Capital Crime (An Aria Raymond Thriller Book 2) Read online

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  This book is a work of fiction. Any incident, locales, places, businesses, characters, and names have either been created with the author's imagination or purely used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to an actual person, living or dead or actual events is purely coincidental.

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  Capital Crime

  An Aria Raymond Thriller

  Book 2

  Thomas Ransom

  CONTENTS

  CONTENTS

  About the Book

  Chapter 1: Life Overturned

  Chapter 2: The Trio

  Chapter 3: The Fight

  Chapter 4: The Break In

  Chapter 5: A Friend

  Chapter 6: Crossroads

  Chapter 7: The Return of the Dead

  Chapter 8: Unexpected Helper

  Chapter 9: The Appeal

  Chapter 10: Another Murder!

  Chapter 11: A Puzzle Piece Missing

  Epilogue

  Dead Presidents (Sneak Peak)

  Staying in Touch with Tom

  Also by Thomas Ransom

  About the Book

  Summary

  Charged with the first-degree murder of her former boss Luis Coons, Aria Raymond has been sentenced to life imprisonment without parole!

  Prison life isn’t easy! Just when she thought she was getting the hang of it, an enemy emerges. It’s as if someone is hellbent on getting rid of her. When she is about to admit defeat, a familiar face arrived that made her a bit hopeful. It was Kelly! But she’s uncertain if she should trust her new friend.

  Her last court appeal is fast approaching and it’s her last chance to escape this hellhole. She does not want to mess this up! There has to be some way to prove she is innocent.

  Diaz has been trapped in a dark room for days, even weeks. She has started coming to terms with the fact it might be the end for her. The missing person’s report on Ellen has been pushed aside, buried under other cases. No one knows where she is, or even if she is alive.

  Detective Sanjay kept his private investigation on Aria’s case going but he hasn’t made any progress. The case has consumed him for months. Even with Tanya and Clark helping him, things just keep getting messy. He started suspecting that one of them has been hiding things from him. Clark came to a crossroad. He must decide which way he wants to go. Tanya might be in trouble.

  Just when things started making sense, another murder changes the entire course of the case!

  Main Characters

  Aria Raymond was a financial analyst at a leading financial consulting firm in the country. However, now she has been charged with the first-degree murder of her boss. She has been set up and is now serving a life sentence in prison. Her lawyer has disappeared, and her new lawyer doesn’t want to file an appeal.

  Luis Coons was the head of finance and partner of the financial consulting firm who was brutally murdered on the night of his retirement party. He had been found to be stealing money from the company. Only a few know he was being threatened. With Aria in prison and his wife missing, there is no one out there to clear his name.

  Clark Greene is a loving and charming real estate agent who moved across the street from Aria’s house. A few months later, they started dating. However, their relationship came to an abrupt halt when Aria was accused of murder. He seemed to be trying hard to help Aria but he has been keeping dark secrets.

  Nicole Diaz is a hotshot lawyer who reluctantly agreed to take Aria’s case. Soon she got sucked into the messy case. Just when she was getting closer to a lead, a mysterious stranger abducts her. She has been trapped ever since in a dark unknown room. Her strength is getting weaker and weaker with each passing day.

  Detective Sanjay Ray was the detective investigating Coons’ murder case with his partner, Sargent Walker. He was the only one to believe in Aria’s innocence and is still investigating the case privately. However, his suspicions towards his two helpers is growing day by day.

  Ellen Coons was Coons’ wife and possibly the only person who could have proved Aria’s innocence. But she has been missing for months now and might even be dead.

  Chapter 1: Life Overturned

  “What are you looking at, newbie?” Aria didn’t see the blow coming, and it knocked her to the ground. She tried to break her fall with her hands, and almost twisted her left wrist. The side of her face was burning. Still on the floor, she touched her face with her fingers. “Do you want more?” an inmate kicked her legs. She could hear others snickering around her.

  Someone bent down near her face. Aria was too scared to look up. She could feel the woman’s breath against her face. “This is just a warning. If you ever look at me again,” the woman grabbed Aria’s face, forcing her to look up and whispered, “…even a glance and you’ll wish you never saw me.”

  Aria’s eyes were filling up fast, and her heart had never pounded so loudly before. For the first time, she saw so much hatred and menace in the woman’s eyes. The inmate was still glaring at her, “Do you understand,” she gripped Aria’s face with more force. She tried to nod. The inmate gave her face a shake and got up. Before Aria could let out a sigh of relief, another inmate grabbed her face as if inspecting her. She then gave her a smile that made Aria’s entire body shiver with fear. The inmate sneered and hurried on after the other one.

  “What the hell is happening here?” a guard had finally arrived.

  “That clumsy girl fell on the floor for no damn reason!” someone pitched in.

  The guard looked sternly at Aria and ordered her to get up immediately and stand in line, and for everyone else to move along or nobody gets dinner.

  It was just her first day in maximum security prison. Aria was trembling. It took her a while to catch her breath and get up. She had no idea what just happened. It was the lunch hour, and they were asked to form a line to head towards the cafeteria. Being new, she was just getting a good look at the place, and her eyes fell on that woman for barely a few seconds. “I guess that’s all it takes… a few seconds to rile someone up here.” She thought to herself as she found another place in the line, far away from those two women.

  All Aria wanted to do was go to her cell and curl up in that sorry excuse of a bed. She wanted to stay there and never come out. However, her stomach was grumbling and she knew she had to eat or all of this would get much worse.

  It took forever for the line to move and she eventually grabbed the tray. One of the kitchen staff placed a large scoop of what looked like mashed potatoes on her plate. Another one added spaghetti and sauce on one side. Aria grabbed a chocolate flavored milk and added in some salad from the bar. She turned around and tried to find an empty table to sit. She already knew that there are certain high-risk tables that must be avoided, which are mostly filled with gang members or specific races. She had no idea what the politics were of how seating worked here and her best bet was to sit at an empty table. She did manage to locate one but before she made her way there, she noticed the same two women sitting on the next table over and talking loudly.

  Aria took a step back and turned in the other direction. She saw a woman sitting alone at a table and decided to give it a shot. She cleared her throat to get her attention. The woman ignored her. “Excuse me?” the woman kept eating her food. “Do you mind if I sit here?” Still nothing. Aria shrugged and moved to the end of the t
able and turned to the woman. She was looking at her now, with her eyebrow raised. Aria asked again, “May I?”

  The woman gave her a once-over, “Aren’t you the one who fell a few minutes ago?” she asked with a chuckle. Aria could feel her face reddening as she nodded. “Well, okay then.”

  “Thanks…” Aria muttered, sat down and started gulping down her food. Within seconds, the woman moved to the seat opposite her.

  “Stacy is my name,” she mentioned staring at Aria as she ate.

  “Aria,” She replied without looking up.

  A few minutes later, Aria realized Stacy was still looking at her. She saw she had left her half-eaten tray of food behind and she was just staring at her.

  “What?” she asked suspiciously.

  “What?” Stacy responded with a confused look on her face.

  Aria simply looked at her, unsure what to say. She pointed at Stacy’s abandoned food, “Aren’t you going to eat that?”

  Stacy shrugged, “I have my eyes on something else,” she said, giving Aria a lingering look.

  Aria tried to stay calm, “Umm okay.” Wrong table. She thought to herself but at least, she figured, she got to eat her food without making another enemy. They only had a few minutes time to eat before they had to go back in their cells. She chugged the milk down and finished off the bland mashed potatoes. She could barely taste anything. Everything somehow tasted the same. How was that even possible? She thought to herself. But she was so hungry that she finished every last bit of food on her tray. She didn’t even care that Stacy was watching her eat the whole time.

  Soon enough, they were asked to form the line again to go back to their cells. Stacy was right behind her all the way. Aria had a bad feeling about it. Why was Stacy looking at her like that? How come she was sitting alone? No one else joined their table, even though there were other tables crammed with inmates. She was sure Stacy must have committed a horrible crime for everyone to avoid her. Fortunately, her cell was far away from Aria’s, and she was able to get rid of her. She breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to her cell and stopped at the door. There was someone inside.

  The woman turned to look at Aria. She was slightly plump, had freckles across her nose and she had gorgeous long, black hair, making Aria wonder how she manages to keep it like that in prison. She was thinking about cutting off her own shoulder length blond hair.

  “That’s mine,” she told Aria pointing at the bottom bunk.

  “Oh!” Aria stepped in and picked up her blanket and toiletries she had placed on the bed when she arrived. “There wasn’t anyone here when I got here, so I …”

  “You didn’t see my things on the bed or the pictures on the wall?” the woman raised an eyebrow.

  There were pictures on the top bunk too, Aria wanted to point out but stayed quiet. “I am sorry. I arrived here today and you weren’t in the cell, I just put my things there…”

  The woman looked at her for a few seconds and then shook her head, “Fine! Just don’t mess with my bed, hear me?”

  Aria nodded and placed her things on her bed.

  “My name’s Karen by the way,” She told Aria and sat down on her bed.

  “Aria.”

  “Did I see you sitting with Stacy today?” Karen asked.

  Aria nodded, “I didn’t know where else to… I am new so I didn’t know where I’m supposed to sit. She was sitting alone so I figured it was safe.”

  Karen snorted, “Yeah, she always sits alone. No one bothers with her.”

  “Why not?”

  Karen looked at her, “You ask too many questions newbie. Leave me alone.” With that she picked up a book and started reading.

  Aria was confused. She looked at Karen for a while and then climbed on the top of the bunk and laid down. The day was super long, and it was only just after lunch. She was glad that she could stay in her cell for the remainder of the day. At least nothing bad would happen in her cell. Karen seemed nonthreatening, so that was one good thing. She was still shaken up after getting that blow on her face and with the awkwardness with Stacy. She made a mental note to leave the cell last during the lineup so she wouldn’t have to face those women again. She also had to find someone else to have meals with. Stacy clearly had ulterior motives in mind.

  She heard a rustling sound coming from the bottom bunk, and it sounded like a bag of chips being opened. Aria sneaked a peek.

  “What?” Karen looked annoyed.

  “Where… How do you get those?”

  Karen glared at her.

  Aria cleared her throat, “I mean I know how. But how do I … how can I get things in here?”

  “I don’t know what you are talking about. Leave me alone. Didn’t you hear me the first time?” Karen snapped.

  Aria decided it was not the right time to ask more questions. She rested her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. She was having a terrible day so far, but it was at least keeping her anxious thoughts away. Now, everything was rushing back to her. Aria could feel her heart beat escalating. She was in prison. It wasn’t like she was waiting for her trial. It was over for her. She was found guilty of murder!

  At least before, she had a tiny ray of hope that she might get out but now, things looked dismal. She gulped. There was no way out. There was no news of Diaz and Ellen. They seemed to have vanished. Her new lawyer was clearly useless to her. Even Tanya didn’t come to her hearing. Clark was there, though. She was glad she saw him. He looked good. She wanted nothing more than to be in his arms for just a few minutes. She sighed. Tears streamed down the side of her face. She didn’t bother wiping them away. She was hoping that he would visit her soon.

  “Hey, you. Inmate! Why the hell are you not at work?”

  Aria instantly sat up in bed. A guard was standing by their open cell door looking sternly at Aria.

  “What?” Aria asked.

  “Why have you not reported to work?”

  “What work?”

  Karen sniggered. The guard gave her a look, and then looked at the notepad in his hand, “You are assigned to work for unit services. You were supposed to report five minutes ago.”

  Aria looked at him, confused, “But… no one told me… It’s my first day…”

  The guard rolled his eyes, “I don’t have all day. Move it.”

  Aria scrambled out of the bed and almost fell.

  Karen yelled, “Watch it!”

  “I didn’t even touch you!”

  “Enough!” the guard ordered.

  The guard led her towards down towards the common area and into a small room where five other inmates were waiting. “There she is. You certainly took your time, your highness!” one of them snapped.

  “I didn’t…” she turned towards the guard for help but he had slammed the door shut.

  “You just cost us about 10 minutes of yard time newbie!” one of them glared at her.

  “I….I’m sorry. I didn’t know. No one told me,” Aria tried to explain.

  The one with the red hair cleared her throat, “Enough. We need to get started. The guard told me that I have to explain things to her. Ya’ll know your jobs. Get started,” she looked at Aria as others went out of the room, giving Aria dirty looks. “I have a special assignment for you.”

  Aria sighed. She knew this wouldn’t be good.

  “So, unit services have the crappiest jobs of all. Basically, they have to clean up after everyone and do some maintenance work here and there. Since you are the reason we all got a late start, and of course, since you are the newbie, you get the best job of all,” she smiled broadly at Aria and pushed her through a door.

  The stank almost blinded Aria, “What the hell!”

  “Yeah, it has been clogged up for weeks now. None of us wanted to clean it, so we just left it as it is. Now you get the honor to clean it up. There is the supply closet right next door, get the things you need. This better be sparkling clean in the next few days,” she gave her another smile and walked out of the room.

&nb
sp; “Wait!” Aria followed her. “I have to clean this all by myself?”

  “It’s not like you have anything else to do. It’s a job. All newbies start this way. You get three hours. Then it’s yard time. Good luck!” she walked away, leaving Aria gaping after her.

  Chapter 2: The Trio

  Detective Sanjay was staring at Aria’s picture on his makeshift crime wall he had created in his living room. For the umpteenth time, he wondered why would anyone target her? He couldn’t figure it out. It had been months now and the police investigation had been wrapped up, his partner had moved on and as did the others involved in the investigation. Sanjay, on the other hand, couldn’t let it go. He couldn’t let an innocent person take the blame for murder while the real murderer got away with it. He knew things didn’t add up. He tried to voice his concerns to his partner, but Sergeant Jake was more focused on closing the case and moving on to the next assignment. On paper, everything was pointing to Aria being the murderer, but it was all too neat.

  Sanjay sighed, and leaned back on his chair. He was planning to visit Aria this week with some good news, but so far, all the leads had turned out to be dead ends. There was nothing!

  A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He walked across the room and open the door. “About time!” he said and opened the door wide to let Tanya in.

  “Sorry! I had a last-minute assignment that I needed to deal with. I saw Clark entering the parking lot too; he’ll be up soon,” Tanya announced.

  There was another knock as Tanya was settling in the couch, the door opened and Clark peeked in, “Uhh … the door was open?”

  Sanjay waved him in, “Yeah. I left it open for you.”

  Clark walked in carrying multiple bags, “I got Chinese food.”

  “Ohh gimme!” Tanya happily grabbed the bags and started taking out the containers, “I didn’t have any time to eat anything. I am starving. Let’s eat first, please!” They all grabbed the containers and started digging in.