Chapter 25 THE SISTER
\[ARIA POV\]
I can't sleep
I’m in bed. Gazing up at the roof. Beside me is Ethan. His breath comes slowly.
Asleep.
Maybe just faking it.
I'm just not sure these days.
I can't stop wondering about those pens. Not just one - two of them, exactly alike. Both had the very same marking on the side. Everything matched perfectly.
How?
I sit up - slowly now - careful not to stir him.
Rise from your mattress.
Pick up my phone - also grab the keys.
Leave.
The station’s quiet when I walk in - only the overnight crew around. Some cops are sitting at their workspaces. Not much noise.
I tap my card - then head in.
Head over to the evidence room.
The worker’s barely awake at the counter.
"Detective Kane. Didn't expect you."
"I need something from Room 406. The Starlight case."
He stretches, then stands. “What thing?”
"The pen. Silver Montblanc. Logged in March."
He looks at his laptop. Then heads out back. Comes back after a short while.
Passes me a closed evidence pouch.
I agree to it.
You good? He says.
"Yeah. Just need to check something."
"At four a.m.?"
"Can't sleep."
He gives a quick nod - then drops into his seat again.
I grab the bag - head over to my desk.
I switch on the light, then grab the bag.
Grab the pen.
Put it down on the table.
Pull out my phone. Then check the pic I snapped of Ethan’s pen - yeah, the one from his drawer.
Put one next to the other - see how they stack up? Check the differences.
They look identical.
One brand. But the exact model. Even with identical etching.
But something's off.
I pull out a magnifying glass from my desk drawer - check things more carefully.
The pen found at the crime spot shows marks - small ones - close to the clip, also along the side.
Used look. As if it’s aged over time.
I take a closer look at the picture of Ethan’s pen.
No scratches. Clean. Shiny.
New.
My stomach drops.
He replaced it.
He figured I’d track down the first one. That’s why he got a fresh copy - same engraving, exact style. Slipped it into his drawer like it belonged there.
When I faced him, he pulled out the pen - suddenly, I wasn’t sure what was real.
It worked.
I put the pen down.
Hands shaking.
He’s had this mapped out. Every single bit. Not a detail missed.
The pen. Yet the birds. Also the photos.
He stayed way ahead all along - always thinking further.
I need help with this.
I need help.
But who do I trust?
Marcus? Sure, he sticks by you. Yet expect him to follow rules - paperwork comes first. No shortcuts. Getting legal permission drags things out.
Sarah? Sharp kid. Yet she’s never heard my side. Still unsure about me.
James? Got every proof there. Still - can’t say if he’s honest. Maybe he’s playing me instead.
I grab my phone from my pocket.
Move down until you see Marcus’s name.
Stare at it.
Then I call.
It sounds like a total of four times.
"Aria? It's four in the morning. What's wrong?"
"I need to talk to you."
"Now?"
"Yes."
"About what?"
I hesitate.
"About Ethan."
Silence.
"I'm on my way."
He hangs up.
I put my phone aside.
Check out the pen one more time.
This is the moment. When I speak to Marcus, things will change - no turning around after that.
I’m saying my future husband might’ve killed people more than once.
With proof that could fall apart if tested.
Still, that’s everything I’ve got.
I’m looking at the pen just as footsteps start up.
Look up.
A lady’s coming my way. Maybe thirty-something. Hair dark, tied up tight. Wearing a black coat. Her gaze feels sharp.
She halts by my workstation.
"Detective Kane?"
"Yes. Who are you?"
"Maya Ford. Captain Ford's sister."
My chest tightens.
"I'm so sorry for your loss."
"Thank you."
She won’t sit - just stays on her feet, staring my way.
"I need to talk to you," she says.
"About what?"
"About my sister's murder. And about you."
I go cold.
"What about me?"
"My sister called me two days before she died. Said she was worried about someone on the team. Someone acting strange."
"Who?"
She glances my way.
"You."
I stand up.
"That's not—"
"She said you've been erratic. Missing evidence. Hiding things. She was planning to confront you."
"She never said anything to me."
"Because she was still gathering information. She didn't want to accuse you without proof."
"Accuse me of what?"
"Being compromised. Protecting someone. Or being involved."
"I'm not involved."
"Then why were you acting strange? Why were you hiding things?"
I don't answer.
Because she's right.
I’ve kept stuff under wraps - like the pen, those doubts piling up, or how I started digging into Ethan.
Ford noticed.
She’s gone now - just like that.
"I wasn't hiding anything," I lie.
"Don't lie to me, Detective. My sister's dead. And I'm going to find out why."
She grabs a folder, drops it on my table.
"I found this in her office. She was building a case. Not on the Origami Killer. On you."
I look at the document.
"What?"
"Open it."
I do.
Here are some pictures. Me in them. Got a few shots inside.
Folks trailing a person. A shadowy four-door car nearby. Hoodie’s color - near midnight. One thing leads to another.
I’m sitting in my ride. Stopped near a block of flats.
James's building.
One more picture. Here I am inside a café. Facing James on the other side of the table.
One more. I’m standing near Ethan’s publisher’s place.
I skim a few more pages.
Ford scribbled these down himself.
Kane is walking behind a stranger. What’s going on?
Kane’s not at work. Plus, he isn’t replying to calls.
Kane’s got that jumpy vibe - could he be stashing proof away?
Suspect linked somehow?
A few queries down below.
Is Kane compromised?
Could she be shielding a person?
Is she involved?
I shut the folder.
Check out Maya above.
"This doesn't mean anything."
"It means you were acting suspicious. And my sister noticed. And now she's dead."
"I didn't kill your sister."
"I didn't say you did. But you know something. And you're going to tell me."
"I don't—"
"Detective Kane."
I turn around.
Marcus stands still. His coat’s partly done up. Hair all over the place. He glances at me first. After that - Maya. Next thing, his eyes land on the folder lying on my desk.
"What's going on?" he asks.
I'm not sure how to put it.
Maya steps forward.
"I'm Detective Maya Ford. Captain Ford's sister. And I'm investigating my sister's murder."
Marcus turns his gaze my way.
"Aria?"
"She thinks I'm involved," I say.
"Are you?"
"No."
"Then what's in the file?"
I grab it. Then pass it over to him.
He opens it - starts flipping pages. One after another, he keeps going.
His face changes.
"You've been following someone?"
"Yes."
"Who?"
"James Reynolds. The journalist."
"Why?"
"Because I think he knows something."
"About what?"
I hesitate.
Maya's watching. Listening.
Marcus is waiting.
I’ve run out of ways to dodge it.
"About the killer," I say.
"And?" Marcus asks.
I take a deep pause.
"And I think it might be Ethan."
Silence.
Marcus looks my way.
"Your fiancé?"
"Yes."
"You think Ethan Cross is the Origami Killer?"
"I don't know. Maybe."
"Based on what?"
I tap the pen lying near me.
"That. I found it at the first crime scene. It's his. I gave it to him two years ago."
Marcus grabs it. Then, they check it out.
"And?"
"And there are other things. The victims show up in his photos. The locations match his routine. The method matches his research."
"That's circumstantial."
"I know."
"You can't accuse someone of murder based on coincidences."
"I'm not accusing. I'm investigating."
"Secretly. Without telling anyone."
"Because I needed to be sure."
"And are you?"
I glance at the pen - then the folder - then the pictures.
"I don't know."
Marcus puts the pen down.
"Aria. This is bad. You've been lying. Hiding evidence. Following suspects without backup. If any of this gets out—"
"I know."
"You could lose your job. Your badge. Everything."
"I know."
He glances over at Maya.
"And you think Kane's involved?"
"I think she knows more than she's saying."
"She does. But she's not involved. She's just in over her head."
Maya crosses her arms.
"Then help me understand. Why is she protecting someone?"
"I'm not protecting anyone," I say.
"You're protecting Ethan," Marcus says. "Because you love him. Because you don't want it to be him."
I don't answer.
Because he's right.
Marcus sighs.
"Alright. Here's what we do. We bring in James Reynolds. We question him. We see what he knows. Then we look at Ethan. Carefully. Legally. No more secret investigations."
"And if he runs?" I ask.
"Who? Ethan?"
"Yes."
"Then we'll know. But we do this right. Understood?"
I nod.
Maya seems unsure.
"If you're wrong," she says. "If you're protecting a killer. I'll make sure you go down with him."
She walks away.
Marcus turns his gaze my way.
"You should've told me."
"I know."
"We could've handled this weeks ago."
"I wasn't sure."
"And now?"
I glance at the pen.
"Now I am."