Scarred Surrender (Scarred Series Book 6)

by Jackie Williams

  Emily frowned.

  “What? Dad had a bit of a sore throat but was taking stuff for it, but even if he was ill that doesn’t make any sense anyway. If his new will was proven to be unsound surely his old one would prevail where he left everything to Crystal and I anyway. She still couldn’t gain anything.”

  Alex took a deep breath.

  “Yes, I think she realizes that. She is being quite clever and not contesting his actual will, only the part where Adam names James as guardian and trustee. She’s saying that Adam was confused due to his high temperature and meant to put her name there. If she has control of your trust, she has control of your money. I think we can safely say that you could kiss your five million goodbye if she gets her hands on it.”

  Emily’s expression darkened.

  “But she’s no relation and she hadn’t known him for long. I never once heard him say that he wanted her to be anything more than a girlfriend. Why would the courts believe that she is in a better position to administer the trust than James? Dad had known him for years. It’s ridiculous.”

  Alex agreed.

  “I know, but she’s saying that she lived with your dad for over six months and that they had been planning to marry. He gave her a ring apparently.” He covered his ears and waited for the explosion to come. He wasn’t disappointed.

  She leapt up from the chair.

  “What the hell! Lying bitch! He never gave her a damn thing and she never lived with us either. Sure, she came around and sometimes stopped over, but not regularly. Crystal can back me up on that.” She paused for a second, struggling to calm her temper. “You say that the solicitors called James this morning. What time did the police turn up?”

  Alex sat down and swivelled to face his screen again. He checked out a call log.

  “I spoke to him at nine thirty. I didn’t know that the police were already there. I made a gag about him being late coming into work due to him falling out of bed and having to tend to his carpet burns. I think he’s being burned a little more severely than I first thought.”

  Emily slumped down into the chair beside him.

  “This is a complete nightmare.” She pulled her phone from her pocket. “Have you or James called anyone in France yet? They need to come home and help sort this out. They can’t leave James to rot in that awful police station when we have about a dozen eye witness to say that those pictures are a load of rubbish. I suspect that Ellen has films of us from their security cameras around the château, you know, the ones they use to keep an eye on the grounds in case any of your lot have an accident. And Crystal should come home too. She’ll back me up. It might add some weight as she’s my sister rather than one of James’ friends. I’ll call her now if you haven’t had time yet.” A loud bang on the door downstairs made her jump around. She grinned as thundering footsteps pounded up the stairs and along the corridor outside.

  Alex grinned at her back at her.

  “As if I hadn’t called them. David said they would get over as soon as possible and it sounds as though the cavalry just arrived.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “You are not putting me in a cell.” James bristled at the officer who tried to move him from the enquiry room. He’d been patient for almost nine hours but it was wearing a bit thin especially as the painkillers hadn’t worked and he was feeling sick and lightheaded. “You’ll have to charge me before you’ll get me in there and if you want to charge me, you had best get hold of my solicitor first.” He folded his arms across his chest and refused to move from the chair.

  The policeman looked chagrined.

  “It’s unfortunate, but we have other enquires to follow up. Busy day and all that, and it’s now getting late. The duty staff are about to change shift and it would really help us out if you would do as I ask.” He rocked onto the balls of his feet.

  James shook his head, and then stopped as he felt dizzy. It was probably just the stress of the situation, but he’d only just stopped himself being sick earlier that day and didn’t want to throw up now.

  “You have to be kidding me! I’ve sat here all day waiting for you to make enquiries. As far as I know you haven’t yet contacted the person that sent you those pictures.”

  The man looked uncomfortable.

  “Unfortunately our computer whizz has called in sick. We can’t find out who emailed the pictures to us without him.”

  James threw up his hands in frustration and stood up to stretch his legs. The policeman looked hopeful for a second but James soon quashed that.

  “And you don’t have anyone else who can do that for you? My business partner could have found out in about five seconds. I suspect any computer savvy school kid could too.” He sat back down in the hard chair again. “Well, I’m not moving until you decide that those pictures are total bullshit and destroy them or you arrest me. You’ll have to conduct your other enquiries somewhere else.”

  The policeman frowned.

  “Your attitude isn’t helping you, you know.”

  James raised an eyebrow and looked up at the officer.

  “You think! I’ve done nothing wrong and you’ve nothing on me. I’m sitting here out of the goodness of my heart because I want this cleared up as much as you. Those pictures are crap and you know it. They’re all taken out of context and if you had bothered finding the person who sent them this could have all been dealt with in minutes instead of hours. I don’t think I’m the one suffering from an attitude here.”

  The man let out a deep sigh.

  “Okay, I see your point. I’ll see what I can sort out with the duty staff. It might mean you being in here a while longer though.”

  James closed his eyes and waved his hand dismissively as he sat back in the chair.

  “Whatever, I’ve sat here all day. Another couple of hours isn’t going to kill me. Just do me one favour. Bring me another couple of those painkillers from my jacket pocket, and can you let me have the squash ball back.”

  The officer looked puzzled.

  “I’m not sure about that. I’ll get you a couple of the tablets but I can’t have you throwing a ball at the wall for hours. It’ll drive everyone crazy.”

  James opened his eyes, shook his head and tried not to wince as the throbbing in his legs became a solid wall of pain.

  “I’m not going to throw it anywhere. I use it for pain management.” Under supervision he’d been allowed to take the tablets in his jacket pocket just after they had brought him a cup of tea and a biscuit at lunchtime, but it hadn’t touched the sensations and the headache. He wanted to try taking them in conjunction with using the ball.

  The man stiffened and his eyes widened.

  “You like pain?” Suspicion laced his tones.

  James almost laughed. He would have found the man’s reaction funny if the ache in his legs hadn’t been pounding violently for the last few hours. He’d tried Crystal’s method over and over, but without much success. Without the visual stimulation of the ball, it didn’t appear to work nearly as well. He shook his head at the policeman.

  “No, quite the opposite. I use it to control the pain in my legs. I suffer from phantom limb syndrome. I take the painkillers for that too, as well as for the headache I’ve had all day.” He lifted his jeans a fraction and nearly laughed again as the officer jumped back in surprise.

  The man gained control of himself quickly but frowned deeply.

  “I can’t leave you in here with those on. You’ll have to pass them over.”

  James dropped the denim and stared up at the man incredulously.

  “What? Why?”

  The policeman narrowed his eyes.

  “They’re made of metal. You could use them as a weapon and attempt to escape.”

  James really did laugh this time.

  “What! Now you really do have to be joking. Apart from the fact that I don’t have to escape, as I haven’t been charged with anything, do you really think I’m going to whip one of my legs off and bash you over the head wit
h my foot? These things cost a fortune and I cannot afford to damage the fitting on your thick skull.” He emphasised his words and found some small satisfaction in the look of annoyance that passed over the constable’s face. “They might be metal but I do have to look after the things. They would be pretty useless if they won’t fit back onto what’s left of my legs.” He jabbed his finger towards his knee. “And even if I didn’t care about the cost of replacing them and I did bash you over the head with one, then what? There’s no way to put these on fast to make my ‘escape’.” He dittoed his fingers in the air before carrying on. “Do you have any idea how difficult it is to walk with one leg ten inches longer than the other? I would have to crawl out on my knees. Or do you expect me to hop out of here without anyone noticing?” He tilted his head enquiringly.

  The officer had the grace to blush.

  “No, of course not. I wasn’t thinking,” he muttered before turning to the door. “I’ll talk to the duty officer and tell him that you are staying in here. And I’ll see what I can do about that ball.” He stomped out of the enquiry room and closed the door behind him.

  James closed his eyes again and fought the pain at the same time as his frustration. The clock on the wall beside him ticked away reminding him that he was already late for Emily’s end of exams celebration dinner. He exhaled slowly and stared at the blank walls. Celebration! He had never felt less like celebrating in his life.

  A woman came in with a mug of tea and two tablets. He threw them into his mouth and curled his lip as he downed the weak brew. Minutes passed, then a half an hour. No one came back with the squash ball. The corridor outside fell silent. He groaned as the agony in his legs increased. The painkillers were having no effect at all. Strange, as they normally numbed him for a short while. It was as if the three weeks of relative relief he’d enjoyed since learning Crystal’s method had all come back to torment him at the same time. He tried his damnedest to gather the pain in his palm and let it go just as Crystal had coached him, but without the ball it was a useless exercise.

  Crystal! God I need you! His mind cried out as his jaws clenched together. The images of her beautiful blue eyes and delicate features crowded into his mind. Normally he would try to banish them, the misery of losing her almost too much to bear, but now he opened his mind and let memories of her gentle hands and voice soothe his soul.

  “What do you mean? James can’t be in custody. He’s done nothing wrong. This is Saskia’s doing. She was only going out with dad for his money right from the start. I can’t believe that he fell for that cow. We have to get James out.” Crystal’s frightened eyes met Alex’s.

  She had arrived on the five thirty flight from Dinard to London Stansted, frantic with worry and surrounded by a posse of huge men.

  Emily had cried out in delight as the group crowded in through Alex’s office door. She flew into her sister’s arms before noticing Andrew, who had insisted on coming not only because he wanted to help but because he couldn’t do without his daily therapy. If there was any chance that Crystal might be delayed in England he wanted to be there with her.

  David, Joe and Jules crowded in behind them, all there to give moral and practical support.

  Joe lay his hand on Crystal’s shoulder, trying to allay her fears after Alex and Emily had told them the whole story.

  “Hey, come on. Don’t be so upset. He’s not in custody, Crystal. He’s just doing the right thing and helping with enquiries. I’m sure it will be sorted soon.”

  Crystal pulled in some staggering breaths. Her whole body shook with fear for the man she loved.

  “But she’s accused James of doing something awful. And they won’t believe Emily.” She hugged her sister. “It’s too horrible to think about, especially as none of it’s true.”

  David rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a small plastic stick.

  “Don’t worry. Alex sent me a copy of the anonymous email. Ellen pulled up all the tapes of the château. I have the whole film of Emily and James on this memory stick. I only need to show it to the police and everything will be cleared up.”

  Crystal glared at him.

  “So why haven’t you done that already? You could have emailed it to the police here.”

  Alex took hold of her hand and pulled her towards a chair.

  “I asked David not to. No one in authority had shown me what the police had received in that email, and hacking into the police databases was highly illegal the last time I looked at any rules. David was protecting me. We could only use that film if the police showed us the pictures first or it becomes a real emergency. If they give up pursuing him then we have nothing to worry about.”

  Emily began to tremble.

  “When you say pursuing him, you mean if they charge James with anything? But surely I could have asked Ellen to send the film of around the château over in an email. I’ve seen the pictures. That horrible woman took great delight in showing them to me.”

  Alex nodded.

  “You have seen them now, but you hadn’t at nine thirty this morning. I couldn’t reveal that I knew anything more than what James had told me, and I don’t want anyone from the police snooping around here to check up on my computers. Not that they could discover anything easily, but there just might be someone who is better on a computer than me.” He shrugged. “Not likely, but all coding has it fallibilities. If you can make it, you can break it. Best not let anyone look. Could be very incriminating.” He lifted an eyebrow as he coughed into his hand.

  David grinned.

  “Oh really? So what have you got hidden away in them that you don’t want anyone to know about?”

  Alex shook his head.

  “Probably best that you don’t know, but let’s just say that I probably know far more than I should about certain things and I certainly don’t want to do time in America. Best I keep it all under everyone’s radar.”

  Joe sniggered.

  “You must be the nosiest person I know...Okay, so what can we do to help out? What’s happening about Adam’s will?”

  Emily spoke up quickly.

  “She’s contesting it. Can she do that? Mr. Gaitlor seemed adamant that it was legal when we first saw it.”

  Alex pushed his chair away from the computer desk. His office felt overwhelmingly crowded with five big men and two women in it.

  “A will can be legal, but that doesn’t stop someone contesting it. Your solicitor has been looking at it all day checking it over and as far as he’s concerned there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it, but Saskia isn’t contesting the actual will. She’s contesting the fact that James is an unsuitable trustee and guardian which is clearly why she had those pictures taken.”

  David snorted.

  “So she’s putting herself up there as suitable? Only a fool would think she’s offering from the goodness of her heart.”

  Alex agreed.

  “We all saw what a witch she was at the funeral, but Saskia can’t use any of these photographs to slur James’ character if the police don’t press any charges and they’re not going to be able to now we have the film. Let’s not concern ourselves with her contesting the will for the moment. I’ve something far more important on my mind.” He glanced between Emily and Crystal. “This is going to be hard. I really wanted James here with us to help on this. He might know something you girls don’t.”

  Emily spoke quickly.

  “What sort of something? Is James involved with Saskia too? Don’t tell me that she’s got her claws into him as well.” She wished she hadn’t spoken when Crystal sagged into Jules’ arms.

  Alex shook his head, trying to reassure her.

  “No, nothing like that. This isn’t directly about Saskia. Well, it might be, but I don’t want to become distracted if there’s nothing to go on. I’d really prefer to wait until James gets out of that place.” He drummed his fingertips on his desk.

  Jules shifted his big shoulders uncomfortably in the tight space.

  “Maybe one o
f us should go and enquire as to what is ‘appening. James has been there a very long time. I think he will be stressed and in pain. I’m not sure that he will remember his coping methods when he is being ‘arrassed so unjustly.”

  Crystal immediately grabbed Jules’ arm as apprehension spread though her.

  “You’re right. This is just the sort of thing that would set off a bout of his syndrome. Come on. We’ll go. Emily, stay here with this lot.” She stopped her sister when she looked about to follow them. “Please, Em. I’d feel safer if you do. They can protect you far more than Jules and I can if the police decide to come after you, and I don’t want you anywhere near that police station just in case that horrible woman thinks that taking you anywhere away from me is a good idea.”

  Emily backed up and nodded as she shuddered.

  “She was weird. There’s something not right about her. She just wouldn’t listen to a word I said, talked all over me like I was an eight year old. It was creepy. If you ask me, she’s the one who is a danger to children. Alice Trout, she called herself. We should check her out.” She shivered again.

  Alex nodded and turned to his computer again.

  “Good idea. James said that she was a complete nut job too.” He glanced up at Crystal and Jules. “Give us a call and let us know what’s going on, and then get back here as soon as you can. I have some things that I need to go over with you all before I can take matters further.”

  James’s knees jumped randomly as spasms shot up his shins. His whole body ached with sitting all day, but standing hadn’t helped either. Although he knew he should be coping better, nothing was working. It seemed that all of Crystal’s tutoring meant nothing without the damned squash ball. Such a stupid thing, but it had worked. He could still barely believe it. He grabbed a tissue from his pocket and wiped the perspiration that beaded on his brow. Weird how he felt so hot in the room despite the air-conditioning blowing blasts of cold air down his neck.

  The door suddenly opened and he looked up at the man who came in through the door.