Suspects

I'm taking a Mystery Writing Class and part of our assingment is to come up with a list of possible suspects. Well I'm a pantser, for those of you who don't know what that means, I write by the seat of my pants. I don't draw up elaborate flow charts and index cards. I don't have files and files of background on my characters and I usually don't know what's going to happen until I write about it. I always have a vague idea but nothing set in concrete. This class has been a challenge for me. I am working on a mystery and I am bogged down. Maybe because mysteries need some planning? They are not conducive to pantsers. Am I doomed before I even set pen to paper or in this case finger to keyboard? You tell me. Also a little help on the usual suspects would be greatly appreciated. I have a stalker, a bad cop and a bad witch (it's a paranormal), but I need one more because one of these guys is the killer and according to my teacher I should have at least three suspects besides the killer. Who else is a stereotypical suspect, a red herring? I value your opinions. 

I Dream Of Jinni...

My first book features a jinni or djinn (one of the traditional forms of the word). His name is Aidan which means fire. I thought that was fitting since djinn are fire spirits. He falls in love with the herione along with another man. Love for Aidan is something he has never felt before. He had spent his 5000 years roaming the world alone. It was fun writing about a djinn, trying to imagine the things he had seen and done in those many long years.

Djinn have a long history. They're first told in Arabic folklore and Islamic teachings. They exist in a parallel universe to mankind. Djinn, angels and humans make up the three sentient creations of Allah. The Qur'an mentions that they are made of smokeless flame or "the fire of a scorching wind". They have freewill along with humans. They can be good, evil or neutrally benevolent according to wikipedia.

A djinn having freewill gives us a different picture of the genie we have come to think of today. The evolution of the djinn has come to be one of captive who will grant three wishes when you find him. He has popped up in everything from children's movies, jokes and pop culture songs.

It was believed that jinni stood behind King Solomon in his court giving advice. In the Qur'an one djinn is cast out of paradise and is now Satan. They have a complicated and rich history that we have adapted to modern times.

Are djinn real? Why have they persisted down through the ages across religions and cultures? What would you do if you met a djinn? An all powerful being that could grant you wishes?