13 WINDOWS

Chapter 15 Part 2: The PHOTO ALBUM

Rupert was surprised when he was awoken just before 7 AM with a rather loud knock that reverberated through the cell. He had spent most of the night awake listening through the door to the nearby police officers dealing with prostitutes, and various club goers who were either high or drunk, or both.

An officer he had not seen before unlocked the cell.

"Time to get up," said the younger and more cheerful officer. "You've been released on bail and..," he looked at his clipboard, "...you'll be scheduled to make an appearance in court on Tuesday."

"Bail? Who?" asked Rupert. He had left a message on the phone at his mother's house and at the family lawyer's office the night before. And in a desperate moment he also had left a message on Serena's cell phone.

"Don't know," said the officer with an honest shrug. "I just work here."

An hour later, after signing some forms detailing the conditions of his release, Rupert walked out into main foyer of the building. He was hoping it would be Serena he would see but instead he saw his old Aunt Emeline. She was a conservative woman, a few years older than his mother and she always had a disapproving way about her. She was wearing a straight-cut navy blue dress.

Beside her was the longtime Hilden family lawyer, Shel Reuben - one of his father's old college buddies. He was a short, well-dressed man. Shel was in his late 60's now and was close to retiring. He gave Rupert a friendly smile and a firm shake of the hand.

Emeline stood up shaking her head. "Honestly I can't seem to leave you or my sister alone without everything falling apart."

"No hugs today?" Rupert said with dark circles under his eyes.

Emeline leaned in awkwardly and gave Rupert a half pat on the back.

"What have you gotten yourself into Rupert?" she asked shaking her head.

Shel intervened. "Lets talk about that somewhere other than here. Lets get you some breakfast."

The three of them went to a nearby diner where Rupert ravenously ate a a full grand slam breakfast.

After he had relaxed a bit he smiled at the two of them. "I can't thank you two enough for getting me out of there. Honestly. One of the worst nights of my life."

Emeline responded coldly, "Well, just so you know the bail money is coming out of your mother's pocket."

Rupert rolled his eyes at Shel. "Oh well... Well thanks for coming to get me anyway."

Shel nodded and gave Rupert an understanding smile. "So what happened Rupert?"

Rupert recounted the day of the murder. "I went to see my therapist Dr. Clayborne. I stupidly confessed that I loved her and I got upset when she rejected me." Rupert shook his head in disbelief knowing how it sounded. Emeline sighed.

"Look. I didn't kill her. I cared about her deeply." Shel and Emeline looked at Rupert blankly knowing his history of mental illness.

"I wasn't even in the building she fell from. There must be security footage."

Shel looked at his notes. "I don't think the security footage from the building will have been released to the police just yet. You're sure you didn't walk into that building across the street?" Shel was starting to turn into the legal shark he was known to be in the courts.

Rupert was frustrated. "I did not walk into that building! The last time I saw Nina was when the elevator doors closed on the twelfth floor in HER building. No wait. Oh fuck..."