...
"Go on. What did they find?" Ariana pressed.
"Well, this case contains more forensic evidence than all of the other cases in the past. A small scrape of blood was found, and the forensic agents already proved it matches Haron Ride's DNA. We believe this super painstaking criminal left this behind out of negligence, because he didn't notice he was leaving evidence."
"That's all?" Ariana asked.
"They also found his things but there wasn't any forensic evidence on them except for Haron's fingerprints. His phone couldn't be located so we think the culprit must have taken it."
"How do you link this with the other disappearance cases?" Ariana asked.
"Ari, are you sure you're feeling better? Don't get stressed out with this." Joseph came over, next to Lily.
"Shut the fuck up Joseph," Ariana told him.
Then she smiled at Lily. "Go on."
Joseph rolled his eyes in the back.
"Well, Haron Ride also immigrated with his mother ten years ago. They immigrated from London after their house burned down from arson, an arson in which Haron lost his father and younger brother."
"Did you check out the culprit of the arson?"
"Bad news there, the culprit was never found." Lily bit her lip.
"Oh well... Where is it that the blood was found?" Ariana frowned.
"On the corner of a bookcase in the underground room of The Small Cafe... As a first scenario, we suspect that his head was smashed on that corner. But of course, we cannot be certain."
Ariana was thinking of her own aching, injured head... But she couldn't really link the white tow truck guy with this without evidence.
She'd start her own, separate investigation...And not breathe a word about it to her teammates.
"By the way, Ari, Joseph told us about the accident you were in yesterday... About the white truck. That's why we're so worried about you." Lily tightened her hold on Ariana's hand.
But it was too late for keeping that a secret, it seemed to Ariana.
"Girls, do not think too much of it... I'm doing alright. And I'm planning to investigate the behinds of it, after I slide out of this bed."
"On your own?" Ioana inquired.
"Should I imply our team? As a team, we'd better get a lead on these disappearances turned violent." Ariana was gesticulating heavily.
"Well, girls." Joseph, certain Ariana was stressing too much, walked over. "I think you should leave now. Don't mean to be rude, but Ariana is stressing with work when she should be recovering."
Both girls giggled and glanced at each other, then bombarded Ariana with both of their glances at once.
"What?" She frowned.
But she knew that they knew now. About Joseph and her.
After the girls left, Ariana spent the rest of her afternoon and evening in bed, with Joseph on the adjoining chair.
They talked about life as she leafed some fashion and makeup magazines, crazy, trying to keep herself where she was, grow roots before she would fly.
"Ah, I can't stay here no more... I wanna go outside," Ariana exhaled, feeling oppressed.
Outside it had started raining strongly and the rain applauded as it boomed against the glass.
"Just look at the weather, it's dark and humid, not even temptin," Joseph said as he was smoking a cigar, looking outside the window.
"It should rather tempt you to stay tucked in and heal."
He looked back at her, winking.
*
Ariana ended up going back to work two days later.
She was feeling significantly better, and she had spent so much time in that hospital room with Joseph that she felt she could use a week away from him, without missing him, if only she wouldn't be wanting him closer to her more with each passing day. Such a savage guy...
At work, she was hazy.
People knew all about the accident she had been in now, the cause of her injury, and the atmosphere seemed really awkward and huddled.
There was a lethargy, a sleepiness, a drought of creativity hanging around their quarters, despite the humidity outside.
Michael was putting in order the day's mission, organizing the stuff around there, bossing everyone around the clock.
Everything seemed so grim and dull, until they started hearing shouts.
People outside.
Male voices calling out to "be let inside", and asking for "justice".
Cries.
"What's happening?" Michael frowned.
He left the room the next minute, leaving the door ajar, and walked towards the front lobby.
Ariana left her bag on her desk and ran after him.
Just as they arrived in the lobby, where desks were strewn all over the huge room, with officers registering information from various people, witnesses, people making claims and suspects, the front door suddenly opened.
Three guys, seventeen or eighteen walked in side by side, with countenances that would make one wonder what happened to them.
One of the three, a blond, looked as if he had recently been sobbing.
"We want justice for Haron," one of the three guys, the tallest, with a buff body, said in a deep voice.
"Yes, y'all cops, what are you doing here? Were you even investigating the case?" the third guy shouted, angry, settling to leaning over an officer's desk.
Ariana cleared her throat at the same time as Michael.
They frowned at each other.
"Are you guys Haron's friends?" she inquired.
"Yes. Friends and band mates. And we're here for justice. Why do you guys even exist?!" the tall guy demanded again, and Ariana was filled with apprehension that he would start using violence.
"Please calm down, we can talk calmly." Michael put his hands forward, as if signaling peace.
"Calm? Haron's dead!" the blond guy who looked to have been sobbing, who was the band's songwriter, cried out suddenly.
And then all of the pairs of eyes of the investigators and officers shot up to him.
What? Haron Ride is dead?
"We can't make these kind of unjustified allegations, guys... Haron might still be alive," came Ariana's reassuring voice.
"No, he's not," came the reply of the tall, buff guy, now grave. He was looking at the floor as if he had seen a ghost.
The guy, without losing his composure, came forward.
"An hour ago, we were all gathered at Rick's, working on a project," the tallest guy gestured to the blond guy, who was the said Rick.
"And then the doorbell rang, and since it was his home, Rick went to answer. It looked like the postman was delivering an XXl parcel. Well, Rick thought it was something his father had sent for him from abroad, and opened it. Then he called us and inside that box... We found Haron's body," the buff guy announced, a vein threatening to explode on his forehead, while Rick fainted in the background.
Haron Ride's corpse, huddled up in a sepulchral on the inside, ordinary on the outside, delivery parcel box.