How had I gotten myself into this? All I wanted to do was date a hot guy. If Antonio Pagano didn’t want me dating Anthony, I was sure there were other ways to run me off. What did it gain him to put me in jail?
“Webster.” I heard a guard say. “Stand at the door with your hands in front of you.”
I did as she said. The cell door opened. The guard handcuffed my hands and feet, then chained them together. She started walking and I shuffled along behind her. I was feeling so many things at the moment that I had to force myself not to cry. I wasn’t going to let them get the better of me.
I followed her and ended up in a line with several other people dressed in the lovely orange uniform. We moved slowly and were put in a van and driven to the courthouse.
Being escorted through the courthouse chained like an animal was beyond embarrassing. I kept my head down because I didn’t want to see the looks on people’s faces.
“Sir, stay back,” my female guard said.
“I just need to say one thing to that one.”
I looked up because that was Anthony’s voice. Our eyes met. I was expecting to see sympathy, maybe even hatred or loathing, but the look on his face was pure satisfaction.
“Thank you, Karma. Without you, none of this would have been possible.” Then he turned and left.
I watched as he walked away, not really understanding what he meant. I was prodded in the back to get moving. Following the line of other prisoners, we went down a long hallway and into a room with metal seats attached to the walls. We were told to sit and stay quiet.
For once in my life, I had no problem staying quiet. I kept running Anthony’s words over and over in my head. Was he responsible for putting me in jail? I was sure it was his father, but maybe I was wrong. I thought Anthony and I had something real, but maybe it was all a lie.
Several of my fellow inmates were taken, one by one, into what I assumed was the courtroom, then brought back in. None of them looked especially happy as they sat back down. I was the last one to go. I was escorted by my female guard into the grand looking courtroom.
Glancing to my right Anthony smirked at me. I ignored him and then I saw Bodie, Mr. West, Kayleigh and Major, but the sight that got me the most was my parents. I did everything I could to stop the tears but a few escaped and rolled down my cheeks. I didn’t get to see them for long as I was moved to sit in a chair that faced the front of the courtroom. Bill was there and I was grateful for that.
“Karma Webster,” the judge said, “the State of California has charged you with grand theft and fraud relating to the amount of $5.2 million that was stolen from the business of Pagano Imports. We are here this morning to set bail, but some new information has come to light that will need to be further investigated. We will reschedule this bail hearing for Wednesday, April 6th at 1pm. Detectives, you have forty-eight hours to go over this information and prove the validity of it. Attorneys, please see me in my chambers.”
The judge banged the gavel and we all stood as he left the courtroom.
“What’s going on?” I asked Bill.
“This morning, Bodie presented me with some very interesting information in your favor. I gave it to the judge and now it has to be investigated.”
“So, what happens to me now?”
“You’ll go back to holding, but I’ve requested a meeting with you this afternoon so we can go over the details of what’s happening. The detectives in charge of your case will also be asking you questions over the next couple of days. This time I urge you to answer them truthfully. Don’t worry, I’ll be with you the whole time.”
I nodded. The guard took me by the arm, and I was taken back to the prisoner waiting room.
It wasn’t long until we were being escorted through the courthouse again. I was expecting to see Anthony, but fortunately he was nowhere to be seen. Within the hour, I was back in my jail cell. I was disappointed, but hopeful at the same time. And curious. I really wondered what Bodie had found that made the judge postpone the hearing.
Later that afternoon, I was told by a guard to wait by my door. I was expecting to be handcuffed, but instead I was just told to follow her. I was taken back to the room I’d met Bill in last time.
When the door opened, I was shocked and instantly in tears. Not only was my lawyer there, but so was my mom and Bodie. I didn’t know how they did it, but right now it really didn’t matter. I went to my mom and threw my arms around her.
“I’m so sorry, mom.”
“Shhh, Karma, it’s okay,” mom said, as she rubbed my back. “We know you didn’t do anything but date the wrong guy.”
That got my attention. “Huh? What do you mean?”
“Let’s have a seat and let Bodie explain everything to you.”
My eyes immediately went to Bodie. He gave me a small smile, sat down across the table from me and took a piece of paper out of a folder.
“Karma,” he said. “What were you doing on Friday, January 21st at 6:34 am?”
“I would have been at practice.”
“And Thursday, February 3rd at 4:16 pm?”
“Practice.”
“How about Tuesday, February 21st at 7:58 am?”
“Practice. You know we practice Monday to Friday from 6am to 8am and Monday to Thursday from 4pm to 6pm. Why are you asking me this?”
“One more question,” he said. “What were you doing on Saturday, February 19th at 1:01 pm?”
“I was at a swim meet at Cannonhill College. We made it to the top of the points standings that day.”
“And were you on your cell phone at any of the times I mentioned?”
“Are you kidding me? Coach Everett would eat us alive if we had our phone anywhere near the pool, practice or competition. They stay in our lockers until we’re done.”
“So, your coach and teammates can verify all of this information?”
“Of course. What are you getting at Bodie?”
“Those four specific times I mentioned, there were money transfers made during those times, supposedly made by you. But there was no way you could have made them.” He was smiling, but I couldn’t bring myself to smile back.
“But what about all the other ones?” I asked. “Won’t they just say I did them from somewhere else or something like that?”
“Here’s the bonus, Karma, every single transaction, all fifteen hundred of them, were all done from only two different IP addresses. It was tricky, but I was able to track them. One was the Pagano residence, and the other was Pagano Imports. And, your cell phone GPS has you at the pool and other colleges during the times I mentioned. No one can be in two places at the same time, Karma. No one.”
It took me a minute to register what he was saying. Then I smiled for the first time in days. “Does this really prove my innocence?”
“Yes,” Bill said. “Everything was given to Detectives Martinez and Lance. They were told by the judge to verify what we found. They have forty-eight hours to go over our information and confirm or deny it. That means, they will talk to your coach and probably some of your teammates. Then they will come and talk to you. This looks good for you Karma.”
I had hope for the first time in days.
****
Bodie
Leaving the room and knowing Karma was going back to a jail cell was terrible, but knowing that she should be out of there and free in a couple of days almost made up for it.