Ayesha Dean - The Lisbon Lawbreaker: Ayesha Dean Mysteries, #3

By Melati Lum

Ayesha is travelling on her own for the first time. How much trouble could she possibly get into?

 

Teenage sleuth Ayesha Dean is in Portugal, the land of delicious custard tarts, gorgeous sunsets, and piri-piri chicken. But a bungled good deed abruptly lands her on the wrong side of the law. If she tells all, she risks gaol. If she delves further into a mysterious death, she risks her life. If only this young Australian could simply eat her way out of trouble. But no such luck.

 

Ayesha is thrown into another action-packed mystery as she stumbles into a hidden world of crime amongst Lisbon's beautiful, cobblestoned streets. Ayesha must navigate new friendships, a new volunteer job, and a new city all the while trying to expose the real villains and keeping herself out of the police's bad books. She imagined relaxing days in sunny Lisbon exploring lost Islamic history among ancient ruins. She got a lot more than she bargained for.

This time Ayesha Dean is in way over her head!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Melby Rose Publishing
• Release date: Apr 8, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201645717

Melati Lum

Melati Lum is a lawyer with a background in criminal law, an Australian, Malay/Chinese, Muslim mum, and a writer of fiction for pre-teens. Having grown up with a love of reading books, and a love of travel, Melati wants to contribute towards diversifying the range of heroines available to young people. Melati currently lives in Adelaide, Australia with her family.

Book preview

Ayesha Dean - The Lisbon Lawbreaker

Ayesha Dean Mysteries, Volume 3

Melati Lum

Published by Melby Rose Publishing, 2021.

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

AYESHA DEAN - THE LISBON LAWBREAKER

First edition. April 8, 2021.

Copyright © 2021 Melati Lum.

ISBN: 979-8201645717

Written by Melati Lum.

Melati Lum is a former criminal law prosecutor of major crime. With roots in Australia and Malaysia, Melati aims to help diversify the range of heroines and heroes available to readers. When she's not working on her next story, you'll find her planning her next travel adventure, reading a good book, trying to learn languages, and playing with her two fluffy, hypoallergenic cats. She lives in Adelaide, Australia with her family.

Also by Melati Lum:

Ayesha Dean – The Istanbul Intrigue

Ayesha Dean – The Seville Secret

Ayesha Dean Novelette – The High School Heist

The perfect combination of history, adventure, and travel with a vividly drawn and charming cast. Ayesha Dean is one of the best new characters in middle-grade mystery. - AUSMA ZEHANAT KHAN, author of A Deadly Divide.

Ayesha Dean Mysteries:

Winner Daybreak Press Book Series Award 2023

Winner Fofky’s Reader Choice Award 2020, 2022

Winner Muslim Bookstagram Award 2021

Ayesha Dean

The Lisbon Lawbreaker

M E L A T I  L U M

Melby Rose Publishing

Ayesha Dean

The Lisbon Lawbreaker

Published in 2021 by Melby Rose Publishing

Copyright © Melati Lum

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the Publisher except where permitted by law.

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is coincidental.

Cover design and illustration by Try M Hidayah.

Melby Rose Publishing, Adelaide, Australia.

www.melatilum.com.au

Dedicated to Matteo, Junayd, Zain, Amali, Cyrus, Zidane, & Diani

Prologue

Ayesha Dean, we are placing you under arrest.

Ayesha Dean sat frozen in shock on hearing those words from the police officer on the other side of the table.

You have the right to remain silent, the right to a lawyer, and the right to an interpreter as all proceedings will be conducted in Portuguese. You may make a telephone call if you wish, before we go any further.

Ayesha felt a tear welling at the corner of her eye. How could it have come to this? Surely she was in a nightmare and would soon wake up. The bare grey walls of the interview room were a familiar sight to her. She’d been in plenty of police stations before, in places around the world. They all had that same sparse look, as if the authorities wanted absolutely nothing to detract from the important work of obtaining information about an incident. But Ayesha should’ve been on the other side of that table. It should have been her saying those words she’d just heard and being the detective she’d always hoped to become.

Ayesha wrapped her arms around her stomach, which had started to cramp up. She tried pinching the skin below her elbow once again, a final test to see if she would wake up.

No such luck. Still here.

Ayesha was wide awake, and she was in an interview room, in a police station, a world away from home. She had been charged with a crime she didn’t commit.

The officer cleared his throat. You are further notified that an investigation has commenced for the murder of Anton Da Costa. We wish to speak to you about that case as well. But for now, I strongly suggest you find a lawyer, Ms Dean.

Chapter 1

Seven days earlier

Ayesha Dean couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across her face. She was in the sunny city of Lisbon, Portugal, and was sorely tempted to throw her arms out wide and twirl round and around in circles. The only thing stopping her was that she was with about fifteen young people from all over the world, and she’d only just met them. Like, literally, just met most of them five minutes ago on the other side of the huge stone archway gracing the entrance to Lisbon’s most famous public square, the Praça do Comércio.

A bright yellow building, whose ground level was a series of white arches, formed three sides of the Praça in a huge U shape. The fourth side was open to the wide Tagus River. The historic square was the size of about five football fields, so all that space was just asking for Ayesha to whirl around in. She could have done so without bumping into anyone. But, she thought, the twirling would have to wait for another day. Perhaps when she’d gotten to know some of these people a little better. Earlier, Ayesha had said a general hi to all the group members, but besides her roommates, she didn’t know anything about the others.

Okay, everyone! Please take a seat on the steps over there by the monument! called Iris, the group supervisor, a Portuguese woman in her thirties. With her auburn hair up in a ponytail, Iris wore trendy glasses, casual sneakers with jeans, and a billowing, yellow puffy-sleeved top. She had helped Ayesha organise her stay in Lisbon. The woman’s can-do attitude had made this trip for Ayesha possible in a short space of time.

Ayesha made her way towards the large monument in the centre of the square. The statue was of King Jose I riding his impressive horse, who was trampling a number of snakes beneath its hooves. Looking around at the group, Ayesha saw a mixture of young men and women, all about the same age as her, eighteen, and it looked like they were from a variety of backgrounds. Ayesha was the only one wearing a hijab, but in her skinny jeans, white Converse sneakers, and soft-pink, longline, knit top, her matching pastel-pink turban hijab stood out only in the way she wanted it to. It doubled as a fashion statement, and indicated that she was a Muslim who chose to dress in a modern yet traditional way.

Being one of the first to reach the monument, Ayesha climbed up to the top step and sat down. This was her first time being away from Australia on her own. She was looking forward to getting to know a whole new bunch of people. Ayesha saw one of the guys start walking up the steps. He was tall and attractive, wearing his thick black hair in a buzz cut. A cream-coloured sweater and khaki chinos complemented his dark brown skin, and his grin was infectious. He was grinning at her now, and it looked like he was coming up to sit next to her.

Anyone sitting here? he asked in an American accent.

No, go ahead, Ayesha replied, smiling.

I’m Raimy, from Washington, DC.

I’m Ayesha, from Australia. Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you too. Where are you stay—

He was cut off by Iris calling everyone to attention. The supervisor was now standing in front of the group with her back facing the water, a clipboard held in front of her.

Okay. Now that you’re all here, let’s get started, she said loudly. "As you know, my name is Iris and I’ll be your group supervisor for your stay here in Lisbon over the next couple of months. We’ve placed you into one of our three internship programs, where you will be volunteering with an organisation over the coming weeks. You will be expected to attend your internship placement each weekday morning, but you will have the afternoons and weekends free to do what you like around the city. Ah, que droga!" Iris exclaimed as her pen went rolling off her clipboard and fell to the ground with a clatter. She quickly bent down to retrieve it, and Raimy took the opportunity to share a quick smile with Ayesha. Iris then continued as she stood back up.

Sorry about that. By now, you should have been provided with the name of the organisation where you’ll be working. In keeping with our city’s current development objectives, you will either be volunteering with the food banks, helping to teach underprivileged children, or helping with the conservation of our sea life. We hope you will find your placement extremely rewarding, not only because you will be helping a good cause, but also because you will learn new skills, and have some valuable experience you can put on your resumes that will assist you in the future. Okay, any questions?

Iris surveyed the group, but there were just a few head shakes and no one had any questions. "That’s fine. Remember, if you have any problems while you are here, with your placement, or with anything, please don’t hesitate to contact me. You have my details. We will do whatever we can to assist you during your stay.

So that’s the formal welcome. Now, feel free to hang around, get to know each other, enjoy the rest of this beautiful day. And on Monday you will start work at your placements!

Everyone clapped for a few seconds, then began talking at once. Someone suggested that they all move to a nearby café. In agreement, the teenagers stood up in smaller groups of two or three and started making their way back towards the stone archway and the busy streets of Lisbon. In all the movement, Ayesha found herself separated from Raimy and was hustled in with her two roommates: Mara, who was from Porto, a city that was a three-hour train ride from Lisbon; and Aveline, from Paris, France.

Ayesha had met them earlier that morning. She’d been instantly at ease with Mara. Mara was a little shorter than Ayesha’s five foot six. She had an intelligent look about her face, which matched her brunette pixie-cut hair. That sharp look seemed a little at odds with the open way she’d first greeted Ayesha that morning.

Ayesha? Mara had said on opening the door to their third-floor apartment. They were in a high-ceilinged, renovated eighteenth-century building.

Yeah, that’s me, Ayesha had answered, a little taken aback by the suddenness of the door flinging open. And before any more words had been spoken, Ayesha had found herself encased in a huge, welcoming hug by an enchanting pixie girl, who was muffling something into her shoulder about how much she’d always wanted to meet someone from Australia.

A few steps into the apartment brought Ayesha into the sunny lounge room. Its polished wooden floorboards were covered by a large blue-toned Persian rug. One of the white walls was decorated with lots of empty picture frames, both wooden and gilded gold. White shelving filled with dozens of books covered another wall, and yet another featured large windows looking out onto one of Lisbon’s main streets.

An attractive blonde teen was lounging on the long blue sofa, her bare legs curled beneath her, with a fashion magazine resting in her lap.

This is Aveline, Mara had said. Aveline, this is Ayesha.

Aveline had looked up from her spot on the sofa, and Ayesha noticed her new roommate giving her a judgey, appraising once-over, scanning her from her turban hijab down to her leggings and long jumper, and back up again. The bored expression on Aveline’s face left Ayesha with the sense that Aveline had found her wanting. Aveline hadn’t even bothered to get up from her seat. She’d said hi with a half-hearted smile, then went back to reading her magazine. Ayesha thought it wasn’t the best reception, but then again, it wasn’t the worst. Perhaps her roommate would warm up in time.

Mara’s steady chatter had overcome any awkwardness from Aveline’s lukewarm greeting.

How was the flight? Mara had asked. Are you jet-lagged?

It’s not too bad at the moment, Ayesha had answered. I stopped over in Dubai for a few days and slept on the flight over this morning. I’d really love a hot shower though.

Ugh, I can’t imagine flying all the way from the other side of the world, Mara said. But one day, I hope I will!

On the way from the airport to the apartment, Ayesha had said a small prayer in the hopes that she’d be able to get along with her roommates. Not everyone was friendly towards people of different faiths and cultures, and Ayesha hoped her roommates would be cool with her being Muslim. It looked like she’d gotten her wish with Mara at least.

Mara had taken Ayesha on a tour of their spacious apartment. Besides the lounge room, there was a dining room with a long, narrow wooden table flanked by wooden bench seats on either side. French doors led to an outdoor terrace that opened out to the backside of Lisbon’s historical apartment buildings. The view looked like a mismatched jigsaw puzzle of colourful building blocks, not fitting together seamlessly, but somehow perfectly placed. Yellows and pinks and plain cream walls topped with terracotta roofs formed a pastel-and-rust background Ayesha couldn’t wait to photograph.

Next to the dining room was a functional kitchen. The linoleum floor and dated pale-yellow cupboards had seen better days, but everything needed to make a good meal was there. The bathroom was small but modern, and each of the girls had her own bedroom along a long corridor connecting the dining room to the front foyer.

Ayesha’s bedroom looked comfortable enough. Her eyes passed over the single bed made up with fresh white linen placed next to a small bedside table, before being drawn to the large window gracing much of the front wall.

I thought I’d open the windows to get some fresh air, Mara said from behind her. All our rooms are basically the same, so there wasn’t any fighting before you arrived, and you didn’t get the dud.

Ayesha chuckled as her room looked clean and comfortable, and she was simply happy to be here. No worries, thanks, Mara. I’d be happy with this room even if it was the dud. That view though! She pushed the white curtains aside to stick her head out of the window and marvelled again at the city scene. Cars, people, and a tram line snaked their way down the narrow but busy street below. In the air, she caught the faint scent of baking pastries mingled with petrol from the traffic. She popped her head back in.

This is so exciting! Have you guys been here long? Ayesha asked.

I got here about an hour before you arrived, Mara said. It was just a short flight from Porto. Aveline was already here. She added in a lower voice, Don’t worry. She hasn’t said much to me either. But hey, we will meet the whole group in a couple of hours. So, get comfortable, have a rest or shower, or whatever. We can all head down together for the meeting later.

Thank you, Mara. It’s soo, soo fab to meet you! Ayesha gushed and went in for another quick hug before Mara left her to settle in.

After a refreshing shower, Ayesha performed her prayers, then plonked down on her bed with her earphones to listen to the new playlist her best friends, Sara and Jess, had put together for her before she left home. Ayesha knew it would be a mixture of Jess’s love of pop, Sara’s love of R ’n’ B, and Ayesha’s love of indie and acoustic tunes.

The first song, by an ex-British boyband member, came on as Ayesha’s head hit the pillow, and she immediately thought of Kareem. It had been many months since she’d seen his dark eyes and halting smile. Things had seemed so promising at the end of her trip to Seville, where she’d solved her last mystery. But since then, life and reality had set in. Things changed, people moved on, and Ayesha had learned that Kareem, of the British humour and Algerian sentiments, had not been meant for her.

Chapter 2

I wish you were working with me, Ayesha, Mara said as the group of interns meandered uphill towards the nearest café called A Padaria Portuguesa. I can’t wait to save marine life. And I’m hoping and hoping it might lead to a job. I’d love to work for a conservation ONG, or I think in English you say NGO?

Yeah, it’s NGO in English. I would have loved to work with you too, Ayesha replied, screwing up her face. But I’m looking forward to working with the kids. We can catch up in the afternoons though.

I guess that means we will be working together then, Ayesha, Aveline said softly.

Ayesha couldn’t tell what Aveline thought about that since there was very little expression in the way it came across.

Yeah! Ayesha said. She was conscious she was speaking with extra effort to infuse enthusiasm into her voice. Maybe Aveline’s uninterested greeting was affecting her more than she realised. Are you looking forward to it, Aveline?

"Non. My papa enrolled me into this program without telling me because he thinks it will teach me a lesson. Perhaps he also wants to get rid of me over summer so he can spend time with his new partner."

Oh, Ayesha simply said.

Yes. And I will show him how wrong he was to do that, Aveline continued, with a slight frown marring her classically pretty face.

Ayesha stole a quick glance at Mara, who raised her eyebrows.

What are you going to do? Ayesha asked Aveline.

You wouldn’t do anything to the school, would you? Mara asked. Because that would be—

I’ll think of something, Aveline interrupted with a gleam in her eye. She then walked quickly ahead to chat with another group of people, leaving Ayesha and Mara behind.

Wow. We’re going to have to watch out for her, Ayesha, Mara said.

Yeah. She obviously has issues, Ayesha replied. I wonder how we’ll go working together.

At least it will only be in the mornings, Mara said. And maybe you’ll be too busy with other people to even notice her.

***

At the café, Raimy had saved a seat for