67 The Law and Joanna
1241 Words
Noah and Fitch began reiterating what had happened, and why they ended up in this place. From the very concrete detail, such as him and Fitch buying gelato after shopping, and to them crossing paths with Karol on the way down to the escalator. What she said why she needed a ride and everything. By the time they were done, Fitch was already plunging his head on the desk, his eyes red from lack of sleep.
“But you told me she has evidence, am I right?” Nick scribbled down on his notebook.
Noah ran his fingers through his hair, “Unfortunately, she has one.”
“Do you think we can find some sort of witness that she made a mistake and that she was a member of an entrapment force for prostitution?”
“We could ask the gas station that she was talking about in her evidence,” Fitch answered despite him bowing down his head on the table. He used his arms as a pillow, his hair all ruffled.
“Good idea,” Nick commended. “We can ask statements from the people working there.”
“When are we even going out of this place?” Noah began scanning through his phone. One of his eyebrows raised as he read a text from Thomas.
“God, Thomas is losing his mind. He kept on texting me that he didn’t know what to do if I were to be sentenced with lifetime imprisonment!”
“He was that intense, huh?” Fitch remarked, the amusement dancing in his eyes.
“Never gets old,” Nick had his eyes on his notes, his free hand covering his mouth as he began speaking, “You know, it also baffled me as to why they have mistaken you for someone else?”
Noah thought deep. Did he have the same shirt with the alleged perpetrator? Do they look the same, or did Karol just had a miscommunication with the MDP? They wouldn’t really know unless they began asking questions to Karol herself.
Nick must have thought the same thing too as he stared on the wooden door.
“How about we talk to the Cora and Karol?” he began standing up, the chair scraping the floor. The sound it emitted made Noah cringe.
“I’m not sure if they will cooperate.”
It was true. The women look as if they won’t cooperate anytime sooner than the lot of them wanted them to.
“Earlier, we tried very hard to cooperate and ask them questions why we are here, and none of them looked as if they were willing to listen on our side.”
“You’re saying they keep interrupting you when you try and reason out?” Nick looked up from what he’s writing.
“Something like that,” Noah said with a grim look on his face. “We did our best. But they keep on pressing that it was all a lie and that they have evidence. And that most likely, they would win the case no matter how many appeals I make.”
Nick let out a laugh, “You’re exaggerating, buddy. That's why I’m here.”
“Oh, God! I almost forgot you’re a lawyer. Good thing I remembered you work at a law firm within Maple city,” Noah recalled.
Fitch was already closing his eyes. But when Nick spotted him, his palms landed straight on his cheeks.
The sting felt on his face was bearable. Fitch felt the burning in his chest, the rage seeping through his veins as Nick stared at him with distaste.
“What was that for?” his voice came out low and calm.
The last thing Noah wanted to do was to make sure that he got out of this prison alive. Fighting right now wouldn’t be for the best.
Nick fixed his gaze on Fitch, “We can’t let the people outside conspire something again.”
“You know what? You’re right. Sorry about that.” Scratching his neck, Fitch sat up straight.
“Now, if we’ll go back to the subject?”
Nick leveled them a stair as he held onto the knob of the door, “I will go and fetch that officer you were talking about.”
“I think you should also call for Karol,” Fitch suggested, his arms crossed over his chest.
Nick thought for a second, his eyes drifting toward the two figures they were talking about. “Maybe we should. We should clarify what she saw or encountered—what she thought about the two of you and all. How she suspected that her hunch was right and that you two were the perpetrators…”
“I honestly don’t know where she’s coming from, but let’s do it.”
When Nick turned the doorknob, a creaking sound was heard. The door opened as he marched his way toward Cora who seemed reluctant to even talk to him.
After minutes of what seemed to be intense convincing, Cora and Karol stepped inside the room.
Cora was dragging two chairs, Nick, behind her.
When the two of them were finally settled, Nick began closing the door. He sat next to Noah as the two women faced them.
“Shall we start?” he arched an eyebrow toward the women before them, their expressions neutral.
“Let’s get this done,” Karol was the first one to break the silence.
Nick opened his notes, “As you can see, Mr. Martin had constantly denied his involvement with the said accusations you had thrown his way.”
Karol sneered, her hands clutching at her thighs, “I told you. We had evidence.”
Nodding, Cora supported her claim, “She does have one.”
Nick looked at Noah, his eyes shining as if he had been right all along.
Putting his pen down, Nick folded his palms and stared straight at both of them.
Noah couldn’t guess what he had in mind, but he trusts his friend that he would do his best to get him out of this place. Nick is, after all, one of a kind.
“I’m not going to further this conversation. But Cora,” he looked straight at Cora, “may I ask if you know that Karol is part of an entrapment force by the MDP?”
Upon hearing this, Cora looked sharply at Karol. Her jaw tensed as she greeted her teeth. She couldn’t say anything for a moment. Her breathing also ceased.
“Well?” Nick urged as he diverted his stare at Karol who looked down on her thighs, “why can’t the both of you say anything?”
Noah was growing tired. He involuntarily looked out the view on the clear glass inside the room.
A tall brunette with long, brown hair strolled. She stopped and checked her phone, her free hand on her hips.
His eyes widening, Noah sprinted toward the door. He grabbed it open and let the fresh air of the air-conditioner hit his pale face.
“Joanna?” he exclaimed, his breath cut short when Joanna turned and beheld his face.
“Oh!” she walked toward Noah, “what are you doing here?”
Noah couldn’t talk. His cheeks brightened a bit. It was such a horrible event for him to be seen in such a state. There was this crazy stigma that someone is a terrible person when they come out of the police station. What impression would Joanna have knowing that he had seen Noah inside the prison?
He gulped, his lips quivering as he said, “Well… there had been a mistake.”
Joanna looked genuinely concerned as she said, “What mistake?”
Then, she looked behind him. Noah looked at her pretty face. She was the same as the last time he saw her. Only that she smelled roses now instead of lilies.
Joanna furrowed her eyebrows, “You’re with Nick and Fitch?”
That’s right. At some point when they were dating, he had introduced her to his friends.
“Yes,” he replied shortly.
“What…” she trailed off as her eyes landed on a casual-looking Karol. “Why is Karol here?”
“You know Carol?”
Joanna tore her gaze away from the glass pane. “Yes, I know. She’s—”
- Writer
