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I
sat in the waiting room with Nathan. He was briefing me before the arraignment case. He told me that my role in this would not be crucial but would come in at the time of testimonies. I listened to his briefing and then asked him, "Nathan, I know we just met, and it is kind of unseemly, but may I ask you a favor?" He looked taken aback by my request.
He thought for a moment. I think he was trying to figure out what I would ask. Then, he nodded as if urging me to go ahead. "Before his final moments, Andrew left me a letter along with a birth certificate. In the letter, he said he found some documents that my father left behind in a seam in the curtain in his room. Andrew himself could not understand what the documents said, but I think I might be able to.
Could you retrieve those documents for me? I realize that it is a lot to ask of someone who is a stranger, but it would be of great help if you could get them for me." I watched his reaction as I waited for his reply. He looked to be in deep thought as he contemplated his next move. Then, finally, he looked up and said, "I will retrieve them for you, but you will not be able to keep them in your cell.
I will bring the documents with me, and you will go through them in my presence, and then I will take them back with me as well. Can you trust me enough for that?" I nodded my head. After explaining the address to him, I bid him farewell and was escorted back to my cell. I think Detective Ocon had grown suspicious of the female officer who was bringing me my food earlier because, after my first meeting with Nathan, a new officer was assigned to me. She refused to look at me or acknowledge my presence at all times. Orders.
Detective Ocon visited me in the cell again that night. I was lying down on my mattress trying to sleep when I heard someone opening the door to the cell. He walked so silently that I failed to hear his footsteps. I sat up as he walked in, refusing to look at me. “To what do I owe the honor?” I asked him. I knew he had reasons to be biased against me, I knew he had his own trauma, but it was not fair to me.
I was not some sacrificial goat that he could use to take revenge for his brother. I was in no way related to that crime, and I refused to be baited for it. I was done being nice. “You are awfully calm for a murderer.” I scoffed. “As an officer of the law, it is quite unethical for you to simply assume my guilt without even knowing me.
I get you to have reason to doubt me, but it is your duty to give me an unbiased platform to rest my case.” He stared at me, the resentment in his eyes shining brighter than ever. "I may not know you, but I have known people like you. Your decision is for the judge and the jury to make, not me. So, prepare that speech for the trial.
All I am here to inform you about today is that we are going to question you in two days. If you want your attorney there, then inform him through an officer and have him be there at the exact time." He turned around and left after that. I had to let Nathan know beforehand so we could prepare my answers.
I was not about to tell the police the whole truth and have them think me a fool. With that thought in mind, I lay down on the mattress again. However, I was scared of sleeping now. I did not know when he would come back. After seeing my father, I could blame him. After seeing Andrew, I had no one to blame but myself. With that thought in mind, I stayed awake till I could hear the birds chirp.
I entered the visiting room the next morning, hoping to see Nathan. Instead, I found Annette sitting there. Something was wrong. She did not look like her usual self. Her usually cleanly parted hair was a mess, and she looked like she had lost weight. Did I do that to her? The guilt consumed my entire heart as I sat down in front of her, unable to look her in the eye.
She smiled at me and then said, “Did you like the food?” I expected her to yell at me, call me names, and tell me that I am a horrible human being; instead, she chose to ask about my well-being. “I loved it. I still have not forgotten the taste.” “Good, because I brought more today,” she said as she grinned at me. I knew she wanted to ask me about the certificate. Yet, she was waiting for me to bring up the topic so she would not touch upon something that may trigger me.
How could I have been so harsh towards her? Before she could speak, I said, “I know you have questions. But the truth is, Annette, I am unable to tell you anything right now. I do not have the full mental picture myself. I wish I could help you; I really do. I know you are anxious but just wait a little more. Trust me.” The way she looked at me was so earnest, so raw. She nodded. “So, tell me, what is going on outside?” She smiled at that and began talking.
Nathan came with a surprise. He had already visited my ancestral home and brought back the documents. “Did you have a look at them?” I asked out of curiosity. He shook his head and placed them all neatly in front of me. He truly was professional. I began to go through them one by one.
Most of them were financial documents: insurance, lease, bank statements, etc. A document that transferred the ownership of the house to me, a document containing details of his copyrights for his books. Why would he keep all of these hidden? One document in particular caught my eye. It was about a transfer of ownership to a lady named Hannah. The place in itself was huge and located in one of the poshest parts of the country. I was puzzled.
He had never mentioned someone named Hannah. I also did not know he owned something luxurious back then. I picked up the document and studied it closely. Most of the wording was too technical for me to understand, so I passed it over to Nathan. He went over it once and then said, “Your father transferred a house to someone called Hannah about 30 years ago. It does not seem to me like they had any legal relationship with each other. The house also seems to be a very expensive piece of property. Of course, it does not state the reason for it.
Do you know who this person might be?” I shook my head no and once again looked at the piece of paper. The address of the house is given below. I decided I would go there once I had my bail. I looked up to see Nathan staring at another document. I followed his gaze to one that looked quite a bit older than the others. I picked it up and went through it. It was a document permitting the construction of a nursery.
What is puzzling is the address was the same as the house. Did Dad run a nursery? Is Hannah the lady who was there when Sophia went missing? The gnawing feeling that Sophia is in my hands yet out of reach is now overwhelming. I gave the documents back to Nathan and asked him to keep them safe for me. He then proceeded to explain the arraignment and then bail to me. We discussed the judge and the jury.
Nathan explained that he had handled trials in front of the judge a couple of times and knew his temperament. He was fairly nonchalant but professional in his career. The jury, on the other hand, could present a problem. It is easy to persuade the jury through an emotional card. Our best course of action would be to appeal to their humanity.
Our best-case scenario is to present a girl wrecked by emotional grief over the loss of her boyfriend being falsely accused by the police due to their own incompetence of not having found a credible suspect. He told me he would prep me even on how to sit or look in court. According to him, we were not only fighting a case in court, but we were also playing a part and narrating a play.
