Page 57 of Downfall

I expected it to be her parents, for the Capulets to be all bonding together, making a big show of support.

Though Ignatio and Carla are here, they stay back. Flitting in the shadows as if they’re pulling the strings but anxious not to be noticed. Ignatio hasn’t taken his eyes off his daughter, not for a second. And if you look closely enough you’ll see the concern on his face though I doubt it has anything to do with his daughter’s welfare and more to do with what secrets she might unwittingly divulge, what ugly truths she might spill from those pretty lips.

The crowd falls silent when they see her. The bruising around her neck has faded but it’s still visible. And there’s still the remainders of a shinier under her left eye but despite this, despite the marks that blemish her skin, she’s breath-taking.

All her apparent fragility seems to have transformed her into something even more beautiful.

My stomach knots. I have to grit my teeth to control the reaction of my body. Even from across the room I swear I can smell her. The floral, innocent scent of my Rose.

But she’s not mine.Fuck,I have to clench my fists and dig my nails into my palms as I remind myself that she never was. It was a lie. She is a lie.

She takes a seat. Up front. As though she were on trial and I guess in a way she is. This is a public inquest after all. If she says the wrong thing, if she admits to anything then all my planning, all my forcing of Darius’s hand will be for nothing.

Everything rests on the words coming from her mouth and it feels like every person in this room knows it too.

The coroner walks in. Nobody stands but Rose clearly makes a move to and Darius gently puts his hand to stop her, whispering into her ear no doubt reassuring words of comfort.

My jealousy spikes. He’s guiding her. She’s clearly far more dependent on him than I realised. I narrow my eyes watching her body language, watching his as he leans towards her. Is there something there or am I imagining this?

The coroner starts speaking and, though I want to focus on that thought, I need to pay attention.

It starts off as expected with the police report. The fact that the truck was abandoned and the driver had fled the scene. Witnesses, my planted witnesses attested to this, and that the driver has as yet not been identified. All particulars I’ve ensured are the case.

Then comes the medical report detailing Paris’s injuries. Nasty injuries. Catastrophic injuries consistent with a car crash and not a single bullet to the brain. I keep my eyes focused on the pathologist as he goes into immense detail about the damage that would have contributed to Paris’s death. Clearly Darius chose wisely when he picked this guy because he’s not deviated once, not given even a hint that every word out of his mouth is a lie.

Darius doesn’t react. His face is calm. Neutral. And curiously so is Rose’s. She stares at the wooden table in front of her as if she’s zoning out, as if she doesn’t want to hear any of it.

When the pathologist is done he gets down and we all take a short recess. Around me everyone is whispering because we all know what’s coming next. Witnesses. And that means Rose will have to take the stand. It feels like the entire building is alive with the prospect. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone started handing out popcorn.

We come back in and Rose takes her place, where she sat before, but you can see she’s nervous now. The first witness is called. A woman, who talks fast. Her eyes flit from the coroner to the crowd every few moments and it looks as though she wants to grin, as though all this attention makes her so uncomfortable she doesn’t know how to behave.

She talks of being in the clubhouse, of being sat with Rose and how Paris apparently stormed in. How he grabbed her. How they were clearly having some sort of public argument before they drove off.

A second witness repeats a near identical story.

And a third.

To be honest I’m bored now. I don’t care for bystanders. I don’t care for the people who think they’re a part of this.

My attention is on her. On the treacherous woman sat across from me, though as usual she doesn’t even realise I’m here.

Only the coroner calls it a day. The whole room seems to groan in disappointment as if they’ve just been promised a treat and had it snatched away at the very last minute.

Darius stands, taking Rose’s arm and leads her quietly out of a side door before the cameras and the crowds can get at her.

It’s infuriating. It’s more than that.

I sit in my chair long after the people around me disperse.

Tomorrow she will be back. Tomorrow she won’t be able to escape this.

And something tells me it won’t just be me kept awake with the promise of what that pretty mouth might divulge.

Rose

The entire room feels on tenterhooks.

Even the coroner looks like he can’t wait for the action to start.

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