After the day has been confirmed, Rosa leaves George to his next task and comes over to where Cole and I are sat, unsure of what to do with ourselves.
I feel like I should be doing something, now that the trial is so soon, yet I know that if I try to get involved with any of the people busily working to prepare the case I would only be a hindrance.
"I think it would be best if you slept at the station tonight." Rosa says, "The court is just in the next street so there is no point you two going back to Lauren's."
"Yes that's fine." Cole replies, answering for both of us.
"I'll take you to a room now then, shall I? Don't worry, it's not a cell, it's where the night shift workers sometimes go for a break."
"Now?" I ask in surprise, as Rosa turns to lead us out of the room.
"Well, it's nearly 9pm. You could stay in here for a bit longer if you would rather though?"
"Oh." I whisper. Me and Cole must have been alone much longer than I had thought. "No, that's fine."
There is no point staying here, everyone is engrossed in their own work, and besides, the knowledge that it is in fact late evening has caused a wave of fatigue to wash over me.
Rosa nods by way of reply and then quickly leads us out the room and through the door opposite. Instead of another meeting room, though, the door opens into a wide corridor, carpeted with a faded blue diamond design. The walls are lined with a row of framed photographs, all displaying different members of the force throughout the years. I walk forwards, my eyes taking me all the way back to 1936 and a black and white image of five dower faced men in crisp suits.
"They founded this unit." Rosa chirps, peering over my shoulder at the photograph. "But there were no facilities like these in their day." She continues, proudly indicating the sliding wooden door which she opens with a flourish of her identity card.
"Do you need one of those to get out?" Cole asks, eyeing the door suspiciously. "I don't want to be trapped inside."
He hovers on the threshold, a casual arm extended just far enough to stop me following Rosa inside.
"Oh no!" She exclaims, beaming widely and gesturing to a button on the wall by the door on the inside. "You just press this, the cards are only to get in."
"Right." Cole murmurs sheepishly, looking down at his shoes and shuffling inside. I follow close behind, grabbing his hand as Rosa turns her back.
"Thank you for checking." I whisper, smiling gratefully.
The room we are in is sparsely furnished yet warm and modern, a row of alcoves along the back wall partly obscuring several beds which are made up with fresh white sheets, the duvets folded neatly at the foot.
"Make yourselves at home." Rosa says, hitting a switch which causes a lamp to illuminate the first two alcoves. "I imagine Lauren will come down soon but there's a phone there with numbers already inputted if you need anything. Oh and I will come and get you in good time tomorrow morning so don't worry about that."
"Brilliant, thank you." I say, going over to sit on one of the beds.
"We've got some clothes and things for you both too, in that cupboard." Rosa calls, already heading back into the passage, pointing to a silver handled door as she exits. "See you in the morning!"
The door slides shut behind her and Cole and I are left alone.
I walk over to the cupboard and pull out a stack of clothes, handing Cole a set of warm green pyjamas and heading into the coolly tiled bathroom to pull on my own lilac pair.
When I return Cole is already dressed and huddled beneath the duvet of one of the beds.
"You don't mind, do you?" He asks when I emerge, "I just suddenly feel really tired."
"No of course not, I am going to go to sleep too." I reply, stifling a yawn and swinging my legs up into the other bed, reaching a hand over to switch off the lamp.
"Jasmine?" Cole asks, just as my eyelids flutter closed. "I really do love you."
I smile into the darkness. "I think you are the only person who ever truly has." I whisper, "And I was mad to think I could do anything with my life without you."
✴✴✴
The next morning I wake to Lauren's gentle touch on my shoulder and the watery light of early sun rays filtering in through the partially opened blinds. Cole is nowhere to be seen but by the faint hissing of water in the background I judge that he is in the bathroom.
"Half an hour and then we will have to get going, how are you feeling Jasmine?" Lauren asks, feigning a lighthearted tone. But behind her calm features and steady voice I can sense an edge of worry.
Not that it is anything compared to my own. My stomach is consumed by the hollow ache of nerves and a sharp nausea rises in my throat as I sit up, forcing me to swallow hard before I can reply. Even so, I force myself to accompany my words with a smile at Lauren as I stand and begin smoothing out the bed covers.
"I'm okay. Worried, but okay."
"Well, we are all a bit worried I think. Except for George, he seems to have come into his own now it's crunch time." Lauren says with a wry smile.
Crunch time. Yes, that's exactly what today is. Crunch time. I wonder what my mother is doing, how she's feeling. Scared? Or has she got some new plan to ruin our own? The thought makes me shiver and involuntarily I grab Lauren's hand before she can walk away.
She turns to me in surprise, pulling me to her chest and holding me there in a hug like that first time in the hospital corridor. I breathe in her subtle scent, not changed, and close my eyes, trying to remind myself that our case is not a plan. It's fact. And even my mother can't argue against that.
"Sorry." I say after a few moments, pulling out of Lauren's grasp.
But she doesn't acknowledge my apology, instead fixing me with an earnest stare.
"I promise Jasmine. I promise I won't let anything bad happen today." She says, her voice hoarse. I meet her gaze solidly with my own, the truth of her words swelling my heart.
And then the moment is gone and I propel myself into movement, grabbing the clothes laid out for me and heading into the bathroom as Cole emerges. I get ready quickly, tying my hair back into a ponytail without bothering to look in the mirror, the speed stopping me from over thinking what is to come.
Rosa and George are both in the main room when I come out again, sat with Cole and Lauren around a small table. I go over to join them and Rosa presses a coffee and two biscuits into my hands. I force myself to drink the scolding liquid but leave the biscuits, my stomach contracting with barely suppressible fear and unable to cope with even the sight of food.
"Not long to go." Cole says quietly, looking up from his cup in greeting.
I nod stiffly in reply, my features no doubt mirroring the taut, greyed expression present on everyone's face around the table. Except George of course who, as Lauren said, is clearly in his element. I watch his leg bouncing up and down with jittery excitement, his own coffee swirling like a whirlpool within the cup clutched in his hand.
He sees me watching and flashes a smile.
"The thrill of justice." He explains.
"Don't get too ahead of yourself, George. We haven't even got to the court yet." Rosa warns, leaning across the table. "Not that I don't think we will get justice." She adds hurriedly.
"Of course we will." George says, batting away Rosa's words, "But we better get going if we want to be there to see it."
He stands up and I follow him without a word, my legs so shaky that I have to focus all my attention on them to stop myself from falling.
George, Rosa and Lauren walk ahead, leading the way back to the station entrance, and Cole and I follow behind. As soon as I have emerged into the corridor I start to feel feint and have to stop for a moment, leaning against the wall. Silently Cole stops too and gently guides my arm to his waist so that we can walk together. He, too, is incredibly nervous, his skin ashen, but together we are both propped up, and manage to follow the others to the doors and into the car waiting outside.
It is a stately black with thick, tinted windows and I feel like we are famous, gliding down the street and past the hoards of people walking along the pavements.
"There might be some people outside." Rosa says haltingly as we turn the final corner. "We have tried to keep this case out of the public eye as much as we can but its never going to be kept a total secret."
I swallow hard, my eyes trained on the window as the car slows to a halt.
Outside is a tall yellow bricked building surrounded by iron railings. It is cold and austere, nothing hidden, everything exposed. A knot of people are huddled by the gate, at least three with cameras, and I see a couple of policeman stood like gargoyles facing them with their stony stares.
"Ready everyone?" George enquires, opening the door.
I don't reply, grabbing Cole's hand and scrambling out of the car before I can think about it too much. Instantly the knot of people turns to face us, transforming into a hungry mob, clamouring for a response.
"Heads down, don't say anything." George commands, his voice strong and reassuring, cutting through the cacophony of noise and press of bodies as we push through and scurry up the stone steps to the black wood of the double doors.
"God." Rosa breathes as we all finally get inside. "And that was the back entrance."
"Are you all right?" Cole whispers, leaning down so we are eye to eye.
"I've been through worse." I reply, grimacing.
"And that's why we are here." He finishes. "To get justice for that."
And then we are moving again, two men in smart uniforms ushering us through a partition and into a huge room with teared seating. I glance around wildly, seeing George's lips forming words but catching no noise. Not that I need to hear what he is saying to know where we are. We are in the court room, and the trial is about to begin.
Author's Note:
Well, that became pretty long! I realised that there was actually a lot to say before the main trial action but as I had promised it to you this week I thought I had to at least get them to the court! Sorry if you were expecting the verdict, though. I promise to have all the trial action written for next week! It will be the final official chapter but there might be an epilogue...You will have to wait and see! Anyway, please vote and comment your thoughts and I hope you all have a great week! Love,
AutumnSwift1 ❤❤❤