The Chime of Bluebells

18

The car ride home felt like an eternity. When we came up the driveway my seatbelt was already off and the car door opened. I didn't stay behind, but ran towards the porch, Mom tight on my heels.

"Dad!" I called out as I threw the door wide open, letting in the last shines from the sun cascading in an orange colour across the floorboards.

Low voices flooded in from the living room.

"Dad-" I stopped in my tracks as William Isamond came into view and directed my questions to him. "How did it go?"

His eyes hung in the corners—his way of impersonating a puppy. In other words, he was trying to express his sympathy for me. "Magnolia... You have my deepest condolences."

Blood rushed to my feet and I suddenly felt completely drained of energy.

"Why?" My voice was hoarse. "What does that mean?"

"You're making a hen out of a feather," Dad spoke softly, but with a hint of a warning towards his advisor. "Nothing's happened and that's the problem."

"I thought I'd deliver the news with more seriousness to mend the emotional situation—"

"Just shut it—both of you—and tell her what the fuck's going on." My eyes turned to where Quinn was thrown across an armchair. I hadn't even noticed her. "Unbelievable..." she shook her head, arms crossed.

"Can someone just tell me what's going on?"

"Absolutely," William's smooth voice hinted of an underlying pleasure...or was my tense nerves weighing my senses down? "Mr. Knox's trial has been extended due to some breakthrough in the case."

"Breakthrough? What kind of breakthrough?"

"The kind where you have to wait up to two years in arrest before you're summoned to a new trial."

They couldn't be serious. An innocent person couldn't be forced to stay behind bars just because...because of what? A breakthrough? "Finding new evidence can't be the only reason they're postponing the trial. Not for two years. What kind of investigators and attorneys need two years to complete a case if he is so guilty as they're accusing him of being?"

"It's classified information," William said.

"You don't, by any chance, have a source on the inteller?"

"I play by the rules, Miss Langner."

"Of course you do..." Quinn squinted at him. Her secret hatred for him went by unnoticed.

"Girls," Dad warned us off. "Thank you for stopping by, William."

"Of course," Isamond smiled mechanically. "Remember what we spoke of." His eyes glanced my way, but it was a quick enough gesture to call anything other than a natural watering of the eyes...in my direction.

When he left I immediately started questioning Dad. "There wasn't any trial today?"

"Yes," Dad said, "there was, but right before they were about to close it for today, Detective Previenz rushed in with urgent news about the postponing for the second trial. And before you ask, no I don't know what those news were." He sighed. The situation had been tiring him as much as me, if not more. Quinn had the night before said his campaign might have been all in vain if Malachi was found guilty, but in my opinion, Dad was weighed down not for selfish matters, but for the kindness of his heart. He couldn't handle when people close to him ended up in trouble, or when people within his circle were hurting.

"Eli." We turned to see Mom in the hallway. "Someone's here to see you."

Dad nodded and made a deep sigh before straightening his tie and heading for the door.