Page 55 of He Doesn't Deserve You

He stopped in his tracks and turned to face Agnes. “Where is she?”

“She’s been arrested,” Agnes replied.

“For what?” he asked, stunned.

“Murder,” she said.

“Who?” Roman’s expression reflected the gravity of the situation.

“Some woman named Maggie Culliver.”

Without another word, Roman bolted out of the house, jumped into his car, and sped away.

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Emily placed her cell phone and purse into a plastic bag the officer held in front of her and asked, “When do I get my phone call?”

“You’ll get your phone call once we’re finished processing you,” the officer replied as she patted Emily down. Afterward, they took her mug shot and fingerprinted her before she was finally allowed to make her phone call.

Roman answered on the first ring. “Em, are you okay?”

She started to cry, “I’ve been arrested. I need your help.”

“I know. I’m on my way. I called a lawyer; he’s meeting us at the station. Whatever you do, don’t say anything until he gets there.”

“Okay.” Her voice cracked, “I’m scared, Roman. They found my scarf at the crime scene. I swear, I didn’t have anything to do with this.”

“I know, Em. We’ll figure this out.”

“Time’s up,” the booking officer announced.

“I have to go,” Emily said, before placing the receiver back on the handset.

“Let’s go,” the booking officer said, gently taking hold of her elbow and pulling Emily to her feet. She escorted her to the holding cell where two other women were already inside—one possibly a prostitute and the other appeared to be heavily drugged. The officer unlocked the slidingcell door and nudged Emily inside, then closed and locked the door behind her.

Given her two options, Emily chose to sit on the bench with the prostitute, positioning herself as far away from her as possible. An hour passed, and Emily found herself contemplating using the stainless-steel toilet in the corner. Just then, a guard appeared and announced, “Emily Anderson, your attorney is here.”

Emily sprang up from the bench and rushed toward the door, extending her hands for the guard to cuff her. As they made their way to the interrogation room, they passed a restroom.

“I need to use the bathroom,” Emily said.

“You should have used the one in the holding cell,” the guard replied.

“Please,” Emily begged, “I really have to go.”

The guard rolled his eyes before opening the bathroom door and stepping inside. He checked each stall to ensure they were empty, then uncuffed her. With his arms crossed, he stood guard as Emily entered a stall and used the toilet.

When Emily finished, she stepped out of the stall. “Thank you,” she said, moving to the sink to wash her hands. After drying them, she walked over to the officer and extended her hands for him to re-cuff her. They left the bathroom and proceeded to an interrogation room, where Emily met her attorney. Rising to his feet, he introduced himself, “Hello, Emily. I’m Stanley Kensington. I’m an attorney.”

Emily took a seat at the table across from him and offered a thin smile. “Thank you for coming.”

From his attire, Emily could tell he was going to be expensive. His Rolex watch and tailored suit exuded wealth. As she opened her mouth to speak, Stanley raised a finger, signaling her to hold off. He waited for the guard to uncuff her and leave the room before finally saying, “Okay, let’s begin.”

Her first concern was the cost, especially since she didn’t have any money. “How much do you charge?” she asked.

He opened the briefcase resting on the table and removed a legal contract. “You don’t need to worry about the price. I’ve agreed to take this case pro bono as a favor to Roman.” He slid the contract in front of Emily and added, “I’ll just need your signature if you want my representation.”

With a shaky hand, Emily quickly scribbled her name and slid the contract back to the attorney.

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