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Ravi's world fell apart. All it had taken was the words "She's gone, Ravi. I'm so sorry."
Pip had gone missing. Ravi called the police, hands shaking and heart racing, and hoped—pleaded—with his entire being that he had just been paranoid.
The wait had been agonizing. He'd been on the edge every second of the day, bracing himself for when his phone rang. When he got a response from the police of Pip's whereabouts. When they would tell him if— if—
He couldn't even consider it. He physically couldn't.
Pip. The smartest and strongest girl he knew. She couldn't be . . .
And then Detective Hawkins had come to his house. With that, Ravi knew what that meant.
After recieving the news, Ravi wrapped his arms around his stomach as he sobbed. His sobs wracked his body, shook his core, shattering the heart Pip had put together after she proved Sal's innocence.
And now Pip wasn't here to put him together again.
It was fitting, almost, considering hadn't been there to save her. He should've known better. He should've kept her safe in his arms.
Oh, Pip. You always helped others, but no one had been there to help you.
Detective Hawkins put a hand on his shoulder, sorrow heavy on his face—in his red and tired eyes.
It wasn't fair of Ravi, he knew this deep down, but he was in unspeakable pain and couldn't feel a sliver of comfort that the hand on his shoulder tried to give him. He felt sharp and sudden rage. Enough to have him seeing red through his blurry vision and heaving heavy heavy breaths.
"It's your fault," Ravi hissed, slapping the man's hand off his shoulders. "YOURS, you hear me?"
Hawkins squeezed his eyes shut, full of . . . what? Regret, grief, guilt?
Hawkins had been a fool. Pip had proven herself over and over again, and when she brought up another case—one involving herself—he disregarded her as if she weren't capable of stealing his job in seconds. As if she practically hadn't already.
Another sob escaped Ravi's lips. And then another, until his anger was drowned by a tidal wave of grief and he wailed. "It's not fair! It's not fair!"
"I know," Hawkins murmered. "I know." He pulled Ravi into a hug, and Ravi wanted to thrash and scream at the man, but, weak and broken, he melted into the embrace and mourned like he had 12 years ago.
Pip deserved to be forever known as the girl who solved not one, not even two, but three cases that the police hadn't been able to solve. The girl with a brilliant mind beyond her years. The girl who watched far too many crime documentaries and loved her coffee black and would do anything for her loved ones.
But now her image had been tainted. People would remember her as the sixth victim of DT.
A victim. Pip. That sounded wrong.
The only good thing that came out of this tragedy was that the DT killer had been arrested and was now facing trial.
Daniel da Silva.
Ironically, despite the police never believing Pip's findings, and that being one of the primary causes of her death, the police used what remained of her investigation to find Pip's killer, which they eventually had no choice but to admit lead to Daniel da Silva.
Once again, Pip solved another crime. Even through death, she exposed another killer and gave closure to the families of victims.
But she hadn't been able to save herself, and that would haunt Ravi for the rest of his life.