Denny! Is he hurt? Is he dead?Oh my God, my big brother. I can’t lose him. It’s only recentlythat we’ve been able to talk to each other. I need him in my life.He accepts me now, and he is the last link I have to my father.
Then I think of Annie. If shekilled him, she’ll go to jail. I’ll lose both of them. My brotherand my wife, in one day.
Again, the door unlocks. Thistime, a youngish doctor with blond hair walks in carrying a folder.Behind him is another man, not a doctor. It takes me a second torecognize him. Detective Dickson. I never thought I’d be glad tosee him, but he’s the only familiar face I’ve seen since I wokeup.
“Detective. I’m so glad to seeyou. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing here. I just woke up tofind myself cuffed to this bed. Can you help me?” I jangle thecuffs.
“Hello, Jade,” he says calmly.“Everything is going to be fine.”
The doctor looks at me. “Yes.We’re all here to help you.”
“Why am I here? What happened?Where’s my brother and where is Annie?”
The doctor and Dickson sit downin chairs beside the bed. I listen as the young doctor tells methat I have been in hospital for a week. He goes on to say that Ihad an episode called a psychogenic black out. He informs me that Icommitted a crime while I was in a psychotic state and because ofthe nature of the crime, I have to be cuffed to the bed.
“There must be some mistake, I’mnot a criminal.”
The doctor stands up and tellsme that he’ll be by later to check on me. He nods to Dickson beforeleaving the room.
“He doesn’t believe me, doeshe?” I say, looking at Dickson.
“Jade, we need to have a littlechat, you and me,” he says softly.
“Okay, but first tell me whereAnnie is and if my brother is all right. When I was on the phone,they were fighting and then I heard a gunshot.”
“Other than being in some hotwater, they’re both fine.”
“Oh, thank God. Wait, what doyou mean, hot water?”
“I can’t really comment on theircases, Jade. But as you know, lies were told to the RCMP during aninvestigation, which is listed in the criminal code under publicmischief.”
It’s okay. This news isn’t asbad as one of them being dead from a gunshot. Knowing that Dicksonstill has something to talk to me about, I take a deep breath ofbravery. “You said you have to talk to me about something?”
He nods, leans forward and foldshis hands in front of him.
He tells me that I’m beingcharged with the murder of Robert Aaron James. I know I should beshocked at the significance of his statement, but for some reason,I’m not. And even though I have no idea what he’s talking about, Idon’t feel panicked. I feel calm, kind of relieved. I don’t evenwant a cigarette. The only thing I’m worrying about is being sentto jail and taken away from my Annie.
“I didn’t kill anybody,” I say,as tears roll from the corners of my eyes. “I am not capable ofdoing such a thing.”
“I know you’re not, Jade.”
“Then why am I being chargedwith murder?”
Dickson sits back in the chairand takes a deep breath. His chest expands, threatening a fewbuttons. “Do you remember what the doctor said about you having acondition that causes black outs when you get really upset?”
“Yes.”
“Well, that’s what happened,only this time, someone died.”
“But, how can you be sure I wasinvolved in Robbie’s death?”
“The autopsy performed onRobbie’s body identified a puncture wound on the back of his neck.Coroner toxicology testing found that he was injected with highlevels of insulin. Because of the dosage he was given, Robbie’sblood sugar crashed, which caused him to slip into a hypoglycemiccoma. An eyewitness said they saw you holding a grey case andstanding over Robbie’s body on the dock, then kneeling at his head.When we questioned your friend, Tim, he told us that you had hisdiabetes kit, a grey case, at the time of the murder.”
“After testing the case and theinsulin pen inside, we found your fingerprints.” I close my mouth.“As for the flotation pad that came from your boat, our witnesssays they saw you tie it around Robbie’s waist. It makes sense thatyou would have used the pad to keep Robbie’s body buoyant when youpushed him into the water so that he would float out of yourbay.”
I stay quiet for a moment,trying hard to absorb it all. The words bounce around in my alreadyconfused mind. He keeps mentioning our witness, but I know thatonly Annie was home that morning. Then, I think back to when I waslistening on the phone to when she told Denny that she had seen meon the dock that morning with Robbie.
No. I shake my head. Anniewouldn’t be a witness against me. And if she had in fact seen medoing something bad to Robbie, why had she stayed with meafterwards, only to go against me now? It didn’t make sense.
“So, that’s it?” I finally say.“I’m being charged with something that I don’t even remembercommitting, and now I’ll have to spend the rest of my days behindbars, away from my wife?”
He gives me a long look. “Thisis only the first step, Jade. There’s a long road ahead, and it’lldo no good to lose hope now.” He gives me a tight smile. “I’vealways favoured rehabilitation over punishment. Studies show thatit works much better in terms of recidivism. You can hold hope thatthe judge reads those studies.”
I nod. I feel hollow, butthere’s still a flare of life in my gut. I need something, and Iask Dickson. He thinks for a moment, then nods and pulls out hisphone. I tell him the number, and he holds his cell to my ear.
“Annie?”
“Jade?” She soundssurprised.
“I don’t have much time to talk,I just needed to hear your voice.”
“Are you
