Echoing Dreams

A Note of Innocence

As Emily sat beside Jake in the back of the car, her mind was a whirlwind of questions and uncertainties. Zack and Xavier had been unveiled as the perpetrators behind the Crestwood murders, but the role of Emily's father in this twisted narrative remained unclear. Xavier hadn't mentioned anything to Jake about her father. What did this omission mean for his future? Would her father spend his life in prison, or was there still a chance to prove his innocence...if he was innocent.

Zack's confession that Hammond Frank had killed Michael Deon added another layer of complexity. Xavier had claimed that Zack was responsible for all the killings except Harmonie's. This contradiction raised a critical question: Was Michael Deon's death a separate incident outside Xavier's spree, or was Hammond Frank framed in a more intricate plot? These questions weighed heavily on Emily, casting shadows of doubt and uncertainty on what she thought she knew about the entire situation.

After Jake's foster parents dropped him off, Emily made sure Jake was settled in and resting. She was determined to get answers but didn't want to involve Jake in her current worries; he needed to rest. With Jake comfortable and safe, she then quietly slipped away to the police station.

At the station, she asked the officer at the desk if she could see Zack. "Yes, little lady, but not for too long," he replied. The officer led her to the cell blocks where she found Zack lying on a hard bench, staring at the ceiling. "I'll have an officer keep an eye on you," the officer assured her as he left them alone.

"Zack..." Emily began, her voice filled with quiet contempt. She despised having to converse with him. Zack sat up, taunting her. "Well, if it isn't the perfect little princess, coming to see me..."

"I don’t want to be here longer than I have to," Emily stated bluntly, wanting to get straight to the point. "Did you frame my father?" she asked directly.

Zack smiled, got up, and started pacing his cell. "I heard Xavier got arrested. That Jake kid really kicked his ass, you too, hitting him with a chair," he remarked with a wink. "I suppose word gets out quick," Emily replied, her tone sour.

Zack continued, bitterness in his voice. "About time that man pays. He killed my precious Harmonie and stabbed me in the back." Emily, curious, asked, "What do you mean?"

"He planted my diary there. No matter what anyone says, he planted it. He wanted me to get caught eventually. Because I'm also 'tainted blood,' he was just using me as long as he could, like a tool waiting to be worn out." Zack's revelation shed new light on Xavier's manipulations, suggesting a complex web of deceit involving himself and possibly Emily's father.

Emily, frustration mounting, asked Zack again, "Did you frame my father?" Zack only responded with a cryptic smile.

"I don’t know how you did it, Emily, but something tells me you were more involved in this than I thought. It's almost like you and Jake witnessed the deaths yourselves," Zack insinuated, his tone suggesting a deeper accusation.

Emily met his gaze unflinchingly. "You have no idea what I'm capable of, what you turned me into after that night... But you changed me, into someone stronger," she declared, her confidence resonating in her voice.

Zack's smile persisted. "Xavier is getting what he deserves, and so am I... The weak minded are played by the darkness, and he played me, made me do his dirty work. Those deaths will forever haunt me," he confessed, revealing a hint of remorse.

Emily was surprised by this admission of guilt. Then, Zack discreetly slipped her a note, unseen by the watching officer, and winked at her.

"Time is up," announced the officer, moving to escort Emily out of the gloomy room.