Scarred Surrender (Scarred Series Book 6)

by Jackie Williams

  “Friends of yours have come to pick you up. As you aren’t being charged with anything and we need the room, you’re free to go. I wouldn’t advise going back to Miss Bowden’s house as yet though. There may be further enquiries.”

  James stood up and tried not to stagger as splinters of what felt like hot metal shot up into his knees. He took a few breaths and held back the nausea that threatened to swamp him.

  “Friend’s? What friends?” He couldn’t think straight and his tongue felt thick in his mouth. He swallowed the strange lump that seemed to have formed in his throat. “Where’s Emily? She’ll be frantic that I haven’t turned up for our dinner together.” He croaked out the words and didn’t care if the policeman thought his voice sounded strange, he was more worried for the teenager.

  The policeman shrugged.

  “Maybe you should ask her sister. She’s waiting outside for you.”

  James’ eyes widened in surprise and delight.

  “Crystal’s here? Thank God!” He breathed out a sigh of relief. At least Emily would be safe. He staggered towards the door, hanging onto the frame as he left the room.

  “You all right, mate?” The officer enquired as James swayed past.

  James gritted his teeth before speaking. He actually felt terrible now that he thought about it.

  “Just need to get my bear...bearings. Been sitting for too long, I th...think.” He couldn’t get his tongue to work properly.

  The officer shrugged carelessly.

  “Those chairs aren’t made to be comfortable. Sorry.”

  James fixed his eyes on the corridor and freedom.

  “Don’t worry about it. Just point me in the right di..direction.” He stammered again and grimaced as the pain became almost too much to bear. “I need Crystal n..now.” He hadn’t felt sensations like this since falling in the vegetable garden. Actually, he didn’t think he’d felt sensations quite like this ever before. Dark patches began to cloud his vision. He staggered forward a few steps and the corridor began to tilt. He leaned up against the wall, breathing hard as he tried to focus on the doorway. The policeman’s voice was suddenly in his ear.

  “You feeling okay? You’re staggering all over the place. Can I get some help?”

  James fought the sinking sensation.

  “Just need Crys...Crystal and my squash ball. She knows what to do.” His thighs wobbled as he found he couldn’t drag in any air.

  The officer looked curiously at him for a moment longer and then hustled along the corridor, shouting for help as he went.

  James hung onto the wall, waves of agony making every step a test of his resolve. It felt as though he was trying to walk through thick, clinging mud. He raised his head as the sound of voices came closer, but his vision had blurred. Was that Jules? It couldn’t be. He didn’t want it to be. If he was here with Crystal, it could only mean one thing.

  His already broken heart splintered, adding to the pain that wracked his body. He spun away as the big, dark haired figure came rushing toward him. He tried to focus on anywhere to escape seeing the man, and found that he couldn’t. His legs refused to work. Someone grunted beside him, caught hold of him around his middle. The scent of spicy cologne over a layer of garlic and rosemary hit him and he struggled against the man’s hold, but it was pointless. Jules hung onto him, held him in a vice like grasp as his legs gave way and he slid to the ground.

  It wasn’t until he felt a small, cool hand on his forehead and heard Crystal’s panicked tones that he could see clearly again. Summer blue smothered him, swept him up and caressed him. He lifted a hand to the side of her face but it felt as heavy as lead and dropped back uselessly to his side. The blue began to fade and panic took hold of him.

  “Crystal? Help me, please!” He called out, even while knowing it was too late.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The bleeping woke him. He tried to switch the sound off in his head but it refused to listen to his instructions. Opening his eyes, he groaned as he realized that he wasn’t in a wonderful dream where Crystal’s hands were on his body, coaxing him to relax and enjoy the massage he’d so wanted. Bright white ceiling tiles and strip lighting almost blinded him. He blinked rapidly, wondering where he was exactly. He could already tell that it wasn’t his own bed. It was far too narrow and way too firm, and it certainly wasn’t the comfortable therapy bed that he’d lain on while back at the château.

  He took a deep breath and he immediately knew that he was in hospital. He’d spent a lot of time in hospitals. The smells that surrounded him now reeked with a horrible familiarity. He turned his head slightly and immediately wished he hadn’t. There was a bag of transparent fluid hanging at his side with a line feeding into his arm. A bank of machines stood slightly to the rear at his side. He could see a regular flashing red light that coincided with the small beep that had woken him.

  His memory flooded back all at once. The enquiry room, the questions. The pain! And then the swaying walls, the rolling nausea, the dancing lights. What had happened to him? He could recall trying to walk along the corridor. Someone had been walking toward him, grabbing at him. Garlic and rosemary, his brain shouted at him. He’d thought it was Jules. But then he’d seen clear blue...Crystal!

  He turned his head to his other side and felt his heart lurch. She sat at his side, head resting back on a pillow that she had squashed into the corner of the chair. Dark circles of exhaustion lay beneath the sooty black eyelashes that brushed the tops of her velvet cheeks.

  “Crystal...” He croaked out her name. She didn’t stir. He swallowed around something that was poked down his throat. God! Was that a line running into his stomach? “Crystal.” Louder this time, and he was relieved to see her eyes flutter open.

  She flew forwards, barely taking the time to wake.

  “James! Thank God!” She leaned over him and kissed him on his forehead, his nose, his cheeks. “Just give me a second.” And before he could react, she was gone from the room.

  The next few minutes were pandemonium. Nurses rushed in and pulled needles and tubes from various parts of his body, doctors shone lights in his eyes and ears. They held fingers up and asked him to count them before pressing their stethoscopes to his bare chest and stomach. They whipped up the sheet covering him and tapped the tendon below his knee to test his reflexes, and they scribbled unknown notes on numerous charts.

  It felt as though hours had passed before they stopped probing his body. A strange weariness came over him and he lay back as the room became relatively calm again.

  He lifted his gaze to the woman who had stood quietly through it all. She blinked back at him, relief yet concern still etched on her features.

  “I’m okay, Crystal. Must have just been the stress of the day. It was pretty awful being accused of that kind of stuff.” He spoke clearly but was suddenly worried. Had he been cleared of any wrongdoing? He hoped so, but no one had confirmed it. “Am I in the clear?” He asked quietly.

  Crystal let out a heart-wrenching sob and buried her face in her hands while she nodded.

  “Of course you are in the clear. How could anyone think otherwise?” Her fractured tones rent the air.

  James lifted himself in the bed. He felt sore and achy all over but he leaned over and winced as he drew the one remaining needle from the back of his hand.

  “Jeez! I hate that kind of shit.” He glanced back over to Crystal who had clearly watched him pull the needle from his flesh. Her face became a weird kind of grey and her eyes became glassy. “Crystal!” He yelled and scooted forward in the bed, thinking she was about to faint.

  Her chin shot up and she blinked rapidly as she took some deep breaths.

  “Sorry, I’m just so tired.” She gave herself a slight shake and looked down at his hand. A tiny spot of bright red blood had beaded on his skin. She reached for a tissue and wiped it way before speaking again. “I don’t think you were meant to do that. I think they were keeping the line in, in case you needed any sudden medication.�
�� Her voice trembled as she spoke.

  A frown crossed his brow.

  “What sort of medication? What happened?”

  She shook her head.

  “I can’t say, but he wants to talk to you.” She glanced over her shoulder.

  James’ eyes followed her gaze. A wide shadow blocked the light coming in through the window in the door. Jules! Tall, handsome, kind and utterly perfect. Ice crystals gathered in James’ heart.

  “Well, I don’t want to speak to him.” He looked back at her. “Why are you here, Crystal? Shouldn’t you be in France with your, your friends.” He finished lamely, hearing the bitterness etched in his tones, but he couldn’t hold it back. He had been the perfect one once. He looked down the bed at the tell tale empty sheets where his feet should be and raged at the injustice of it all.

  Crystal flinched back, her eyes wide.

  “What! Why wouldn’t I be here? After Alex called David, I had to come. Emily needed me.”

  James felt as though he’d been hit by another bomb. Though she had denied it, perhaps she had initially believed the police and the pictures. He swept his hand through his hair.

  “Jesus! You never thought I would...” He didn’t finish. Crystal had turned to the door as it had opened. Inspectors Marsh and Lincoln walked in.

  “We’ll have to ask you to leave, Miss. Your companion is waiting outside for you.” Marsh held the door for her.

  Crystal nodded. She took a last glance at James before walking out of the room. James followed her with his eyes and wished he hadn’t when he saw Jules gather her into his arms.

  A small cough brought him back to his senses.

  “We’d like to ask you a few questions, if you feel up to it, sir.” The man waited while James gathered himself.

  “What about? I thought we’d cleared up all that stuff with the pictures.” He didn’t bother disguising the impatience he was feeling, but then he raised an eyebrow at the strange look the Inspector was giving him. “Now what? What am I meant to have done now?” he demanded.

  Lincoln stepped forward.

  “This is about something different. A lot more serious than a few cropped pictures, I’m afraid.” He glanced at his companion and cleared his throat before he began again. “James Ellington, I am arresting you on the suspicion of the murder of Adam Bowden. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence...”

  James’s mind went blank as the man carried on, and then began working overtime.

  “What the fuck! I want my solicitor now!” The two men appeared to ignore him but suddenly his wrist was cuffed to the rail on the bed. He looked down in disbelief. “You have to be joking! I don’t even have my legs in here! You think I was going to crawl out of here on my belly!”

  The officer looked at him.

  “Sorry, sir. I’m afraid that it’s standard procedure in murder cases.” He didn’t appear to be apologetic at all.

  “I haven’t murdered anyone!” He shut his mouth again and thought hard about what solicitor he would ring. Not Gaitlor & Gaitlor. They were specialists in probate and will writing. God damn it! He didn’t know anyone who dealt in murder. The best he could think of were the people who dealt with Adam’s case against his insurance company. At least they had been thorough and never backed down. Or maybe Alex could help! He’d find the best person in an instant. He looked up at the officers who now stood silently at his side.

  “Do I get a phone call?” He asked.

  Marsh nodded and handed him his mobile phone. James rang his office. Alex answered on the second ring.

  “Hey! You’re back in the land of the living!”

  James quashed his jubilation.

  “Yes, but don’t celebrate yet. I have another emergency just come up. I’ve been arrested and this time it’s for murder.” He listened to the great bellows of laughter that echoed out of the phone and found a slight satisfaction in the fact that Lincoln tried to hide a smile. James rolled his eyes and waited until Alex had caught his breath. “I’m serious, you idiot. I need a solicitor now and I need you to find me a good one.”

  Alex came to a spluttering silence.

  “You what? Who are you meant to have murdered?” His shocked tones suddenly sounded hollow.

  James glanced between the two men standing either side of him, barely able to say the words.

  “Adam. They think I murdered Adam.” He held the phone away from his ear as Alex’s voice blasted out.

  “THEY WHAT! Are they fucking mad! What the hell gives them the stupid fucking idea that you murdered him?”

  James closed his eyes and pinched the top of his nose with his fingers as he let out a sigh.

  “I have absolutely no idea yet. I just woke up. Crystal was here but she was evasive and then left with Jules.” He tried not to grind his teeth. “No one has told me anything. I don’t know why I’m here anyway. I had tubes coming from everywhere!” His throat still felt as though something was stuck down it though he knew that it had been removed.

  He heard Alex draw in a deep breath.

  “Shit! I thought they would have told you. Those painkillers you took weren’t painkillers. They were Adam’s antibiotics and you took an overdose of them. You had an allergic reaction. You’ve been out for two days straight.”

  It was James’ turn to draw in a shocked breath.

  “What! How? I took them from Adam’s bathroom cupboard. The bottle was for the exact same painkillers that I use on occasions.” He struggled to make sense of what Alex was telling him.

  He could almost hear Alex shrug down the line.

  “Well, they weren’t the same whatever the bottle said. They were definitely antibiotics. Penicillin. You’re mildly allergic to it in small doses, but becomes a bit more major if you swallow over double the dosage. The first tablets didn’t have a massive reaction, you probably just felt a bit sick and lightheaded, but by the third lot and with having virtually nothing to eat for the best part of the day, the allergic reaction suddenly set in big time. Your whole throat swelled up. They had to insert a tube just to get air into your lungs. Jesus, James. You nearly died!” James could hear the panic in his friend’s tone.

  He wiped his hand over his face as perspiration suddenly broke out all over his skin.

  “Shit! I had no idea. The bottle was definitely labelled the same as the tablets that I have in my own flat. I only used Adam’s because they were there when I was in pain. I assumed they were what it said on the bottle and never thought to check on exactly what they were. They looked pretty similar to any kind of pill I take.” His mind was going overtime.

  Alex spoke again.

  “Well, another time, in an emergency, take an Asprin out of a blister pack until you can get to your own medical cabinet. You should know not to take anyone else’s prescribed drugs.”

  James closed his eyes for a moment. His legs had begun throbbing again.

  “It’s not that simple sometimes. You have no idea what it feels like. It was an emergency and I just took what I could lay...” he stopped speaking and opened his eyes to glance at the two officers again as he thought about his own words. Was this a real emergency? Should he look inside the envelope Adam had left for him? The officers were clearly becoming impatient. “Look, you just find me a decent lawyer... and can you get a message to Crystal or Emily?” He prayed that the two women didn’t believe what the police were inferring. “Can you remind them to take my suit to the cleaners? The one I wore for the funeral. Tell them that this really is a real emergency and I need it cleaned as soon as possible but ask them to make sure they empty the pockets first. I think I forgot before I put it away.”

  Alex grunted.

  “You want your suit cleaned? You’re thinking about your trial already?” He laughed before continuing. “Okay. A solicitor and your laundry. They’ll know which suit you are talking about, I presume?�
��

  James drew in a deep breath and mentally crossed his fingers and his non-existent toes.

  “I can only hope so.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Emily bolted up the path but came to a grinding halt as a policeman stopped her at the front door.

  “You can’t go in there, Miss. We’re conducting an investigation here.” He folded his arms across his chest as he barred her entry.

  Crystal panted up behind her sister.

  “Can’t you ever wait?” She admonished Emily gently as she caught her breath before she turned back to the officer. “We really need to get in. We own the house and need fresh clothes if we can’t stay here. We don’t mind if someone accompanies us. It’s not as if we are going to contaminate the place. Our DNA is all over it anyway.” She blinked slowly and gazed at him with her beautiful blue eyes.

  The policeman looked slightly dazed as he stared down at her, then gave a slight nod.

  “If you can give me a moment, I’ll ask the senior investigator.” He called out over his shoulder and relayed the message to another officer who disappeared back inside the house.

  He reappeared a few minutes later.

  “It’s okay. Apparently we’re done. The guys are just clearing out. We’ll be another ten minutes but then the place is all yours.”

  Crystal nodded and sat on the wall at the side of the path. Emily joined her and stared grumpily at the policeman while they waited. The ten minutes felt like a lot longer, but a man eventually walked out of the house and said that they could come in.

  “I can’t believe we’re having to do this. Can’t they see that James is completely innocent? It’s utter madness.” Emily grumbled as they stepped into the hallway.

  Crystal led the way up the stairs.

  “You and I know that, but it looks as though Saskia has her ways of getting to a guy. How she managed this, I’ll never know. I had no idea that she was such a bitch.”

  They passed two investigators in the hallway upstairs as they totally ignored their own rooms and walked straight into James’. Crystal gave a slight gasp and stopped dead as she noticed the painting of her standing on the dressing table.