The Blind Teacher's Bait

Chapter 29. Never leave

"SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT I can't leave the country?" I asked incredulously. The chubby and friendly-faced Bonnie, my lawyer just nodded sympathetically. After the whole drama that occurred at the hospital just three days ago, so much had happened and I had ended up meeting and loving this ebony-skinned, plump lady sitting right in front of me. "I'm innocent for Christ sake."

"Julie, this is a murder case here. You can't even move around town anyhow, you're basically under surveillance." She explained softly, eyes soft behind the half-moon glasses. Her long, black woolly African hair pulled into a fuzzy bun gave her the look of a wise, old grandmother. "Look at it this way, a student is found suffocated to death on school grounds and there are no major leads as of now except the fact that you were passed out next to him. It sounds suspicious to anybody's ears."

"I don't know how it happened." It seemed like I had said that statement over a thousand times in the past three days, to different sets of people. I put my elbows on the table sitting between us and rested my head in my hands.

I was actually done for this time.

"Julie, I'm with you here. This was obviously a kind of set up and your PI is on it. The cops are on it too, you just have to be patient and keep your head low to avoid any more trouble," Bonnie explained, tipping up the glasses which was resting on her nose and voice raising ever so slightly. "Which involves staying put so it won't seem like you're running away."

"The police reports? What have they got so far?" I kept asking this.

"Well, nothing new I haven't told you," Bonnie started, clearing her throat. "Your blood samples are clean so are his, but apparently you both had nicotine shots. It has been established that you weren't under drugs. It has been established that the deceased did find out something about this rampaging cult group that he was about to release this week which apparently gives you a motive for wanting to silence him."

"It was established months ago that I was innocent. That shouldn't be my problem."

"Well, it is," she continued. "Your alibi, which was your claim to have been assisting your Professor home on the account of his disability and being stranded back at school has been looked into, he does confirm your whole kidnap story."

"They talked to Jak...Professor Sykes already?" I was just realizing just how much had happened from that night I was escorting him back home and we had been talking about his friend. It seemed like another lifetime entirely now.

"Yes." Bonnie closed the files on the table in front of her before looking up at me, face suddenly even more serious. "At this point, even the cops know it's a setup and they have nothing to work with for now. I'd advise you to be careful so this issue gets resolved without problems, your PI is very intelligent and trust me when I say that the murderers will be brought to book any day from now."

"What did Professor Sykes say?" I wanted to know this for some reason I couldn't fathom. I was actually half expecting him to deny the fact that we were together that night. It was something he obviously didn't appreciate the school authority knowing.

"Well, like I said. Your story checks out because your professor did raise alarm that night and you were reported missing before you were found passed out. Remember --"

"To stay out of trouble, they're watching me," I completed bleakly, releasing an involuntary sigh as I stood from my seat and reached for my bag on the table. "Thank you, Bonnie. I best be on my way now, if I don't end up going to jail for this crime I didn't commit, I'm writing exams next month and I have quite a lot of work."