(Kâbus means "nightmare" or "incubus" in Turkish)

Umut dropped off Zeki a couple of blocks away from Enver's residence. Zeki arrived there just shortly after the Bogdani family and their associates have finished dinner. Enver instructed him to wait in the library while he finished things up with the dinner. When he was ready he entered the library, sat down in an armchair and said, "So, I hear you're helping out an old friend from your past."

"You could say that," Zeki said as he sat down in the armchair opposite from Enver.

"I've been following Fatih for some time now." Enver stroked his greying facial hair a couple of times and continued, "He made a name for himself some years ago when he stopped an uncatchable serial killer who happened to enter his home as a hiding spot." He lowered his head and added on, "Sad thing what happened to his wife just not too long ago."

"You didn't have anything to do with her death, did you?" Zeki asked as he leaned forward.

"And why would I kill her?" Enver responded as he poured a glass of cognac for both himself and Zeki. 

He handed a glass to Zeki, took a sip from his and then said, "She's a lovely woman. Great photographer too. I met her some time last year at a charity event where she was hired to do some of the photography. She brought Fatih along as a guest. While he wasn't too trusting of me due to the nature of my activities, Buşra was the one to tell him to put off his policemen attitude." He took one more sip then said, "Well, if she did try to expose what I did and have me locked up again then I'd consider her a problem, but there's nothing my connections in the Landespoleizi won't do."

"It's highly likely that Buşra found out about something at the refugee camp that got her killed," Zeki said as he swirled his glass a bit. "Serkan too."

"Serkan Demirel, the filmmaker right?"

"Yes, him. He was found having committed suicide and apparently wrote a letter saying he was responsible for killing Buşra."

"Ah, yes, I remember now. Genti and Drita told me something about it and I've just recently realized who is responsible, even though we both knew him to be dead."

"You aren't suggesting Leonardo Xherpa is here, are you?"

"You saw the film and that was proof enough that he's still alive. The bastard played us all." Enver stood up and walked over to a bookshelf. "He was the first person you reported back as dead when I gave you the list of people I wanted dead."

"Yes, I remember that. Xherpa was dead on arrival and he appeared to not have anything salvageable for DNA matching."

"It's possible that he used a decoy, someone that looks nearly like him or who could pass for him. That's how he was able to fool everyone. If there's one thing Xherpa was good at he was good at persuading and convincing people. He'll use any means necessary to get what he wants. He'll sacrifice those close to him to get ahead. He even traded his own children away to traffickers at some point."

"But he wasn't able to convince Buşra to keep silent though."

"He has his ways, Zeki. It's because of what he did and what he does. We no longer needed him for out human trafficking business nor did we want our business to associate with human trafficking."

"And that's when you called me in to get rid of anyone associated with your former human trafficking business. I didn't forget that." Zeki then downed the cognac all at once. "The question is now, I assume, is 'who is Xherpa's real target?' Throwing the police off with Serkan's death should be enough but something tells me it isn't."

"I'm with you on that. Maybe he picked up that it's not working and that he has to stop all who may go after him. This includes you and me. Leo didn't take it too well when we broke off our partnership."

"And I'm pursuing him too so of course he'd want me off his trail and dead." He handed his glass back to Enver.

Just as Enver was pouring Zeki another glass Genti and Drita entered the room. "Ah, you two. You have some news for us?"

"We do," Drita answered. "We've found him, Xherpa's second in command."

"Excellent." He handed the glass back to Zeki and said, "You know what to do."

Zeki took the glass, gave it a swirl, and then said, "Of course."

----

Fatih stared at his daughters just shortly after he had tucked them in. He had a feeling that they will wake up and talk to each other the moment he leaves but that did not bother him. Usually Buşra would be standing where he was standing in the doorway and he would stand right behind her. Even after doing this for a couple of days he still found it weird. He sighed then he closed the door and headed to the home office.

He sat in front of the computer and opened a video featuring him, Buşra, and the girls. Just as he started watching he received a text from Pat. He picked up his phone and the message said:

MESSAGE ME ON THIS APP AT THIS NUMBER

He took down the number and added it to his contacts. He opened up the messaging app and waited for Pat to respond and she did within seconds. She sent him a message saying:

YOU AWARE OF THE BOGDANI FAMILY IS THAT CORRECT?

Fatih typed back:

I HAVE SEEN THEM AROUND. THEY HAVE CONNECTIONS AT MY WORK UNFORTUNATELY. ENVER HAS PROVIDED US MANY INFORMANTS THOUGH. THE INFORMANTS SEEM TO BE AFRAID OF SOMEONE BUT IT'S NOT ENVER FROM WHAT I'VE HEARED.

Pat sent:

AND WHAT ABOUT ZEKI?

Fatih typed back:

HE'S AROUND THE TWINS A LOT. I SUSPECT SOMETHING IS UP WITH HIM AND THE MALE ONE, GENTI, THE WAY THEY ACT AROUND EACH OTHER.

He waited for about five minutes for a response from Pat and when she did respond she said in her message:

I'VE E-MAILED YOU A LIST OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE HAD CONNECTIONS WITH THE BOGDANIS THAT HAVE DIED IN A SIMILAR FASHION TO ZEKI'S VICTIMS.

He opened the e-mail client on the computer and there was one unread message in his inbox with a file attached. He opened the file and there was a list of names. He recognized a couple of the names not only from Pat's files but from an open investigation that started in the last year. Among the names was Leonardo Xherpa. He remembered Xherpa died by immolation but had suspected that he was still alive since he got the text message from the masked man.
His phone vibrated and Pat sent another message:

HAVE YOU FOUND THE CONNECTION YET?

Fatih typed back:

ALL WERE WORKING IN HUMAN TRAFFICKING. XHERPA WAS THE HEAD OF THE OPERATION AND COLLABORATED WITH BOGDANI.

A couple of seconds of silence then Pat sent another message:

AND YOU'RE SUPPORTING ZEKI'S ACTIONS?

Fatih paused to think about what to send back to her. He agreed that those human traffickers deserved punishment but killing them was still a bit too far. He believed that killing someone to stop an action won't get rid of it. He then responded:

WOULD YOU SUPPORT THEM IF THEY SAVED YOUR LIFE OR HUNDREDS OF OTHERS?

He waited again for a response and when he got one she sent back:

I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU MEAN.

He typed back:

IN YOUR CAREER YOU MUST'VE SHOT SOMEONE TO STOP THEM AT LEAST ONCE.

Pat typed back:

I HAVE. AND I RELY LESS ON DOING SO BECAUSE THAT PERSON DIED.

He typed back:

I'VE SHOT SOMEONE ON THE JOB AS WELL AND HE DIED. HE WAS THREATENING THE LIFE OF MY FAMILY. IF GIVEN THE CHANCE TO STOP SOMEONE BY SHOOTING AT THEM I WOULDN'T HESITATE TO DO SO.

Just as he sent the message he got a phone call from an unknown number. He had a feeling it was the masked man as no telemarketer or anyone else would call him close to midnight. He answered the phone, "What do you want now?"

"I have someone for you to see," the masked man said. "Meet me at the underground parking in Prenzlaur Berg."

Fatih searched for the underground parking dictated to him by the masked man. He found that it was a bit far from his place.

"And what about my daughters? I can't leave them alone."

"Your daughters will be well taken care of. Meet me at the location alone. I don't want any nosey INTERPOL agents interfering."

Before Fatih could say anything further the masked man hung up. He returned to the messaging app and saw that Pat left a response. He didn't bother to read it but instead closed the app, got dressed to go outside, and left to go to the location the masked man told him to meet.

----

Fatih wandered around the area until he found an entrance to the underground parking. He took a peek inside to find out that there were some lights on but it was still too dark for him to see. While the place was usually well lit, someone had dimmed the lights. He heard muffled screams from a man who was being tortured and followed them. He took out his flashlight from his coat pocket but a few steps into the parking lot the battery died. He did not want to use his phone but he had to and made sure to disable the GPS tracking.

As he walked further underground, he noticed the lights that were out turned on as he walked in the right direction. He followed the lights until they shone on a bleach blond man secured to a post. The man was also bruised and beaten up and had trouble keeping his head up. Fatih walked closer to the man to see if he was still alive. He tried to check his pulse by pressing on his neck but something felt odd to him. The man's neck was stiff as wood. He looked up to see that the masked man, now wearing a Russian-style gas mask and black scleral contacts, was standing in the shadows behind the post. He pinched himself to make sure he was not dreaming.

"You're not dreaming Fatih," the masked man said as he moved into the light. "I am real. This is all real. The dreams, they were all real."

Fatih reached for his gun by reflex but then remembered he did not bring one with him. He would have brought one with him but any firearms he owned he turned in at the start of his leave.

"I had to make you believe that they were dreams," the masked man said as he moved the man's head up telekinetically. "It's so men like him won't figure out that you're still actively searching. After all, they're dreams. They are not real. If they're not real they're not true. Isn't that right, Niklaus?"

Fatih took another look at the man called Niklaus. He did not recognize him from anywhere.

"Oh? You two never met? Funny thing, he at first thought I was you. Fatih, this is Niklaus Seidel. He worked with Dennis Capaldi, I mean Leonard Xherpa." The masked man released Niklaus from his grip then walked over to Fatih. He took out a gun from his coat pocket and handed it to Fatih. "He worked in the same camp that Buşra was in." He moved back to his position behind the post and continued, "He told me that she and Serkan found out about the camp being used as a front for Xherpa's human trafficking operation. They found out that those who were desperate to leave the war torn area sought Xherpa's help and he kept them as sex slaves. He, Niklaus, had orders from Xherpa to silence them. Serkan was able to get away with money to not say anything. Buşra, however, was not so easily bought and he had to carry out his orders by other means." He then let Niklaus' head fall back down.

Fatih looked at the gun in his hand and then back to Niklaus. He then asked him, "Is this all true what you confessed to him? You tried to pay Buşra but she wouldn't accept the money?"

Niklaus lifted his head to make eye contact with Fatih. He nodded his head then said, "Yes."

Fatih was both stunned and relieved. His suspicions were true and this man who carried out the order to kill Buşra confirmed it. At the same time the information he gave the masked man was not enough. "How did she die?" he asked.

Niklaus stared at Fatih and did not respond.

"I know you know who killed her, du Hurensohn!" He raised his arm and pointed the gun at his face. "Who the fuck was responsible?"

Niklaus smirked. "I've seen that look before. You want to shoot me but something is holding you back.

You've got your answers. What's there more for me to give?" He spat out some blood and saliva onto the ground.

Fatih prepared to fire by cocking the gun.

"Come on, what are you waiting for?"

Fatih's hand trembled a bit. He wanted to shoot him but he knew that this was not the man he wanted. He may have carried out the order but he had a feeling he was not the one who actually killed Buşra. With his trembling hand he could shoot and miss a vital part of Niklaus and then shoot him over and over until he was dead. Then he had a thought. Buşra would not want him to be put away for such an act. He had to stay out of trouble for their daughters. He lowered his gun and then handed it back to the masked man.

"Do what you want with him. I got what I need," Fatih said as he walked away.

----

Once Fatih was out of the parking lot area, Zeki telekinetically snapped Niklaus' neck. After he made sure he was dead he took off his mask, took out his phone and made a phone call. Once the other person at the other end picked up he said, "Niklaus is dead. This should definitely call out Xherpa unless he doesn't care for the guy."

"Uncle will be glad to hear that," Genti said. "But using yourself as bait for drawing him out, I'm not sure if that is a good idea. I could be the bait instead. We do have some history together with Xherpa, Drita and I."

"I said that I'll be the bait for Xherpa and I don't mind it. I doubt he has a bone to pick with you guys unless it's to get at Enver."

"We appreciate what you're doing for us. Even if it means we won't live to see ourselves until were octogenarians. I just hate to see you go and I, well –"

"You don't have to say it. I know how you feel and I feel the same way."
"Just reconsider the offer after you've done what we need to get done. See you soon."

Zeki put his phone in his pocket just after he hung up. He looked at Niklaus' body and said, "Let's get you up and moving." First he undid the handcuffs then he made his body stand up. He controlled the body like a puppeteer with his marionette. He placed the gun down his pants hoping that it did not fall out as he controlled the body. From a bystanders point of view it would have appeared that Zeki was followed by a zombie. But it did not fool one bystander who happened to be standing right in the middle of the parking lot.

"So I finally get to see you without your mask," Pat said with her hands in her pockets. "I didn't expect you to be so handsome.

Zeki was not too pleased to see Pat. He did not say anything other than indicated his displeasure with a scowl. 

Pat walked over to Niklaus' body and examined it. "Amazing," she said. "It's as if he's walking on his own. Seems kind of awkward with his head and neck askew."

"I never touched the guy," Zeki said in English, "nor did I force him to ingest anything poisonous. How can you prove that I killed him?"

Pat chuckled a bit. "I don't actually have to turn you into the police or my superiors, you know. There are people who believe and know there are others like you in the world." She shook her head then said, "Niamh was a fool to have turned down their offer."

Zeki released his control over Niklaus's body and tossed it to one side. "Maybe Niamh made a smart move. Have you actually gone up against someone like me?"

"I don't see how –" Pat replied only to be telekinetically shoved against a wall.

Zeki was quick to take action. First he damaged her vocal chords, and then went for her nervous system. He made severe damage to her hands and her eyes. Once he did enough irreparable damage to Pat he let her body drop to the ground. "Why waste time talking when you can get things done?" he asked as walked towards her body. "I could kill you at this moment but I live by my code of not killing law officers."He took out a knife and made a couple of cuts across her chest. "I'll leave it up to fate to decide whether you'll live though I wouldn't call it living." He then walked away with Niklaus' body following him out of the parking lot.

----

Fatih immediately ran upstairs to check on his daughters. He did not care the carpet was stained with the dirt from his boots as the safety of his daughters were of more importance. He opened the door to find that both of them were still there. Relieved he then went to go back down to take off his outdoor clothing. Before he could leave to do so Meryem stirred a bit then opened her eyes.

"Daddy, why aren't you sleeping?" she asked groggily.

Fatih smiled. "Don't worry about me canım kızım. The important thing is you two are safe."
Just as he was about to close the door again, Meryem said as she sat up, "I had a dream."

Fatih stopped for a bit. "Oh?"

"I dreamed that there was someone in the house. She spoke a funny language but I guess dreams are weird that way."

"We can talk more about it in the morning. Go back to sleep."

After Fatih closed the door to the bedroom he then remembered something. When he entered the house the alarm did not go off. He had set the alarm before he left the house to meet up with the masked man. Suddenly he heard the sound of the front door opening and closing. He immediately ran down the stairs and turned on the lights in the hallway. It took about ten seconds for the lights to come on and when they did he heard the alarm system beep and the message on the screen asking to set the time. He then looked down at the floor and saw two sets of boot prints, one which he did not recognize.

"How did she get in here?" he uttered to himself as he took out his phone to call the security company and set the clock on the keypad.

(canım kızım translates to (my) dear daughter)