Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Ex Delicto Chapter 12

Edward is back, and we get a few answers.


I hadn't told Edward, but I was still pursuing the investigation on the warden at the prison. I couldn't stomach the idea of any other inmate being mistreated at the hands of that evil man. I'd spent time on the phone with Varner, the secretary of corrections, to coordinate my statement with his time-line. He'd spoken with C.O. Lahote about the orders they'd been given from DeLuca; it seemed that while he was heavy handed in general, none of the inmates were treated as poorly as Edward.


My blood boiled as I asked him to look into why they would be targeting him. My skin was hot, my cheeks and ears red to the point of pain. There had to be a reason. When I got the call confirming that it was no coincidence, first I called my father to give him the information. He advised me to keep it quiet, like the rest of the information that swirled constantly in my brain, never settling.


Then I rang the bell at the Cullen household, having already texted Edward asking if I could drop by. My escort was a not very discreet ten feet behind me, speaking into his cuff like a psych patient.


"Bella! I'm so happy to see you again." Esme opened the door wide, Edward standing a little behind her.


"Hello, Edward, Esme." I smiled at them both.


"Hey, Bella," Edward said in that deep, warm voice of his.


Esme led the way to the kitchen, offering me baked goods and lemonade. She reminded me of my mother when we were younger.


"Thanks, but I only have a few minutes." We sat at the table together, Esme taking her son's hand.


"I've been speaking with the secretary of corrections, Bruce Varner. He's looking into Aro DeLuca, in particular, and I received some information today." I looked at both of them seriously, meeting their gazes individually and holding them briefly.


"It's serious, isn't it? That's why you didn't tell us over the phone," Esme guessed.


I nodded. "Yes. You can't tell anyone, and I mean anyone. I don't know how deep the connections run with these people right now." I took a careful breath, my skin heating again at the thought of what I had to tell them. "Aro is the maternal uncle of the actual rapist."


Without warning, Edward's fist came down on the table, rattling the salt and pepper shakers and startling his mother and me. "That explains plenty," he hissed.


Esme's hand was over her heart. I understood the need to contain the ferocious throbbing. "What do you mean?" she asked, her soft brow furrowed.


"He told me," he struggled to breathe, to regain some control. "He said I would never get out alive. He said I would die before the 'stupid girl' could ever find a way to release me." Air wheezed through his clenched teeth, and Esme rubbed his back.


"Edward," I called quietly. When his tormented eyes met mine, I covered his balled up hand with my own. I spoke soothingly. "You're here, safe in your own home. Your mother is right there, I'm here, nobody will ever lock you up again." He nodded, visibly relaxing. "Unless you tell someone where the bodies are hidden. I'm lawfully bound to keep your secrets, so it wouldn't be me, but…"


He barked a laugh, all tension forgotten, and I grinned. Esme watched us carefully, a pleased smile lighting up her face.


"I want you to know I'm seeing to it that he's taken care of, but the pace has to be slow to keep it discreet. They have to look into the possible abuse of other inmates, and we don't want to make it solely about you. So just keep it to yourselves, but know I'm doing what I can to stop it." I stood. "I have to get downtown for a meeting. I'm sure I'll see you soon."


"Thank you for everything, Bella. You've been such a godsend," Esme said tearfully as she hugged me.


"I'll… call you. If that's alright?" Edward was so shy on this side of the bars. It was cute.


"Okay," I grinned. He gave me an awkward, one-armed hug, and I left.


My ride took me downtown to Fifth Avenue, and this time I'd called ahead. I entered my father's office after he told me I could, and sat across from him.


"I would like to think you've been listening to my orders, and that you are not alone," he said sternly.


I raised my eyebrow. "Doesn't Starsky check in with you to report my latitude and longitude?"


He sighed and rubbed his temples. "Bella, are you taking this seriously?"


"Of course I am, Daddy, but that doesn't mean I enjoy my detail."


The door behind me crashed open, slamming against the wall. My head whipped around, my adrenaline spiking. My father stood, but remained behind his desk. Two men stood in the doorway, a frantic looking Maggie wringing her hands behind them.


"I'm so sorry, Commissioner, they barged in," she whimpered.


"You're fine, Maggie. Is Peter around?" he answered her in a mild tone, but the skin around his eyes was tight, pulling into wrinkles.


"I'll fetch him, sir," was her reply before she scurried away.


Peter was his First Deputy, so I knew he was not taking this lightly. The two men stood there, glowering. Finally, one stepped forward. Refusing to crane my neck, I rose and stood next to the desk.


"What is your purpose here, gentlemen? Have I been so overbooked that you could not get an appointment?"


"I'm Laurent Fisher, attorney for Michael Newton. We're here to inform you that you must cease your investigations into my client's life and place of employment."


I spotted Pete as he came in behind the men, through the private entrance to the office. He nodded at me in acknowledgement.


"I don't know who, or what, you could be referring to. I don't personally conduct investigations. I assure you, if someone from this building is looking into your client, it's justifiable."


"My client hasn't committed a crime, and even if he had, the statute would have expired. Therefore, any investigation into my client is simply called harassment." The attorney looked smug, his olive skin glowing with sweat as he adjusted his paisley tie.


"So, you're admitting that he perpetrated a crime, but I'm too late to do anything about it?" Charlie asked in a severe voice.


"I'm not admitting anything, I'm just reminding you of the facts. Detective Newton is to be left alone by you and anyone in your department."


The other man, who must have been Newton, smiled at me, an ugly sneer that made me want to clutch my stomach.


"If he's a detective, then he is my employee, and therefore my business. You can leave now," Charlie dismissed them, sitting back down and addressing me. "You have the next case to discuss?"


I moved on numb legs to the chair I'd been in before, flipping through the file on the desk. It wasn't anything of mine, but I was helping him keep up pretenses. I heard a man behind me start to complain, but Pete ushered them into the hallway and closed the door behind himself.


I realized I was shaking as I pictured Detective Newton. Brown hair, brown eyes, average height. It was the look in his eyes that worried me the most. Recognition of who I am, dismissal of the crime itself because he knew he couldn't be punished. As the implications came crashing down on me, I heard a rushing noise, felt hands touching me.


"Don't touch me!" I screamed.


"Isabella, it's your father! Push your head between your knees, you're panicking." He pushed on the back of my head until I complied. My breath was coming in quick pants and I was getting dizzy. I forced myself to breathe deeply through my nose, trying to stop the sudden onslaught of terror.


"That's him, Daddy, that's him," I whined, my voice muffled in my lap and thick with tears. "That's the rapist, the one who's after me." I wrapped my arms around my knees, hugging them to me. I felt his hands as he tried to soothe me, patting and rubbing.


"That's him, yes. He won't touch you, Bella, I swear it. Relax and breathe."


I heard the door open and I screeched, covering my ears with my hands. Daddy pried my hand away and spoke low in my ear. "It's only Peter and Ben, your detail. I wanted to make sure he saw him, got a good look at the guy. Relax, you're safe. You're safe," he murmured.


"Ms. Swan, I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Please don't worry." I heard the voice of Ben, the cop that had been shadowing me during the daytime. The logical part of my brain kicked in, and I tried to process the fact that I was having a meltdown in my father's office.


I lifted my head, embarrassed by my display of panic. I had to shove my hair out of my face and smooth it down, then I wiped under my eyes in case I'd smeared my makeup. "S-sorry, everybody. He just- he's dead inside. I know he recognized me." I blew out a shaky breath.


Ben spoke up again. "Let me take you home, Ms. Swan."


I nodded. "Yes, thank you." I thought better of it. "Actually, can you take me back to the house we were at earlier?"


Coming face to face with the monster that's after you? Not fun. On the plus side, she's running to Edward.

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