If Only She Knew

35. Evidence

A few months ago...

After the night she broke into her father's house, Ariana had a new task. To get murderous information and evidence of her father's company⎯ Johnson's Electronics ⎯on the radio, and push it into a lawsuit. That would be, destroying her own father's empire lawfully. It really was murky with all the deeds her father had probably done.

Michael was against her idea, originally. "Why'd you do that to your own father? You're his daughter. Besides, are you even sure it's true information? Do you trust what a psychopath killer who should be behind bars has to say?" He reasoned with her as they were back in their homely quarters, in small little Big Bucharest. She'd been through so much and, somehow, she'd become the lead investigator of the Big Bucharest murders and the VELLA cases. She believed, more than anyone, that they were all related.

Ariana pondered for a bit on what he said, but she was very inclined to go with the killer's forceful but somewhat truly convincing wish. She was willing to destroy her father's empire. Somehow, she wouldn't feel no remorse and when she thought about it, she didn't feel guilty. She felt an eerily neutral feeling. She'd destroy her own father.

"I'd rather my father go down than have all these innocent people get killed, indirectly. I'd share the guilt if I didn't stop it, and my father...", she trailed off, biting her lower lip, worry in her blue eyes. "My father's truly done some horrible things." Ariana said as she looked inside her bag. She rummaged it until she found the dirty, heinous evidence the killer's given her. It was filled with stuff that her father did, not the killer, and she kept alive in mind the story the killer had revealed to her about himself and his childhood, although it was very hard for her to believe it, still.

"I knew you'd ask of course... No. I'm not killing you. But I don't think you can stand it if others continue to die because you didn't do as I said... Let's face it Ariana... You can't catch me. There's no way you can stop this bloody chain of murders the way you're going. I don't blame you for trying but the only way I'll stop is if I see the company brought down. After that, no more people need to die."

She still shivered when she thought about those words.

She watched Michael forsake the edge of his desk and his tonified ass go towards the door. She watched him close it, and turn up the key. There were only the two of them. She watched him turn around and walk towards her, silent and very grave.

"This is confidential information, but lately there's been an investigation of you and your background, Ariana." He paced around the room, and made eye-contact with the floor. "They wanted to check if they could find the killer, if he truly was connected with your father and your family, and they took the easiest lead. You." He stood now, before her. Ariana blinked her eyes.

"Why was it so confidential that you hid it from me?" Ariana asked it in a pitchy tone, and she was very upset.

"Because we were forced to - and still are, even though they didn't find anything on you, Ariana. We were forced to keep it secret mainly because you were, if the memory-erasing-shit is true although it doesn't seem plausible and it's not researched, a victim of this person- if his story is true. We- I mean, the team who investigated your background, couldn't find anything pointing to his identity and we've checked all your close friends, and Joseph as well. We also researched, and that's the cherry on the cake if I may say, Johnson's Electronics and your father - Mr. Bernard Johnson."

Ariana blinked her eyes. They did? Michael nodded his head as if he also heard her thoughts.

"And, this will surprise you, a team will be sent this afternoon to visit your father, at his company. I really do hope he doesn't cause problems and leave, I mean." Michael looked into her eyes and spoke carefully. She really seemed to care more about the investigation than her father.