Chapter 38
I’m at the office when Austin calls, asking if he can come by. As busy as I am, I want news about James’s case. Half an hour later, my secretary tells me he’s arrived.
“Is it the car report?”
“Yes, we’re done, and Jhonatan’s experts finished too. He’ll probably go talk to James’s family today,” he says, handing me the report.
“Did they go over the car thoroughly?”
“Everything you asked for—two different experts and two mechanics. They gave it to me this morning.”
I start leafing through the document, reading everything slowly. There are two reports. Austin sits across from me, watching. I’m sure he already knows the conclusion, but I want to read everything myself.
When I finish, after almost half an hour, I run my hands through my hair and stand up. I pour myself a whiskey and down it in one gulp. It burns all the way down.
I sit back down, pick up the reports again, and read only the ending.
“Vehicle with mechanical failure, located in the brake cable.”
I reread this sentence several times in both reports, which are thoroughly detailed. I close the document and punch the desk. “Damn it, how could I make such a serious mistake? I’ve always prided myself on getting justice right,” I mutter, blaming myself.
“Don’t blame yourself, Owen. You weren’t in a good place back then. Just do your duty as a judge now.”
“How can I not blame myself? He was locked up for four long years. Why didn’t I do this sooner?”
“Maybe because you needed Amélie to open your eyes.”
“Damn it, she’ll never forgive me, especially since I didn’t even listen to her.”
“You really messed up there, but I don’t blame you for it. She’d only been in your house for a few months—it’s natural to be suspicious, especially in our line of work. All you can do now is clear James’s name and ask them for forgiveness.”
“I’ll call Robert later and schedule a time to hand over these documents.”
“And don’t forget to reach out to Amélie. She deserves an apology too.”
“I don’t even know if she wants to see me, after everything I did.”
“It doesn’t hurt to try, my friend. Well, everything’s there. If you need anything else, you know where to find me.”
“Thanks for your help.”
He leaves my office, and I stay there, staring at the papers and seeing how badly I screwed up. But I’ll do my job now. I owe it to both of them—James and Amélie. I pick up my phone and call Robert.
“Good afternoon, Owen. Have you finished your investigation?”
“Yes, and I need to schedule a time to bring you the reports.”
“Come to my office tomorrow.”
“Okay, I’ll be there tomorrow morning.”
I hang up and sit there thinking about everything. I hope she forgives me. I know it won’t be easy, but I’ll do whatever I can. My phone vibrates on the desk. I look at the screen—unknown number. I unlock it and open the message.
“Good afternoon, doctor. Just dropping by to leave you a little message—you’re going to pay for what you did.
” Then he sends me some photos of Amélie in a park.
In one, she’s smiling at a child who approaches her with a toy.
In another, she’s just looking around. But the one that catches my attention most—I open the photo and study it closely.
Wait, am I seeing things, or is she pregnant?
I rub my eyes to make sure I’m seeing clearly. I zoom in on the photo and yes, in the last image, her hand is on her belly, which is already quite visible. It can’t be. This child must be mine—it has to be. I need to find out who’s behind these messages, but first, I call Anthony.
“I got new messages, this time with photos of Amélie.”
“So they’re after her. You need to find her and warn her.”
“That’s not even the problem.”
“Then what is?”
“She’s pregnant. The baby’s definitely mine. They must have found out, and now they’re after her.”
“Damn. We can put undercover security on her until you get a chance to talk to her.”
“I hadn’t thought of that, but I’ll arrange it right away. And I need to talk to her in person.”
“Good luck, my friend, because you’re going to need it.”
First, I’ll go to Robert’s, deliver the documents, and file for criminal rehabilitation. That way it’ll be faster. Then I’ll go to her house. I need to protect her—I don’t know who’s after me.
The next day, I wake up early. I want to get this resolved first thing. I know I’ll still need a few days to clear James’s name, but I’m going straight to the right person, so it should be faster.
I leave the house and head straight to my friend's office. When I arrive, the secretary greets me and lets him know I'm here. I wait a few seconds, then she shows me in.
“Good morning, Robert,” I say, handing him the documents.
“Finally ready.”
He flips through and reads for a few minutes, looks at the conclusion, and says:
“Another mistake by the previous expert.”
“Exactly. I hired two experts and two mechanics to make sure the report was solid.”
“You did the right thing. I'll go over it carefully—I trust you, but you know the rules.”
“Take all the time you need, just let me know when everything will be settled.”
“As soon as I've reviewed it and talked to the prosecutor on the case, I'll be in touch.”
“Thank you, Robert.”
“It's good to acknowledge mistakes. You did the right thing by following up on this.”
“I was too late, but anyway, it's done now. I'll be at peace once everything is resolved.”
“Soon, my friend.”
I say goodbye and leave. Now I need to arrange security for Amélie. I ask Marcus to head over near her house, and he goes. When I see her leaving—probably for a walk—we follow her to the plaza and I watch her from a distance. We stay there the whole time, and when she gets up to leave, we do too.
I wanted so badly to go to her, but I know I wouldn't be welcome, so I'd rather wait until everything is settled to go to her house.
I don't know why she didn't tell me anything about the baby—if I'm the father, I should know.
Either way, we'll have time to talk. I fill Marcus in on her security details, which he arranges right away, and I hope nothing happens.