CHAPTER ONE: BEFORE
Three months earlier
Scarlet was hurt and angry but she knew that the truth had to come out sooner or later however, for now she had to deal with one problem otherwise Nick would be jailed for life.
She was getting upset because the person she was waiting for was taking their time and time was something that she did not have.
“I’m here!” Potter called out to Scarlet and immediately she sighed, a breath of relief as she turned to face Potter.
“What took you so long?” Scarlet asked, impatient and mad that Potter was taking this so lightly when it was a matter of urgency.
“I had some things to do” Potter confessed casually. Scarlet pulled out a brown envelope from her bag and held it out to Potter and just as he was about to take it, Scarlet pulled away.
“Why did you do that?” Potter asked Scarlet, irritated that Scarlet was playing such games with him.
“I want the pictures first” Scarlet told Potter who smiled it off, he reached into his bag and handed Scarlet the pictures.
“Are you sure that it’s the actual pictures of that night?” She asked Potter who seemed irritated by Scarlet’s constant questioning.
“If you don’t believe me then why not look at them yourself” Scarlet was not one to trust people very easily, therefore she looked through the pictures and she confirmed that it was truly the pictures from her sister and Nick at the barn.
“Here’s your money” Scarlet handed it to him and Potter grabbed it away from her. He quickly tore the envelope too reveal his money, counting each dollar and making sure that his p*****t was enough.
Scarlet placed the pictures in her bag and just when she was about to leave, she turned back and looked at Potter.
“I hope that your money is enough?” Scarlet asked Potter, who smiled, a wicked smile that is.
“Yes, it’s enough” Potter told her but Scarlet was still not satisfied with that answer that she received from Potter.
“I hope you remembered the deal?” scarlet asked him and Potter looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face.
“What deal?” Potter asked her and Scarlet rolled her eyes at him.
“The agreement was that if I give you the money, you will never dare use these pictures to make more money out of my family. I want you to get rid of the pictures otherwise—”
“Just stop it! For your information I did just that, I got my money and that I enough for me” Scarlet was satisfied with the answer that she had received from Potter but she knew very well that she could not trust him.
Scarlet put up a brave smile, she turned on her heal and walked away from Potter hoping that she was not too late to save Nick. As Scarlet walked out of the building and on her way to her car, she kept thinking that with her helping Nick maybe her sister’s might be able to forgive her.
The realness of the situation hit Scarlet as the sound of her engine came to life, she was really doing to court to prove Nick’s innocence. She did not know whether her sister’s would forgive her or not but Scarlet knew that she had to fix what she herself had ruined in the first place.
Scarlet drove all the way to the court house and she jumped out of the car, the court was in process and she had to run as fast as she could before the judge made his final judgment on Nick’s case.
She was running towards the courtroom and she was almost out of breath, running was never one of her strong points and now she had to utilize it.
“He was with my sister and I have proof!” Everyone in the court looked around, only to see that it was none other than Scarlet, standing there with a file in her hand.
“Silence everyone!” the Judge called for order as he silenced everyone in the courtroom. Nick’s blood boiled thinking that Scarlet was had come to ruin things again and he almost stood up to protest but he stopped himself.
“Madam who are you?” The state lawyer asked Scarlet.
“I am Scarlet Albertson, Amber’s sister and I have evidence to prove that Nick did not kill that couple” everyone in the curt began whispering causing uproar.
The judge removed his glasses and he looked at Scarlet, she did not like it. The way the judge looked at her made Scarlet feel as though he was studying her, lie he was looking at all the sins that she had done.
“My dear are you sure that you are telling the truth?” The judge asked her and Scarlet was speechless rather she nodded her head in agreement. Not long after, Amber was taken to the witness stand where she had testified on behalf of Nick.
“And how did you obtain those pictures?” The state lawyer asked her and now Scarlet was nervous; she could not tell the entire truth otherwise she along with Potter might be arrested.
“Sir I’m sure you know that a few days ago some of these pictures appeared on gossip magazine. I simply track down the paparazzi who took those pictures of both my sister and Nick” Scarlet knew that she was lying and she knew that she had sworn not to lie and tell nothing but the truth. However, this time Scarlet had to tell half the truth and she honestly hoped that it would stick.
“Thank you Ms. Scarlet Amber that would be enough for now” Scarlet got off the witness stand and as she was about to sit down, she saw her sister Viola smiling at her and asking her to sit down close to her but Scarlet turned away and she chose to sit elsewhere, away from her sister and brother in-law.
As the trial went on Scarlet began to get a little nervous the pictures were simply not enough and the state lawyer was pushing the idea that the pictures were somehow forged.
Scarlet badly wanted to stand up and yell at the state lawyer and tell him that none of the pictures were forged but she knew if she did that it might just get Nick into more troubles than he originally was in.
Everyone in the courtroom turned around as the sound of two people talking above everyone was heard. However, there was none only a sheriff holding up a phone, playing a recording. Scarlet like everyone else braced themselves for what was about to come and it was shocking. If Scarlet was correct this sounded more like a confession, she did not know who the person was but whoever that person was, he sure did make Nick’s case stronger. Now Scarlet was sure that this was enough to get Nick out of trouble.
**
“Someone help me please!” Louise yelled out hoping that someone might hear him but his screams simply bounced back at him. Louise tried to wrangle himself out of the ropes that he was tied to but it was of no use, it only made the matter worse than it was.
Louise was beyond furious; Zuka left him here all by himself after he had dropped a bombshell on Louise. Louise could not believe that his grandfather had fathered three sons from different women and he, Louise was a product of his grandfather’s bastard son.
Growing up Louise had heard stories of his grandfather being an evil man and right before his father died, he had constantly warned Louise to stay away from framer Wilson. According to Louise’s father, farmer Wilson was a mad man tormented by the hatred of a woman he could not have and that had made him the crazy.
Louise believed that his grandfather was a good man and somehow everyone was misunderstanding him.
“Hello is someone in here!” someone yelled out from outside his grandfather’s house and Louise felt relieved, finally someone was here to save him.
“I’m here! open the door please, he’s tied me up” Louise called out and within seconds the doors were kicked down, more than ten police officers marching in and each taking charge. Louise could not have felt more relieved than he was at that moment, the officers were untying him and he knew just what he was going to do to his uncle Zuka.
“Thank you so much, you have no—” Louise did not have time to say anything more, because right after he was being untied from the chair, he was being placed in handcuffs by one of the officers and that really confused Louise.
“What are you doing? You are not supposed to be arresting me, I’m the victim here. Hey, I’m a sheriff!” Louise yelled out but the officer did not seem to care about what he said.
His fellow colleague stared at him in the eyes, the respect that the officer had for Louise was lost and Louise knew that he had done something wrong. Louise listened as his college repeated his rights to him and he was placed in the back of a police vehicle.
As the car drove away from his grandfather’s home, Louise looked out of the window as his grandfather’s house get smaller and smaller. Louise had no idea that his faith was going to be, but deep down he knew that it was not going to be good at all.
**
At the station Louise did not have to ask what he had done, the looks in everyone officer that he had worked with was one of disgust. Louise was placed into a cell, the very same one that he had locked up countless criminals for months now.
Louise sat on the very same bed that he had watched the countless criminals that he had put away sit on and he had to admit that it was not comfortable like his own bed. He could feel the springs pinching through the mattress.
Louise overhead a few officer is speaking about him, even though their voices were muzzled he knew that he had been caught out. Something that started out as a chance for him to reconnect with his grandfather had turned into him being arrested along with his grandfather.
Louise had spent nearly three hours sitting on that bed discerning the little time that he had spent with his grandfather and even though he was in a lot of mess, he was thankful for the time that he had spent with his grandfather.
Louise jumped up from his bed when he saw his fellow colleague walked towards his cell, and he did not look too happy and that made Louise nervous.
“Hey Angelo, I guess you heard?” Louise asked his friend who merely nodded his, agreeing to what Louise had said but Louise knew that there was something deeper than what Angelo was trying to say.
Angelo removed his hat and placed it over his chest and that move was enough to send shivers crawling all over his body.
“Look, I know that I have made some mistake and I have totally—” Louise did not finish his sentence, because Angelo placed his hat back onto his head.
“I’m sorry to tell you this but your grandfather was found dead in his cell about two hours ago” Angelo told him. Louise could not contain himself, he sunk back down onto the bed and looked at a blank spot in the wall.
He did not know why he was doing that but for now it seemed like that safest thing that Louise could do. His grandfather was finally dead and Louise hoped that the old man could finally find the peace that he deserved.
Louise looked up at his friend and forced a smile on his face, which did not reach his eyes at all.
“Thank you for telling me” Louise told Angelo and his friend simply nodded his head in agreement. Louise watched Angelo walk away and the defining silence killed Louise more than anything had ever killed him.