The Jester | K.TH

Chapter 10 Numb

I got up from Chief Tidewaller's desk and went out to the lobby in the hopes that Jin was still there. Sure enough, he was.

"I see you were able to get it all figured out?" Jin said relieved

"No. They just got another call. I'm pretty sure they found another crime scene."

"What? Where?" Jin said in a shocked tone.

"An old brick house on the edge of town? I don't know. I just overheard what the Chief was telling the other officer."

"What has our peaceful little town come to?" He said to himself. "I bet you it was the Jester. He's the only one here who has no sense of remorse."

"How would you know that?" I snapped. "I mean, maybe he's just not someone everyone understands. Maybe there is more to him than what he has shown."

"Ember, the man kidnaps women and drives them crazy. There really isn't anything else to understand."

My blood felt like it was boiling. The anger started to fill me up and engulf me. How dare he say those things without even making an effort to understand him. How could a person be so ignorant?

"Ok. Whatever." I said biting my tongue.

We walked out of the police station and out to his car. "Should we go clear your name?" Jin asked me while smiling a little mischievous grin.

"How?"

"I'll take care of it. Trust me, ok?"

As he went to open the car door for me he grabbed me by the waist and pulled me into him. His embrace calmed me.

"You're awfully cute when you're mad." He said as he lifted my chin and looked me in the eyes.

"I'm sorry about the way I responded. It's just been a rough day for me."

"I understand. And that's one of the things I really like about you, you want to give people the benefit of the doubt, even when they don't deserve it."

He gently moved my hair back behind my ears and moved his lips to mine and kissed me.

How can I enjoy one kiss so much yet feel the pang of heartbreak in the same breath? Once again I found myself being pulled in two different directions.

We pulled out of the kiss and got in the car.

"Ok, let's go take care of some important business." Jin smiled.

We drove back to the diner and went inside. Of course the whole town was still there because they obviously have nothing better to do with than time than sit around and gossip.

"What is she doing here?" A woman asked when she saw me walk into the room.

"Shouldn't she be behind bars for what she did to that poor girl?"

"Ok. Let's set the record straight right here and right now." Jin said sternly "Ember did not take the life of that woman and shame on all of you for accusing her of such a heinous thing. She is a good woman and I'm embarrassed our town that once was so strong has come to this. Picking on a woman just because she happened to come town at 'the right time'? What is wrong with you people?"

"Well where were you? Give us your alibi!" A man chimed in.

"Everyone in the Diner was just staring at me waiting for an answer. Even Jin was looking at me hopeful that I'd give some kind of comforting answer behind all of this. But I didn't have anything. I didn't know what to say.

"I....I...." I couldn't muster anything up. I had been caught in a lie and I couldn't cover it up anymore. The truth was the only answer I had, but I knew it would cost another life and that wasn't a life I was willing to give.