Chapter 357 - Stolen Identity (2)

Kirk was so shocked that his jaw slackened. His shoulders sagged and he was bereft. 

The girl in the camera started sobbing. "This is a lie. I am Erika Trey. I am being set up. All I need is money for my surgery." 

"So that is why you sent Ms. Bree to my client? You wanted to extract money from her?" Geoffrey asked in a cold voice. 

"I— I—" she shook her head. "I just wanted to make a deal so that I get money for s— surgery." She said in a pitied voice.

"It brings me to my next question," he said with his hands on his waist. "Who are you, if you are not Erika Trey?" 

"I am Erika Trey!" the girl said in a shaky voice. 

"The court needs proof. Prove that you are Erika." Geoffrey looked at Bree who was so stunned that her eyes were wide and she was fighting to breathe. "Maybe you know who she is."

Kirk grabbed his hair in his fist and pulled them. He hated clients who didn't tell him the truth, which in turn made him look like a jester in the court. 

"Tell us Ms. Bree, do you know who the girl out there is?" asked the judge. 

She shook her head. "This is all a setup. I am being played at the hands of that girl." Bree pointed to the girl. "She told me that she was Erika. I couldn't even make out that night because she was badly injured." Bree started crying out loud. "I only helped her but I didn't know that such a big game was being played!" 

"What do you mean she told you she was Erika?" said the judge with wide eyes and a flushed face. "For God's sake you have been telling the court that Erika Trey used to work under you and this fact establishes your relationship with her! Don't you recognize her?" 

"No!" Bree shook her head vehemently. "She was burnt on the face." 

"Really?" Geoffrey scoffed. "But we know who the girl is over there." 

Bree started shaking like a leaf. "Who?" she managed to whisper. 

"That is Niall—your best friend, I guess." Geoffrey chuckled. "Those brown contacts look terrible by the way. Your friend Niall has light grey eyes." 

"N— Niall? N— no. I don't kn— know. Th— that is— is—" Bree began to wheeze. She looked at her lawyer and said, "Damn it! Why don't you say something?" 

Kirk stared at her blankly. What could he say? She had hidden this information from him. He sat back in his chair and started collecting the papers on the table. He was done.

"Let me complete the story for you," said Geoffrey. 

"Stop it!" shouted the girl in the hospital. "This is impossible. I am Erika!" 

Geoffrey ignored her and started, "Ms. Bree gave instructions to Erika Trey to keep the newly bought chef knife in the kitchen. Not knowing that a small explosive device was already planted on the gas line of the kitchen, Erika went there. The cabinet where it was supposed to be kept was near the site of the explosion. Ms. Niall went to the kitchen after the girl. As soon as Erika reached there, Niall pressed the remote control for the explosion to occur. The blast was so heavy that Erika Trey died on the spot, as she was merely a few feet away from the device. However, the flames that were resulted from the blast engulfed Niall too and she suffered second-degree burns. Since she was standing outside the door, she rushed out and was rescued by Bree just in time."

"No! This is a story. This is not the truth!" Bree interrupted.

Geoffrey ignored her. "This brings me to my second doubt. Niall and Bree formulated a plan to put Dawn behind the bars for gross negligence of duty and murder. To bring the plan to fruition, Niall stole Erika's identity and got admitted to the hospital thinking that since the body was badly burnt, there was no way anyone would even come to know who she was. But they forgot that these days science has gone far ahead." He took a deep breath. "The jaw and skull samples were matched. We were waiting for the right time to produce this evidence because forensic analysts took their time to come up with their results. That being said, I would like to produce Erika's sister for testimony."

"That won't be needed," said the judge. It was pretty clear to him what these girls cooked up. 

"But she will still go to jail!" Bree shouted. "She neglected safety!" 

Geoffrey's facial muscles hardened. "So you agree that you and Niall formulated a plan?" 

Bree became quiet. She shook her head in denial. "I don't know what you are talking about!" 

The judge exhaled heavily. He raised an eyebrow. "Please arrest the girl in the hospital with immediate effect." He turned his gaze towards Bree. "Arrest her too!" 

"No!" Bree shouted. 

"The two girls are going to serve life imprisonment on the charges of plotting murder of Erika Trey, arson and extraction of money from Ms. Dawn Silver.

"You can't do this!" Bree tried to get up and run away but was caught by the policemen. 

"As for you Ms. Dawn. You will be arrested for negligence of duty. Since most of the blame comes to the Manager of the Golf Course, you will be arrested only for a day and put in the maximum security jail. You have to fill a bail bond of ten thousand dollars to be released." The judge pounded his hammer and got up to leave. He rubbed his temples while he went out. 

Bree was aghast. "Bitch! Come in. I will see that you are dead! I will not leave you this time!" 

The police shoved her and took her out of the court. 

Dawn was trembling in her seat. She didn't know what to do. Alvarez came and stood behind her. "I am so sorry Dawn," he said. 

Tears streamed down her eyes uncontrollably. The whole conspiracy left her shaken from the inside. And now she had to go to jail for two days. What did Bree mean by saying that she won't leave her? 

"Don't worry baby," said Daryn. He looked towards Alvarez and said, "Can I speak with my wife in private?" 

"Yes," said Alvarez. He was feeling horrible on the inside. The girl didn't deserve this. 

"Ms. Dawn," said Geoffrey, "That punishment for you was necessary in the eyes of law."

She didn't answer. Daryn wrapped his arms around her and he took her outside the trail room. When she came out fifteen minutes later, she appeared confident. Daryn didn't come out with her. The police escorted her to the high security prison and Alvarez went with her. 

For two days Dawn was lodged in the prison along with its regular inmates. She was made to give her belongings at the entrance and asked to change into the orange uniform for the prisoners. Most of the staff knew who she was and they found her to be an amiable person. All the way to the prison, Dawn was handcuffed. Alvarez opened her cuffs before she entered her cell. 

"I am so sorry about all this Dawn," he said in a low voice. "But it's just for two days…"