Arbitrage

by Thomas Ransom

  Diaz cleared her throat. “Okay. I will let her know. Don’t worry. I am going to do my best to get her out. Just let me know if anything important comes to mind.” She took out her business card and handed it to Tanya.

  Diaz made her way outside and walked towards her car. She had parked a few streets away to avoid any attention. Once she was inside the car, she made a call. “I am sending you an email address. I want you to retrieve as much deleted data as you possibly can and do it quickly.”

  If she was able to get her hands on those emails, she was sure she could get Aria out. She started her car and headed back home. She was also itching to get a better look at those screenshots and decide her next course of action.

  The women were staring at Aria. She was sharing the cell with five other women who were also awaiting their trials. No one had spoken since the minute she had arrived. Her head was buzzing with wild thoughts. What are they here for? She thought to herself, trying to avoid eye contact. She had never in her life imagined that one day she would be in jail. While she never had a problem starting a conversation with people, she wasn’t sure how things work in prisons. All she knew was from the TV shows she had binge-watched and though a few columns she had read about the condition of jails. Whatever she could remember from them was certainly not good.

  The scenes from shows she had seen of women fighting and backstabbing one another, not to mention actually stabbing each other with sharp objects they had somehow procured, started flashing in Aria’s mind. She gave her head a little shake. Stop it, she thought to herself. Those were only TV shows; they are supposed to be dramatic. She reminded herself.

  Just then, one of the women got up from her bed, staring at her. Aria fidgeted. The woman moved across the small room to relieve herself. Still staring at her. Aria gulped.

  “Don’t mind them,” a face peered from above. Aria was startled. She was so occupied with the women staring at her that she hadn’t noticed someone was on the bed above her.

  The woman with fierce red hair smiled at her, “they like to intimidate newcomers.”

  There was a collective groan. “Jeez! Way to take all the fun out of it,” the woman sitting on the toilet rolled her eyes.

  “Finish your business quietly,” the red-haired woman snapped and jumped on the floor. She extended her hand towards Aria, who was too shocked to move.

  “It’s okay. I won’t bite,” she grinned broadly, showing her teeth.

  Another woman pitched in, “She murdered a guy by biting off his throat. Poor guy!”

  Aria’s eyes widened. She felt goosebumps all over her arms.

  “Oh God! She actually believed it!”

  Everyone started laughing hysterically. Aria breathed a sigh of relief, but her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

  “I am Kelly,” announced the red-haired girl, her arm still extended.

  Aria shook hands with her and whispered her name.

  “What’s that now?” Kelly asked, moving closer.

  “Aria,” Aria stammered, “My name is Aria.”

  “Nice to meet you, Aria,” smiled Kelly, and continued in a low voice, “I did bite that cheating scumbag, but some people came to his rescue before I could finish him off.”

  Aria stayed completely still. Kelly stood back, gave Aria a big smile, and climbed back to her bed as if she had said something completely normal.

  Aria looked around, unsure of what to think. The only thought that kept crossing her mind was, “get me out of this place.”

  Chapter 11: Missing

  Clark threw the files off the table in frustration, just as his boss was passing his office. The timings couldn’t be worse. Why the hell didn’t he close that stupid door! He cursed himself. His boss paused to give him a look.

  “Is something wrong, Clark?”

  “No! no,” he forced a smile. “Sorry, it was just an accident,” he got up to gather the papers and files that were now scattered all over the floor.

  “Are you sure? You have been a bit distracted lately,” his boss asked, leaning against the doorframe.

  “Would you just leave me alone!” Clark wanted to scream but managed to smile once again. “Nothing, I think I am just feeling a little burnt out.” He stood up, tightly clutching the papers. “The weekend will help me relax a bit.”

  His boss gave him a long look, nodded, and then turned to leave.

  Clark sighed with relief. There was already too much on his plate; he didn’t need to add work problems. He quickly gathered the remaining papers and filed them before checking his phone again.

  Diaz hasn’t called him back. What the hell is she doing? He wondered. I am the one paying her for Aria’s case, and yet, she isn’t taking my calls or telling me about the progress she has made. He tried to call her one more time but got her voicemail again. He took a few deep breaths to calm down his nerves. Is she even working on the case? What if she had bailed on me? She was already reluctant to fight this case, but after seeing her at Aria’s house, he thought Diaz was taking on the case. He had already transferred the initial lawyer fees to her account.

  Clark didn’t want to mess this up. It was important to make sure Diaz was on this case. Just then, his cell phone started buzzing. It was a message from Diaz;

  “Stop with your non-stop calls!! I will get in touch when I have something to share.”

  Clark was relieved. She was still on this case; things were right on track.

  Diaz switched off her phone in irritation. God, this guy is way too much! She stuffed the phone in a drawer so that she can finally have some peace and quiet to go over the case files. She had promised Aria that she would visit her, but she hadn’t made any progress. She had just received word from her guy that it was taking longer to retrieve the deleted files from Aria’s inbox.

  She needed those emails to prove Aria’s innocence; without them, they didn't have much of a case.

  It was clear from the screenshots that Coons was being extorted. But why was he murdered? And why is Aria being framed? She couldn’t figure out the connection. Was Aria at the wrong place at the wrong time, or was her being at the crime scene their plan all along?

  Coons was giving them money and doing whatever they wanted him to do, then why on earth murder him? Did they think he might tell the police after he retired? Did Aria somehow know something that she may not even be aware of?

  Question after question kept hitting her, and Diaz couldn’t make sense of anything. She gulped down the wine, emptying her glass in one go. She needed a win badly.

  “I should talk to Aria’s friend,” she paused to remember her name, “Tanya! Yes… they're best friends. She must know something. She did seem eager to help. I will pay her a visit tomorrow,” she wrote it in her notes as a reminder.

  There has to be someone who knows what is going on. She decided to talk to Aria, hoping she remembers something useful that will help with the case. She should also talk to some of her colleagues. She halted the moment she remembers something. Coons’ wife! She hasn’t spoken to his wife. If he was being threatened, she must have known something about it.

  She raced towards her car and decided to go to Coons' house first

  . It was almost nine when she parked her car across the street, a dimly lit house. Is it too late to bother her? She pondered. The only lights on were in a room on the second floor. She hesitated for a few minutes before she decided it was too important to delay.

  Diaz rang the bell a few times and waited. After what felt to her like an eternity, the door opened.

  “Yes?” Ellen looked at Diaz, confused.

  “I am so sorry to bother you, but I need to talk to you. It’s urgent,” answered Diaz.

  “Who on earth are you? You do know it’s pretty late, right?” Ellen was irritated. Diaz took out her card and showed it to Ellen, “My name is Nicole Diaz, and I am Aria’s lawyer.”

  Ellen’s face hardened, “I have nothing to say to you. Good day!” Before she could slam the door shut, Dia
z grabbed the doorknob. “Please. Give me a few minutes. You might be able to help Aria and clear your husband’s name. Do you really want to send an innocent woman to jail for life?”

  “This is none of my concern. I warned her. I told her that she needed to let it go. This is her own doing, and I am not going to get involved in all of this. I don’t know anything,” snapped Ellen.

  “Ellen,” Diaz looked at her intently, “I know for a fact that Coons was threatened and forced into stealing the money from the company. He likely lost his life because he was trying to warn Aria. And now, they have cleverly framed Aria for his murder. You can’t possibly be okay with all of this.”

  Diaz felt Ellen’s resolve flattening. “You may be able to help her, and you might know something that can put the actual murderers of your husband behind bars.”

  “I am sure you would be able to find something to help Aria,” stammered Ellen.

  “Yeah, if I am somehow lucky, but that most probably won’t happen. Those people have made sure to point all evidence towards Aria. Your husband died because he was trying to protect her. His death would be in vain if Aria spent the rest of her life in prison. Who knows they might have people in there that might finish her off the first chance they get,” Diaz was sure she hit the right strings this time.

  “What!” Ellen’s eyes widened.

  “Look, you probably won’t even have to make an appearance. I can arrange for a closed trial and make sure you get protective custody so they can’t harm you in any way,” Diaz pressed on.

  Ellen stopped trying to close the door and paused. Diaz knew she had her convinced. Suddenly, there was a crash nearby. Diaz turned around. A car’s alarm was blaring, “What was that?”

  Ellen looked terrified. Diaz tried to assure her that everything was fine, “Probably some stray cat trying to find food in trash cans.”

  “You need to leave right now,” Ellen snapped at her.

  “No! Wait, Ellen!” Diaz tried to stop her.

  “Don’t come back here,” Ellen slammed the door.

  “Shit!” Diaz cursed out loud. She was so close. She sighed and walked to her car. “I know she can play a major part in proving Aria’s innocence.

  Maybe she can try again in a few days. There is no point in stressing over a lost lead", she told herself. She had another stop to make. In a few minutes, she was outside Tanya’s apartments. She just hoped Tanya was in.

  She parked the car and buzzed Tanya’s apartment. Within seconds, she heard Tanya’s voice, “Who is it?”

  Diaz leaned in, “Hey! It’s Diaz. Nicole Diaz, Aria’s lawyer. Is it okay if we talk for a few minutes?”

  “Sure. I will buzz you in,” answered Tanya.

  Soon enough, Diaz was sitting in a comfy yellow sofa in Tanya’s living room. She offered Diaz a beer, and she took it gratefully.

  “So, what do you want to talk about? Is Aria okay?”

  Diaz took a big gulp and realized how thirsty she was. She nodded, “She is fine. But we need to act fast. I need anything that could help in discrediting the evidence, just enough so the jury will start questioning the investigation. I want you to think hard and tell me anything that happened in the past few months that you found unusual. A person acting out of character, a weird statement someone at work made… just give me anything.”

  Tanya stared at Diaz. “Umm… I don’t know… I don’t think anyone was acting strange, except for Coons, of course. But, we now know why…” Tanya said, deep in thought.

  “Tell me how?” interrupted Diaz.

  “What do you mean how?”

  “I mean, how was Coons acting strange? What made you think he was acting out of character?”

  “Well, the thing that felt way too strange to me was how he was trying to discourage Aria before a big presentation. It was a big deal for Aria, and everyone knew she had what it takes to score that client. All my time I have worked with Coons, he has never discouraged any of the employees. He was always pumping everyone up. Aria was one of his favorites, and he was like a mentor to her. So, I couldn’t understand why he was making discouraging statements about her presentation. It was like he didn’t want her to lead that client,” Tanya explained.

  “What was so special about this client?”

  “Heard about the overnight success, Cooper Jones?”

  “Ohh!”

  “Yeah. He wanted our company to handle his finances and budgeting. It was a big account, and leading it could open up many opportunities. Plus, Coons was retiring, and if things went well, whoever led the account could get considered as his replacement. Imagine becoming the head of the finance department at such a young age. Also, the board was closely following this account too.”

  Diaz’s ears perked up, “Two things – who was running against Aria? And was there any particular member who was especially close to all of this?”

  “Yes,” answered Tanya immediately. “Whitney Fox. She was in almost all of the initial meetings and she had a long meeting with Coons, before Mr. Cooper’s first meeting with the team. The only other person who got to make the presentation aside from Aria was Wayne. Cooper like Aria’s presentation more and she was given the lead on the account. Wayne had to work under her.”

  Diaz was deep in thought.

  “What is it?”

  “As I see it, there is already a suspect.”

  “Wayne?”

  Diaz nodded, “What can you tell me about him?”

  “Well, he is a major douche, but honestly, I don’t think he has it in him to kill anyone.”

  Diaz chuckled, “Trust me, even the most innocent looking people can end up murdering someone when triggered.”

  Tanya looked skeptical, but Diaz continued, “Well, I will do some digging. It probably won’t be him but it is better to make sure.”

  “Didn’t the police look into him?”

  Diaz shook her head, “The murder weapon wasn’t found initially, but then it was discovered in Aria’s house. And Aria was the only one at the crime scene. They already had a probable cause; there was no need to look into anyone else.”

  Tanya sighed.

  “That’s why we need to give them another suspect so that they conduct another investigation without Aria as a prime suspect. It could give us time to prepare more, and I might be able to get Aria out on bail,” Diaz explained.

  Tanya nodded.

  “Is there anything else that you can tell me?”

  “I don’t know. We didn’t know much about the company’s own finances. Aria and I worked on our client’s accounts and helped them with their budgets and finances…” her voice trailed off in thought. “Did you talk to Coons wife? She might know something.”

  “Unfortunately, she doesn’t want to get involved. But I will give it another shot,” Diaz stood up. “Thank you for your time, Tanya. If anything pops in your mind, let me know.”

  Tanya nodded, “Sure. I wish I could help more.”

  “Oh, wait! I will need a list of employees who worked with Aria and who believe she is innocent. I might need it for character witnesses if the court allows it. They will need to be prepped before the trial,” said Diaz.

  “Okay. I will email you a list tomorrow,” assured Tanya.

  Diaz made her way to the police station to talk to Aria. After a few arguments with the police staff, claiming that it was too late for a visit, she managed to arrange the visit.

  Aria looked even more worn out than the last time they talk. Diaz wasn’t surprised. Even a few days in prison can be traumatizing for many, and Aria wasn’t even guilty. Diaz couldn’t imagine what she must have been going through.

  “Are things fine in there?” she asked, regretting the question the second she heard it.

  Aria simply nodded. She was looking hopefully at Diaz, most definitely hoping to hear some good news.

  “I have talked to Tanya. She is worried about you and has been pretty helpful so far,” Diaz started. “Is there anything you remembered that you want to
tell me?”

  Aria shook her head, “What did Tanya say?”

  “She explained about the account you were handling and that you had to compete against a guy named Wayne…?”

  Aria nodded. “Yeah. He wasn’t happy when I got the account… now, I wish I never got it.”

  “Do you think he could have killed Coons and tried to frame you as revenge?”

  Aria looked surprised, “I don’t… I don’t think he would do such a thing.”

  Diaz dismissed her response, “What do you know about him?”

  Aria shrugged, “Not much. He is talented and competitive, but there has been a slight rivalry between us for the past few years. Everyone knew both of us were Coons’ favorite and we would often compete against one another trying to prove which one of us was the best.”

  “Is there anything he said or did that could indicate he might be behind this? We need to give the jury a suspect so that the police can start investigating more.”

  “You are not going to put the blame on him, are you?”

  “Well, he did have motive Aria.”

  Aria stayed quiet for a while, “Nicole… I really don’t want anyone else to be wrongfully accused. I know… I am going through this and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone else. I do trust you. But, please don’t accuse anyone unless you have the evidence.”

  “Don’t worry about that. I never make false accusations. If he is behind this, I will find proof. The judge isn’t exactly going to release you and arrest him just because I accuse him of murder during the trial.”

  Aria chuckled, “I know. Come on, you know what I mean.”

  Diaz smiled at her, “Do you suspect anyone else?”

  Aria thought for a while and suddenly remembered something, “There was this guy in a black hoodie…”

  “What guy!?”

  “I don’t know. I never saw his face, but he has been following me around weeks before the murder,” Aria started explaining.

  “What the hell Aria! Someone was following you for weeks, and you are telling me this now!!”

  “I… I am sorry. I just didn’t think it was important. I have no idea who he was. And never got a chance to look at his face…”