Chapter 29
twenty-nine
Killian
“Killian Thorn?” The U.S. Marshal calls from outside the holding cell as I’m waiting to be arraigned.
I come forward, and he extricates me, cuffing my wrists and ankles. “Too tight?” he asks.
“No, it’s fine.”
None of this is fine, but it is what it is. I spent the last two days in the police department, waiting for today. Hopefully I’ll find out what the hell is going on and they’ll grant me bail so I can return home to wait for the trial.
“All right, let’s go.”
I walk with him through a back hallway and into the courtroom.
The judge is sitting there behind the bench, and the Marshal points to where I have to go—beside a man in a dark gray suit.
“Your honor, I’m David Turner, standing in for Anthony DeCarolis who is representing Mr. Thorn. I was unable to meet Mr. DeCarolis’s client prior to today’s arraignment, so I would like to ask the courts for permission to speak to the client before we begin.”
The judge looks irritated, but he nods once. “Clerk, pass the case, and we’ll recall in five minutes. Deputy, bring them to the back room until we’re ready.”
The deputy grabs my elbow and brings me and my new lawyer I didn’t know I had into the interview room.
“Can you please uncuff him?” my lawyer asks.
“Sure.”
Once the deputy leaves us alone, David turns to me. “Anthony DeCarolis was hired by Brynlee and Crew Knight to represent you. He wasn’t able to get here in time for court today, so he called me, and I came immediately. We’re going to ask the judge not to arraign you until he gets here tomorrow.”
“So I have to spend another night in jail?”
“Yes, but honestly, based on the charges, I’m going to assume the government will ask for you to be held. Right now, I need to know if you spoke with any agents and what was said.”
I run through what I remember and what I said.
“I don’t understand any of this. I’ve gone through it all for the last forty-eight hours, and I know it involves Travis somehow, but I don’t know how to prove it.
Also, the last thing the agent showed me before he left was a photo of my business partner in Boston.
None of it adds up. He and Travis met maybe two times in the years I’ve had the farm. ”
“So you’re telling me you aren’t involved in running a money-laundering operation for an organized crime ring by buying and selling horses with dirty money?”
What? Jesus Christ. This just keeps getting worse and worse.
“Of course not. I have nothing to do with it. I’ve never met any of these people.
I don’t even know someone in a fucking crime ring.
Travis is the one who went to the auctions and set up the private buyers.
So much of the paperwork we found recently that has my signature on it was either forged or I didn’t know, maybe I did sign it, sometimes Travis would just bring papers in and I would sign. ”
“Anthony will be able to help with all of that, but for now, I just want to get you another day before we enter a plea.”
“I swear to you, I had no part in any of it.”
“That’s what they all say, but I believe you. You have one of the top criminal defense lawyers in the country.”
Before we can continue on, the U.S. Marshal reappears, cuffs me again, and we all head out to stand before the judge.
Only this time, the room isn’t empty.
There, standing in the front row, is Tessa. Her long, brown hair is pulled to the side, but it’s the worry in her eyes that has my heart ready to break.
Beside her is my daughter, holding Tessa’s hand as she smiles softly at me.
God, the two women I never wanted to see me like this.
Tessa looks tired and scared, and it kills me that I can’t go to her to comfort her.
I walk past her, our eyes staying connected.
Does she believe that I didn’t have anything to do with this?
Does she know I would’ve never put her in that danger?
Those big blue eyes stare back into mine and I see the trust, hope, and resolve glimmering in hers. She knows.
Now, I have to stand here, my back to her, and pray the judge sees all of this is a huge mistake.
The clerk calls the case to order, and the prosecutor reads the charges. With each one named, my dwindling hope becomes zero.
The judge then looks at my stand-in lawyer. “Would you like to proceed with arraignment today?”
“No, we request the court to delay so he can meet with his lawyer tomorrow.”
The gavel bangs. “Arraignment is set for tomorrow at 3:00 p.m.”
I hear Tessa’s quiet sob and turn to face her. “It’s okay. It’ll be okay.”
She shakes her head, tears in her eyes. “I’ll get you out soon.”
I want to tell her she won’t, not with the way things are looking. Instead, I force my lips into a smile and then nod.
The Marshal grabs my elbow. “Let’s go.”
As I’m taken away, back to my cell, I chance one last look at Tessa and find her with a hand resting over the heart that I’m breaking.
Last night was by far the worst.
Not that I’ve slept at all since being in jail, but last night all I could see was Tessa’s face when I closed my eyes.
So I stopped trying. It’s hard enough being in here, not knowing what the fuck is going on, but to see her tears, to know that I’m the reason she has dark circles under her eyes, I fucking hate it.
A police officer comes to my door. “Thorn. Your lawyer and the prosecutor are here.”
I sit up, confused as to why the prosecutor is here too.
He unlocks the cell door. “Turn around. I need to cuff you and bring you to the interview room.”
I do as he says, going through the motions I never thought I’d know in my life.
I allow him to lead me into the room where Agent Halsey grilled me for what felt like an eternity.
When I get inside, the officer uncuffs me and the prosecutor is sitting on one side and the man I’m assuming is my lawyer are sitting on the other.
The man stands. “Killian, I’m Anthony DeCarolis, I received a call about an hour ago from the prosecutor to meet here. There have been some developments in your case.”
“I see,” I say, walking over to sit beside him.
“Mr. Thorn, the FBI has brought forth some information regarding your involvement after two arrests were made this morning. We are going to be dropping all the charges against you,” the prosecutor explains.
I blink in confusion. “All of them?”
This makes no sense. How are they suddenly coming to this conclusion?
“Yes, the details that have come to light fully exonerate you, and we have a written confession that explains exactly how the operation was being run.”
“What exactly is this operation?” I ask.
She places her hands on the table. “How well do you know Travis Brown?”
“I would’ve said very well a few months ago, but right now I’m not sure I know him at all.”
In fact, it feels like I don’t know anyone anymore. The only people I trust right now are the Disc Jocks, Tessa, and Meredith. I would’ve added Nathaniel to that, but they planted a seed of doubt at the end of their interrogation, although including his photo might have just been a mind game.
Hell, this entire thing feels like one.
“The reason we’re dropping all charges is that at the same time that you were arrested, so were five other members of a suspected money-laundering scheme the FBI had been investigating. Upon Mr. Brown’s arrest, he was offered an opportunity to help himself and he took it.”
“You arrested Travis?” I ask. “Who are the other five members?”
“Each of the men whose photo you were shown is now in custody.”
My jaw clenches. “Was one of them Nathaniel Richmond?”
“Yes.”
I shake my head in disbelief. I thought I knew him. I trusted him, thought of him like a brother, and now I find out he was somehow mixed up in this? Maybe it was innocent, like mine, and this will be cleared up for him too. “What is his involvement?”
Anthony speaks before she does. “I’d like to see the paperwork showing you’re dropping his charges before we go any further. Do we have that in writing?”
She reaches into the briefcase beside her and extricates a piece of paper. “Here you are.”
He reads over it and then slides it in front of me. “You can sign it.”
The prosecutor hands me a pen, and I read it over before I find myself in a situation like this again. Sure enough, it’s stating that I’m being released, and all charges are dropped. I don’t hesitate to scrawl my signature across the bottom.
“Okay, so here’s what we’ve learned…”