Tuesday, I watched as new people came and went from different cells. I think I was the only one to have been kept here for more than a day or two. The guard who’d given me the note from Bodie gave me a book yesterday, which I was grateful for. Passing time in a jail cell with nothing to even look at was terrible.
Besides missing my friends and family, I really missed diving and I wondered how the meet had gone on Saturday. I know Kayleigh said she’d talked to Coach Everett but that was a few days ago, she could have easily changed her mind and wanted me off the team.
“Karma Webster,” a guard said, interrupting my thoughts. “Move to your door with your hands in front of you.”
I did as I was told. The door opened and I put my hands out, waiting to be cuffed. When that didn’t happen, I was relieved. Once again, I was taken to the interrogation room. Bill was waiting for me.
“Karma,” he said, “the detectives are going to ask you more questions. If you’re unsure of anything just let me know.”
“Okay.”
A few minutes later, Detective Martinez walked in with a folder in her hands.
“Miss Webster,” she said. “In light of some new information, we need to ask you more questions.”
“Alright,” I said.
“Where were you on Saturday, February 19th at 1:00 in the afternoon?”
“I was at a diving competition at Cannonhill College.”
“And you’re positive about that?”
“Yes. The competition started at 9am and went until 3pm. We got to the top of the points standings for our division that day.”
“What about Friday, January 21st at 6:30 in the morning?”
“I would have been at practice. We have practice every weekday morning from 6-8am and Monday to Thursday from 4-6pm, as well as Saturday morning from 8am to noon.”
“So, that would account for your whereabouts on Thursday February 3rd at 4:16pm and Tuesday, February 21st at 7:58am?”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever missed a practice?” she asked.
“No, not until yesterday morning,” I told her.
“Do you have access to a phone or computer during practice?”
“No. Our phones are to stay in our lockers until we’re done for the morning or afternoon.”
“I’m sure you or your teammates have snuck in your phones a time or two.”
“No ma’am. If you’re caught with your phone you’re out of the next competition. That would affect my standing on the team and I’d never let that happen on purpose.”
“You seem to take this diving thing pretty seriously.”
“I do. It’s allowing me to get a college education and I hope to make it to the next Olympics.”
“You’re on a scholarship, right?”
“Yes.”
“So, if you had some extra money that scholarship wouldn’t matter then, would it?”
“I guess not, but you can’t get to the Olympics with money. The best divers come out of the college circuit and I want to be one of them.”
I could tell she was thinking about what I said and trying to figure out what to ask me next. Finally, she spoke again.
“Did you get scholarship offers from other colleges?”
“Yes.”
“Why did you choose Bay State?”
“It has a state-of-the-art swim complex and a team that’s consistently at the top of their game. Their swim and dive teams are one of the best in the country. Who wouldn’t want to be on one of the best teams around?”
“Fair enough,” she said.
“One more question, are you in love with Anthony Pagano?”
I wasn’t ready for that question and I wasn’t sure what to say.
Bill looked at me. “Just tell them the truth Karma.”
“He was hot, we had fun and he treated me well, but no, I wasn’t in love with him.”
“Thank you. Karma. That will be all,” she said and gathered her papers.
“What happens now?” I asked.
“You go back to holding and then to court tomorrow,” she said. “I don’t normally say this, but you don’t deserve to be here and with the new evidence we got, I can almost guarantee you’ll be free of all of this tomorrow.”
With that she left the room, and I could feel a smile forming on my face.
“Karma,” Bill said, “Your hearing is at 1:00 tomorrow. I’ll see you then.”
My guard came and took me back to my cell. This was the best I’d felt since class on Friday morning. I had real hope that this was going to work out for me.
****
Bodie
I slept all morning and spent the rest of Tuesday at my parents. I hadn’t been to class since they took Karma Friday morning. Class didn’t matter when Karma’s freedom was at stake, and I was sure I’d be able to catch up on any work I missed.
When I came downstairs, I found mom in the kitchen baking.
“You bake now?” I asked.
“A little,” she said. “How are you doing honey?”
“Okay, I think. Have you heard anything from dad about the case?”
“I know Karma was questioned and the detectives were at the school,” she told me. “I also know that your dad is having Anthony followed.”
“Dad must have talked to the detectives too. They didn’t want me anywhere near Anthony.”
“I don’t blame them,” mom said. “What are you doing for the rest of the day?”
“Probably staying here. I don’t trust myself to not go find Anthony and beat the shit out of him for what he did to Karma.”
“Then staying here is a good idea. You can help me then.”
I’d never baked a thing in my life, so I was sure it was mom’s way of distracting me. She passed me the bowl and told me to stir as she added things to it.
“So,” she started, “you haven’t said why you’ve been working so hard to get Karma free. I know you’re friends, but it’s more than that, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” I admitted.
“How long have you felt like that?”
“A while.”
“Does she know?”
“If she was able to get the letter then she does.”
“Letter?” mom asked.
I told her about the notes we wrote and how I managed to get a guard to hopefully get it to her.
“That was really sweet, Bodie.”
I chuckled. “You sound surprised.”
“Honestly, I am a little bit. I know what your father was like in college and I kind of assumed you’d be the same.”
“You mean a man whore?” I asked, with a smile.
“I would never say that, but yes,” mom said, returning my smile.
“You probably don’t want to hear this, but that’s exactly what I was like last semester.”
“But not now?”
“No.”
“What changed?”
“Karma blew into my life and turned it upside down.”
“How?”
“Do you really want to know?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but we had sex at the end of last semester. Only once, but everything changed. For the first time it was more than sex, I felt a connection and I knew she felt it too. Only the next morning she said she didn’t remember anything. So, we went on like nothing happened, but I was different. Then she started dating Anthony and I was definitely in the friend zone.”
“Oh honey, that’s both wonderful and sad.”
“A few weeks ago, she let something slip and I found out she remembered the night we spent together. She lied about it because of how she felt, like me, it was more for her than any other experience.”
“You two seem to be a lot alike.”
“Yeah, which is why we both assumed that neither of us wanted a relationship.”
“Are you in love with her?” mom asked.
I really thought about that before I answered. “I
don’t know, mom. I’ve never been in love before. I know that I care about her and I don’t want anything to happen to her.”
“Do you think about her a lot?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you want to be around her, even when sex is off the table?”
“Yeah.”
“Does your heart flutter when she’s around?”
“Yeah.”
“I already know you’ll do anything to help her.”
“Yeah.”
“I hate to break it to you son, but I think you’re in love with Karma.”
I stopped stirring. Was mom, right? Was I really in love?
Mom laughed. “Don’t look so shocked, Bodie. It happens to everyone eventually. And being in love isn’t a bad thing honey.”
“What if she doesn’t feel the same way?” I asked. “I mean, she’d been dating Anthony for months and she’s never had a relationship longer than like a week before that.”
“You want my honest opinion?”
“Sure.”
“I think that when you two had sex she realized that she felt something for you and it scared her, so she pretended that it didn’t exist. Anthony was a way to not have to think about it. Has she ever done anything to make you think that she was in love with Anthony?”
I thought back to the pictures and videos she’d “accidentally” sent me, as well as the night she asked me to tell her to an orgasm, those weren’t the actions of someone in love.
“No, I guess not. Karma’s always been a free spirit, so I assumed that was the reason she did certain things, but maybe I was wrong.”
Mom took the bowl from me and started scooping out cookie dough onto a sheet. As usual, my thoughts were all about Karma. If what mom said was true then maybe there was a chance, even if it was slight, that Karma had feelings for me. I had a lot to think about.
****
I was a ball of nervous energy the next morning. Karma’s hearing was that afternoon and I needed to find something to do or I was going to drive myself crazy, so I texted Tiffany.
Me: Are you working or at school?
Tiffany: Working this morning until 9
I looked at the time, it was 7:30.
Me: I’ll be there in 20 minutes
I’d already had a shower and was dressed for the day, so I went to my car and drove straight to More Than Just Beans.
Tiffany had a coffee ready for me when I walked in the door. There was a line of customers, so I found a table in the back and sat with my coffee. Eventually she was able to come join me.
“How’s Karma?” she asked.
“I think I’m in love with her,” I blurted out.
Tiffany laughed. “Yeah, I know, and it’s about time you admitted it.”
“Huh? How did you know?”
“Bodie, it’s obvious to anyone but you and Karma apparently. No one would do the things you’ve done for her if they didn’t love that person.”
“But I do things for you all the time.”
“Yes, you do, but do you get butterflies in your stomach when you think about me?” I made a face and she laughed. “Exactly. You may care about me, but as a friend. What you feel for Karma is much more than that. You’re worried about court today, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. I mean, I think she’ll go free, but there’s always a chance something could go wrong, and we don’t get the outcome we want.”
“From everything you’ve told me, I think this one is going to work out in your favor.”
“I sure hope so.”
“I made you some muffins this morning.”
That made me smile. “How did you know I was coming?”
“Just had a feeling. Actually, I made you two boxes. I thought you could take one to Karma’s parents.”
I pulled a hundred dollar bill out of my pocket. “I don’t even want to hear it,” I told her as I handed it to her.
“Fine. I know by now it’s useless to argue with you about this.”
“Yep. Thanks for the coffee and muffins.”
“You’re welcome. Give Karma a hug from me. I’d be at the courthouse, but I really can’t miss my classes this afternoon.”
“I will and it’s okay. I’ll let you know when we have a verdict.”
“Good luck,” Tiffany called, as I walked out the door.
Luck had to be on our side today. I didn’t know what I was going to do if the judge didn’t let her go.
Chapter 38
Karma
I was so nervous I felt sick. The worst part was waiting and not having any idea what time it was. Having the hearing at 1:00 pm was like torture to someone with no ability to know the time. I needed to know what my future held. Either I would be set free, or I wouldn’t, but at least I would know.
For a while, I paced in my cell, then I started doing jumping jacks and running in place, but none of that helped ease my nervousness. I thought back to what Detective Martinez said about me going free, but until the judge dismissed all charges, I was trying not to get my hopes up.
Once lunch was served, I knew it wouldn’t be long until it was time to go. There was no way I could eat, so I didn’t touch my tray. It was taken away and eventually, I was told to stand at my door. The guard handcuffed my hands and feet and then chained them together. I was praying this was the last time in my life that would ever happen.
I was the only one in the van this time. As we drove through the city to the courthouse, I took in everything around me, just in case it was the last time I saw it.
Two guards escorted me to the same small room with the metal chairs. I waited. My leg was bouncing up and down, but the sound of the chains was irritating me, so I stopped. I think the guards were thankful that I did.
Eventually, the door opened, and I was called in. I tried to take everything in as I was walked to the table where my lawyer was. I saw mom and dad, Bodie and his parents, Major and Kayleigh and even Coach Everett was there with some of my teammates. The support was so overwhelming I almost cried.
I looked across to the other side of the room and I saw both Detective Martinez and Detective Lance. Then I saw Anthony and his father. Anthony had a look of pure hatred on his face, and it was directed at me. How could I have been so stupid that I hadn’t seen who he really was?
“All rise,” the bailiff said, then the judge entered the courtroom.
My heart was beating so fast I was sure everyone could hear it.
“Miss Webster, please remain standing. Everyone else please take a seat.” Then he looked right at me. “As you know, you are charged with fraud and grand theft in the amount of $5.2 million regarding money stolen from Pagano Imports. New evidence was brought to my attention on Monday and it’s my understanding that the SFPD, specifically Detectives Lance and Martinez, thoroughly investigated it. The new evidence proves beyond reasonable doubt that you are innocent of the crimes you have been charged with. As a result, all charges against you Miss Webster have been dismissed and this will be cleared from your record.”
The courtroom erupted in cheers. I heard the judge banging his gavel and telling the room to settle down. After a minute or two it was quiet again. I was still processing what the judge said. I was free, but the judge wasn’t done.
“There has also been enough evidence presented to me to charge someone else with the crimes Miss Webster was accused of. Detectives, proceed.”
That’s when all hell broke loose. Anthony started to run for the door but Bodie was faster than him and tackled him to the ground. Anthony was trying to fight him off but Bodie managed to pin him to the floor. Detective Martinez was suddenly there with handcuffs and put them on Anthony.
Two uniformed police officers emerged from the crowd, and it took both of them to pick Anthony up off the floor. Before they took him out of the courtroom Antonio Pagano stepped up in front of him.
“You are no son of mine,” Antonio said, and slapped Anthony across the face. “How could you do this to me?”
Even
from where I was, I could feel the rage coming off Anthony. “You had me working as a fucking secretary when I should have been learning to take over the company. I could see the laughter on everyone’s faces as I answered calls and made goddamned spreadsheets. It was humiliating so I wanted to get back at you where I knew it would hurt you most, your money.”
An audible intake of breath was heard throughout the whole room. Anthony had basically just confessed in front of a judge, the police and a room full of witnesses. If that wasn’t satisfaction, I didn’t know what was.
The officers took him out of the room and my handcuffs and chains were removed. Mom and dad were the first ones to make it to me. They hugged me so hard I couldn’t breathe, but I didn’t mind one bit. Eventually they let me go and Kayleigh was next. I was congratulated by Coach Everett and my teammates. The room was slowly clearing after the chaos of the last few minutes.
Before Bodie had a chance to talk to me, Antonio Pagano approached me. Bodie stepped in front of me.
“What do you want?” Bodie asked him.
“I’d just like to talk to Miss Webster for a moment.”
Bodie looked at me and I nodded. I was curious what he was going to say. Bodie stepped aside and let Antonio closer.
“I need to apologize to you,” he said. “For having you investigated and most of all for my son using you to get back at me. I had no idea he was capable of something like that. I would like to compensate you, financially, for your pain and suffering.”
“I don’t want your money Mr. Pagano,” I told him. “I just want to forget this ever happened.”
“I understand. But if you ever change your mind, here’s my card.”
He tried handing me a business card, but I didn’t take it. “I won’t change my mind. I want nothing to do with you, your family or your company.”
“As you wish,” he said, and left the courtroom.
Diving in Deep (A Bay State University Novel Book 2) Page 27