He'd rushed back to his luxurious villa at the side of the mosque, and five of the Imams had arrived soon after, waiting for him to explain the girl's evidence. Their faces were stony, and he knew most disbelieved him. A couple of them wanted him to step down, and he knew he had no supporters in this room.
"It was a dying declaration," Imam Wazai insisted. The man was one of the candidates for his job, "Custom decrees it must be assumed to be the truth."
"Fuck custom," he snarled, "I tell you it's a fucking lie!"
Wazai reddened. "It's not the fucking customs we are here to discuss, Imam Daud. It is another kind of fucking altogether."
"I told you, she lied."
"Perhaps. Why were you at the Christian church?"
"I was not!"
"How can we be sure? I'm sorry, Habib Daud, but we must ask you to step down as head Imam of the Mehtar Lam mosque until we have conducted an investigation. We will confine you to the prison. The charge is too serious to allow you to escape..."
"It's a fucking lie, I tell you."
"The truth will come out at the investigation. Please, come with us."
Daud sighed. "You're making a big mistake."
"We will see."
"Yes, you will see. Massoud!"
The door opened, and the recent occupant of the Torgan Valley stepped into the room. He only carried a pistol, an American made Dan Wesson M1911. It was all he needed in this place, faced with unarmed clerics. Parks would do the killing if he gave the order.
Behind him Vernon Parks looked cautiously around the room for threats. Seeing they were only Imams clerics, he grinned. "Salaam alaikum, suckers."
They didn't reply. Perhaps they didn't hear. Like his boss, he only carried a handgun. The ominous black shape of the Colt .45 automatic he had aimed at their bellies spoke louder than words.
Massoud looked at Daud with one eyebrow raised. "Are these men a problem to you?"
"Yes. The bastards want my job."
He nodded. "Stalin always said death solves all problems. No man, no problem." He glanced around at Parks. "Kill them."
The clerics gaped in horror as the American deserter moved closer and started to pull the trigger. There was no time to run, and the gun thundered five times. Parks was a crack shot, and five men fell dead. Daud look on in horror. "You've killed them all. How can I continue as Imam when people find out what happened here?"
The American just grinned. Massoud put his arm on the other man's shoulder and pulled him close. "My friend, you were already finished here. Did you want to face the same fate as the girl? You want the mob to stone you to death?"
"It was a lie. I did nothing wrong?"
"Who cares? Will they believe you?"
He hung his head, devastated his power and position had evaporated in a matter of minutes. All because of a lying blasphemer and a psychotic American deserter. "No," he mumbled.
"Good. We need to get out of here before anyone comes looking for you. A couple of hours to pack your valuables, and then we must go. We'll set up somewhere else, never fear, the other end of the country probably. I have wealth; I can build you a new mosque. In return, you will instruct the faithful amongst the police and military to stay away from my business activities. Deal?"