Chapter Two

I was on my computer answering emails from my clients at my office. I frequently get emails about industry news, educational materials, customized loan offers, and updates on the mortgage market. Potential customers and other experts in the mortgage and real estate sectors may also send me emails. I was working another twelve-hour shift on a Monday morning in a cold winter month of January and I sighed, as I was typing my email to send to one of the customers.

When I sent the email, one of my employees Australia May, who was also a banker working at the same bank as I was walked into my office after opening the door and knocking on the door. "Bryan? There's someone here to see you," says Australia, after stepping aside by the door and two detectives came into my office. "Bryan Bridges?" says Detective Sparrow. "Yes?" I answered back. "Can you please get up and put your hands behind your back," says Detective Sparrow as he pulls out his handcuffs. Until the next thing that happened, I was handcuffed as Detective Sparrow was saying I was being arrested for the murder of Jordan, my two-year-old son. As soon as Detectives Sparrow and his partner had taken me out of my office, walking to the entrance doors of the bank and heading to the police car, I was put in the back of the police car and after Detectives Sparrow and his partner entered the car as well, one on the driver's seat and one of the passenger's seat, I was in shock by what was going on and I was also confused.

Once we left the bank, we arrived at the police station. I was brought into the interrogation room and one of the police officers took off my handcuffs before I sat down behind the interrogation table. The police officer after taking my handcuffs off, turned around and quietly walked out of the interrogation room after walking up to the door and opening it. After stepping outside the interrogation room, the police officer shuts the door. Until my lawyer arrives at the interrogation room and he walks into the interrogation room after opening the door and he shuts the door before walking up to me and pulling out a chair before sitting next to me.

"Hi, Mr. Bridges. I'm Danny Lewis, I'm your public defender," says Danny.

Danny sighed and I didn't say a word. Until Detective Sparrow had walked into the interrogation room and he shut the door after stepping into the interrogation room. Detective Sparrow had walked up to the interrogation table before pulling out the chair from the table and he sat down and laid out a file which I think was the case of my son. I was wondering if the case of Jordan's was being reopened and did the detectives find new evidence? "Mr. Bridges, do you remember the case of Jordan Bridges, your two-year-old son who was murdered in cold blood four years ago," says Detective Sparrow.

"Yeah, I–" My words were interrupted by Detective Sparrow and he said, "Do you remember when the last time you saw him was?" Detective Sparrow wondered. "No, I'm. I mean–yes. But I–," I was interrupted again, and he said, "these are the clothes he wore the last time he was seen at the Loring Park around twelve in the morning," Detective Sparrow opened the file and he pulled out some crime scene photos where blood was shown on Jordan's clothes the night he was murdered, and I swallowed nervously, as I looked down at the photos.

"You know Mr. Bridges, the blood splatter on Jordan's t-shirt, where he was stabbed in the chest more than once, new evidence shows that there was a knife used at the scene to kill your son and this was the knife that was used to kill Jordan," says Detective Sparrow as he pulled out more photos of the crime scene, plus the photo of the knife that was covered in blood, "and no matches has been found yet, but evidence pointed to you because you were last seen at the park around one in the morning," says Detective Sparrow. "Okay, um. I don't see how–," I was interrupted by Detective Sparrow for the third time in a row, "Mr. Bridges, where were you the night of June 5th, 2021," says Detective Sparrow. "I–" I was interrupted by Detective Sparrow for the fourth time. "I was at home," I answered. "You didn't go to the park that night? Because evidence is showing that you were at the park the night Jordan Bridges was murdered and the knife is currently being investigated by forensics to find any fingerprints that were used to kill Jordan, which one of the forensics experts will tell me anytime now that you had used this kitchen knife to murder your son," says Detective Sparrow.

"Wha-what? No!" I said, I was beginning to panic. "No? Because it certainly shows that you had left your house around twelve in the morning, and got to the park at twelve fifteen. Then, in the surveillance footage, close to one in the morning, you were last seen at the park," says Detective Sparrow. "Okay well–," I was interrupted by the fifth time, and Detective Sparrow said, "and this was the bag where Jordan's body was found near the water at the Loring Park," says Detective Sparrow. I scoffed and I was flabbergasted by what I was hearing.

Detective Sparrow sighed and he heard a knock on the door, and Detective Sparrow stood up from the chair and he walked to the door, and opened it. One of the forensic experts was whispering to Detective Sparrow that a fingerprint was found on the kitchen knife that was used to kill Jordan, and it matched my fingerprint. Detective Sparrow sighed and said, "Thank you." Detective Sparrow had grabbed the file from the forensic expert and he shut the door before turning around and then walking up to the table once again and sitting back down in his chair, facing me. Detective Sparrow put down a piece of paper showing that the fingerprints on the knife that was used to kill Jordan belonged to my fingerprints.

"Now Mr. Bridges, the fingerprints show that you used this knife to kill Jordan Bridges. On the night of June 5th, 2021, you tossed the knife so far into the water, where you thought nobody would ever find it," says Detective Sparrow.

"Okay, give him a minute," says Danny.

I sighed and said, "I think someone is framing me. I would not kill my son!" I said.

"You can try telling the jury that when you go to trial," says Detective Sparrow.

I scoffed and said, "Well, I'm not the suspect."

Detective Sparrow sighed and laughed all at the same time and he said, "We will see about that." Detective Sparrow took all of the crime scene photos and put them back in the file and he took the paper of the fingerprints identification and he also put them in the file. Detective Sparrow said, "Good luck in court, kid." Danny said, "Okay, let me have a moment with my client, if you may."

I began to hyperventilate and was trying to calm myself down. Detective Sparrow stood from his chair, pushed the chair back into the table, turned around, and left the interrogation room. "Mr. Bridges, I need you to not say another word until arraigned in the morning," says Danny. I nodded my head yes and I understood Danny.

"Let me do all the talking," says Danny.

I was taking deep breaths and my heart was racing. Until the next day, at mine in the morning I was at arraignment and Judge Woodham was going over the charges against me.

"How do you plead, Mr. Bridges," wondered Judge Woodham.

"Not guilty, Your Honor," I said.

"Okay. Mr. Lewis?" says Judge Woodham.

"My client is not a flight risk. He has a good criminal record and has never been in trouble with the law until now. My client is being framed," says Danny.

"Okay. Bail is set at $250,000. Next case," says Judge Woodham before banging the gavel. I turned around and I saw Ally standing up from her seat in the courtroom and she walked up to me and said, "Everything is gonna be okay."

I nod my head.

"Come on, let's go," says Ally, smiling at me.

I felt sick to my stomach just realizing that I'm being accused of a crime. On the day of heading back to work, on the same day after being arraigned in court, I was back at work. I was back in my office sitting in my chair, I was leaning over in my chair and facing down into the trash can while holding the trash can at the same time with both my hands and I was burping, dry heaving, vomiting, and coughing all at once. I was not feeling very well and was sick to my stomach.

I spit into the trash can after I vomited. I was holding a napkin in my left hand to wipe my mouth after vomiting. My boss and manager Tyson Daniels of the bank came into my office after knocking on the door to check on me. Tyson heard me dry heaving and breathing raggedly and heavily after walking into my office as he saw me holding a trash can and facing into it.

"Are you okay?" wondered Tyson.

I wiped my mouth with my napkin and said, "yeah I'm okay." I lied and I was not okay.

"Well, I think you should go home. You're sick," says Tyson. "And it wasn't a good idea to come to work after you were arraigned in court. I heard what happened. You were arrested a couple of days ago," says Tyson once again.

"Yeah, I'm aware of that," I answered Tyson.

"Okay. Go home," says Tyson.

"Is it really because I'm sick or is it because I'm being charged with a crime and you're sending me home because I may be a danger to others," I wondered. I spit into the trash can once more.

"Nobody thinks of anything about you," says Tyson.

I nodded my head and scoffed. "I hope you feel better," says Tyson.

Tyson steps out of my office and he shuts the door. As I'm leaning over facing the trash can I hear my cell phone make a notification sound. I leaned up in my chair and I grabbed my iPhone and read the notification from CBS News which talks about me and how I'm a suspect in Jordan's murder and I asked myself whether my day just got any worse.

Meanwhile, I was back home, and I was lying on my bed because I was sick at work. I sighed as Ally had come into our bedroom from the bathroom, carrying a cold washcloth with her and she smiled at me walking up to me. Ally sat down next to me on our king-size bed and she asked me how I was feeling. I told Ally that I was still feeling a bit nauseous, and I also told Ally I might have thrown up due to being in denial due to not accepting the fact that I'm being accused of murdering my two-year-old son Jordan four years ago. Ally took the cold washcloth and she placed it on my forehead.

"Ally, you've got to believe me that I wouldn't kill anyone," I said, then swallowing my saliva down my throat.

"I know, baby. I believe you," says Ally, then smiling at me once again.

I heard the doorbell ring from downstairs and I sighed as I closed my eyes all at the same time. "If that's Kathy, I don't want to talk to her," I said.

"Well, she said earlier over the phone that she was gonna come over and talk to you, and she also said that there's no excuse for you not to talk to her about the fact she saw you on the news," says Ally, sighing.

I opened my eyes and I said, "Of course. Can my day just get any worse," I said, taking the cloth off my forehead and I stood out of my bed after Ally stood up as she could tell I was getting out of bed and I walked out of our bedroom and walked into the living room before opening the door and I saw Kathy standing outside on my front porch looking all upset.

"Can we talk?" says Kathy.

I sighed and I told Kathy I wasn't feeling well. "I don't care. How come you're all over the news?" wondered Kathy, where she looked like she was about to cry. I stood outside the house and stepped onto the front porch and walked up to the rail and I turned to face Kathy as Kathy walked up to me.

"Kathy, they're accusing me of a false accusation," I said.

"No! I want to know why you are all over the news?" Kathy said.

"Kathy, for goodness sake, I wouldn't hurt our son," I said, getting a bit annoyed.

"Don't! You see? Everything is about you. You never cared about our son. When he was a boy, you know, all you cared about was work. You'd never once paid attention to him," says Kathy.

"Kathy, for crying out loud, I was providing for my family," I said, furiously.

Kathy scoffed, and said, "No! You only cared about providing for yourself. Who was the one who took care of him when he had to go to the hospital because he was spiking a fever? Who was the one who had to look after him when he scraped his knee on the ground at the playground? Me! I did! Every single day I had to look after him because you never once cared about my son or me," says Kathy, angrily.

"Your son?" I said angrily. "He was my son too!" I shouted, frowning and walking up to Kathy.

"No! He was never your son because you were just too busy with your precious little job, and all you cared about was making money," shouted Kathy, angrily.

Kathy and I continued to argue. "Kathy, we were in debt, I had to do something," I said, angrily.

"No, we weren't, that's a lie, Bryan! You only said that because you feel guilty for not spending much time with Jordan," says Kathy, angrily.

I sighed and just went silent.

"Don't come near my husband or me! How could you even consider taking the life of our son?" Kathy asked, angrily.

"Kathy I wouldn't kill anyone!" I said, angrily.

"I'll believe it when I see it," says Kathy, angrily once again.

I took a deep breath and I watched Kathy walk away from me. Kathy was heading back to her car and she angrily opened the car door and got in the car. I can't believe she's even thinking about the fact that I would kill Jordan! I could never! Kathy angrily drove away from my driveway and I sighed, before walking back inside the house.

After walking into the house, Ally walked up to me and asked me if I was okay. I looked at Kathy and I nodded my head yes, not saying a word. "I'm sorry this is happening to you," says Ally. I nod my head once again and Ally watches me walk into the living room and sit down on our couch.

Ally sighed and I was covering my face with my hand as I leaned over the couch, feeling upset. Ally kindly sat next to me on the couch and she rubbed my back. Ally is the only person who believes I wouldn't kill Jordan, and I miss my son all the time, wishing that this nightmare would end very soon.