One year ago...
Another year had passed and it was now January 2017. The VELLA cases, as they've come to be known came on strong like a fist against UK.
Head detective Archie Carolan was dead, which was like a dare against the National Police Force, and, meanwhile, his killer was ruled out to be Derek Brown and, implicitly, the VELLA who pushed Derek into it.
The ten VELLA operators had been murdered and then an assassin was murdered while trying to kill one of the VELLA victims in London...
The crimes just went in a circle, Ariana though, as she was doing paperwork back in the team quarters. She was lucky to be ambidextrous and that she could type with her left hand just as well, or she would be doing it with her tongue.
But, was this circle really a circle?
Michael really went out of his way to take his revenge on her this time, she cursed.
He revoked her going out on investigations for a month as a sort of punishment, the devil. That was painful.
"How're you faring there Ariana?" Mike came around and as she saw him, she stuck her tongue out at him even if it wasn't very lady-like, and started typing faster, etching her fingertips into the keyboards.
"I'm doing perfectly, Sir."
You shouldn't date your team leader, they said, but she did. Oh, how she regretted it all now, because it felt as if it was a few weeks ago, not over a year ago.
Wish the murderer got to him, she caught herself thinking even against herself as she typed. She wasn't even doing work, she was looking into the VELLA cases.
She didn't tell anyone but Ariana could bet that the entire VELLA thing was somehow related to the Big B. serial killer. She couldn't see it yet how, but she was sure.
She was sure Derek Brown didn't commit suicide and that he was framed.
She just couldn't see why. Why?
Because the killer was so good and made virtually no mistake, she couldn't understand his motivation. Why was he killing?
It drove her almost to biting her nails. She hated that she couldn't understand it. After so many months, so many suspects interrogated, so many deaths, she knew nothing.
If only she knew...
"What are you doing Ariana?" Mike came behind her, clicking his heels.
Skillfully and nimbly she quickly changed the things displayed on her screen right under his eyes.
"I'm writing a property crime report you see," she said while showing him her report. She had copied and pasted an older report from another case lest he came to check on her and caught her red-handed. She only slightly modified the names, dates and locations.
She was planning on doing the real work later but right now she couldn't focus.
"Hmm," he cleared his voice suspiciously as he left. Phew, she sighed inwardly. As soon as he disappeared in another room she quickly rummaged until she found that database.
She found an address of a suspicious man, she smiled inwardly.
She couldn't get the image of the white truck driver out of her mind. She didn't rule out the fact that he could be the killer, but she was sure that he was related to the killer. The real serial killer.
She looked at all the owners of white tow trucks in Big Bucharest and London and after long, painstaking searches of records, she found something that glared at her.
She found an owner of a white truck that had a shady name and he figured in a shady carpet cleaning firm too; there was also a picture of him where she looked.
He had warm brown eyes. That was enough to make her send an e-mail anonymously. She waited anxiously for a reply, if any would come.
"The General Inspector from the London department is coming in," the registration desk lady made the announce as she came. They all stood up.
Michael went behind his desk while the Inspector entered.
"Hello," an African-British man wearing a long crème leather trench coat over a suit, entered.
"Hello, we're delighted to welcome you here," Michael became the spokesperson again, rubbing his palms together. "This is Michael's Team 6, I'm Michael St. Clair the leader."
"Yeah I know, I came to you out on purpose," the man smiled as he held his hands interlaced in front of him. "You're a field investigation team right? You do not affiliate with a court or court officers?"
"Yes. You've done your homework," Mike said. Ariana looked over at the London inspector and wondered what was he about. "What is the pleasure that brings you here Sir?"
The inspector gave a good-hearted laugh. "Permit me to introduce myself first. My name is Keith Mostafa and I am a General Inspector detective with the London police of her majesty The Queen."
Ariana wanted to throw up. This African man sounded more rooted in English tradition than her, a pure native.
"I used to work with Archie Carolan. Now he's been caught in this charade himself so we need someone to take his place in the ranks. You probably knew, since Archie Carolan worked with you on solving the Big B. Murders for a little while, that he's a "special" detective- he had a flexible career, worked on cases all over UK, because he had a relatively high IQ and he solved many cases almost single-handedly. He had trust," Keith Mostafa clarified.
Ariana rolled her eyes. This inspector seemed to have been an Archie Carolan fanboy or something, because she could clearly tell they weren't related due to the way they looked. It wasn't nepotism.
She frowned, leaning against her desk, thinking herself inconspicuous, but then she saw the inspector's eyes skitter over her curiously, keeping eye contact way longer than she'd expected. That made her curious.
"And you came here...?" Mike said slightly amused, insinuating enough.
Did he put no confidence in his team?, Ariana was disgusted.
"We came here to recruit Miss Ariana Johnson, as a replacement for Archie, even if at least temporarily. Shortly before being murderer, Archie Carolan recommended her saying-", the African man skittered his eyes over Michael and the other teammates slightly, before he opened a portfolio, and started reading:
"Ariana Johnson has a brilliant mind. She solved a lot of cases in Big Bucharest, found Megan Keene's body in the Big B. cases and has a growing potential. I enjoyed working with her on the single case of Alexander Arseniev, where she ingeniously solved puzzling riddles. I admit, she tends to run off and be reckless, but she has a spirit we could use here."
Did Archie Carolan really say all that? Ariana rubbed her chin as she grimaced at the man with a wistful look; Archie, the blond, buff man full of tattoos who wanted to touch her every passing minute?
"Archie really said that?" She spoke out loud with a small laugh, much to the surprise of everyone in the room. She betrayed, though, the sentiment of being flattered.
"Yes, he did so. So what do you say Ariana? Do you want to work with the Scotland police department, on the VELLA cases? Is it hard for you since you live here in Big Bucharest and would have to spend some time away up in Scotland? I mean, I really hope that's not a hindrance since we'll have your housing taken care of," the inspector asked her directly. He already knew she was Ariana Johnson?
Michael was dumbfounded by this. Were they taking Ariana away?
"That's no problem. I'd very much hate leaving my team behind but I'm really interested in working on the VELLA cases, and this promotion would be very well-met by me," Ariana bit her lip while nervously fidgeting and looking at her teammates.
She saw mixed reactions. She felt they'd miss her if she left because after an entire year here, it truly became a homie place. It was like her second home. Each of them fit so well together and made a beautiful mosaic.
"Hearing that really enchants me, Miss Ariana. I'm sure we'll work well together," the man commented and let a pleasant, joyful smile slip. He came forward and met Ariana, shaking her hand which was slightly mellow. She was excited at this new opportunity but felt somehow guilty, all the same. But she was sure the killer had moved to Scotland, and there was no more work here for her. Big Bucharest would be met by peace.
And maybe, this killer was related to her mother's killer so she couldn't help chasing him...
Keith Mostafa roamed his eyes around the room, the quarters of Michael's team. They looked messy and cozy, and he could tell Ariana was a big part of it, but he wasn't interested by that.
"I really enjoy working with my team. We do a good job together, and I'm the best with them," Ariana started as she swayed around, but saw Jacob shake his head, hands in his pocked as he dragged his feet forward as if he walked out of a shadow, and with his arms folded said:
"Go Ariana. I've seen you put two and two. At least this entire VELLA shit is for you." Jacob nodded encouragingly. Ariana saw the pure, undoubtful genuine vibes that wafted off him;
She smiled gently.
"Team leader here really undermines you anyway," Yamato intervened, shrugging towards her.
"I- She's too reckless that's why," Michael grunted, hands in his pockets. Was she really leaving?
He walked towards her, a silent thoughtful frown accompanying him, his stance slightly lethargic. He looked at her.
"Well, Ariana, you conniving, overthinking, reckless woman; you spread madness everywhere you go so I'm sure you'll turn Scotland upside down if you go there," he gave her a very wistful look that she'd never seen before. He looked serious. "But, well, I'm sending you off with good regards... Just please, don't get killed off Ariana." He gave her one curt nod. She smiled.
"That's all you think I'd amount to, team leader? You know I'll be well, and I'll come visit, of course," she licked off her lips as she saw, strangely, Michael catching her hand; she wanted to frown, but what he did was shook her hand.
Well, she was relieved they would depart on the best of terms.
*
The next monday, Joseph drove Ariana up to the London police quarters, the Criminal investigation division. The VELLA cases, which Ariana was going to investigate, fell under local police jurisdiction in Inverness, Scotland, Police Scotland, and she was going there as a enjoy, a, what the masterminds of London called it, special detective.
She was filling in Archie Carolan's shoes, and this opportunity had been possible specifically because of his death... What a almost surrealistic turn of situation.
She supposed she should be grateful to Archie Carolan after all; If she were to meet his ghost up in the Cairngorms, she'd have to thank him personally.
"You sure you really wanna come with me? The weather will be extremely cold up there and I don't wanna drag you into danger's way," Ariana asked Joseph the fifth or so time, before they reached the quarters of the Metropolitan police in London.
"I'm fine with it. We're lucky too that I don't have a job now and can move freely wherever your recklessness takes us," Joseph smiled at her as he drove. "You should feel grateful I'm so alright with it."
"Damn, I'm so excited to be skiing again... Really, I haven't asked you, you know how to ski right?" Ariana stretched her hand on the upper top of their chairs, conversationally. She hoped he did, because she loved skying.
"I'm no ace like you, but yeah I've done it," Joseph said then glanced at the parking lot in front of them. "Look, we're here."
*
Present time, London...
''Simon has a flowery skull on his left hand indeed." She bit her lip.
Meanwhile, Jacob was noting what she had said. So that confirms it, he thought. That confirms the witness testimony of Zac, a musician, who used to live in the same building as Simon.
Jacob bit his lip too and skittered through the next questions.
"What does Simon usually do? Does he have a job? What are his hobbies?" Jacob went on and asked. professionally.
"He's a tattoo artist. A very good one; the single tattoo that I have on my skin is an artwork of his," Ariana smiled. Jacob frowned. He wasn't aware she had a tattoo.
"May I see it?"
Ariana smiled even bigger and did something unexpected and psychotic. She raised her leg up and put it on the table with the flexibility of a ballerina.
She pulled up the ridge of her trouser to show off a perfectly fair and thin ankle, and a small tattoo on the back, on the lower end of the Achilles' tendon area. It was a gun, inked very elegantly.
"That's badass," Jacob commented. "So I gather it, Simon's pretty good at drawing right?"
"Yes. He's got a university degree in fine arts," Ariana gestured.
"Strange that no art related stuff was found in his London flat," Jacob mused reading something, "Is he left or right handed?"
"Right handed straight."
"Okay..." Jacob smiled and she caught him. He remembered something that happened long ago. "Next -"
"What's with that smile?"
"I just remembered your left handed theory from the Big B. cases..." Jacob looked at her dreamily.
"Simon isn't the serial killer. I know him," Ariana frowned.
"We don't know that. He's reported to have supernatural powers at the least. This might indeed change the way we view the world altogether, it is big. Anyway, next... Besides swimming, and I assume drawing, what else does he do?"
"He's a clean freak. He likes everything to be spotless." Ariana enjoyed saying that about him because it amused her. She didn't even think that from a certain angle that information looked mighty suspicious.
Jacob of course saw it, immediately.
"He enjoys skiing. We used to ski together in our earlier twenties. He likes traveling and isn't the kind of person to settle," Ariana hated that her best male friend was seen in this light.
Memory erasing powers? Really?
And why did he run away? Where did he go? What was he doing? Was any of this true?
"Thank you, Ariana. Has there ever been anything between you two...?"
"No, we've never been attracted to each other like that," Ariana stared at his picture. Cute, beautiful blue eyed guy. But she could never see him as nothing else beside a brother. In that way, Simon was a soulmate.
"Furthermore, he's gay."
"If we were to look for him ... Where do you think he would be now?"
Ariana looked at him mysteriously. Of course they were looking for him already.
"Trust me on this. He's probably still in UK. Either somewhere like Cairngorm Mountains... Or Snowdon. I'm sure of it."
"Thank you Ariana. That's all for today." Jacob stood up professionally, grabbing his stuff up almost clumsily.
Ariana stood up almost scared as the door opened and her guard came for her.
"I'm sure he'll be smiling as cops approach him. He's not who we're looking for,'' she added, loudly and starkly, so everyone heard her.
"Don't worry Ariana. I'll make sure he's alright, too," Jacob gave her one last sympathetic look and left.
Ariana was taken back to her cage.