'You heard all that, didn't you?' Laurel asked me slowly as I left the cupboard.
'Yes,' I nodded. 'Are you going to do what he said?'
'I might look into it,' Laurel shrugged. 'But, why me?'
'I think he thinks you trust him,' I supposed. 'Do you?'
'I feel like... I know him,' Laurel said in a surprised tone. 'It's like we had some sort of... Connection. Everything about him felt so familiar.'
'If you feel like that, then go for the case,' I suggested. 'But I analysed the fingerprints on the knife that was used to kill Declan's wife, and they definitely were Peter Declan's.'
'Someone could've set him up,' Laurel considered. 'It's not normal for someone to kill their wife in front of their baby.'
'That is very true,' I agreed with a nod. 'And if it makes any difference, I trust The Hood. He saved me from Lawton, so he must be a good man.'
Laurel did indeed take up the case, acting as Declan's attorney and representing him as innocent. The evidence and opposing information all pointed to Declan as the killer, and I felt guilty to have been part of such a feat a few years back, when I had analysed the leading evidence for the case and claimed that Declan was the murderer.
I just hoped Laurel could find the right information to set Declan free.
---
Later the next day, I decided to visit my apartment when I knew Marcus would be working at Queen Consolidated. Although I had broken things off with him, I wanted at least some of my possessions back for the time being.
I had shared so many memories with Marcus in this apartment, but they were all too painful to reminisce on after finding out the truth; that it had been all a faux show and I had only been the one in love with him. He had played the romance card extremely convincingly though; I really had believed he loved me.
Inside the apartment, it felt cold as I opened the door, an awful stench filling my nostrils. Maybe Marcus had been smoking again, I thought with a sigh, as though I still had a shred of care for him in my heart.
But thus wasn't the smell of tobacco, and surely enough, I soon found the source to the scent.
Marcus was sprawled across the middle of our double bed, the centre of his chest left gouged and covered in bloodstains where the fatal wound was. His eyes were open with a startled and terrified look eternally stuck on his face, as though everything had died but the fear in his eyes.
'Marcus?' I whispered automatically to the rotting body, as though there could've been a possibility that he was alive. 'Marcus?'
I fell the floor, my knees becoming weak and my mouth trembling uncontrollably, next to the bed that he lay to rest. Small teardrops landed on my bent legs as I cried beside his body, all the love and emotion I seemed to have for him not able to stay confined anymore. Although his ways had been very flawed, Marcus had been my rock and the love of my life for three years, and I had wholeheartedly committed to a relationship with him.
And now he was gone. Forever.
Grabbing my mobile from my jeans pocket, I weakly called 911 for anyone to help me. It couldn't be an ambulance that would be on its way, as he was past saving now, so I waited for the SCPD to arrive.
Quarter of an hour later, there was a knock at the door, and Lance and Hilton with a few other SCPD staff greeted me.
'I'm so sorry Aria,' Lance said, trying to give me professional empathy.
'He's in the bedroom,' I sniffled, tears still running down my face.
As they went to analyse the scene, I waited on the edge of my sofa, my muscles not willing to relax. I was so shook up, and I had left Marcus in anger without a proper goodbye. The last time I had seen him for good was when I had pure hatred for him. And I felt terrible for that.
The SCPD took another hour or so, and finally they emerged from the shadows, carrying a bag of evidence. They had already taken Marcus in a body bag, and so this bag was much less painful to look at. It contained a wooden post with a sharp end to it, red with blood.
'This was pretty well hidden,' Hilton told me. 'It's as if the killer really didn't want anyone to find it.'
'Well obviously they wouldn't,' I pointed out. 'But why hide it at the scene of the crime?'
'You tell me, Aria,' Hilton just commented, before whispering about something to Lance.
What did he mean by that? What was he trying to imply?
'Hey, Aria,' Lance approached me slowly.
'You're acting all secretive,' I narrowed my eyes. 'And shifty. You look... Worried. What is it, Lance?'
'The guys... They all think you're the killer,' Lance said quietly. 'So far, it looks like you punctured your boyfriend and tried to hide the evidence. There's no sign of a break in, and you do live in this apartment. But, I don't believe you could do such a thing.'
'It sure sounds like you do,' I raised my eyebrows. 'And why do you all think I could be that cold-blooded? I'm not a ruthless killer!'
'You have been in the past,' Lance argued. 'Remember when you saved the city from that Culebra gang? Even if it was for the good of the people, you've still killed before.'
'You really are fighting my corner, Detective,' I said sarcastically. 'I wouldn't kill Marcus. I couldn't. And I don't understand why you all think that I did! Clearly I'm upset about this whole thing, and you haven't even asked me about the incident.'
'I'm just trying to prepare you for when you're taken in for questioning,' Lance told me truthfully. 'Honestly, I think that someone's trying to set you up. I hope so anyway.'
'And you're correct,' I nodded confidently.
'Miss Coleman,' a voice I didn't recognise said behind me. 'I'm here on behalf of Mr Yates' murder case.'
I turned round to find a man looking at me with suspicious intent.
'Captain David Singh,' he shook my hand professionally. 'I'm from the CCPD.'
The Central City Police Department? Why were they now involved in the case? It wasn't like Marcus was that important. And a Captain? Surely they were taking this too seriously. I just wanted to know who the murderer was, and prove to them that it wasn't me.
'You came here, all the way from Central City, for this case?' I asked him surprisedly.
'The SCPD wanted someone disassociated with you and your coworkers to take over the case, and because I happened to be visiting this city, I was called here.'
'I think we've already found enough, Captain,' Lance confronted him, feeling intimidated by Singh.
'Aria Coleman, I'm arresting you on suspicion of murder,' Singh announced, two of his men emerging from the background and handcuffing me before I could fight back. 'Anything you say can and will be used in the court of law. You have the right to-'
My brain took over after that, overriding my sense of hearing as I became consumed by anxiety. I couldn't be locked up in Iron Heights for life, and I wasn't going to let that happen. It was the perfect scenario for the real killer; I had no alibi, I was an ex-murderer and I had fought with Marcus before I left him in anger.
'Who authorised this?' I heard Lance shout from behind us as I was shoved into a car.
'Your Commissioner, Brian Nudocerdo,' I heard Singh reply as the door of the car shut in my face.
At least Lance had my back. For now.
---
The grand entrance seemed so domineering and fearful as I was escorted into the CCPD building, the one place I had hoped to work at once I had finished my forensic science course as a resident of Central City all those years ago. It brought back so many memories returning here; training with my old friends Anna, Blake and Matthew, and wanting to spend the rest of my life with my ex boyfriend and future detective Eddie Thawne. And in an instant we were broken apart, all because of a man called Malcolm Merlyn.
I was taken to a small, dark room, which I guessed was the CCPD's interrogation room. Singh sat opposite me, staring me down, as though he was trying to figure me out, but I could tell he thought I had committed the crime.
On the table between us led a thick case file with my name attached to it, Singh alternating between looking at me and the information that filled it.
'You used to live in the Central City?' Singh asked me with surprise.
How did he know that? I hadn't told anyone in Starling that, well except for Isaac and Elliot, but one of them was dead and the other was far away from here. But, it was the police we were talking about. Of course they'd have kept track of the residents in the city.
'And how does this have anything to do with your false accusations of me?' I asked in annoyance. 'But yes, I did live here once. I used to want to work in this place.'
'Why did you move?' Singh pressed, this obviously being a gap in the CCPD's knowledge.
'I just broke up with my boyfriend and my friends were no longer my friends,' I replied slowly.
The real reason was because Merlyn had made me, but I couldn't say that. And what I said was true - I had left because of my friends and Eddie, as Merlyn had turned me against them.
'Seriously, what does any of this have to do with the case?' I asked Singh in confusion and helplessness. 'I don't want to relive my past.'
'And why is that?' Singh narrowed his eyes.
'I just don't want to remember the happy times I had with someone I used to be with!' I exclaimed. 'Surely you wouldn't want to think about that?'
'So, after you moved to Starling City,' Singh moved on, abiding to my forced request. 'You started working at the SCPD?'
'Yes,' I nodded.
'And you used to be friends with the Queen family,' Singh pointed out. 'Marcus Yates worked for Queen Consolidated.'
'I still don't understand why you're asking me any of this,' I shook my head, once again confused. 'I'm innocent, Captain Singh. I didn't kill Marcus. And you're not going to get anywhere with the case if you ask me totally unassociated questions with the case!'
'They're not unassociated,' Singh told me. 'The Queens are a powerful family, and if Mr Yates upset them or the company somehow, they could've asked you to kill him for them.'
'That's... Absurd!' I exclaimed at the extreme fantasy of the theory. 'You've got to be kidding me!'
'I'm serious,' Singh said with a poker face.
'I'm not some... Some assassin for the Queens!' I cried in horror. 'It was Marcus who made me distance myself from them. I hadn't spoken to Moira Queen for three years until now!'
'You recently spoke to Mrs Queen?' Singh quickly picked up, noting something down.
Oh dear. What had I dropped myself into now?
'Yes,' I nodded. 'But it was because of Detective Lance's stupid actions. I didn't get told to kill anybody. I was just trying to save that family's feelings.'
'And what did you say about Mr Yates making you 'distance yourself' from the Queens?' Singh remembered.
'He thought that that family was... Dangerous,' I sighed. 'He thought that if I stayed away from them, everything would be alright. But a few days ago, I found out that that was a lie. He just wanted to control me, and that was it.'
'Did you have a fight with Mr Yates?' Singh further interrogated me.
'We broke up,' I said plainly. 'That's it. I found out he didn't do things out of love, but-'
I stopped myself. I nearly gave away Marcus' involvement with The Reverse Flash. If I'd have told them about the yellow-suited speedster, I surely would be been labelled as unstable and psychotic.
'But his own spite,' I finished my sentence. 'He never loved me, he just liked power. And that really hurt me.'
I could feel myself getting angrier and angrier, so I stopped myself and tried to calm down.
'I just want to go home, Captain,' I cried, my eyes shining with tears. 'I'm not your killer.'