Chapter Three
Jade struggled against her abductor. Why was he taking her away? She had to go to Dustin instead she was taken to Dustin's small living area and kitchen.
"Thank you Richardson, for bringing her here safely," said granny, with a white tensed face.
"What were you doing there Jade? If you had screamed, you would have been dead by now," scolded granny. The man, Richardson, left to go back to the restaurant.
Jade came out of her shock. "I have to go granny. Dustin's there. They're going to kill him. Please granny, can't you see that I have to save him?" She yelled in panic.
"Calm down honey. The police are here. You can't go there," said granny.
"No, I have to go there. They'll hurt Dustin. Please granny, let me go. I beg of you, granny. Let me go," she pleaded with folded hands.
"Jade, come to your senses. You can't go there," said granny in a loud and firm voice.
With tears streaming down her face Jade shouted, "I love him granny. I can't live without him. I have to save him. Open the door. Oh Dustin," she said, and lost consciousness. Granny caught her and lay her down on the sofa. Her heart bled for the young girl who loved her grandson so much.
"Granny, come quickly. The police are arresting Dustin for the murder of the man he didn't commit," screamed a panicked Richardson as he came running frantically to inform granny.
Granny locked the door from outside and went with Richardson. She was trembling after hearing the shocking news. She asked Richardson to call Jade's dad. She rushed to the restaurant to see the police officers handcuffing Dustin.
"What are you doing officer? That's my grandson. He's not the murderer. We only run this restaurant and bar. Why are you arresting him?" She asked trying to free Dustin.
He was the only family she had. He was innocent, why couldn't they see it?
"We're just doing our duty, Mrs Moore. Please don't intervene. The culprit was caught red handed with the murder weapon in his hand," said the officer with a stoic face.
"If I murder someone and place the gun in your hand and escape, would that make you the culprit, officer?" She asked him. He looked confused but soon regained his composure.
"You can contend in court. But right now I'm just doing my job," the officer said.
"Is it your job to arrest the innocent while the guilty flee the crime scene?" She asked, trying to stop them.
Christopher Meyers came rushing inside. "What's going on? Why are you arresting him?" He asked.
"We're arresting this man on charges of murder," said the officer.
"My grandson did not commit the murder," yelled granny.
"Leave it granny. They won't listen. The man who actually committed the murder has high political connections. He just framed me. He took advantage of my shocked state and placed the gun in my hands and fled. His accomplice shot down the CCTV camera down and fled too," said Dustin, in a hoarse voice.
"I will have you bailed son, don't worry," said Jade's dad.
The officers took Dustin away and granny lost consciousness too.
When Jade woke up, she was lying in her bedroom, on her bed. Was it a bad dream or did she really witness a murder? Dustin. What happened to Dustin? She remembered that she was at the back of the restaurant in Dustin's apartment. She was pleading with granny. What happened? How did she arrive here?
She got up and ran downstairs to see her father. It was morning which could only mean one thing. She had slept through the night.
She found her dad at the table, drinking coffee and holding his head in his hands.
"Dad, dad, how did I come here?" She asked.
"I brought you home," he said, dejectedly.
"Dustin, what happened to Dustin?" She asked and her dad looked down at his coffee, silently debating whether to tell her or not.
"Dad, you've got to tell me what happened. Where's Dustin? I'm going to see him," she said, getting up.
"Sit down Jade," he said, firmly.
Jade sat down,"Then tell me dad what happened to Dustin?" She pleaded.
"The police arrested Dustin on charges of murder. Apparently, the murderer has political connections and escaped, placing the gun in Dustin's hands when he was in a shocked state," said her dad.
Jade sat down on the nearest chair in shock. They arrested him?
"I've witnessed the murder dad. I was there when it happened. I know Dustin didn't do it. I saw it with my own eyes. I can recognise the man who did it. I'm going to the police to tell them," said Jade.
"No Jade, you won't go anywhere. Another witness who had come forward to give testimony has gone missing. I don't want to lose you," said her dad.
"But dad, we have to save Dustin. Is he still in police custody?" She asked.
"Yeah, I'll see if we can bail him today," said her dad.
Christopher Meyers tried his level best but could not bail Dustin. Murder was a non-bailable offence and it seemed that the real culprit hid his tracks well. Jade was heartbroken. She wanted to go and see Dustin but her dad did not let her go to the police station.
She wasn't allowed to go to the restaurant also as the police were all over the place hunting for evidence. All the evidence had disappeared overnight.
For the next two weeks, Christopher Meyers tried his level best to help Dustin but when the pistol used had only his fingerprints on it, he gave up the last hope. The body of the only witness who had agreed to give testimony was found two kilometres away from Travis Springs at a car crash site. There was no proof of a possibility of a murder. Drunken driving was the cause of death.
Dustin was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment for a murder he did not commit. He was devastated. All he had with him was the notebook of Jade. He requested the authorities for permission for keeping it with him. His granny saw him at prison and cried every time she visited him. Jade wasn't allowed as she was a minor.
He cried like a man who had lost everything in life. All his dreams and aspirations were finished. He would never be able to lead a normal life again. He was very concerned about his granny. Without him, she wouldn't be able to run the restaurant. They had no other relative to whom she could ask for help.
Jade heard the news of Dustin's imprisonment and her reason to live ended there and then. She lost consciousness out of shock. Her father and siblings admitted her to the hospital for emergency treatment. The shock was too much for her brain to process. She was into a state of psychological shock. For two weeks, she received treatment for emotional trauma.
After two weeks when she was released from the hospital, her dad sent her to Alabama to her maternal grandparents house. Jade was admitted to a school there and her life went on like an automaton's.
The wish to live was taken out of her very soul. She didn't talk much and waited for the day when she could complete her school and be an adult. Then she would visit Dustin everyday at the prison.
She would wait for him for 15 years and then when he would be released, she would tell him how much she loved him. This thought provided her with some energy and she studied hard to complete her schooling.
