Chapter 22 - Charges

“I can’t believe you remembered her birthday,” Emily said as Chevalier carried Alexis up to bed. She had fallen asleep while playing with a large wooden horse Jess and Alec sent her.

“Well, I admit, I had some help.” Chevalier grinned.

Emily smiled, “I’m sure it meant a lot that you were here.”

Chevalier kissed Alexis’ fat cheek softly and laid her down on the bed. Emily kissed her forehead and covered her up.

Chevalier took Emily’s hand and led her out into the hallway, “Come to my office.”

Emily sighed, “What’d I do now?”

“You haven’t done anything. We just need to talk to you,” he said, and they walked down the stairs.

“Then why do I feel like I’m going to the principal’s office?”

Chevalier grinned, “Because you have a guilty conscience.”

“I do not!” Emily said, and hit him on the arm.

Chevalier opened his office door and went to his desk. Emily sat in a chair and glanced at Mark and Kyle, who were also in the room.

“Seriously, my dog ate my homework,” Emily said pleadingly.

Chevalier grinned slightly, “I wish it were that complicated.”

“Ok then, spill it. What’d I do now?”

“The police came to Council City looking for you,” Chevalier sighed.

Emily frowned, “For what?”

“They found Keith’s body, and they want to talk to you.”

Emily gasped, “What? How?”

“They were laying a foundation for a new home and found his remains,” Chevalier said, wincing at the panicked look on her face. “The lawyers have spoken to the police, and you are officially a person of interest.”

“They think I killed him?” Emily whispered.

Kyle nodded, “Yes, right now though, the police don’t know where you are, so if you stay on the island you should be ok.”

Emily rubbed her temples. She suddenly had a headache, “Even after death he’s screwing with me.”

“It’s hit the news and now everyone knows that you’re wanted in connection with his death. The Equites know I did it, but so far, luckily, they don’t know why,” Chevalier said.

Emily nodded, “I need to turn myself in then.”

“What? Why?” Mark asked, shocked.

“To keep them away from Council City.”

“Stop trying to protect us!” Chevalier growled.

“I can get off on a murder charge. I didn’t do it, and you have the best lawyers around. If I turn myself in, then I won’t look as guilty as if I sit out here and hide. How long before they get a search warrant for Council City? You want feds running all over the palace?” Emily asked.

“You know, I could take the fall,” Kyle said, deep in thought. “I was there as a field hand and I’ve been using his I.D. all over Maine.”

Emily frowned, “Then what? Let you sit in jail and rot?”

“Well,” Kyle thought. “I can always get out.”

“The V.E.S. is going to spot you from a mile away. A few blood tests and their points will be proven. I’m not going to expose the heku, and the only way I can prevent that, is if I turn myself in,” Emily told them. Her mind was already set.

“No, we’ll find another way,” Chevalier said.

Emily grinned and shrugged.

Chevalier’s face fell, “No, damnit, Em, stop it.”

“What?”

“You’ve made up your mind, and I’m going to fight it. I won’t let you sit in jail for months while the mortal justice system decides what to do,” he growled.

“I’ll go turn myself in. If they put me in jail, then you’ll post bail and I’ll be back by tomorrow,” Emily said.

“There’s more to it than that,” Kyle told her.

“What more can there be?”

“They know the remains are over 2 years old, though they can’t figure out how much older. You were seen with me, impersonating Keith, as recently as 2 years ago,” Kyle said.

“So we’re… what? Conspirators?”

“Yes. I mean think about it. You disappear for 2 months, and the entire state of Montana looks for you. You get back and Keith disappears, then you sell the ranch and the mysterious field-hand disappears with you. Ten years later, someone digs him up. That doesn’t look really good for us,” Kyle explained.

“You can’t go to jail, not on something this big. This isn’t car theft or domestic violence… this is big, and if you were sentenced to death, it could expose the entire species,” Emily said, trying to make them understand why it was best if she turned herself over to the police.

“You can’t go to jail either,” Chevalier told her.

“Why not? I didn’t kill him, and I doubt they can prove that I did.”

“There’s no doubt you would get off. I mean… the…” Chevalier sighed and glanced at Kyle. “The cause of death alone is something you could never have done.”

Emily frowned, “What did you do to him?”

Kyle grinned slightly, “He was pretty mad, Em.”

Chevalier’s eyes turned furious, “When Kyle called me back, I thought I would have to deal with him hitting you. When I walked in and he…”

“Chev!” Emily yelled, and looked at Mark.

“I lost my temper,” Chevalier said, his voice tense and ominous.

“So you, what? Drained him?” Emily asked. “Wait… no… there were loud crashes.”

Kyle nodded, “Keith was kind of… well… thrown around a bit.”

“Oh come on! If I’m going to jail for killing Keith, at least tell me what they found when they dug him up,” Emily frowned.

“Fine,” Chevalier said. “They found a lot of shattered bones. No major bone in his body wasn’t broken.”

“You’re right then, I couldn’t have done that,” Emily said. “We can use that as a defense.”

“No, we’re not, you aren’t going on trial,” Chevalier said sternly.

Emily stood up and leaned over Chevalier’s desk, “I’m not going to let Keith expose the heku.”

“And I’m not going to let you go to jail for something I did,” Chevalier said angrily.

“Em, sit down… Elder, calm down,” Kyle said to them sternly.

Emily sat back down hesitantly, and Chevalier leaned back in his chair behind the desk.

“We have no other option than for me to turn myself in,” Emily said. “I can’t hide for the rest of my life.”

“Let the lawyers do their thing. Let us work with law enforcement to try to place the blame on Kyle,” Chevalier said.

“No, damnit, Kyle can’t go to jail without exposing the heku.”

“He’s not going to jail, that’s the beauty of this plan,” Chevalier explained. “They can’t catch him. He won’t even have to hide.”

“Mark, Kyle, get out,” Emily said, and glared at Chevalier.

“No can do. Your temper is up, and the Elder’s got his fighting eyes, we can’t leave you two alone right now,” Kyle said.

“I’m turning myself in, period,” Emily said, and stood up to walk out of his office, but her way was blocked by Mark.

“Sit,” Mark said to her.

“Or what? You going to throw me in prison again? I can save you the time and have that done myself,” Emily yelled. “I’m not going to sit here and be ganged up on.”

“We’re not ganging up on you,” Kyle said softly.

“Bullshit! The three of you have already made up your minds about my life, and I’m not going to take it.”

Kyle started to get angry, “Sit… down…”

“No,” Emily turned and glared at him.

“Stop being obstinate and sit down!” Kyle yelled.

“Ok, now it’s your turn to calm down,” Mark said to Kyle.

Emily pushed against Mark, “Let me out. I’m going to bed.”

Mark glanced at Chevalier and moved out of her way. She slammed open the door and ran up the stairs.

“Wow, she does have a way of pushing buttons, doesn’t she?” Mark asked, surprised.

“She’s going to turn herself in,” Kyle said, and turned to Chevalier.

“I know,” he growled.

“Why did I think she would let us handle this?” Kyle asked, mainly himself.

“I didn’t realize she was going to turn this into another attempt to save the heku,” Chevalier said, irritated.

“Let’s stick with the plan and see if we can get her back to Council City,” Mark said. “Once there, maybe the lawyers can talk some sense into her.”

Chevalier agreed and dismissed Kyle and Mark. They both bowed and left him alone in his office. The argument brought the images of Keith and Emily back into his mind. He was flooded with the memories of Keith’s final act, and it still enraged him. With the emotions flooding from Emily, he was sure that she was also remembering those last moments.

Just after dawn, Chevalier heard Emily up and around in her room. He guessed that she and Alexis would be having breakfast soon, and then he would talk to her about returning to Council City for a few days.

Chevalier sighed and left his office. He had his temper firmly under control and he suspected he would need it there. He knocked softly on the door and entered when Emily called to him. Alexis was at the table eating pancakes while Emily sat with a cup of coffee. He hated when she got upset and didn’t eat, but he knew it wasn’t a fight he wanted to get into today.

“Before you turn yourself in, will you come to Council City and talk to the lawyers? Please?” he asked, sitting down at the table beside Alexis.

“Yeah, sure,” she said, and took another sip of coffee. Her response surprised Chevalier. He was sure there would be a fight over this.

“I’m sorry about last night. I honestly wasn’t trying to gang up on you,” Chevalier said. “I just wanted them to try to help me convince you.”

Emily shrugged and sat the coffee cup down, “I’ll be ready to go in an hour.”

Chevalier nodded and left the room. She obviously wasn’t in the mood to talk, and he didn’t want to do anything that might jeopardize her decision to come back to the palace.

“Shall we go talk to her?” Kyle asked from the second-floor landing.

“No, I already did. She’s coming.”

“That’s a good start,” Kyle said, smiling.

Chevalier went back down to his office to be alone while Emily got ready to go. He tried to decide how best to keep her from turning herself over to the police, without making her feel restrained or guarded in any way. He considered moving her and some of his staff to his house in the mountains of Colorado. That home was too far from a city where police might be looking for her, and she wasn’t able to get out of the mansion alone.

He left his office and headed up to the roof when he heard the engines of the helicopter. Kyle, Mark, and Emily were already waiting for him in the Blackhawk, and Alexis was sitting on Mark’s lap, playing with the Equites symbol on his cape.

“I called the lawyers. They will be waiting for us at their office when we get in,” Kyle told him.

Chevalier nodded.

“They want to meet with us again first, before bringing Emily in.”

“Why?” Emily asked, yelling to be heard above the noise of the helicopter.

“We’re still working out alibis. You don’t need to be there for that,” Kyle explained.

Emily sat back and watched the terrain fly by. She knew in her heart that within 24 hours, she would be in prison for killing her abusive ex-husband. She hoped the damage done to his body could exclude her as a suspect. It took immense strength to do that to him, strength she didn’t even remotely possess.

Emily sighed as she again looked down on Council City. No matter how hard she tried, she didn’t seem to be able to fully leave. She jumped out of the helicopter when the engines were cut and ignored the guards that gathered. Taking Alexis, she went inside and headed down for the Durango.

“Wait, Em,” Chevalier called. “You can’t take the Durango, they’ll be watching for it. Take the Humvee and I’ll drive the McLaren.”

Emily nodded, “Sure.”

“Come in about an hour, ok?” He kissed her forehead softly.

“Sure,” she said again, and turned around, deciding to head out to the stables. She saw the McLaren pull out of the garage as she watched the colt playing in the corral.

Kyle and Chevalier talked about their options on the way to the lawyers in the city. A mile outside of the lawyer’s office, Chevalier saw four patrol cars surround him and turn on their lights.

“What’s this?” Kyle asked, worried.

“I don’t know, guess we’ll find out.”

Chevalier rolled his window down, “Yes?”

“Step out of the car,” the officer said, and then looked over at Kyle. “You, too.”

Both of the heku got out of the car and were immediately pushed against the side of it. They allowed it to happen so as not to draw unneeded attention.

“What’s the problem?” Chevalier asked as Kyle was handcuffed.

“You have the right to remain silent,” the Officer told Kyle. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…”

Kyle smiled slightly at Chevalier.

“Well, do you?” the officer asked when he finished.

“Oh, yes I do,” Kyle said, amused.

“Keep him until we get the girl,” the lead officer said

Chevalier frowned, “What girl?”

“We know she’s here. We got a good tip that Emily Russo was flown in today and will be driving past here in a black Humvee within the hour.” He grinned.

Chevalier glanced at Kyle, and he shrugged. He watched as Kyle was put into the back of a patrol car and whisked away to the city.

Chevalier growled when he heard over the police radio that Emily was in custody and was en route to the police station.

“Ok, you can go,” the officer said to him with a grin, and headed for the patrol car. Chevalier glared at him, fighting the desire to rip his head from his body and stop that smirk.

Chevalier got back into his car and sped toward the lawyer’s office.

***

Emily looked around the small room. She was sitting at a table with her hands cuffed behind her. There were two other chairs in the room and mirrors lining the walls. She looked at the door when two detectives entered.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Russo,” one of them said, and sat down.

Emily nodded at him.

“I’m Detective Kirk, and this is Detective Billings.” He sat down in the seat beside her.

“We’d like to ask you a few questions, and have a warrant that gives us approval to do so.”

“You don’t need a warrant to get information from me,” Emily said softly.

“Good.” Detective Kirk smiled, “Is there anything we can get you?”

“No, thank you.”

“Let’s start then. How long did you live at the ranch in Cascade, Montana?”

“I was there from birth. I sold the ranch about 10 years ago.”

“Why did you sell it?”

“My Dad died, and when Keith left, I couldn’t take care of it by myself, even with Kyle and Sam helping,” Emily said.

“Who is Sam?”

“He was the ranch’s overseer.”

“Do you know where he is now?” the detective asked.

“No, I don’t.”

“Ok, when’s the last time you saw Keith?”

“Just before I left for Colorado, a few days after my dad died.”

“I’m going to come right out and ask this. I hate to bring up any unnecessary feelings, but we need to know… your hospital records show quite the injury list, and more than one doctor suggested domestic assault. Was Keith abusive?” Detective Billings asked.

Emily’s body tensed. It wasn’t something she liked to admit to, let alone talk about to strangers.

The Detective picked up the change in her posture and smiled softly, “We already know. We just need you to confirm it. It could really help your case.”

Emily nodded slightly.

“How did you break your hand?”

“I fell off of a horse.”

“That seems to be a common excuse for you,” Detective Billings said.

“I break horses. It can get dangerous,” Emily explained.

“And the bruise on your side?”

“Horse,” Emily said again.

“Ok, that’s all we needed with that. We have the medical records for the rest.”

Detective Kirk opened a notebook, “You said you had been in Colorado, who were you there with?”

“Chevalier,” Emily told them.

“What’s his last name?”

Emily grinned slightly, “I don’t know.”

“What were you doing for two months while the entire state of Montana looked for you?”

“It was… personal,” Emily said.

“Was Kyle with you?”

“No, I hadn’t met Kyle yet. He was hired to help with the ranch while I was gone.”

“Who hired him?”

“Sam, I guess, I wasn’t there… could have been Keith.”

Detective Kirk took a moment to write, “Ok then. When you got back to Montana, did you see Keith?”

“No, he was already gone.”

“And Kyle was there?”

“Yes”

“Then what did you do?”

“I talked to Sam, and we decided to sell the ranch. So I left with Chevalier while Kyle and Sam stayed to handle the arrangements.”

“So your relationship with Chevalier was romantic?”

Emily frowned at the personal question, “Not at that time, that was later.”

“Did you kill your husband before you ran off with Chevalier?” Detective Kirk decided to ask outright.

Emily shook her head, “No.”

“Do you know who did?”

“No, I thought he ran off with his girlfriend,” Emily said.

“Girlfriend?”

Emily nodded, “Yes, he was sleeping with my father’s nurse.”

“You were ok with that?” Detective Kirk asked.

Emily sighed, “Things were different back then. I was afraid of Keith.”

“Do you know anyone who would have liked to cause harm to Keith?”

Emily suddenly had a thought, “When… when we would fight, I would go to Sam for help. He was my father’s friend, and when my Dad had his stroke, Sam took care of me. He didn’t like Keith, and threatened to hurt him sometimes.”

“But you’ve not seen Sam lately?”

“No”

“Can you explain then, if you haven’t seen Keith in 10 years, how he was arrested for domestic violence a few years ago, and then checked you into a hospital two years ago?” the Detective asked.

They all looked over at the door when someone walked in. A tall, elderly man entered. He wore an expensive suit and had a briefcase. He sat down beside Emily.

“I’m Ms. Russo’s counsel, and I’m putting a stop to this questioning until I’ve had a chance to read what was said up until now,” he said.

“Sure, Kent,” Detective Kirk said.

“We’re going to hold her though. We have enough probable cause for that,” Detective Billings told him.

Kent nodded, “Fine but let’s get bail set. She has a small child that still depends on her.”

“Unless we start getting answers, the Judge isn’t going to want to set a bail.”

“We’ll see about that,” Kent said.

Two officers came and escorted Emily out to the jail. They took the handcuffs off of her and she went over and laid down on the hard bed. She thought hard on how to explain the incidents when Kyle had impersonated Keith over the last few years.

“Come on, Russo, your lawyers want to talk to you,” a warden said. Emily walked over and slipped her hands through an opening in the bars, so the warden could put handcuffs back on her. She followed the warden to a small room and sat down inside to wait. She pushed the sleeves of the orange jumpsuit up higher, it was way too big on her and they kept slipping down.

Soon, the lawyer came in and sat down, “Emily, I’m Kent Pentos. I’m the attorney for your husband.”

Emily nodded, “Ok.”

“This room is private, so we can speak freely. We’ll just get it out in the open that I know what your husband is, and I know about Council City.”

Emily felt relieved. It would be easier to talk to him.

“Mr. Jones is in custody also…” Kent looked through some piles of papers.

“Mr. Jones?” Emily asked, confused.

“Kyle”

“Damn.” Emily didn’t know that Kyle had also been arrested.

“Here’s the deal. Kyle was arrested a few years ago for domestic assault and was posing as Keith. We have pictures to prove that it was Kyle, and that doesn’t look very good for you. They have the body pinned down to a date of death between 3 and 12 years ago. They also have the cause of death listed as blunt-force trauma to the entire body.”

Emily cringed and nodded.

“From what I’ve seen from the prosecutor’s files, they are going to try to prove that you and Kyle killed Keith because of a love-triangle type arrangement. Obviously, they will pin the actual death on Kyle because of the extent of damage to the body, but they will try to label you as a conspirator.” Kent was still looking through photographs and papers.

“Kyle didn’t do it,” Emily whispered, looking at her hands.

“I know who did it,” Kent said. “Now, you mentioned something we may be able to use. This… Sam… if we can get the suspicion turned to him, we may be able to set both you and Kyle free.”

“How do we do that then?”

“The first thing we do is clear up the air about you and Kyle. You need to come out as a couple,” Kent said.

Emily frowned, “Why?”

“Any jury is going to be convinced that you two are together. If we fight that, they could immediately deem anything you say as false. If we play into the relationship, then you aren’t hiding anything from them.”

“I… don’t…” Emily started, but Kent touched her hand.

“Chevalier knows, and he agrees with it. You just need to play up to it. Can you do that?”

Emily nodded.

“So now that we’re no longer hiding that you and Kyle are together, we just need to push the suspicion onto Sam.” Kent sighed and looked up at Emily, “They are going to seek the death penalty for this.”

Emily gasped, “They are?”

Kent nodded, “It won’t be for you as just a conspirator, but they’ll try to hit Kyle with it, just for the amount of damage done to the body. We obviously can’t let Kyle be executed, for numerous reasons.”

“So let me take the fall. Don’t risk exposing them over this,” Emily said.

“You can be executed, so we’re not going to do that. If Kyle gets put on death row, we’ll deal with that then,” Kent said.

“Will I be going back to Montana then?”

“Not right now. We’re fighting the extradition and trying to get the venue moved here,” Kent told her.

“What am I supposed to say about when Kyle checked me into the hospital as Keith?” That’s the one question Emily was most afraid of.

“According to medical records, both incidents you were unconscious, so we’re going to say you didn’t know. Kyle has already confessed to identity theft and said you didn’t know.”

Emily whispered, “He’s just digging his hole deeper and deeper.”

Kent smiled, “His species can take the heat, you, my dear, need to stay out of the fire.”

“Where is Chevalier in all of this?”

“Because of his rank, we’re trying to keep him as far out of this as possible. We’re putting him more in a father roll for you.”

“Father?” Emily frowned.

Kent smiled slightly, “You could easily pass as his daughter, and that will keep him out of the spotlight. Your trip to Colorado for 2 months was how he protected you from Keith’s abuse.”

There was a knock on the door, “5 minutes,” someone yelled.

Kent whispered softly, “Everything they throw at you, just plead not guilty, and let me do the rest.”

Emily nodded and she was suddenly struck with fear. The warden came in and fastened cuffs to her ankles and then put a chain connecting her handcuffs and ankle cuffs. Emily walked as best as she could and followed them into a courtroom that was packed with news reporters and photographers. She saw Chevalier in the crowd, and he smiled at her briefly. She also saw Maleth and Zohn beside him, and several members of the Cavalry all dressed in civilian clothing.

Emily walked over and stood beside Kyle, who was in a matching orange jumpsuit and was also cuffed. Emily was in a daze. She found it hard to concentrate as the Judge came in and was seated. The Judge spoke quickly, and Emily found it hard to concentrate.

Emily felt Kent pull her arm and she stood up.

“Emily Russo, you are being charged with the following crimes. Please give your plea after each one is listed,” the Judge said, and thumbed through some papers. “First is a charge of Second-Degree Murder in the death of Keith Russo.”

“Not guilty,” Emily said, and glanced at Kent. He nodded at her.

“You are also being charged with conspiracy to commit murder with Kyle Jones in the death of Keith Russo.”

“Not guilty,” she said again, and felt Kyle nudge her gently.

“Charges of failure to report a death in the case of Keith Russo.”

“Not guilty.” Emily wondered how long this would go on, how many charges she would get hit with. She thought briefly how much joy this would have brought Keith.

“Charges of unlawfully disposing of a body,” the Judge continued coldly.

Emily frowned. She suddenly found it hard to breathe, “Not guilty.”

“Charges of desecration of a corpse.”

“Not guilty.” Her words came out barely above a whisper.

“Em, it’s ok… calm down,” Kyle whispered to her. She looked down at him nervously and he smiled.

“Very well,” the Judge said, and looked at Kent. “Bail is set at $1.5 million.”

Emily cringed.

“You may sit down, Ms. Russo.” When the Judge said it, Emily swore to herself that she would change her last name as soon as she could.

Emily watched as Kyle was sworn in. She was frustrated at how calm he was.

“Kyle Jones, you are being charged with the following crimes. Please give your plea after each one is listed,” the Judge said. “First is a charge of First Degree Murder in the death of Keith Russo.”

“Not guilty,” Kyle said calmly.

“Charges of failure to report a death in the case of Keith Russo.”

“Not guilty,” Kyle said again, and smiled reassuringly at Emily.

“Charges of unlawfully disposing of a body.”

“Not guilty.”

The Judge adjusted her glasses, “Charges of desecration of a corpse?”

“Not guilty.”

“Charges of identity theft in the case of Keith Russo.”

“Guilty,” Kyle said. Emily gasped and looked up at him. She didn’t like that he had to take all of the heat for this.

“In lieu of the heinousness of this crime, I’m holding you without bail,” the Judge said.

“I object,” Kent said, standing up.

“No bail… we’ll see you two at the trial,” the Judge said, and everyone stood up when she left.

Emily turned to Kyle, “I don’t understand.”

“Means I’m not coming back until after the trial,” Kyle said, amused.

Emily gasped, “You have to stay here?”

Kyle nodded and put his hands on her face and kissed her softly, and then whispered to her, “Keep up appearances, it’s important.”

Emily nodded and left with the female warden. She was in her cell for only a few hours before Chevalier posted her bail, and she was given her clothes so she could leave.

“I don’t like leaving him there,” Emily said as she crawled into the Humvee with Chevalier.

“We don’t have a choice, he’s ok. Looked to me like he was having fun,” Chevalier said, and smiled at Emily.

“Aren’t you mad that he kissed me?”

“No, it wasn’t very convincing though. He better start acting in love or he’ll blow it,” Chevalier told her, and pulled out into traffic.

Emily frowned and rubbed her wrists, “I hate this.”

“It’ll be over soon. We just need to give the lawyers time to pin this on Sam.”

“Damn I wish he was alive. I’d order him to confess,” Emily said.

Chevalier chuckled.

Emily turned to him, “How much has gotten out about Keith and I?”

“Right now, not much,” Chevalier said, and turned onto the road for Council City. “It’s going to come out about the abuse though, that’s part of your defense.”

Emily turned her head when she felt her eyes filling up, “All of the abuse?”

“No, I specified only the physical and mental abuse was to be mentioned,” Chevalier said, and took her hand.

“Can’t you bring Sam back, and then I won’t have to go to trial and no one will know?”

“Sorry, Em, he’s dead.”

Chevalier pulled up at the farmhouse outside of the city, “Now the bad news. I was out-voted, and the Council feels you should stay here.”

Emily looked at the abandoned farmhouse and sighed, “Nice.”

“It’s just temporary. Alexis will be with you, too. We’ve stocked it with everything you’ll need, and there will be guards hidden around the premises and in the tunnels,” Chevalier explained, and turned the car off.

“They’re saying you’re my father figure,” Emily said, glaring at the house.

Chevalier chuckled, “I know.”

“Why can’t I just go back to the island?”

“You aren’t allowed to leave the state, and this farmhouse is your address. I’ll have the Durango brought to you, but I’d prefer if you just stay here.”

Emily stepped out of the Humvee and walked slowly toward the house. She turned and looked at Chevalier before walking in and shutting the door.

“Mommy!” Alexis yelled, and ran up to her. Emily picked her up and hugged her tightly.

She watched as Silas left the farmhouse and got into the Humvee with Chevalier and drove off. She turned around when she heard a noise and smiled slightly when she saw the Border collie walk into the room with a ball in his mouth.

Days slowly turned into weeks as Emily and Alexis lived in the farmhouse alone. The only people Emily had seen were the steady stream of reporters taking pictures of the house. Food was delivered at night, and everyone from Council City stayed away, protecting their cover.

Emily sat up at night and watched out the window toward the dark woods where the city was hidden. She waited for someone to come and tell her what was going on. Even her lawyer ignored her calls, and she didn’t know if a trial date had been set. Emily felt abandoned and alone, and it started to take a toll. Soon, she was no longer hungry, and the long nights were sleepless.

Emily and Alexis spent their days watching the news. Updated information on the pending case against her and Kyle was no longer headline, and the reporters had moved on to more recent matters. The two in the farmhouse played games to help pass the time, and started to teach Ford new tricks to keep him busy.

Emily jumped when the phone rang. She ran and answered it, “Hello?”

“It’s Kent.”

“It’s about time,” Emily scowled.

“I’m sorry, there’s been a lot going on with the case and I couldn’t risk a wiretap.”

“What’s been going on?”

“Keith’s girlfriend came forward.”

Emily cringed, “What’s she saying?”

“I don’t know how, or why, but she’s suddenly saying that Keith was deathly afraid of Sam, and that Sam threatened him several times after the abuse,” Kent said.

Emily wondered which of the heku had gotten to her and told her what to say.

“So, what now?” Emily asked him.

“Now we wait. She’s the first witness to come forward that can clear Kyle. She passed the polygraph, but is going back under questioning tomorrow,” Kent explained. “We need you to visit Kyle.”

“In the jail? Can I do that?” she asked.

“Yes, and we need to keep up the appearance, you’ll need to go and visit him today.”

“Ok, let me get Alexis ready,” Emily said.

“The city is sending over someone to watch her, they won’t let her into the jail.”

Emily hung up the phone and changed quickly, then threw her hair into a braid. By the time she heard a knock on the door, her temper had flared at how long she’d gone without a word from Council City.

Emily opened the door and Silas smiled, “I’m here from the agency.”

Emily let him in and shut the door, “Do you see Chevalier often?”

“Yeah, every day,” Silas said, and picked up Alexis when she ran to him.

“Good,” Emily said, and slapped Silas hard across the face. “Give him that from me.”

Silas watched her, shocked, as she got into the Durango and left.

“Ouch,” Alexis said, and smiled at Silas.

“Yeah, ouch… how’s about I not pass that on to the Elder though, ok?” He smiled at the toddler and she nodded.

Emily drove straight to the prison and filled out the paperwork to get through security. She had to leave her purse and keys behind and was led into a small private room with a table and two metal chairs that were bolted to the floor. She watched as Kyle came in, still wearing the orange jumpsuit and both his wrists and ankles were cuffed.

As soon as the door shut, she wrapped her arms around him tightly. She felt him kiss the top of her head.

“I’m glad you came,” Kyle said, and sat down when she let him go.

Emily nodded, “How are you?”

Kyle frowned as he looked over her, “Are you sick?”

“No,” Emily said, and then asked again. “How are you?”

“I’m fine… did you stop eating again?”

Emily shrugged, “Do you need anything?”

“You aren’t sleeping either are you?” Kyle asked, frustrated.

Emily stood up and glanced at the mirror, and then sat on Kyle’s lap. She straddled his legs and faced him, then laid her head against his neck.

“I haven’t seen anyone in two months,” Emily whispered, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“What do you mean?” Kyle whispered, watching the mirror.

“No one… no one from Council City. It’s just Alex and I in that damned farmhouse.”

“Did they say why?” His voice was sounding angry.

“No,” Emily whispered. “No one’s said anything. I don’t know when the trial is. I don’t know what’s going on. They told me to stay in the house, and there’s food delivered, but I haven’t seen anyone.”

“Chevalier… surely.”

“Not even him,” Emily said, and felt the tears coming.

“Why the hell would they do that?” Kyle asked furiously.

Emily sat up and looked at his face. He was pale and his eyes were sunken and dim, “You’re hungry.”

Kyle smiled slightly, “It’s manageable.”

Emily glanced again at the window and pulled her hair out of the braid.

“What are you doing?” Kyle asked curiously.

“Feeding you,” Emily said, and covered her neck with her hair.

“I can’t do that.”

“Yes you can. It’s my blood, and I’m not going to let you starve in here,” she whispered.

“I can’t though,” Kyle whispered, but Emily felt his nose run up the length of her neck.

“Better do it fast. I don’t know how long they’ll let us... erm… kiss.” Emily leaned her head against his neck and felt her body relax as he began to feed. He wondered about the underlying flavor mixed with her sweet taste but figured she must have taken a medication.

“Thank you,” he whispered when he’d finished, and brought her face to his and kissed her softly. Emily wrapped her arms around him and felt his lips press harder against hers. She ran her fingers through his hair and rested her hand against the back of his neck.

“Ok, Lovebirds, that’s enough,” a warden said from behind them.

Emily pulled away from Kyle and stood up. She adjusted her hair to cover her neck again, and smiled softly at Kyle before leaving.

On the drive home, Emily stopped at a clothing store and bought a simple turtle neck. She slipped it on in a gas station bathroom and then stopped to grab a pizza on the way back to the farmhouse.

Emily opened the door and dropped the pizza on the table. Silas watched her from across the kitchen, afraid that he might get hit again if he got too close to her.

“Are you feeling ok?” he asked. She seemed paler than when she’d left, and the dark circles under her eyes had deepened.

“Like you care, go away,” Emily said, and sat Alexis in the booster seat to eat.

Silas stood against the counter and watched her. He was supposed to report back to the Council on how she was doing, and he wanted to make sure and catch everything.

“Do I need to ash you or are you going to leave?” Emily asked, and sat down with a cup of coffee.

“When’s the last time you ate?” Silas asked. He gasped when he felt a sharp flash of burning in his chest. Emily hadn’t even moved from the table, but was watching him with angry eyes.

“Ok, ok, I’m going,” Silas told her, and blurred from the house before she could burn him again.

A few minutes later, Silas appeared at the door to the council chambers. He was quickly ushered in by Derrick, and he stood before the Council, ignoring the empty seat where Kyle should have been.

Chevalier smiled, “How is she?”

Silas cringed, “Well… not doing so hot I think. She wouldn’t talk to me though and... well… burned me a bit when I didn’t leave at first.”

Chevalier’s face fell, “What’s wrong?”

“First she slapped me, before going to the prison, and then told me to pass that along to you,” Silas told Chevalier. “By my guess, she’s not sleeping well, or even at all, and she seems thinner, pale, and drawn.”

“Damnit, I was afraid she’d stop eating,” Chevalier growled.

“Lexi looks good. She’s actually having fun, I think,” Silas said, and smiled slightly.

Derrick appeared beside Silas, “The lawyer sent a message to us, from Kyle.”

“Ok,” Quinn said. “Read it.”

Derrick looked at the Council nervously and cleared his throat, “Council, it was not part of the deal that you would abandon Emily while I sit in jail and rot. I demand to know why she’s been cut off from the Council and the city. Kyle.”

“Silas,” Maleth said. “Go talk to Kyle. Explain that we haven’t abandoned Emily and explain why we must keep our contact with her to a minimum right now.”

“I’ll go talk to Emily. She deserves some sort of explanation,” Chevalier said, and stood up.

“We can’t risk you being seen with her, I’ll go,” Zohn said.

Maleth sighed, “She doesn’t like you.”

Zohn grinned, “She can’t lie to me either. I’ll go and check on her well-being.”

Chevalier nodded, and Zohn blurred from the room. He stood in the dark bedroom and watched Emily toss and turn in her sleep. She mumbled, but the words were incoherent. His keen eyes picked up that she had lost weight, and her pale skin showed the recent bite mark vividly.

“No!” Emily screamed, and sat up in bed, then looked around the dark room, breathing rapidly. She slipped out of bed and pulled on a robe, and then sat in the bay window in the bedroom that overlooked the trees behind the house.

Emily screamed, and stood up when she heard Zohn clear his throat. She spun and turned to face him as he stepped out of the shadows.

“It’s just me,” Zohn said, watching her.

Emily frowned and put her hand on her chest, “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I came to check on you.”

“I’m alive, now go away.”

Zohn took a step toward her, “When’s the last time you ate?”

“None of your damn business,” she scowled at him.

“I’m only here to help.”

“You can help, by telling the Council to go jump off a cliff.”

Zohn chuckled, “I’ll make a note of that.”

“Good, now leave.”

“Who bit you?”

“A heku,” Emily said, and crossed her arms.

Zohn grinned, “That part is obvious, which one?”

“A tall one.”

“Does that mean you don’t know?”

“No, that means I’m not going to tell you,” Emily yelled, and then gasped when Zohn appeared in front of her and grasped her face between his hands. She looked up at him angrily, and then her body began to relax.

Zohn concentrated on her eyes and felt her body fall into his control.

“You need to eat,” he said softly to her, his voice almost a whisper.

“No,” she whispered back.

Zohn frowned slightly. He’d never been told no when controlling a mortal. He knew Emily was hard to control though, and realized that the lack of sleep and food was the only reason he was able to gain any control at all.

“You need to eat,” he said again rhythmically.

Emily didn’t move or answer.

“Emily,” he said softer. “Who fed from you?”

Emily blinked and then frowned. Zohn started to pull away from her just as she slapped him. He covered his cheek with his hand and stepped back.

“Get out,” she said, angrier.

“Not until I find out what I came for,” Zohn said, and leaned against the bedroom wall.

“Why exactly are you here?” She sat cross-legged on the bed.

“To check on your well-being, but I find another problem with the bite on your neck.”

“My well-being?” Emily asked, and chuckled. “Like the Council gives a rat’s ass. Let’s see… I was dropped here by my husband and then abandoned by him and the entire city. I’ve had no contact with anyone, no word on what’s going on with the trial. Alex and I sit here alone, day after day, and wonder what in the hell we did to get discarded by the heku.”

“We didn’t abandon you.”

“Go away!” Emily yelled. “The only person on this planet who seems to care, is locked up in a cold prison for something that he didn’t do. I have half a mind to go turn in Chevalier and let him deal with it instead of Kyle.”

“Let’s not do anything rash,” Zohn said.

“So go back and tell the Council that the next heku that walks through that door better be Kyle, or I’ll ash them before they can even scream.” She glared at him, “That goes for Chevalier also.”

“He’s worried about you.”

“Bullshit!”

Zohn raised his hands, “Just listen. This has to be done for a reason. You aren’t abandoned, we see everything you do, and you’re well protected.”

“Oh that’s even better! Now I’m abandoned and on display, just great.”

Zohn sighed, “It’s not…”

“Ford, get the heku,” Emily said, and walked into the bathroom, slamming the door.

Zohn looked down at the fiercely growling Border collie. He was crouched low and his hackles were raised. Zohn sighed, and blurred from the house, appearing in the council chambers a few minutes later.

“So what’s your impression?” Maleth asked Zohn as he sat in his chair.

“First off, she’s highly irrational and emotional,” Zohn said.

Quinn chuckled, “So nothing’s changed?”

“She’s slowly starving herself, and from what I saw, she’s not sleeping well. She’s also been fed off of recently,” Zohn told them.

Chevalier growled, “Who?”

“She won’t say. I even had control of her for a few minutes, but she broke it.”

“You could control her?” Maleth asked, shocked.

“Briefly, yes,” Zohn said. “She sent a warning that the next heku to walk through her door better be Kyle, any other, and she would turn us to ash… she made sure and mention that that included the Elder also.”

Chevalier sighed, “We have that house surrounded. Find out from the guards who has been in there.”

Zohn nodded, “Already asked, and Silas has been the only one in the house.”

“It may have happened while she was out. Maybe she stopped on the way to the prison and was attacked,” Quinn said.

“Kent assures us that we’re only days away from Kyle and Emily both being released as suspects. If she can just wait two more days, everything may get back to normal,” Maleth said, frustrated.

“This has gone on long enough. I agreed with the Council not to contact her, but I am going to talk to her now,” Chevalier said, and blurred from the room.

“Em?” Chevalier said from behind her. Emily jumped and splashed dishwater all over the counter.

“Damnit, don’t sneak up on me,” she said, and turned around as she dried her hands on a towel.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been here to talk to you. The lawyers wanted me to stay as far away as possible to keep from messing up the trial,” Chevalier said.

“So you couldn’t even sneak in here? Send a note maybe?”

“I didn’t want to risk it. This trial is too important, and I don’t want you to end up in jail.”

“So why are you here now?” Emily snapped.

“I needed to talk to you.”

“Yeah, well I needed you too and guess what? You weren’t here.”

Emily turned around when the phone rang and answered it, “Hello?”

Chevalier waited while she listened to whoever was on the phone.

“I’ll be right there,” Emily said, and hung up.

“What’s up?” Chevalier asked.

Emily ignored him and went into the bedroom to get dressed. She came out a short time later in a black business dress suit, and she sat down to slip on some shoes, “Can you be bothered to watch Alex, or should I find a baby-sitter?”

“Em, don’t be like that,” he said, frustrated.

“I’ll be back,” Emily said, and kissed Alexis on the cheek.

She drove quickly to the courtroom. Kent said there was an update in the case, and she needed to be there. She was met outside by droves of reporters, so she lowered her head and ran inside without saying a word.

“Come in,” Kent said, and took her arm. He led her into the packed courtroom, and she stood by Kyle, who was in a suit and tie, no longer restrained.

The Judge came in and sat down, then looked at Kyle and Emily, “In light of recent DNA evidence found on the body of Keith Russo, you are both being released as suspects for the murder case. Mr. Jones, you were found guilty of Identity Theft and will be released on time served. You may go.”

Emily gasped and turned to Kyle, jumping into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead, “Let’s go home.”

Emily nodded, “I have the Durango outside.”

They walked out to the Durango as Kyle blocked reporters from getting close to Emily. She crawled into the driver’s seat and took off when Kyle was seated, then headed for Council City.

“Are you ok?” Kyle asked after a few minutes.

Emily smiled, “I’m fine, why?”

“He loves you.”

“He has a funny way of showing it.”

Emily pulled up to the front doors of the palace and turned off the engine.

“Not putting it in the garage?” Kyle asked, frowning.

“I’m not staying that long. I just need to get Alexis, and I’m leaving,” she said, and opened the door.

“Shall we pull it in for you, Lady Emily?” a guard asked.

“No, leave it please,” Emily said, and went inside.

Kyle followed her, “Where will you go?”

Emily turned and faced him. Her eyes were filled with tears, “It’ll be easier if you don’t know.”

Kyle took her hand, “Please, tell me.”

Emily kissed him lightly, ignoring the gasps and hisses from the guards and servants, “I can’t.”

She pulled away from Kyle and walked into the Council room as Derrick called after her.

“Emily?” Quinn asked, looking up from some papers.

The prisoner on trial watched her carefully, not sure what was going on.

“Emily, can we help you? We’re in the middle of a trial,” Zohn asked.

Emily ignored them and walked up to Chevalier and took Alexis. He smiled at Alexis and then looked at Emily, “Let’s talk, meet me upstairs in an hour, ok?”

She didn’t say anything, but walked down toward the trial room door.

“She’s leaving,” Kyle said, and stepped in front of the door.

“Leaving? Where?” Maleth asked, looking up.

“Please move, Kyle,” Emily asked, stepping up to the door.

“Don’t go like this,” Kyle begged.

“When will you be back?” Quinn asked.

“Kyle, I’m begging you to just let me go,” she said softly. She looked into his eyes pleadingly.

“Please don’t go, not now,” he said, watching her.

“Look at me, Kyle. I’m not mad. I’m not leaving in anger. It’s just time to go away for a while,” Emily said, and touched his cheek softly.

“Emily, I just spent 2 months in jail for you… I’m asking you nicely to stay, for me,” Kyle said. He knew it was hitting low, but he was desperate for her to stay.

Emily sighed and thought before speaking, “Ok, but only 2 months. I’ll give you back what the jail took.”

Kyle smiled, “That’s all I can ask for, thank you.”

“I hate this place,” Emily said to Chevalier.

“I know,” he answered softly.

“You two,” Emily said, looking at Quinn and Zohn. “Stay away from me.”

Emily headed for the trial doors.

“Eat too, will you?” Kyle asked.

“Don’t push it,” Emily said, and left the room. Kyle went and took his chair to finish out the current trial.