From Rags To Riches

Chapter 2

He stepped toward her, his boots feeling heavy, like they were made of lead.

"Sarah, look at me," Elias said. His voice was thick, almost a whisper. "Just tell me what happened. Slow down. Tell me exactly what happened before I got here."

Sarah let out a jagged breath and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, leaving a smear of red across her cheek. 

"I told you, Elias. He’s a regular at the shop. Arthur Sterling. I came here to beg for a loan after the call, okay? I was going to get on my knees if I had to. But he was drunk. He started saying things... horrible things about how he could buy and sell people like us. Then he grabbed me. He wouldn't let go."

"He grabbed you?" Elias’s jaw tightened. Even now, with a body on the floor, the thought of someone touching his wife made his blood boil.

"He tried to pull me toward the bedroom," Sarah sobbed, her voice rising. "I saw that glass thing on the side table. I didn't think. I just grabbed it and swung. He fell, and he just... he didn't get back up. Then I panicked. I called the police, Elias. I was so scared I just called them. They’re probably already on their way."

Elias felt a cold spike of panic hit his chest. "You called the cops? Sarah, if they find you here with him like this, they won't care about your story. Sterling was a billionaire. He has friends in the city hall. They’ll bury you."

"I know!" Sarah wailed, clutching his jacket. Her fingers left dark stains on his chest. "That’s why I’m so glad you’re here. You’re a cop. You know how they think. If I go to jail, who’s going to be there when Lily wakes up? Who’s going to make sure she gets her medicine? You know she only listens to me."

Elias looked at the body, then back at his wife. He thought about his daughter’s pale face in that hospital bed. Sarah was right. Lily needed her mother. A Sergeant going down for a crime was a scandal, but a mother going to prison was a death sentence for their family.

"Take off your dress," Elias said. His voice was flat now. The Sergeant was back.

Sarah blinked, her mouth hanging open. "What?"

"The blood is all over you," Elias said, already reaching for the buttons of his own jacket. "Give me the dress. I’ll put on your blood. I’ll stay here. When they arrive, I’ll tell them I came here to settle a debt with Sterling and things got out of hand. I’m a cop; I can make the story stick. Just get out of here."

"Elias, you’d do that? You’d lose everything?"

"I already have nothing if you’re gone," he muttered.

He stripped off his outer shirt and grabbed the stained silk from her hands. He rubbed the man’s blood onto his own skin, making sure it looked like he’d been in a struggle. He felt sick, the metallic smell of the penthouse making his stomach turn, but he didn't stop. He pushed Sarah toward the back entrance, the one the cleaners used.

"Go to the hospital," he commanded. "Don't look back. Just go."

"I'm so sorry, Elias," she whispered, but she was already moving toward the door

.

Elias stood in the middle of the room, waiting for the sirens. He took a deep breath, trying to coach himself on the lie he was about to tell. But then, a sound stopped his heart. It wasn't a siren. It was the sound of a door opening from the private hallway in the back.

A man stepped out. He was tall, dressed in a sharp navy suit, and he was smiling. He didn't look shocked to see a dead billionaire on his floor. He looked bored.

"That was quite the performance, darling," the man said.

Elias froze. He watched as the man walked straight to Sarah. He didn't arrest her. He didn't pull out a gun. Instead, he reached out, put a hand on her waist, and leaned in. He kissed her right on the mouth, lingering there while Elias stood five feet away, covered in blood.

"You’ve done well, darling," the man muttered.

Elias felt the air leave the room. He couldn't feel his hands. He couldn't even feel the anger yet; there was just a massive pile of confusion settling down his stomach.

"Sarah?" Elias’s voice was a ghost of a sound. "Who is this?"

Sarah didn't jump away. She didn't look guilty. She leaned into the man's chest and looked at Elias with eyes that were suddenly bone-dry. The tears were gone like they had never been there.

"This is Julian," Sarah said. Her voice wasn't high-pitched or frantic anymore. It was cold. "And honestly, Elias, you should thank him. He’s the one who’s been paying our rent for the last two years while you were busy playing hero for forty dollars an hour."

Elias looked from Sarah to Julian. Julian was smirking, a gold lighter clicking in his hand.

"I don't understand," Elias said. He felt stupid. The word felt heavy in his mouth. "The bakery... the double shifts... you said you were working."

"I was working," Sarah laughed, and the sound made Elias’s skin crawl. "Just not at a bakery. Did you really think we lived on your salary? The shoes Lily wears, the private room at the hospital... you thought that came from your overtime? I’ve been Julian’s guest since before Lily got sick."

"She’s a very expensive guest," Julian added, pulling Sarah closer. "But she’s worth it. Especially now. Sterling was a problem. He was moving in on my territory, and he had a thing for Sarah. We decided to solve two problems at once. I get the territory, she gets the inheritance he promised her in his will, and you... well, you get to be the fall guy."

"You killed him," Elias whispered, looking at Julian. "She didn't do it. You did."

"Does it matter?" Julian asked, tilting his head. "You’ve already covered yourself in his blood.

 You’ve already got the motive. Poor cop kills rich guy over a debt. It’s a classic. And Sarah? She’s the grieving witness who tried to stop you."

Elias looked at Sarah. He wanted to see a flicker of the woman he had loved. He wanted to see a spark of the mother who cried over Lily’s bed. But there was nothing. She was looking at him like he was a piece of furniture that had stayed in the house too long.

"Lily," Elias gasped. "What about our daughter? You’re going to let me go to prison? She won't have a father."

"She’ll have Julian," Sarah said, shrugging her torn shoulder. "He can actually afford to keep her alive. You were just a placeholder, Elias. A guy with a badge and no money. You were always so easy to trick because you wanted so badly to be the good guy. It was honestly embarrassing."

The sound of sirens finally cut through the air.

 They were close. The blue and red lights began to dance against the glass windows of the penthouse.

"That’s our cue," Julian said. He reached into his pocket and tossed a small bag of white powder onto the floor near Elias. "Let's add a little drug debt to the story. Makes it more believable for the papers."

Elias didn't move. He didn't try to run. He just stood there as the front doors were kicked open.

"Police! Hands in the air!"

Elias felt the cold metal of handcuffs on his wrists. He felt the rough shove of an officer he’d shared coffee with just a week ago. He didn't say a word. He watched as Sarah fell to her knees, sobbing again, pointing at him and screaming that he had forced his way in.

He was pushed toward the elevator. As the doors began to close, he saw Sarah standing up. She wasn't crying anymore. She was leaning against Julian, a small, triumphant smirk on her lips.

      _______________________________________

The ride in the back of the police van was a blur. Elias sat in the dark, the metal walls rattling against his shoulders. 

His mind was a mess of memories. He thought about the late nights Sarah came home smelling of expensive perfume instead of bread. 

He thought about the new clothes she claimed were gifts from her sister. He had ignored it all. He had made excuses for her because he loved her.

"I’m an idiot," he whispered to the dark.

He thought about Lily. That was the only thing that hurt. If he went to a life term, he would never see her grow up. He would never know if she made it through the surgery. He started to panic, kicking at the door of the van.

"Hey! Let me out!" Elias shouted. "I need to know about my daughter! Just tell me if she’s okay!"

"Shut up, Thorne!" a voice shouted back from the front. "You’re a disgrace to the uniform. Keep your mouth shut."

The van slowed down, but it didn't feel like they were at the precinct. The air felt different. There was no sound of sirens or city traffic. It was quiet. When the doors finally opened, Elias was blinded by bright lights.

He was pulled out of the van, but the men holding him weren't wearing police uniforms. They were wearing black tactical gear with no patches.

"Where am I?" Elias asked, looking around.

He wasn't at a police station. He was standing in front of a massive iron gate. Beyond the gate was a driveway that seemed to go on forever, lined with ancient trees. 

At the end of the drive sat a mansion that looked like it belonged in a history book. It was made of white stone, with dozens of glowing windows and a fountain in the front that carved through the silence with the sound of rushing water.

The place was stunning. It didn't look like a home; it looked like a kingdom. The marble pillars at the entrance were taller than the precinct building, and the lawn was so perfectly green it looked fake.

The men led him toward the front doors. They didn't shove him this time. They walked with a strange kind of respect.

"Isn't this supposed to be an arrest?" Elias muttered under his breath, his eyes wide as he took in the gold-trimmed doors.

"Why is it looking more like a treat!"