "Are you serious? How is this possible?"

"It's all over the news! Every channel, every website, it's the top story."

Without another word, Zahran switched on the television, his heart pounding in his chest. He flipped through channels until he found the news report.

Images of a crime scene flashed across the screen, followed by a close-up of the victim. Gasps erupted from the crowd as the face became clear. It was Lara. And lying beside her, a chilling reminder of the thief's identity – the infamous Joker card.

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The three shadows huddled together; their faces grim.

"Did you see the news?" the shortest one inquired, his voice trembling.

"Why else do you think we're gathered?" the tallest one retorted sarcastically.

"I just wanted to ask..." the shortest one began, but was cut off by the middle one.

"Enough bickering! We have more pressing matters to discuss," she declared. "He's a fake."

"You mean, an imposter?" the shortest one clarified.

"Do I need to spell it out?" the tallest one scoffed.

The middle one sighed. "Joker, why did you leave me with these two?"

"Silence!" she commanded. "They've already reached Fatiha."

Alarm flickered in the eyes of the other two.