Chapter 13 - Crimes
After what seemed like an eternity of lying in a hospital bed, Nick was finally able to walk again. His hands were bound tightly by chains that cut into his hands and wrists. A man of gigantic proportions shoved Nick down the hospital corridors, occasionally causing him to slam into walls or floors. Such was the treatment of a death-row prisoner.
As Nick and his tormentor walked towards the entrance to the hospital, he could hear the media being whipped up into a screaming frenzy. He looked towards the deserted reception. A lone telephone was left ringing with nobody there to answer it - everyone had been evacuated because of the murder suspect being relocated. A thin line of blood ran down the corridor in an irregular pattern. Only after the guard had turned him away did it occur to Nick that he himself had created this sick map of where he had been.
The doors slid open as the cameras started flashing. Nick could see his image reflected in the glass wall of the hospital. The time he had spent lying down and doing nothing had taken its toll - his emaciated figure looked as though it could barely support its own weight. His pale face was streaked with blood and framed with broken glasses. The mob was demanding answers from him, but he could only manage to answer with a quiet 'I'm innocent... White will prove you all wrong...'.
The guard pushed Nick into an armoured truck with excessive force. Nick lay on the floor of the truck, too weak to get back up, let alone protest. As the truck began to move, he began to feel increasingly light-headed. He welcomed unconsciousness with open arms.
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The door to Amber's apartment slammed open after being struck with incredible force.
"You bitch! YOU BITCH!!" Miles screamed as he stormed into the room. He held a gun in his outstretched hand, shaking as he aimed it at Amber's head. She backed into the corner, pleading for her life.
"Miles! What are you doing?!"
"Don't lie to me, Amber... I know what you and Nick didn't want me to!" Amber winced as soon as she heard these words.
"Please... I can ex-"
"SHUT UP!" Miles screamed as he pulled the trigger. Amber slumped to the ground silently. Miles looked at the scene he had created in horror. He had killed his own girlfriend... He began to weep and tried to think of what would happen now. Finding no way to escape from his conscience, he could think of only one option. Slowly, he raised the gun to his head and pulled the trigger.
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Clarissa continued to look around Miles Anderson's room as part of the investigation team. She had found nothing of interest in the desk with the exception of the diary. At a loss as to where she should begin searching next, she crashed out on the bed next to her. As she put her weight onto the bed, she felt something dig into her shoulder. Pulling back the covers, she looked in shock at what was hidden beneath them. A black handgun sat between the pillow and the wall. Clarissa picked it up timidly and placed it into a clear container for evidence. For a defence attorney, she was awfully scared of handling weapons.
Deciding to search the rest of the bed, Clarissa found other items stashed away inside. Money, notebooks... Cocaine? Clarissa hurriedly placed the bag of white powder into a box for evidence before someone could jump to the wrong conclusions. A small, torn-open envelope was hidden inside one of the pillowcases. The letter inside appeared to have been written in a rush with red ink:
"I know what you did. And rest assured I will see to it that you are punished for your sins by paying with your life."
Disturbed, she kept this in the evidence box. Looking at a death threat to a dead person made her feel inexplicably haunted.
End of chapter 13