The warden who guards the witches.

A Letter of Love

"This ......" Veronica froze for a moment, then, she shook her head, "That's impossible!"

　　"How can you be so sure?"

　　"The one who was manning the custodial vault that day was a newcomer that I had brought up before. He and I were on pretty good terms, and I was the one who found a way to make things right for him when he had stirred up trouble in the past, so I was kind to him. He knew I was a werewolf, but still respected me, and he-"

　　"In that case, you killed the man." Aiden couldn't help but laugh.

　　"I said no one was killed!" Veronica emphasised with some displeasure.

　　"If there was no killing, then he perjured himself. If he didn't commit perjury, then you killed the man. You really are being sold and still counting the money for others." Aiden said in an undisguised mocking tone, "Do you still not know why the Inquisition sentenced you to death?"

　　"Wasn't it because I was a werewolf?"

　　"Perhaps they did have a slight preconception because you are a werewolf, but to sentence someone to death, how could they do it without clear evidence? I've read your case file, and the key to the Inquisition's conviction of you was the testimony of the man and the pistol that was used as an exhibit, he had said at the trial that you panicked and returned your sidearm at twelve-thirty and that he hadn't examined your sidearm at that time, is that true?"

　　"This ...... is indeed true, there was a sharp rain at midnight that day and I was in a hurry to get back to my flat to collect my clothes, Bruce ...... was the new guy and he let me go ahead without checking my g*n on the spot. "

　　"Well, that testimony might be taken as an unfortunate coincidence, then the problem is with the g*n that was in evidence, think about it, the sidearm you handed in to the vault was missing bullets, if someone had tampered with it, then whoever it was couldn't get around the person manning the vault, how could you not see what was so plainly obvious?" Aiden said with certainty, "You yourself are at least a police officer, put aside your personal feelings and use your brain."

　　Veronica kind of wanted to retort a few words, but after a little thought, she was surprised to realise that she really did seem to be a bit of an authority figure, just as Aiden had said.

　　She'd manned a vault before, and she herself knew all too well how tightly guarded the police force's vaults were. Instead of considering the pie-in-the-sky possibility that someone could unknowingly bypass the person manning the vault and get their hands on a sidearm, it was more likely that the person manning the vault would be monitoring the theft.

　　"My experience of having worked in prisons has taught me that it is only a matter of time before an ordinary person, becomes a criminal. Anyone can make a mistake, and there are plenty of criminals who don't look like they'd do anything bad just by their words and behaviour, and if you really think you're innocent, then you should suspect anyone." Aiden reminded her.

　　"But, but why did he do it?" Veronica couldn't help but pull up her voice in agitation, "I was once kind to him, he has no reason to frame me!"

　　Aiden thought for a moment, "Well, maybe it's time to consider the real culprit first."

　　"The real culprit?"

　　"Of course, if you didn't kill the person, then there should always be a real culprit. I read in the case file that the investigation team pinpointed the suspect to the Mounted Police after studying the shell casings left at the scene, is your Mounted Police's sidearm more unique?"

　　"Yes, the mounted police sometimes have to form an honour guard at festivals and celebrations and such, so our sidearms are not the same as other departments' equipment, they're custom-made, and only recently did our department just switch to a new model of Mauser ......" Veronica was halfway through her sentence when she suddenly reacted sharply, "You mean-"

　　"The real culprit isn't you, so it's most likely one of the other mounted officers." Aiden naturally picked up, "With that in mind, since the rookie named Bruce was in charge of guarding the depository that day, the murderer would have been another mounted police officer. He would have perjured himself, not necessarily to incriminate you, but possibly to harbour the real culprit. That real killer and the rookie manning the custodial vault found a way to make you the fall guy."

　　"......" Veronica was completely confused.

　　Ever since she was born, she had been discriminated against because of her werewolf identity, and she had cursed her werewolf bloodline countless times, and this time when she was unjustly imprisoned, she also subconsciously blamed it all on the curse that had been haunting her since birth.

　　It was this habitual way of thinking that limited her vision.

　　From out-and-out anger to devastation to self-loathing, she cursed the injustice of her fate day in and day out in prison without ever thinking deeply about who had actually set her up.

　　Aiden's hints didn't even qualify as complex reasoning; as a cop, she should have figured out something so simple a long time ago.

　　If it was a stereotype that others treated her differently because she was a werewolf, how was it not a stereotype that she herself blamed all her problems on it?

　　"I ...... "After a long silence, Veronica spoke hesitantly, "want to meet that person."

　　"Can't be done." Aiden replied decisively, "Your current status is that of a prisoner, how can a prisoner see whoever they want? Prisoners don't have freedom."

　　Veronica clenched her teeth at that.

　　That's when Aiden's words changed, "But I can go see him for you."

　　Veronica jerked up and grabbed the bars on the iron door.

　　"Can you ...... find a way to ......" she said incoherently, swallowing her throat, which had become dry with excitement, "can you find a way to ...... vindicate me? Can ...... you think of a way?"

　　Veronica pressed her face against the railing and stared eagerly at Aiden-the first time Aiden had seen the desire to live in her eyes.

　　"I can't give you any sure hope, but I can tentatively think of a way to find out for you. If you really aren't a murderer, I'll try to vindicate you as much as I can."

　　After a long time, Veronica spoke up and asked, "Why?"

　　"Why what?" Aiden asked rhetorically, "I only lock up criminals in my prisons, so if you're not a criminal, there's no reason for me to lock you up."

　　"I mean, why would you want to trust me?" Veronica asked seriously, "Most people I've met would look at me the way they look at criminals just because I'm a werewolf."

　　"I said I didn't believe you, I was just listening to you." Aiden shrugged, "Well, I'll admit I don't give that to every prisoner either, looking out for you is because of some personal feelings entwined ...... Hey hey, don't get that weird look in your eye all of a sudden, that's not what I meant by personal feelings!"

　　Aiden sighed, fished out a stack of sorted letters from his pocket, and handed them over through the delivery port, "You'll understand when you read this."

　　"What's this?"

　　"It's stale letters, quite a few from stale letters arrived in my mailbox the day you were incarcerated." Aiden calmly explained, "Each letter was in real names, sent from residents of your precinct. They pleaded for you in their letters, and some of them didn't even believe that you committed the crime."

　　Veronica's eyes widened in stunned silence for a long moment before she reached out and carefully picked up the letters as if they had been written so long ago that the paper had long since yellowed and become so brittle that she would crush them with the slightest effort.

　　"These people are convinced that you are a good policeman, and I suppose they have sent them to the Inquisition. How can I say this, I'm not really an ironclad man, am I? Honestly these letters gave me the first impression that you really might have been wronged, and that's why I'm following your case file." Aiden put on his hat and got up, "Keep in mind that while it may be true that some people are biased against you, it is also true that some people remember your efforts."

　　"Well then, it's almost time for your shift." With that Aiden walked off towards the other end of the corridor, leaving Veronica alone and speechless as she stared at the letter in her hand.