Part 3
The Museum of Natural History had moved after building a much larger complex on the outskirts of town. The old building sat vacant for many years; its location and size were not ideal for other businesses.
Her father, though, decided to buy three years ago and rule his empire from there. He thought it fitting: the building had been called a dinosaur, the ancestor of the dragon. Tan had always called himself the Leader of the Dragon.
He spent millions to change one room into a replica of a Shaolin temple. He had hoped to kill Caine there. Instead, he died in that room, a sacrifice to the cause.
After being defeated by Caine and his son a few months earlier, Xia vowed her vengeance. Now, she watched as the TV showed Kwai Chang Caine being led in handcuffs to the courthouse for the attempted murder of his son. A smile played at her lips and her dark eyes glittered with amusement. Her plan, though altered, was working well.
Caine had spent hours being interrogated by Captain Blaisdell and Kermit after being arrested at the hospital. Facts and questions were thrown at him, but he could not answer, except to say, "I do not know." Tears came to his eyes as he remembered the terror in Peter's eyes and face, the accusation that he had tormented his son written on the young man's face.
Mary Margaret stayed quiet while watching through the one-way mirror. She had to find a way to prove Caine did not stab Peter, but to do that, she had to stay on the case.
Finally, the questioning was over and Caine was taken to a cell, his court-appointed lawyer shaking his head as he left the interrogation room.
Caine could have no visitors. He sat in his cell, watched by a guard. Trying to center himself and hopefully find answers, Caine slipped into a meditative trance.
The fog had lifted, but in its wake were jumbled memories, fragments of broken glass with sharp edges. A gentle touch brushed his mind, attempting to dull the fragmental edges, but was unable to piece anything together.
Lo Si sat in his apartment and reached out to Caine, trying to link his chi with his friend's. Finally, he eased Caine's mind and the priest slept.
The media was out in force at the courthouse. Caine was a respected leader in the Chinese community, despite now being accused of a heinous crime.
Paul sat in the courtroom as Caine was led in with two other prisoners, all slated for their preliminary hearings.
Each prisoner had their chance to plead innocence or guilt. Caine's turn came. His lawyer pled innocent, though the DA's office had its case so far. Paul shook his head as he remembered Mary Margaret saying Caine's lawyer wanted Caine to plead innocent by reason of insanity, the current excuse for committing a crime. She continued to tell Paul that Caine was innocent, arguing that someone else had committed the gruesome act.
Paul left the courtroom after Caine was led through a back door, back to jail. In the hallway, he met Mary Margaret and Kermit.
"Well, how'd it go?" Kermit asked, peering over his sunglasses.
Paul rubbed his hand across his mouth. He was tired, but there was so much to be done. "He pled innocent. I don't know. I can't really believe he'd do it, but the evidence is stacked against him. Annie told me in the waiting room that Caine knew Peter had been stabbed." He paused for a moment. "Then, when Peter saw him…It was a look I never thought I'd see again. Pure terror, Kermit, like the POW's we found in Nam."
"How's Peter?" Mary Margaret asked, breaking the short silence.
Sighing, weariness evident in his red eyes and taunt jaws, Paul answered, "They let me stay with him last night. He'd wake up from nightmares, sweating. Each time the nurse would come and sedate him again."
"You look like you could use some sleep yourself," Kermit commented.
The threesome walked away from the courtroom, their footsteps echoing off the white marble flooring.
"I'll get some sleep when this is all over. What I want right now is to put an end to this." Paul's voice was rising, his anger at the world around him surfacing. He balled his fists, ready to strike out at something, anything. Taking slow deep breaths, he changed the subject, hoping to bring his anger under control. "They're going to move him out to a room today. Kelly's there with him now. What have you two found so far?"
Reaching the doors leading outside, they didn't notice the light scent of spring hanging in the air. Newly budding leaves dotted brown tree limbs as birds flew by with sticks and grass to build their nests. Each person thought of their own place in this horror show that seemed to have recruited them for someone else's pleasure. It was warm outside but in their minds, the cold hand of fate held them tight. The birds singing in the air brought joy to the population, signifying rebirth and a chance to grow, but to Paul, Kermit and Mary Margaret, the music of death and deception played clearly in their minds.
"Chin is meeting with Donnie today. So far, we have only Ms. Turner's word that Caine was at Peter's. Something just doesn't fit." Mary Margaret stated.
"Yeah. Like, why does a man reunited with his son take a knife to him? Something else, Paul: Peter's hands were tied above his head, right? Now, the kid's been taking some lessons from his old man, so why wasn't there more of a struggle? Only the train set was turned over and the bookshelves were emptied, like it was a last minute thought," Kermit asked, scratching at his ear.
"A distraction?" Paul stopped, brows furrowed. "Yeah, nothing else was moved. Look, I don't want to believe Caine did this, for Peter's sake. But he SAW his father."
Kermit removed his sunglasses, the seriousness of the situation evident in his eyes as they flashed from Paul to Mary Margaret. The movement was not lost on Paul, who had known this ex-mercenary for many years. "What if Peter was drugged?"
Paul started shaking his head and walked toward a bench that was shaded by a tree. He was unable to sit; so many questions and too few questions floated in his mind. He paced the length of the bench as his two officers looked on and gave their ideas.
"Think about it, Paul. Peter would not let himself be trussed up without a fight. If he fought, there'd be some evidence somewhere in that apartment, and there is none," Kermit argued, watching Paul pace.
"I've requested blood tests on Peter. They still have some tubes from when they brought him in," Mary Margaret explained as she stood beside Paul, lightly placing a hand on his shoulder. Hospital protocol on assault victims did not include toxicology unless the patient was symptomatic.
Frustration built in him. "OK, Let's say he was drugged. That still doesn't let Caine off. Peter saw him jam that knife in him."
"We need to talk to Peter, get a statement. Maybe…" She stopped as Paul shook his head. "Captain, we need his statement."
"Paul, stop being his father for right now," Kermit stressed. "You know, as a cop, we need his statement before we can go on. Yes, it's going to be hard on him, but damn it, Paul, we don't have anything else to go on."
"All right, but I want to be there."
"As his father or as a cop?" Kermit quizzed.
Mary Margaret felt the tension between the two and stayed quiet.
"His father, since his other one is in jail. I'll let you two be the cops. But," he stressed, "I want to be kept up-to-date."