Alexander gasped in shock. He recognized the voice immediately. It was Mr. Strasbourg’s. Alarmed, he immediately calmed his panicked mind. “Where are you, Mr. Strasbourg? Do you want me to come over?” he asked agitatedly.
“Yes, come to my house,” came the feeble reply. Before Alexander could ask any more questions, the call got disconnected. He gaped at his mobile phone, unable to decide. Should he wake up Eva before leaving? No, he decided against it. She wasn’t well and would get unnecessarily worked up. He just typed a message to her to inform her he was going out and sent it to her. She would know of his whereabouts when she woke up.
Going to meet Mr. Strasbourg, CEO of Rotterdams. He needs help. I’ll be back soon.
He picked up his wallet and car keys and went out quietly so as not to disturb Eva. He drove off all the way to Water Mill on Long Island. Many times he had visited the secluded property where Mr. Strasbourg lived. Perched on an isle overlooking Mecox Bay, he always thought about how Mr. Strasbourg could live alone on the property after his wife’s death.
All the way, he thought about the threat Mr. Strasbourg could be facing. Why did he need to be saved? Was his life in danger? If yes, from whom? Why did he call him instead of the police?
After negotiating traffic, he reached the mansion at last. Strangely, the gigantic, sliding iron gates were already open, and he just drove in and parked the car in the driveway. He looked around for a security guard, but there was none. Where were the security guards?
Concerned, Alexander walked across the paved driveway towards the main house. Everything was eerily quiet all around and he wondered if he had come to the wrong house! No, he was sure this was the house Mr. Strasbourg had brought him to on the previous two occasions that he had come here.
The huge wooden front door was wide open and Alexander frowned with worry. Why was the house left unguarded? Was Mr. Strasbourg alright?
“Mr. Strasbourg!” he called from the main entrance, frowning as his voice echoed around in the still house. There was no answer! Unsure, Alexander took a few steps inside and again called his name. Yet there was no answer.
He thought he heard a faint shuffling sound coming from the room beside the enormous staircase. Was it his imagination or was there someone in the room? He went forward and slowly pushed the door open. The room was in total darkness, with all windows closed and curtains drawn.
His feet trampled over something and he bent down to retrieve it.
Was it a gun? Searching for the switches, he, at last, found them and switched on the lights. A gasp escaped his mouth to see that it indeed was a gun, not just any gun but an HK45 Compact Tactical attached with a high-end suppressor. It was one of the best suppressor-ready guns available in the market! Why would someone leave a gun here near the door?
Alexander’s eyes widened at what it meant and he looked up to check. He was in Mr. Strasbourg’s study, which looked eerily quiet with a vast desk opposite him. He walked towards it when a groan alerted him.
There was someone in the room. He turned his head to detect where the groan came from. It seemed to have come from behind the desk. Approaching cautiously, he gasped at the scene in front of him. Mr. Strasbourg lay on the floor in a pool of blood, his eyes closed and his hands clutching at the wound on his chest. Someone had shot him in the heart. Blood oozed from the wound, drenching his business suit. Alexander panicked, realizing what the distress call was all about. If only he could have arrived earlier.
“Mr. Strasbourg? Who did this to you?” he cried, rushing towards the man who didn’t open his eyes. There was no response from him at all. Was he dead? Then who groaned a little while ago? Was Mr. Strasbourg alive for so long?
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed in the still house, and the door was flung open. Before Alexander could realize what was happening, a few cops rushed into the room, startling him completely. They rushed towards him and pointed a gun at him as if he were a criminal.
“Don’t move, Mr. Van Every. You are under arrest for the murder of Mr. Andre Strasbourg.” Alexander looked dazed as they collected the gun from his hands with care. How did they know his name? What was going on?
“I haven’t killed Mr. Strasbourg. He called me here to save him. I can show you my phone as proof,” said a distraught Alexander, moving away from them, but they looked unconvinced.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Van Every, but that’s not proof enough. All circumstantial and direct evidence makes you the prime suspect. I’m afraid I have to arrest you.” They handcuffed him and took him to their patrol car, turning a deaf ear to his protests. A cop found the body of two security guards on the premises brutally murdered.
That was when Alexander realized he had been framed, but who could have set up a trap for him? Beatrix? What motive could she have? The rest of the cops searched for evidence while they took him to the police station where they booked his case, paying no heed to his protests.
“Look, Mr. Van Every, this is the general procedure. Please cooperate and you will be allowed to contact your family.” Alexander sighed, since there was no way out of this mess than to cooperate. He had dug his own grave because of his stupidity. The indicators were there, yet he stupidly walked into the trap set up for him. Seeing the gates open, he should have sought help from the local police station, but now it was too late to contemplate what might have been.
For the next few minutes, they took his fingerprints, photographs, and DNA sample.
Later, they transported him to the precinct nearby where an officer relinquished all of his belongings in exchange for jail clothing. Afterwards, they updated him about the standard procedure applicable in his case. Alexander sighed and asked for his mobile phone to contact his wife. The officer complied and handed him his phone to inform his family.
“Only one phone call is all you’re allowed at the moment.”
Alexander knew he had to inform Eva or she would be hurt if she heard it from other sources. So, taking a deep breath, he called her up. After the first ring, Eva accepted the call.
“Alexander, where are you? It’s evening already! When are you coming home?” she rambled on into the phone.
“Eva, sit down and listen to me. This is very important,” he said as calmly as he could.
“I’m sitting down. What is it, Alexander? Please tell me. Are you okay?” she asked worriedly.
“Yes, I’m okay. Now take a deep breath and listen carefully. Don’t panic and fall sick. I’m counting on you for help.”
“I won’t panic. Please tell me,” she begged.
“When you were sleeping, I received a distress call from Mr. Strasbourg. He wanted me to go to his house and save him. When I went there, I realized it was a trap to frame me in a murder case. Someone had already murdered Mr. Strasbourg and when I reached there, the cops arrested me. Right now I’m in police custody on charges of a murder I haven’t committed.” A gasp of horror escaped Eva, and she stammered in panic.
“Oh, my God! I’m coming over just now. How could they arrest you when you have done nothing? I’ll reason with them.”
“Eva, listen to me. The legal system doesn’t work that way. There will be an initial bail hearing tomorrow here at the precinct where they have detained me, but I might be jailed till the Arraignment. I will get a defense attorney, but I want you to contact Sienna or Alyssa and ask if Lucas knows of a reliable one. Do not contact my parents under any circumstances because if they try to separate us this time, I wouldn’t be around to save you from their wrath. Are you getting me, Eva?”
“Yes, I’ve got you. I’ll call Sienna right away. Don’t worry, Alexander. I’ll get you out of this mess.” Alexander smiled, appreciating her mental strength, although the tremor in her voice didn’t escape his notice.
“I trust you, baby. They have allowed me to make only one phone call to save my as*. I called you because you’re most precious to me. Take care of yourself and smile. I’ll be with you soon.”
“I love you, Alexander. Take care till I get you released.”
Eva disconnected the call and took a deep breath. When she had an important task at hand, she couldn’t afford to break down. She had to save her husband. She couldn’t fall sick. Picking up her car keys, she drove over to Lucas’s house. The reception party might be over by now, and Alyssa and Nicholas might have left for their honeymoon. There was no point in disturbing them. She would seek Lucas’s help.