Although her lips pursed and chest swelled in anger, she kept her mouth shut in horror. Her tears were trying to squeeze out of her eyes. The only thing stopping them were her furrowed eyebrows. White knuckled fists held imaginary silverware on the table. They should’ve listened, “Don’t ever take a loving mother’s kids.” Reaping consequences was their only accomplishment. Failure wasn’t in this mother’s vocabulary. Surprisingly there wasn’t nasty yelling and screaming at the people who kidnapped her kids because she knew they were just pawns.
She said, “We all know how this is going to end. I’m here to get my children.” After a pause she continued, “I want you to ask me how I’ll get them back.”

She could see the beads of sweat on the kidnapper’s forehead, but didn’t give into hope. They didn’t know how she was going to get them back. She didn’t either.

“How will you get them back?” Anticipation sat them on the edge of their seats. Outwardly composed, the angered mother settled to the back of her seat. Stress changed sides, giving her an opportunity to sink in her chair and methodically tapping on the table her fingers to mock them. She wanted them to wait, leaving the dogs to pant in the silence.

“Do you know who do you work for?” She slid a folder across the table. They ripped the folder from the table.
“You know what those are.”

An apple ran down his throat as he nodded slowly.

“I’m so sorry about your cousin.” Her words pierced the heart of everyone in the room, blanketing the chess mass with the audience’s body heat. “When I found out who you were, my heart stopped for a second. I knew him well, very well.”

Disgusted, he said “You know nothing.”
The witnesses shouted in an uproar.

“I didn’t kill your cousin. Your boss framed me, but I guess it was really good because I almost went to jail until they got significant proof that I wasn’t there.”
“You weren’t?”

“That day I had missed my plane in Tokyo, and I was rescheduled for flight to America. I was on the plane when I heard the news. He was dead by the time I got to the airport. Later, I was seen with his dead body. Plus, if you remember, he was poisoned, which I couldn’t have had the time and certainly not the materials to do it. I gave my bag to the police right away so that I couldn’t have taken anything out. They searched my house and found nothing with any records of buying or acquiring poison from anyone.”

“This isn’t a trial. We were all there in the court.”

“You still don’t believe me. I get it, but why did you bring my kids into this? You know what happened to my husband.”
“Who you think was killed by my cousin, but He did no such thing.”
“I know.” she said shaking her head.  The pieces were all coming together. “It was her.”

“Who is ‘she’? Gary was scared to death of her, and so are you and..” He paused as he stared deep into her eyes, “What did you do to make her want to destroy your life?”

Remorsefully she said, “I exist. She only needs that reason to take everything I have away from me. You know what is even more ironic? You’re working for her, and you didn’t even know that she is the one responsible for your cousin’s death. It was all part of her calculated plan. Each of you are pawns in her hands.” Silence filled the room as the door creaked open.

“Well done Emalyn Jackson. You finally found me.”

Emalyn knew that woman’s voice like the back of her hand. Surprisingly she saw that her kids were walking in together, with the woman who took them away. Irona Airis in her evil glory with Emalyn Jackson’s precious kids. Emalyn wanted to say, “YOU!” but it seemed too cliche`.

Emalyn’s chair squeaked in the direction of the door. “Your time is up.  You’ve made your final move, Irona, or should I say, ‘your royal Airisness’?” Everyone suffered as Irona’s eyes burned through everyone in the room.
“Take your kids and leave. Get out of my life.”

Emalyn’s fists clenched again, “No Irona, you get out of my life. You’ve been trying to ruin me since I met you. I’m not even sure what I did. You killed my husband, framed me for murdering a good friend, and kidnapped my children. What more can you take away from me? My love, my dignity, my happiness, what?”

“You were so easy.”

“Well I’ll stay as far as I can away from you then. Bye. I hope I never see you again.”
“I said, ‘you were so easy’. You still are.”

“Well I’m more than I seem am I? I’m not gonna walk out with my kids because you are trying to do something. You taught me one thing, never ever to trust you.”

With that, five people left the hot and sweaty room. I’d tell you who, but I’d have to kill you. Case closed.