Frank couldn’t believe it when he saw the formal statement Audrey had filed.
“Mrs. Audrey Sterling accuses you, Frank Sullivan, of kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment of her stepdaughter, Lily Sterling.”
— “This is insane! There was no kidnapping! She’s lying! Where’s the evidence? Where’s the medical report?”
But Frank knew how the world worked. He was a felon, and she was a wealthy socialite. His word meant nothing. He was facing years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and at his age, he might not come out alive.
— “I have to be honest with you,” his court-appointed lawyer, Mr. Henderson, told him. “This doesn’t look good.”
— “Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?” Frank asked, his heart sinking.
— “I am being realistic. Lily is our only witness, and she won’t speak. Audrey Sterling’s word carries a lot of weight in this county. I’m sorry, Frank.”
— “So that’s it? I’m going back to prison because I saved a child’s life? This is a setup! Why would I kidnap a kid? I can barely feed myself!”
— “The press is already picking this up. The Sterling name is big news. They need a villain, and you fit the profile. I’ll do what I can to get you a plea deal, but a full acquittal is unlikely. The prosecution is playing for keeps.”
The investigation dragged on for over a month. Frank sat in jail, watching his life slip away again. He thought about Scout and the cabin and the quiet life he’d finally found.
Then, he started receiving packages. Good coffee, high-quality snacks, and warm clothes. They were from a woman named Martha. She requested a visit, and Frank agreed. She was a kind-looking woman in her late fifties.
— “Mr. Sullivan, I’m so sorry you’re going through this,” she said, her eyes tearing up. “My name is Martha, and I’m the housekeeper for the Sterling family. I’ve known Lily since she was a baby. I was so scared when she went missing. I wanted to thank you for finding her.”
— “Why aren’t you telling the police this? Why is Audrey doing this to me? Where is Lily’s father? Why isn’t he stopping this?” Frank asked desperately.
— “Mr. Sterling is in a coma,” Martha whispered.
From that day on, Frank and Martha kept in touch. Her letters were the only thing that kept him going. He learned more about the Sterlings—how Lily had gone from a happy child to a silent shadow after her father’s accident.
With her father in the hospital, Lily was at the mercy of Audrey. Audrey had never liked the girl; she saw her as an obstacle to the Sterling fortune.
“I’ve planned a little trip for us. How does a cruise sound?” Audrey had told her husband, William, before the accident.
— “What about Lily? She needs me, Audrey. I’ve been so busy with the company lately.”
— “Martha can look after her. She’s practically her grandmother anyway,” Audrey had replied coldly…
Comments are closed.