THE EMERGENCY EXIT

The next day, Tempéra waits for his lawyer sitting in his cell. The lawyer should arrive at any moment to find out what he has finally decided. The question has been mulling over in his head all night and he is sure the decision is about to make is the least detrimental to his work. Since he must choose between the superfluous and the primary needs in his life, he has made his choice. The cell door slowly opens to let the lawyer in as a female voice announces his name.

'Good morning, Professor Akheeli,' the lawyer says gravely, gazing intently at Tempéra who stares pensively at his feet.

'So, what have you decided?' he asks.

'Did the Karims come back to you?' Tempéra asks. He looks up to gaze at the lawyer straight in the eyes.

'No, they didn't as I suspected,' he replies without hiding his impatience.

'How soon can this woman get me out of here?'

The lawyer's face lights up.

'A week at most. From the moment the judge's been informed and the full deposit has been received.'

'Are you sure they won't ask for a trial?'

'If the court wanted a trial, they wouldn't have posted bail. But I can't guarantee this 100%.,' he says.

'As you know, my wife is the president's daughter," Tempéra says.

'I know, but this woman also has very high-ranking acquaintances in different countries from what I understand.'

'So, I accept her offer,' Tempéra agrees, 'But she has to do something for me first,' he takes a deep breath, 'I won't leave without my daughter,' he says.

***

Gaëlle plays on her tablet, humming, sitting next to a group of classmates her age who are also waiting for their parents while playing on their device. Gaëlle looks up for a moment towards the door. Her mum should be coming to pick her up soon.

'Gaëlle, let's go,' a female voice exclaims in front of her.

The little girl jumps from her seat, shouting, 'Mummy!'

She grabs her school bag at her feet then runs towards the woman who is smiling at her while staring at the distance. She takes the child's hand and starts leading her out silently. The staff smiles at them as they pass by. As usual, Gaëlle tells her mum about her day at school, but contrary to her habit, the latter doesn't appear to be interested today. She doesn't ask her any questions. Her mum's hand feels cold and rigid in hers. Today, her mum is cold and not interested in what is happening in her life, which sadly happens quite often these days as Gaëlle has already noticed. Without a word or a look at her daughter, Gaëlle's mother continues to walk towards the exit. Once out of the building, she turns left, pauses for a split second, then she continues to walk towards her car parked on the side. Gaëlle is intrigued by her mum's unusual way of walking, but hey... adults are a little weird sometimes.

Sitting at the table in the small living room, Isabelle looks worried. She stares at the statuette placed in front of her without seeing it. What if everything her father has been saying for all these years is true? She married a sorcerer's apprentice without morals and values. She has never dared to question her husband about his work or his absences. It was so much more reassuring not to know and to pretend not to notice any warning signs or red flags. The accomplice is supposed to know and keep quiet while the innocent simply doesn't know anything. She shakes her head to clear her thoughts before checking the time on her device. She jumps and gets off her chair quickly, grabbing her handbag on the table on her way as she hurriedly heads for the door. She was going to forget to pick up Gaëlle from school.