Leapholes

Chapter 36

Ryan shot like a comet through his first leaphole. The distance was short, so the trip was a mere blink of an eye. One moment, Ryan was standing in Hezekiah's office, his leaphole in hand. A split second later, he was crouched behind a bushy potted plant, hidden from view in the corner of a strange room. A woman wearing a gray business suit was seated behind an antique mahogany desk. Her law school diploma hung on the wall beside her. In the chairs facing the lawyer's desk sat a man and a woman. Ryan recognized them both immediately. The man was his father. The woman was his mother. They both looked distraught.

The lawyer said, "As I've told you from the beginning, the value of this emerald makes this a very serious crime. We're talking grand larceny, a first-degree felony."

"We know that," said Dr. Sharon Coolidge. "But where's the proof?"

"I just met with the prosecutor this morning. He laid out the evidence for me. The case against you is very strong, I'm afraid."

"That's not possible," said Mr. Coolidge. "They must be making things up."

"They have videotape," the lawyer said gravely. "When Dr. Coolidge was on the beach saving that little girl, the excitement apparently drew a crowd."

"Yes," said Ryan's mother. "Lots of people gathered round."

"One of them had a video camera," said the lawyer. "Some tourists were celebrating their son's birthday at the beach. When they saw all the commotion, they turned their camera toward the emergency."

"I don't understand," said Dr. Coolidge. "The only thing that could be on that tape is me saving that little girl. That's hardly a crime."

The lawyer sighed and said, "Let's watch the tape, shall we? Then we can talk." She rose and walked toward a television set in the corner. She inserted the tape into the player. The screen turned bright blue, then snow followed. She pushed another button, and the image came into focus.

Ryan watched the screen. For a moment, he was reliving that day. The child was choking and turning blue. The lifeguard was trying desperately but unsuccessfully to dislodge the emerald in her throat. Ryan's mother stepped forward and took the child in her arms. On her third attempt, the stone shot from the child's mouth and landed in the sand. The child was revived, and the crowd cheered with delight.

The videotape kept running.

"Watch carefully now," said the lawyer.

The crowd scattered as a team of paramedics rushed in. The little girl's mother and grandmother were half-crying and half-celebrating, not sure whether the ordeal was over yet. Dr. Coolidge was doing her best to assist the paramedics. She offered medical suggestions and gave them details about the child's status. Amidst all the chaos and confusion, Ryan's mother stooped down, raked her hand through the sand and found the big precious stone. Quickly-it happened in just a few quick frames of videotape-she tucked the green stone into the side pocket of the camera bag. The bag belonged to Ryan's father. She had been carrying it with her all day, taking photographs.

The lawyer stopped the videotape.

"Oh my gosh," said Ryan's mother.

Ryan's father looked at her. "Honey, you didn't tell me that you put it in the bag."

Dr. Coolidge buried her face in her hands.

The lawyer said, "Now you see the problem. This is why you've been charged, Sharon."

Sharon? thought Ryan. That was his mother's name. She was the one they had charged?

Dr. Coolidge caught her breath. "I swear, I had no recollection of putting that stone in the bag until you showed me this videotape. I was just acting on impulse. I saw it on the ground, and instinctively I picked it up and put it away for safekeeping. But honest, I forgot. Everything was so crazy then. I was worried about saving the girl's life. I just had no recollection of ever touching the stone."

"That's the problem," said the lawyer. "If you had returned the stone a day or even a week later, no one would have made a stink about it. But that grandmother called you several times and asked if you had the stone. Each time, you said you didn't."

"I didn't think I did. I had no memory of picking up that stone. I'm a doctor. There was a medical emergency, and I was in my emergency mind-set. You focus on the patient, not on all the other distractions that are going on around you."

The lawyer said, "Unfortunately, the prosecutor isn't convinced that it was an honest mistake. He says you stole it."

"But I didn't steal anything. All I did was save that girl."

"In his opinion, that's how you rationalized keeping the stone. His argument is that your mind worked this way: T saved that girl, I deserve a reward. I'll keep the emerald, and no one will ever know who took it.'"

Ryan was unaware, but his mouth was hanging open in shock. His mother had indeed been the one accused of stealing. Not his father.

Dr. Coolidge rose from her chair and started to pace. "We simply have to go to trial. We'll show the jury that I'm innocent."

The lawyer shook her head. "I don't recommend it. If you're convicted by a jury, that could mean serious prison time."

"Prison?" she said, her voice cracking. "This is unbelievable."

Mr. Coolidge asked, "What do you recommend, then?"

"The prosecutor is offering a plea bargain," said the lawyer. "If Sharon admits to the crime, he'll reduce the charges to petty larceny. That's a misdemeanor. He's agreed to recommend no jail time."

"But I'm completely innocent," said Dr. Coolidge.

The lawyer said, "You may be innocent, but the videotape shows you stuffing the stone into your bag. And then each time the rightful owner called to retrieve it, you denied that you had it. I may be able to get you off, but I'm not guaranteeing anything."

Ryan's mother was on the verge of tears. It was painful to watch her in this state, but Ryan was unable to tear his eyes away. He wished that his mother had never fired Hezekiah and hired this new lawyer. Hezekiah would have convinced the jury that she was innocent. As he watched the new attorney more closely, however, he realized the true nature of the problem. This attorney wasn't evil or incompetent.

She simply didn't believe in her own client's innocence.

Dr. Coolidge said, "Are you sure that if I take the plea bargain, this will all be over? No jail time. That's it?"

"Well, there is one other condition to the offer," said the lawyer. "This ties in with the prosecutor's theory that you tried to keep the emerald as a fee for your emergency service. You can no longer practice medicine in this state. You must agree to forfeit your license."

Her eyes widened with panic. "But I've worked all my life to be a doctor."

"It beats going to jail," said the lawyer. "I'll give you a minute to talk it over with your husband, but you really don't have a choice. Either plead guilty now and take probation, or go to trial and take a serious risk of lengthy jail time. The fact that you're innocent isn't going to change that. I'm sorry. I wish I had better news."

The lawyer left the room, and Ryan's parents immediately embraced. Dr. Coolidge's voice shook as she looked at her husband and said, "I can't lose my medical license. I can't stop being a doctor. I didn't do anything wrong."

They held each other tight, sitting in silence, just the two of them in the room-with Ryan watching through his leaphole.

She sniffled and said, "You believe me, don't you? I didn't do anything wrong."

Mr. Coolidge fell silent, seeming to mull over his thoughts. Finally he said, "I know you didn't do anything wrong. I did."

"You did?"

He broke the embrace, then looked his wife in the eye. "Don't you remember, sweetheart? The day after you saved that little girl, you told me that you'd put the emerald in my camera bag for safekeeping. You asked me to be sure to return the stone to the owners. I told you that I had already returned it. But I lied to you. I never returned it. I kept it."

Dr. Coolidge looked at her husband, confused. "That's not true at all. I never told you about the emerald. I never asked you to return it to the owners. I couldn't have. I didn't even remember putting it in your bag in the first place."

"Listen to me," he said, his voice filled with urgency. "You heard what that lawyer said. You may be innocent, but your best bet is to plead guilty and put it behind you. But I'm giving us another choice."

"What are you saying?"

"/m pleading guilty," he said.

"What?"

"I told you that I had returned the emerald. But I never returned it. I kept it."

"That's not true!"

"Stop arguing with me, Sharon. From the minute we open that door and the lawyer comes back in here, that is going to be our story. Do you understand me? You can't stop being a doctor over this. And Ryan needs his mother."

"He needs a father, too."

"He needs you more." Ryan's father swallowed hard, as if building his resolve. Then he drew a deep breath and said, "So it's settled. I'm pleading guilty."

Ryan wanted to leap from his hiding spot and yell, Dad, don't do it! Get rid of that lousy lawyer and go back with Hezekiah! Let Mom go to trial!

But the minute he tried to say a word-the instant he consciously tried to alter history and change what had happened on that day-he felt himself being sucked from the room. He struggled to stay. But the force of the return leaphole was completely overpowering. He saw his mother crying and his father holding her tightly in his arms.

Then he saw that familiar bright light, and time was flying past him.