Flirting With Murder

Chapter 10

                                                                                  A few days later...

Sonya blew the steam from her coffee cup before she took a sip. She was seated at her usual table in "Coffee Talk Cafe," looking at the citizens and tourists alike walking along the sidewalk. The week took a lot out of her. What with solving a murder, the murderer being a person she lightly flirted with, and her long-lost father reappearing asking her to clear his name of the very murder she was solving, Sonya was absolutely exhausted. She wouldn't get to relax just yet. Another case was always waiting around the corner.

While at the airport, Chung had called for backup, so she only had to hold down Walden for a little bit before help came. Although she was annoyed that Sonya didn't wait for her, Chung decided it was time to make Sonya an official consultant for the SPD (and the position came with a lot of benefits Sonya could get used to). It was tempting, but Sonya painfully turned it down, not without enjoying Chung's reluctance of offering her the position. She knew how much Chung hated admitting she was wrong.

Walden was taken under Faris' custody and will be tried under the British government, since it was under his organization that Walden had trained and went rogue, it was appropriate for them to issue the penalty. Chung was pissed she would have to fly out to London to testify, and she hated having to take sick days from work. At least she could bring her son and make it a vacation. He's been through so much since the divorce; they both needed some time away from Seattle. Sonya was asked to testify as well, but after clearing Faris' name, he felt she did enough. Sonya sent Faris and Chung a written document of all she had experienced in which Chung would read at court. Sonya, after all, was simply a consultant. Chung would keep her title as exactly that; assisting the lead detective.

Although the case was over, Faris had one last request. Sonya waited patiently for his arrival at "The Coffee Talk Cafe." The cafe is a better place to meet than Gemma's place. Gemma would make them engage in conversation that would involve feelings. A public place far from her mother, would be a perfect place to meet with her father. Sonya wasn't exactly sure why her father wanted to meet up with her. It's not like Faris met with his daughter often, but there could be a first for everything. Maybe Faris Lahiri was suffering from a guilty conscience. After all these years, he shows up only to ask his daughter to clear his name which has been tainted with murder suspicion. Sonya wasn't even sure if she wanted to give Faris another chance. If Sonya forgave Faris, they could start over and everything wouldn't be awkward in their family. Or Sonya could just go on and be a bitch. The latter seemed a lot easier.

The bells of the cafe chimed. Faris searched around the cafe until his eyes landed to the left corner, where Sonya sat with a steaming cup of coffee in front of her. Faris walked over to Sonya. He has a light smile on his face. As he sat down a waitress approached them and Faris ordered some coffee as well.

"So, what do you want?" Sonya spoke first. She gave up on the idea of mending their father-daughter relationship. If something has been broke for so long, why fix it?

"Thank you Sonu." Sonya cringed at the name. Faris's eyes were sincere. They had a slight view of longing in them. Sonya heaved a sigh. There was a time when a conversation with Faris wasn't as distant. Faris Lahiri was never an emotional father, but she could remember a time when she could tell him anything. Why did this have to be so hard? Sonya let go of her pride.

"Yeah." Few more seconds of silence passed. Each of them stirred their coffee, taking another sip, and waiting for the other to speak again.

"Why couldn't you tell me it was Walden? And don't say it was classified."

"I wasn't certain it was him and I didn't know his alias."

"But you could've figured it out. Working for an intelligence organization should have its perks." Sonya gave Faris a sarcastic smirk. She needed to know why. Faris could have handled this case, but he made Sonya solve it.

They sat there staring at each other. Sonya wasn't going to give in.

"Dad," Sonya knew she was really putting her ego on the line, "why?"

"Walden's name is Christopher Smith. He was an extraordinary agent, according to his reports. His training officer gave him stellar marks and he exceeded his written portions." Faris was ignoring Sonya's question, but Sonya continued to listen because she was going to make him answer her question even if they had to sit in this cafe all week. "Once we noticed an agent was going rogue, I had a few officers investigated it. By the time we learned it was Smith, he vanished. If everyone learned about this, local law enforcers would investigate our operations. It was too risky. I received an alert about the murders in Seattle and the methods pointed to Smith, but I needed to be sure. Suspicion was already surrounding the organization." Again, Faris looked at Sonya sincerely. "I needed someone I trusted. I knew you would be able to solve it."

Sonya cleared her throat and shook her head. Something had changed in Faris over the years. Sonya saw the lines in his face were becoming more prominent and the bags under his eyes were darker. He seemed tired. Sonya still couldn't fit the feeling that there was something more.

"You could have explained all this in a letter, delivered using a code." Sonya smiled genuinely.

"Yes, well, I have another request."

"Which is...?"

"Do you miss London?"

"Why?" Faris wanted a favor from Sonya. There cafe date now seemed to make sense. It was more than a "thank-you-for-freeing-me-from-a-murder-suspicion" meeting. It also offered another explanation for Faris Lahiri requesting Sonya to solve Walden's case. It must've been a test.

"You can bring that orphan boy as well. Very clever child. What was his name? Kai, correct?"

Sonya let out an exasperated sigh. She wanted Faris to get to the point. Again, he was pushing Sonya's question away.

"Just say it! Why do you need me?" It was a question, she realized after saying it, that had a double meaning. Faris slightly smiled to himself at the irony of the question. Shouldn't a father just need his daughter? Did there have to be a real favor attached to it? It would take a lot more than expunging the scandal of his operation to bring them close again. It was foolish of him to think, even for a second, otherwise.

"I have a case for you in London."