Conflicted Innocence by Netta Newbound

cellar.”
    “Fuck! Call the police—I’ll be right there.”
    “The police are on their way.
    “Good. Hang tight. I won’t be long.”
    He ended the call and turned back to face a wide-eyed Geraldine. “It’s Lee.”
    “Lee?” She pointed upstairs.
    “Yes. For some reason he went to the cottage, and I don’t know what happened but two people are dead. Intruders or something.”
    She gasped. “Oh, my God! Is he okay?”
    “I don’t know. I think so.”
    “Why on earth did he go to the cottage at this hour?”
    “God only knows, but he did. Can you stay here? It’s pointless waking Lydia. I’ll be able to tell you more when I get there. I’ll call you.”
    *
    The police were crawling all over the place when he arrived. One burly officer squared up to him as he tried to enter and James backed off.
    “James.” Lee appeared from the back of the ambulance. His face was cut and bruised and James noticed obvious strangle marks around his mate’s throat.
    “What the...?” James shook his head, shocked. “Are you alright?”
    “I’ll live.”
    “So, what happened?”
    “I couldn’t sleep, so I came over to do some work. When I arrived, I noticed the broken window and glass all over the kitchen floor. A few moments later, a man arrived saying he was a concerned neighbour and he thought the place was being burgled. I told him about the glass, and together we searched inside.”
    They shuffled out of the way as another group of officers headed towards the cottage.
    Shaking, Lee steadied himself on the stone wall.
    “Go on.” James nodded.
    “Well, we found a pile of cardboard in the lounge, clearly a makeshift bed. The guy, Lucas, went to check the upstairs and I headed for the cellar. The next thing I know, Lucas appeared in the cellar doorway and punched me in the face. I grabbed him and we both fell down the stairs. We landed on top of a body. A woman. The guy had obviously killed her before I got there.”
    “You’re joking!” James was gobsmacked. “And do they know who he is?”
    “Yeah. He was telling the truth about who he was. His name is Lucas and he lived in the flat across the road.”
    “And the woman?”
    “They don’t know yet. She’s only young by the looks of things, though.”
    “This is awful! So what now?”
    “They want me to go to the station to give a statement. Will you come with me?”
    James thought his mate was about to cry. “Of course, I will, buddy. Come on, we’ll take my car.”
    As they arrived at the station, James called Geri.
    “James! I’ve been going out of my mind. Thank God Lydia’s still not surfaced yet. How is he?”
    “He’s taken quite a beating, and he’s obviously shaken up, but it could have been much worse, by all accounts.”
    “So, what’s happening?”
    “We’re at the police station. Lee’s got to give a statement, and no doubt he’ll be charged.”
    “Charged? What with?”
    “Murder of course. The guy died.”
    “I know, but he was attacking Lee, wasn’t he?”
    “Yes, but it’s not up to the police to be judge and jury. He will have to go to court just like anyone else. The murder charge will no doubt be reduced to manslaughter, and a good solicitor will argue not guilty because it was self-defence.”
    “Oh, poor Lydia. She’s just come home, and now she’ll have to face this!”
    “I know. It’s not going to be pleasant, that’s for sure. Listen, love, I’ve got to go, I’ll call you later.”
     
    ***
     
    Grace had already gone back to bed for her morning nap before Lydia came downstairs still dressed in her pyjamas.
    “I’m sorry. I slept like a log for the first time in ages,” she said, shaking her head in amazement.
    “That’s good, isn’t it?” I handed her a cup of coffee.
    “Oh, you are wonderful.” She wrapped her hands around the cup and inhaled deeply. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of the smell of real coffee. It’s one of the things I missed the most.”
    I hated ruining her