The Curious Incidents at Grand Show Place Cinema

Chapter 12

As Candace stepped forward, she nearly tripped over the stainless steel toilet. She never thought she would be happy to be back in a jail again. She started to cry out of a sense of relief. The Jailer spotted her on the security camera.

"You won't believe this," The duty Jailer called out to Constable Williams and another officer.

Constable Williams approached the cell with his Taser drawn.

"Down on the floor. Now!"

Candace looked confused.

"Bren, I am so glad to see you. It's me, Candace, from the theatre."

"Down on the floor, arms out in front of you," Bren commanded.

Candace complied.

"Caritas Featherstone, anything you say may be used against you. You are under arrest for vandalism, assault of a fellow prisoner, two counts of assault of a police officer, and escape from lawful confinement. You have the right to speak to a lawyer," Bren told her.

"Bren, can't you see I am Candace Wardale?"

Bren cuffed her and helped her to her feet.

"We better move her to the far cell in the middle. Should be no chance of her escaping there," The Jailer suggested.

Bren took a closer look at Candace and shook his head.

"You sure look like Caritas Featherstone to me, and I have looked at your mug shot a lot lately. I don't understand how you got in and out of this cell and got these clothes you wear. What is this bag tied to your waist?" Bren observed as he removed the rope belt and the bag with the doll in it.

"Please look at me. I am Candace. I need that bag. I can explain everything. Please just listen to me," Candace pleaded.

"Are you waiving your right to speak to a lawyer? What is this doll? Is that where you hid your escape tools?" Bren asked as he pressed on it, looking for lock pick tools. Suddenly he disappeared.

"Holy shit!" The other officer shouted.

"Awe crap, not again on my shift," The Jailer groaned

"What did you do to Bren," The other officer shouted at Candace.

"Nothing, nothing. I swear I did nothing. I want to call a lawyer now," Candace stated.

"Giver her a phone call and take her to that other cell and put a close watch outside. I want this cell quarantined as well," The other officer ordered.

The Jailer took Candace to a phone in the hallway.

"Edward, it's me, Candace. Could you get me a lawyer and bring my phone?"

"Candace? It does not sound like you. The police were here looking for you and said you escaped the jail."

"I can't explain everything right now, but it relates to the doll and what you saw in Theatre 5. They think I am Caritas Featherstone, which I cannot explain, but I have a lot to tell you."

Two hours later, a police officer escorted Edward and the Lawyer to a private interview room. A police officer brought Candace into the room. Edward looked shocked as Candace approached him.

"What's wrong?" Candace asked.

"You do not look or sound like my sister," Edward backed up, looking nervous.

"It's me. Remember when I helped you water down Dad's liquor for that party you went to in grade 8, or how about that scar on your left ankle from when I hit you with the hockey stick for calling me buck-toothed," Candace offered.

"Okay, I admit no one else could know those things, but how do you look the way you do now?" Edward was still wary.

"This is all confidential correct?" Candace looked at the Lawyer.

"It is. However, I must point out I have reviewed the arrest report, and the evidence against you is quite overwhelming. DNA is not easily dismissed," The Lawyer pointed out.

"Edward, did you bring my phone?" Candace reached out.

Edward passed the phone to her. Candace put the phone up to her face. It would not unlock. She entered her password to unlock the phone, and it opened. She showed the phone to Edward and the Lawyer.

"Is this enough proof of who I am? The DNA sample was taken before I looked like this. Can another sample be taken?" Candace queried.

"Not 100 percent, maybe 90 percent, but I believe you. Yes, we could request another sample, but it is more likely now that it would show you are Caritas Featherstone," The Lawyer admitted.

Candace recounted her time in the portal.

Edward sat in stunned silence. The Lawyer was shaking his head and rubbing his chin after he jotted down notes on his laptop, not knowing what to make of the story.

"Bren took the doll from me and was pressing on it when he vanished from the cell where I was before. That should all be recorded on the cameras," Candace offered.

"I had a similar experience in the theatre with the doll just before all of this," Edward explained to the Lawyer.

"The police want to interview you, Candace. If you disclose what you just told me, it could be taken as a confabulation; in this case, we could plead a temporary brain injury, maybe due to a stroke or some unknown condition. In that case, we might be able to get you released to a hospital for examination and treatment. The main problem is that you are solidly identified as Caritas Featherstone with DNA and fingerprints," The Lawyer explained.

During the police interview, Candace gave the same story to the police. They agreed to a second DNA sample and fingerprinting—a DNA sample required 2 to 3 days to be processed. The fingerprints matched the prints from when Candace Wardale was first processed for jail and differed from the Caritas Featherstone prints. The police attached an ankle bracelet and escorted Candace to the hospital for tests.

"This case is far from solved yet. Do not let her out of your sight if possible," The officer in charge ordered.