Chapter 36 CONFUSION
\[ARIA POV\]
I step into the station at six. My eyes are puffy. Skin’s ghostly white.
Marcus spots me and stands up.
"Aria. You should be home. You should be—"
"I know who the killer is."
Sarah heads over. Meanwhile, Captain Sarah steps out of her office.
"What are you talking about?" Captain Sarah asks.
"It's James. James Reynolds. The journalist."
Silence.
"The one who's been helping us?" Sarah asks.
"He hasn't been helping. He's been manipulating. Playing us. Playing me."
"Aria, you're grieving. You're not thinking—"
"I am thinking. For the first time in weeks."
I grab my phone. Then I play the clip Ethan gave me.
"This is James. Outside my house. Dozens of times. Watching. Stalking."
Marcus stares at the display.
"That could be anyone."
"It's him. I know his build. His walk. It's him."
"Even if it is, that doesn't make him a killer."
"Then explain this."
I hit play on the voice recording. A warped tone comes out. Followed by James’s voice - same rhythm. It lines up.
Sarah's face changes.
"That's—"
"James. The voice from the video. It's his voice with a filter."
Captain Sarah grabs my phone. Then he listens closely. After that, he hits rewind. He checks it once more.
"Where did you get this?"
"Ethan. He's been tracking the investigation. Trying to help. He found the connection."
"Your husband."
"Yes."
"The same husband you suspected yesterday."
"I was wrong. James fed me false information. Planted evidence. Made me suspect Ethan was distracting himself."
Marcus folds his arms tight.
"Or Ethan's feeding you false information to distract from himself."
"Ethan has been with me. At home. At work. He couldn't have—"
"Couldn't have what? Did you kill your brother on live video? Maybe he pre-recorded it. Maybe he has a partner."
"You're wrong."
"Am I? Or are you defending him because he's your husband?"
I step closer.
"Don't."
"Don't what? Don't point out that you're compromised? Are you close to this? That maybe you don't want to believe your husband is capable of—"
"My husband is not a killer."
Sarah brushes her hand against my sleeve.
"Aria, we need to consider all possibilities. Both Ethan and James—"
"There are no possibilities. It's James. We need to bring him in."
"On what evidence? Circumstantial footage and a voice analysis that any lawyer would tear apart?"
"Then we follow him. We watch him. We catch him in the act."
Captain Sarah gives me my phone again.
"We'll look into James Reynolds. Run background. Pull his records. See if there's anything that connects him to the victims."
"Thank you."
"But we're also keeping an eye on your husband."
"He's not—"
"That's not a request, Detective. It's an order. Both men are persons of interest until we have concrete evidence."
I wanna push back - yet I get it, I shouldn’t. Still, part of me resists.
"Fine."
"Good. Now go home. Get some rest. We'll call if we find anything."
"I'm not going home. I'm working on this case."
"You're too close—"
"My brother is dead. I'm not sitting this out."
He looks at me. After that, he moves his head up and down.
"Fine. But you follow protocol. No going rogue. Understood?"
"Understood."
I head over to my chair. Then plop myself down.
Marcus follows.
"Aria."
"Don't."
"You need to prepare yourself for the possibility that Ethan—"
"He's not the killer."
"You don't know that."
"I do. I know my husband."
"You knew your brother too. And look what happened."
I rise. Then face him.
"Don't you dare. Don't you dare use my brother against me."
"I'm not. I'm trying to help you see clearly."
"I see perfectly clear, Marcus, because with the CCTV footage, it's clear that James is the killer, not my husband. And I'm going to prove it."
I take my jacket. Then head out.
Marcus shouts my name as I walk away.
"Where are you going?"
"To find James."
I spot James in a café - just three streets away from where he lives.
He sits by himself. The laptop’s turned on. His coffee just stays there, cold.
I take a seat opposite him.
He looked up and was shocked, paused for a second, then his eyes widened slightly.
"Aria. I heard about your brother. I'm so—"
"Save it."
His face changes.
"What?"
"I know it was you."
"What are you talking about?"
"The video. The voice. The storage unit. All of it."
"Aria, you're not making sense."
"The voice analysis. Your voice matches the distorted voice from the video."
He shuts the laptop.
"Someone's setting me up."
"That's what you'd say."
"Because it's true. I've been helping you. Why would I—"
"To get close to me. To manipulate me. To destroy my marriage."
"Your marriage? Aria, listen to yourself. You sound paranoid."
"Or I sound like someone who finally sees the truth."
I lean forward.
"Stay away from me. Stay away from my husband. Stay away from this investigation."
"I can't do that."
"Why? Because you're not finished yet? Because there are more victims you want to—"
"Because Ethan is the killer."
I chuckle. Icy. Piercing.
"You're still trying to frame him."
"I'm trying to save you."
"From what?"
"From him. From the man you're married to. He's dangerous, Aria. And you're too blind to see it."
I stand.
"If I see you following me again. If I see you near my house. Near my husband. I'll arrest you myself."
"You're making a mistake."
"The only mistake I made was trusting you."
I walk out.
Behind me, James just sits - eyes locked on his coffee, still full. A moment passes without a word.
For once in weeks, fear shows on his face.