Tuesday, August 28th – 2:41 pm
“I tried to get here sooner, but it was impossible until after your arraignment,” Gabriel murmured into the speaker embedded in a partition between the visitation stations.
Luys stared at his brother sitting across from him in a metal chair through the polycarbonate glass separating them. Gabriel’s visit flooded him with a mix of contradictory emotions. There was relief, of course, at seeing a familiar face, of having support, but there was also frustration at himself and the situation.
“Thank you, but you shouldn’t have come. It’s not safe. If Mayor discovers you’re in the city, she’ll follow you back. She has an unhealthy fascination with Nicole. I can’t understand that she believes she’s the reincarnate of Maria and—”
“I know, and I’ll take precautions. There’s no way I’ll let Mayor in the same state as Nicole.”
Luys frowned. “Don’t underestimate her.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll not make the same mistake. The woman I love and her daughter almost died because I didn’t take Mayor’s powers seriously enough. That won’t happen again. Too many lives are in jeopardy.”
“I need you to check on a cat in my condo. No one’s been there for several days.”
“A cat? I dropped by yesterday to make sure everything was okay. There was no cat. Or any sign of a food dish or water.”
“Hmm. Avery must have taken her then. That’s the only explanation I have.”
“I would have come across an animal. I was thorough checking for signs that Mayor might have been inside.” Gabriel's gaze darkened as he searched his face. “Why, Luys?”
He didn’t have to ask what his brother meant. “I didn’t murder Noah Harris.”
“I know that.” Gabriel’s brow dipped. “There’s obviously some mistake.”
Luys gave himself a depreciating smile. “Of the three of us, I never thought I would be the one behind bars.”
His brother didn’t smile back. “Why did they arrest you? They must have something on you.”
“No one’s told me anything.” The public defender doesn’t have any discovery yet.” He drummed his fingers on his side of the counter. “All I can think of is somehow someone planted DNA or my fingerprints in his condo.”
“Do you know who?”
“Other than Mayor? No. It seems she left you to find me. She expected an apology for binding her with mercury and keeping her trapped all these years. She also thought I would excuse her behavior. Unless that’s a ruse, and she’s seeking revenge against me.”
Gabriel shook his head. “But why go to such lengths? If she’d wanted to, she could have slowly tortured and killed you.”
“I don’t know what to think. I do know she considers me the favorite between the two of us.” Luys grunted. “You know she loves her games.”
“But she has never gone after you, not as she has with me.”
“There’s always a first time. From the moment she arrived, she’s been nothing but trouble.” He shifted and glanced over his shoulder. Two uniform guards stood against the wall behind him and bracketed him on both sides. Neither were looking his way, but that didn’t mean they weren’t listening. He knew the phone line was being monitored by someone in another room. “The woman from the hospital…”
“Yes?”
“Mayor found a way to turn her. Unlike all the others, she succeeded this time.”
Gabriel sucked in a breath. “Are you sure?” He looked over Luys’ shoulder at the guards before returning his gaze to him. “And the woman? Has she recovered?”
Luys tried to phrase his words so only Gabriel could understand. “Yes. She’s different. Her hearing…”
“Has she changed in other ways? She hasn’t become seduced by what Mayor is?”
“God’s teeth, no. She can’t stand Mayor…or me for that matter.”
“This woman could be the beginning of something far worse. Maybe that’s why Mayor has you here.” Gabriel rubbed at his jaw. “I wish we knew what she planned.”
“Me too. At least the public defender assigned to me seems smart and experienced.”
Gabriel snorted. “I’m sure he or she is, but I retained a reputable attorney who will fight for you. Money’s always a great motivator. And as for leaving you to this battle on your own, that’s not an option.”
Luys’ lips firmed. “I think you’re making a mistake. You should leave before she finds out you’re here.”
“I’ll leave soon enough. I wanted to ensure you were okay with my own eyes and in capable hands. Jeff Peters’ office will contact you later today if he doesn’t himself. If you’re unable to contact me, go through him. He has my number but little else.”
“Things will work out,” Luys insisted. “I’ll be found innocent.”
“Don’t sound too confident. I’m not getting a good feeling.” Gabriel’s expression darkened. “Holy Mother. Why did you let them take you? There must have been an opportunity….” Gabriel swore under his breath.
Luys sighed deeply and shook his head. “And start over again? I’m tired of moving.”
“Staying for any length of time isn’t an option.”
Luys looked on either side of him and the other inmates in orange. He’d become caged, like when he had first landed on the continent. It wasn’t hard to find it ironic how life seemed to have come full circle.
“Luys, you know eventually you’ll have to uproot. People will wonder…your age, how young you look—”
“You don’t have to tell me something I don’t already know.” Luys warned, “This isn’t the place.”
“Yes, of course. But I suspect you being here has nothing to do with hating the idea of moving again but everything to do with the woman. The one Mayor—”
“No! She has nothing to do with me being here.” His brother didn’t need to know about his non-existent relationship with Avery. Any feelings she had for him were dead and turned to ash. She thought him a killer.
“You protest too strongly.” This time it was Gabriel who sighed. “I’m not one to talk. Love. It comes into one's life when it’s the least convenient.” He drummed his fingers against the counter. “I hope this woman will not betray you like the last.”
“I’m the one who betrayed her,” Luys argued, hating being reminded of another time, another woman he’d made the mistake of trusting and falling for. Had it been only ten years ago? Silvia, blue eyes, chestnut hair, and a mischievous smile. He’d let himself get caught up in how she floated through life, believing how things always worked out in the end. Her optimism had captivated him, and he’d found himself believing in her to his detriment. When she’d learned of his powers and lifespan, she’d turned against Luys, completely disgusted with everything about him. Her fear of him had cut deeply. He had been lucky then that she hadn’t revealed his secret or tried to prove to others what and who he really was.
He thanked God he had his brother whom he could trust, but the idea of Gabriel thinking he might be guilty made his stomach knot. “I’m not a murderer. I didn’t do it.”
Gabriel laughed. “Of course you didn’t. Anyone who knows you and thinks that is a fool.” His expression turned grave. “We will get you out. Hopefully through the court system.”
But through other means, if necessary, was his brother’s implication. Luys smiled without humor. “We shall see.”
“I’ll keep in touch.” His brother slapped the counter. “You’re in expert hands with Peters.”
Gabriel stepped from the booth, and one of the guards on the other side of the polycarbonate glass led Gabriel through the door and away from the visitation room. A door that led to freedom. A freedom Luys wondered if he’d ever find again.
Was that what Mayor had intended all this time? Have him locked up in prison with no hope of escape? Like he and Gabriel had locked her in that cave decades before? Maybe she lied to him about wanting an apology and to start anew. She always shocked him at her uncanny ability to maneuver and manipulate people with her sick games.
Mayor had struck her first move. He hoped it wasn’t checkmate.
He guessed only time would know.
Luys rose and followed one of the guards back to his cell.