Chapter 52
Gatsby
Age 18
"Mr. Dumas, how do you plead?"
I stood, the shackles on my wrists and ankles weighing me down. "Not guilty," I said through the mask. The courtroom let out a gasp as I sat. The judge banged his gavel.
"Enough. The court notes that the defendant has entered a plea of not guilty to the charges of First-Degree Murder and Abuse of a Corpse. We must now determine a trial date to allow both parties to prepare their cases. Given the unsettling and violent nature of the alleged crimes, the court denies bail to avoid community unrest."
I fought not to say something smart in front of the court.
Unsettling and violent nature of the crimes.
Damn it, Dennis .
He'd been so fucking excited when I dragged his sister's body into the kitchen; I should have known something nefarious was going to take place. He'd told me to go rest, get some food, and once he was ready, he'd call the police. He hadn't lied, but he hadn't told me the truth of what he'd planned, either.
Even I got sick seeing the crime scene.
Two prison guards lifted me from my seat and tugged me down the aisle. A flurry of screams, shouts, and camera flashes followed me along my route.
"Emile, tell us why you did it!"
"Emile, did she taste good?"
"Emile, did you get my letter?"
“Eat the rich!”
“There are no good billionaires!”
The public's reaction to my alleged crimes was surprising. Some saw me as a monster, others saw me as a hero. To them, I’d just taken out another heartless CEO. I’d saved countless lives. But that was never my intention. I’d just wanted to save Dennis.
I was shoved into the police vehicle and taken back to the prison. Once in my cell, I was allowed to take all of my restraints off and lay down on the thin cot and think about my life thus far.
So many people knew my face now. Many hated me, many claimed to love me. I was a modern day Robin Hood, in their eyes.
Only, I wasn't.
Every crime I was being charged with, I hadn't done.
I was taking the fall for the woman I loved, and a man who promised to reward me in droves if I did as told.
Even if Dennis Wolfsheim rescinded his promise, I'd still gladly sit in this prison to make sure Daisy never did .
Since the day she popped up on my computer, I'd been drawn to her, just like Jay Gatsby had been drawn to the green light on the other side of the lake. I'd do anything for her, for the rest of my life. She saved me, she gave me hope. Before her, I'd had every intention of ending it all some day. I'd fantasized about slicing my veins open in my computer chair and leaving my body for my blood-hungry mother and her sex-addicted friends to find. I'd wanted to end the pain I felt each and every day, until she came along and gave me something to want.
Her.
My lawyer came by shortly after. He stood on the other side of the bars, looking irritated that he was forced to take my case. My mother, gem of a woman that she was, refused to pay for a lawyer. Turns out all the money that I'd earned for her over my teenage years wasn't enough to cover one. When she told me the bold-faced lie, I told her never to speak to me again.
"Just take a deal," my lawyer whined. "You're going to be found guilty anyway. If you take a deal now, you won't get the death penalty."
"The charges are incorrect," I said, for the hundredth time. "I won't admit to crimes that aren't mine."
"Then whose are they, Emile?" He sighed.
"I told you it was the brother,” I insisted. I’d said it a million times and no one seemed to care. Dennis had given me permission to tell the truth. When he died and came clean, it would help my case, as I'd been telling everyone the truth all along. However, as long as he was still alive, no one would believe me. I was a poor military brat. He was a billionaire.
Money trumps the truth, always.
"Sure, he suddenly became able bodied and dragged his sister through the house and cut her open." He threw his hands up. "I'll be back in a few days. Consider taking the plea deal. It'll save everyone the time and money."
I laid down, putting my hands under my head.
I had a long road ahead of me. A year of trials, a few more in prison. But once I was out, I'd be the richest man in the world, not just my financial wealth, but because I'd finally get to have Daisy.