Chapter 72: Crime and Time
"Y-You mean she's not here?!" Emma gasps.
Jack is completely astonished as he looks at his friends through the bars of his cell. He has tears forming in his bright blue eyes. His knuckles turn white as he grasps the bars.
"Why would she be here? I wouldn't want my pregnant wife to be anywhere near this place without proper security. You mean to tell me she's not with you."
"She ran off after you were arrested a-and we can't find her…"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T FIND HER?!" Jack shouts.
"She vanished in the church parking lot," Peter explains, running a hand through his styled blonde hair. "All we found was her veil and Emma's comb. We thought she might've called a taxi to get here."
Jack begins to shake, not just in anger but in fear. The bars practically rattle in his tightened grasp. "She… She's not here and she hasn't been here for the past few hours! Not that I would know, I was locked in an interrogation room and here for all of it."
Everyone's hearts drop into their stomachs, they feel dread flow through them like it was coursing through their veins.
"We have to get you out of here," Emma says, trying for the moment to ignore the much larger problem that hovers over them.
"YOU CAN'T WORRY ABOUT ME, YOU HAVE TO FIND ROSE, SHE'S CARRYING OUR BABY FOR GOD'S SAKE!"
Peter chews on his lip for a long time while Emma bites at her manicured nails. She then turns to her would-be husband. All are shaking with worry and terror. Emma knows that deep down that something is very wrong, her vision has likely come true and Rose is in grave danger. "You find out how to bail Jack out and convince the chief otherwise. I'm going to call home to see if she's there or if she's still at the church. She might be with Molly, trying to get here…"
A shadow of doubt and dread hangs over them as the couple splits up to do their assigned duties.
…
"Holly, is Rose there?" Emma chokes out when the woman who was supposed to be her sister-in-law answers their house phone. She stands in a quieter corner of the station, making as many phone calls as she possibly can, in search of her best friend.
"No, we thought she was with you…"
Emma's stomach drops. She can hear the concerned conversations going on in the background and little Thomas crying in confusion and despair.
"Who is at the house right now?"
"My parents, Ruth, Molly Brown, Mr. Jamieson and his family, Wendy, Tommy and a few other people."
"Is Sybil with you?"
"Carl just put her down for a nap; she woke up not long after you left in the car and became upset by all the chaos. I think she misses you and knew something was wrong."
"And you're sure Rose isn't there?"
"We're positive. Carl and Mr. Jamieson are rallying up the neighbours to begin looking for her."
"T-The sooner the better," the young female lawyer says.
"How is Jack doing?"
"He's worried about Rose when he should be worried about himself too."
"What is he accused of?"
"Attempted murder, rape causing pregnancy, child abduction, and assault."
"Wha…How What How?" Holly stammers. "Who would think such a thing?"
"I don't know. But the chief is saying that he needs to pay for the crimes that occurred on the Titanic."
"But you said he didn't commit those crimes."
"He didn't it was Ca…" Emma stops short. She realizes who sent the tip. "That bastard!"
"WHO?"
"I need to talk to the chief. Call the station if you find Rose…"
"But…"
Emma hangs up and rushes through the busy station, trying to get to the chief's office. She barges in without knocking.
"What… Miss Carson…"
"I know who turned Jack in."
"How could you know, it was anonymous."
"Because all the crimes that Jack Dawson is accused of were committed by someone else."
"And who might that be?"
"Caledon Hockley."
The officer stares at her in confusion.
"Who?"
"A pompous bastard of a man who would do anything to get rid of Jack and get his former fiancée back."
"And who might that be?"
"Caledon Hockley."
"The steel tycoon?"
"The only one there is."
"But why would this man want to turn in Jack Dawson."
Emma spends the next half-hour explaining what happened on the ill-fated ship, the forbidden love, the abduction, the violent confrontation, the daring rescues and the dark ocean that almost took all of them.
"That is quite the story. It sounds like a tale of a romantic novel or an expensive and epic moving picture show."
"It's the truth."
"And where is this Mr. Hockley now?"
"How the heck should I know? I established a restraining order against him for me and my family."
"Do you honestly believe that Caledon Hockley, a highly respected businessman, and wealthy business tycoon would sink so low as to turn an innocent man into the police, on his wedding day no less? And do you think he would risk violating the order you filed just to do so?"
"Did you not hear the story? He'd do anything to come out on top. He kidnapped my baby sister!"
"But there is no evidence to back up your claims. Like you said before, most of the witnesses went down with the ship."
"Oh, there is a lot of evidence just you wait."
"Yes, I will wait, in court."
Emma opens her mouth to speak, but the chief cuts her off. "I won't have any more of this Miss Carson. Bring it up with a legitimate and respected lawyer. If you want to accuse Mr. Hockley of such crimes, you can do it on your own time, but as of this moment, you should be figuring out how to defend your client in front of a federal judge… Until then, Mr. Dawson will remain where he is until a judge posts his bail."
Emma's face goes completely red and it takes all her strength not to slap this man in the face or hit something else. Here she was, trying to get one friend out of jail, while the other is missing and likely in even more trouble. She bites her lip hard enough to bleed as she backs away and exits the office. Her anger is boiling inside of her. She's trying to remain composed, but it's becoming more and more difficult. She definitely did not have her father's professional self-control, especially when handling cases that she was passionate about. She wished beyond all measure that her father was here right now, to help her because she needed it more than ever.
She goes across the station, still in her wedding dress. She goes back to the block of cells where Jack is being held. She can feel tears filling her eyes as she looks towards her fiancé and her dear friend. Both men are talking, Peter trying to get an official statement from Jack. When both men see her, they stand. They try to smile at her.
"Is she at home?" Jack asks.
Emma shakes her head. "Carl and the other men are looking around the neighbourhood and by the church."
"What about getting Jack out?" Peter asks.
"We have to take the request for bail before a federal judge, until then…" she swallows hard. "Jack has to stay in here."
"WHAT?!" Jack hollers. The young artist punches the bars of his cell, likely cracking a few knuckles as he does so. Tears flow down his face and he paces even faster from one end of this prison to the other. He can't stay in here, not with Rose missing. Had she run away because she was so distressed? Has she been arrested herself and being held elsewhere? Had she been grabbed by some maniac?
His mind races, thinking of all the possible outcomes, his hands shake in rage and confusion, his thoughts thinking about Rose's helpless face, the pain she might be in, the danger to her life… and the life of their child.
Eventually, he wears himself up to sit down, putting his face in his hands. Peter has a strong arm around Emma as the two sit and watch their friend in agony, even though the blonde lawyer is breaking up inside too. He tried to remain poised for Emma's sake. The two lawyers are so torn about what to do, not really sure which of their friends was in more trouble.
Suddenly, Emma snaps into action, remembering what she'd figured out earlier.
"We may not be able to get you out yet, but I do know who turned you in."
"I think I know too," Jack says, looking up at his friends. "When I heard what I was accused of, I knew I didn't do those things, but someone else did. Someone who has a score to settle with me."
"Someone who hates us with a passion and would do anything to ruin your life," Peter adds.
"Someone who turned into a monster because of jealousy and wants you out of the way so he can get Rose back."
They don't even have to say it out, they are all thinking it.
Two words, two names that at this moment can mean pure evil.
Caledon Hockley.
Sorry if this chapter is mediocre at best. It's mostly filler at this point. Please read and review