In 1924, three Western women find their way into the harem and heart of the Sultan of Rakal Al Sulem. The three Tiffanys each have their own reasons to stay, but more importantly they all have reasons to work together for the betterment of the sultanate. This is their story.
Tiffany Walker and Tiffany Takei wanted J Tiffany Noore to try again. They encouraged her to come up with another plan, after screwing up their first attempt. “Everyone knows Farouz asked us to investigate Ailyah. We need an approach to find who did it without raising suspicion.”
Ailyah’s funeral was a somber affair. She was well-loved in the harem; at least by most. The Three Tiffanys hated the fact that her killer was probably here too. J asked one of the low-ranking concubines to take care of the ceremonial henna hand decorations. It took her two days.
The concubine was in awe of the Tiffanys. She had witnessed how they corrrected the sultan without punishment. They stayed loyal. She had never seen anything like it. They weren’t the usual scheming women she encountered before. When J asked her to help, she jumped at the chance.
“Mirina had the marks on her hands, Miss J, just like you described.”
“Thank you, Lelah. I will tell the sultan of your loyal service.
Her heart pounding, Lelah floated out of the room.
The faces of The Three Tiffanys were serious. Mirina was one of Farouz’s more powerful wives.
J suddenly remembered one of the servants saying she cleaned up a water trail. She went back to her. The servant was confused by the question; they were just some drippings. They headed east. Tiffany T suggested that is where Mirina’s quarters were. They finally had a suspect!
What threw them off in the beginning is why Ailyah was both drowned and strangled. Surely one or the other was enough. There was a lot of anger there. And it suggested two killers. One of Mirina’s most faithful friends was the eunuch Saqal. With these suspects, they had a motive.
“Power is the only thing Mirina’s interested in,” Tiffany W knew. “Only the sultana-mother is stronger.”
T suggested Ailyah must have witnessed something. Something dangerous and secret enough for Mirina and Saqal to take matters into their own hands.
“They are lovers!” J says.
“Eunuchs can’t be lovers, J.”
“They are castrated, but still have tongues and fingers, don’t they?”
W conceded. “If they are lovers, they will both be sentenced to death if they are found out.”
T nods: “The question is how to prove it? They only way is to catch them in the act.”
Zarina, the sultana-mother was there when The Three Tiffanys explained their findings to Farouz. One of her main duties was managing the harem. And Mirina had been a thorn in her side from the start. Saqal’s betrayal was a bigger blow. She knew they were close, but not like this!
Now that Mirina was aware of the investigation, she would not be careless. Zarina even expected her to retaliate against The Three Tiffanys. Looking at them kneeled before her son, she was happy he could count on them. They all knew this will get ugly before it will get better.
Hope you enjoyed Episode 6.
–Tiffany