‘Down here!’ she yelled. ‘We need an ambulance.’

She knew that wasn’t true. There was nothing anyone could do for Sabih Khan.

Chapter 30

It was like looking up at heaven. Tiny crystal jewels had been embedded in the black stone that lined the domed roof, and the spotlights dotting the circumference were positioned to catch each gem and make them shimmer like stars. Below the ring of spotlights, clinging to the very bottom of the dome, was a band of white writing against a blue background. Harri couldn’t decipher the script, but she got the impression the words were profound. The Arabic letters merged into each other to form the most glorious cursive patterns.

She stood at the very edge of a large balcony with the female members of Sabih Khan’s extended family. Most were weeping, some sobbing quietly, and occasionally there was a lament which Harri couldn’t understand, but whose anguish she shared. Beneath them, the men stood on thick red rugs, their unfurled prayer mats a myriad of colours and designs.

Hundreds had gathered to pay their respects to a fallen member of Stoke’s Pakistani community and the mosque was almost full. Sabih had never spoken of his faith and his alcohol consumption suggested he hadn’t observed it strictly, but it was clear from the grief and reverence of those in attendance that he was held in high regard by the devout. The close male members of his family were clustered around Sabih’s father and uncles. DCI Powell and a group of colleagues from the station were gathered near the back of the mosque. Powell looked uncomfortable as he followed the congregation in the prayer ritual. Harri empathized and felt very much an outsider as she bowed, kneeled and prostrated herself, trying to mimic those around her. She didn’t understand the ritual, but the prayer was a mark of respect and she wanted to do everything she could to honour Sabih.

She kept thinking back to that night, and wondering what would have happened if she hadn’t called out to him. What if she hadn’t intervened to try to stop him beating Ben? Would Elmys be dead, and a good man still be alive? She sobbed at the thought that she was responsible for the suffering of the gathered friends and family. Hundreds of souls traumatized by grief because she’d stopped Sabih. Because she’d involved him in the investigation. Because she’d taken him there that night. The guilt was almost too much to bear, and she shook uncontrollably.

She felt a hand on her back, and looked round to see Amina, Sabih’s twenty-something cousin, smile reassuringly. Her eyes brimmed with sorrow, and there was nothing but anguish in her face, but she was trying to be kind and Harri couldn’t cope with it. She didn’t deserve kindness. She’d played a role in bringing all these people here, and she couldn’t stop crying at the horror of it all. Amina embraced her and tried to soothe away a pain that would leave a permanent scar.