BITTER PILL:CANTALOUPE

CHAPTER 5*VINDICATED*

||*RONIN*||

I let out a breath of relief as I finally drive out of the huge traffic, back onto the free lane. It is always difficult for me to understand how this community, despite the small population, the road gets congested with traffic.

Mom said, it happens at this hour mostly because of workers, who are coming from work. Some of them work in neighbouring counties and they are all trying to get home at the same time.

School resumes in a week and I should be happy with the development that took place for the past four weeks, but I am not. It feels like a never ending race. 

Hearing the news of Riley's parents' arrest four weeks ago was the best news I had wished for, but I didn't think their case would become a hassle and drag on this long. 

Mostly because the victim was absent in court to speak for himself, I have had to go back and forth to Nashville to stand witness for their court hearing and I didn't know it would be so stressful and complicated along the way.

When the state police took me in for questioning, I had mentioned seeing Riley with Mr Thomas a few times in school before everything went down. I didn't know that would have uprooted more things to the Riley's case than we already did.

Mr Thomas was rested and brought in for questioning, what he knew about Riley, why he was close to Riley and how he got close to Riley.

Apparently he revealed, Riley's parent hired me to keep watch on their son, but he had also taken the job so he could protect the boy from the repercussion of the video about Riley that spread around town. 

Mr Thomas also mentioned another staff of the school we, he presumed, might have been close to Riley and that just made everything become messier than it already was. 

Before I knew it, Nurse Harley was brought in for questioning. The detectives carried out investigations on what Mr Thomas said about the video and it turned out it was a s*x tape; I didn't even know about there was a video like that about Riley. 

The discovery of the video let to the arrest of four students who had assaulted Riley after watching the video, further investigating proved Mr Thomas was really a good person and he was released. 

However, the corny one was Nurse Harley, I don't know what prompted detective Scott to look into the source of the video, but she did and it was traced back to a lady's Ip address who turned out being nurse Harley's wife. 

She was arrested, and she revealed, the real culprit was her husband, while also providing evidence to other cases related to the nurse in various states. Apparently, the police department of Atlanta had been looking for him, but his parents covered his whereabouts with money. 

He had been tried alongside Riley's parent for two weeks until they handed him over to Atlanta police department. The whole thing had me wondering how all this was going on in Riley's life and he didn't cry for help. 

It was revealed, during hearing after the release of the video, the mom had beaten him up and sent him out, the same nurse who broadcast the video picked Riley up in disguise as a good person and used him. 

The knowledge of this information repulsed me, because how can someone be so heartless? However, seeing how Karma caught up with him quick enough made me happy, because people like him shouldn't be allowed to roam the streets unpunished. 

I just wished the jury would deliberate fast and Riley's parents would get what's coming for them, because despite all this, Riley's mom is still unremorseful. Even during her hearing, she did not show any sign of regret when the lawyer pointed out that she strangled Riley intending to kill him; she didn't even deny it.

Mama said, it might take a while, but eventually it would end and the judge would make the right call. It would have been easier if mama was the presiding judge but she couldn't take the case because I am involved with it somehow. 

One thing that satisfied me since the beginning was how the whole community had heard the rumors and what the Corketts' did to their son. From the hearings I attended, it was easy to not that they were one of those couples who try so hard to maintain the perfect image in the eye of the public, but in private they are the worst people.

I just pray God would intervene somehow and grant Riley his well-deserved justice, because none of his offenders should go unpunished. 

I make a U-turn towards the road that leads home just as my phone rang and I check the caller ID to see it was mama.

[Hello.]

Having the phone connected to my airpod made it easier to just answer the call without having to press the phone to my ears while driving.

[Hello, baby. How are you?]

[I am fine mama, and you?]

I asked mother, biting down the urge to ask the burning question, dancing around my tongue.

[Fine baby. Where is your mother? I've been trying to reach her, Are you home?]

Mama asked, and I wondered why she had that tone of urgency in her voice.

[She is on duty today. I am driving home. Is everything alright?]

[Yes, I haven't spoken to her all day, and I was worried. Anyway, I have news for you; the jury decided.]

Hearing that one sentence made me swerve my car off the road, and I parked immediately.

[What did they say? When is the last hearing? Mama please tell me its good news.]

I pleaded, hoping they weren't even in favour of the Corkett' because their lawyer was pretty good, it would pain me if all this hassle had been for nothing.

[Calm down, the last hearing was a few minutes ago and yes, it is good news. First, those boys were arraigned for battery and would serve juvenile for two years.]

Yes! Thank God, I didn't think they would face any serious verdict for beating him up, but I am happy they know they did.

[And his parents, please tell me they are not getting bail?]

They better not, because mama had once said that could be a possibility.

[His father got sentenced to ten years for aggravated battery and being an accomplice to the mother when she tried killing him and he failed to report that.]

Only God could tell how happy I was right now with this news, I couldn't keep the joy in as tears streamed down my eyes. Finally, Riley is getting justice, he is getting vindicated. I think nothing in this world can make me happier at this moment. 

[His mother?]

[She is also got twenty-five years for aggravated assault with intent to kill and a life sentence for culpable homicide and negligence.]

My eyes widen at this information? She got a life sentence? She is never coming out?

[For real mama?]

I needed to confirm I wasn't dreaming right now. I have anticipated this news since the day of their arrest, but I didn't think she would get a life sentence. 

She deserves it, because she tried to kill her son, a pregnant child. How are people so cruel?

[Yes baby, you got justice for your friend, baby. It's over. They can't hurt him anymore.]

The tears, they wouldn't stop, I don't know why I was crying this much over someone I met a few months ago; I didn't even get to know him before I lost him. Yet that split moment that I spent with him had me falling head over heels for him.

But his parents didn't even give me the chance to show him, the beautiful things he was missing out on in this life, I didn't give me the opportunity to prove to him that he deserves love. 

[Thank you mama. Thank you so much mama.]

I wiped at my tears as my mother spoke, assuring me that I did a good thing for him. 

[I'll have to go now, tell your mom to call me when she gets home.]

[I will mama. Love you.]

She said her reply before hanging up and I closed my eyes, heaving a breath of relief.

I cannot go home yet, I have to share the news with mom. She needs to know. I drive back onto the road, turning the car around as I faced the hospital road. 

This is one news too good, to keep to myself. Mom would be so delighted to hear that justice prevailed. How I wish Riley was also here right now, to share in this moment. I wanted to see the joy on his face or the smile or relief to know that nothing else in this world would hold him back from being free and himself.