CHAPTER 12

The siren echoed through the prison corridors and cells, announcing it was time for dinner. The women living in there walked mechanically to the patio, where food was served, under the attentive eyes of the female guards. They were ready to react in case any of the inmates tried to "get smart" with them.

What no one knew was that one of these guards was an angel in disguise. Tess tried to control her anxiety while she waited for a dear friend to appear down in the hall. And fortunately, it didn't take too long for Monica to join the others. Her eyes held much sadness and it was possible to feel her heart was grieving. The two angels exchanged a silent gaze and Tess nodded slightly, as if trying to reassure her that she was not alone in there.

Monica received a dish of food and, as always, headed up to the empty table in an empty corner. She looked around her searching for Abby but this one was nowhere to be seen. The angel started eating, her thoughts miles away from that place, picturing a day and a time when she and her beloved Andrew would be together again. The flavourless food brought her a sweet memory that warmed her heart. She was working for Mrs Lancaster and Andrew usually walked her up to her temporary apartment. He didn't use to stay for too long and one specific day, the blond angel told her he would make her company for only a few minutes. Her initial disappointment was suddenly replaced by joy when she opened up the apartment door and found out there was a romantic candlelight dinner waiting for them.

She was nearly smiling when a sudden voice took her out of her reverie.

"May I sit here?"

Abby was standing right before her and for the first time she didn't seem to be afraid of anyone who tried to come closer.

"Of course you can, Abby. You're always welcome." Monica replied, surprised and wondering if the words she had told her earlier on that same day had had some impact on the woman.

"Thank you, Monica." She took the seat right opposite to the angel. "I know I'm not very talkative but... sometimes..."

"... it's difficult to live in the most complete silence."

She sighed and nodded. "Yes..."

"I know how it feels, Abby... And... if I could be of any help... then perhaps I could give some meaning to the reason why I'm here..."

Abby reached out and placed a hand over Monica's arm. "Thank you."

They started eating and Monica debated in the best way to approach the woman, afraid of saying anything wrong and pushing her away again. All the wanted was help, as an escape from her own loneliness and misery.

But before she knew it, Abby was speaking again. "How have you been after Sheila's attack?"

"I'm... I'm better, thanks. There were some stitches and minor injuries, but I'll be fine."

"Stay away from her and from her friends, Monica. Don't be embarrassed to run if you see them coming closer, as these people... they have nothing else to lose." She warned her, feeling sorry for the angel turned into human form.

Monica bit her lower lip, fearing for her integrity and still shocked at human beings' cruelty. "I will... I promise I will."

"If my husband was here he would probably say that I'm wrong, that it's them who have to fear for being wrong." She shook her head and took one more spoon of food. "Fred couldn't know the consequences..."

And that piece of information raised the angel's curiosity. "Your husband? Are you married?"

"I... I was... Fred passed away nine months ago."

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry!" she said, and it was possible to see the genuine compassion in those brown eyes.

"It seems a century. A day away from the people you love is already too difficult to bear. Nine months... is a painful eternity."

"I know what you mean..." she said, her thoughts again on her beloved protector. "What about your family?"

Abby placed the spoon inside her dish, half of her food eaten, and looked at Monica with great sadness. "It was just Fred, Corey and me..."

"Corey?"

"Our son. He's one year and three months old now..."

"Oh, Abby! A little boy!" Monica's smile faded slowly as a tear fell from the woman's eye. "What is it? Where is he now?"

"Corey was placed in foster care... I haven't seen him since the day I got here, exactly nine months ago... When I was arrested under the accusation of murdering his father..."

Drawing in a deep breath, Monica frowned in surprise and shock. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. "You? I..."

"I know it's quite common to declare innocence around here, so if you don't want to believe it, I-"

"Oh, no! I do believe you! I'm..." she looked deep inside the woman's eyes, and her angelic nature told her that there was much honesty in there. Once again, Monica saw herself reflected in that poor woman. She was glad that at least this ability had remained intact. "... I know you were not capable of committing such a horrible thing..."

"You're the only person in the world then..."

Monica stared at her for a few moments, still processing the new information and the consequences it could have. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"Aren't you going to get tired of listening to-"

"No... no, please... What does your lawyer say? Isn't there any chance to-"

"I couldn't afford one, and although the public defendant who took care of my case tried everything he could, there was no way to prove that I didn't kill Fred that afternoon. I received a phone call at work, a message from Fred, telling me that I should go home because he had found out something terribly wrong at work, and that he wanted to take his family away from the city. I did and when I got there... I already found him dead... stabbed..."

"Oh, Abby... I'm so sorry!" there were tears in the corner of Monica's eyes at hearing such a terrible report.

"The police arrived just after me, and I was found by his body. There was no evidence the house had been broken into... my fingerprints were in the knife as well..." she explained. "Everything seemed to have been previously set up for me..."

"You said that your husband was investigating something at work?"

"Yes, Fred worked for the First Manhattan Bank, and it seems someone was embezzling money from within the company."

At hearing those words, Monica's heart skipped a beat. The First Manhattan Bank was exactly the same bank where Edward Nowels worked!

X

The day passed by with agonizing slowness for Monica. More than ever, she wanted evening to come so that she could be in Andrew's arms again and listening to his loving and reassuring words. But that night there was another reason why she wanted to see him. Abby, the only inmate she had befriended, was in that same prison because of a crime she didn't commit. Her murdered husband worked at the same place Edward Nowels worked. The same Edward Nowels who had also been murdered in a dark alley a while ago. The same man whose death had sent her to prison.

As an angel of God she knew it couldn't be a coincidence. Maybe that was the reason why she was there. Monica had to help Abby, she felt it from the start, when the inmate's story was still unknown to her. Impatiently, she paced inside the small cell with her arms crossed, and finally her protector appeared in his angelic form.

"Andrew!" she said, rushing to him with her arms open. That reception did surprise him, as the blond angel was expecting to find her lying in bed and with the same sad expression that would break his heart. In a heartbeat, he gathered her in his arms and close to him, worry written in his eyes.

"Angel... What is it?" he wanted to know, imagining the worst. What if Sheila had already been released from detention? What if she had threatened Monica again?

She rested her head over his shoulder and closed her eyes for a while, enjoying the feeling of being in his arms - it was her little piece of heaven in between so much sadness. "Please, let me hold you for a while..." she whispered, arms comfortably around his neck and in no hurry to let him go.

"You can hold me forever, baby..." Andrew spoke, caressing her auburn hair with one hand, keeping the other arm tightly wrapped around her small form.

"That would be lovely..." after her reply, they remained there, still, hearts sharing the same rhythm, the same beat. Long minutes later, did she pull away a few inches, to look at his handsome face. "I guess I made you worry with my greeting, I didn't mean-"

"Shh..." he gently silenced her by pressing his index finger against her lips. "I know something happened and that you'll tell me about it soon, but I can see it's not what I feared. That's why I need to do something first..."

As he bent his head and started to cross the small distance between them, her eyes closed again, in expectation for the sweet caress about to come. Monica could feel his warm breath against her skin, and on the following second, his lips brushing lightly against hers. Andrew kissed her for a long, pleasant minute, and after that he pulled her closer to him again. He kissed the side of her head. "We've been away for only a few hours and it's like I haven't seen you for ages..."

"I know... I feel the same..."

The angel of death gently pulled away and cupped her cheek. "You have something to tell me, don't you?"

"I found out something today..." she said, detecting his great concern.

Andrew finally let go of her and took both of her hands. He kissed each of them and led her to sit on the small bed. "Tell me what happened."

"Today, for the first time, I managed to talk to Abby." She said, and the expression on her face was one of a surprised little girl, which only made her even more adorable to him.

"And?"

"She told me why she's here..." after a short pause, she continued to speak. "Her husband was murdered, Andrew, and she was accused of this crime."

The blond angel frowned hearing that. Far from him judging a child of God, far from him assuming someone is bad or good without knowing all the facts, but the first thing that came to his mind was if Monica should let the inmate be close to her. "Murderer?"

"Yes, but she's innocent..."

One of the million things he loved about her was her loving and generous heart, always trusting, always ready to help. But she could be naïve sometimes and he wondered if that was one of these occasions. "Monica, you see, there's a big difference in-"

"She is innocent, Andrew! I know she is!" The Irish angel insisted. "When I look at her... since the first time I saw her, I see... I see my own sorrow reflected in her eyes..."

Andrew let out a sigh. He didn't want her to think he was putting her judgement in check, but at the same time, he feared for her safety in a place like that, where innocent people were rare to find. "I trust in your heart, angel. Even though I've been having difficulties trusting human beings lately..." he said, with all his honesty, and hoping she would understand him.

She did. Monica let go of one of his hands and caressed his face. "I know what you mean, Andrew... I can't say it's easier for me either..."

They were talking about the sad memories of a recent past, flashbacks that would keep playing on their minds once in a while and plaguing their sleep while they were in human form.

"But I have more than only my feelings to base my judgement this time, Andrew. Abby told me that her husband was carrying an investigation at the company where he worked and that he found someone was embezzling money. It was because of this that he was killed, and everything was set up for the police to find her by his dead body."

"Her lawyer, didn't he find any evidence that it wasn't her?"

"The public defendant who assisted her couldn't find anything to prove her innocence." She squeezed his both hands. "Andrew... Abby's husband worked for the First National Bank of Manhattan."

If the angel of death was initially doubting the inmate could be telling the truth, now that piece of news came as a shock to him. "The First National Bank of Manhattan? The same place where Edward Nowels worked?"

Monica nodded her head enthusiastically. "Yes. And what my heart tells me now, Andrew, is that perhaps I found a meaning to my stay here... even if it tears my soul apart to see the sun and the blue sky outside, be deprived of God's creations and especially to watch you leave..."

Andrew let go of her hands and held her in his arms again. "This isn't a coincidence, angel. You and I know that."

She nodded her head against his chest. "I do..."

"And what you found out today, Monica, is precious information. You gave me something new to work on, as we didn't have much to prove your innocence."

The Irish angel pulled away. "May I ask you something?"

"You know the answer for that."

"Take care of Abby's case? She has a wee son, who is living in foster care somewhere, and she's miserable without him, Andrew... He's her only family right now..."

"Of course I will, angel. First thing in the morning, Abby's new lawyer will appear here... And he might also pay his other client a visit!"

His attempt to lighten the mood was rewarded with a teary smile. "It's the best time of the day... along with this..."

Also smiling, he brushed a gentle kiss against her lips. Then he pulled the blanket and made room for her to lie. "Now, off to bed, beautiful client."

Once they were settled and she was resting her head over his chest, Andrew entangled his fingers through her auburn hair and started to caress it, lulling her to sleep so that she could have some moments of peace.

"Andrew..." a sleepy voice spoke.

"Yes?"

"My soul is only complete, if you exist..."

Lost for words, he tightened the hold around her small form and kissed the top of her head. "I love you too, angel... with all my heart and my soul..."

X

The night fell slowly and dark inside Monica's prison cell. Andrew remained there, lying right next to her and holding her tightly, chasing away the nightmares that always haunted her restless sleep. His angelic presence there seemed to soothe her soul as she would always fall asleep lulled by his loving words and gentle caresses. The angel of death watched her for long minutes, never getting enough of that image: she looked so beautiful and yet so fragile in his arms that the mere thought of leaving on the following day caused him to feel extremely guilty.

But time was implacable with the two angels as the morning sunrays finally shone upon Earth announcing that a new day was beginning and that it was time for him to say goodbye to the one he loved so dearly. Monica's face was serene and he hoped that it would remain like that at least for some more time. Carefully, he disentangled from her loving embrace and sat down by the bed. "I have to go now, my angel... I'll leave you under the Father and Tess' care, and I know that they will keep you safe until I come back to you again." He whispered, holding her hand against his heart. He kissed her palm and kept on speaking, aware that somehow she would be listening to him. "And I want you to know that nothing brings me greater joy other than coming back to you, so that I can hear your voice and hold you close to me, like I did all night long."

Andrew placed her hand back over her stomach and then straightened the blanket around her small form, covering her up to her neck and rearranging her pillow. After he made sure she seemed to be "comfortable" enough, the blond angel stroked her hair, drinking in every little detail of her meek features, as if keeping it close to his heart so that he could go through the day. He leaned over and brushed a soft kiss against her lips, lightly enough not to wake her up but long enough for him to savour the sweet contact. "I love you, sweet angel... Forever." He whispered, as he pulled away.

Andrew reappeared outside the prison building. The sunrise was beautiful and its gentle and warm rays touched his handsome face as a soothing caress. Only his sweet Monica had the power to touch his cheeks and lips as lightly as that, and he sighed with frustration as she was not there with him to share that beautiful scenario with him. The angel of death turned his green eyes up to the sky and prayed.

"Father, please take care of her... Please, keep the gentle and warm-hearted angel that You and I love so much safe... Use me as an instrument to set her free from this terrible place because confinement is tearing up her soul. Please, show me a way to help her..."

On the following second, his surroundings changed drastically. Andrew was now standing inside an office, still in his angelic form. As it was still early in the morning, there were only two people standing in that small room. One of them was a tall blond man, elegantly dressed with a black suit. The other, a woman in her mid-forties, and judging by the expression on her face, she looked tense.

"You did a good job, Ms Matthews. Your testimony, along with the two policemen's, are the only evidence the police have to solve Edward Nowels' murder." The man said, walking around the room and finally making a stop right in front of her.

"Mr Gibbs, what if they find out that I'm lying? What if-" she nervously tried to speak, but he interrupted her.

"There is now 'what if,' Ms Davis. Edward Nowels was killed by his lover, the woman who was arrested by the police on the night of the crime, and who is now locked inside a state prison, waiting for the day of her trial!" he corrected.

Andrew frowned with great worry at those words: those people were talking about the crime that had been unfairly placed on Monica; they were talking about his Monica!

"And I assume she'll be considered guilty..." she said, rubbing her hands and lowering her eyes so as not to meet his own blue ones.

"This is the plan. You will go to the judge again and you will confirm that you saw the Monica woman shooting Edward Nowels! It was dark at first, and you were passing by the alley when you heard two distinct voices. They were low at first and you realized that there were two people arguing, Edward and Monica. You saw it when she suddenly pointed a gun at him and shot twice. And then, when Edward was on the ground, she shot him once again!"

Andrew watched as the woman nodded her head slowly, "How many more innocents are you going to help put in jail for Jeremy Richards?" There was a bitter quality to her voice now and the angel felt a small surge of hope that maybe the woman would change her mind about lying, "You now have Abby Kopka in jail and now this Monica woman. One day Jeremy's luck is going to run out!"

Wayne Gibbs leaned over the table to make eye contact, "I didn't hear you complaining when you cashed in for carrying your part of this. Jeremy is paying you a pretty penny to lie and you had no problem using your earnings to purchase your new home in cash. Watch yourself, Miss Matthews, or you could be victim number three."

The angel's stomach twisted into a painful knot as he watched the resigned look come across the woman's face. The human had gotten herself in too deep and now she regretted it. But with her life hanging in the balance, she felt she had little choice but to send another innocent to life in prison, this time, the innocent being his beloved angel.