“Great!” Diaz beamed at him, “It’s urgent, by the way. I will transfer your payment tonight and the rest once you are done with this.”
Meathead nodded at both Diaz and Sanjay, then, without a word, left the room.
“He is an unusual character,” Sanjay remarked as Diaz opened up the envelope and took out a bunch of papers. “Yeah, well, he gets the job done,” Diaz started reading the papers, “You definitely want to see this, Sanjay!”
He got up from his seat and picked up the papers. As he read, his eyes grew wide, and he started grinning. He looked at Diaz, who was also grinning, “I think we have just found the ticket to get Aria out of prison.”
Aria was sure that somehow Carrie and her gang would try to get to her. She kept a low profile for the next few days and made sure to stay close to Kelly and Karen. However, it wasn’t easy since they all had different jobs to do. While Aria had gained the respect of most of the prison inmates, she knew if Carrie and her gang tried to turn on her, no one would dare come to her rescue. No one would want to make Carrie their enemy. She was so busy trying to avoid Carrie and her gang that she forgot there was another threat lurking after her until she bumped into her while she was headed for her lunch break.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the feisty newbie who got me thrown in the isolation room,” Rachel said as she stepped in front of Aria.
Aria instantly took a few steps back, “You are out!”
Rachel glared at her, “Yeah, I am out, and I promise you that you will be sorry that you even exist newbie.”
“I am not a newbie anymore,” Aria calmly replied. Her fingers wrapped around the shiv in her pocket. She knew she couldn’t get intimidated by Rachel. She took her once, and she would take her down again.
“Oh, yeah?” Rachel took a step closer, “Who is going to stop me from calling you a newbie, eh?” Without warning, she punched Aria right in the stomach.
“Not so feisty now, are you?” Rachel punched her again and grabbed Aria’s hair.
“Uggh!” Aria screamed, trying to get Rachel off of her.
“What the hell is happening here?” came a voice from behind. Rachel immediately let go of Aria. An officer was racing towards them. Aria grabbed her stomach in pain and tried to catch her breath.
“What are you two doing? I am not going to ask again,” yelled the officer.
Before Aria could say anything, Rachel blurted out, “She was attacking me!”
“I was not…”Aria started to speak, but Rachel cut her off, “She said she would cut my throat and finish the job she started in the yard a few weeks ago.”
“What the hell!! I didn…”
“She has a weapon too!!” Rachel shouted. “Check her. You will see I am not lying.”
Aria’s face turned white as the officer looked at her, “I don’t…”
“Turn around, inmate. Hands to the wall and spread your legs… NOW!”
Aria gulped and did as she was told. Sure enough, the officer found the shiv she had in her pocket. “What is this? Why do you have this? I am going to report you, inmate. Come with me!”
Aria glared at Rachel, who was smirking. “Got you.” She mouthed and gave her the finger.
“And you!” the officer turned to Rachel, “You clear off from here, and I better not see you in the halls where you are not supposed to be or its isolation room for you again.”
“Yes, sir!” Rachel gave a lame salute to the officer, grinned at Aria, and skipped towards the cafeteria.
“It is not mine. I swear. She must have slipped it inside my pocket when she attacked me,” Aria tried to convince the officer.
“A likely story!”
“Come one, man! Why would I walk around with a shiv in my pocket! I am not that stupid!” That seemed to have gotten to the officer.
“Yeah? Okay, then.” He said.
“Oh, great! Thanks for letting me…”
“Hold your horses. I am just not going to file a complaint against you. But you are going to the isolation room again.” He dragged her downstairs as she protested, but that didn’t seem to work.
“Dude! Come on! I didn’t do anything. It wasn’t mine!” Aria tried again. She didn’t want to go back there. It was hell for her, being alone, locked up in that small, dark room with nothing but her demons to keep her company. But, no matter what she said, the officer silently led her to the isolation rooms in the basement and pushed her into the room, closing the door with a loud bang.
Sanjay, Tanya, and Clark were sitting silently around the table, waiting for Diaz. She had been discharged a few days ago and was working on getting the case reopened. Today, they were going to find out whether or not the case would be reopened and start preparing for the appeal. They knew they had strong evidence, but they also knew that the people they were up against were influential. They already have people in the police, which meant they might also have judges and lawyers in their pockets. The corruption was penetrating deep in the system; they were just hoping for a miracle at this point.
Sanjay had no choice but to include Clark in his plans finally. The constant text messages and phone calls he was receiving from him were getting to him. James hadn’t found anything out of the ordinary against Clark, which meant, Sanjay had to admit that he was clean. However, he was still feeling slightly apprehensive. Sanjay wasn’t sure why. He couldn’t quite put a finger on what was wrong.
Tanya cleared her throat, “So, when…,” she was interpreted by a knock. They all sat up straight and looked at one another. Sanjay hastily opened the door, and standing outside was Diaz. They instantly knew what had happened because of the beaming smile on her face.
“Yessss!!” Tanya cheered. Clark let out a big sigh, and Sanjay looked relieved.
Diaz hurried in. “I know,” she smiled at them. “But this is just getting started. There is a lot to do. They are going to do everything possible to undermine the evidence. We need to keep looking and prepare a strong case this time.”
“Should we get Aria in protection?” Sanjay thought out loud. “They might send someone to go after her. Of course, no one would want to let this new evidence come to light. I have a feeling this entire thing is bigger than just Coons’ murder.”
Tanya looked horrified, her mouth gaping open. Clark’s face had turned white. Before any of them could say anything, Diaz pitched in, “I found out that she is in isolation… something about a fight…”
“What!” Clark finally spoke up, “We need to get her out of there.”
“That was my initial reaction, but then I realized she might be safe there,” Diaz explained, “Sanjay is right. There might be some people in prison to do their dirty work. Harm her or worse kill her and make it look like just another causality of a prison fight.”
“Oh, God!” Tanya sat down on her chair again and buried her head in her hands.
“Don’t worry. I am heading there now. Aria needs to know what is going on. She needs to be prepared for this too. She needs to know that she has to be careful now more than ever.”
Sanjay nodded, “I will go with you.”
Diaz shook her head, “You have to go to the precinct and make sure you get the case once it is reopened. We need you to be on top of the investigation. If you think your partner is compromised, then you’d have to be careful there. And that also makes it imperative that you are on the case.”
“I don’t think he is compromised. He is strict, can be tough, but I know he is one of the good ones,” said Sanjay. “You are right, though. I should head back.”
“Tanya,” Diaz turned towards her, “You must keep a close watch on Whitney. She is our prime suspect. Inform me of anything unusual, but please be careful!”
Tanya nodded, looking motivated instantly. Clark looked at Diaz in anticipation, “What about me? How can I help?”
“You need to go about your business, as usual. It is best that you and Tanya are not seen with us,” She nodded towards Sanjay. “As Sanjay said, these people
are extremely powerful and dangerous. If they have an inkling that you guys played a part in reopening this case, they are bound to come after you.”
“But…,” Clark looked at both Diaz and Sanjay, then back at Diaz, “I can’t just sit around and do nothing…”
Diaz looked at him, impatiently, “You are not going to be doing nothing. You can and should visit Aria as usual. You know, since you are the boyfriend. Keep her motivated. But, staying away from all of this is what’s going to help her. We can’t work on Aria’s case and also worry about you if you get injured or worse, kidnapped.”
Clark looked angry but stayed quiet.
“You understand, right?” Diaz prompted.
Clark nodded, “Well, I guess I better go then.” Irritated, he walked out of the apartment. Tanya looked at Diaz and Sanjay, “Don’t worry. He will get over it.” The three of them eventually headed out to play their parts.
Aria was jolted awake when the door of her isolation room opened. “Get up!” called out an officer. “Quickly! I don’t have all day!”
“What…,” Aria rubbed her eyes, “What’s happening? Is my isolation over?”
The officer snickered, “No! Get up right now. You have a visitor.”
“Who?”
“Stop asking questions, or I am going to make sure your visitation rights are taken away, you hear me?”
“Fine!” Aria let the officer drag and push her upstairs. She wondered who was visiting her. Maybe Clark. But, they usually don’t let anyone visit a prisoner if they are in isolation unless it is someone from law enforcement. Sanjay! Her heart pounded. Maybe they found something. What could it be? Is he coming with good news or bad news? Aria wondered. She was certainly not expecting the person sitting there beaming at her. “Diaz!” Aria practically screamed. Her heart skipped with joy. Diaz hugged Aria until the guard shouted, “That’s enough!”
They separated immediately and sat at their table. Aria had tears in her eyes. She couldn’t believe Diaz was sitting in front of her, “I thought…,” Aria stammered, “I thought I would… never see you again…”
Diaz gulped, “I thought the same, honestly.”
“God! Nicole!” Aria looked at her, “I can’t believe it’s really you. I am so glad you are okay. How is Ellen? Is she fine too?”
Diaz’s happy expression suddenly changed, and Aria felt her heart dropping, “What happened?” Diaz quickly explained to Aria what happened to her and Ellen and that she is no more. “But don’t worry!” She hastily added, looking at Aria’s horrified face, “We are going to get Ellen and you both justice.”
“How?”
In the next few minutes, Diaz explained the new evidence they had found and that the case was being reopened. “This time, we have a good chance. We are making the case stronger. My guys are working on getting more information. Sanjay is going to be on the investigation team again, so we know it won’t get messed up this time.”
Aria sighed. “It’s starting again, huh?” She looked at her lawyer, nervously.
“We are better prepared now, and this time, I will be here to fight the case for you. Just make sure you stay safe. I know you are in isolation right now, which works for us because no prisoner would be able to attack you. I am going to try to get you into protective custody, though. That would be best for you.”
Aria nodded.
“I am going to visit you every other day to prep you for the appeal, okay?”
Before she knew it, Aria was once again sitting in court. However, this time things were different. Diaz was there. That made all the difference. She was vigilant and brutal, even more so when she was defending someone she truly knows is innocent. She was building up the case, and Aria could tell the jury was clinging to her words. It seemed like they might actually have a chance. However, there was only one problem; they still didn’t have solid proof that Whitney Fox was behind Coon’s murder.
Whitney was smugly sitting in the stand, as her lawyer showed evidence that she had a strong alibi for the night of Coons murder. She was present at the retirement party of Coons’ the night he got murdered and was in conversation with the board members of the company during most of the party. They had several witnesses who had seen or talked to her, and most importantly, they had security footage of her chatting with her partners. She never even left her seat for a single moment.
“Your honor, this just proves that the defense counsel is simply wasting our time with this appeal. There has been strong evidence against Aria Raymond, proving that she is the murderer. They are merely grasping at straws and accusing respected members of our society of a brutal crime that their client has committed.”
Aria had a hollow feeling in her stomach. They had no reliable evidence that Whitney was behind it. She was never even near that back alley when Coons was murdered. How is Diaz going to get her out?
“The new evidence that has come to light shows that Coons was being blackmailed, and he was trying to warn Aria. The email exchange shows that he believed she might get into trouble. He even tried to warn her a few minutes before he was murdered. Ellen Coons, his wife, has been killed because she knew something and tried to help Aria. I was kidnapped because I was trying to help Aria. This clearly shows that there is someone else behind this and that my client has been framed,” Diaz argued.
Aria sighed when the court was adjourned for the day. The next court date was set for two weeks. According to Diaz, this was sufficient time to prepare more. Before she was being led away by the police officer, she glanced at Clark; his face was white, and he seemed troubled. For a second, Aria forgot all her worries. She wanted to comfort him. She wanted to hug him and tell him everything would be fine. She was about to call out to him, but she was pushed through the door and led outside.
Clark instantly stood up, as if he had just made a decision. He looked around and saw Tanya leaving the courtroom, waving at someone before she left. He glanced at the direction she had waved and saw Sanjay and Diaz deep in conversation. Clark made his way towards them hastily. He urgently needed to talk to them. However, Clark suddenly halted when Whitney Fox stepped in his way. He had thought she left the courtroom, but there she was, grinning brightly at him.
“Ah! We meet again,” Whitney looked at him appraisingly, giving him a once over. “Glad to see you are still in good shape. I hope you are making the right decisions now. Better forget about that murderer of a girlfriend you have and find someone who is good for you,” she paused and stepped closer to him. “I hope you know the gravity of the situation.”
Clark clenched his teeth but stayed quiet. Whitney patted his shoulder, gave him a wink, and walked out. By that time, Sanjay and Diaz were not in sight. He took out his cellphone and tried calling Sanjay, then Diaz. Neither of them answered. He left them messages telling that he needed to talk to them urgently.
The courtroom was empty now. Clark sighed and slowly walked out. Today started well, but he knew very well that Whitney had a solid alibi. Of course she does. Whitney isn’t the type to do the dirty work herself. She had people for that. Obviously, Whitney would make sure there were plenty of witnesses around her while someone else did the task for her. Clark knew they needed to find a suspect soon. Otherwise, the case was certain to be a bust. Aria would be thrown back in jail. He can’t let that happen again. He needed to do something.
Clark checked his phone to see if either Sanjay or Diaz had gotten back to him. Nothing! “Shit!” he roared. “What do I do?” At this rate, the appeal will be thrown out before they could do anything else. He decided to go to Sanjay’s place to see if they were meeting there. They have to do something. They have to get Aria out of there at all costs. Just then, his phone buzzed. He picked it up without even looking at the screen, thinking that it could be Diaz or Sanjay. “Finally!! I have been trying to get a hold of you guys!”
“Hello, Clark,” came a voice.
Clark’s heart sank.
“We need to talk. It’s time to meet. I am sending
you the location right now. You better be there in thirty minutes.”
Clark gulped as the call cut off. He had a decision to make, and quick.
Sanjay stopped his car. His cell phone had been continuously buzzing. “If it is Clark again, I swear….”
“He is just worried about Aria, Sanjay,” Diaz told him. “I should probably text him that I will call him soon.” Sanjay checked his phone, “It’s not him.” He was surprised to see several missed calls and texts from James. He had asked Sanjay to call him back immediately because he had found something important. Sanjay immediately called James, “Hey! Sorry, I was driving. Is everything okay?”
James sighed, “You are not going to like what I am about to tell you.”
Chapter 10: Another Murder!
“What?” Sanjay glanced at Diaz as he spoke to James, “What happened?”
“It’s about Clark,” James started, his voice trailing away.
“About Clark?” Sanjay repeated. Diaz suddenly looked alert at the mention of Clark’s name and signaled to Sanjay to put his phone on speaker. He quickly obliged. They were still parked on the side of the road on the way to Sanjay’s house to prep more for Aria’s trial.
“You know how I told you I couldn't find anything on Clark?” James continued.
“Yeah?”
“Well, I found it rather odd. Even if people keep off of social media platforms, you can still find some traces of them online. Aside from that, there are bank details, previous jobs, and whatnot. But, there was nothing on Clark. It was like he had no past. Tanya also doesn’t have too much information on the web, but you can still see that she exists with some information here and there. This wasn’t the case with Clark.”
Diaz and Sanjay exchanged glances.
“I knew there was something wrong. I checked some other specialized databases, but still nothing. He seemed to have appeared out of thin air when he purchased the house across Aria’s…”
Capital Crime (An Aria Raymond Thriller Book 2) Page 10
