The guy hesitated.
“Please?” she batted her eyes at him again, “I would really appreciate it,” she lightly touched his arm and smiled.
“Aww, what the heck! Sure, why not! I will check the floor and make sure it is safe and come and get you. Don’t worry; the door can only be opened from the inside or with this key. You’ll be safe here.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
He let her inside and gave her a wave before closing the door. Tanya waited for a minute and dashed towards the large cupboard. Fortunately, the keys were hanging on the lock. She opened it, and just as she predicted, there were a large number of tapes stored inside. She knew she didn’t have much time, and she didn’t know exactly when David had met Whitney. However, Tanya remembered he told them that it was right at the start of their relationship. Tanya did a quick calculation in her head and narrowed it down to one month. She looked at the tapes, and thankfully, they had months and years written on them.
She decided to grab all the tapes from that month. However, she first had to find them, and she had already lost a lot of time. The guy would be back any minute now. She had to hurry!
“Are you sure we are prepared?” Sanjay asked Diaz for the umpteenth time. Diaz sighed, “Don’t worry. We got this!” They were heading to the court in Sanjay’s car. Aria’s trial was to start in an hour. “Thanks to the tape Tanya got, we will be able to prove David and Whitney were in touch.”
“I stole, you mean,” Tanya pitched in from the back seat, “Stole quite a few of them. She chuckled. Tanya had dashed out of the room before the guard could return. She had grabbed as many tapes as she could and stuffed them in her bag. The four of them had spent hours that night trying to find the right recording. Fortunately, they had found it in time. The camera angle was perfect, as it showed both David’s and Whitney’s face clearly.
“I am going to be in so much trouble if he catches me again,” Tanya said out loud.
Sanjay shook his head, “Don’t worry. We will figure something out. As long as it helps Aria, we can make a deal with the security company or something.”
Diaz turned her head to look at David, who was sitting next to Tanya and was quietly staring out of the window. She was going to present him as the witness today, “It will all be over soon. You are doing the right thing.” David looked and Diaz and nodded. He wasn’t scared of going to prison; he was dreading meeting Aria at the courthouse. He knew he wouldn’t be able to meet her eyes and even begin to apologize to her for what he put her through.
The next hour or so was a blur to David. He merely nodded to Diaz a few times, unsure what she was saying. His time was up. The minute he had raised that knife to attack Coons, David knew his days of freedom were numbered. He was already in love with Aria, and even though he had the chance to run and save himself, he knew he’d never leave her like this.
“David!”
He snapped back to reality. Diaz was looking at him with her brow raised. He realized he was sitting in the witness stand and Diaz had asked him a question. David was so zoned out of it that he hadn’t even realized that it was time already. His eyes moved towards Aria, who was looking at him with a blank expression on her face. David wished he had the chance to talk to her alone, to explain to her what had happened and why he did what he did. He wanted to explain he never intended any harm to her. He wanted to beg for her forgiveness. He wanted to hold her in his arms and tell her how much he loved her and how much he had tried to protect her.
Diaz cleared her throat and repeated, “Can you please explain where you were the night Coons, Aria’s boss, was murdered?”
David sighed, took a long breath and started to speak.
Diaz smiled brightly as they left the courthouse. Things had gone rather well. David’s statement made a major difference, and the judge had ordered Whitney to appear in court on the next date, which would hopefully be the last if things went as planned and Aria would be free. The judge had also ordered the case to be reopened and David’s fingerprints to be checked against the murder weapon. Diaz knew Aria would be out of prison within a week. David had been taken into custody.
“That was wicked!” Tanya hurried next to Diaz. “Why can’t they free Aria today, though?”
“They have to get the fingerprints match. However, a confession is more than enough. I think the judge is being careful. But, don’t worry, she will be out by the end of the week,” Diaz explained.
“I don’t think I would be able to face Whitney at work now,” Tanya admitted, “I am sure she will make my life miserable.”
Sanjay had just joined them and heard the last remark, “Take sick leaves. It will be over once she comes to court. She won’t be able to do anything. She is definitely guilty. By the way, I was on a call with one of the detectives at my precinct,” He lowered his voice as they walked past a group of people standing around talking, “There has been another murder!”
“What?!” Exclaimed both Tanya and Diaz.
“Shush! Yeah. Another head of the financial department of a leading company. Remember the murder they were trying to pin on Aria? He was also the head of a finance department at his company. I don’t know what the hell is going on, but there is clearly a pattern.”
“That’s terrifying, honestly!” Tanya gulped.
“Yeah, well… hopefully, we’ll be able to get to the bottom of this soon. My gut is telling me all these murders are connected.” Sanjay continued as they sat in the car. “Let’s hope Whitney confesses, and we get a better picture of things.”
Diaz looked at Tanya. Her face was white, “Hey! Don’t you worry about that, okay? It’s for the police to fix. Today was a victory for us, and Aria will be free soon. Focus on that.”
Tanya smiled gratefully at her. In the next few days, the three of them took things slow. Their work was done, and all they had to do was to wait for the next court date, which was two days later. Sanjay had informed them that the fingerprints were done, and the investigation was again concluded, David was definitely the culprit. That, along with his confession, made the case straightforward. Aria would be out in two days, and they could then relax and continue with their normal lives. If Whitney breaks at the witness stand, that will open up a new case. Diaz was willing to take that case on too. She wanted to put everyone involved with this behind bars. She also wanted to bring Ellen to justice. It could easily have been her if it wasn’t for the guy who helped her.
However, the day before the trial, something happened.
Whitney Fox was found hanging in her house. Her housemaid had found her in the morning and alerted the police. Sanjay arrived at the scene when the team was bringing down her body. The forensic team was already taking evidence and examining the body. “What happened?” he asked as he walked near the body.
“Appears to be suicide. It appears she wrapped the rope around the railing on her balcony and jumped. Her maid instantly saw her the minute she walked through the front door. She had a set of keys. Judging from the bruises on her neck, when she jumped, the rope broke her neck, killing her instantly,” explained the forensic expert.
“Could it be something else?” It was hard for Sanjay to believe that Whitney would commit suicide. She was loaded enough to hire the best lawyer for her case. There was something not right here.
The forensic expert shrugged, “Could be, but I can only find out after taking the body to the lab and running some tests. I have to examine it further to make my final report.”
Sanjay nodded and made his way inside the house. Everything seemed to be in order, “Any signs of a struggle?” he asked one of the officers present inside. She shook her head, “So far, there hasn’t been anything out of the ordinary. It does seem like a suicide.”
Sanjay looked skeptical. After an hour at the scene, he gave up. There indeed was nothing out of the ordinary at the house. He would have to wait for the forensic report.
The atmosphere in the courthouse was different. It was buzzing with news about Whitney
’s death, and rumours and conspiracy theories were running wild. The judge banged her gavel to silence everyone. The verdict was about to be announced. Tanya was biting herlip, staring at the judge. Sanjay was also looking at the judge, waiting for her to begin. Diaz patted Aria’s shoulder, encouragingly. Aria gave her a small smile.
There was an intense silence before the judge began to speak, “Due to the recent new findings in this case and the confession made, the earlier verdict has to be changed. After the fingerprint analysis and defendant David’s confession, it has become evident that the defendant was behind the murder of Mr. Coons. With this discovery, I hereby pronounce Aria Raymond as not guilty for the murder of Mr. Coons and extend sincere apologies for the suffering she had to deal with. Her criminal record is to be wiped clean, and she is free to go.”
The judge continued, “Looking at the recent findings and the confession, I hereby pronounce defendant David as guilty of the murder of Mr. Coons in the first degree. He is sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. The court is adjourned.”
Tanya, Diaz and Sanjay waited outside for Aria to be released. Tanya was tapping her foot impatiently and turned to Diaz, “What is going to happen now… I mean with Whitney? The judge didn’t mention anything.”
“The case is going to be investigated. The evidence and confession were enough to make the verdict. Whitney’s confession or statements would have only opened a new case anyway. This case was Aria’s wrongful imprisonment and Coons’ murder. Both of them were solved with David’s confession,” she hesitated. “I honestly can’t believe Whitney would commit suicide.”
“I know, right?” Tanya pitched in, “I can’t believe she is gone! This is so surreal!”
Before they could say anything more, the doors opened, and Aria walked out. She looked exhausted but relieved. Her face broke into a big smile as soon as she saw the three of them. Tanya raced towards her, and they hugged. Diaz and Sanjay smiled broadly at the sight before them. The two friends finally reunited. Aria and Tanya were crying and laughing at the same time. Diaz looked at Sanjay. They had done it. Everything they had gone through was eventually worth it. Both of them took turns hugging Aria and congratulating her.
Aria was still sobbing, “I can’t thank you guys enough. You have… I can’t thank you enough. You have no idea how much it means to me…”
“Hey! Hey! Stop it, okay?” Diaz hushed her. “This is the time to celebrate!”
Sanjay’s phone buzzed, and he looked at the text. Shit! He knew it. He thought to himself. It was about Whitney’s reports. They had found something.
“Oooii! You with us?” Tanya nudged Sanjay. “We are going out for dinner and drinks. Aria needs to eat real food now.”
Sanjay quickly placed his phone back in his pocket, “Yeah, of course!”
Diaz looked at him suspiciously, “Everything good?”
Sanjay nodded. This would have to wait for a while. He knew he deserved a break and tonight was about Aria’s victory. Their victory. Each of them had struggled and suffered throughout this case. They all needed a break from this. He put his phone in his pocket. This can wait. He told himself as he walked after the three women, still hugging and laughing. He smiled. Yeah, it could wait.
Epilogue
The autopsy report of Whitney Fox reveals that she was murdered, just as Sanjay had predicted. Sanjay is determined to take on this case and find the real culprits and make sure they are held accountable.
Meanwhile, two more financial institutions have fallen victim to this mysterious syndicate. The President/CEO of both companies were found murdered just weeks after Aria’s trial. The more Sanjay investigates, the more confident he is that all these murders are connected. However, he must watch his back too. Anyone who has gotten close to the truth has been found dead!
Diaz wants justice. She wants justice for Ellen and for herself. Whoever was behind Coons murder and Aria’s wrongful imprisonment murdered Ellen and kidnapped her. She knows these two new murders are connected as well. She is keen to go after the people who are behind all this. She knows something big is going down and wants to get to the bottom of it.
THE END
***
Dear reader,
I trust that you have enjoyed this book and hope it has brought you some joy to your life.
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Again, thank you for reading my book.
Look forward for my next one!
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Yours,
Thomas Ransom
P.S. If, for some reason, you found errors or typos, or didn’t like this book in general, please let me know personally. I do my best to read and respond to every email at [email protected]
Dead Presidents (Sneak Peak)
First it was Coons…now two more CEO’s are dead! Who will be next…
Wayne got his hands on some key documents that could blow this whole investigation wide open! If he leaks the information, he could be in danger of his own life. He must decide quickly.
Nicole Diaz is helping Aria adjust to normal life when a visitor from the past shows up. She can’t decide of it’s a good thing or a bad thing. Does she follow her heart or her gut?
There is something about him that just isn’t right…
Just when things were starting to turn the corner, Wayne is brutally attacked and ends up unconscious in ICU. Nicole and Aria eagerly wait to see if he improves so they can get question him and find out who these people are.
What will happen to if they can’t get Wayne to talk? They must find some answers before someone else dies!
Click here now to read Dead Presidents.
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Dead Presidents
Capital Crime (An Aria Raymond Thriller Book 2) Page 13
