Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
The officers looked at each other, uncertain of their next move.
Ewing, realizing Tyrone was having another episode, quickly directed Trent to lead Tyrone away.
Mistaking Leila for her mother in his confusion, Tyrone began to weep. Back then, Siena had left so suddenly and never returned.
“Siena, please, this is my fault. Don’t be angry at me. Come back home with me, will you?” Tyrone pleaded, his voice thick with regret.
Overwhelmed by the raw emotion in Tyrone’s plea, Leila felt a sting of tears in her eyes. She moved closer, gently taking his hand. Her phone articulated her message with the text-to-speech function, “Grandpa, don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. I promise I’ll return. Why don’t you go get some rest? Otherwise, I might just take off.”
Tyrone, somewhat soothed by Leila’s reassurances, hesitantly departed with the others.
A police officer then signaled for Leila to follow him.
Ewing quickly intervened. “Officer, this blurry video isn’t enough. Someone might get dressed like Leila. Leila has said she wasn’t there. It has to be a setup. There’s a big crowd here today. Arresting her could destroy her reputation.”
“Mr. Nixon, I get where you’re coming from, but we have to go by what the evidence shows. We can’t just take her word for it without any proof,” the officer responded calmly.
Klein, joining the conversation, suggested, “Why don’t we check the security footage from the backyard to verify her whereabouts?”
Ewing turned to Leila, his eyes searching hers. “Think back carefully. Where were you when Bria fell into the water?”
Leila racked her brain, feeling the weight of Ewing’s expectant look. After a moment, she began to piece together her movements.
Leila explained with her gestures that she was on her way to the back door to meet someone, but halfway there, she decided against it and came back.
Ewing immediately grasped who she intended to meet but chose not to press the issue. Instead, he requested that the footage from her described route be reviewed.
Unfortunately, they discovered that the camera covering that area was out of order.
Ewing furrowed his brow, a sense of unease washing over him. He suddenly realized his direct questioning might have been a mistake. The whole scenario had been meticulously set up. No matter where Leila claimed she had been, the corresponding footage was inexplicably absent.
Leila turned ghostly white, the realization of the trap dawning on her.
Just then, a sardonic voice from the crowd interjected, “That path leads to the lake. Could she have gone that way?”
“Most likely. It’s seldom traveled.”
The police officers turned their gaze toward Leila. “Miss, can anyone corroborate that you were at the back door?”
Leila shook her head, her expression somber. At that time, no one else was with her. Plus, she turned back halfway and did not see the person I once intended to meet.
The officer exhaled deeply and motioned toward her. “Please, come with us.”
As the police led Leila away, Ewing reached out and grasped her wrist.
“This is on me.” Regret painted Ewing’s features. “I vowed to keep you safe, yet here we are. It’s evident someone from the Nixon family orchestrated this.”
Leila shook her head, absolving Ewing of guilt. The true blame rested with the architect of this nefarious plot, and with herself for not being more vigilant.
“You just need proof that Leila was at the back door when it happened, right?” As the tension simmered, a voice suddenly echoed through the corridor.
The familiar male voice caused Leila to momentarily wonder if she was hallucinating due to the stress. This caused the onlookers to murmur among themselves.
Landon, accompanied by Edgar, strode over with a composed demeanor, approaching Ewing without any hint of subservience or undue pride. “Mr. Nixon, I hear there’s a welcome banquet at your place. You wouldn’t mind an uninvited presence, would you?”
“Guests are always a delight. Of course, I don’t mind!” Ewing responded with a welcoming smile.
Klein, overhearing the exchange, interjected sharply from the sidelines, “Ewing, have you lost your senses? Landon has no invitation. Why are you letting him through? Hey, you guys! Don’t just stand there! Hurry up and kick him out!”
“No invitation?” Ewing’s brow furrowed as he gestured subtly to an aide.
Immediately, the aide produced an invitation, presenting it to Landon.
“Here you go. We weren’t sure of your address, Mr. Kensington, hence the delay,” Ewing remarked.
Landon gave Klein a fleeting look, noting his evident scorn.
“It appears Mr. Klein Nixon takes exception to my presence.”
Klein’s response was a contemptuous sneer. “I wouldn’t dare. It’s just that your notoriety is well-known throughout Burmoos.”
Landon simply advanced, his presence commanding the room.
Klein recoiled slightly, a flicker of unease crossing his face.
“Are you hinting at the charges that I murdered my own mother? Got any proof, or are you just stirring the pot?” Landon challenged sharply.
Klein, visibly thrown by Landon’s forthrightness, retorted with veiled sarcasm, “Mr. Kensington, are you suggesting your own kin have wronged you with false claims, and that your expulsion from the Kensington family was unwarranted?”
Landon turned toward the officers present. “The authorities are right here. Allegations need backing. Check with them for any real evidence of my supposed crime.”
The officer shook his head, addressing the room. “We’ve found no concrete evidence implicating Mr. Kensington in any crime. He remains merely a suspect. Without solid proof, accusations must be withheld.”
Klein clenched his jaw but nodded in begrudging acknowledgment.
Turning to Landon, the officer pointed at Leila and inquired, “Can you confirm your whereabouts with her at the back door?”
“Yes, I had to pass something to her. I requested Mr. Ewing Nixon to relay the message, and she met me there for the item,” Landon explained confidently.
Before anyone could react, Ewing affirmed, “That is accurate.”
Landon continued, “Regarding the identical dress, Leila’s attire today is well recognized. It would be simple for someone to mimic her appearance and commit a misdeed. And if Leila truly intended to inflict harm on Bria, why would she approach in such a noticeable dress rather than changing first?”
Klein, scrambling for a counter, suggested weakly, “Perhaps it was a spur-of-the-moment malice.”
But Noemi’s expression remained unchanged. She didn’t even bother to inform Bria of the concern. This suggested Noemi either conspired with the assailant just to target Bria, or she and Bria knew the assailant and possibly even the following fall.
This rationale resonated with the officers, who then turned their scrutinizing eyes toward Noemi.
Under the weight of their stares, Noemi appeared increasingly agitated, her gaze flickering around the room. Leila, observing this, felt her suspicions confirmed. Noemi, ostensibly Bria’s loyal aide, might have been bought off long before.
Noticing Noemi’s unease, the police detained her.
In Noemi’s fright, she blurted out, “It wasn’t Leila. It was another servant from the manor, dressed like Leila. I was upset that while Miss Nixon lay critically ill, Leila remained unscathed. I decided to frame her.”
After consulting with Ewing, the police acted on Noemi’s information to pursue the true assailant.
They soon apprehended the real culprit and found an identical dress hidden in her quarters, confirming Noemi’s confession.
The culprit confessed to the act of pushing Bria into the lake, claiming her actions were driven by the mistreatment she suffered at Bria’s hands.
Others corroborated the narrative of Bria’s harsh behavior.
With the development that Bria had awakened and declined to pursue legal action, the authorities opted for a brief detainment of the assailant, thereby resolving the case.
Leila, cleared of all suspicions, preserved her reputation. She approached Klein, observing the tangled emotions flickering across his features.
Leila offered Klein a faint smile.
Klein, jarred back to reality, shifted into a regretful tone. “I’m sorry, Leila. My guilt got the better of me. With Bria being my sister and her health failing, my worries got the best of me. I didn’t mean to cast suspicion on you. It was the deceit of that servant. You won’t hold this against me, right?”
Leila shook her head, her expression a blend of forgiveness and warning as she signed. The servants standing nearby quickly stepped in to interpret her message. “Of course not. But Klein, next time you pull off tricks, try not to count your chickens before they hatch. It’s painfully obvious.”
Klein’s expression tightened in an instant.