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Stone Cold

Chapter 2 – Deed is Done

Oh so I pray, oh at night

I wake up praying, all day light

I pray to you, and hear my request

I ask of you, to save this baby

Dave Matthews

~*~*~*~*~ SC ~*~*~*~*~

I feel all of the air leave my body. This can't be happening. I had just met the kid a few weeks ago. He can't be dead.

"Edward, are you still there?" Charlie asks.

"Oh, um, yeah. I just can't believe it. Do you know what happened? How's Leah?" Oh my God, Leah... and Jacob.

"I don't know anything else," Charlie replies. "The tribal police tend to want to handle everything internally. They won't even let me on the reservation in my official capacity. I can go as a regular citizen, but they won't tell me anything. You'll probably have a better chance of getting details as Jacob's attorney."

"Has Billie talked to Leah or Sue?"

"Their home phone has been busy for hours and none of their cell phones are on. I can just imagine what they're thinking."

"I'm almost at the house. Bella and I will be there as soon as possible. I don't plan on driving the speed limit."

"I'll fix your tickets. Just be careful."

"I will. Call me if you find out anything before we get there."

I turn into the driveway and see Bella waiting at the door. She picks up her purse from the steps and checks the door to make sure that it's locked. I've barely stopped the car when she jumps in.

I turn to give her a quick kiss. She reciprocates but then says, "Go, Masen, you're wasting valuable time. Get this car on the road."

I smile and shift the car into reverse as I pull back onto the road for the trip to Forks. I love how far she's come. I remember when I first met Bella. She was so shy and introverted. I didn't know then what had happened to her. I didn't know how I had caused it. It's a miracle that she's forgiven me and still loves me. I'm still working on forgiving myself for what I did.

I've been in counseling with Dr. Kate Stricklin since before the Cavanaugh trial. I only agreed to go because Dr. Arrington wouldn't release me from the hospital if I didn't. She was under the impression that I tried to kill myself. I still maintain that I was not trying to commit suicide. I was merely trying to drink away my memory. Regardless, she referred me to Kate who proved to be far more helpful than I had anticipated.

A few weeks after James Cavanaugh was sentenced, Bella asked Kate to recommend a counselor. We had both thought that the night terrors would end when James was behind bars, but they didn't. Bella finally decided that she should probably talk to someone. Kate gave her the name and number of a colleague, Dr. Adrienne Turner.

The first several months were horrible. Memories that Bella had suppressed came to the surface. She railed against me at times; blamed me... rightly so. We fought. I groveled. We both begged for forgiveness, although she had done nothing that I needed to forgive. I can't count the nights that I held her while she wept.

Bella had been seeing Dr. Turner for eight months when she turned the corner. She realized that the reason she was trying to blame everyone, especially me, for what James had done to her was because she still blamed herself. She still thought that she had in some way caused the rape to happen. Dr. Turner helped her to see that it was never her fault or my fault, it was always James. Bella was the victim; she had done nothing wrong. Bella doesn't blame me anymore. I'm still working on doing the same.

Since her breakthrough, a new Bella has emerged. Well, she's new to me. Alice says that before the rape, Bella was outgoing and out spoken. She was confident and assertive. This is the Bella that is beginning to emerge and I love it. I didn't think that I could fall more in love with her, but I was wrong. I love her more and more every day.

I reach over and take her hand. "Thank you for coming with me. I have no idea what we're walking into."

"You said that he was arrested for murder? Who did he supposedly kill?"

I shake my head. "Leah's little brother, Seth."

"The kid at the grand opening? The one that was working for him after school?" I nod. "Okay, what alternate universe have we entered and how do we get back to our own? There is absolutely no way that he was even involved in this. He loves Leah... and Seth. Jacob would never kill him or anyone for that matter. There's been a mistake."

"I agree. That's why I'm driving well over the speed limit to try to get to him before he says anything to the police. They won't tell him what evidence they have against him, but they'll ask very specific questions to try to get him to confess. I have to make sure that he doesn't say anything."

"What evidence do they have against him?" she asks.

"I don't' know," I reply.

"Dad didn't tell you?"

I look over at her. "Your dad didn't arrest him."

"Now I'm lost. Where is he? Who arrested him?"

"The tribal police have him. Jacob was on the rez with Leah. Your dad told me that Jacob had been the last to see Seth and was helping with the search when he was arrested. He didn't know anything else. He's going to call if he hears anything."

"Has anyone talked to Leah?"

"No. Not her or Sue. I have a feeling that they've taken the phones off the hook and turned off their cells for a reason."

"This has got to be horrible for them; first Harry and now Seth. I really hope that they don't think that Jacob did this."

I squeeze her hand. "What would you think if it were me that had been arrested for murder? What if the victim was Alice?"

Bella stares down at our joined hands and doesn't answer. When she finally looks up at me she says, "I've known you a lot longer than Leah has known Jacob. I know that you'd never kill anyone."

I glance over at her and smirk. "If someone tried to hurt you... I'd kill them, Bella."

"Okay, you'd never kill someone unless you were provoked. I know this about you... now. I'm not sure what I would have thought if you had been arrested when we first started seeing each other. Remember how I reacted when you walked out of my apartment and I didn't hear from you for days?" I wince at the memory. "When you don't know someone all that well, you're quick to jump to the wrong conclusions... bad conclusions."

"So, what's Leah thinking?" I ask.

She sighs and says, "We have to hurry."

Bella and I turn into the driveway at Billie's house a little over an hour and a half after we left Seattle. A few months after she received her inheritance, Billie bought a twenty-five acre farm on the outskirts of Forks. The house is on the very back of the property. Jacob is building a house on the front of the property.

Charlie meets us at the car. He hugs Bella as she gets out of the passenger seat.

"Have you heard anything else?" I ask as I walk around the car.

"No. I called Sam, but I had to leave a message. He hasn't called me back. I can't believe that this is happening. Poor Sue."

"I would go in and say something to Billie, but I really need to get to Jacob. I know how to get to the reservation, but I've never been to the police station. How do I get there?"

"I'll go with you," Charlie replies. "I may not be able to do anything officially, but maybe some of the deputies will talk. I'm friends with a few of them. I might be able to get some information."

"Thanks, Charlie." I kiss Bella and say, "We'll be back as soon as we can. Maybe I'll have Jacob with me."

"Take as long as you need; we'll be here."

I nod and get back in the car. Charlie directs me through the reservation to the police station.

I park in a space at the side of the brick building. It's small and I wonder if they even have a holding cell inside. Charlie and I enter the building and I walk up to the first officer I see.

"Hi, I'm Edward Masen." I hand him one of my business cards. "I'm here to see Jacob Black. I've been retained to serve as his attorney."

The officer looks at my card and then back up at me. He cocks one eyebrow and then says, "I'll be right back."

I turn to Charlie. He glances around and says, "I'll be outside."

I toss him the keys to my car. "Just in case you need to take a drive," I say pointedly. He nods and slips out the door.

Several minutes pass and I'm beginning to wonder if I'll even be allowed to see Jacob, when a door opens and a large Native American man with shoulder length black hair steps into the lobby. I recognize him immediately.

"Hi, Sam," I say as I extend my hand. "I'm here to see Jacob."

He looks at my hand but doesn't take it. "I didn't know that the murderer had called you. I thought he called his whore mother."

I glare at him. "Don't you dare say anything about Billie Black. You don't know anything about her or her circumstances."

"I know that I've got her half-breed son dead to rights on this murder charge. Ain't nothing you can do to get him out of this one, Masen. I've got enough evidence to put him in prison for the rest of his life."

"And what would that evidence be exactly?"

Sam smiles. His expression sends chills up my spine. "He's waiting in interrogation room two for you. Paul can show you the way." He walks past me and exits the room through another door. I turn to see an officer motioning for me to follow him.

Paul opens the door and I see Jacob sitting at the table with his head in his hands. I thank Paul as he closes the door.

"Jacob?"

"Edward! Oh thank God. Mama called you, right? You know that I didn't do this. I couldn't do this.

I sit across from him. As I look across the table at Jacob, I say. "That doesn't matter."

"It matters to me!" he exclaims. "What hope do I have if my own brother doesn't believe me?"

"It's not that I don't believe you, Jacob. It's just that it's not important," I say as I try to explain it to him. "What's important is getting you out of here as soon as possible."

"It's fucking important," he screams, using language that my brother very rarely if ever uses. He stands suddenly and begins pacing the room. "I didn't do this, Edward."

"I know and we'll prove it... later. Right now, I need to know a few things so that I can maybe get you out of here tonight."

He leans his forehead against the wall by the door. I can see that he's fighting tears. "I can only imagine what Leah thinks... what she's going through. I should be there for her." He turns to look at me. "But how can I, Edward?"

"Jacob, you have got to let Leah's family take care of her and focus on yourself. If there was ever a time in your life to be selfish, this is it."

"I didn't do it, Edward," he says again.

I sigh and nod my head. "I know." I give in finally and say, "I believe you. It doesn't change anything right now."

He collapses back into his chair. "Who would do this? He was just a kid."

"That's what we have to figure out... later. Right now all I care about is getting you out of here and back home... as soon as possible. I've never tried a case on a reservation before. I don't know how bail hearings work here. Surely we can get a magistrate or a judge here by tomorrow at the latest. You're record is clean so maybe I can get you released on your own recognizance."

"Do you honestly think that will happen?" he says with a smirk. It was the same smirk that our father had whenever I said something he thought was ridiculous. The most prominent trait that Jacob inherited from Father are his eyes and they are expressive. Set in Senior's face, those grey-blue eyes were menacing and intimidating. Against the backdrop of Jacob's dark skin and framed with his dark brown hair, his eyes become almost frightening at times. Sometimes I look at Jacob and I see Senior. It's not pleasant.

I flinch inside at the expression of ridicule and derision in Jacob's eyes. "Everyone knows that I have money. If they do let me out, it will be for an exorbitant amount... I'm sure," he says as he rolls his eyes and turns to stare at the wall.

"I'm going to ask. It never hurts to ask, right?" I say with a chuckle. He turns and glares at me. "I'm sorry. I know that this isn't funny. I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

"Lighten the mood... really? Edward, I hate to state the obvious, but I've been arrested for something that I didn't do. I don't think this is the time to joke around." He drops his head to the table in front of us. "Why is this happening?"

"I have to ask, Jacob. Do you have any enemies who would want to frame you for this?"

He looks up and says, "All the men over the age of twenty on the rez, I would imagine. None of them like that Leah and I are seeing each other."

I nod. "This would put a damper on the relationship."

"Yeah," he says sarcastically. "Killing her little brother would be a reason to dump me. I didn't kill Seth, Edward. You have to help me."

"That's why I'm here. Has anyone questioned you yet?"

"Yeah, Sam did." He looks up at me. "That was so much fun."

"Why is that?"

"He calls me 'half-breed'." Jacob rolls his eyes. "I'm well aware that I don't have 'pure blood' but I'm still legally a Quileute." He shakes his head. "It's just aggravating. I know he's trying to get a rise out of me and it was getting harder and harder to stay calm. I'm glad you showed up when you did."

"What did he ask you?"

"What I did after Seth left the other night. Where I'd been. Where I was last night. If I'd been on the res any before today. Stuff like that."

"And what did you do?"

"I answered him," he says matter-of-factly. I slap my forehead. "What? I have nothing to hide. I didn't do this."

"Don't ever answer their questions. Don't submit to any tests. From now on out, if they ask you anything tell them to contact your attorney. You are not to speak to them. Do you understand?"

"Why? I have nothing to hide. If I tell them everything I know, then they'll have to let me go."

"That isn't how it works, Jacob. They'll take what you say and twist it around to fit their case. Remember, 'everything you say can, and will, be used against you in a court of law.'" I see the look of confusion on his face. "They did read you your Miranda rights, didn't they?"

"I can't remember. It was all a blur. I was in Leah's dining room looking at a map of the reservation one minute and in the back of the police car the next. They may have, but I don't know."

"Have you signed anything?"

"Yeah. I signed something after they fingerprinted me. Why?"

"Well, you probably signed a form saying that you'd been read your rights and that you understood them. What exactly have you told them so far?"

"I told them that Seth left the garage after six Tuesday night. I tried to get him to let me drive him home, but he said that he wanted to walk it. It's not really that far. I finished cleaning up our mess and then I changed my clothes. I called Leah on the way home and told her that Seth had insisted on walking home. I figured that he'd already be there, but he wasn't. It had been over an hour since he'd left. Leah said that he'd probably stopped at a friend's house. We talked on the phone for a few more minutes and then we hung up. I ate dinner with Mama, took a shower, and then went to bed.

"Leah called and woke me up around one Wednesday morning. She said that Seth hadn't come home and that none of his friends had seen him. I jerked on my clothes and drove to her house. She and I drove back to the garage and started out on foot with flashlights on the route that Seth probably would've taken to get home. We walked all the way to their house and then back. There was no sign of him. We drove back to the house and called the tribal police to report him missing."

"Did they come right to the house or did they tell you guys that you had to wait twenty-four hours to report a missing person?"

"Sam came right to the house. He got there pretty quick; before we finished talking to the dispatcher. He called the tribe elders and they organized a search party. I stayed with Leah while everyone else fanned out across the res. We had been waiting all morning and most of the afternoon when Sam came back and arrested me."

"How did that go down?"

"It was the most pleasant experience of my life," he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. I glare at him. "Sorry. I'm just stressed. I still can't believe that this is happening."

He takes a deep breath and I notice for the first time that he winces. "Did he hit you?" I ask.

"Let's just say that he wasn't exactly gentle. He didn't take my hand and say 'Oh, Jacob, I must arrest you. Please let me place these cuffs on you and then you can gingerly sit yourself in the back of my patrol car.'"

"What did he do, Jacob?"

"Like I said, Leah and I were in the dining room looking at the map. We heard the door slam open and the next thing I knew Sam had practically tackled me onto the table. He pressed my face into the surface and demanded to know why I did it. I had no idea what he was talking about so I asked him what was going on. He punched me in the side and said that I had murdered Seth."

"What did you say?"

"I don't remember exactly. I think maybe I asked him what he was talking about. I don't know. All I could think was that I needed to get to Leah. She had fainted when Sam said that Seth was dead. I think I told him to let me go so that I could help Leah. I remember he told me that I'd never touch her again. Then he jerked my arms behind my back and cuffed me. He dragged me out of the house and threw me in the back of his car. He went back in the house. He was in there a long time. When he came out Sue and Leah were behind him.

"Edward, their faces... I don't know what he told them, but they looked destroyed. Leah was looking at me like she didn't know me. I yelled for her. I yelled that I didn't do it. Sam slapped the window and told me to shut-up. Then he got in the driver's seat and brought me here. Do you think that they could give me something for a headache?"

I stand up and walk around the table. I run my hand over Jacob's head and find the knot in his hairline just above his right temple. Then I raise his shirt and see the bruise on his side.

"What happened to your head?" I ask.

"Car door," he replies.

"Hmm." I'm so angry I can't even speak. I walk to the door of the interrogation room and knock. Paul opens the door and sticks his head in. "I need a cup of water and three aspirin, please."

He smirks and sarcastically says, "Yeah, I'll see what I can do."

I slam my hand against the door as he starts to close it in my face. "That wasn't really a request." We stare each other down.

He finally gives in. "Fine." He stomps down the hall and enters an office. A moment later he emerges with a Styrofoam cup. I hold out my hand and he drops two aspirin onto my palm.

"I said three." He gives me a look that clearly says I'm lucky to have the two. "Fine. Thank you." I take the cup from him and go back into the room with Jacob.

I place the cup on the table and hold out the aspirin to him. "Take these."

"Thanks," he says as he pops the pills in his mouth and empties the cup of water. "I could use another one of these," he says as he holds up the cup. "This is the first thing I've had to drink since Sam threw me in his car."

"How long have you been here?"

"I don't know. What time is it?"

I look at my watch. "It's after eight."

"About five hours."

"Five hours!" I exclaim. "They brought you in here at three?" He nods. "Billie didn't call me until after six. That's a three hour delay. Why didn't you call someone right after they booked you? How long did that take?"

"Is booking me where they take my picture and fingerprint me?" I nod. "That didn't take long at all."

"What took so long then?"

"Nothing. They finished all that shit and then Paul put me in here. I waited and waited but no one came to tell me why they thought I'd killed Seth; I still don't know why. I don't know how long I was in here alone, but it was a long time before Sam came in here and said that I could call someone. I couldn't remember your phone number. I have it programmed into my phone, but they wouldn't give me that back. I called Mama and told her what had happened and told her to call you. Paul brought me back in here and then Sam started asking me questions. He got a call and left. I've been waiting here to find out exactly what happened ever since."

I shake my head in disgust. Not only had they beaten my brother/client, but they had refused him his right to a phone call for three hours. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. For the time being, I am your attorney. You do not speak to anyone about anything. If they put you in a cell with someone and he gets chatty, you don't say a word. If one of the officers tries to act like your buddy and tells you that he can help if you just open up to him, you still keep your mouth shut. You don't speak, understand?"

"Got it," Jacob replies.

"If Sam comes in here and starts asking you questions, you lawyer up."

"Lawyer up?"

"Tell him that you can't talk to him unless I'm in the room. Better yet, tell him to call me if he has any questions."

"Got it," he says again.

"I'm going to go out there and try to find out what evidence they have against you. Don't worry. I'm going to get you out of here."

"I know you will, Edward. Thanks." We stand and I walk around the table to hug him.

"Do me a favor?" he asks.

"Sure."

"Let Leah know that I didn't do this and that I love her."

I nod, knowing that's one favor I may not be able to do.

~*~*~*~*~ SC ~*~*~*~*~

Some of you had excellent theories about who the murderer really is. Just remember that sometimes things are not always as they seem. The villain is sometimes the hero and the hero can become the villain. But still, I greatly enjoy hearing what you all think. Leave me a little note (review)!

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