10 Chapter 10
He pleaded, “Miss Barren, you can’t do this. Eleanor is my spouse. I was the most important person in her life. Surely she’d want to be laid to rest beside me after her passing. I beg you, don’t separate us. Please, return Eleanor to me.”
Alma retorted, “Return her for what purpose? Gerald, why are you still here pretending to care so deeply now that Eleanor is gone?”
She added, “I can see right through you. You’re just here to confirm if Eleanor has truly passed, if you’ll face legal consequences, and if there’s a chance for you and Joanne to continue your affair!”
The oppressive quiet outside seemed to stifle my thoughts. It was astounding how powerful the influence of a childhood sweetheart could be.
Even after two lifetimes, Gerald’s first thought was still of Joanne. Fortunately, none of this mattered to me anymore.
A loud thud broke my reverie. Gerald was frantically banging on the door, trying to explain, “Miss Barren, you’ve got it all wrong!”
“I was in a car accident as a child, and Joanne sacrificed her ability to have children to save me. I made a pact with Eleanor not to have kids after we married to make up for Joanne’s sacrifice. I swear, Joanne is nothing more than a sister to me.”
He went on, “If you don’t believe me, I’ll send her overseas tonight to live there permanently and never contact her again. I just want Eleanor back. If you promise to return her to me, I’ll give you the entire Riverton Family in exchange.”
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my recollection, Gerald valued the Riverton Family above all else. So what did this offer mean now? Was it meant as an apology? I could only find it bitterly ironic.
Alma scoffed, “Gerald, are you really oblivious to the fact that Joanne has been using you to steal classified Riverton Family documents and sell them abroad? This is a major issue, and you’re completely unaware? You even want to help Joanne, a murderer, escape overseas?”
“Ha! Of course, Joanne was just waiting for you to assist her in fleeing abroad. But I’m sorry, Mr. Riverton, she’ll be spending the rest of her days behind bars.
Police sirens grew louder from below, but Gerald stood motionless, as if deaf to the sound. He asked, bewildered, “What classified documents? What murderer? How could Joanne possibly be a murderer!”
“Mr. Riverton, you’re under investigation for intentional assault. Please come with us.” The police showed their badges just as Joanne’s cries echoed from down the hall, “Gerald, they’re arresting me without cause, accusing me of murder!”
“Gerald, please tell them! It was Eleanor who tried to run me over! Please, tell them it was Eleanor!” she wailed.
Gerald, his face grim, glared at the police, “Officer, you need
evidence to arrest someone. You can’t just handcuff Joanne based on baseless accusations.”
His words suggested that the Barren Family was pressuring the police to unfairly target Joanne.
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Realizing the shift in tone, the police began to strictly follow protocol. They presented footage from the accident scene and handed it to Gerald.
After viewing the video, Gerald stood paralyzed, his jaw slack for a long moment. He stared at the footage, then at the officers, and finally at Joanne, who had turned ashen and was unable to speak. Before he could respond, the police presented another video, “Furthermore, Joanne Clooney, we’ve discovered that three years. ago, you were driving a white sports car that struck and killed a 28–year–old man on Avenue Street.”
“Our investigation revealed that this man was Eleanor’s older brother, Edward White …”
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