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I’m not sure how he deciphers the myriad of questions thrown at him when he stops talking, but he holds a hand up to quiet them then points to a woman from a local station to repeat her question. “Do you expect to file charges in any capacity against Alden Stokes?”
“No. Alden Stokes was the victim in this unfortunate crime. He is not a suspect.”
A man shoves his microphone forward and shouts, “And what about the girlfriend, Ella Booth? Will she be charged in the deaths?”
The prosecutor’s lips press together. “No. There has never been any evidence that Ms. Booth was involved in this crime. I would suggest that you get your information from more credible sources than social media. Dean Warren and Connor Warren have been charged. The state’s case against them is ongoing. That’s all I’m going to say about this matter. Thank you.”
It’s more than enough. He told them that Alden is innocent. That I’m innocent.
The journalists continue to clamor after he turns his back and retreats inside. He gives Alden a perfunctory nod as he passes us. Alden flashes a smile at Lowell. “That man’s not having a good day.”
“I’m surprised he answered the question about me,” I remark. He certainly wasn’t under any requirement to do so.
Lowell chuckles. “He knows this is going to be big news. He doesn’t want to be seen as a total asshole when the whole story starts coming out.” Lowell reaches for the door handle and looks at us. “Stay behind me and ignore any negative questions or accusations.”
A roar comes from the crowd being held back on either side of the courthouse steps when we walk out. The reporters rush to be the first to get to us. One of the men gets his feet tangled and trips into the woman next to him, who scowls and nearly drops her microphone. The urge to laugh is tough to resist, despite my nervousness. Maybe because of it.
Lowell holds his hands up until it quiets down. “My client would like to make a statement, but he will not be answering questions at this time. As you can imagine, it’s been a very trying few weeks, and he’s eager to get back to his life and family.”
When we step up, the silence falls quickly. Alden squeezes my hand and his voice projects into the crowd. “I just want to thank my lawyer, Mr. Lowell Richards for everything he’s done to get the truth of the matter in front of the eyes of the prosecution. I also appreciate that the prosecutor moved quickly to withdraw the charges after he was presented with the evidence. Most of all, Ella and I want to thank all of you who have supported us. I appreciate it more than I can say. I realize this is a crazy situation and very entertaining but please bear in mind what we’ve been through.” He slides his arm around my shoulder. “It’s no secret that we have a baby on the way. I want to ask you to please respect our privacy and give us space to recover. Thank you.”
Lowell said not to answer any questions but as we turn to start back inside, someone shouts. “Do you believe your brother hired the Warrens to kill you?”
Alden turns and stares at him for a long moment before answering. “I don’t know.”
More questions are shouted as we retreat inside, but we ignore them. We’re taken back to the hotel with my parents by the same security officers who picked us up. Alden borrows my phone to call Milo while Mom tries to convince me that we should stay with them for a few days.
“You’re going to be hounded if you go to your house,” she points out.
“We won’t be going home yet. I have a place for us to stay until things die down,” Alden explains, joining us. It’s news to me, but I don’t care. As long as we’re together, I don’t care where we are.
I hug Mom and then Dad. “Thank you both so much for always being here when I need you. I promise after everything is sorted out, we’ll come and visit.”
Dad regards Alden. “You call if you need anything or if you need someone to talk to. If you aren’t comfortable talking to me, I can refer you to someone.”
Alden grins at him. “Have you worked with a lot of patients who thought they were their dead brother who actually may have tried to kill them?”
Dad shakes his head with a wry smile. “Good luck finding that experience in anyone, but both of you should find a therapist once it’s feasible. You’ve been through unimaginable trauma.”
“We will,” Alden promises.
It doesn’t take me long to pack up my things and we say goodbye. Alden drives my car since he knows where we’re going. “Milo has a property across the state line in Kentucky. Just south of Henderson. It’s out in the boonies but it gets cell reception and has satellite internet. That’s where I was staying.”
“And I was worried you were camped out in the cold somewhere,” I reply.
“Milo saved my ass. I owe him.”
“He was there for me too. Plus, he’s the one who referred us to Lowell when you were arrested.”
“That grizzly fucker loves us.”
Alden grins over at me when I laugh. “Have you heard from Tori?”
“She called a few days ago to check on me.” My failure to elaborate earns me a sideways look, and I sigh. He knows that Tori didn’t believe that he was Alden, but I didn’t tell him everything she said.
“Smith didn’t believe it either, El. I’m not taking it personally. It was a crazy thing to wrap their heads around. You and Milo were the only ones who believed me from the very beginning.”
“She didn’t just not believe it. She thought I was crazy, said that I needed help, and was horrified to find out I was pregnant. She had this whole insane theory that maybe you faked the amnesia from the beginning so you wouldn’t be charged with murder and then pretended to discover who you are once it didn’t work. She said pretending that you’re Alden was a way for you to get everything you wanted. Your freedom and me.”
