Arraignment

I

decided to fight. I was not going to go down easily. I will get Andrew justice. I will prove my innocence. I will get his name out of here. I paced around my cell, thinking of my next move. I had enough savings to afford a good attorney. I had to figure out a way to contact one and research. A pang of guilt went through my heart as I thought about Annette.

I should not have said all that to her. She did not deserve it. My biggest problem was the lack of any other suspect. I knew they did not have enough evidence to be prosecuted as of yet. I needed to figure everything out before the trial started so I may have a suspect on hand.

First, I needed to go through arraignment before I could apply for bail. But I was going around in a circle. I still had no idea who to call. I sat down in my cell with my head against the wall. I began to hear footsteps coming from the other end of the hall.

The same woman came with a tray in her hand; however, the food smelled different. It smelled aromatic; it smelled like home. She opened the cell door and entered. "You look better today. This was dropped off by your friend the other day.

The police refused to get this to you, but your friend is smart. She brought separate containers for the entire force. This was kept aside for you." She put the tray down beside me. Just as I was about to say thank you, she turned around and left in hurried steps. She still refused to look straight into my eyes. Detective Ocon certainly has an influence.

I sighed and picked up the tray. The metal tray was hot because of the food. I smiled at her small but thoughtful gesture: she heated up the food for me. On the tray sat fried rice, sweet and sour chicken along with fried chicken and sauteed vegetables. I wanted to cry. How could I have done that to her? I took a spoonful of the rice and was overcome with emotion. It tasted like Father’s. She never met the guy, but it tasted like his food. I savored every mouthful of the cooked deliciousness.

"Ms. Victoria Frietz? Hello, I am your attorney, Nathan Stuart. Please take a seat," I shook his hand and sat down. I contacted the university administration for attorney purposes. I still have not heard back from Annette. Attorney Nathan was one of the most well-known attorneys in criminal law. I knew about him through a case that became quite famous a few years back. A woman filed a marital rape case in court.

Marital rape cases in themselves are hard to prove, but her case was quite peculiar. She had been married for 25 years and claimed not to know that marital rape existed. The lack of evidence was pitting the case in her husband's favor. Then, she switched her attorney to Nathan. I do not know how he did it or what he did, but she won the case, and the case was closed in a month. "Ms. Frietz..." "Please, call me Victoria." "Victoria, first of all, you do not need to speak to the police or answer any questions when I am not around.

Anything you say can be and will be used against you in court. I went through the evidence concerning your case. It is quite obvious that the evidence against you is not enough for a life sentence; however, depending on the prosecutor, a well-made case can still make you vulnerable to some felonies. The only evidence against you is the pocketknife found beside Mr. Andrew's body.

No fingerprints were found on the knife. The police also do not have any motive for you killing him. Now, I will need you to be completely honest with me regarding any and all events leading up to Mr. Andrew's death. If you cannot be honest, then I am sorry, but I will not be able to be of any assistance to you.

If you cannot be honest with me, then you should tell me now, so we do not waste your or my time." He spoke in a monotone, professional voice. It dripped with confidence and self-assurance. Can I be honest with him? I was not sure. But he is also my best hope of getting out of here. I felt his gray-blue eyes boring into my soul as he waited for my answer. "I can be honest, but you are going to need to be patient with me.

There is a lot of stuff there, and I do not understand most of it myself. However, I require your assistance. I need to get out of here however I can and find the person actually responsible for Andrew's death." He looked taken aback by my response. I had lost weight in the past couple of days. My cheeks had sunken, and dark circles covered my eyes. I think he did not expect to see any resolve within me, but I was determined. For myself and for Andrew, I will get myself out of here.

I finished telling him everything. For my own benefit, I needed to be honest. "And you have no idea who this lady could possibly be? She has been stalking you for a while and knew about Andrew. Not only that, but she also knew you were trying to uncover your father's past and the link to Sophia; surely this has to be someone close to you." I shook my head no. It was a possibility I had considered.

However, there weren’t many women I knew in my life altogether. And I had lost contact with all of them a long time ago, an example being Mrs. Waltham. “I never had much female influence in my life due to the lack of female relations with my dad. Even if I did know any, most of them are either dead or live far away. So no, it cannot be anyone I know.” Nathan got quiet for a moment.

I could sense the wheels in his head turning. Then, he looked at me and said, "Could it be someone you knew as a child? You clearly have a past you have no knowledge about and your father, too, has many secrets. So, the possibility of it being someone you know might not be that far from the truth." He was smart. Really smart. He figured out in a second what I could not figure out in months. Then, a possibility hit me.

Could it be my own mother? But that's silly; I do not even know who my mother is, where she lives, or if she is even alive. I was making guesses based on a random photo album. I heard metal scratching against the marble as Nathan got up. "I do not think I will be relying on whether we can come up with another suspect or not. I will build your case around the lack of evidence and motive. We have a court hearing a week from now for your arraignment, and after that, I will apply for your bail.

After you receive bail, you can continue your search for this person. Till then, do not disclose any information to any person beyond me, no matter how much you trust them. We do not yet know who can and will betray you. It is too early to remove the suspicion of it being someone you know right now altogether. So, stay alert till we meet again." The female warden escorted me back to my cell.

My sleep paralysis was back. Only this time, I did not recognize my surroundings and could not help but feel terrified. The weight on my chest felt heavier than before. My eyes fluttered open and closed as I tried to make sense of this feeling. The unrest in my chest got progressively worse as I tried harder and harder against my own body to pull myself up.

One thing had changed drastically; my demon had shifted from taking the face of my father to that of Andrew. I was so scared. Please, I cannot take this. I tried to scream for help as I saw his face looking at me with resentment. I was right; he blamed me. No. No, Victoria, this is not him; this is your own brain playing tricks on you.

But I could not help him, and I saw his face everywhere. He hates me. I want to run. I was out of breath. My fingers slowly began to move again. I sat up abruptly, trying to catch my breath. I promised myself I would not cry again, but I could not help it anymore. I was so alone. I could not see his face anymore. So alone.