by Nic Saint
Burt closed his mouth with a click, a hostile gleam in his eye. Finally, he hoisted himself up from the chair, and escorted Ramon over to the cell they’d decanted Eileen in.
The moment they were alone, Ramon reached out and drew her into his arms. The woman was quivering, and when she broke into sobs, he held her tighter still.
“Eileen, the cop in charge has assured me this situation won’t be resolved quickly. They intend to keep you here until such time as the case goes to trial.”
She raised a tearful face to him. “But why? I had nothing to do with this.” She buried her face in her hands. “Oh, poor Jacqueline. Whoever did this to her is a monster.”
He stared before him, grim-faced, then touched her shoulder and bade her to take a seat on the hard bench. He crouched down and held her face in his hands.
“Eileen, I promise I’ll do everything in my power to get you out of here, but I’m afraid there’s only one way to do this.” He quickly summed up his reasons. “You have no friends in this town, and your mother doesn’t have the means to help you. I’m all you’ve got and officer Howe has warned me to stay away.”
“Perhaps he’s right,” she said softly. “Perhaps you should stay far away from me, Ramon.”
“Never,” he growled.
“You have to think about yourself. Your good name.”
“I don’t give a hoot about my good name. All I care about is to see justice done, and the only way to do it is by becoming your husband.”
Her eyes widened in shock, and he took her hands in his, directing a pleading look at her. “Right now I’m just an outsider. A friend. There’s not much I can do. But the moment we marry, that all changes. As your husband I can help you. I’ll be able to visit you. I can arrange your defense. I…”
She shook her head vehemently. “Ramon, this is crazy. You barely know me. You-you can’t put your life on the line for me, your career… I won’t let you. I simply won’t.”
“As things stand, your lot is still linked with that of your ex-husband, a man who clearly means you harm. But if you let me, I can arrange for a swift divorce, if it hasn’t gone through yet, and then I’ll marry you myself. It might be the difference between life or death, Eileen.”
She was still shaking her head, the thought simply too much for her.
He gripped her hands in his. “I won’t take no for an answer. I am marrying you and getting you out of here, if it’s the last thing I do.”
With these words, he rose to his feet and strode to the door, then rapped it smartly.
Before he could walk out, she’d flung herself in his arms again, and pressed her lips to his. Hungrily, he savored her, claiming her mouth and clasping her to his chest in a desperate gesture. I love you, Eileen. The thought flashed through his mind, but he didn’t voice it. Love had no place in today’s proceedings. She was a woman in need and he was a man placed here by providence to supply the solution.
A marriage would benefit them both, he thought. She would have a protector on the outside, and he would link this desirable woman to him to satisfy the deep urges of his flesh. He wanted her more than he could put into words, but that was neither here nor there.
Before they parted, she looked up at him, despair written all over her face.
“Yes,” she urged. “Yes, I’ll do it, Ramon. If you can arrange for us to be married, I’ll say yes.” She pressed her lips to his again in a gesture of urgency, and as their tongues met in an intoxicating dance, he felt her bosom heaving against his chest, her body trembling with both fear and lust, and he knew the same emotions were mirrored within himself.
A cough behind him told him it was time to say goodbye, and when he reluctantly let her slip from his grip, he croaked, “You have my word, Eileen. I will take care of this.”
And with those words he was ushered from the small cell and away from the woman he loved. Or was it simply lust after all? Confused, he hurried out the station house. Whatever the case may be, he’d vowed to save her and save her he would.
Chapter 14
Eileen rested her burning brow against the cool sheet covering her simple cot. Prison. She’d been through a lot in her short life, but had never sunk as low as this.
And the most frustrating aspect of it was she had no clue as to what was going on.
All she knew was that poor Jacqueline was dead. She remembered the willowy lawyer well. Blond and capable, she was about her age, and had come highly recommended by her mother, whom she’d helped sort through some legal issues after her father’s untimely death five years before.
The woman had assured her she’d take care of all the paperwork involved in the divorce, and after she had appeared in court twice, expressing her intention to be permanently separated from Jack, Jacqueline had congratulated her and sent her the bill along with a legal document stating she was now officially divorced.
So what had happened? Had Jacqueline double-crossed her? But why? And how?
She let her eyes drift closed, resting on the thin mattress, and willing her mind to stop its endless cycle of guilt and recrimination. Finally, when the tailspin she found herself in wouldn’t stop, she placed her fingers together, folded her hands, and prayed.
Ramon, she thought. Ramon had proposed to marry her. She didn’t know why exactly he’d offered it, though she had a pretty good idea. He lusted after her body, just like all men did, and lust, she knew, was a very powerful elixir. Sex had a devastating effect on the male psyche, driving the species to rash acts of madness.
To some degree it gratified her that her sexuality had compelled Ramon to step into the breach, though on the other hand she feared the effect might wear thin all too soon. As long as it remained intact for now, though, she might benefit from it.
He wanted her, that much was obvious, and the more he lusted after her, the more he would move heaven and earth to spring her from prison.
For a very brief moment she’d thought he might perhaps love her, but now she knew he was just like all men, and like them, he would eventually disappoint her.
The sound of a key being turned in the lock freed her from the agony of pondering Ramon, and when she looked up, she found herself staring into the dispassionate gray eyes of Burt Howe.
She briefly wondered if she could perhaps seduce this man to show some remorse, but then decided against it. It was exactly the kind of behavior she’d been accused of in the recent past, and she wasn’t that woman.
Her head held high, she walked past the officer as he held the door, and escorted her to what looked like the same interrogation chamber as last time.
Only this time she was a prisoner, and not a free woman.
“Miss Stoker,” he began, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “Where were you last night between eleven and one o’clock?”
She briefly flashed back to Ramon and the passionate love they’d made. She eyed the policeman coldly, knowing he’d tell the story all over town the minute she discussed it with him.
But she had no choice. She had to tell the truth. “I was with Father Ramon,” she finally admitted.
The policeman’s brows rose. “And he will confirm this?”
“I’m sure he will.”
He made a brief note, then continued, “How do you account for the fact that your fingerprints were found on the weapon that killed Miss Doulard?”
“I… what weapon? You haven’t even told me what happened to… Jacqueline.”
The policeman placed a picture before her. On it was displayed a gun, placed in a clump of grass.
“Do you recognize this gun, Miss Stoker?”
“I don’t,” she said, horrified by the sight of the vile weapon. The policeman then placed a real gun on the table, wrapped in a plastic baggie. It looked identical to the one in the picture.
“We matched the fingerprints on this gun to yours, Eileen. A perfect match.”
Her mouth opened and closed a few times, then she swallowed, her throat dry. Directing a pleading look at the
policeman, she stammered, “I have no idea how that’s possible. I’ve never owned a gun, or touched one in my life. I-I would never hurt a soul, officer.” She stared at the weapon. “Never.”
“Then why are your fingerprints all over it?” he grunted as he drummed his fingers on the tabletop.
“Have you asked my husband where he was last night?” she suddenly burst out. “I’m sure he’s behind this whole thing.”
“I have. He was with some friends when it happened, and they all corroborate his story.”
She slumped, then thought of something else. “Perhaps he knew her. Have you checked into that? Perhaps Jack paid Jacqueline to mess up the divorce and then-then he killed her.” She displayed a confused frown. It didn’t make sense. Why would he go to all this trouble just to frame her?
“Your husband did know Miss Doulard,” the policeman intoned. He gave her a quick look of concern. “She was his girlfriend, in fact.”
Her blood ran cold. “His girlfriend?”
“He claims you were so upset when he filed for divorce that you threatened both his and her life. Said you came over to his house and told him…” He checked his notes. “You allegedly told him that you ‘would make his life a living hell’ if he got married to Jacqueline Doulard.”
“But… he never filed for divorce. I did. And I never saw him again after the divorce went through.”
“Which it apparently never did,” added the policeman.
“Jacqueline assured me it did. She even sent me a copy of the ruling.”
The policeman sat up a little straighter. “Do you still have that document?”
“I have everything. It’s in my email. We emailed back and forth several times.”
“I would very much like to see that correspondence. It might disprove some of Mr Rafter’s claims.”
“Which claims?”
“That you never obtained Miss Doulard’s services at all. He did, when you refused to grant him a divorce. And when they fell in love and started an affair, you became so jealous you vowed to kill her and destroy his life in the process.”
Chapter 15
“It’s simply ridiculous,” Eileen countered. “Why would I murder my own attorney after announcing my intention to do so?”
Howe raised his hands. “A woman in a jealous rage will make a lot of mistakes.”
“Trust me, I wasn’t jealous of Jack,” she scoffed. “I didn’t begrudge him any of his many affairs. I was merely glad to be rid of him. Or at least I thought I was.” She leaned in. “You have to dig deeper, officer Howe. If Jacqueline was really Jack’s lover, something else is going on here.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. But I’m sure you’ll find out.” If appealing to his intelligence was intended to mollify the policeman, it obviously didn’t.
He stabbed his finger at her. “You’re the one with the motive, Miss Stoker. As far as I’m concerned, this murder has your name written all over it.”
“Just ask Father Ramon where I was last night. He’ll confirm my statement.”
“Trust me. I will. How long did you stay at his place?” he added innocently.
“I left there around four this morning.”
“Anybody see you leave?”
“I made sure no one would. I was concerned about his reputation.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “You went straight home?”
“I did.”
“Anyone to confirm this?”
She was starting to feel weary about this line of questioning, but felt it was probably all part of the process. “My mother was already asleep when I arrived. I didn’t want to wake her up so to answer your question, no one saw me.”
“What did you to do once you arrived home?”
“I went straight to bed.”
The police officer grinned and tapped his notebook with his pencil. “I’m afraid I lied to you, Eileen. Miss Doulard was killed between four and six this morning. And now that it’s clear you don’t have an alibi for this time period, I think we have our killer.”
Ramon sat quietly contemplating recent events. He’d raced through early morning traffic until he finally arrived at a posh villa on the outskirts of his home town of Arradene, fifty miles from Brookridge.
It was a testament to their friendship that Frank Ruffalo had immediately cleared his schedule for this emergency meeting. Ruffalo and Ramon had been high school friends, and even when their paths had gone in different directions, they’d kept in touch and their friendship had endured.
While Ramon had chosen the way of the Lord, Frank had walked the path of justice and had studied law. He’d since made quite a career for himself as an attorney, and it was in this capacity that Ramon was now paying him a house call.
Moments after he’d bid him to take a seat in the waiting area, his friend returned and ushered him into his office.
A big man with impressive sideburns—a relic of a rebellious youth—Frank hadn’t changed a bit, Ramon thought. His ruddy face still round and jolly, his piercing blue eyes still exuding a raw intelligence and the tenacity any lawyer worth his salt needs to carve out a name for himself.
He was glad to see his old friend, and he told him as much, and while the other barely moved a muscle throughout his long tale, he knew the lawyer was taking in all the details of the case, and his agile mind was already searching for avenues to pursue and possible leads to chase.
“This is quite a story, my friend,” finally concluded Ruffalo. “And you’re telling me you love this woman? You’re contemplating matrimony?”
“I am,” confirmed Ramon.
With a twinkle in his eye, Frank added, “Love, huh?”
Ramon decided to forego his usual reticence and confide in his friend. “I care for her a great deal, Frank. And yes, I think it’s love, though I can’t deny the urges of the flesh might have something to do with it as well. She’s beyond gorgeous.” He produced a photograph he’d snatched from the internet and had printed out.
Frank studied the woman’s face carefully. She was gorgeous, he thought. No wonder his friend had fallen for her. Any man would. He wondered briefly if Ramon was doing the right thing by getting involved, but knew better than to ask.
The priest had always been a deeply emotional young man, and whenever he felt strongly about something, there was no way to convince him otherwise.
He decided to play along for now.
“You’re telling me you believe in her innocence?”
“I do. There’s no way she could have done the things they’re accusing her of.”
“Stealing a car. Running over a child. Murdering a woman. Things seem to be progressing very quickly indeed. What about motive? Was she still in love with this man, or, alternatively, did she profoundly hate him?”
“Neither. She didn’t love or hate him. She’s a wonderful woman who’s been let down by people many, many times. But most miraculously it hasn’t turned her heart bitter. She still has hope and dignity and, most importantly, love to share. It’s quite remarkable she’s managed to remain so pure in spirit.”
Frank thought Ramon was displaying all the signs of a man in love, and decided to perform his own investigation into this wonder woman. A keen judge of human nature, he thought it highly unlikely she was as pure as Ramon made her out to be. Most people weren’t.
“I think we need to establish the relationship between Eileen and Jacqueline Doulard. If memory serves, Jacqueline was a fine attorney, but prone to errors of judgment. I remember she once got involved with a client of hers. An escaped convict who turned on her. She almost didn’t survive that particular altercation.”
Ramon’s face lit up. “So you’ll take the case?”
Frank steepled his fingers and raised his brows. “Of course I’ll take the case. How could I ever refuse to help out an old friend?”
Ramon reached across the desk, and grabbed Frank’s hand to press it warmly.
“You won’t regret this, Frank. Once yo
u meet Eileen, you’ll understand.”
Frank highly doubted that, but the case looked interesting enough to pique his curiosity, and it had been quite a while since he’d had a case that had that effect on him.
He gave his friend a gracious smile, and patted his hand consolingly. “I’ll do everything in my power to help out your lady love, Ramon.” He rose from his seat with surprising agility. “Now take me to her. I think it’s time we got acquainted.”
Chapter 16
“I admit it looks quite bleak, Miss Stoker,” Frank Ruffalo was saying, “but trust me to do my very best for you. And don’t ever lose hope.”
They were the kindest words she’d heard since being locked up in the small jail cell, and did much to warm Eileen’s heart.
“Thank you, Mr Ruffalo—”
“Frank, please. Only the staunchest criminals call me Mr Ruffalo. And politicians of course, which is the same thing, really.” He laughed loudly at his own joke.
“Only if you call me Eileen.” She smiled, though she didn’t have much cause. Ramon hadn’t been able to come, the sheriff banning him from seeing her as long as he couldn’t produce a marriage license or a license to practice law.
“Tell Ramon thank you. I’d almost lost hope before you came and provided a glimpse of hope that will have to see me through until tomorrow.”
Ruffalo stood and held her hand for a moment. “I can see now why Ramon is so enchanted with you, Eileen. And why he insists on marrying you at the earliest possible convenience.”
“I’m afraid I’m already married, Frank. Though I swear I didn’t know.”
He inclined his head. “I’ll look into that. But if it’s true, I’m afraid your marriage to Ramon is an impossibility. For the present, at least.”
She produced a brave smile. “It was a wonderful thing for Ramon to suggest, even though it’s also a very rash act on his part.”