If Only She Knew

33. The Arrest

A few months ago...

Ariana parked her black car on the street of her father's house. Aaron hadn't given her the set of keys, she lied to Simon. She just put on a charade to hide the fact that she had stolen these keys years ago, when she completely moved on her own.

She knew perfectly well that neither Aaron or her father would be home right now, and she also knew she wouldn't find everything here. If her father was larger than sin then he surely kept his evidence secure, away. But it was only a matter of time until she learned all of her father's secrets.

Dressed completely in black, she got out of the car and slammed the door. With jiggling keys she approached the tall, Bell-air like villa, and entered through the front door. In case any of her father's fingerprint was needed, she had one stocked in.

The killer had known right that she was the right person for this job. She was always a step ahead. All she wanted was for all this to be over, because working on these cases she was losing her sanity. This breaking in her father's house and running their family company, which actually, she came to learn, deserved to be ruined for everyone's good, was a means to an end.

"I'm at my father's house." She hastily texted the killer, almost dropping her phone. She felt like a criminal in the dark, large salon of her father's house, and she felt her heart trembling. Her heels drummed on the impeccable floorboards and she turned on a flashlight.

Where could the evidence be?

She thought she'd check her father's office on the first floor first, so she headed for the stairs.

"Take care not to get caught or it's all over." The killer texted back. She was so creeped out.

On the first floor, she tried every door. The only one that was tightly locked was the office and all the other rooms didn't contain anything that interested her.

She pulled out a clip. She had to force her entry.

"Stop right there," a man's unfamiliar, dark voice alerted her. She turned around to a tall, hooded, faceless man pointing a gun to her forehead.

Her breath got caught in her chest.

"A-who are you?"

"It doesn't matter who I am. But pray tell me," the man grabbed Ariana's wrist, squeezing painfully. "How in the world does the Big Bucharest police know about our conversation huh? Did you let it slip?"

Ariana was scared. Was this the moment of her promised death?

"I don't know." She breathed hard, trying to pull her hand out of his grasp.

"Yes you do. Don't lie to me. You're at my mercy." The man connected the gun to her head and she fought down the tendency to scream. "Tell me the truth."

She'd only told Joseph, she was thinking. Could Joseph have told the police?

She bit her lip. In any case, she couldn't bring Joseph into this and put him in danger.

"I told the police," she gulped, sobbing from fear of being held at gun point, expecting wrath. She felt he wouldn't kill her since he was using her, though. "I-I'm sorry, I got scared for my own life-"

"Well, you should be scared now," he shouted into her ear, and she shivered, hearing his thumb trail the revolver's trigger, with trepidation.

"I'm sorry, I'll- I'll make up for it," Ariana interjected.

"Mmh, will you?" He mused. "How? How will you make up for it? How will they let you work towards my goal now?"

"I'll find a way. I'll wrap this up very fast, I promise."

"Yeah? Do you think that's enough to satisfy me now?"

"What else do you want?" She shivered. He was staring at her from underneath those cloths.

"I want you to go all out on the news, about it. There's no middle way. All or nothing," the man explained slowly, as he ran his gloved hand onto her shoulder now.

Ariana nodded with shriveled tears.

"I want these out too... by tomorrow." The man put some classical tapes into Ariana's hand, and she struggled not to drop them. He let go of her.

"You can leave this house now. Don't forget to lock up. You'd better do as I said... Otherwise." Before she knew it, he vanished. She wanted to take a seat or faint, but there wasn't time for that now.

Walking through the driveway, she met a tall silhouette again and her hands flew to her chest. But then she saw the other three silhouettes.

"That's breaking and entering, Ariana," Michael's voice boomed from behind. She saw Joseph in the front, his visage bewildered.

"I'm sorry," She said. "I thought I had to. I didn't mean any harm." Ariana landed right into Joseph's arms, hugging him tightly, like a child, while her face was buried into his shouder. Then, a few tears of shock found their way down her face...

"Oh, Ariana." Lily was shaking her head, sympathetic.

"Tomorrow I wanna go all out about it on the news. I'll give an interview."

"Ariana, you've just committed a crime here. I've got to arrest you," Michael started but Ariana smiled at him, showing him her hands.

"It's my father's house, I used to live here. It's not entirely illegal."

"What do you mean you want to go on the news?" Jacob frowned, crossing his hands.

"I do. Please get me on the news, Michael."

*

Present time, Cairngorm Mountains...

After Simon hung up on his friend, he darted around through the snow and wondered when the police would be there. Time was ticking like a bomb.

But just as he turned his back to the slope, there were the sirens of police around him, the police aviation above him on the sky. He must be surrounded.

He cracked a charming smile and a laugh erupted from his throat, and otherwise he did nothing at all until some men, dressed like him with cold-weather layered clothes and glasses, but who were probably suits, were upon him.

"Simon Black Taylor, you are under arrest as a prime suspect in the VELLA murders cases as well as the 1st degree murders of detective Archie Carolan and mister Derek Brown." One of the cops was reciting his rights to him, while another was busy handcuffing his hands at his back. Simon remained, throughout it all, unmoved but inside, he was restive. "You have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Anything you say may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police and to have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future."

Simon smirked as he was shaking his head looking at the snow. So they traced things back to him through his half-brother after all?

Dear brother, I'm sorry...

Was this the last time he was seeing snow? Probably. The future lay grim and somehow unprobable for a guy like him.
Yet, the beautiful ocean-eyed guy smiled.

Death is only a transition, Dream Theater once said.