Disclaimer - I don't own Twilight or the original characters...I thought I already told you that?
Thanks to Rita01TX for her fabulous edits and general enthusiasm for my Eddie and Ella, and Keye for supporting me with speedy pre reads and great feedback.
Chapter 53
It wasn't until the following morning that I was officially discharged into the custody of Forks' boys in blue. I'd had no intention of trying to escape in the night but because he viewed me as a big, scary threat to society, or maybe it was just to get even for the way I'd blown him off in the station, Al felt the need to cuff me to the bed before spending the night propped up in a chair outside my door. From the nasty smirk on his face, I figured he was most likely dreaming of what he'd do with the big fat paycheck these few extra hours would bring him.
Ella had been so outraged when she saw what he'd done, she phoned her dad to bawl him out. Not that it made any difference. I doubt he'd been in any mood to listen anyway since the call was ended within a minute. When I begged her to go home and get some rest, she steadfastly refused and called in a favor from Ben by phoning to switch shifts with him so she could stay. Of course, she'd be sitting on the other side of the door since Al wouldn't let her stay in the room with me. He was probably under strict instruction from the chief to keep us apart in case I forced her to give me an alibi.
Oh, shit! What if I needed one? The idea of someone pinning this on me wasn't something I wanted to think about too much. I knew I was innocent of everything except telling Wilson about the threats but what if the perpetrator was trying to frame me? I beat my head back into the pillow and shook it off. There was no way they had any concrete evidence against me.
I'll admit I'd been surprised the chief hadn't come down here and slipped the handcuffs on me himself. Then again, I suppose I shouldn't have been since I was fully aware he was itching to get me out of the picture. There was no way in hell he'd risk any conflict of interest spoiling his chances of a conviction if these trumped up charges stuck.
And if they did stick?
Whatever the sentence for arson was, if Wilson didn't make it and a murder charge was tacked on, I'd be lucky to get out of prison before I was fifty.
I'd slept fitfully, waking twice to clear my chest with a bout of coughing and once because I'd tried to turn over in the night and the handcuff wouldn't let me...fuckin' Al.
This morning, I had to yell for him to come release me so I could take a piss and have a shower.
Ella trailed in behind him and if her eyes could fire laser beams, she'd have melted him into a pile of ashes on the spot.
"I'd prefer you wait outside, Miss Swan," Al advised.
"I'll just bet you would," she muttered. "Officious prick."
"What did you call me?" he bristled, a tick bouncing in his tightly clenched jaw.
"I said he still looks sick?" she lied and, despite my circumstances, I smirked. "And he's not officially yours until he's been discharged."
"You do look like hell," she commented, rocking on her heels, and I knew she wanted to come to me, wrap herself around me, and feel the connection but Al was watching us like a hawk.
"Did you manage to get any sleep?" I asked, noticing the dark rings under her beautiful eyes.
"I'm fine," she replied, her weak smile convincing no one. "I'm used to late nights, remember?"
The doctor finally showed up doing his rounds and, while Al spoke with him about my discharge, and since I was still sans cuffs, I saw my chance and pulled her in for a tight hug.
"Ella, you have to believe me. I didn't do this," I whispered into her hair. "Wilson is like a father to me. There's no way I'd ever do anything to hurt him."
"I know you wouldn't," she assured me, her fingers clutching at my clothes, and I felt stronger just knowing she was in my corner.
The doctor had no news of Wilson other than he'd made it through the night which had to be a good thing. After a final check-up, he decided I could go with the proviso Al brought me straight back if my symptoms deteriorated over the next twenty-four hours.
Stupid jerk made a big show of escorting me through the hospital with the cuffs on thinking he was doing a great job of humiliating me. Hell, I half expected him to call out "dead man walking" as we went. But, after years of communal living, fighting to get by, and the last few weeks of gritting my teeth against the prejudice of everyone in town, I wouldn't have given a shit if he'd made me do it naked. Ella, on the other hand, looked mortified and I could only hope it was because of the injustice of what was happening and not because she was ashamed to be seen walking with me in these restraints.
The trip back to Forks in the back of Al's cruiser gave me a chance to clear my head and lock down my emotions. Chief Swan could only hold me a limited time without charge and the closer we got, the more intrigued I became wondering what grounds he actually had to drag me in like this.
As we pulled up near the front door of the police station, I saw Charlie leaning against the door frame waiting for me, one hand resting on the baton at his hip. I made eye contact and held it as he sidestepped to let me pass.
"Welcome back, Mr. Cullen," he drawled.
Ignoring the smirk in his tone, I grit my teeth and didn't bother to answer.
"Have it your way," he muttered under his breath. "Book him, Al."
"You have no right to arrest me for this," I blurted angrily.
"Oh, I have reason enough to charge you with suspicion of arson and I'll be handing you over to the Port Angeles cops when they find something more concrete."
With no small measure of delight, Al did as he was told. Relieving me of my cell phone first, he began asking question after stupid question about myself when he damn well already knew the answers.
He was still filling in his paperwork when the door to Forks Police Station swung open and Ella, who'd followed behind in her truck, came rushing in.
"Dad, this is ridiculous. Edward hasn't done anything wrong!" she yelled and Charlie squared his shoulders, his aggressive stance instantly pissing me off.
"Ella, go home! This is police business, not yours," he growled.
"Of course it's my business when you're arresting my boyfriend," she fumed. "Why the hell would he throw away his job like that, huh? Anyway, you know he's being threatened so why aren't you busy finding out who the fuck's been stalking him?"
Charlie sighed deeply and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Ella, I don't know what lies he's been feeding you but no one's threatening him. It's more likely people are just feeling scared because he's back in town."
Whoa! The fuck? His lies robbed the breath right out of me and, unable to respond verbally, my face slackened in shock. I gaped at Ella who was looking confused.
"He told me, Dad...about the letters," she insisted.
Her eyes briefly flickered to mine before settling back on him. She didn't back down but, at the same time, she sounded a little less certain of herself.
"What letters?" he sneered coldly.
That was the point when I knew exactly what Charlie Swan was made of. He'd grown up around my father, been trusted with the role of Chief of Police and yet he was perfectly capable of standing before me and his only child and lie without a flicker of guilt.
It was also the point where I snapped.
"You lying fucking bastard!" I roared, my cuffed hands screwed into tight fists.
Fully intent on punching the chief in either or both of his two faces, I jerked myself out of Al's grip. However, I only made it about three steps before he yanked me backwards, one arm of iron gripping me around the throat and one around my bicep. Using one of his legs to hook behind mine, he forced me to lose my balance and I crumpled to the floor.
"See, Ella? This is the kind of violent, low life you've gotten yourself mixed up with," he cried, shaking his head before pinning me with his steely eyes. "I've seen enough. Lock him up."
Ella was visibly shocked, her hand covering her mouth as Al began dragging me backwards toward the holding cell, but it was the look of horror in her wide eyes that did me in.
"Ella, he's lying!" I shouted frantically. "You know me! You know I didn't do this! He's got the letters...he's lying!"
He almost had me at the cell before she blinked.
"Edward!"
Ella suddenly bolted as if she'd been shocked, ignoring her father's shouts. She ran towards me and I wrenched away from Al's grasp as she crashed into my chest, wrapping her arms around my neck. With my hands secured and trapped between us, I was unable to catch her. All I could do was bury my face in the crook of her neck and let the scent of her perfume surrounded me. Chief Swan was determined to send me back inside and, for all I knew, this might be the last chance I had to be this close to her for a long time.
"I love you," I whispered and felt her body quiver against me. "And I haven't done anything wrong…I need you to believe me."
"I know…I do," she whimpered, tears streaming down her face, and I flexed my jaw, hating to see her cry when I was physically unable to comfort her. "I love you, too."
It was all the time we had before the chief and Al were dragging us apart.
"Goddamn it, Ella!" he bellowed. "I told you to go home."
Al unlocked the cuffs and gave me a shove inside before the door of the small holding cell slammed closed behind me. Although I couldn't see her anymore, I could hear Ella yelling at her father as she demanded to see me. He wasn't budging so I sat on the thinly padded bunk and let my head drop to my hands.
This was a fucking nightmare. Was Chief Swan so determined to get me out of his daughter's life he'd put his job on the line and lie about seeing those letters? Or was this something more sinister…had he been the one who'd sent them? Could he be my mystery stalker? Whoever had written the letters had also smashed the bike knowing I was in the bar that night. Chief Swan would only have had to drop in on the thin pretense of seeing his daughter or his ex-buddy to have caught me in the act. It would have been enough to send me back inside for parole violation.
No matter how I tossed the pieces around, they didn't seem to fit together. One thing was certain, though. He was lying about seeing the letters and I didn't know why. I could only hope he'd come by to gloat like some overly smug Bond villain and reveal his master plan.
A shudder rolled through me. Being sent back inside to finish my original sentence was one thing but adding on a few more convictions would leave me there for years to come. Prison held no surprises but it wasn't somewhere I wanted to be…not now I had realized my feelings for Ella.
Still convinced Charlie had no evidence against me, I calmed myself down. Apart from the short time when I was traveling home, either my mother, Rose or Ella had been with me constantly. The fact she'd stayed the night actually worked in my favor because she knew I hadn't snuck away to tamper with the garage's gas supply.
No, much as he'd like to pin this on me, he couldn't…not without some solid evidence. It was a scare tactic. At worse, he'd have to let me go in a day or two and hope he'd done enough to plant a seed of doubt in Ella's mind that might split us up. At best, he could hope I might do something stupid while I was caged like a tiger…maybe throw a punch at him and land myself back in prison to finish the last eighteen months of my sentence. Either way, he stood to get me out of his hair.
As I sat staring at the grey painted walls and licking my tongue slowly along my dry lips, I gave myself a pep talk. This guy was seriously underestimating me. I was Edward fucking Cullen and I knew the rules of the playground: keep your eyes open, your mouth closed and always get in the first punch.
Deciding I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing he had me rattled, I vowed to keep my own counsel and wait this out. Lashing out and trashing my cell might release some pent up physical energy but it would only prove him right about my temper and do me more harm than good.
As I suspected, it wasn't long before he came over dragging a chair and settled on the opposite side of the bars, kind of like Clarice visiting Hannibal Lector. The place had been awfully quiet for a while so I guessed Ella had finally given up and left. I managed to keep my expression blank as he stared at me in what could only be described as a passive aggressive display. After a few long seconds of treating me like an exhibit in a zoo, he finally spoke.
"I told you I'd be there when you fucked up," he said, his voice low. "That fire was no accident, was it?"
Refusing to dignify the question with an answer, I remained silent. Al might not be within earshot but I knew he couldn't be far away and arguing my case would probably bring me nothing but more trouble.
"You gonna tell me how you did it? You sneak out there some time last night?" he prodded.
From the way he was talking, I had to assume he hadn't actually had anything to do with the fire himself which meant he still didn't know I'd spent the night in his daughter's arms. Good. I'd save that one for when I was being questioned officially.
Keeping my tone calm and even, I stated my case.
"Why on earth would I want to blow up the garage? It's my job and the only chance I have of getting myself and your daughter the hell away from this shit town."
His face tightened at the mention of taking Ella with me and I smirked internally.
"A team of investigators will be examining the site. If you left any evidence, they'll find it," he sneered. "And then it'll be at least another decade before you get to show your nasty face around town again."
Letting him goad me into a fight wasn't an option. It was just what he wanted…the chance to yell for Al to come barreling in and catch me with my hands around his throat. Not gonna happen.
"Why did you lie about the letters?" I asked, my guts bubbling with anger even though I didn't let it show.
He shrugged. "It's my word against yours. Besides, how many people do you think will believe you over me?"
"That doesn't explain why you told Ella you hadn't seen them," I snorted.
"Look, Cullen," he snarled, growing tired of our game of cat and mouse. "That place didn't just burn down by accident and you're the one with a criminal record. I won't try and second guess your motivation but I will do whatever it takes to get you out of my hair."
He stood abruptly, the legs of his chair scraping on the linoleum and, with his threat hanging in the air, left me alone to stew.
Not long afterwards, I heard Mom's voice at the front desk demanding to see me and sighed heavily.
Seeing her through these bars would stir long buried emotions on both sides. We'd been here once before six or maybe it was closer to seven years ago? The night I'd dealt my retribution to Royce King.
Soon, I could hear her footsteps closing in and I dragged my palms over my face. A fresh-faced cop I didn't recognize escorted her and annoyingly hung around to listen in on our conversation.
"Edward?" she quavered, seeing me once more through a screen of iron bars, and tried to hold herself together. "They're telling me you're under arrest."
She looked so fucking sad. I flexed my jaw hating to be the one to make her feel like this again. She raised one hand, her fingers touching gently at the cool metal bars, her way of tentatively reaching out to comfort me, maybe.
"They're clutching at straws. They can't have any evidence, Mom. I didn't do anything wrong," I swore.
"I'm going to call a lawyer. This is pure victimization," she sniffed.
Tell me something I didn't know. This had to be about Chief Swan pissing higher than me but having a lawyer get me out sooner rather than later might not be such a bad idea. I nodded.
"Why didn't you tell me? I could've been here earlier," she asked, sounding stung.
"Because I didn't want to worry you. There's no evidence so they'll have to let me go eventually," I assured her.
At least, I hoped they would.
"So, if Ella hadn't come over and let me know, I'd still be thinking you were sitting up at the hospital with your boss?" she retorted.
Ouch! A twinge of guilt, she was my mother after all. Saying I didn't want to worry her was only convincing up to a point. Truth was, I didn't tell her because I didn't want her coming down to the hospital and causing a scene. I might have guessed my girl would fill her in.
"How was she doing?" I asked, and she knew I didn't mean Rose.
"She came over this morning looking wretched and really upset." She paused to look around before continuing. "She told me she's never going back to her father's house and...and, between you and me, I think she was planning on sleeping in her truck so I told her she could stay in your room until she finds something more permanent."
There it was again, the urge to punch the chief square in the jaw. I hated the thought of her being that miserable for any reason and I sure as hell didn't like her being homeless, or maybe sleeping at the bar. As it was, I couldn't think of a better place for her to be while I was stuck in here than tucked up safe in my bed, away from her conniving father.
"Thank you," I said simply and sagged back against the wall.
"My poor boy. I hate seeing you like this." A look of determination painted over the strain in her features. "I'm going to speak to someone and see if I can get you some help. I'll be back as soon as I can."
Her hand fell away from the bars as she hitched her purse higher on her shoulder preparing to leave.
"Mom," I called out, surprising myself with the urgency in my tone.
She turned to face me, an expectant look on her face. Shit, this was going to be awkward for me to say out loud but everything told me I had to speak.
"Look after Ella, please. She's um...well, she's kinda special to me."
"I will," she said, her stance softening. "And I know she is. I'll see you later."
"Sure...and thanks."
Smiling a motherly smile, she left and I flopped back on the mattress, one arm slung over my eyes to block out the truth of my surroundings. Most people would have been freaking out by now but not me. I knew once the bony fingers of the justice system had a tight grip on your nuts they wouldn't let go without a fight. I just had to wait it out and hope nothing remotely incriminating turned up in the rubble of the garage.
My thoughts inevitably turned to Ella and I wondered if she would try and see me again. Spending hours in that cell without any real interaction with anyone was grim and seeing her face or getting to touch her would give me something to cling to.
Eventually, boredom won out and I found my eyes drifting closed. I was just sliding under the spell of sleep when a clamor of voices filtered through pulling me back to the present.
"Cullen, wake up. You've got visitors."
The cop I didn't recognize was unlocking the door and pulling me to my feet. Still groggy, I lurched along without question as he led me firmly into a separate side room and pressed me into a chair. I let my elbows rest on the edge of the table and my forehead drop into my hands.
As I hadn't been charged or even interviewed yet, I guessed the jury was still out over the cause of the fire. If it wasn't that, they were obviously just making me sweat.
"Mr. Cullen."
"Edward."
Two men entered. The second one I recognized as my parole officer, Brett Warner, whom I acknowledged with a curt nod of my head. I had no idea who the other one was, other than he looked very official, wearing a dark suit and carrying an expensive looking briefcase. He extended a hand to me.
"I'm Paul Lahote, Attorney at Law. Your mother called me earlier."
I sat a little straighter in the chair.
"Pleased to meet you," I replied. "But I'm not sure what you can do. I didn't torch the garage. Hell, I dragged Wilson out of the way and went back in for his car. I don't have any reason to want..."
"Edward," Brett interrupted and, for the first time, I noticed how serious he looked. More often than not, he was relaxed…pretending to be my best bud. "There's been a further development. That's why I'm here. Didn't Chief Swan explain?"
"Haven't seen him since this morning. What development?"
The men exchanged a glance and all the hairs on my body lifted. This wasn't going to be good news.
"Is Wilson okay? He hasn't..."
My voice trailed off and I swallowed hard, unable to finish the sentence. Brett shook his head.
"The Port Angeles police checked your bike over," Lahote said with raised eyebrows and I frowned.
"So?"
"They found the gun."
My eyes widened in shock.
"What gun? I don't even own a gun."
Brett sighed. "Possession of a firearm is a parole violation. We've discussed this several times..."
"You're not listening," I yelled. "I don't own a fucking gun. It's not mine…someone must've put it there."
"And why would anyone do that?"
"Because someone wants me locked up again! Hey, did they even have a warrant?"
I dragged my fingers through my hair, my mind running at a hundred miles an hour. My first guess was Charlie Swan who had access to guns and who could easily have arranged something while I was in the hospital last night.
"A warrant was issued earlier today," Lahote stated. "Both your home and your bike were searched."
"My home!?"
Shit! I had nothing to hide except a stash of vintage porn but imagining a bunch of cops rifling through my stuff, not to mention how it would affect Rose and Mom, had my blood boiling.
"Mom never said anything about a search when she came to see me," I gulped.
"No, they were there when she got home from visiting you. That's when she called my office." Lahote tapped his pen on the table. "Your mother doesn't believe you own a weapon either."
I rolled my eyes. "That's what I told you."
"And your girlfriend said she'd be happy to testify it wasn't in the saddlebag when she put her helmet in there before you left for work."
My heart fluttered. I'd completely forgotten Ella had used the saddlebag that morning when I'd dropped her off.
"The gun will, of course, be tested for prints and, naturally, I've asked for a full copy of the report."
From the way Lahote was talking, it sounded like he believed me and my panic was starting to ease.
"Edward," Brett spoke up. "This is still a violation of the terms of your early release."
"But I'm innocent!" I shouted.
"Maybe, but these things take time to prove. In the meantime, it's enough to send you back to prison."
Fuck!
A wave of panic swelled in my chest. I wasn't all that scared of going back inside but I was absolutely terrified of losing touch with my newly forged life. I didn't want to be away from Ella or Wilson. Then there was Rose's treatment and Mom. People I loved would all hurt at my re-incarceration.
I could only hope this Lahote dude was better than my last lawyer.
A/N - Our boy's going back to prison. Yelling, crying and death threats go in the box. On the plus side, we all remember who's gonna be waiting for him there, right?
Until next week.
Claire x
