Nathan Silvers

Beaten prisoner wife

CHAPTER ONE

The judge stared down at the trembling girl. "You have been found guilty," he said. "Have you got anything to say?" Lena burst into tears. Her straight, shoulder length blonde hair swayed as she held her hands to her face and sobbed in terror.

"P-please," she gasped, "I didn't do anything. It was my husband, he embezzled the money."

It was true, it was true, Lena would have pledged her life to that. She almost fell to the wooden floor of the courthouse as she remembered how cruelly she had been deceived. Jack had swept her off her feet, playing up to her innocence. She didn't know he had read of her inheritance in the local newspaper and, seeing his chance, moved in on her.

Beautiful though she was, Lena had lived a very sheltered life. When both her parents were killed in a car crash, leaving her with all the money, it had all been a terrible shock. When the handsome stranger from out of town had called two days later, claiming to be an insurance agent, Lena had put herself in his hands. He began taking her out and three months later they were married.

But, a month later, he was gone and so was her inheritance. He had taken her fortune from the bank and somehow her signature was on the documents. She felt utterly betrayed.

"I didn't do it," she sobbed. "Please let me go."

The judge laughed. "That's what they all say," he said, looking down at the policeman who leaned against the podium. "I reckon she's a candidate for the special unit, don't you, Jerry?"

"Yeah," said the policeman.

"Five years," said the judge.

Lena opened her mouth and screamed as they clamped the cuffs back on her wrists and carried her out of the courthouse and down to the black wagon. They threw her inside and one policeman got in behind her and the other climbed into the driver's seat.