Chapter 106: Chapter 106

Detective Leon did not even know what to do. How was he going to explain this to his colleagues and superiors back at the station? He had been so positive of James Wendover’s statement that all advice he had given him had fallen on deaf ears!

He believed the evidence before him and forgot the one thing that mattered, ’In the law court, the first person always sounded convincing before the counterargument was presented.’ As a detective, he should have taken the facts and worded them through legal ways, and then apprehended the culprit the legal way.

He had also forgotten the ’innocent until proven guilty’ analogy. He admitted that he had been prejudiced, thinking that the Thornstons had abused their power and were involved in many illegalities. Thinking back to his first few thoughts when Madam Geneva had marched up to him angry, he cringed.

It would be a miracle for him if they did not press charges against him. As usual, he had jumped ahead of himself and messed everything up just like he did five years ago. He took a meaningful look at James, almost letting his emotions get the better of him, because James had been involved in that case as well.

The one case that had been closed as solved but haunted him for the better part of the years following that. It made him see things that were not there and, sometimes, influenced his decisions so that he turned a blind eye to facts, wanting to get to the bottom of things that had no bottom, precisely like the situation he found himself in!

However, that got him thinking again and again on the same issue:

’What were the chances that whatever they had found then was not a lie as this case had turned out to be?’

"If you are done with your interrogation, leave this place!"

Geneva’s harsh words permeated his thoughts, and he couldn’t blame her. Geneva was somewhat angry and perplexed. The only person she could take it out on was the detective and James, and she did just that.

This made Leon feel small in his tall and bulky body. He lowered his head and accepted all the harshness because he had brought it upon himself.

’I’ll make this right!’

Turning her attention from the detective, who appeared to want to dig a hole and hide himself out of humiliation, she berated the next man, "James Wendover! I don’t know what our family has done to you to deserve this treatment from you after our hospitality.

I guess this is what they refer to when they talk about ungratefulness and biting the hand that fed you. I don’t even know how such a sweet girl like Shelby was raised in your household. I can only imagine that she has suffered greatly at your hands. I do not-"

"I-" James started, but he could not get the words out. He felt as if he was drowning. He was drowning in a humiliation that was even more than he had felt earlier that morning. He could not understand what was going on around him. This was supposed to be the smoothest of issues, but how did it turn out like that?

He couldn’t help but wonder. Nothing made sense then. He looked around from the angry detective who was trying to make amends and get into the good books of the Thornstons to the equally angry-looking older couple, and then his eyes landed on Ian. Ian smirked.

It was an emotion that spoke volumes. That lone emotion told James that he had not imagined nor made up what had happened. But then, how was he supposed to prove this? What exactly happened after he had left?

That blew James off. The slight uplift of Ian’s mouth, almost ridiculing James, made him lose his reasoning. He had forgotten that he was on the losing side of them. He wanted to march up to Ian and beat the hell out of him, but then, at least a tiny part of his brain told him that he would be squished up like an ant. The differences in their build were so great that James did not have the courage even to try to do what had been usually suggested to him by his mind.

He took one step forward and did a sharp turn; rather, he stormed up to Leon instead. James effectively blocked out Geneva’s angry words, too. He needed to see those documents for himself and snatched the papers from him, his eyes rigorously scanning the contents.

If James had not been there that morning and witnessed the murder himself, he would have believed these, too. He would have told himself that he was a liar and that did not settle down well with him. That thing was that Ian himself had not opened his mouth to vehemently deny any of the accusations. The people that James had been relying on to be witnesses had done that, just not in the way he had envisioned.

"Detective Leon, you can’t believe a word they say, th-"

"Mr Wendover, please respect yourself."

"What do you mean about that? I-"

Then James’ worst nightmare came true then and there.

"I am placing you under arrest for illicit drug use and defamation of ...."

James zoned out, his eyes wide, as the detective he had brought there proceeded to read him his rights to arrest him. He blinked several times as if doing that would miraculously reset everything back to the normal that he knew. Nothing worked even as the cold feeling of the cuffs settled around his wrists!

On the other part of town and the medical campus, a group of students sat together in one of the study rooms, trying to get their academic tasks done. The place was all quiet in the main library, and the occasional whispering was heard when someone wanted to discuss something.

Rocky and his colleagues sat in one of the study huddles so that they could work on their group task, but Rocky was not feeling up to it that day. His thoughts were all filled up with that of his crush, which was really no news when it came to Rocky. However, he wanted to see her. With each throb of the wound on his back, his thoughts seeped to her. It was a bit unconventional, but Rocky’s love for Ava was anything but conventional.

"Hey, Rocky! You need to snap your head on tight! What’s wrong with you? You are usually the most diligent, but you’ve been off these past few hours! We need to submit this assignment ASAP!"

"Huh? What did you say?"

"See guys? This is what I am referring to. There is something wrong with him."

"Guys, excuse me for a bit, okay?"

Rocky got his feet. Not even bothering with his books or backpack. He picked his phone and dashed out.

"Hey, Rocky! Don’t you dare leave! We will leave your name out of the groupwork if you go..."

"Why are you even saying that? He is long gone. I don’t think he even heard you."

"I’ll leave his name out. I can’t sit here all day to do this work while he takes credit for not doing anything!"

"Look at the pot calling the kettle black."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Isn’t Rocky the one who has been doing your part of all the group assignments we have been given in the past? There are times that we do not even contribute, so what the fuck is wrong with you? Do you even have the audacity to say that you will omit his name? Dare you do that?"

"What’s with this blame game? The past is different! Just because he did one assignment for me, doesn’t mean that he can slack off."

His friend’s mouth gaped open.

"Yeah, you wouldn’t be you if you didn’t say such stupid words. ... Come to think of it, do you guys know what might be wrong with him or what’s going on in that head of his?"

"The only thing that can move or even distract Rocky is his sister!"

They both said at the same time and chuckled.

"Yeah, it’s either his sister or his crush. Something may have happened. Let’s just wait for him to come around and no more threats of taking his name out of the assignments."

"Let me stop you right there! Isn’t he the one that got all the articles together? That is even more than half the work to be done so I say that he has done more than enough to be counted as part so please reserve your comments!"

Even though the student with the reservation still wanted to counter, he knew he was outnumbered, so he gritted his teeth and continued the work.

For some reason, Rocky had been unable to concentrate on anything since he returned from Ava. He tried to tuck the memory of her crying sounds out of his mind, but he couldn’t help but get more worried. He tried texting her several times during the day, but all had gone unanswered, so he decided to go to her to find out what was happening.

Very soon, his taxi pulled up outside the building that housed her small studio apartment. He took the stairs two at a time, arriving in front of her room in no time.

He knocked and waited, his anticipation growing until it all deflated as the door was opened.

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