SO, I'm sorry this chapter took so long for me to write. My computer died again and I have to use my school's computer, so let's hope I don't get caught. Anyway, most of you either said Brad's parents, or bastard parents. Both very good guesses, you'll see if either one is right in the next chapter. Oh, and Anonymous, as for you question, there should be plenty more chapters because this story is far far from over, unless of course you're all getting tired of it.
Chapter 29: Sparks Will Fly:
Charlie's Point of View:
"Oh my god," I said, dropping the box to the ground. "I have never seen anything like this before."
"What should we do, sir?" Colby asked me as I put the letter down on my desk.
"First thing's first," I said as I picked up the phone. "I think we need to give the state police a call. After that, we'll see about freeing Edward Cullen."
I stood and gave Colby the message I wanted him to deliver to the Washington Police officers and then descended the stairs to Edward's cell. "I need you to look at something," I said as he stood and came to the bars.
"What is it?" he asked in a dull voice. "Will it help my case?"
I nodded and opened the door, stepping inside the dark cell. I pulled the paper out of my pocket and held it out to him. "This arrived in a box of Captain Crunch about half an hour ago," I said. "This proves that you were innocent. I just need you to look down at the post script and tell me what you think."
He took the paper from me and raised his eyebrows as he read farther and farther down the page. "What did he mean by sparks will fly?" he asked, his brows drawing together in concentration.
"I'm just as confused as you," I said as he finally got to the post script. "I asked you to help with the letter because I thought you might know something."
He nodded distractedly and continued staring at the paper. "It's an anagram," he said at last, drawing letters in the air. "Just give me a second, Brad's parents!"
I stared at him in shock. When I had come down here, I hadn't expected to actually get anywhere. It had been a stupid whim that had made me walk down the stairs to his cell, but what he was saying made sense. "Oh hell," I said quietly as I took the paper back from Edward. "They're going to try to kill Brad's parents.""
Why
?" he asked, burying his head in his hands. "Why is this person such a sick, twisted bastard? Why can't he/she just leave them alone?"
I had no answer for him. "I'll see about getting you out of here as soon as I can, okay?" I asked as I turned to leave. "Just sit tight and you should be out by tomorrow. The only evidence they have against you is the fact that the knife had your blood on it, but I think that we can figure out a way around that as well. It all depends on the type of people we can get to listen to our side."
"I don't care about that now!" Edward shouted, running his fingers through his hair. "Get them out of there! Do at you can for Brad's parents and worry about me later."
I nodded and walked out of the room without another word. There was a lot that I needed to do. "Colby," I said as I got back into the other room. "I need you to go with me to the house where Brad Martial lived. We need to keep an eye on Brad's parents and get them out of there."
A sudden gleam came into Colby's eyes. "I have an idea," he said and leaned forward to whisper it to me. "We get them out of there, and one of us hides inside the house, waiting for the killers to show up. When they show up to kill Brad's parents, we arrest them."
"Nice plan," I said, smiling and slapping him on the back. "I'm going to send you and two other officers out there tonight. I as chief have to stay here and wait for someone from the FBI to get here. We can't do this alone anymore and if for some reason you don't catch them tonight, we'll need all the help we can get in this little town."
He nodded and called two younger deputies over to go with him. "I'll call you when we've gotten them out of there," he said, grabbed the squad car keys, and walked out the front door with the other two trailing behind them.
I did paper work until I got the call from Colby telling me that Mr. and Mrs. Martial were now out of their house. After that, I waited for the FBI agents to show up. (I'm not going to waste everyone's time with the boring details of Charlie explaining what you already know.)
Bella's Point of View:
I smiled as Alice helped me out of her car and into my house. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?" she asked me as she set down my things.
"Alice, they were just surface wounds. Give me two days and I'll be kicking ass like I always do, no worries." I turned and gave her a hug. "What I really need right now is time to think."
She nodded and smiled. "I'll keep Victoria busy then. And Bella, don't worry about Edward. He's a big boy and I'm sure Charlie will figure out something." I smiled at her again and turned for the stairs.
"Thanks," I murmured, walking up the stairs. "Listen, I really think Rose could use you a lot more than I could right now."
She sighed deeply and I knew why. Emmett was practically her brother. "See you later, Bella," she said and walked out my door. I collapsed on my bed and finally let myself cry. Why Edward of all people? Suddenly, words my father had said floated back into my mind, something about evidence.
"Sweetie, is there something I can, oh Bella," I hadn't even heard Renee come inside. She was at my side immediately, her arms around me. "Baby, I'm so sorry. I know how much you cared for him." She stroked my hair and I could do nothing but cry.
"Mom, I don't know what to do anymore," I said through my tears. "The sentencing for murder isn't a light one."
"Do you think Edward killed those people?" My mother was more serious than I'd ever seen her before. "Do you think that he would be capable of murder?"
I thought about this for a moment and then shook my head. "No," I said, my voice full of resolve. "I know Edward and I know that he wouldn't ever do anything like that."
"Then you know what you have to do, right?" she asked, getting off my bed.
I took a deep breath and nodded, standing and wiping my eyes. Sitting around and crying were not my forte and I had a course of action now. I was not going to sit on my ass like a weak little girl when I could prove Edward's innocence. A smile spread across my face as Renee stood up too. "I'm going to do some research," I said, turning on my ancient computer.
She nodded and took a deep breath, tears in her eyes. "I can see that you won't change your mind about coming with me," she said, hugging me gently. "Tell your father that I said goodbye."
"You aren't going to stay?" I asked, whipping around to face her so fast my neck cracked.
"Bella, this isn't the life for me," she said quietly, tears forming in her eyes. "And as much as I love you, I'm only a phone call or a plane ride away. You're a big girl and you can take care of yourself. There isn't much point in me sticking around here. I love you very much, never forget that," she said. "Goodbye, and good luck with catching the bastard who keeps killing people."
"Goodbye Mom," I said and watched her leave. "I'll miss you more than you could know."
When Charlie walked through the door that night, I could tell that something had changed. "Hey Dad," I said from where I was taking brownies out of the oven. What? I felt like chocolate, so I made some.
He nodded at me and sat down at the table. It didn't escape my notice that he did not take off his work boots. I frowned as I set his dinner in front of him. There was something he was not telling me and I was determined to figure out what it was. All through dinner, he remained silent. I tried to engage him in conversation, but he wouldn't give me more than one word answers.
After cleaning the dishes, I sat down in the living room and watched a tame with my dad. All through the game, he kept shooting furtive glances at the clock. He seemed to be waiting for something, but what it was I had no clue. Talking wasn't getting me anywhere, so I watched him for things that would help me figure out what was wrong. Finally, I got fed up with it and went up to my room. Shortly after that, I heard the TV turn off and footsteps on the stairs. Waiting patiently until I heard him walk back down the stairs, I followed quickly behind him.
It was dark outside, but the lights of his cruiser were enough for me to see as he pulled out of the driveway. Without a second thought, I swung myself onto my motorcycle and followed at a safe distance. Being a police officer's daughter came with certain skills that I now thanked God for.
To my surprise, he pulled onto a slightly familiar street: Brad's street. Why was Charlie going to Brad's old house? I parked my bike in someone else's yard and walked the remaining distance to the house.
Colby's Point of View:
"Come on," I said quickly as the Martials stood on their front porch. "You'll be able to move back as soon as this situation is taken care of."
Mrs. Martial's eyes filled up with tears and her husband put an arm around her waist. "Come on," he said, leading her toward the car. "We'll go visit your sister. I already called her and she's expecting us."
He smiled over at Colby as his wife got into the passenger seat. "I don't know how to thank you for your warning," he said, sticking out his hand. "If there's anything you need, just let me know."
I felt extremely touched by the man's sincerity. "Just get out of here and stay safe," I said and watched them pull away. It was just my men and I for the next few hours.
I looked at the clock for what felt like the millionth time that night. It was now 11:00 and there was still no sign of the killer anywhere. "Wow, he's punctual," I said and heard one of the officers laugh from the kitchen.
The phone rang and I picked it up, not saying hello, just listening. "Colby, this is Charlie. I'm on my way." The line went dead. I put the phone back into its cradle and began pacing again.
"Sir, maybe you should relax," said one of the officers, handing me a glass of water.
"I can't," I replied and drank the water. "A psychotic killer could be caught in less than five minutes. I am incapable of relaxing."
Charlie's Point of View:
It was now 11:10 and there was no sign of anyone approaching. So maybe the killer had been just trying to scare everyone. Suddenly, a shadow caught my eye from the side of the house and my eyes flashed in that direction. "Charlie Swan," a loud voice boomed through a megaphone. The voice was so distorted by proximity that I couldn't make it out. I couldn't even tell whether it was male or female. "You're too late, they're all going to die, and it's all your fault!"
My eyes were drawn to the figure cloaked in black so I didn't see the rock flying through the air toward my head until it was too late to move.
Pain shot through my head and I fell to my knees, both hands flying to the source of my pain. I pulled my hand away when warm wetness met my fingertips. My vision began to go hazy and everything went black.
Bella's Point of View:
"Damn it," I said, running forward while pulling out my cell phone and dialing 911. "I need help here!" I shouted, giving the dispatcher my address before shutting my phone. I began running toward the house and stopped when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was a light around the side of the house, a very familiar light.
"No!" I shouted, but it was too late. The following explosion knocked me backward onto the ground. Coughing, I pushed myself up and turned to stare in horror at what used to be a nice house.
Three days later:
Tears blurred my vision as I stared down at the crosses in the cemetery that marked the three lost police officers. It was hard for me to accept what had happened. Colby and the others were dead. I had been right there and had been incapable of saving any of them but my father.
"It's all my fault," he said from beside me. "If only I hadn't gone along with that stupid plan, we wouldn't be in this situation right now."
I shook my head furiously. "Don't talk like that. You had no way of knowing that would happen."
"That was what the killer wanted me to do," he said in anguish. "We all just played into his/her hands."
I sighed and stared forward again, feeling sadness, regret, and pain. I couldn't help my father through this. Three innocent people had died because of a mistake.
So, loved it or hated it? Please drop me a review! This didn't really have very many characters in it, but it did a lot for the plot. I have writer's block, so anything that you think would help improve the story, just let me know in a review.
And sorry about the shortness! It's just sometimes I think that less is more. Next chapter will be longer!
