novelraw Chapter 180: Arrested
Chapter 180: Arrested
Chapter 180: Arrested
Lyse jumped out of the car, the flashing blue and red lights of the police cruisers painted the evening in a dizzying strobe, casting long, distorted shadows that danced across the quiet street. A knot of fear tightened in Lyse’s stomach as she saw Levi standing calmly, surrounded by the uniformed officers who were attempting to move him to a car.
"What is going on?" she demanded, her voice trembling slightly. She rushed towards Levi, instinctively wanting to shield him from whatever was happening. "Why are you arresting my husband?"
The officer in charge, a tall, imposing man with a stern face, stepped forward. "Ma’am, I am going to have to ask you to step aside. This is a matter of official police business."
"But what has he done?" Lyse persisted, her anxiety escalating. She glanced at Levi, who remained composed, though she could see a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. "He has not done anything wrong!"
"Ma’am," the officer repeated, his voice firm, "I understand your concerns, but this is a legal matter. If you have any questions, you can address them when you come to the police headquarters."
"Police headquarters?" Lyse’s voice rose in disbelief. "What could Levi possibly have done to warrant this? Do you even know who he is?"
The officer remained impassive. "I am not at liberty to discuss the details of the investigation at this time. All I can say is that Mr. Van Doren’s social status will not stop him from being detained for questioning."
Lyse’s mind raced. She could not imagine Levi doing anything that would warrant police involvement. He was a businessman, a philanthropist, a genuinely good person. This had to be a mistake of some kind.
"This is ridiculous!" she protested. "You can’t just arrest someone without telling them why! This is harassment!"
Levi, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. "Baby," he said, his voice calm and reassuring, "it’s alright. Just do as they say."
Lyse turned to him, her brow furrowed. "But Levi, they can’t just..."
He placed one of his handcuffed hands gently on her arm, his touch surprisingly warm and comforting in the midst of the chaos. "It’s okay," he repeated. "Just call Ethan and Chris."
"Ethan and Chris?" Lyse asked, confused.
"Yes," Levi confirmed. "Tell them what has happened. They will know what to do."
Lyse hesitated, still reluctant to leave Levi’s side. She worried about him being taken away from her. "But..."
"Lyse," Levi interrupted, his voice firmer this time, "please. Just call them. And tell them I’m...cooperating fully." He gave her a look, a look that conveyed a message she couldn’t quite decipher, but one that told her she needed to trust him.
"Okay," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "I will call them."
"And Lyse," Levi added, his voice softer now, "don’t worry about this. Everything will be alright."
Lyse was not very convinced, but she nodded, her heart heavy with dread. She pulled out her phone and quickly dialed Ethan’s number. As she spoke to Ethan, relaying the events of the evening, her eyes never left Levi. She watched as the officers led him away to an open car and put him in. He did not resist. He simply looked at her, a silent promise in his eyes until they shut the door.
She felt a surge of helplessness as she watched the police escort Levi to one of the patrol cars. She wanted to scream, to fight, to do anything to stop them, but she knew that would only make things worse. After finishing the call with Ethan, she quickly called Chris, relaying the same information.
"I am going to follow you as you take my husband," she told the officer in charge, her voice trembling with anger and frustration. "I’m going to the police headquarters."
The officer nodded curtly. "That is your prerogative, ma’am."
As the police cars drove away, their sirens wailing into the night, Lyse followed closely behind in the car. Her mind was a whirlwind of confusion and fear.
What could Levi possibly have done? He was such a good man, so generous, so...normal. The Levi she knew would not hurt a fly. This whole situation felt surreal, like a bad dream.
She replayed the evening in her mind, searching for any clue, any hint of what might have led to this. Everything had seemed so perfect, so normal. They had enjoyed the street food, they had laughed, they had talked about their dreams and aspirations. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, that could have foreshadowed this.
As she stared blankly at the blue lights of the police cars, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, something deeply wrong. Levi’s calmness, his insistence that she call Ethan and Chris, his cryptic message about cooperating fully – it all suggested that there was more to this story than met the eye.
She arrived at the police headquarters, a large, imposing building that seemed to exude an aura of coldness and authority. The car barely came to a stop before she jumped out and walked inside, her steps echoing in the sterile hallways. The air was thick with tension, and she could feel the weight of the law pressing down on her.
She approached the front desk, her heart pounding in her chest. "I am here about Levi Van Doren" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "He was arrested earlier tonight."
The officer behind the desk looked up, his expression neutral. "I’ll need to see some identification," he said.
Lyse fumbled in her purse for her wallet and handed him her driver’s license. The officer typed her information into the computer, his eyes scanning the screen.
"And your relationship to Mr. Van Doren?" he asked.
Lyse hesitated for a moment. "I am his wife," she said.
The officer nodded. "I understand. Unfortunately, I’m not authorized to release any information about Mr. Van Doren’s case at this time. You are going to have to speak with the investigating officers."
"And how do I do that?" Lyse asked, her voice laced with frustration.
"They are currently conducting their interviews," the officer replied. "You will have to wait."
Lyse sank into a nearby chair, her mind racing. She felt a wave of helplessness wash over her. She was in the dark, completely clueless about what was happening. All she could do was wait, wait and hope that everything would be alright. But deep down, a nagging feeling told her that this was just the beginning of something much bigger, something much more complicated than she could have ever imagined. And as she sat there, surrounded by the cold, impersonal atmosphere of the police headquarters, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Levi was in trouble, serious trouble.
She had barely settled into the hard plastic chair, when she saw Chris rushing towards her. His usually calm demeanor was replaced by a look of frantic concern.
"Lyse! What happened? What’s going on?" he asked, his voice tight with worry.
Lyse jumped up, relief washing over her at the sight of a familiar face. She ran to him, the image of Levi being handcuffed still flashing vividly in her mind. "Chris, it’s...it’s Levi. They arrested him."
"Arrested him? What? For what?" Chris’s brow furrowed in confusion.
"I don’t know," Lyse said, her voice trembling. "We were just leaving, we were about to get in the car to go home, and then...then the police just showed up. They surrounded us, and they...they took him." She gestured vaguely, still trying to process the shock of it all. "They didn’t even tell me why."
Chris’s face was a mask of disbelief. "This doesn’t make any sense," he muttered. "Levi wouldn’t..." He trailed off, unable to articulate the thought. He knew Levi. He knew his character. This arrest seemed completely out of character.
"I know!" Lyse exclaimed, her voice rising in frustration. "That’s what I told them! But they wouldn’t listen."
Chris pulled out his phone and quickly dialed a number. He spoke briefly, his voice low and urgent.
"Yes, it’s Chris... Yes, about Levi... He’s been arrested... I’m at the police headquarters now... I need to speak to someone in charge, immediately."
He closed his phone and turned to Lyse. "Don’t worry, Lyse. I’ll get to the bottom of this."
A few minutes later, a tall, imposing man in a crisp police uniform approached them. He introduced himself as Senior Officer Davies. Chris shook his hand, his expression serious.
"Officer Davies," Chris said, his voice firm, "l’m here about Levi Van Doren and I am his legal advisor. I understand he has been arrested and I demand to know why."
Officer Davies nodded curtly. "Please come with me."
Chris and Lyse followed Officer Davies to a small, sparsely furnished office. They sat down across from him at a metal desk.
"Officer Davies," Chris began, his voice laced with controlled anger, "Mr Van Doren is a prominent businessman, a respected philanthropist. He is not a criminal. Why was he arrested like this, without any explanation?"
Officer Davies leaned forward, his expression grave. "I understand your concern. However, Mr. Van Doren has been arrested on suspicion of murder. The murder of Brett Faulkner."