Chained

by Jaimie Roberts

  I walked away, not wanting to see that look in his eyes. I could tell he was desperate to say something, but I had taken this too far now. To keep himself safe, he had to stay quiet. We both knew I was innocent, but if getting me in trouble kept Kit out of it, I had to go along and pretend that I stole whatever amount of money Tammy would accuse me of.

  I briefly looked over at Tammy before I left with the two officers. She looked to be somewhere between shocked and flustered. I believed she knew it wasn’t me who took the money, but if that was the case, who did?

  I grabbed my things and walked out, one of the policeman guiding me by the arm. “I’m not planning on running, you know. I’ll go freely.”

  He spun me around. “We actually have to put you in handcuffs, miss. It’s for your protection and ours.”

  I frowned. “Why? I’m telling you I did it and I’m going with you willingly.”

  I felt him tug my arms back and place the handcuffs on me. “I know that, but it’s standard procedure.”

  I sighed. “It’s ridiculous.”

  The policeman didn’t say anything as he led me to the car out front. To say it was embarrassing was an understatement. Everyone was looking at me, and I could tell there was a lot of whispering. No matter what, I’d never live this down. I was doing this for Kit, though, so it didn’t matter what anyone else thought.

  He put me in the car and we went to the police station. By the time we got there, my wrists were hurting from the cuffs straining against them.

  “Hey, did you have to wrap these around me so tightly? I’m not used to having these on.” The driver looked into his mirror and smirked. I frowned. “What are you smiling at?”

  The policeman sitting in the passenger seat turned to me with a smile. “Don’t worry. We’ll get you out of them once we get inside.”

  I was led into the custody suite where a gentleman behind a computer took my details.

  “Miss Caudwell-Brown, why does your name sound familiar?”

  The guy behind the computer frowned as he looked at me over his spectacles. He then looked back at the screen again and his eyes widened.

  “Your father was a very prestigious man, Miss Caudwell. Why do you feel the need to steal money?”

  The police officer who had warned me about perjuring myself sighed heavily. I read that message loud and clear. “My name is Miss Brown now. I changed it a few months back.”

  The guy behind the counter gave me that look. You know, the sympathetic look that makes you cringe inside. I didn’t want his sympathy. I didn’t want anyone’s sympathy.

  The police officer beside me cleared his throat. “I think we’d better take Miss Brown to an interview room.”

  I was asked to empty all my pockets, then was led down the hallway. On the way, we bumped into Gareth, the police officer Marcus thought was flirting with me the day we found Rachel.

  He frowned when he saw me. “Olivia? What are you doing here?”

  I was about to answer when the officer beside me cut in, “Gareth, you know her?”

  He was still frowning when he turned to the officer. “Yes. She was the one who called the warehouse in. The DOA.” He saw me wince and grimaced. “Sorry.”

  The officer, getting increasingly frustrated, sighed. “She’s been arrested for theft.”

  Gareth shook his head and looked at me. “Theft? Surely there’s been a mistake.”

  “She admitted it.”

  I put my head down in shame as I was led further down the hall. I didn’t want to see the accusing looks. When we got to the interview room, the officer told me to sit down. As I walked in, Gareth tapped the officer’s shoulder and looked over at me.

  “Officer Michaels, can I speak to you for a second?”

  Michaels nodded and turned to me. “I’ll be back in just a moment.”

  I nodded and sat quietly, waiting for his return. I wasn’t sure what he wanted to talk to me about. I had already admitted to stealing the money. What more did he want?

  He walked back in and sat down. “Miss Brown–”

  “Please, call me Olivia. I hate being called Miss.”

  He smiled a little and nodded. “Olivia, I have been told that an amount of money was stolen yesterday. Was that you?” I nodded. “How much was it?”

  Shit.

  I looked around the room and fidgeted, a sure sign I was nervous. “Umm… I think it was twenty pounds. I can’t remember now. I don’t make a habit of counting it.”

  Michaels regarded me for a moment, scrutinising my every move. “Why do I think you’re lying?”

  I laughed. “You know, it’s funny. If I were denying it, you would be interrogating me to admit to committing the crime. I’m openly telling you I did it, yet you’re still not satisfied.”

  He leaned forward a little, his longish black hair creeping over his eyes. He swept it away. “Something’s telling me you’re not telling the truth. Are you protecting someone? Are you protecting that man in the soup kitchen? Why would you do that?”

  I suddenly got angry…and scared. “I’m not protecting anyone. I did it, you’ve arrested me, and now you can charge me. Please, just get on with it so I don’t waste any more of your time. I’m sure you have bigger fish to fry.”

  Michaels let out a deep sigh and shook his head. “Very well.” He got up and walked towards the door. “I’ve got to get some paperwork, then I can take a statement and formally charge you.”

  He left and, once again, I was on my own. I hated the silence. I hated having nothing but the four walls as company. It made me panic a little to the point of claustrophobia. I didn’t like being there, but I wanted to be for Kit’s sake. I knew he wasn’t the one stealing the money.

  It made me think back to the post box he had and the money he obviously had stashed in there. Where did he get that from? I was sitting there and thinking about it for so long, I started wondering whether he really was the thief.

  Shaking my head, I disregarded that idea. There was no way he could have stolen that money because there were times the money went missing and he was nowhere to be found. It made me feel guilty for even contemplating that theory.

  I wasn’t sure how long I sat there, but it seemed like ages. I started fidgeting a little when I looked at my watch and figured I must have been sitting there for at least a half-hour!

  What was taking him so long? Did it really take a half-hour to gather some paperwork?

  I sat there for another ten minutes before the door swung open, Michaels and Gareth walking in. They both looked at me with unamused expressions and sat down.

  “I apologise for taking so long, Olivia. A situation came to our attention and we had to deal with it.”

  I sighed. “That’s okay. Are you going to charge me now?”

  Gareth shook his head, an ambivalent smile on his face. “No, you’re not being charged.”

  I frowned and leaned forward. “But I told you. I–”

  Michaels put his hand up. “Don’t say anything else, Olivia. You’ve told us enough lies already. We know who really did it and that person is being apprehended as we speak.”

  My stomach dropped. “He didn’t do it.”

  “He?” Gareth’s eyebrow rose.

  I swallowed nervously. “The man you originally came for. He wouldn’t do it. I know he wouldn’t.”

  Michaels looked at his paperwork, then back at me. “Do you know a Thomas Wilkes?”

  I swallowed again. “Yes. He’s a regular at the soup kitchen. I haven’t seen him in a couple days, so it can’t be him.”

  Michaels smiled. “He and a…” He looked at his paperwork again, “Marcus Drummond have come forward to make a complaint. This has now led to the arrest of Tammy Foster.” He frowned a little as the shock ran through me. “Did you know it was her?”

  I shook my head. “How do you know it was her?”

  Michaels laughed. “There was some evidence, but that’s irrelevant. What I want to know is why you would perjure yourself
like that. Whom are you trying to protect?”

  I fidgeted with my hands a little. No matter what, I was in trouble. I went and lied to the police about a crime I didn’t commit. Oh, the irony!

  “I knew it wasn’t Kit.”

  Michaels straightened. “You mean the long-haired guy who was with you in the kitchen?” I nodded. “But why didn’t you just let us take him, make our inquiries, and get this same end result? It would have solved a lot of trouble for you.”

  I sighed, feeling like crap. I was trying so hard to protect Kit, but it felt as though I had made everything worse. “Kit is very sensitive around people. It took me a long time to get him to even talk to me, let alone help me out in the kitchen. You ask anyone, they’ll tell you the same thing. I was just trying to protect him because I knew he was innocent. Being in here would have scared him to death.” Part of what I was saying was true, but in a different sense.

  Gareth just smiled, but Michaels grit his teeth and shook his head. “That’s very noble of you, Olivia, but do you realise how much trouble you could be in?”

  I nodded and hung my head. “I know. I’m really sorry for causing all this trouble for you, but I’m not sorry for doing it. I care about people in my life and would do anything to make sure they were unharmed.”

  “We would never have harmed him.”

  I looked up to see a concerned Gareth staring at me. “I know that and you know that, but Kit doesn’t know that. I was just trying to do the right thing by him…even if it wasn’t the right thing in the eyes of the law.”

  Michaels sighed and looked at Gareth. They seemed to have a silent conversation with each other before turning back to me.

  I just wanted out. “Can you charge me now? I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m worried about my friends.”

  Michaels looked at Gareth again and cleared his throat. “We’re not charging you with anything, Olivia. You’re free to go.”

  He got up out of his chair, but I stayed sitting, staring with my mouth wide open. “But I thought you said–”

  “I know. We’re just going to let you off with a very stern warning this time. I don’t want to see you in here again, Olivia.” Michaels smiled and placed his hand on the doorknob. “I think your friends are very lucky, Miss Brown. Take care of yourself now.” With a wink, he walked out, leaving me in complete shock.

  Gareth sat there, still smiling. “You’re quite the woman, Olivia. You did something very silly and reckless, which definitely can’t be ignored, but I still can’t help feeling enamoured by you. Alan was right. Your friends are very lucky to have you.”

  I blushed a little and looked away. “Thank you.” I scraped my chair back and got up. “I suppose I better get going. Can I collect my things?”

  Gareth nodded with a smile. “Sure. I will take you.” I moved past him and felt his hand on my lower back.

  We walked down the hall towards the guy who booked me. “Ah, so we meet again. I didn’t think you could have done this. You come from a very honourable family, Miss Brown. I’m sure you had your reasons, but they weren’t smart.”

  He placed my things, which were neatly stuffed into an evidence bag, on the counter. “Thank you.”

  He pushed a form across the desk and pointed at the bottom. “Can you sign here, please?”

  I did and grabbed my stuff. “Thank you.”

  “I’ll walk you out front.” I felt Gareth’s hand on my back again as he led me through the custody suite and towards the front door. The whole way there, everyone was staring. It was really off-putting.

  “It’s not many days we get a lovely lady passing through here. I know it doesn’t feel good to be stared at, but it’s done with good intentions.”

  I laughed. “I find that really hard to believe.”

  We got to the front door and he held it open for me. “Oh, you do?” I nodded. “Well, how about me asking you out? Maybe that will make it more believable.”

  I blushed again and looked around, a little embarrassed. “I…err…”

  “Come on,” Gareth urged. “I promise that I’m a gentleman. Just one drink, then we can see where we go from there.”

  I shook my head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. I appreciate you asking, but I’m kind of… I’m already attached to someone.” And I was. I was very attached to Kit now.

  I saw the look of disappointment on his face before he replied, “Of course. A pretty girl like you would be.” He offered me a big smile. “Well, if whoever is lucky enough to have you ever starts to behave otherwise, you know where I am.”

  He offered me his hand and I took it with a smile. “Thank you, Gareth. I will certainly keep you in mind if he ever does, but I don’t think he will.”

  He winked. “That’s all I can ask for. Take care, Olivia.”

  “You, too.” I smiled and he closed the door, leaving me standing on the steps of the police station.

  A part of me didn’t know what to do now. Do I go find Kit or Thomas first? I needed to know what the hell was going on, but I also needed to let Kit know I was okay. No doubt he’d be going out of his mind by now.

  Looking at the time, I realised I only had about three hours before my shift at the bar. God, this couldn’t have come at a worse time.

  Wanting to get home as soon as possible, I started my brisk walk back. I was hoping Kit would be there waiting for me so I could reassure him everything was all right. Well, as all right as I could be anyway. It was a shock to hear about Tammy, but I couldn’t understand how Thomas and Marcus were involved. Where had they been for two days?

  I walked as quickly as I could, stopping once I saw Thomas and Marcus waiting for me at the corner of my street.

  “How did you know I would–”

  “We knew you were at the police station and that you’d be coming home afterwards,” Thomas explained. “Olivia, why on earth did you cover for that bitch?”

  I shook my head. “I wasn’t covering for her. She accused Kit of stealing the money. I had to protect him.”

  Thomas frowned. “Who’s Kit?”

  I bit my lip. “The guy who never talks to anyone. You know who I mean.”

  Thomas looked away for a moment, then his face softened into a smile. “Ah, I think I see what’s going on here.” He raised his eyebrow at me.

  Marcus gasped. “Hold up. He’s not the reason for your sudden chirpiness in the morning, is he?”

  I started blushing, and Thomas laughed. “She’s so transparent.”

  I swatted at Thomas with a smile. “Shut up, you. I don’t have to explain myself.”

  Marcus sternly looked towards Thomas. “No, she doesn’t. Leave her alone.”

  Thomas laughed. “Sorry. I’ll behave myself. I’m just so glad you’re happy.”

  I frowned. “I’m always happy. When have you never seen me unhappy?”

  Thomas put his arm on my shoulder. “Oh, dear girl, what am I to do with you? You may put on your mask, but I can still see through it. Your smiles were always genuine to us, but they were never how you truly felt. I could tell you were never truly happy. Now, though, I see the true happiness behind your smile. If he’s doing it, more power to him, I say. I just thought he was a little bit too old for you. That’s all.”

  I shook my head. “He isn’t. It’s just his facial hair that makes him look older. He’s shaved it off now.”

  Thomas looked shocked. “He has? I guess you’re both changing each other for the better, eh?”

  I smiled, but didn’t elaborate. I wanted to know what had been happening today. “So, what’s been going on? I was at the police station thinking they were going to charge me, then they come through the door and tell me I can leave.”

  Thomas and Marcus huddled together. You would think they were going to tell me about a secret covert operation and didn’t want other people hearing.

  “Well,” Thomas began, “a few days ago, we both caught Tammy stealing. Marcus had left his hat in the office and we were going to retrieve it. She d
idn’t see us, but we saw her. Anyway, we wondered what we could do about it, deciding to contact a street friend I know. Despite being homeless, he somehow manages to carry a phone around with him.” He rolled his eyes. “Anyway, I gave him a couple quid to borrow his phone the next day to try and catch Tammy at it again. Sure enough, at the same time, I caught her pocketing some cash. It was always around the time you were busy handing out plates.” He shook his head in dismay.

  “The next day, we caught her again, but confronted her this time. She went batshit crazy and told us to get out of the office, that we weren’t welcome back…yadda, yadda, yadda. She thought it was her word over ours. Who would believe two homeless men over a soup kitchen volunteer? We knew she would eventually accuse someone else, and we wondered whether to take it to the police or threaten her with it. We decided to have it out with her this afternoon, but then we find out you were arrested. That’s when we knew we had to tell the police.”

  I processed everything they told me and couldn’t help but smile. “You two should set up your own detective agency. You’d be brilliant at it. You find Rachel, then you catch Tammy stealing. I don’t know how you do it.”

  Thomas touched his nose a couple times. “Street savvy, my girl. That’s all it takes. You’re right, though. I think Marcus and I would make a great team.” He winked at me and I smiled back.

  “Thank you so much for coming to my rescue today.”

  Marcus waved his hand in the air. “Don’t mention it, kiddo. You would do the same for us.”

  “In a heartbeat.”

  He smiled. “Well, there you go.”

  I looked down my street, eager to get back home. “Listen, do you guys fancy coming back to my place for something to eat? I have plenty of food if you’re hungry.”

  Marcus tapped my shoulder gently. “No, it’s fine. We actually found someplace else to eat. It’s not the same as being served by you, but it keeps us replenished for most of the day. That’s what counts. You go on home. I’m sure you have plenty to get on with.” He smiled mischievously. “We’ll see you tomorrow?”

  I shrugged. “I’m not too sure what the situation will be now, what with me getting arrested and Tammy being charged. I will come by tomorrow, though, so I can see what’s going on.”