Jason didn’t do this.I know that with absolute certainty.
I whisk over to a private area in the hospital wing.Tabitha is at the nurse’s station, chatting with a handsome man in scrubs.
Good.
I’ll have some privacy.
I walk swiftly to the end of the hallway.
“Angie?”
Jason’s voice snaps me back to the reality of the situation.
“Jason, I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t need to say anything,” Jason says.“Just do this for me, please.”
“Okay,” I agree, my voice firming up.“I’ll get you a lawyer, Jason.But you need to promise me something.”
“What?”
“You’ve got to fight this,” I say.“You’ve got to prove your innocence.Because if you’re found guilty…”
“I’m not guilty, Angie.”
“I know that, and I believe you,” I say, swallowing hard.“But innocent people are found guilty sometimes.Especially if the deck is stacked against them.”I take a deep breath.“I’m actually at the hospital now.Ralph wanted to see me.”
“What the hell did he say to you?”Jason grits out.
“Nothing I believe.And nothing you need to worry about.”I swallow again.“My family keeps a firm on retainer in Denver, and I believe they have a satellite office here in Boulder.I should be able to get someone there quickly.You’re still at the police station?”
“Yeah.In a holding cell.”
“It’s early yet.I can get someone today, and we’ll get you out of there.I promise.”
“Thank you,” Jason says weakly.
“No need to thank me, Jason.We’re in this together.”
His only response is a shaky exhale of breath, but it speaks volumes.The call ends, and I’m left standing in the hospital corridor, feeling as if the world has just shifted beneath me.
I take a minute to gather myself before I head back toward the nurses’ station, my mind already turning over possibilities.The firm my family retains, Goldstein & Haywood, is one of the best in Colorado.If anyone can help Jason navigate through this mess, they can.
I pull my phone out again and dial their number as I walk.The receptionist answers after two rings.
“Goldstein & Haywood, how may I assist you?”
“Hi,” I say.“My name is Angela Simpson.My father is Bryce Simpson, and my uncles are the Steel brothers on the Western Slope.”
“Yes, of course, Ms.Simpson.How may we help you?”
“I need your best criminal defense attorney to go help my…boyfriend.Dr.Jason Lansing.He’s at the Boulder police station.He was arrested for assault and battery, and he’s innocent.”
I hear the soft click-clack of a keyboard in the background.
“Of course, Ms.Simpson,” she replies after a moment.“I’ll get you transferred to Mr.Haywood.He’s our lead criminal attorney.”
With that, I’m put on hold.I glance down the hallway, back toward Ralph’s room.A wave of anger threatens to consume me at the thought of him, but I push it down.
