Where the Heat receded
處暑 [7] / [7]
"I will interview Ed tomorrow. Ed is in a very bad situation, isn't he? Being accused by his ex-girlfriend,"
Cynthia said.
"Violet said he threatened to spread those explicit videos of her online. You need to check his phone."
"Got it,"
she said.
They remained silent. Tiredness was creeping up on both of them. She said it again.
"But he'd deny all of her accusations, wouldn't he? Even if he doesn't have clear proof to refute Violet's statement. This is going to be such a nasty affair.”
Alexander couldn't help but agree. Violet's accusations lacked detail, but for better or for worse, and to the detriment of many a young man who happens to shack up with the wrong woman, she was still a woman, and her accusations would likely carry far more weight than his assertions of innocence. It was just the way the social, political, and legal structures in society worked, and he knew this was going to be messy, no matter how it pans out.
Cynthia cut through his musings with a question,
"Do you honestly believe that Ed did this to Violet? Because it just doesn't sound right. None of this does."
Alexander placed a hand on her lap, contemplated her question carefully, and, after a moment, responded.
"I don't know. To be perfectly frank, I've been having my own reservations as well―and not just because I know the guy. It's also because of Violet's testimony. So far, it's incomplete, and there are so many holes in her story, and in the details she's provided as of late, that I don't even think a jury will be able to make anything of it. But we'll see."
"Do you think," Cynthia asked somewhat cautiously,
"do you think maybe, that Violet is hiding something. Or perhaps lying about something?"
Alexander got that impression too, but there was also the video evidence. It was possible she wasn't telling them everything, but one thing was for sure: something did happen.
"I hope not,"
he said, feeling and sounding exhausted.
"Right now, I don't even want to think about it. Hell, I don't know what to think. I'm just ready for bed."
Cynthia could tell that something was bothering him, but she didn't want to pry.
'Perhaps it was just the stress of this case on top of everything else he'd already gone through,' she reasoned with herself.
Cynthia didn't want Alexander to think too much about this case. She knew him; that if he concentrated on something too much, he'd begin to feel severe pressure and wouldn't be able to let go of it easily.
She tried not to care too much about Violet, but she was his ex-girlfriend after all, and there was no changing that, whether she hated it or not.
