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a fugitive who is hiding will soon be affected by the pressure. Or he will freeze. Even though it is the middle of summer, the temperature at that altitude drops to freezing point. If he were to travel for a few hours under those conditions, he would freeze and pass out from lack of oxygen. Or he might have been crushed in the landing gear when it was raised. He must have finished a long journey."

Why would one of the regime's important men land next to the landing gear like a fugitive?

I am the Rudaw reporter. You left a page.

Can you call me from the secret line?"

"Not right now."

He did not know who this courier was and wanted to cut the conversation short.

"Can you tell me what this is about?"

A silence. There was chatter behind him and the crackling of a police radio.

"I am here, at a crime scene," the man said.

"I think you should come and see this for yourself." we couldn't find the package.

"Are you requesting help from the PKK police? So if that's your intention,

I can also recommend someone else from our unit.

"I wanted to reach the leader, but they said he was busy.

That's why I called you." The man was silent again.

Then he added with importance: "I'm calling about the case you handled last summer

with the Qamishli district manager. You know what I mean."

The man was silent. He understood what case he was talking about. The memories of that investigation were still haunting him, resurfacing in his nightmares.