CHAPTER FIVE:
THE ARREST OF HUGH DRYSDALE

"MARTA? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE SO EARLY?"

Juliette gave the girl a confused look as she walked into the room. The young nurse was pacing back and forth beside the couch where Ransom sat. His hands held a letter to which he looked rather distressed over.

Upon seeing her husband's disheveled hair and creased eyebrows, she tilted her head. "What's going on?"

Juliette walked over to Ransom and stood beside him. She ran her hands over his shoulders in a comforting manner while watching Marta. Ransom handed her the piece of paper and rested his head gently against her swollen stomach.

Marta stopped pacing and watched as Juliette read the paper. "Harlan's toxicology report?" Juliette observed, her eyes widening a bit. She glanced over at Marta and then down at Ransom.

They nodded and motioned for her to continue. "'I know what you did'," Juliette read, "Who is this from?"

"I don't know." Marta's voice wavered. She was still shaken up over the confrontation with Walt she had earlier that day. "I got it in the mail. There was nothing written on the envelope."

Juliette handed the paper back to Ransom and he lifted his head off of her stomach. Marta continued, "I got an email with an address and a meeting time."

"Are you going?" Juliette asked.

Marta nodded and started to pace again. "I have to. I need to get that report."

"Are you going to the medical examiner's office too?"

"What?" The young nurse stopped in her tracks and turned to Juliette.

"The person who sent you that probably has a copy of the original," Juliette stated. "Considering they sent this note, they probably want something. My guess is money. If you meet them and the meeting goes bad, they still have leverage against you since original copy is still at the medical examiner's office."

Ransom's eyebrows raised and he looked up at his wife with a smirk. Juliette smiled at him and he turned his head in Marta's direction. "As you can see, she has the brains in the marriage." Ransom stood from the couch. "Let's go get that report. We'll stop by the medical examiner's and then you'll go to that meeting."

Marta nodded and the two started walking towards the front door. Juliette followed them, but when Ransom noticed, he stopped and turned around to face her. "You're staying here, Nancy Drew."

Juliette's forehead creased and she placed her hands on her hips. "What? No, I'm coming."

"No, you're not, baby." He leaned forward and gave her a peck on the lips.

"He's right," Marta said, "it could be dangerous and you're pregnant."

The words 'dangerous' and 'pregnant' are what stuck with her. She didn't want to do anything that would put her baby in harms way, so she nodded, agreeing to sit this one out. "Okay," Juliette said begrudgingly. "But call me so I know you guys are okay."

Juliette stepped forward to hug Marta goodbye, quietly telling her that everything would be alright. She then moved over to her husband, kissing him again. She told them to be careful and watched from the large windows as they got into Marta's car and left.

━━━━━━━━

"NO, TELL SEPHORA THAT IF THEY WANT TO BECOME A PARTNER WITH US, THEY NEED TO MAKE A BETTER OFFER." Juliette balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder as she cooked her breakfast. It had been a few hours since Marta and Ransom left, and to distract herself from her growing worry, she made business calls.

While being the CEO of a company she started from the ground up was a rewarding experience, it was a lot to handle sometimes. Romeo Cosmetics was one of the top ten makeup brands in the world and it was hard to believe that her team was nervous about her being on maternity leave. Her team was the best, but that didn't stop them from calling her once in a while for help.

Another call came through Juliette's phone and she placed what she was holding on the counter to free her hands. "Hold on, Emma. I'm getting another call."

Juliette transferred calls and greeted the person on the other end of the line.

"Juliette, thank god." Ransom's voice flowed through the speaker and Juliette's eyebrows creased. She pulled the phone away from her face and looked at the caller ID. The local police station's name flashed on her screen.

"Ransom, why are you calling me from the police station?" A bad feeling started to grow in the pit of her stomach.

"Can you come down here?" he requested. "And can you bring our lawyer too, just in case?"

Juliette let out a sigh and turned off the stove. "Jesus, Hugh," she muttered. "I'm on my way."

When she got to the police station, the first person she saw was Lieutenant Elliot. He looked like he was expecting her. "Where is my husband?" She pushed her sunglasses up to sit on the top of her head as she walked up the steps to the door.

"Mrs. Drysdale, we need to ask you a few questions," Elliot stated, stopping her from entering.

Juliette shook her head and pushed past him. "I'm not answering anything until I see my husband and have my lawyer with me. I'll ask again, where is my husband?"

Knowing better than to argue with the fierce and pregnant woman in front of him, he gestured to an officer standing off to the side. The two of them led her to the room where Ransom was being held.

The officers opened the door for her and she walked in. They watched as she strut forward and sat across from Ransom at the table. They stood by the door before she sent them an icy glare, causing them to leave. She waited until they were gone to speak. "The lawyer is on his way." Ransom nodded. "What happened?"

"Car chase gone wrong," he shrugged.

"Where's Marta?"

Ransom leaned forward, not knowing if there were people watching and listening to them on the other side of the two way mirror. "She's doing what needs to be done," he said quietly. "I told them everything, but I left you out of it."

"What?" Juliette's head tilted to the side. "Why?"

"Just don't say anything," he ordered. "You know nothing. Do you understand?"

The door opened and Ransom's eyes flickered from Juliette to the officer entering behind her. "Juliette," Ransom's hostile tone caught her off guard. "Do you understand?" She nodded as Elliot entered.

"Hugh Drysdale, you're free to go."

Ransom cocked his head to the side and a smirk grew on his lips. He stood and sauntered out of the room. Juliette sighed and stood from her seat.

"You have a good lawyer," Elliot said as Juliette passed. "Very persuasive."

She just shrugged. "Good money buys good lawyers, I guess."

Juliette was about to walk past him when he called out to her. "Did you know?" Elliot asked, wondering if she knew about what her husband had told them.

Juliette just placed her sunglasses onto her face and headed towards the exit. "Know what, Elliot?"

Ransom was leaning against Juliette's car. His arms were crossed and his eyes roamed his wife's body as she walked down the steps of the station. She walked passed him, ignoring his stare and got in the car.

After five minutes of driving in silence, Ransom spoke up. "You can't seriously be mad at me," he stated in disbelief.

Juliette scoffed. Her eyes remained on the road in front of her. "Why were you and Marta being chased by the cops?"

He looked out the window. "Where are we going?"

"Stop deflecting and start talking."

Ransom sighed. "The medical examiner's office was burned to the ground. That detective was there and saw us. He thought I was forcing Marta to drive."

"Is that why they arrested you?"

Juliette's phone started to ring before she could question him further. She answered it and her mother-in-law's voice came through the speakers of her car. "Juliette, dear?"

"Hi, Linda."

"Is Ransom with you?"

Juliette turned her head and saw Ransom shaking his head, mouthing for her say 'no'. "Yup, he's right beside me."

Ransom groaned and placed a hand over his face.

Linda continued. "Can you two come down to the house? Something happened with dad's housekeeper, Fran."

Juliette glanced over at Ransom and saw him lost in thought. "Yeah," she said slowly, "yeah, we're on our way."

The bad feeling in the pit of her stomach continued to grow.