Chapter 40
Edward opted to make some coffee and catch up on some news. He knew it was going to be impossible to get back to sleep after the nightmare he just experienced. It wasn’t quite five and the sun was just barely peaking in through the window. The two hours of sleep would have to suffice.
He opened his laptop and tried to catch up on news. He opened his email and tried to concentrate on the contents. He tried to stay patient but he kept looking at the clock. When it hit seven am, he tried calling Eva’s phone. It didn’t surprise him that she didn’t answer. He wanted to believe it was because she slept in on that Saturday morning, but not knowing for sure ate at him. He tried to call her again, and again he got no answer.
He quickly threw his jeans and t-shirt back on and went to her house. Every attempt he gave in finding her came up empty. Not knowing for sure where she was, ate at him worse than anything he had ever endured. He needed to know she was okay, but how?
A few days had gone by and although he went mentally crazy not knowing where she was, he absorbed himself into the business Joseph had begun just a few months ago. It was already massively successful and although Joseph tried to get him to go back to Brighton, Edward stayed where his lawyer told him to stay.
“I have to stay put until this mess is cleared up,” he told Joseph on the phone.
“Ya know, this isn’t like you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You always know how to avoid putting yourself in the middle of disaster. What makes this one so different?”
“I don’t know, Joseph.”
“Is it that girl?”
“Who? Eva?”
“Yeah, that’s the one. Has she gotten to you that bad?”
“It isn’t about her.”
“Well, from what you’ve told me she sure has a lot to do with it.”
“I don’t even know where she is, Joseph. That is killing me. I trusted the wrong person and this is the result, that’s all. Did you know Gracie was at the party?”
“What party? Our party?”
“Yeah. The cruise party we had for the business.”
“Naw, man. I had no idea. Coincidence?”
“Not even close.”
“What was her tie in? Who did she go with?”
“The only tie I can think of is Talita. She is her sister in law.”
“Maybe she invited her.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Edward thought about getting in touch with Talita again. “I have Bernard on it. He’ll clear my name.”
“He is the best.”
“Hey I have to go. I’m going to get in touch with him. Let him know about some things.”
“Sure thing, man. When you coming back anyway? It’s getting dull around here without you.”
“As soon as this all clears up. Talk to you soon.”
“Lata.”
Edward hung up and called Bernard. A few rings and a voice mail.
Of course.
“Hi, Bernard. It’s Edward. I think we should question Talita. Find out why Gracie was at my party last summer. There may be a connection we aren’t seeing. Anyway, get a hold of me when you can. Thanks.”
Edward paced the floor. He tried remembering Gracie’s face in the crowd on that boat but he came up with nothing. By the end of the day, when he still heard nothing from Bernard, he grabbed his phone and went through his contacts. When Talita’s name came up he looked at the way the letters formed her name. He rested his finger on the call button, knowing it was not in his best interest to call her. Whether it was Bernard reminding him not to talk to anyone about the case, or the stir in his pants he always got when he heard her voice, he pushed all of that to the back of his mind and hit the button.
“Hello?” The familiarity of Talita’s voice flooded into Edward’s mind.
“Talita?”
“This is she.”
“Hi. It’s Edward Caldwell.”
Silence came pouring in from the other end.
“We met over the summer….”
“I know who you are.” Her voice sharpened. “Why are you calling me?”
“I need your help. I’m trying to clear my name.”
“Clear your name. Of what? Guilt?”
“What?”
“You killed my husband and Gracie,” she sobbed.
Edward knew he shouldn’t have called. Gracie’s brother was Talita’s husband. Even though he knew that from the beat down he received from Johnny, he didn’t put it together until that very moment. Johnny was always Gracie’s brother in Edward’s mine, the guy she convinced to kick his ass.
“Talita, I didn’t do it. I swear. With your help we can find the real answers.”
“I hope you rot in prison for the rest of your fucking life.”
“Please, you have to listen to me.”
“Don’t call me again,” she whispered.
Edward heard her disconnect and regretted trying to talk to her.
“Shit,” he whispered.
When Bernard finally called him, he didn’t sound happy.
“What did I tell you?”
“What?”
“You called Talita Honor? Why would you do that?”
“She was the only link to Gracie being at the party. I had to know.”
“I have already questioned her. If you don’t want me to help you then you need to tell me now. I will walk away from it.”
“No,” he said, closing his eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m just going crazy here. I can’t go anywhere. I can’t talk to anyone. I feel like I’m in my own prison.”
“I understand that, Edward, but you have to trust me. Let me do my job.”
“Would it be a problem if I went back to Brighton until my court date?”
“It would be a big problem. I need you to stay put.”
“Damn it!” Edward wanted to slam his phone into the wall.
“I understand your frustration. Listen, I know it has only been a few days, but I almost have enough evidence to prove this was a murder/suicide.”
“You do.”
“Yes, and if I can get the rest of it without you trying to be the hero, I should be able to get you a court date by the end of this week.”
“Seems awfully fast.”
“Gracie messed up in a lot of areas.”
“Okay, but how are you going to get me into the courts so fast?”
“I have connections. Sit tight. I’ll have you cleared in no time. Just stop trying to solve the case by yourself. You got me?”
“Okay! Fine.”
“That includes Eva.”
“You know about that?”
“You pay me very well. I might as well be Jesus Christ himself looking down on you from the great heavens above.”
“I need to find her, Bernard. This not knowing is messing with my head.”
“We will find her. I have someone on it as we speak.”
Edward took a big breath. “Okay. Thank you.”
“Let me do what you are paying me to do. Capiche?”
“Capiche.”
“I’ll be in touch.”
Edward spent the next couple of days browsing the internet, researching prior cases related to his, learning about the process and getting familiar with what he could expect during and after his court date. By Tuesday afternoon his phone finally rang.
“I’ve got you a court date.”
“Yesss,” he whispered. “When?”
“Monday morning.”
“And you have enough to clear me?”
“More than enough. This is as textbook as it comes. Meet me at the courthouse ten am Monday morning. I’ll text you the address. Come dressed to impress.”
“You got it. See you then.”
The process went fairly quickly, running almost like a step by step process. Bernard lay the evidence on the line and did an amazing job showing how nothing fit into place.
“If you will notice, your honor, the evidence displayed that has been found on the scene, attempts to show intent that Edward Caldwell killed Gracie and John Honor. However, you can plainly see it was roughed together and makes no sense at all. My client did hold the gun that shot and killed the victims, but when it was in his possession it was empty. He attempted to use it for defense against John Honor and when he found the gun to be empty he used whatever means necessary to ward John off from him, hence the striking of his palm in John Honor’s face resulting in unconsciousness. Due to the violent attempts of Gracie Honor toward my client, he then attempted to leave before any more damage was done, but not before he was sure Gracie Honor put a call into emergency personnel. The records show she never made that call, even though my client waited in the doorway until he heard her cries of help into her phone. My belief is that Gracie never intended on calling for help.”
Bernard looked at Edward then back at the judges. His hesitation was genius. Edward studied their faces and he saw genuine sympathy in their eyes. He felt he had a chance.
“Your honor, Gracie had a pattern of irrational and wild behavior in regards to sex and what she deemed as romantic relationships, whether they were just acquaintances or friends or even the occasional date. In her mind, she honestly believed the men in her life were in love with her. Evidence has also shown that with Gracie Honor’s prior attempted convictions being continuously overturned and her connection with those who had that power to convict her, it is clear she was a manipulator and a murderess, and this time she became a victim as well; a victim of her own troubled mind.
“Past evidence shows that she conspired with her brother on the murder of Professor Gains. Even though the courts had the evidence to convict her brother, it was thrown out due to manipulation on Gracie’s part toward those responsible in convicting her. She manipulated her brother, John Honor, into attacking my client in September of this past year and threatening him. She also has been involved with several department heads at the university for her own personal gain, both sexually and monetary.
“Lastly, the gun that killed Gracie and her brother John was indeed the very gun Edward Caldwell held in his hands, however, these two people were not killed until Edward had left the premises and Gracie loaded that gun herself. She put two bullets into the chamber. The first one she killed her brother with and the second one she took herself. The gun wound that killed her entered her chest cavity at an angle that only she, herself, could have held the gun at.” Bernard demonstrated by holding his finger toward his own chest at the possible angle a person would hold a gun toward themselves at.
“If this case goes to trial, there will be plenty of evidence and witnesses showing Gracie’s irrational behavior and her troubled mind that led up to her demise. The evidence found on the scene trying to point the finger at my client is fictitious in every way possible. I hope that you look at the evidence presented to you and you see that there is no way that my client could have conducted such a heinous crime. I would like to ask that all charges be dismissed and my client be free to go.”
“Thank you,” said the Judge nodding toward Bernard. “We will reconvene after lunch at twelve thirty so that we may have the time to go over this evidence.”
Edward heard the gavel slam down on the bench, the sound echoing in his head. His fate was now left up to four men who didn’t know anything about him. He had to keep his hope that his lawyer had the proof he said he had.
“You hungry? Want to grab some lunch?” Bernard stood next to him as he gathered his papers together.
“I don’t think I could eat a thing, but I will join you.”
He followed Bernard out of the court room with a thick and dull pain in his stomach.