Murder of a gentle English teacher

Feroz Aloowalia, a Bombay-born Parsee, was a fearless man until his very death "Such a loss," Shahrezad, the Sufi detective's wife, known as the Storyteller, wailed. "You should have heard him read to the girls..." "Can you verbalise how he died?" her husband asked. "No, you need to find out a lot more before I can," Shahrezad replied " I need to go to work " Bahman stated. " Of course, even though it is your morning off, " his wife commented. " Not these days; I am Acting-in-Charge of Criminal Investigations.." " as if you ever let me forget that .." " have we got a number for the curator at Shiraz Castle ? I do, at work... " " one of my girls did a project on a nineteenth- century traveller who had taekn some early photographs; let me scroll for the number... " " landline, o love of my life? " "yes; look, I am so very sorry, such a gentle man.. and a gentleman. Who would murder him ? " " that is what I have to find out, don't I ?" Shahrezad had been offered a position as a teacher of English language and literature at Shiraz' most prestigious girls' college on her wedding day, little more than a year ago. Her husband was made an Acting Chief Inspector at the same time, so as to replace his then- superior who had fallen afoul of a heavyweight in the local Ayatollah's office. Feroz Aloowalia had been a personal friend to both the young people and had recommended Shahrezad on completion of her studies at Shiraz University, being a member of the school board. " Oh, Mr Ardeshi, it is you ? Could I talk to Dr Taheri, please ? " asked the policeman when he was put through. " Chief inspector ? No, I do not know where he is; he is not at home, either.. " " was he at work when your staff found the body? " " no, but they reached him on his mobile and he told them to shift the body behind a repair marker.. it happened a quarter of an hour before I got to work myself.. " " whatever for ?" " we are.. were expecting a troupe of French orientalists from Montpelier quite early this morning and the workers were instructed to hide Dr Aluwaliah's corpse " " .. bizarre, Mr Ardeshi " " I agree, Chief Inspector, and I apologise; for within minutes, we had a phone call by a gentleman called Khatimi telling us that the bus they had been using on their return from Takht-e-Jamshed would not be available but was meant to take several Revolutionary Guards to a training course.. " " where were the French people to have gone instead ? " " Wakil Bazaar, he said "< referring to an ancient market within central Shiraz > " as soon as I get off the phone, I'll send my sergeant and two officers over to secure the crime scene.. are you sure, by the way, that.. " " you are the policeman, Chief Inspector; had it been an accident, he would have fallen off a corner of our Eastern wall which he had no business to be on and which is not exactly accessible, especially at night.. " " we had a blackout, I remember; was Dr Aluwalia at the Castle earlier that night and did you have the light going ..? " " yes, Chief inspector; we have a generator but that only runs an outside light, not where my staff found him... yes, he was with me, doing some work on some insciptions which we had just rediscovered in a chest.. " " a cleanup, Mr Ardeshi ?" " yes so, because of the French.. " " what time did you leave last night ? " " we had another cup of tea, him, Dr Taheri, myself, two workers.. then I left.. " " but Dr Taheri stayed behind ? " " as did Dr Aloowaliah; I think that he had found something he had wanted to.. no, it was like this, Chief Inspector ..."