Vivian just got off the phone with the Sheriff and goes to sit next to Alex who is sitting at the table drinking a cup of tea. Alex can see the worry on her mother’s face.
“Mom, what’s going on?”
“Sheriff has Pete and Jimmy in custody. Apparently there was a pretty bad fight.”
“Is Mike okay? So he didn’t…”
“No, he brought him to the Sheriff. Jimmy has been taken to the hospital, but he’s still alive. Doc has come to the jail to look at Pete’s injuries, which I understand are not many.”
“Let’s go!” Alex jumps up from her seat.
Vivian and Alex walk in the county jail and find Mac and Cora talking to the Sheriff. Alex sees Pete sitting on a cot in one of the cells, his head in his hands. She looks at Cora, who is crying, then makes her way to Pete. Vivian pulls up a chair next to the Murphys.
“Viv, I’m so sorry. I’m so terribly sorry.”
“Cora its fine. This is not your fault.”
“Yes it is. We’ve known about Jimmy, we knew he was the one who…, I can’t even talk about it.”
“Sheriff what’s going on?” Vivian asked utterly confused.
“Mrs. Earley, apparently there was an incident that happened with Alex about ten or eleven years ago when she was up at school.”
“Ok.” Remembering what Alex told her about the rape.
“I’ve been on the phone with the police in Philly and they confirmed the incident.”
“Ok.” Still a bit confused.
“The perpetrator was never found?”
“That’s correct.” There is a knot welling up in her throat as she is starting to put the pieces together.
“We believe we have him in custody.”
Vivian looks at the Sheriff, then the Murphys, confused and angry.
“What?”
“Jimmy Murphy. The Murphys have just told me the suspicions they’ve had regarding the incident, and their belief that Jimmy was also responsible for Alex’s recent accident. We still need to run some tests and do more investigating, but for now we have him under surveillance at the hospital.”
Vivian looks at Cora with disdain.
“You knew all this time. You looked me in my face for ten years and you knew. How could you do this? My granddaughter…, how dare you?”
Vivian gets up and walks out of the office. The rage she is feeling right now, it is best if she is away from Cora because she knows she won’t be able to control herself, and will most likely beat the holy hell out of her. The fact that Cora knew all this time is unforgivable. The Sheriff walks out behind her trying to offer comfort. Cora cries in her husband’s arms.
The Sheriff has left Pete’s cell unlocked so Alex walks in and kneels in front of him.
“Mike.” She says softly.
He looks up at her ashamed of what he has done. He never wanted her to see him that way again, so enraged and out of control. He knew it scared her the last time and the last thing he wanted to do was make her afraid of him. Of course he would never hurt her and he believes she knows that, but it’s the principle of the thing.
YOU ARE READING
Kindred: A Love Story (Editing)
RomanceAlex Earley runs the local Bed and Breakfast. She is strong-willed, independent and the woman that all men in that small town desire. She has been determined to do everything herself, that is until a stranger comes to town offering to be the new ha...
