Sometimes, you just have those phases in life when nothing works out for you. You crave for peace but the more you do so, the farther it goes away from you. Naomi was facing the worst situation a detective could ever face. She lost her husband, at least that's what she thinks based on the evidence, she has lost her inner peace and she has also lost her home now. And something tells me that it wasn't by accident.
As Naomi reached at the site of the 'accident', she was shocked. She couldn't believe what she saw. She had one safe place and that was also stolen away from her. And how? Such a huge house burned down to ashes. She made this house with Will. Yes it was hard at first, getting everything right and just the way they wanted it. But when they finally had it, it was a dream. They loved staying there and they made a lot of memories out there but it was all gone in a second.
The firefighting team reached at the site with the fire brigade trying their best extinguish the fire. But shockingly, Naomi didn't cry. It wasn't like she didn't want to. Of course she felt immense pain at the sight of what was left of her dream home. But she had faced so much in the past few days that she had no tears left. She wasn't scared anymore. If anything, she was now determined, more than ever to catch the person behind it. The worst part for her was, she didn't have Will beside her anymore. He always helped her get through the trauma and difficult phases. The city lost arguably the best detective in town. It wasn't easy. Not at all.
After the fire was extinguished, she was allowed to go in and take a look inside the house. She couldn't believe that she lost almost everything in a span of a few weeks. As she went in, she saw something carved on her home's walls.
It read-'You are next, Naomi.'
She wasn't shocked. She had expected something like this all along and she definitely knew it wasn't an accident. She knew who got it done but it made her realize how personal this case was. It wasn't a general case where you meet a psychopath who was just intent on destroying someone's life. Some random stranger. It was personal. Someone held a grudge against her and that was clear. It wasn't a normal case at all. It sort of gave her a hint. An important one, that someone has a beef with her and wants to settle the score.
It reminded her of all the things Will left for her, all the words he said in the things he left behind and everything he taught her.
The main thing that he taught her was to never lose your calm, never to panic and always a detective should be on his toes. There is absolutely no room for complacency. But the most important thing that he had told her was, never trust anyone, especially who is closer to you and knows things about you.
And now was the time when she was going to put them to use.
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The people in the precinct rushed to the site after a while.
Seb was the first one to approach her as she stood with her back towards him. He placed a hand on her shoulder which startled her.
She turned around in haste but relief flooded her face as she saw him.
"Thank god it's you. Don't know who'll come up to me and the next minute you know I'll be lying on the floor in a pool of blood." She let out a sarcastic, yet a sad laugh.
"Hey! C'mon. don't say so." He said and squeezed her shoulder in a reassuring way. It was Seb.
"Do you want me to get you something to eat? You must be tired." He asked and by that time, everyone gathered around her. She was the closest to him after Will of course.
Naomi shook her head and replied to his concern with "I am fine, thanks."
Seb offered her his place for the night as she had no place to go. He lived alone anyway but she politely but firmly refused it.
"Hey Naomi, your husband gave me the task of being there for you always, and looking out for you. I think you should stay with me, I will ensure that you will be fine." said Steve expectantly.
"Thank you for everything Steve but I think you have done enough for me. Besides, I can't put your life at stake repeatedly. I can take care of myself."
Everyone offered their house one after the other but she politely declined their offer. She was done depending on others and repeatedly putting their lives at risk. They had a family too and she didn't want them to lose it all like she had in a matter of few weeks.
However, Eleanor was insistent on Naomi staying at her place. While they didn't get along very well, Naomi was surely touched by the gesture. It made her realize probably cold war at work doesn't mean that you don't offer your hand for help for someone in need. Besides, Naomi had no other choice. She had to stay somewhere and Eleanor was willing to take any sort of risk.
She searched around the burned down house and found certain things that wasn't engulfed by fire. She collected them and headed to Eleanor's place.
"Welcome to my home, feel comfortable please, it is your home now."
"Thank you Eleanor, I really appreciate whatever you are doing for me. I really do."
"Oh please, don't mention it, plus I also wanted to talk to you about Will. I am so sorry for your loss, Naomi. We didn't get a chance to talk properly about it. If it is okay for you, would you please tell me about everything that happened in these few days?"
Naomi didn't want to speak about it but she knew she had to someday. She couldn't avoid this topic forever plus any sort of help was welcome. And maybe keeping Eleanor, Seb, Chris and Mike aware of the incidents could help her find the killer but she wasn't sure if she could trust all of them.
As Will told her again and again, "Trust No one."
But she had had enough. She was tired of keeping things to herself and brooding over it day in and day out. It was killing her from within and all she wanted to do was crying and scream at the top of her lungs. She desperately wanted to talk to someone about it but she didn't have the guts to face the reality that she was being put through. She felt as if her head was going burst with the amount of overthinking and paranoia she was suffering from. She had to open up to someone someday. She couldn't keep it inside her forever. So she spoke to Eleanor about it, she told her most of the details barring a few personal ones. She didn't forget that she couldn't trust anyone.
Not even someone as trustworthy as Eleanor. To lighten up the mood and to make her feel better, Eleanor and Naomi spent a lot of time talking and they played a board game or 2. Eleanor also offered her a tub of chocolate ice cream to lighten up her mood which Naomi welcomed happily. Eleanor's house was very beautiful. She lived alone, her family stayed on the West coast. She had a very good flat in a posh building in the city. The people in her building seemed quite polite and rich.
The interiors were done well, it was a 2 BHK and it was very spacious. It was evident that Eleanor had put a lot of thought into decorating her house the way she did.
As they were done talking and playing, Eleanor escorted Naomi to her room. Since Eleanor had two rooms, she offered one room to Naomi.
"Don't hesitate to wake me up if you need anything. Night." Naomi nodded. Eleanor smiled and closed the door behind her.
Naomi switched of the lights and sat on the soft bed. She found it peaceful to sit in the darkness of the room. She couldn't sleep today. Her eyes still saw her house on fire; the sight of it didn't leave her mind for a second. She tossed and turned in her bed as she tried her level best to not think about what happened and go to sleep. She was on a leave from the precinct and she was kept under protection by the precinct, with 2 armed police men guarding the building.
And somehow, she still didn't feel safe. She was relieved that she carried the evidences with her to the precinct or else they would have been burnt with the house.
She considered herself very lucky at the moment. Otherwise, she would have to start from scratch. And how would she even start from the scratch when she had absolutely nothing to support her case? Her mind wasn't able to think rationally. She couldn't figure out who could be behind this.
Could it be Chris? But how? And why would he kill his own sister? Unless it was all a set up to deceive us. Or was she overthinking? These thoughts didn't leave her head.
Finally at around 3 am, she gave up trying to sleep and decided she could save up some time by working.
Before starting her work, she headed to the kitchen to have some water and to calm herself down. As she was passing through the hall, she heard some voice behind the closed door. Who was Eleanor talking to at this time at night? She tried to hear it clearly but they were muffled and unclear sounds. She went closer to the door and pressed her ears to her, trying as hard as possible to hear what was going on.
"Why couldn't you finish the job? I am so angry; you think you won't be punished for this? I will make sure you are. And I will kill that bitch with my own hands." Eleanor spat out in anger.
And the voice stopped. Naomi started panicking.
She rushed to her bedroom and closed the door before Eleanor even had the hint that Naomi was there. Naomi paced up and down in her room, not knowing what to do or think.
All of a sudden someone was knocked the door heavily.
"Who is it?" asked Naomi with a shaky voice, she had never been this scared in her entire life.
"Duh, it's me, Eleanor. Are you fine, I heard your footsteps so I came to check up on you."
"Yeah I am fine, you can go and sleep. Thanks for the concern."
"Okay but don't hesitate to wake me up."
Naomi had a lot to think about right now.
Who was Eleanor talking to? What's her intention? Why did she call me home?
Did she orchestrate fire to destroy all the evidences and her failure to do so pissed her off?
Whatever it was, it didn't seem good to Naomi. She felt scared to be around her and in her house. She carried a gun with her nowadays and she kept it beside her bed.
As she started to work on the file which Will left for her, she got more clarity of the situation. Will had linked everything quite well.
He was a genius. She secretly thanked Will for helping her out from beyond the grave. She wouldn't have been where she was if Will hadn't solved the jigsaw puzzle. But one thing was missing, the killer's name. Naomi suspected Eleanor and Chris right now. But was she overthinking? Maybe. But anyone would given the situation.
She knew that she had to crack the whole case as fast as possible or else she was putting her and everyone's life in danger. She didn't have enough time to wait and watch and analyze the situation. It was time for action and the more she delayed, the faster death was approaching her.
It was 7 am; she was constantly working and trying to find clues from the file.
She got a call from Rhodes all of a sudden which startled her.
"Hi Naomi, how are you?"
"I am doing fine Mr. Rhodes, thanks for asking."
"I hope you are safe."
"Yes, I am not taking anything for granted."
"Any leads?"
"Not really, I am just working on what I have."
"Don't worry, we are trying our best to crack the case too, I have given Eleanor off for the day to protect you and Seb is heading the investigation at the precinct with Mike and Chris. Don't worry, we will find the killer soon."
She shuddered at the thought of being with Eleanor but she knew she couldn't say anything without proper evidence.
"Thank you Mr. Rhodes, for everything. I won't ever forget this. let's do this."
As he hung up the phone, she started to wonder if Rhodes did enough to protect Will. When Will went for his mission, he was promised help and enough security by Rhodes but it seemed as if he got none of it.
Let's not forget that he even shot the guy at the precinct, remember the one who went rogue? And that officer could have given them a lot of inputs into the case.
She started to doubt Rhodes now. She again started to ask the same questions to herself. Maybe she was going crazy or maybe she was spot on.
She decided to rest for a while as her eyes started feeling heavy due to lack of sleep. But then, just as she closed her eyes, something struck her mind. She quickly opened the files left by Will and tried to connect all the links again. She knew she was missing something major.
And finally, realization hit her that it was a cop behind all this. She shivered at the thought of someone close to her causing so much pain, worse, someone who could go the extent of taking her life and Will's.
Although she felt relieved that she'd finally found out something major. Now she could narrow down her search to the cops and watch them closely. All she needed was just a name to finish the jigsaw puzzle.
Who could it be? Eleanor, Seb, Mike, Chris, Rhodes or someone else?
Or could someone from the Philadelphia's precinct be involved? After all that's where Melinda escaped from.
Melinda, another person who was forgotten by everyone in the precinct. Everyone was so involved in this case and this quest to find the killer that they forgot the main person from whom it all started, from the point of her being arrested.
Somehow Naomi felt Melinda was the key to all of this. She had to track down Melinda anyhow. She could lead her to the final road and get her to the killer. The serial killer.
Naomi made a few calls to her sources. She had some outlaw sources too like Will although she never really liked to deal with them until a grave situation showed up. And this was a grave situation, literally! She wanted to track Melinda anyhow.
She asked her sources but shockingly none of them had actually spotted this woman ever. It was like as if she was on an incognito mode. Nevertheless, she told them to hit her up if they notice something.
And her sources were such that you merely name a few details about a person and they could hand you everything right from their birth certificate. They had eyes all over and no one escaped it. How else would they run their business otherwise?
She considered calling Rhodes to ask him to find Melinda but she didn't trust him anymore. She had her doubts on him too.
She decided that she will shift from Eleanor's house and stay with Steve. He was the only person she could trust right now though she'd known him just for a few weeks. He was sent by Will and she knew Will wouldn't sabotage her life so carelessly.
So she shifted to Steve's place with no explanation to Eleanor and the armed policemen were placed outside his home.
She told Steve about the things that happened in the past one day.
"So you think Eleanor may be behind it?"
"I don't know, I am doubting everyone right now, Rhodes, Eleanor, Chris. I mean I don't know. I am literally going crazy. What do you think?" she asked as she bit her nails in panic.
"I would say that be aware of your surroundings and as long as you don't doubt me, I am good." He tried to lighten up the mood and was successful in bringing a smile to her face.
"Okay Steve, goodnight. Thanks for having me over."
Naomi went to sleep in her room and today she didn't feel that anxious. She couldn't sleep properly but she didn't feel anxious. Maybe she just trusted Steve more.
The next morning, she got ready to go to work. She wanted to visit the precinct, maybe she would find some clues out there. Maybe something about Melinda?
She was in such a position that she had to start from somewhere.
And so she did, she marched back to the precinct and just as she entered it, she was applauded for her courage and for what she offered this city. Hope against crime. She felt flattered but she couldn't enjoy the moment completely as she had a job to complete. Her mind was preoccupied with that.
She spoke to Rhodes normally, without showing a sign of fear or suspicion. She knew that she couldn't trust him.
"I am so happy to see you again, Naomi. In case you need any help, please feel free to call me."
"Thank you Mr. Rhodes. I should get back to work."
"Umm... before you go, could you please give his pen drive to Seb? It's urgent."
Naomi nodded and she went to seek Seb.
On her way, she bumped into Mike and asked him if he knew where Seb was.
Mike nodded and pointed towards a cabin. He did warn her that Seb didn't want to be disturbed. He was busy. As this was urgent, she decided she would go in anyway.
Just when she was going to knock on the door and enter the cabin, she heard a man shout, "What do you mean you couldn't do it? Is this why I hired you? I am ashamed of you. Your actions will have consequences. You were supposed to destroy it, not let it go."
Just then, the man stopped speaking and he was coming towards the door. As he came near the door, Naomi went away from it.
It was Seb and his conversation was so similar to Eleanor's.
Was he behind it all? What if he's the killer? What if Eleanor and him are in this together? Or is she wrong?
She gave the pen drive to him anyway.
"Hi Naomi, I hope you are better now."
"Yeah I am doing better but I don't know. I guess I am tired, I need some rest, away from the case."
"Yeah I know. It's been a rough few weeks for all of us. I don't know who the killer is but I assure you, we will avenge Will's death."
"Yeah, I will make sure that I avenge his death. I hope that no one innocent dies in the process. We will make Manhattan safe again. I just don't understand how the killer is 1 step ahead of us all." said Naomi ask she noticed his expression and tried to understand what he was thinking.
"Honestly, that troubles me too; we need to do something about it. We are questioning some suspects and asking questions to the past victims' families."
As Naomi was going away from Seb, she realized she couldn't trust him too. Every person she thought of turning to for help was just letting her down. Only people left were Steve and Mike.
She trusted Steve the most at this point. His place seemed the safest for her.
He was like Will's brother. So he didn't seem to be the troublemaker.
She worked for the whole day in the precinct, trying to crack this case open while others worked on many other cases as well. When someone came up to her and asked her what she was doing, she didn't let them know that she was searching stuff about Melinda.
She wasn't fresh enough to think about other cases. It was too personal this time.
As she started packing up to leave the precinct post 7 pm, she saw Mike from a distance in the precinct. She went to say bye to him.
"Naomi, I am so sorry for your loss. I am sorry we couldn't speak a lot after all these incidents. I have just been so busy in precinct that..."
"You don't need to justify that Mike, its fine. We all have been busy. I am sorry for being aloof of late but I am too worked up and I need to bring the people of Manhattan to justice."
"One question, if you find the killer, will you kill him or arrest him? You know we can't kill him right?"
Naomi didn't respond. She shrugged and went away.
She herself didn't know its response. Maybe she would kill him.
One thing was for sure, she could trust no one.