They sat in silence.
“I know for sure that Coons was one of the good guys. He never would have done something like this,” said Aria.
Detective Sanjay nodded, “Then there is nothing to be worried about. This investigation can prove his innocence.” He smiled at Aria and got up. “You should head on home too. There is no point in staying here.”
Aria nodded. She sat there alone, lost in her thoughts before realizing the detective was right. Tomorrow will be a better day, she reassured herself.
“What happened! I was calling you all day,” said Clark.
Aria had seen him crossing the street the minute she pulled into her driveway. She realized that her cell phone was in her purse all day. Amidst all the chaos, she had forgotten even to check her phone once. She got out of the car and hugged Clark.
“Is everything okay? Why are you home early? I mean I am glad because I was seriously about to drive all the way to your work,” Clark gave her a long kiss, leaving Aria breathless.
“Hmm… what would I do without you,” Aria smiled up at him. “Today was a mess! I feel exhausted.”
They made their way inside her house, and Aria explained the happenings of the day. Clark looked at her sympathetically. He placed the kettle on the stove to make tea. “I can’t imagine how crazy things must have been.”
Aria pressed her head with her fingers, “I just hope things start settling down. Everyone at work is getting agitated. I am scared that we might start losing clients.”
“It is understandable. First, their boss got murdered, and then he's accused of stealing from the company… that’s a lot to take in. I am sure things will get better in a few days, and your clients won’t go anywhere. How have you been holding up?” Clark asked as he made her a cup of tea.
“Right now? Pretty grateful to have you here with me,” she smiled and took the cup Clark offered her. “But, it has been rather frustrating. I keep thinking about why anyone would accuse Coons of such crimes.”
She took a sip of her tea. “I mean, I know him. He wouldn’t do such a thing. But there are people… even at work… thinking that he could be involved in something shady.”
Clark pressed his lips and stayed quiet.
“What?” Aria asked.
“Nothing!” Clark said defensively. “I said nothing.”
“But you are thinking about something. I can’t tell by your face, you want to say something,” insisted Aria.
“Well… there could be… maybe he made a mistake or something… I don’t know Aria,” he stammered. He didn’t want to make her angry, especially when she was already going through a tough time. Surprisingly, Aria seemed to be thinking it over.
“Wayne said something similar… he seemed to believe he might have done something, otherwise, why would anyone accuse him…” Aria’s voice trailed off. She was lost in her thoughts.
Clark cleared his throat, “Well… he might be right.”
“Or…” started Aria, “Someone might be framing him.”
“Why would anyone do that?” Clark raised his eyebrows.
Aria shrugged. “I wanted to look around his office…”
Clark interrupted her immediately, “Did you find anything?’
Aria gave him a confused look, “Umm no. That’s what I am telling you. I was about to go through his things when the police arrived.”
“Oh, okay!” Clark replied.
“Why do you look relieved?” Aria asked.
“I just don’t want you to get involved in this thing. You are already going through a rough time,” Clark kissed Aria on the forehead.
“Thanks,” Aria whispered. She walked over to the kitchen and placed her mug in the dishwasher. “But I am not giving up.”
“What do you mean?” asked Clark.
“I am going to find out what is happening and who is behind it. I can’t let people keep on believing that Coons was a bad guy. I can’t imagine what his wife must be going through.”
“Aria!” Clark turned to her. “You really shouldn’t get involved. Let the police investigate. I am sure they will get to the bottom of this. If he really was involved in something or if someone is framing him, then they are dangerous. They have murdered a man Aria!”
Clark grabbed her by the shoulders and looked intently in her eyes, “Let it go.”
Aria sighed, “You are right.”
Clark let out a relieved sigh. “Good girl! Now just focus on being a good leader and keep the company running. They will see what an amazing job you are doing and might make you the permanent head of the department.”
Clark pulled her closer and kissed her neck. Aria felt herself melting in his arms. She felt bad lying to him like this, but she had promised herself to get to the bottom of this. No one will know. She thought to herself as she pulled Clark towards her bedroom. He will never know. She giggled as he bit her ear. I will keep things quiet until I find something out. She pushed him on the bed and got on top of him. She suddenly felt in control. That’s right, she told herself. All she needs to do is stop worrying about everything and take control of the situation. She leaned in and traced his jawline with her fingers. Clark moaned when she pressed her body against him. She will get to the bottom of this and make sure Coons' name was cleared. Aria resolved to do whatever she could. Clark got up, pulled her on her back, and all thoughts of Coons, and her investigation left her mind instantly.
Aria went to work super early the next day. She hoped to find something in Coons' office that the police might have missed. She was going through his drawer when her phone vibrated. It was a message from Whitney saying she wanted to meet her urgently this morning. She was coming in for a meeting after two hours. Finally! thought Aria. She might get some answers from Whitney.
For the next two hours, she went through all the cabinets and drawers but didn’t find anything. Frustrated, she sat on the couch and tried to come up with a strategy. There was a knock on the door, and Tanya entered the room.
“How are you holding up? Why do you look so exhausted this early in the morning?” she asked.
Aria contemplated whether or not to tell Tanya that she was trying to find some clue or evidence to help with the case. She decided against saying anything since she hadn’t even found anything. “Nothing, I just slept late last night.”
Tanya nodded understandingly, “Yeah, me too.”
“Whitney is about to arrive any moment,” Aria informed Tanya. “She wants to have a meeting with me.”
“Oh, great! You can find out more from her then.” Tanya smiled at her.
“Yeah! I just hope she knows something. There hasn’t been any other update regarding the case in the news. I am guessing that is good news,” Aria thought out loud.
There was an urgent knock on the door, and both of them looked up. It was Whitney. She entered and gave them both a nod. “Let’s begin?” She asked Aria. Tanya left the room, and both women looked at one another before taking a seat.
“So…?” Aria started.
“Yeah. It is a mess.” Whitney stated. There was silence for a few minutes. Aria waited for Whitney to continue.
“I am sure you have heard the news by now that Coons… he was involved in some financial scam. This is really bad for the company,” said Whitney, looking at Aria.
Aria couldn’t believe her ears, “You mean… Do you actually believe that he was involved in this?”
Whitney looked at her like Aria was saying something crazy. “Aria! You really didn’t know your boss did you?” said Whitney shaking her head, “We have checked a few things, and there have been some discrepancies that we had no idea about.”
Aria was shocked to hear that.
“I am sorry, but it is what it is. You think you know a person, but…” Whitney looked away with a pained expression on her face.
Aria shook her head, “No. I still can’t believe it. It is not like Coons at all. I worked closely with him, and I would have noticed something.”
&n
bsp; Whitney sighed, “Look Aria, I know it must be hard for you to come to terms with. I know he was a good boss, but he was also stealing from our clients and this company…”
“How can you believe that?” interrupted Aria. “You have known him too for a long time.”
“Aria,” said Whitney sternly. “I am not here to make you realize what Coons did. We are here to discuss what our next steps would be and how to minimize the damage Coons has caused us.”
“But…” Started Aria, her voice trailing off when she saw the expression on Whitney’s face. She decided to stay quiet since Whitney already looked frustrated. It would be best not to annoy her right now and it was no use arguing since she already believed that Coons was involved in the financial scam. “I am sorry. You are right. We have important things to deal with. Please continue.”
Whitney’s face relaxed.
“I want you to get your team to contact all the clients and apologize for this mess. Tell them that we will thoroughly look at all their accounts and ensure there aren’t any discrepancies. If there are, we will be more than willing to compensate them,” instructed Whitney.
Aria nodded and told her that the team has already gotten in touch with the clients and will do so once again.
Whitney smiled approvingly, “See, this is the leadership we expect from you. If some clients are fussy, then schedule a one-on-one meeting with them.”
“Okay. I will get the team right on it and will update you accordingly,” assured Aria.
“In the meantime, the PR department will hold a press conference to explain the situation, apologize and inform them about the steps we are taking to rectify this issue and measures we are taking to prevent this in the future,” explained Whitney.
Aria nodded. Whitney got up and said, “This is it for now. I suggest you just keep the department motivated and make sure the clients are happy with us again. I will let you know if there are any other developments. It might take a while to find a good replacement for Coons, so until then, you will be holding the fort.”
Aria shook Whitney’s hands and assured her that she would handle the things. Whitney waved a quick goodbye and walked out of the room straight to the elevator. As soon as the elevator door closed, Tanya entered the conference room where Aria was still sitting. She was still in shock and refused to believe that Coons was scamming the company.
“So what’s the update?” Tanya interrupted Aria’s thoughts. “Have they found something to prove that Coons is innocent.”
Aria looked up at Tanya, unsure how to tell her. Tanya noticed Aria’s expression and quickly sat down next to her friend, “What is it?” she asked, concerned.
“They believe the news. They think Coons was indeed stealing from the company,” explained Aria. Tanya’s jaw dropped open, “Are you serious?” Aria nodded.
“What are we going to do?” she asked Aria, who shrugged.
“I have no idea. I did tell Whitney that it can’t be possible, but she didn’t hear any of it. I was simply annoying her more, so I just stopped trying,” explained Aria.
Tanya sighed. “This is crazy!”
“I know,” Aria whispered sadly.
“Can’t we do anything?” Tanya asked, looking hopefully at Aria.
“I don’t think so, T. She wants us to focus on the clients and try our best to retain them. She thinks it might take a while to find a permanent replacement. So, I have to deal with this whole situation.”
Tanya stayed quiet for a while.
“She really thinks Coons would…” asked Tanya.
Aria nodded. “According to her, they have done some investigation and there have been some discrepancies they were not aware of. She didn’t elaborate further, and I didn’t ask. Maybe the investigation is still underway. There might still be a chance they would find something. Also, the police are investigating, and I am sure they can prove his innocence and get to the bottom of this.”
Aria was still hopeful. It is not over yet. She thought to herself. She was also planning to talk to Detective Sanjay and maybe even visit Coons’ house to meet with his wife. She might know something about what was happening in Coons’ life lately.
However, she kept this to herself. Aria figured if she discovered anything useful, she would share it with Tanya eventually. For now, I am keeping things to myself. She thought to herself. It wasn’t like she didn’t trust Tanya, but she didn’t want to take any risk of anyone finding out she was trying to find things. Whoever was behind this whole charade was indeed dangerous, and they might start coming after her too.
“Let’s get back to work,” suggested Aria. “We have a lot to do. I don’t want Whitney on my head about losing clients because we didn’t contact them.”
They both stood up, lost in their own thoughts, and walked out of the conference room.
Chapter 7: A Warning!
Aria walked into the precinct and asked for Detective Sanjay. She was asked to wait in a room while he was informed. Her head was buzzing with questions, and she hoped that Sanjay would be able to answer at least a few of them. Aria’s mind was still fathoming about the lost knife. There was no way she was mistaken about that knife. She thought to herself what seemed like the millionth time. How can it be that it vanished? She was in the alley all the time until the emergency services arrived at the scene. She definitely would have seen if someone had appeared on the alley.
Her thoughts were interpreted by someone clearing their throat. Aria looked up and saw Detective Sanjay standing on the doorway, looking at her questioningly.
“Hello, Aria,” he smiled and extended his hand.
Aria shook his hand, “Thank you for seeing me. I know I should have called first, but I just lost track of time. It has been crazy at work.”
“Of course. I can imagine. It is okay, though. We are all here to help the citizens in any way we can,” assured Detective Sanjay.
Aria gave him a small smile, “Thank you. I just… I wanted to know if you have any updates on the case. Did you find anything?”
Detective Sanjay instant shook her head, “I am sorry, Aria. Not yet. We are still looking through all the evidence. But…” his voice trailed away.
“What is it?” Aria asked immediately.
“I will be honest with you Aria. Things are not looking good for Coons,” said Sanjay apologetically.
“What do you mean? You just said you guys are still looking,” said Aria.
“I know. But we have been in touch with your company, and they have been very cooperative. They have found some issues with some of the clients’ accounts,” explained Sanjay. “They think it was Coons doing.”
“What! So, they are throwing him under the bus by telling you guys without confirming,” Aria was furious.
“No. No, that is not what is happening,” he replied quickly. “I am giving you a heads up. We are still investigating, and even if your company has done its own investigations, we are still going to confirm each and every claim they make. So, don’t worry about that.”
Aria took a deep breath. “Okay.”
She paused before she continued, “What about the murder? Did you find anything new? And please tell me you have found the knife!”
The look Sanjay gave her was enough to answer her question, “Well…”
Aria interrupted him, “Yeah, okay. I get it. You haven’t found it, and you all think I was hallucinating or something.”
The detective bit his lip, “No one said that you were hallucinating. It was dark in the alley, and you might have mistaken something else for a knife. The place was littered with garbage Aria. It could have been anything.”
Aria opened her mouth and then instantly closed it. There was no use arguing.
She felt like things were getting out of control. Coons was probably an easy target now that he couldn’t defend himself. It seemed like she and Tanya were the only ones who believed that Coons was innocent.She still wasn’t sure if Tanya would go out of her way to find who was behind th
e murder and who was framing Coons. Of course, getting into this would be dangerous, and she couldn’t expect Tanya or anyone to put their lives in danger for a guy who already lost his life brutally.
“Are you okay?” Detective Sanjay asked Aria.
She nodded. “Well, thank you, detective,” she said and got up from her seat.
“Please call me Sanjay,” smiled the detective. “I am sorry I couldn’t be of much help. But, I am sure in a few days, you will get your answers. It’s too early to say anything right now.”
“Okay,” Aria managed a smile. “Thanks, Sanjay.”
“Don’t hesitate to call me if you have other questions or if you remember anything,” he said
Aria tried hard not to roll her eyes in front of him. “Sure,” she said and quickly got out of the building. “Why on earth would I come to you with my questions when you are completely useless,” she said with a huff when she was out of earshot.
In her haste to get to her car, Aria bumped into someone. “Ooff! I am sorry. I didn’t see you…" she stopped in her track when she saw who she had knocked into. The guy was wearing a hoodie, his face half-covered with a mask.
She could make out the panic in his eyes before he turned and hurried off. “Hey!” Aria called out. “Wait!”
Aria tried to follow him, but he raced off and got lost in the crowd. She stopped, breathless, and heart pounding. She was sure he was the same guy who had been following her around. The hoodie was the same. He even panicked when he realized Aria saw him. Why else would he run away like that? Aria wondered.
She quickly raced back to her car and closed the door. Inside, she took a few breaths to calm herself down. Just then she realized she never mentioned to Sanjay that she was being followed, long before Coons was murdered. She was about to get out of the car and head back to the police station but then changed her mind. They didn’t believe her about the knife; why would they believe that she was being followed, she thought.
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