Shroud: Jinn

30 - Uninvited

"We meet again, Dr. Mustaqim Lim," Inspector Harun said casually as he sauntered towards me. He smirked as soon as I lifted my head to greet him. He added on, "You look well. How long has it been? Two years?"

"Too early for Hari Raya Haji, isn't it?" Sub-Inspector Javin appeared after him and eyed me suspiciously as I cut up the meat from the goat that I had just slaughtered at the back of my house. 

True, Hari Raya Haji or Eid ul-Adha was seven months away. I would be just as suspicious as well.

"Aqiqah for my newborn," I replied. "Today's the seventh day."

Being bestowed with a newborn was a blessing from God and it was sunnah, a tradition for parents to perform aqiqah, which is the Islamic tradition of sacrificing an animal on the occasion of the child's birth. It is a form of sadaqah which is an act of charity for the meat would be shared with other people, especially the poor and needy. The parents could also cook a feast and serve the meat at a Waleemah, a banquet if they chose not to distribute it raw. Aqiqah was best performed on the seventh or fourteenth or twenty-first day, if possible. However, if the parents have yet to possess the financial means, aqiqah was permissible to be done before the child reached puberty.

As if on cue, Safiyyah's cries were heard from inside the house. Both Inspector Harun and I turned our heads to the nearest window in time to see a figure walk past. I grew worried as I looked over at his reaction. 

With eyes wide open from obvious shock, Inspector Harun's face slightly paled, "Is that your wife?"

"Yes."

"You remarried?" Sub-Inspector Javin asked in surprise. I smiled but avoided eye contact and continued cutting up the meat into parts. For all he knew, he probably thought that I was engrossed with the task in front of me. "Congratulations."

"Thanks." I flicked my eyes towards Inspector Harun whose eyes were still on the same window. He craned his neck and attempted to peek in from afar. "I appreciate it if you would give my wife some privacy. She should be nursing the baby by now."

I lied. Safiyyah was on formula milk.

The inspector cleared his throat and rubbed the base of his chin with the back of his right hand uneasily, "She looks an awful lot like your late wife."

"I have a soft spot for similar features."

"A type, yes. We all have a type," Inspector Harun nodded. "Nice cosy spot that you've got here." He looked around as if admiring the view from the house.

He walked over and stopped by the grass where Mak Bidan's old bloodstains once were. He moved closer towards the house and scrutinised the spot where the blood splatter on the exterior wall used to be. It was almost gone and invisible to the naked eye, but I could not help but feel anxious the longer he stared at the same spot. It was only a few seconds before he looked at another unrelated section on the wall and then turned his attention to me.

"May I help you, inspectors?" I said curtly as I placed the butcher's knife on the old stump and stood up, slightly annoyed. "Something tells me that you're not here to exchange pleasantries."

"The reason we're here is to ask some questions about Rabeah Binti Sabit." He added on, "Also known as Mak Bidan."

Sub-Inspector Javin caught my involuntary blinks as I tried to steady my eyes. His eyes were on me like a hawk. He had now crossed his arms across his chest and began to study me more closely.

"When was the last time you saw her?" Inspector Harun asked.

"She was here last week. On the 6th. We haven't spoken since. Why?"