Chapter 4: The Imprisonment

Chapter 4: The Imprisonment

Kathleen’s P.O.V

My heart pounded as I heard the footsteps getting closer behind me.  The man, who had been holding my hands behind my back painfully all this time, finally let me go and I hesitantly turned around, and my breath catching in my throat.

A police officer was stood there, his hand on his gun and a stern expression on his face. He had an accomplice, whose hands were in his pockets, a scarf around his neck, and a woolen hat on his brown hair. "Don't take another step forward!" The policeman’s voice was both stern and cold. "You are under arrest. Hands where I can see them!"

The words echoed in my ears, I couldn't quite believe it. I had done nothing wrong to deserve this, why was I getting arrested?

It was a cold winter day and all I did was save a little girl from kidnappers. And now, I was suddenly getting cuffed by the cops.

“You have the right to remain silent.” The policeman narrated like a sick 90’s crime show. “Anything you say can and will be held against you in the court of law.”

He began pushing me towards a police van parked on the other side of the road and i seemed to be still in shock from the events that had just transpired. By the time realization finally set in, it was already too late.

My sneakers were caked with snow, and my pants were damp from the slush on the sidewalk. It hadn't snowed heavily yet, but my face was red from the cold and probably the embarrassment that the scenario was causing me.

My eyes darted around the deserted street, hoping that no one saw me in the state I was in, so that I could save myself and my family the embarrassment, but as luck would have it, two cars passed me by at that moment, adding to my humiliation.

"Move faster!" The second cop in casual clothing spoke up, his voice more intimidating and harsh. "We do not pamper kidnappers and wouldn't mind hitting you blue and black right now if you don't do exactly as we say."

It was then that it dawned on me…that I was arrested because they assumed I had kidnapped the little girl. "No, that's not what happened!" I blurted, realizing what this would lead to if I didn't act fast enough.

 "We didn't ask." The man in plain clothes was the one who responded, the frown on his face deepened as he looked at me from the corner of his eyes. "Get into that van before I get you into myself!"

I obeyed.

As the van sped through the streets, I tried to make sense of what was happening, but I still couldn’t quite comprehend everything. Within a short time, we were at the station and I was once again being hurled out of the van, and being taken to the cells.

"You're going to stay here until someone bails you out. And even then, you'll probably still be in a lot of trouble since you messed with the wrong man." The cop scoffed at me. “What on earth were you thinking, kid? Trying to kidnap the daughter of a rich man!”

A rich man? It must be that guy in the coat that he spoke of…the one who had claimed to be the child’s father. Who was he exactly? And how rich was he that the cops seem to respect and fear him?

I took another glance around the station, several cops going about their business without so much as another glance in my direction. Fear and anticipation held me in a vice grip as I waited my fate, realizing that this whole thing was more serious than I thought.

Would I blame myself for saving the girl? No. I did what was right without a second thought. Even if it'd cost me many months or even years in jail, I didn't mind. She was safe now and with her father. I couldn’t bear to think what could’ve happened if she had been taken away.

But now that I was here, being treated as a convict…I couldn’t help but wonder why this was happening to me. Maybe this is why people now-a-days want to stay out of trouble and not help those in need, because you never know when you’ll be mistaken as the wrongdoer and thrown to prison.

 Before I could think of anything else, a female warder appeared before me. "Come with me, Miss. You'll be detained until the Lieutenant says otherwise."

I was occupied with so many thoughts that I didn’t even have the strength to say anything to her. I merely nodded as she led me to a cell and I stepped inside and the bars were closed behind me.

Looking around, I saw that there were three other women inside the cell, all of whom who looked like real thugs. Two of them were in their mid-twenties, while one looked to be in her mid-forty’s.

The oldest stood at the end of the room, her hands stuffed in the pockets of her orange uniform. Her short, spiky hair was dyed black, and her eyes were lined with what looked like dark eyeliner. I couldn't help but wonder how she got that.

 She leaned against the wall, tapping her foot, her eyes scanning me curiously. There was something tough and fierce about her, a sense that she would often pick a fight just for the fun of it. But there was also something vulnerable about her, a hint of sadness in her eyes.

The two others sat next to each other on the bare ground. The blonde one sitting close to the only source of light in the room, a little opening in the window, and she looked up at me with a death stare. 

 Her uniform was ripped at the knees. A tattoo of a snake wrapped around her elbow, and a scar on the left side of her face. Her eyes were cold and hard, but I could see loneliness in them.

The third was plain woman with brown hair and she didn't take a second glance at me, but rather focused on the hard, cold floor. Staring at it like there was a movie she was watching on the ground.

Turning around, I heard the door shut behind me and the lights came back on. It seemed the light went off each time the door was open. I took a deep breath, and then sat very close to the door, my head hung as I tried not to concentrate on the rest of my cell-mates.

I didn't want to get into a fight with any of these fierce-looking women. And god only knows how long I would be in here before someone came to help me.

Half an hour later, the lights went off and the door creaked open and a different warder appeared this time. "Your mother and friend are here for you. Come with me," he said harshly.

He opened the cell door and let me out before closing it once again and putting a cuff on my wrist. I turned back to look at the three women inside one last time before I was ushered out of the jail and brought out to the main area where all the cops were.

 I saw my mom pacing around with an anxious look on her face, and Cole, my childhood friend, keeping her company as they anxiously waiting for me.

"Oh, my dear!" My mom sobbed in relief as soon as she saw me, coming over to hug me in her arms tightly. "How did you get here? It doesn't make any sense that you would do anything to warrant imprisonment."

"I thought as much," Cole supported her. "What are they charging you for?" He asked.

The warder gave the response in my stead, "She is accused of attempting to abduct a child. It's not just an accusation; she was caught red-handed with the child."

"That's not what happened!" I blurted in anger, only to be silenced by the stern look of the cop beside me.

"Keep quiet," he raised his baton. Turning to my mom and friend, he continued. "It's a very serious offense and there's nothing I can do about it unless the child’s father says otherwise."

"This doesn't make any sense!" Cole snapped at the man, and I wanted to warn him not to lose his temper.

"Exactly," My mom nodded as well. "She's a very young woman and can have her own children, so why would she abduct someone else's?" 

"Mom!" I was embarrassed by the way she reasoned with the cop. "Let Cole handle this, please."

Seriously, mom! I wanted to tell her. Your daughter ends up in jail under false accusation and that is all you can come up with? ‘She can have kids of her own’?!

Cole, however, the ever supportive friend that he was, came to my rescue. "Look…Sir…this is my friend and neighbor, Kathleen Moore, and I have known her for ages. She has a very clean record and has a wealth of experience as an A-level babysitter. Why would she try to abduct a child all of a sudden where there is absolutely no reason for her to do so? There is a mix-up somewhere and I'm certain that if you hear her out, you'll understand where you got this wrong."

"Hm," The warder nodded. Calling the attention of the policeman who arrested me. "Did you hear her out before you cuffed her?" He asked the middle-aged man who came to stand beside him. "Maybe she isn't guilty?”

"I followed Mr. Dalton’s instructions, Sir. Hearing her out would change nothing." He replied seriously. “She was caught red-handed with an unconscious child in her arms, trying to hail a cab so she could escape.”

“NO!” I protested yet again, wondering when all this misunderstandings would end. “Seriously, that’s not what happened! I swear! I didn’t abduct her or injure her! And I wasn’t trying to run away either!”

“You think we’ll believe you after the father caught you red-handed?” The officer snapped at me, making my heart thud against my chest in desperation.

God! How did things get so complicated? What on earth am I supposed to do here?

However, it was once again Cole who became the voice of reason in such a dire situation. "There has to be a CCTV in the street where she was arrested, right?” He asked the cops. “What's the point of detaining her without going through the required procedure of making sure she is guilty? Please do what's needed. Check the camera and clear her name. I am very sure that she doesn't have a hand in any of this."

"This is what I have been trying to say, sir" I turned to speak to the policeman who arrested me, my eyes pleading for him to understand. "I saved the girl from people who wanted to kidnap her. I do not have a hand in her kidnapping attempt, I can swear on my mother! Doesn't the child’s house have cameras? The streets too! Please-"

"Don't tell me how to do my job!" The cop snapped without mercy before turning to Cole. "Who are you to lecture me? Let me take care of this!”

Finally, he turned to the cop who had arrested me and spoke to him in an even harsher tone, his anger having reached his limit. “Did you check the CCTV before getting the kid?”

"No…sir." The man replied.

"Do you think we go about arresting people without proof? We carry out our research and we are still doing that. Do you understand that?"

"Yes sir." The man nodded in understanding, his head lowered.

"All we want is justice!" Cole said impatiently. “Please…you have to let my friend go. She is innocent.”

"And as always, you'll get justice." The warden told Cole, but before he could leave to talk to the higher officers, he was stopped by the other cop with a hand on his shoulder.

“Sir…you don’t understand,” he pleaded. "The girl this woman was accused of abducting is the daughter of a multi-billionaire."

"Does that change the law?" Cole snapped back, having heard the man’s response.

"You don't understand.” The cop turned to Cole. “Arthur Dalton is the law and he is the only one who can withdraw the case."

"What does this mean?" Cole asked again, desperation in his voice. “What happens now?”

“We will try to call Mr. Dalton and ask for his advice,” the cop sighed. "But until we hear back from him, we cannot do anything to help her. I'm afraid she cannot even be bailed. I’m afraid her fate is now in the hands of that little girl and her father."