She nodded. Aria looked utterly lost.
“Did you drive here?” asked detective Sanjay, looking concerned.
“No, I took a ride.”
“I think it is best if you have someone drive you back home,” he said.
She nodded and made her way inside the building. Her throat felt parched. She wanted to find Tanya and go home, straight to bed. She couldn’t believe this was happening. How can her world turn upside down suddenly? Is Coons really dead! Her mind refused to accept the reality even though she saw it with her own eyes. Her head was buzzing with thousands of questions. She felt dizzy. Aria moved a few steps forward, fell, and everything went black.
Chapter 5: The End of a Legend
“She is experiencing trauma. Her vitals are fine. There is nothing to worry about. However, I would suggest therapy. It’s rather hard to process things like this, and she might need help coping with it.” Aria’s head was fuzzy. She could hear people talking near her. She tried to open her eyes, but they felt heavier than a rock.
“Looks like she is waking up,” continued the voice.
“Aria?” she heard a familiar voice. Someone held her hand. Aria tried to sit up. “Easy, easy.” She was gently pushed back on the bed.
“It’s okay, love. I am here,” came the voice of Clark. Aria opened her eyes and could make out the outline of Clark’s face close to hers. Everything was blurry. She blinked a few times and could see Clark a bit clearer.
“Clark?” she said in barely a whisper. Her throat felt like sandpaper. She tried to clear her throat.
“Give her some water,” said another familiar voice.
“T?” Aria’s voice croaked.
“Hey girl,” Tanya gave her a quick peck on her forehead. “How are you feeling now.”
“Here, drink this,” Clark gave her a clear glass of water. “Hold up her head.”
Tanya gently placed a hand under Aria’s neck and raised it enough so she could easily take a sip of water.
“What happened?” Aria asked.
She saw Clark and Tanya exchange a look. “Nothing. You just fainted. Probably from dehydration,” answered Clark.
Aria was still feeling dizzy, but things started rushing back to her. “Oh! Oh no!” tears welled up in her eyes as the image of Coons’ body and all the blood came to her mind. She still wanted to make sure. “Is Coons really…?” She asked Tanya, hoping against hope that everything was just a nightmare. Tanya paused for a second, then nodded sadly.
“Oh, God!” Aria started crying.
“I am sorry, Aria,” Clark said gently, brushing his hand against her forehead.
“I can’t believe it!” Aria sobbed. Tanya’s eyes were filling up with tears, “I know, honey. I can’t imagine what you are going through. I don’t understand who could do such a …” she choked up.
“Please don’t stress her,” said another voice. Aria forgot there was someone else in the room. She turned to look at a female doctor smiling reassuringly at her. “How are you feeling, Aria? You need to rest. Try not to think about it.”
“How can I not think about it!?” she asked lividly. “He died in front of me, and I couldn’t do anything!”
“I know. I know. I am sorry,” the doctor said immediately. “I can’t imagine. But right now. It is important to lower your stress levels.”
“I…,” Aria started to say, but Clark cut her off, “Don’t worry doc. I got this. Thank you for your help.”
The doctor nodded and said, “I will check back after a few hours.” She left the room.
“Maybe you should go home too now. I am going to stay here,” Clark said to Tanya, who immediately shook her head.
“There is no way I am leaving Aria here,” she answered stubbornly.
Aria gently smiled at her friend, “It’s okay, T. You have had a rough day too. Go home and rest. Clark is here with me.” Aria was surprised to see her friend looking furious, “what?”
“I am staying,” she replied. “You should leave.” She said, looking pointedly at Clark. Aria was taken aback at the tone of her friend. “T!”
Clark interjected hurriedly, “It’s okay. You two have been through a lot today. I was just concerned. You can stay if you want to.”
Aria looked at Tanya and squeezed her hand, “I am doing fine now. Go home, rest. Come back in the morning and bring me a few of my things, please?”
Tanya’s face softened, and she nodded. “I am sorry.” She said, massaging her head with her fingers. “You are right.”
Tanya grabbed her bag, kissed Aria on the forehead, and said left. Aria noticed that she glared at Clark before leaving the room. She figured it was probably because she was being forced to leave.
“How are you?” Clark’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
She smiled at him, grateful to have such a caring guy in her life. Aria sighed, “I am okay. I am just trying not to think about it. I am sorry I lashed out at the doctor… she is right.”
“Don’t worry about it. What you are going through… honestly, I can’t even begin to imagine what you must be going through right now,” Clark looked at her with concern, “I wish I were there with you to protect you somehow.”
Aria smiled. Nothing would have protected her from that scene, she thought to herself.
“Want coffee?” Clark asked.
“Omg! Yes, please!!” she replied.
Chuckling, Clark stood up and left the room. Aria closed her eyes, and immediately her thoughts drifted back to Coons’ body. She shuddered and opened her eyes instantly. Tears began to form in her eyes. It was hard to think that he was no more and that he met such a brutal end. Why would someone murder him! Her voice screamed in her head. He was such a kind-hearted person. Was it just a freak accident? Was someone trying to rob him? But she remembered one of the policemen reading out his name from his ID, which meant his wallet was still with him.
She turned to her side and gazed out of the window. All she could see was the sky, slowly changing colors. It was almost dawn. Her thoughts were still on Coons. She wondered why her boss looked so terrified. Did he already know his life was in danger? Why on earth did he go to a dark alleyway! He could have told her whatever he wanted to say to her in any other way. They could have met in the hallway or gone to a nearby café. And what exactly did he want to tell her?
Her head was buzzing with so many questions, but she couldn’t figure out the answers. Aria’s head started pounding, and her heartbeat escalated. She didn’t notice Clark enter. “What’s wrong?” She practically jumped at his voice.
“Your blood pressure is rising, Aria. What is it?” Clark placed the two cups of coffee on the side table and put his hand on her forehead.
Aria was feeling dizzy, she tried to tell Clark, but her throat felt blocked. Her vision got blurry again. The last thing she saw was Clark rushing out of the room before blacking out.
Aria stayed in the hospital for two weeks and was asked to take weekly sessions of therapy for a few months until her therapist gives her mental health a thumbs up. Her colleagues visited her every week, Tanya was by her side every day after work, and Clark spent all his free hours fussing over her. Aria was getting better, but she was still traumatized. She was ready to get back to work to divert her mind and was hoping the therapy sessions would help her. She had strange dreams every night that freaked her out.
Aria would wake up sweating and with a racing heart. She could only remember running from someone in her dreams and wasn’t sure whether it was a good thing or not that she doesn’t remember the rest of the dream.
“You sure about this?” asked Clark. He was driving her to work. “I still feel you should rest for another week.”
She shook her head, “I will go crazy if I stay home even a day more. I need to work. I know it will help me get better and start moving on.”
Clark stayed silent the rest of the drive and gave her a lingering kiss when he stopped outside her building. “Text or call me if you don’t
feel right. I will come and pick you up.”
Aria nodded. “Don’t worry. I will be fine.” She got out of the car.
The minute she stepped out of the elevator, she was surrounded by her colleagues, welcoming her back and inquiring about her health. While it was heartwarming to see everyone cared so much about her, it all felt rather overwhelming for her. She could feel her breath quickening. Fortunately, Tanya stepped in and told everyone off for overcrowding Aria.
Aria smiled and waved at everyone and started heading towards her room.
“You are going the wrong way girl,” Tanya informed her.
Aria looked around, confused, “What do you mean? My office is this way.” She gestured with her hand.
Tanya smiled, “Yeah, not anymore. You have a new office now. Your things were moved about a week or so ago.”
Aria was startled, “They moved my things!”
Tanya nodded as led Aria to her new office, “I was a bit surprised too. They don’t move the things unless the person is present. I guess they were in a hurry to move on,” Tanya lowered her voice as she said this.
Aria came to a sudden halt when she realized where Tanya was leading her. “No way! There is no way!”
Tanya gave her a sympathetic look, “I know. But this is the office of the head of the department, and you are now the acting head.”
“I am not working in Coons office!” Aria stood still, her eyes tearing up.
Tanya stayed silent, lost for words.
“What the hell, T!” she glared at her friend.
Tanya was surprised, “Woah! This isn’t my fault. They just moved your things here, and you are supposed to work in this office. Whitney just asked me to let you know whenever you joined back.”
Aria took a deep breath. She realized she was being unfair to her friend. Of course, it wasn't her decision, and that was the arrangement before the retirement party. She knew she would be working from Coons’ office until they have found a replacement.
“I am really sorry, T. I am just … I don’t know. I don’t know how I feel about being in his office,” she stammered.
Tanya looked at her, reassuringly, “I understand. Don’t worry. You will be fine. You can request them for a room change; they will probably consider it after… after everything that happened.”
“Yeah. Yeah, you are right,” Aria hugged her friend and went inside Coons' office. It was odd not to see him sitting at his desk. She reluctantly sat down on his chair and gently spun around. The view from the window was stunning. She always admired it and was thrilled when she found out that she would get this view, even if it were for a few weeks. Now everything was different. All she could think about was Coons and how she found him. She abruptly turned back and found Whitney looking at her. How long had she been standing there? She wondered.
Aria stood up immediately to greet her. Whitney smiled at her and gestured to her to sit down. “How have you been, Aria?... I know it is a rather silly question to ask considering…,” her voice trailed off.
Aria looked down sadly, before responding, “I am hanging in there.”
Whitney was studying Aria’s face, intently, “You know you can take more time off if you need it.”
Aria shook her head, “No! I need to dive into work now. I need to distract my mind, and I feel getting back to work will help.”
Whitney nodded understandingly. “That’s what I have been doing. I am glad you are back. But, if there is anything you need, don’t hesitate to give me a call.”
Aria paused for a few seconds. “There is… there is one thing,” she started.
Whitney waited for her to continue.
“I really don’t feel comfortable being here… I mean… working in his office…,” Aria didn’t know how to proceed.
Whitney gave her a sympathetic look, “I know. I understand, Aria. Unfortunately, I can’t do anything for now. You will have to get used to this. Unless… unless you are not comfortable with this position and taking all this responsibility?” she looked questioningly at Aria.
Aria was taken aback but immediately responded, “No. no! It’s fine. I was just wondering. Don’t worry about it.” She obviously didn’t want to lose the opportunity. Although she was slightly confused, she didn’t think it was a big deal to work from her old office. She was, in fact, only filling in the position temporarily for now. She shrugged it off.
Whitney smiled at her, saying, “For now, you only have to deal with the Cooper account. He has taken a liking to you,” giving her a wink she continued, “He wants you to continue handling his account.”
“Okay,” replied Aria. She was still slightly perplexed. “What about…”
Whitney interrupted her by raising a hand, “As I said, you only have to deal with the Cooper account and not worry about anything else.”
Aria looked at Whitney, “I know. I was just trying to find out if you know anything about Coons's case. Any progress?”
Whitney shook her head. “Nothing yet.” She stood up to leave. “Good luck Aria. Welcome back once again. I will be in touch soon.” Without waiting for a response, Whitney Fox walked out of the room.
“I am telling you it felt like a threat,” Aria said while sipping her coffee. She was having lunch with Tanya at their favorite café.
Tanya rolled her eyes, “You are being dramatic. She probably wants you to stop worrying and start working.”
“It wasn’t even a big deal. Why can’t I work in my old office? It’s not like anyone is using it.” Aria continued as if Tanya hasn’t said anything. Tanya sighed. “You are thinking way too much. Relax. Enjoy your sandwich, and start working.”
They ate their food in silence for a while.
“Aria?” Tanya said cautiously.
“Hmm?”
“Why do you think… why would anyone kill Coons?” Tanya asked, her voice wavering a little.
Aria looked down at her food, unsure what to say. Her mind has been asking the same question over and over again. It made no sense.
Tanya quickly apologized. “I am being insensitive.”
“No. I honestly don’t know,” Aria sadly played around with her food using her fork. “I can’t imagine anyone wanting to hurt him like this. I feel it might be a robbery gone wrong.” However, in her heart, Aria knew this wasn’t the case. The terrified eyes of her boss flashed before her eyes. She stayed quiet.
They finished up their lunch and went back to the office to find Detective Sanjay waiting for Aria.
“Did you find him?” Aria asked immediately. “Why was Coons killed?”
Detective Sanjay asked her to sit down. “I am sorry, Aria. There hasn’t been any development in the case. Without the murder weapon, we can’t really…”
Aria interrupted him, “What do you mean without the murder weapon! It was right there. I saw it!” she thundered. People started looking at them. Detective Sanjay gave her a warning look and gestured to her to lower her voice.
“Please. You don’t want to cause any panic in the office, do you? Let’s talk somewhere in private.” He said.
Aria was furious and continued to glare at him. Tanya cleared her throat and gently grabbed Aria by her arm, leading them both to the conference room. “Aria, calm down. He is trying to help you, okay?” Tanya reminded her friend and poured a glass of water for her.
Aria started taking deep breaths to calm her nerves. Detective Sanjay sat down next to her.
“I am sorry, Aria. I know this is hard for you,” he started. “We are doing everything we possibly can to find out what happened and who is behind this. Honestly, in cases like these…”
“Cases like these? Like what?” Aria prompted.
Detective Sanjay was hesitant. It looked like he was trying to find the right words, “I know you told us about the knife, Aria… and I do believe you,” he immediately interjected when he saw Aria opening her mouth in protest. “We have scoured the entire area… twice… but the knife hasn’t been recovered. There isn’
t any other detail or leads to follow,” he concluded.
“So? That’s it?” Aria raised her eyebrows. “He will never get justice?”
Detective Sanjay shook his head, “That’s why I am here… to see if you remembered anything new that could help the case. It can be anything unusual, not necessarily on the day of the murder, anything that happened days or even weeks earlier.”
Aria’s head was buzzing again. Nothing was making sense. She knew she saw the knife, where did it go? She was frustrated. “Have you looked properly? The knife was there. I saw it with my own eyes. There was blood on it!”
Detective Sanjay sighed. “I know you are under a lot of stress. This type of trauma can make people believe things that weren’t really true…”
“You said you believe me!” Aria practically screamed at him.
He stood up, looking defeated. “I am trying to help Aria. Take your time, if you remember anything. Even if it is small, please get in touch immediately.” He nodded at Tanya and left the room.
Aria burst out in tears, while Tanya comforted her.
She was relieved when Clark came to pick her up after work. The day was mentally draining for Aria. This wasn’t what she was expecting on her first day back. Work was supposed to get her mind off of the chaotic mess that has been her life. She was too exhausted even to talk and had completed zoned out in the car, while Clark was telling her about one of his clients. She was jolted to the present when the car came to a stop.
“Where?” she asked, looking around at the hustle bustle happening in the street.
“Ah! You are back,” Clark smiled at her. “You were so out of it, Aria. I asked you multiple times if you want to eat out. You even missed a hilarious story.” He pretended to look hurt.
Aria started to apologize, but he held up his hand, “I am just messing with you. I know you are going through hell. We are eating out tonight to get your mind at ease. Let’s go.”
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