TheAsterousAuthor: Nah you didn't.

olimacproductions: Yeah that is what's going to happen in this chapter.

Chapter 14: Perjury

Arendelle 1997

Anna had been working with Emma and Barry Scheck trying to come up with a way to get Elsa out of prison. The DNA evidence had been a bust, something that had hit Anna pretty hard. She had thought for sure that the DNA results would be a sure fired thing that would get Elsa out of prison. She was sure it would prove that Elsa had been telling the truth when she said she hadn't been there at the time of the murder. This just made Anna even more determined to get that woman, Martha Coakley, proven wrong. Anna hated that woman. She was refusing to admit that the Distinct Attorney and the police had made a mistake. They were willing to keep an innocent person in jail for something she never did. They were willing to punish an innocent person for something they did. It made Anna feel sick and fuelled her anger towards them.

But Martha Coakley wasn't the only person that Anna loathed with a passion. Officer Nancy Taylor was on her list as well. She had been caught fabricating evidence and Anna believed she had fabricated evidence in Elsa's case as well. Taylor had something against Elsa, Anna never knew what it was. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Elsa was always able to wriggle Anna out of trouble which irked Taylor or maybe it had something to do with the fact that the Winters were all high and mighty in Arendelle. The Winters family had actually founded Arendelle which gave them this sense of authority and influence. Maybe Taylor hated the fact that Elsa had used it from time to time to get anyone she knew out of trouble.

Anna may have no proof that Taylor fabricated evidence in Elsa's case but she knew it. She knew something was off the minute the case was being presented at trial. She knew that Elsa would never have admitted nor threatened to kill their parents. Anna knew it had to be made up and that lead her straight back to Taylor. Unfortunately, at this present time, Anna couldn't find Taylor. She had disappeared into thin air but that didn't matter too much to Anna. If she could prove that Taylor fabricated evidence rather than just have her suspicions, then maybe it could be Taylor locked up rather than Elsa.

Of course when Anna remembered Taylor, it gave her the idea that she had been looking for. The only evidence that Taylor could have fabricated was the witnesses. Elsa's knife had been there when Anna had first discovered the bodies. She remembered it lying right next to her Father. Of course she hadn't registered it at the time but she could remember it. The fingerprints were of course going to be there. Elsa had already admitted into being there that night plus it was her parents' house. The blood type matching, well, that was just a coincidence. The only thing left was the witnesses who, in Anna's opinion, were clearly lying.

However there was a problem with the witnesses. Neither one of them would talk to Anna. She had tried over and over again but they had refused to tell her anything. That wasn't going to stop Anna going to talk to them but it did make it difficult to get anything out of them. Although this time, Anna had new information on the case which may just sway them into talking to her.

Anna soon found herself at Karel Backe's apartment in Arendelle along with Barry and Emma. Since the time that Anna had gone to talk to him, he had returned from Sweden to come back to Arendelle. Barry knocked on the door and Karel answered it. He took one look at Anna before he slammed the door in their faces. He wasn't quick enough though. Barry had managed to seize the door and was keeping it open.

"Mr. Backe?" Barry said. "My name is Barry Scheck, I work with the Innocence Project. We would like to talk to you about your testimony at the Elsa Frost trial seventeen years ago."

"Go away," Karel shouted at them as he attempted to close the door on them.

"Mr. Backe, please let us in," Anna pleaded with him. "We know that Officer Taylor forced you to provide false evidence."

Karel suddenly relaxed his grip on the door at Anna's words. The door opened all the way and they could see Karel standing there in front of them looking suddenly worried and concerned.

"How do you know that?" he stammered.

"Taylor has been discovered fabricating evidence on other cases," Anna explained, "and I know she tampered with this one too."

Karel hesitate at Anna's words. There seemed to be a debate going on inside his head. To tell them the truth or to tell them to go away? Anna waited and waited. Finally after a few moments of silence, Karel gestured for them to come in. Anna, Barry and Emma took a seat in his living room's couch while Karel made them some tea. They accepted the tea from him and watched as Karel sat down. He lit a cigarette and stared at them.

"You're right," he said. He brought the cigarette to his lips, took a deep suck before exhaling a puff of smoke. "You're right about everything."

"So Taylor did force you to lie on the stand?" Emma asked him.

Barry instantly started up his laptop and began writing up an official looking document. He started writing down everything that was being said.

"Yeah," Karel said. "She did. She told me that if I didn't fess up to the fact that Frost confessed to the murder to me, then I would be arrested for perjury, for impeding a police investigation. She told me that it would be going to prison rather than a murderer and that a murderer would be walking around free. She asked if that was what I wanted. I was scared, you have to understand that, she was putting so much pressure on me. I wasn't sure what I should do."

"So you ended up lying and in the processed help send an innocent person to prison?" Anna said in disgust.

"I swear I didn't know she was innocent," Karel said exhaling another puff of smoke. "Taylor swore to me that she had other evidence on Frost and that this was just going to help make it a sure thing. I didn't realise that lying would actually end up making it worse for everyone."

"Well it did," Anna said coughing slightly from the cigarette smoke. "You made it a lot worse. Especially for Elsa who has spent seventeen years in jail for a crime she never committed."

Karel didn't say anything. He bowed his head in shame.

"All you have to do is sign this Mr. Backe," Barry said, "and we can use it to get Mrs. Frost out of jail."

"Woah, woah, wait a moment," Karel was waving his hands around. "I'm not signing anything. I told you the truth and that's all I'm doing. I'm not gonna go to jail for perjury. That is something I won't do. The only way I will sign that is if you can guarantee that I won't be sent to jail for perjury."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Barry said.

"Then I'm not signing anything," Karel said leaning back in his chair.

Anna wanted to protest this but she caught Emma's eye who gave Anna a small shake of her head. Anna knew it would be useless to try and pursue this any further. They couldn't force Karel to sign. Barry sighed as he turned off his computer. They exited Karel's apartment and loitered on the pavement outside. They seem to shiver in the cold.

"What now?" Emma asked.

"Well if I remember there is still one more witness we can talk to," Barry said.

"Runa Kolbeck," Anna said with a bit of a grimace.

Elsa was in her cell, lying on her bed. She was currently reading To Kill A Mockingbird for what felt like the tenth time. She could easily relate to Tom Robinson who was also condemned into a life in prison like her. The whole town was also against him just like how the whole town of Arendelle was against her. There was, however a silver lining. Atticus defended Tom Robinson to the very best of his ability just like how Anna is trying to defend her to the very best of Anna's ability. Elsa couldn't help but see similarly after similarly. When she was in high school, the book carried a different meaning to her. It was just a story about an injustice that had occurred and now it seemed she was living the same injustice. Elsa sighed as she turned the page.

"You look like you've been through hell and back," came a voice.

Elsa looked up and saw Karina staring at her from the doorway of her cell.

"Just having one of those days," Elsa replied not mentioning that every day for her was one of those days. "Realised that sixty years behind bars is a very long time."

"Yeah it is," Karina came down and sat on the end of the bed. Her eyes caught the cover of the book that Elsa was reading. "Ah, To Kill A Mockingbird. I remember reading that in school."

"Yeah, I did too," Elsa said as she flicked the page again.

"My favourite character was always Scout," Karina continued. "I just love the way she reminded Mr. Cunningham on who he really was and how she managed to stop the lynching because of that."

"Oh yeah, that's my favourite part," Elsa smiled at Karina from over top of her book. "I always liked Atticus. He stood for justice and was against wrong doing and racism."

"Ah Atticus," Karina leaned against the wall of the cell. "Yeah, you gotta love him."

There was a silence that preceded this. The only sound was that of Elsa turning the pages of her book. As Elsa read, she was reminded of Boo Radley. She was starting to think that he may have the right idea about being a recluse. People can be mean and judgemental which was something that Elsa had experienced first-hand.

"So who is this Runa Kolbeck?" Emma asked as she, Anna and Barry approached her house.

"She was our neighbour for many years," Anna said staring up at the house. "She used to bake Elsa and I cookies and cakes whenever we would come over to be babysat by her and her husband. I really miss those carefree days."

Barry walked up to the door and knocked on it. Runa greeted them with a smile and invited them inside. She stopped dead when she saw Anna.

"Hello Mrs. Kolbeck," Anna said. "We have some things to discuss with you."

"What kind of things?" Runa asked.

"Well for starts, how about how Officer Nancy Taylor forced you into giving false evidence at my sister's trial and how she threated you with a jail sentence," Anna said.

Runa looked a little pale for a moment. She then seemed to come to and then invited them inside. She presented them with tea and cakes which Anna happily ate. She had always enjoyed those cakes. They brought bake good memories.

"Well I suppose you already know what had happened," Runa said.

"We do," Anna nodded. "Taylor forced you into lying what Elsa really had said that night, didn't she?"

"Yes," Runa nodded. "Your sister was angry, she was shouting but she never said the things that I said in court."

Barry whipped out his laptop again and started writing up what Runa was saying.

"What did she say?" Emma asked.

"Oh some stuff," Runa said. "I can't really remember. It was just things like 'why can't you see Jack for who he really is?' and 'Jack is good to me, you just see what you want to see'. It was things like that."

"So what you had said about Mrs. Frost yelling 'I will kill you if you lay a hand on my children' was all a lie?" Barry asked which Runa tearfully nodded at.

"So Mum and Dad never intended to take away Sigrid and Leif?" Anna asked.

"To that, I have no idea," Runa said.

"Mrs. Kolbeck, would you be willing to sign this document which says that you have changed your testimony?" Barry asked.

"And be convicted of perjury?" Runa said. "No way."

"Mrs. Kolbeck you know Elsa," Anna said. "You babysat her. You read her stories at bedtime. You were like a grandmother to us. You know she didn't kill our parents and you know she doesn't deserve to be jail for a crime she didn't do."

"That is true but I do not want to be convicted of perjury."

The door then opened and Runa's sixteen year old granddaughter, Greta, entered carrying a bunch of groceries.

"Hey Grandma, I have what you wanted-," Greta stopped when she saw that her grandmother had company. "What's going on?"

"Greta, we are here to discuss with your grandmother about how she helped send an innocent woman to jail," Anna said glaring at Runa. "A woman who just happened to be my sister."

The groceries that were in Greta's hands came tumbling out of them due to shock.

"What?" Greta looked at her grandmother. "Grandma, tell me this isn't true!"

"It is," Runa bowed her head.

"Then fix it!" Greta said. "Tell the truth!"

"But I could be accused of perjury!"

"So what?" Greta yelled. "An innocent woman's life is at stake here Grandma. You lied at Elsa Frost's trial. So fix it!"

Runa tearfully nodded. Barry printed out the document at the local printer shop in town. Runa was sat down at a desk in the shop. He placed the document in front of her and placed a pen in her hand.

"Will I be convicted of perjury?" Runa asked Barry.

"Sign the paper Grandma!" Greta said.

Trembling, Runa signed the document. As soon as Barry had the signed document in his fingers, he called Martha Coakley.

"Hello Ms. Coakley, you may not remember me. I'm Barry Scheck of the Innocence Project. I talked to you about the Elsa Frost case. I just thought you may be interested into knowing that one of your key witnesses has just recanted her statement."

There was a pause as Anna tensed up while Barry waited for Martha to reply to Barry's words. Barry nodded.

"Why thank you Ms. Coakley," Barry hung up the phone.

"Well?" Anna and Emma said with smiles creeping over their faces.

"We did it," Barry said with glee.

Anna and Emma both cheered and gave Barry a huge hug.

"She is going to grant Elsa Frost an appeal which should overturn her conviction!" Barry said.

Anna couldn't believe this. They had done it.

A/N: So this is the next update. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please review =)