Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89093 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89093 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
“JR wouldn’t have hurt Roderick for no reason.”
“I agree,” Regan backs up again. “But we don’t have time to wade through the evidence to back up those claims right now. JR’s bail hearing starts in less than an hour, and I’m afraid if we don’t give the judge something that proves the charges need to be downgraded, JR will be transferred to Wallens Ridge to await trial.”
Isaac and I grit our teeth at the same time. Wallens Ridge State Penitentiary has been embroiled in controversial activity for decades. Its staff is as crooked as the inmates, and the warden is as shady as Col Petretti once was.
My thoughts freeze my heart. “Has anyone told JR that his father is dead?”
Regan’s wide eyes stray to Isaac. When he briskly shakes his head, she shifts them back to me. “No.”
“What about Ophelia? Does he know she’s alive?”
I only found out a couple of years ago that Ophelia’s accident was staged by the same federal agents who organized my new life. My head was so muddled with confusion, I had no clue the ‘special guest’ in the room in the back of the private jet that flew me to my new life was Ophelia. I was scared, terrified my life was about to replicate a horror flick, and in so much pain from the gunk in my ears not responding to the change in altitude, I spent most of the trip with my head between my legs while chewing gum.
My deafness after the blast was attributed to the eustachian tubes in my ears malfunctioning. Usually, they’re responsible for regulating the pressure in your ears, but since mine had collapsed and my ears were full of goopy fluid, my hearing was completely blocked after my flight.
Symptoms generally last a couple of days at most, but when mine stretched to weeks, the head doctor at Saint Frances Hospital, Jacinta, suggested I visit a local ear, nose, and throat specialist.
A simple balloon procedure cleared everything up, and the very next month, I ran into Isaac for the second time in my life.
Needing a moment to process how in the world I’m going to tell JR his baby sister isn’t dead, I float my eyes back to the desk he’s being processed at. As suspected by the prickling of the hairs on my arms, he’s already watching me. His expression exposes he lipread the confession I’m struggling to work out how to tell him.
Although he should be upset, not an ounce of annoyance fills his eyes. He appears more relieved than anything, and the knowledge exposes what I need to do to make sure he isn’t hit with a second bout of shock.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Jae
“I still don’t approve of this,” Isaac grunts out while floating his gray eyes around the only available cabin in the state JR is facing prosecution. “The fact you can’t leave the state until his trial is over is already concerning, but you just testified that you believe he is an unhinged member of society.” He shakes his head like it will stop the swear word I see in his eyes from being released.
It doesn’t when I reply, “I played on the DA’s belief that he is as dangerous as he looks.” When he scoffs, I talk faster, “You heard what Regan said. Bail is rarely granted for murder suspects. The only exception usually given is when the judge believes the suspect’s incarceration will endanger the lives of others or himself.” I lower my voice so the parole officers raking the cabin for dangerous instruments don’t hear me. “The slash marks on JR’s wrists helped me convince him of the latter.”
“He isn’t suicidal, Jae.”
“Now, Isaac,” I say his name with the same husky edge he used to deliver mine. I understand he feels guilt for what happened to JR over ten years ago, but if it is going to get in the way of JR being found not guilty, I need to shut it down. “We don’t know what it was like for him back then. No one knows why he was living the life of a hermit hundreds of miles from his hometown. We can make assumptions, but until we know the facts, this is the best and safest option.”
The judge granted JR bail on the condition that the land in question was placed up as part of his bail bond, and that his pre-trial detention occurs within the state the charges were filed and conducted under the guidance of a medically trained professional.
Although I’ve never practiced in the field of psychology, I did major in it before attending medical school. I am qualified for the job I signed up for. I just need my heart to forget the disappointment that blazed through JR’s eyes when I announced to the judge my fears of his personal well-being. I belittled his ability to take care of himself and used examples of the way he had lived the past ten-plus years as examples to strengthen my concept.