Chapter Seven. #2
“Second, nobody attacked you, Rascal, once Hallie was locked away. You stayed in your hometown for a year before leaving and moving around, but you were trackable. You could have easily been killed, but you weren’t.
Someone paid the cops to hide the alibi and to lose witnesses.
That’s not aimed at you, but Hallie,” Artemis continued.
“But since Hallie’s got out, it’s started again,” Shane pressed.
“Yeah, it has. Everything is aimed at getting Hallie back in prison. The wreath, set up to make it look like Hallie was harassing you. The hit-and-miss was aimed directly at Hallie. Rascal, the beating you took, ensured you saw her. Jane knew exactly where Bernard’s cameras were.
She made it appear as if she’d slipped and shown her face, but Jane hadn’t.
That was premeditated. Only Hallie had rock-solid alibis, and Jane continued screwing up,” Artemis finished.
“Everything keeps coming back to Hallie. Rascal, you’re collateral damage,” Kristoff said. “Someone is either obsessed with you or wants you kept single so they can fantasise. Or they are fixated on taking over Hallie’s existence. But every detail revolves around removing Hallie from your life.”
“Hallie didn’t stab me?” Shane whispered.
“No, Rascal, we’re ninety-nine per cent convinced she didn’t,” Artemis replied gently.
Shane sat there as silence fell. King squeezed my shoulder.
“I ran background checks on you both,” Nigel said and tapped the folder. “Neither of you has hired anyone to either set up the other or off them. You’ve no massive expenditures and no sign of a secondary bank account. You’re both innocent.”
The bomb dropped and exploded. I reeled back, and King wrapped an arm around me. I’d obviously known I was innocent, but hearing it struck deep. Shane hadn’t deceived me as I’d assumed.
That rocked me. For over five years, Shane had been my villain; now I was on rocky ground. Jane clearly deserved my hate, but I’d no idea who she was.
“Give me a moment. I can’t do this,” Shane declared, stood up, and walked out.
“I’ll go,” one of the men with Chance announced.
Chance nodded. He held my eyes, and there was an apology and sadness in them.
I didn’t acknowledge that as King wrapped an arm tightly around me. “Okay?” he murmured.
“Do you have evidence?” Lieutenant Richards asked, leaning forward.
“Yes,” Artemis replied.
“I’ll need copies.”
“They’re all in that file,” Kristoff responded. “Hallie, the moment you told me who you were, I knew you were innocent. No guilty person parades their history as you did. It was just a matter of digging.”
“Thanks,” I muttered from King’s embrace. I clung to him, unsure what emotions I should be feeling. Shock was my prevalent emotion, and I was certain I should be experiencing more than that. Vindication was there, and also betrayal.
“This was planned with careful consideration and meticulousness. It was a solid frame job,” Chance said.
“Yes. And from someone who knew them both.”
“Why does Jane look so much like me?” I demanded weakly.
“A mask, makeup? Plastic surgery? I don’t have an answer to that until we capture her,” Artemis replied.
King stiffened.
“What?” I asked.
“Not sure, something jogged in my mind. It will come to me sooner or later.”
The door opened, and Shane returned. “I’m sorry,” he said to me.
“Not good enough,” King spat angrily. “You loved her; you should have known Hallie would never have harmed you. Not back then. Shane, you destroyed her life; sorry won’t cut it.
Her parents and brothers hated her, labelled her scum, and disowned her.
Hallie’s so-called friends turned on her and gave false statements because they believed you. No fucker apart from me trusted her!”
“King…” Shane was lost for words. He collapsed into his chair. “You don’t think it’s going to haunt me, knowing I sent the woman I loved to prison? Hallie was innocent.” Shane’s voice broke, and he swallowed hard.
“And lying in a pool of blood, her baby kicked to death inside her, doesn’t torment Hallie?” King struck, temper rising.
Shane flinched back. “I don’t have the words…”
“No, you don’t. So, sit there and shut the fuck up,” King ordered.
Shane subsided as Harry turned to Lieutenant Richards.
“What happens now?”
“I’m only here as a courtesy, but I will ensure the Attorney General gets all this information. I have to say, I can’t tell whether framing Hallie hindered my case or not. But it appears an innocent woman was sent to prison. Do you need me for anything else?”
“No, Lieutenant Richards, thank you for coming,” Harry replied.
“I would suggest you also leave,” Lieutenant Richards said to Hawthorne. He nodded and left with Lieutenant Richards.
“What now?” Chance asked.
“I continue to file my motions and make sure those who framed Hallie and perjured themselves pay. She lost five years of her life and her child, too. No amount of money can give her that back,” Harry remarked.
“But at least Mr Morris will, from this point on, stop his incessant slander of my client and his constant harassment of her.”
Shane looked away as Harry spoke. He seemed unable to meet my eyes. Good. Now Shane knew the truth; maybe he would shut up and leave me alone. There was nothing else to be said. A knock sounded, then the receptionist poked her head in.
“The police are here about the shooting,” she said.
“That took time,” Harry remarked, nodding his agreement for them to enter.
Chance, Shane, and the other two rose to their feet. “We’ll be in contact,” Chance stated.
I looked at him. “Why? There’s nothing more to be discussed. We know the truth. I was set up, and Shane sent an innocent woman to prison. What else is there? Jane claimed Shane was hers. If I stay away from him, she’ll leave me alone. Perfectly simple to me.”
“Hallie,” Shane said in a tortured voice.
“No. There is no Hallie where you’re concerned. Please go. I need to make a statement,” I replied. If King didn’t have his arm around me still, I might have curled into a ball and cried. But not here in front of them.
Artemis and her team also stood. “Hallie, I don’t think Jane has finished with you yet. That indicates she’s dangerous. She shot at you today; Jane’s serious about claiming Shane.”
“She can have him. Shane means nothing to me.” My words hit Shane hard, and he stiffened. That was his problem. He’d not even given me a second thought before sending me to prison. He’d been so righteous in his anger. Well, that had failed spectacularly, coming back to haunt him.
“Leave; we need to give a statement about what happened today,” Harry stated, and the room emptied.
I blew out a breath, and King crouched at my feet. He gripped my hands and gazed into my eyes.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“You’ve finally been vindicated. Shane didn’t see you,” King replied with a gentle squeeze.
“But you were the only one other than Harry who believed me,” I whispered.
“Yeah, for good reason. You were innocent,” King murmured.
I don’t think I’d ever tire of hearing that. My dignity had been reinstated. It was rather amusing that the very people Hellfire had brought in to hang me had cleared me.
A detective walked in, and I recognised him as Hawthorne’s partner.
“Are we going to have a problem?” Harry demanded.
“No, sir. I’m here to take a statement. Lio explained he’d catch me up,” Phil Gold replied.
“Good. I’m staying.” Gold nodded at King and Harry and took out a notebook, and I gave him my account. It was certainly a humdinger.
“You recognised something in there,” I said as we got into King’s SUV.
“Yeah, a comment rang my bell. I need to do some research.” King swung in next to me.
“Well, don’t keep me in the dark. What did you remember?”
“I’m not sure, honestly, Hal. Let me look into some shit. Then I’ll tell you if I have a lead. I don’t want to get your hopes up or send you down a false path.”
“Fine. You owe me chicken,” I stated.
“Hal, today came too close. This lunatic is gunning for you. You go nowhere without me, okay? Not even to the toilets,” King declared.
“What do you intend to do? Come in with me?”
“If that’s what it takes.”
I snorted, amused. “Going to shave your legs too and wear a dress? I’m pretty sure you have a dick and aren’t allowed in the ladies.”
“Then you use the gents.”
“The fuck I will!” I exclaimed, and King began laughing.
“We’ll figure shit out,” King promised.
“We’re gonna have to, King; I’ve got a bad feeling this isn’t over.”
“I agree, Jane’s just ramping up. She’s going to keep coming for you until she can claim your identity.”
“And that terrifies me,” I admitted. And for good reason. This bitch had already taken five years of my life. I refused to let her steal anything else.