2.1 - Boiling Nightmares

     When I graduated high school, Khloe and Ryder had been gone for 2 years. Khloe went to study alchemy in Moonlight Falls, and Ryder went to get a head start on his acrobatic career in Riverview. They had moved on with their lives, leaving me here to live my teenage years on my own.

     When I was younger, I thought being the only child would be great. The parents only have to focus on one kid, and that means more attention, more love, and more stuff. But, when Khloe and Ryder both left, the house went quiet. Regardless, I've had a better relationship with my parents than I ever did when they were still living here. I knew I couldn't blame all of that on them, I was pretty screwed up in high school.

     In senior year, I fought like hell to get all my applications for college in. My parents(namely, my dad) wanted the three of us to grow up to be politicians or doctors. In fact, I expected the two of them to be either one or the other. Khloe, the teenage high school nerd, and Ryder, the boy wonder. Khloe made the best grades, but Ryder was perfect. Ryder was the football player/musician/brainiac 3000 that any parent would want to have. I guess growing up in my siblings' shadows was part of the reason why I was so messed up. Anyway, they're prized child grew up to be an acrobat, much to their dismay, so they weren't really pressuring me to go into anything specific, as long as they didn't end up with another acrobat.

     In the summer after senior year, I got a call from the university of Twinbrook, who had a killer architect program. suprisingly enough, they accepted me. I was to move in in the fall.

     Telling my parents that I got into college was the best part. Neither of their prized twin children went to college, so hearing that at least one of their kids were going to college would be music to their ears. My mom, needless to say, was ecstatic.

     "Vinny!" She shrieked. "I can't believe it! That's wonderful news!"

     My dad came rushing to the kitchen to see what the fuss was about.

     "Dad, I got accepted into TBU." I said, grinning from ear to ear.

     In an instant, my dad's eyes lit up as he threw his hands up in celebration. "Hallelujah!' He screamed.

     

     That night, we had a tiny celebration between the three of us. My mom made my favorite dinner: spaghetti with veggie sauce. During dinner, the three of us talked about what was going to happen after college, where I was going to live once I graduated, and so on.

     Khloe and Ryder both called me to congratulate me, and everything seemed like it was working out.

     After a couple of weeks, though, an old mistake came back to haunt me.

     Officer Kasmir, one of the police officers of Starlight shores, came to the door one morning.

     "Is this the residence of Grant Villiers?" she asked formally.

     "Uhm, yeah, he's my dad."

     Kasmir slowly nodded, then continued. "Do you mind if I come inside?"

     I slowly nodded, and let her in the door. She stepped in the living room and I closed the door.

     Dad walked over from the kitchen to the living room, eyes darting from me to Kasmir. "Good morning, officer."

     Kasmir saw Dad, and marched over to him. She flipped him around, and pulled handcuffs out of her pocket. My heart dropped as she read my father his miranda rights. "Grant Villiers, you are under arrest. Any thing you say can and will be used against you-"

     "Whoa, what?" I threw my hands up. "Why are you arresting him? Under what charges?"

     Kasmir looked straight in my eyes, and killed me inside with six words: "For the murder of Katie Reynolds."

     My dad was taken in to jail that night for a murder he didn't commit. My mother begged and pleaded with Kasmir to let him go, and that he didn't kill her. Kasmir said that they found a DNA sample on the body that they ran through, and Grant's name came up. They said he wasn't being taken to prison, at least until they definitely know who the killer is. He was taken in, leaving Mom and I dumbfounded. I didn't sleep at all that night. I knew this was going to come back to haunt me, and now they got the wrong person.

     Mom and I headed for the jailhouse the next morning, to check in on the situation. The police directed us to the second floor, where a man in a suit was waiting for us. He introduced himself as Ryan Richmond, Dad's lawyer.

     After the introductions, we got right down to business. "What are they accusing my husband of?" Mom asked, concerned.

     "Mrs. Villiers, your husband is being accused of the murder of Katie Reynolds, which is a murder that happened years ago. Witnesses saw three assailants murder the girl and then run off. For the longest time, they were never able to find any evidence for the murderer, since it happened during the winter, when the criminals were probably wearing mittens. The police had to reposess the girl's clothes after she died, and they spent years trying to find a DNA sample that might lead them to the killer. They ran the DNA sample through the police computer, and your husband's name came up."

     My mother looked back at him, horrified. "Are they completely sure it was my husband?"

     "To be honest, the DNA identifier does make mistakes. It only runs through people that are in the police computer, which means it doesn't necessarily have to be him. This is why they're questioning him before they decide to put him on trial."

     I nodded, remembering how Dad told us all about how he went to jail for public intoxication in high school, which explains why he was in the computer. My mom still wasn't settling. "What are the chances of this going to trial?"

     Richmond almost looked like he had a pained expression. "It depends on how well questioning goes, but because this case has been unrequited for about four years, the chances of this going to court are quite high. But, this is where I come in. I'm going to know today if they're taking him to court, and if they are, I am going to make sure he wins the case." Richmond said confidently.

     Richmond and my mother discussed more technicalities about the whole thing, and then the two of us headed home.

     Richmond called us later that day. He told us that they decided to take him to court.

     The next morning, Mom and I drove down to the station again to meet up with Richmond. Richmond was able to get Dad temporarily released from his cell so we could talk about what Dad and Richmond were going to say in court. We gathered around the table in the conference room, and Richmond kept standing. "Alright, we go to court in a couple of weeks. I swear, I'm going to fight my hardest to keep Grant out of jail, but we do need to decide on what we are going to do." Richmond walked over to Grant. "Have you decided what you're going to plea?"

     Dad paused for a second, then turned to look up at Richmond. "I didn't kill that girl. What do you think I'm gonna plea?"

     Richmond held his hands up in defense. "I believe you, Grant. As I told your wife, the identifier makes mistakes sometimes. Regardless, we need to figure out how we are going to defend ourselves. Did any of you know Ms. Reynolds personally?"

     "No." My dad immediately answered.

     Mom hesitated, and looked at Dad. "Actually, we did. She used to be best friends with our daughter, Khloe. I remember Khloe was heartbroken when she died. It was so sad."

     Richmond nodded. "Ok. Would Khloe have any reason to murder Katie?"

     Mom jumped, alarmed. "No! goodness, no. Khloe would never hurt anyone, let alone her best friend."

     Richmond turned to me. "Do you know anyone who might have had a problem with either your sister or Katie?"

     After the nightmares I had the previous night, I was having trouble processing what anyone was saying. After a few seconds, I managed a "No."

     Richmond nodded, and walked back over to the front of the table. "I'm going to get in contact with Khloe soon, Mrs. Villiers. We're going to get a plan together and we're going to inform both you and your husband." Richmond picked a pile of papers off of his desk and walked over to Mom. He handed her the papers and put his glasses on. "Before we end this, though, if there's anything any of you want to tell me about this case, now's the time. Any information would be crucial in the case."

     I deeply breathed, and when I exhaled, I said it. "I was there."

     Richmond and my parents both turned to face me, eyes wild.

     "I didn't kill her...but I was there when she died."

     

     I told them the entire story. I told them about how I was with Ella and Eli, and Ella started fighting with Katie, who had caused Ella trouble before. Eli and I tried stopping Ella, but she kept fighting her. Before we knew it, Ella had stabbed Katie. The three of us went home and that was that.

     Richmond tried processing all of this. "Where is this 'Ella' girl?"

     I shrugged. "She left town a while ago. I have no idea where she went. Eli either."

     Richmond nodded, irritated. "Ok. Did she have parents I can contact?"

     Mom listened intently, and quickly turned to me. "Ella? what's her full name?"

     I stared at her for a couple seconds. "I think her real name was...Grizella? Grizella Ghee?"

     Mom gasped, wide-eyed. "Okay." She paused for a few moments, then turned to Grant. "Joey's gone."

     Grant rubbed his brow. "Yeah. Gary is too."

     Richmond's eyes darted from my mom to my dad then back to me. "So, no parents then?"

     Mom shook her head.

     Richmond nodded. "Alright. If that's it, we'll call this meeting adjourned. I'll keep in touch with the both of you, and I'll get in contact with Khloe. We'll formulate a plan and we'll come back to you. We meet in court in two weeks."

     

     When the two weeks were up, everything was worked out. Richmond told us that he wasn't able to find the location of Grizella Ghee, or Eli Martinez. But, he also said he wasn't making me confess, either. He told us that Dad was going to keep the blame on his head, at least for a little while, and they had their own plan that was "confidential."

     The night before the court meeting, though, was completely silent. Mom and I went through dinner without a word.

     She didn't talk, and I didn't talk. The only thing that filled the silence was the sound of spoons hitting the bowls. We both had that awful feeling that Richmond's plan wasn't going to work.

     After we both finished, I cleared up the plates while Mom started walking to the living room. She made it about halfway before stopping and putting her head in her hands. The sobs weren't obvious at first, but they became more louder, as much as she was trying to hide it. I stopped what I was doing immediately, and I just watched her, trying to find the words. "I'm so sorry, mom." I finished cleaning, and walked to my room, leaving my mother in the kitchen.

     

     The next day was the court case. Mom and I sat next to each other, both anxious to get this over with. Regardless of Richmond's promises, he hasn't informed either Mom or me about the specifics of their plan, which worried me even more. Did the two of them even talk about it?

     Dad and Richmond stood on the defendant's side, with the chief of police and their lawyer on the plantiff's side.

      The judge walked in, and everyone stood. The judge made it over to the stand, and he called everyone to sit. "Alright, in the case of Grant Villiers, Mr. Richmond, how does the defendant plea?"
     Richmond started speaking, but Dad cut him off. He took a step forward, looked the judge straight in the eye, and spoke for him. "Guilty."

     The jury gasped, as well as several people in the audience, and Richmond stepped in front of Dad. "Your Honor, he didn't mean to say that."

     The judge looked at Richmond skeptically. "Your client has spoken, Richmond. He pleaded guilty." He looked towards the jury. "Are we done here?" When the jury nodded, he picked up his mallet. "In the case of Grant Villiers, the defendant is sentenced to 10-15 years in prison. Dismissed." The mallet slammed down.
     Dad rushed to come say goodbye to Mom and me one last time, but the police intercepted him. They turned him around and handcuffed him before carrying him back to jail. Mom sat next to me, sobbing hysterically. I just couldn't believe what happened. My dad took the blame. He knew I could go to jail and he took the blame anyway.

     I rushed into Richmond's office the next day. Richmond was at the computer, doing paperwork when I barged in. He looked at me and minimized whatever he was doing. "Oh, hello, Mr. Villiers." He turned to me. "Listen, I hope you know, what your father did wasn't the plan. I don't wanna say he blew it, but..." Richmond said, trailing off.

I nodded. "I understand."
"What can I do for you today?" Richmond asked.
I scratched my head. "The judge said he would be sentenced to ten years."
Richmond nodded. "Yes."
"Listen, I know you've helped us so much already," I trailed off, "But my dad can't stay in prison. He doesn't belong there. My mother won't survive ten years without him. I don't think he'll survive prison in the first place."
"What are you asking?"
"I want to know if there is any way I can somehow reduce his sentence." I finished.
Richmond shook his head. "Look-"
"Please. I can't let him take the fall for me. For ten years? I can't let him be in there for that long. If i could do community service, work for the police, anything to reduce his sentence? Please?
Richmond paused, and got back on his computer. He furiously started typing, and started talking to me. "Look, I feel for you, and I hate what happened to your dad, so I'm gonna help you out."
Instantly, my heart rose. "Really?"
Richmond nodded, and he turned back to me. "A good friend of mine is the chief of police in Bridgeport. He's had some trouble controlling the peace up there, and he needs an extra cop." When I tried to object, he stopped me. "I know you're not a cop. You don't need to be. If you take this, they'll provide a day of training before you actually go into the field. You'll be doing work for him with a partner of his picking. If you do this, I can pull some strings with the police here about reducing your father's sentence."
   

     "I'll do it." I finished, completely sure of what I was doing. I had to do this, for my parents. I wasn't going to let my father be stuck in jail for a full decade while my mother lives here alone. It wasn't going to happen, I was going to make sure of that.

     I got back home that night, and Mom was already asleep. I went in to check on her, and she had used tissues and empty glasses scattered around her room. I cleaned her room up, then I went to go pack. I bought a ticket for Bridgeport that left first thing in the morning, and I spent all night packing and getting ready. I couldn't take a whole lot so I tried fitting as much as I could into one suitcase. I wrote a letter to my mother when I was finished packing:

Mom,

I'm sorry I couldn't tell you in person, but I'm leaving for Bridgeport first thing in the morning.

I'm going to be working for the police to try and reduce Dad's sentence. Richmond should be getting

in touch with you about the technicalities. I won't be gone long, just for a little while until I can get Dad's sentence reduced. You can call me anytime, at least after I get off the plane.

I love you,

Vinny

     I took the note, and sneaked back up to my mother's room. When I opened her door, the sun was already starting to rise. It looked like she didn't even move throughout the entire night. I hoped she would get on fine living by herself for a little while, at least until I've done enough for the police. Still, I was worried for her.

     I walked over to the bedside table, and left the note beside her, so she would see it when she woke up. Realizing I was pressed for time, I hurried to the bedroom door, and looked towards my Mom, making one last mental goodbye.

     I quickly got in the taxi and headed for the airport. Bridgeport was my next destination.