Chapter Thirty-One
Auralia
Auralia sat next to Creed on the second leg of their flight from Washington, D.C., heading to New Orleans. Today was Mémère’s birthday, and Auralia was able to budge her trip to Ukraine back by a few days so she could make the pilgrimage with Creed.
After telling Gator about their relationship, Creed thought this would be a good time to tell the rest of the family, who would be gathering in from far and wide.
It seemed that the Fates were on her side because she was able to book her ticket to fly with Creed and Rou without any problems.
Now, Creed was reading his book with Rou asleep on his lap, and Auralia was reading the paper on her tablet. Remi had told Auralia that she had updated the article about Morrison's craziness. Liu, their editor, said that Remi got this next one since Auralia would be mentioned.
“Hey, look at this.” Auralia leaned in to share her tablet with Creed.
After Recovery, Defendants Transferred to Jail as Charges Mount in Virginia Pileup Case
Remi Taleb,
Washington News-Herald and World Reports
VIRGINIA—Shane and Brandy Kirch, along with Sheelah Morrison, were released from the hospital after recovering from injuries sustained in last week’s massive highway pileup that left multiple people dead and scores of people injured.
The trio was immediately transferred to the county jail, where they now face a litany of both state and federal charges connected to the incident.
Eugene Morrison, previously out on bail, was remanded to custody after a judge revoked his release. Additional charges are reportedly pending against him.
In related proceedings, Kendal Cowan has pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges and has received his sentencing date. Prosecutors are seeking four consecutive life sentences for his alleged role in the chain-reaction crash that stunned the nation last week.
Iniquus Security, whose tactical teams were instrumental in rescuing crash survivors, also coordinated the safe handover of the defendants to authorities.
The operation included Strike Force, a Cerberus K9 and her handler, and Washington News-Herald’s own reporter on the scene, Auralia Rochambeau.
Governor Abby Gail is expected to honor the team, along with first responder teams and private citizens who stepped in to help, at an upcoming ceremony recognizing their efforts.
“That’s amazing.” He leaned to the side and kissed Auralia’s hair. “Nothing will put this back together again. But it’s good to see that there’s going to be some level of justice.”
“That was a very bad day.” Auralia dropped her head to his shoulder.
“Only part of it,” Creed whispered. “Focus on the bottom of that article. In the darkest of times, good people stepped forward and gave it their all. They put themselves on the line. They were tired and hurt, and kept pushing forward to save lives and give comfort.”
“It was a day I’ll never forget. Yeah, it was a dark and terrible day. But look what a village can do when we all work together.” She reached out and laced her fingers with his.
There was more to say, but they both understood. That’s the way it had always been between them—love and trust, and a splash of the Bayou magic.