A Danger That Lurks In The Darkness | A TPQ AU |

XI | Aru Shah

RUDY
"Come on, pick up," Mini grumbled, pacing the length of both their desks.

Rudy leaned back in his chair, ever-so-slightly, frowning. "So I searched up Mark Daniels, and Mini, you aren't gonna believe this,"

"Hm?" she hummed, her gaze trained on her phone. "Why isn't she picking up?"

"He's a prosecutor in the DA's office, and probably Aru's colleague," he noted, picking up his own phone.

"Does he have any past priors?"

"No, but it could have been wiped from the database," he said, dialling Aiden's number. "Aru might not be picking up— for whatever reason, but I'm calling Aiden, he might know where she is,"

"I am going to kill her," Mini growled, sinking into her seat.

"Please don't make death threats towards her while I'm talking to her fiancè— Hey, Aiden!"

"What happened, Rudy?" Aiden sighed, on the other end of the line.

"Whatcha doing?" he asked, conversationally. Mini gestured to hurry up the conversation, and he nodded.

"...Reading? Why do you want to know?"

"Is Aru with you?"

"No, she's at work— what's up? Is everything okay?"

Rudy did not bother answering him, and cut the call, before telling her, "Aru's at work,"

Mini cradled her head in her hands, and said, "This is bad. She's at work— probably talking to, working with a murderer— and she's not picking up her phone, nor is she answering my text messages."

"Her phone's probably dead?"

"Or she's probably dead!"

"Okay, first of all— you need to breathe," he said, sternly. "You can't afford to fall apart. The most likely scenario is that her phone has died—"

"No, the most likely scenario is that she's—" Before Mini could say whatever she was thinking on her doomsday train of thought, her ringtone interrupted the both of them.

The worry on her face crumbled in relief, as she picked up the call, "Aru. Come to the precinct. I don't have time to explain, just come."

She exhaled, as Rudy cast her a slightly amused glance. "Told ya,"

————

"Why did you two call me here?" Aru's eyes were narrowed, as she frowned at both of them.

Mini paced behind him, as he began, "How well do you know Patricia Lawtons?"

"Why are you— what happened?"

Neither of them answered, but Aru didn't even give them a chance to answer, as she groaned, tugging at her braid.

"He took her, didn't he?"

"Is 'he'... Mark Daniels?"

"So you know that too, huh?" Aru massaged her temples wearily, ageing several years in only a few seconds.

"Aru— you've gotta tell us everything, from the beginning, and... you can't leave anything out."

Aru steepled her fingers, her jaw set. "Fine."

And she did. The 'beginning' of her story—about Mark Daniels and Lissa Lawtons—was riddled with blips and confusion in the middle, but once it came to when she and Patricia Lawtons teamed up, she gained speed.