“Uggh!! Tell me where and when. We could try to get security footage to find out more,” Diaz was excited. “Did you tell the police about this guy?”
“Umm… not exactly.”
Diaz gave her a look.
“They were drilling me about the murder weapon. I kept telling the detectives that I saw it at the crime scene, but they didn’t believe me at all. According to them, no one else was at the crime scene, and if someone had removed the knife, they would have found something. They said I was suffering from trauma and something about my mind playing tricks on me,” Aria rolled her eyes.
Diaz sighed and shook her head, “Did you tell anyone about your stalker?”
“I only told Clark and Tanya. Clark thought I was being paranoid…” her voice trailed off, but when she saw the look on Diaz’s face, she stammered, “I mean, I don’t blame him… I was… I was being slightly crazy…” Aria stopped talking under her lawyer’s glare.
“Are you done?” Diaz raised an eyebrow, “Aria! You should have told the detectives. They might have found something, and you wouldn’t be sitting here.”
“Well, a few days before… before they arrested me, I came to the prescient to tell detective Sanjay, but I don’t know what happened. I think he was telling me that they are not taking into consideration that I saw the bloody knife and I got furious and stormed out,” Aria paused. Ohhh! I bumped into the hooded guy outside the prescient and he ran away. After that, I didn’t see him.”
Diaz made a note of that. The more evidence she managed to gather, the better it would be for the case. But the evidence must be convincing. If she found footage of this stalker, she could argue that anyone could have planted the murder weapon in Aria’s house.
“Okay. Don’t worry. I'll look into this, and it might actually help with your case. Tell me, how did Tanya react when you told her?”
“She completely freaked out. She was scared for me… we fought,” Aria’s eyes filled with tears, “she told me I shouldn't snoop around because whoever is responsible for all of this is dangerous and might hurt me. I lashed out at her. I know I shouldn’t have but it was very confusing for me.” Aria wiped her tears. “The thing is, I started suspecting her. The minute I told her about those emails, my entire system was hacked and wiped clean. Clark was suspicious of her too. I first thought he was just protective towards me, but when Tanya kept on discouraging me from trying to find out who was framing Coons, I was convinced that she knew something.”
Diaz nodded, “It happens. I want you to stop stressing over these things, okay? It is not going to help you in here. Think about other things that were suspicious and might help with your case. Keep your head down. Don’t try to engage in any fights or dealings.”
Aria gulped. “Yeah, I know. It seems too surreal. Never in my life I would have imagined being in prison as a murder suspect!! Oh God! They think I killed someone. My boss. They think I killed my boss. How can someone think I can murder someone!!?” Aria was shaking. Her breathing rapid. “What if you can’t find any evidence? I will be stuck here forever! I will even die in here!!”
Diaz sat up straighter. She has seen this happen before. The moment the client realizes what exactly is at stake and what could happen to them if they were found guilty.
“Listen to me closely, Aria. Take a deep breath. Can you do that for me? Just one breath and then slowly let it out through your mouth. It’s okay. Good,” Diaz nodded encouragingly. “One more time, Aria. You are doing great.”
Aria took another deep breath, and felt a slight dip in her panic. She repeated it a few times, “Okay. I am sorry. I am better now.”
“No, please don’t apologize. I am going to be honest with you; I can’t guarantee that whatever I do will work. However, I promise you that I will do everything I possibly can to get you out of here.” This is always the hardest part. As a lawyer, she knew that anything can happen in court and it was always unwise to promise a client that they will be out of jail soon.
“I know. Thank you Nicole,” Aria smiled at her lawyer.
Diaz made her way out of the precinct. She had plenty of things to work with and she was confident the security footage would have captured Aria’s stalker. She opened her car door and sat behind the wheel, pressing her fingers on her temples. Just then, she heard her phone vibrating. It was some random email, but noticed there was also a text from an unknown number.
She opened it:
“I have thought about it. We should talk in person, preferably at a public place. I might be able to help Aria. Let’s meet tomorrow.”
It included the name and location of a café and was signed Ellen.
“Yesss!!” Diaz exclaimed.
This was exactly what she was hoping for. She knew Ellen was scared and that disturbance near her house freaked her out. It was wise to meet at a public place. They might be watching her house. Finally, things were looking up. Whatever Ellen has to share would be extremely helpful, she could feel it. She might even have some proof about the threats her husband was receiving. She started her car and headed back home.
The next day, Diaz arrived early at the agreed upon place. She wanted to find a good seat where they would not be overheard. However, the place was crowded. That was even better! With so much noise, it would be impossible for anyone to overhear them. She found an empty table, ordered a cappuccino and took out her tablet. While she waited for Ellen to arrive, she sent some emails to a few of her sources. She sent the location of the places Aria was followed by that stalker in hopes of getting footage from the nearby buildings and stores. She also looked up Wayne. So far, she had found nothing.
She looked up to check for any signs of Ellen. There was still time. She got back to her snooping. She checked her watch again. Ellen was fifteen minutes late. Diaz figured she might be running late. It was around lunchtime so she might have hit traffic.
After waiting ten more minutes, she called Ellen’s number. There was no answer. Odd. She called again, but the number was switched off. She waited a few more minutes and called one more time. No luck. Her heart was pounding. Something was wrong.
“What do you mean she is gone?!” Aria stammered, her heart pounding. It was looking good for her.
Diaz shook her head, “She said she would meet me at a café, but she didn’t show up. She hasn’t been picking her phone, and her house looks empty. I tried so many times. A missing person’s report can’t be filed because it hasn’t been 48 hours yet.”
Aria’s eyes were wide with fear, “What if… what if someone…” her voice trailed off. She didn’t want to say it out loud. However, both of them suspected the same thing. They probably got to her before she could help them.
“Don’t worry. I am going to make sure the police find her before it’s too late. That’s why I came here today, to talk to the detectives on your case. I wanted to tell you first,” Diaz took a deep breath. “Don’t lose hope; I'm sure she is fine.”
A few minutes late, Diaz made her way to Sergeant Walker’s desk. He looked up from his paperwork, “Can I help you?”
“Ellen Coons is missing. I have reason to suspect she is in danger and you need to find her quickly before something happens to her,” Diaz announced.
Sergeant raised an eyebrow, “Ellen Coons?... the wife of the man who your client killed… allegedly?”
“Watch it! You and I both know Aria didn’t do this,” She took a deep breath, “Coons was murdered, and now Ellen is missing. They must have taken her…”
Sergeant interrupted her, “They? Who are ‘they’?”
Diaz rolled her eyes, “You need to take this seriously. Someone’s life is in danger!” she raised her voice, unable to contain her anger.
“Whose life is in danger?” Detective Sanjay Ray came up from his desk.
Diaz explained the situation to him. "Did anyone file a missing person report? He asked gently.
She shook her head, “It hasn’t been 48 hours yet, but I know there is something wrong.
Please, you have to do something.”
Detective Sanjay looked at the Sergeant, “We could check it out.”
Sergeant frowned, “Yeah sure. Let’s leave everything important behind to look at someone who probably left town because a lawyer has been harassing her.” He glared at Diaz. “First it was your client and now you. No wonder she bailed to get away from you two.”
Diaz stood up angrily, “She knows what is going on, and might even know who killed her husband. It's not a coincidence that the day she decided to help us was the day she went missing.”
The detective stepped in, “You're right. We will go and have a look at her house and ask around the neighborhood. We will update you.”
Diaz glared at the Sergeant and stormed out.
An hour later, the detective arrived outside Ellen’s house. He walked towards the door, knocked and waited. He knocked again.
“It’s no use, I have tried several times,” said a voice.
The detective quickly turned around, his hand reaching for his gun until he saw it was Diaz. He sighed, “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to make sure you kept your word,” she glared at him.
“You shouldn’t be here,” the detective told her. “Go home. I will let you know if there is any update.”
Diaz folded her arms and stood firmly in her place.
Detective Sanjay rolled his eyes and turned back to knock the door again. “You should break in.” Diaz pitched in.
“I don’t have a reason to break in,” the detective answered. “Hey! Get away from there.” Diaz was trying to sneak in a peak through one of the windows.
“She could be hurt!”
The detective sighed, “We have no shred of proof…”
Diaz looked at him with her eyes widened, “I think we do.” She was looking in from another window and had seen something. Detective took a look. He could see a chair overturned and a vase broken on the floor. He nodded at Diaz, “Go get in your car and wait there.”
Diaz ran towards her car, as she heard the detective calling in for backup. There was a loud crash and she spun around. Detective had knocked the door down and entered the house.
She waited in the middle of the road, wondering what to do. Diaz quickly made her way towards the house. She had to see for herself.
As Diaz entered the house, she noticed that the hallway seemed undisturbed. She moved towards the dining room. Two chairs were overturned, the runner on the table was half dangling on the ground, and there was a broken vase on the floor. The water had long dried, but the flowers were scattered and wilted.
There was definitely a struggle here. Diaz noticed the carpet was disturbed too. She looked around, one of the drawers in the kitchen was open. She walked over to see the set of knives inside. Her heart started pounding loudly. One of the knives was on the floor, she bent to pick it up.
“STOP!”
Startled, Diaz backed away quickly.
Detective Sanjay glared at her, “Haven’t you learned anything? You were about to touch a potential piece of evidence. I told you to stay in the car.”
“I needed to see if she was okay. Is she here? Did you find her?”
Sanjay looked at her and sighed, “No. she isn’t here. The house is clear but there are obvious signs of struggle. Looks like she was abducted.”
Chapter 12: All Alone
The news spread quickly about Ellen’s disappearance. Diaz's silence infuriated Clark. He hadn’t heard anything from her in weeks. He barged into Diaz’s office and shoved his cell phone right in front of her face.
“What the hell!” Diaz snapped.
“Ellen is missing! When were you going to tell me this? You haven’t updated me about the case and have been ignoring my calls. Are you even working the case or just taking my money!”
Diaz glared at him and calmly stood up. She closed the door of her office and returned to her seat, “Sit.”
Clark fumed, “I am not here to sit. I need you to tell me what you are doing and when are getting Aria out of that hell hole?”
“Sit down Clark,”
Clark glared at her butt sat down on the seat opposite her.
Diaz sighed, “I am doing everything I possibly can for her. Ellen was a lead…”
“Yeah I know that! But what now?”
Diaz looked at him in disbelief, “How did you know that?”
“What?”
“That Ellen was a lead for us?”
Clark replied, “Aria told me, of course.”
“When?”
“I… I don’t remember,” he stammered. “Why is that important? What are you doing now? How will you help her now that Ellen is gone? I want you to get Aria out of there.”
Diaz took a deep breath, “I am going to be honest with you Clark. It isn’t looking good. Even Ellen wasn’t a good lead. We don’t have much to work with. I am trying to find more, but unless I prove that the murder weapon was planted, Aria is facing jail time.”
Clark sat back on the seat, “You mean… there isn’t much you can do?”
“I am trying. I am at a dead end.”
“Oh!” Clark seemed lost in thought. A few seconds later, he got up, waved goodbye and left.
Diaz watched him leave. He is an odd fellow. She thought to herself as she picked up her phone and called Detective Sanjay.
He picked up immediately, “We are still waiting for the forensic reports.” He said before she would say anything. She had been calling him every few minutes to see if there has been any development.
“I will let you know when I hear something.”
“Fine!” she said and hung up.
She covered her face with her hands. She didn’t have much to go on right now. All she could do now was to get people prepared for character witness of Aria. Maybe the jury might see that she wouldn’t kill someone. She leaned back on her chair and sighed. Maybe it is time to talk to Wayne. Come to think of it; she hadn’t really talked to people at Aria’s workplace, except for Tanya.
She called Tanya and asked her if it was the right time to talk to a few of her colleagues. “Is Wayne in today?” she asked before hanging up.
“Yeah. He is in, and he doesn’t have any client meetings today. So, it is a good day to talk to him.”
“Perfect!”
She gathered up her things and made her way towards Aria’s office building. She might get some answers there.
Tanya was waiting for her near the elevator. As soon as Diaz stepped out, Tanya grabbed her hand and led her to an empty conference room.
“What is it?” Diaz asked after Tanya had closed the door.
“Yeah, there is a problem,” Tanya declared.
“What do you mean? What happened?”
“Umm... it’s Whitney Fox…”
“What about her?”
“She doesn’t want you here.”
Diaz bit her lip, “And why is that?”
“Something about being a ‘distraction’ for everyone…”
Diaz fumed, “What the hell! I am trying to help her employee…”
Tanya interrupted, “She made it clear that the company doesn’t want anything to do with Aria. She wants to disassociate from all that Coons and Aria matter. According to her, the company has already suffered because of what happened. That’s why she refused to send a lawyer for Aria…” She trailed off.
“What are you thinking?”
Tanya sighed, “I don’t… I don’t know… I mean I understand not sending a lawyer for Aria, but why doesn’t she want you to talk to the employees? It will help the case and we might even find out who killed Coons. It can actually help the company in the long run… but… there was something…”
Diaz noticed Tanya’s hesitation and cleared her throat, “Don’t worry. You won’t get into any trouble; I will make sure of that.”
Tanya sighed, “It was just strange the way she reacted. The people I have talked to here are actually eager to help. Everyone loved Aria. She
was also in Whitney’s good graces, which is why it's strange… I thought… I could be wrong, but I felt she panicked when I mentioned you would be dropping by to talk to a few people. Then, she harshly told me to tell you not to come because it will disturb the productivity here.”
Diaz was deep in thought, “It could be possible that she…”
“That she what?” said someone.
Startled, Diaz and Tanya turned around. It was Whitney. She gave them a look and closed the door.
“How much did she hear?" Diaz thought to herself.
Whitney walked towards the women and folded her arms, “I thought I told you she wasn’t welcomed here?” Her stern gaze fixed at Tanya.
She stammered, “I… I was just telling her that…”
“You couldn’t have called?”
Diaz stepped in, “Actually, my phone died. She couldn’t have reached me.”
Whitney turned to Diaz, “Well then why are you still here?”
“It will only take a few minutes to talk to some people. I can do the interviews here. I am pretty sure it won’t cause a distur…”
Whitney interrupted, “Aria has already cost this company a lot. It is out of my hand. The board decided to keep this company out of this mess when Aria got arrested.”
Diaz tried again, “But this is important…”
“Please leave the building, or I would have to ask the security to escort you out.” Whitney’s tone was final. She looked at Tanya, “Don’t you have any work to do? You are already lagging behind, and your clients aren’t happy…”
“I am sorry… yes… I am heading back to work now,” Tanya hurried out of the room.
Whitney raised an eyebrow at Diaz, “Should I make the call to the security?”
Diaz glared at her and picked up her bag, “That won’t be necessary.” She made her way out of the room and waited for the elevator. She could see Whitney from the corner of her eye. She was standing by the conference room looking at her.
She stood there until Diaz walked into the elevator, “That was intense.” Diaz thought to herself. Something was off here. Why was the company trying to stop her from talking to the employees? She was only looking for character witnesses. What possible harm could that do to the company? Unless someone knew something.
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