Page 56 of Trial of Deceit

After she found what she wanted, she memorized the timestamp and disconnected the earring before slipping it into her ear.She looked at the time on the phone.The guards should be in rotation now.She had three minutes to make a perfect escape.

Ashari jumped to her feet and exited the room.Ignoring the blare of the medical alarm, she took brisk steps toward the hallway Reine had told her about, when she bumped into Jediah.Her heart somersaulted as his hand wrapped around her arm.Not from the unwelcomed butterflies that gave her a jittery feeling around him.But from the sheer dread that Reine would dare to betray her when she held such a damning secret in her palms.

As Jediah invited her into the boardroom, her specialized training surged forth, masking her guilt from his intense stare.She wasn’t sure what he wanted from her, but she wouldn’t make him none the wiser about what she was up to.However, as Jediah spoke, she never expected that even a few hours later, his words would still be with her.

“Where’s your brother?”Toby asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

Ashari stopped staring through the window to look at the man she knew as father.Seeing this familiar face wasn’t enough to stop the resurfacing memories from crashing into her over and over again.Her mind was unsteady and her body was feeble.Still, she found a semblance of normalcy to ask, “You haven’t seen me in almost a month, and Romar’s your only concern?”

“I am not too worried about you, but I do have many questions.Why did you go M.I.A.?Where is Jaia?How did you get to deliver a message at the daycare?”

“Things got complicated.”

“How?”Toby asked, and Ashari looked away so he didn’t have to see her gulp.

The ring was burning a hole into her conscience.It was tucked into her pocket so Toby couldn’t see it, but she was painfully aware of it.

“Here.”She removed her earring and handed it to him.

Toby stared at her for a moment before he held it against the back of his phone, then inputted his code.

Ashari closed her eyes as Toby waited for the program to load, leaning her head back onto the headrest and reminding herself how to breathe.She could envision everything that had happened earlier.Thanks to her dreams or that sting that never left her chest?Ashari was left even more unsure as the recording began.

“Wa you wan’ tell me?”Ashari asked, watching as Jediah moved to the head of the table.He grabbed a cigar that was near to its end, then lit it.

“I think you should sit,” he said.

“Me don’ like how this sound…” she admitted while sitting.

“Did they teach you in Richardson School that my mother died?”

“Yes.Seventeen years ago, she was pronounced dead at the hospital you always make donations to.”

“Yeah…” Jediah sighed and sat.He looked down at the floor, his shoulders sagging while the cigar remained loosely clenched between his fingers.“We were on our way home from my milestone event, and my parents were arguing.My sister and I were in the back seat.I gave Reine my earphones and put on music so she didn’t have to hear them.I know earphones aren’t good for a three year old, but I didn’t want her to witness all that I had to.”Jediah cleared his throat.“Anyway, it got physical when Kayon backhanded Mom.Maybe she forgot we were in the car, or she was finally at her limit, but she hit him back.It shocked Kayon, and he was so focused on hitting her back that he lost control of the vehicle.We… ran another car off Flat Bridge.”

Ashari’s heart raced while her throat tightened.She gulped hard then forced out, “Why are you telling me this?”

“Our car slammed into the mountain, and my ears were ringing from Reine’s cries.I should’ve stayed, but… it was hard to breathe in the car.The smell of blood was too much.My head was pounding.My eyes were hurting from all the smoke.I remember the door was stuck, and I had to force it open to get out.I remember walking away and stooping before the river.I was struggling to breathe while watching the other car sink.”

Ashari shook her head, tears welling in her eyes.“N-no… Don’t finish that,” she begged, her voice shaky.

He looked at her.The raw emotion in his eyes made her body tremble.“I tried yelling for Errol to come help.My mouth was moving, but I wasn’t hearing my voice.I was only hearing the water bubbles pop around the car as it sank… And my sister’s cries.And the guards rushing to get my parents into another car.It was very late, and Flat Bridge doesn’t stay quiet for long.We couldn’t be there.Someone grabbed me, and they put me into a car.I… I didn’t know it was you, Ash.”

Her lips trembled as she stood, backing away from him.He stood, his eyes full of regret as he stared at her.

“Would it have made a difference?”she asked, and he kept quiet.“Huh, Jediah?!I lost my real parents that night, and you still have your father!And your sister!You have this big house, and your whole life of wrong doings, while I have a lifetime of trauma.And, to make it worse, you knew?!”

“I didn’t know until you told me why you’re scared of water… I’m sorry, Ash.”He stepped toward her, sympathy in his eyes.

She shook her head and hurried out of the room.He hadn’t followed her, and she was thankful.

Barely.

The recording ended.Ashari’s eyes opened, emotionless as she stared at the building a short distance away from the parked car.The informant wasn’t at the headquarters this late, but Ashari didn’t want to go inside.It’d be too many questions to answer when she barely had answers to questions she wanted answers for.Too many people waiting for a confrontation when all she wanted to do was break this case and step out of the shadows.

“I know what you want me to do… but this isn’t why you were placed on the case,” Toby said, making Ashari scoff.

“Don’t know why I expected anything different from you.It’s always Senior’s way or no way,” she mocked.It was Senior’s way with all the private schooling.Senior’s way with friends.Senior’s way with a career path.Senior’s way with the strict once a year visit to Jamaica after the therapist had insisted the recurring nightmares were her way of trying to hold onto the last living moments with her parents.

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