The Red-Light Area

Mission to Complete

I neither obviated their presence nor I took them in for I pretended to think of something that had my absolute attention and continued scrolling through the pictures one after another.

Raien left I and Kiara alone, almost instantly as I heard him going into his room and then into kitchen. I was conscious of every single movement in the house, including Kiara’s. She took tiny steps forward until she reached the edge of my bed and sat quietly, looking at her lap. I could hear her rugged breathing and whimpers, making goosebumps rise on my skin.

“Thank You, Pietro. I would forever be in debt-”

“I am not doing it for you or your brother. Don’t get your hopes high. I am doing it for myself and for those who ever believes in justice. I didn’t touch you because I did not want to spoil my soul by taking advantage over someone’s misery. You don’t worth the revenge.” I snapped at her and went back to glaring at my laptop, liking her on her own.

I tried to come up with every possible excuse—that could justify my rudeness; She was the same woman who had left me; She might be involved in the murder and come here to fool me; she knows the killer but still looking for the right way to put it. There were several of them─ some rationale others weren’t. Another few minute passed, and Kiara sat there watched my face with a hurtful gaze, she shifted uncomfortable on the bed perhaps contemplating over a suitable reply but didn’t say anything for a while and I felt triumphant, bearing pride at rendering speechless.

Silence hung in the air for a while as no one uttered a single syllabus. Only clicks of mouse and heavy breaths could be heard as we worked our way out with those pictures and I engrossed myself completely in the work, before Kiara spoke again.

She tried to tell me how sorry she was for my agony and sufferings, but I didn’t let her finish as I spoke cutting her off.

“Push past our personal differences and act professional. Did you apply for bail? There are numerous grounds to challenge the arrest. Did you ask for procedural meeting with Atri since you are his lawyer?” I articulated, looking at Kiara who stared at me with mixture of emotions floating in her eyes. I cleared my throat when didn’t get a reply after waiting for a minute and that perhaps had broken through her state of daze.

“I…ahem…I applied for bail, but the jury rejected my application. I didn’t have sufficient evidences for justifying it. The police didn’t let me meet him, citing he was being interrogated. I don’t know what kind of torture he had been put through since he had signed the confessions.” Kiara replied wiping sweat off her face as she made herself a bit more comfortable beside me. “You are my last resort.” She said sheepishly, that made me doubt her existence as a lawyer in the first place.

“You must be f*****g kidding me. Stupid woman! How did you manage to win those criminal trials? You know nothing about law, Kiara. Why didn’t you make a complaint to the superintended or magistrate if the police didn’t let you meet your client? It is your legal right as his pleader. Go meet him and listen to his side of the story, till then I will see what I can do and find from these pictures. We only have two days left to catch the criminal before the trail begins and the Arab delegates leave the town.” I told her and she nodded, standing up.

She asked me if I had any lead in the case and I told her that I was going to search for the Arab first. Kiara requested me to check the evidences collected by the police officials and I told I was planning on doing it soon.

Afterwards, Raien served us hot-chocolate and cookies as we discussed our plans for two days.

“Ask Atri to spill out whatever he knows. He might have observed something.” I told Kiara before bidding her adieu.

“What’s next?” Raien asked and I smirked.

~~~

We decided not to waste anymore time sitting idle at home and stare at the pictures for nothing. “Let’s head to Hotel Elysees. We may find our first clue there.” I had said and started towards it.

It took us twenty minutes to reach there. All throughout the drive, I checked and rechecked every photograph keenly and knew a visit to the Red-light area was essential.

I went over to that reception, asked for a room, a pair of scissors, and some calligraphy paper from the receptionist. The hotel was full, the girl said, shaking head but insisted saying that we were a tourist and had nowhere else to go to─ after much insistence, the manager fixed things for us: we ended up with a lovely suite looking out at the Tower of pleasure located in Red-light area, a terrace, the rooftops of the city, the lights coming on one by one, the families getting together to have Sunday supper. And the feeling I had in the Champs-Elysées returns: the more beautiful everything is around me, the more wretched I feel

“It’s not going to work. Those Arabs are intelligent if one among them has don't it then no body would accept that. You will have to take the risk.”

“But you love me and I love you, isn’t that right? How can you endanger my life like that, Paige.”

“I don’t know. If you’re asking me if I like your company, the answer is yes. If, on the

other hand, you’re asking me if I could live without you, the answer is also yes.”

“I’m glad I wasn’t born a man. I’m very content with my female condition. All you

expect of us women are that we can cook well. Men, on the other hand, are expected to be

able to do everything—they’ve got to be able to keep a home afloat, make love, take care

of the children, bring in the money, and be successful.”