One day, Musa was idling in his Saab at a roundabout when he accepted a few passengers and drove off. He did not return home. Ten days later, the authorities stopped a Saab, which had a new paint job, at a car wash. An inspection confirmed that the car was Musa’s. The driver was taken in for questioning, and he explained that he had recently bought the vehicle from a certain Manhal Hammoudi—supposedly, one of Musa’s friends. The authorities tracked down Hammoudi, who admitted that he and several others had asked Musa for a ride into the countryside, and that one of the passengers, Karoom, had pointed a pistol at Musa’s head. “Guys, quit screwing around,” Musa said. “This isn’t funny!” Karoom pulled the trigger. He and the others dumped the body in the bushes, repainted the Saab, and sold it for seven hundred and fifty dollars.journey-inline-newsletterinline-newsletter