AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Shock forced Jewell to look from Benjamin to Mr. Ferguson. Dillon's grandfather wiped a line of moisture from his wrinkled cheek.
"Dillon did not shoot Victoria. Please, Benjamin, please. Go and talk to him. He'll tell you what happened. Benjamin, you know Dillon loves your sister more than his own life."
Benjamin watched George speak, and the more George explained the tighter the grip on her hand grew. Jewell covered their joined hands with her other.
George continued. "Dillon swore to me, before they took him away, that your father had threatened him with the gun. They struggled, and Victoria tried to intervene. The gun went off, and Victoria was hit."
A cold shudder moved down Jewell's spine.
Benjamin stood abruptly. "What evidence did they have to arrest Dillon other than my father's word? There had to be something else."
George shook his head. "Your father's word, mostly. When he made the accusation, they tested Dillon for…" He paused, stuttered as if trying to find the right word. "Gun shot residue. They found traces of it on his hands. There is a hearing Monday morning for bail."
"Was my father tested?"
Mr. Ferguson shook his head and shrugged, a strangled sob catching in his throat. "I can't be sure, but I think so. He was…he was covered in blood. He kept saying Dillon did it."
Benjamin jumped to his feet and moved to the window, leaning his arm against the frame. His thumb pressed against the bridge of his nose and he closed his eyes. The muscle along his jaw clenched and a vein along his neck bulged. Tension pulled his body tighter than a bowstring, and Jewell was afraid he would soon snap from the strain.
George stood and touched Jewell's shoulder. "I'll be here when he needs me. Tell him that for me."
Jewell nodded and he left. She was lost and didn't know what to do or what to say. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she watched the man she loved fight a battle deep in his soul.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"You're where?"
"Hartford, Connecticut."
"What are you doing in Hartford?" Garnett asked. His voice carried his surprise through the phone line as it raised several octaves.
Jewell rested her elbow on the bedside table and covered her eyes with her hand. She was so tired. Her head pounded and her eyelids felt as if they were lined with lead. It would be so easy to just shift from the chair to the bed and snuggle down into the softness.
"Something pretty terrible happened, Garnett. Benjamin's sister, Victoria, is in a coma and they don't know if she'll survive."
"What? What happened?"
"She was shot, supposedly by the man she was engaged to. It happened yesterday morning. We got the call late yesterday and arrived here early this morning. I'm going to stay here until…" She shrugged, not knowing what defined until. "I need to be here with Benjamin."
Garnett mumbled a curse under his breath. She barely heard through the earpiece. Jewell knew it wasn't an expletive spawned from anger, but more from shock and empathy.
"Okay. I'll tell Mom and Dad. Do you think Ruby will be okay at the apartment alone?"
Jewell nodded against her hand in a subconscious answer. Her eyelids slipped down and weights pulled at her limbs. "She'll be fine. It'll only be for a few days. I asked Greg to stop by a couple of times to check on her." She heard the shower turn off in the bathroom. "Things are horrible here, Garnett. Keep us in your prayers."
"Take care of you."
"I will. I love you. Give everyone my love."
She tapped the screen of her phone to end the call and stifled a yawn behind her hand. Jewell didn't know what she needed more, breakfast or sleep. Her stomach grumbled loudly and painfully in the argument for the top position.
It all still seemed unreal to her.
Jewell sat up and forced her eyes open. With an exhausted moan, she looked around the posh bedroom. Benjamin told her these bedrooms were never used because they were smaller and not as lavish as the others. Smaller? Less luxurious? Good Lord! This one suite was nearly as big as Jewell's entire apartment. She could fit her whole bathroom in the shower.
The house was more extravagant than Jewell ever imagined any house being. It wasn't a house. It was a mansion. Everywhere she looked was silver, crystal, and gold accents to the point of being gaudy. The floors were marble or hardwood and rich brocade or velvet draperies covered the windows. Jewell couldn't imagine living in a place like this all the time. It was opulent and occasionally beautiful, but also sterile and cold. She would much rather live in a small, warm home where the people in it were more important than the materials that constructed it.
Jewell looked at the bed. The covers were still rumpled from their few short hours of sleep. A warm glow flowed over her body.
