Chapter 70 – Vulture Attack
Bella
Ugh, black. I had always hated wearing all black. It made my pale skin look eerily luminescent and almost gothic. However, that was what funerals usually warranted, so I pulled on the new black dress Alice had gotten for me. She and Rose had been extremely supportive, almost to the point of patronizing, which led me to believe they had spoken with Edward and Emmett about me. Even mom and dad were watching me like I was five again, and Esme and Carlisle had been by twice. I was humoring them all, for now, but this had to stop. I was not some fragile child who needed watching over. I knew their hearts were in the right place, though, so I played along…for now.
The past week had flown by in a blur. It was particularly useful having a friend who was close to several of the investigators on the case. Emmett had kept us informed about what was going on behind the scenes. Unfortunately, they were no closer to having any leads on a suspect, so some of the details were still being kept under wraps until more was known. There was some evidence that was still being analyzed, but nothing definitive had been determined. The waiting and worrying had taken a toll on both me and Edward, and I was glad we had someone to talk to. Edward had been seeing Father Lebuteur as well, and it seemed to be helping him. He really liked and trusted him, and it seemed the feeling was mutual.
I'd had my first couple of meetings with Father Lebuteur, and they had gone as well as I could have hoped for. I was still having nightmares and talking in my sleep, but thankfully, I hadn't said anything else that had upset Edward as badly as I had before, which was a great relief. I hated upsetting him with my macabre ramblings.
Father Lebuteur and I laughed about the location of his office, which was at the top of the second tower of the hospital. He had teasingly said it was so that he could be closer to God. It felt good to finally laugh. I had relaxed enough with Father Lebuteur that I was able to talk about my feelings concerning Laurant Dubois and the guilt I felt over what had happened. We even reminisced over a few shared memories of him from our childhood days together that had both of us in tears and giggles, sometimes simultaneously.
Even though I was supposed to go alone, I knew Edward was always just on the other side of the door waiting for me. He was sticking close to me anytime I was anywhere near the hospital these days, which was fine by me. When I walked out, he would sweep me up in his arms and hurry me off to lunch, Father Lebuteur laughing behind us and wishing us a good afternoon.
I had been able to put aside much of my guilt, but still, a part of me held on to the feeling that I had, at least in some small way, played a part in the tragedies that had ultimately claimed so many lives.
Sixteen children had died as a direct result of Laurant's dive off the bridge, as well as Laurant himself, and Dr. Stanley's death was likely related. Unfortunately, one more life had been added to the list two days ago. Laurant's mother had passed away. He had been extremely close with her, her only son. The doctors believed the stress over his death had brought on a heart attack. She had been cremated, same as Laurant, and they were both being memorialized today. I was determined to go pay my respects.
"Bella, are you sure you want to do this?" Edward asked, as he straightened his tie. I was prepared to go alone, but he insisted on going with me. "You're doing better now, and I don't want there to be any setbacks for you."
"This is important to me, and Father Lebuteur thinks it'll help me with closure, so I really want to go. I'll be fine, Edward." I finished dressing, and we hurried off to Children's hospital, where the memorial was being held in the Sanctuary.
There were many more people in attendance than I had anticipated, and the main parking lot was filling rapidly, making us grateful that Edward could park in the doctor and staff garage. Police were everywhere, keeping the press and the curious at bay, as the family had requested a private service, closed to the general public. As Edward and I passed through the crowd, a reporter grabbed my wrist roughly and spun me around, shouting questions at me, while his cameraman shoved his camera in my face to record my shocked expression, almost hitting me with it.
"Isabella Swan Masen, word has it that you're the person Laurant Dubois was in love with and killed himself over. It that true?" a rude, ruddy-faced fat behemoth of a man screeched loudly at me. I had seen him before at the hospital, trolling for sensationalism he could exploit in his trashy tabloid. Edward acted quickly, knocking the camera away from me and out of the cameraman's hands, where it hit the ground hard and broke. He then grabbed the reporter's arm and immediately disengaged his vice grip from my wrist and twisted it up behind his back before he knew what hit him.
"I'll have you arrested for assault for manhandling my wife!" Edward hissed at him, fury in his eyes and venom in his voice. My wrist ached where the guy had grabbed me and would probably bruise. "You'll be lucky if you have a job by the end of the day!" Edward growled, shoving the reporter away.
Fortunately, two of the police officers running security had seen the whole exchange and hauled the reporter and his cameraman away before Edward could make it necessary for them to need treatment at the hospital. Edward wrapped his arms around me and shielded me from any further media assaults, as we made our way past the frenzy.
"How did he even know who I was?" I wondered, as we made our way to the elevators. "As far as I know, no one knew anything about me but Laurant's family."
"I don't know," Edward said, "but I suspect he won't be the last buzzard looking for rotten meat, at least until the investigation is finalized. Every one of those other vultures out there heard him. I'll call Emmett when this is done and let him know we may need help keeping them away from the house," he sighed.
With everything we had going on, the last thing we needed was to be hounded by the media. I just hoped something broke soon that would have them running in another direction, preferably away from us.
