"No." Hays said as he took off his sunglasses giving Mr.Pruce a concerned look. "I do not want you to get all worked up Serena." he said in a soothing voice. "Bengiman if you need to know anything about what happened, then let me be the one to tell you. I was there too, at the trial and execution." he sighed seeing the death of Charles clearly in his mind's eye.
Mr.Pruce sat there shocked as this was news to him and he agreed, as he did not want to upset any of Xation's sisters. So he talked with Hays, who had too much sun and now only drank ice water. The two said goodnight to Serena, who was tired from swimming in the ocean and also very full from the huge portions of lobster and wine she had consumed. Mr.Pruce then opened another bottle of wine for himself as he sat across the table from Hays. "So tell me." Mr.Pruce said as he poured out a glass of red wine. "Why do you think Charles killed him? I mean, I know he was always so jealous and envious of Xation's power and wealth, but..."
"It was because he had decided to turn himself in, and as he explained on the witness stand, he needed to kill Xation before he went to prison." Hays said rubbing a little olive oil on his sunburned face.
"Why the fuck would he want to turn himself in? It does not make sense." Mr.Pruce said excitedly.
"Because some one convinced him to." he sighed.
"Who?" he asked a perplexed look on his tan face.
"Melissa Christian." at hearing this name Mr.Pruce recalled the day he met that woman, with her dog that attacked him and knocked him unconscious. Oliver's beautiful cousin Melissa. "I don't know how she did it or what she said but apparently the night you two got into a fight he went to her house and the next day is when he.., " Hays trailed off not wanting to finish the sentence.
"I just can't believe it." Mr.Pruce said clenching his fist.
"After you two were brought in she showed up at the justice center with a team of Houston's most celebrated defense lawyers. We were pushing for the death penalty but they tried to get him life, in the end, of course, the family got what it wanted. You know Charles gave the police the list of the names of the men Xation had him 'put down'."
"I.., " Mr.Pruce stopped as he did not know what to say or how to react but he, nonetheless, was angry Charles would try to besmirch a dead man's reputation, even if Xation did order Charles to kill those men that was nobody's business but Xation's.
"When Charles was cross-examined by his attorney he said he killed Xation out of revenge. He knew Xation would just find someone else to do his dirty work. So, in his mind, Charles was absolutely convinced he was doing the right thing." Hays said shaking his head and suddenly now talking of the trial he became very depressed and so he told Bengiman he wanted to go to sleep, as the lapping of the waves against the ship was making him doze off, well that and the sunburn, the wine, the food. Here Bengiman Pruce bid him to stay a little longer at the table as he wanted to know about the execution. Now Mr.Pruce had committed murder a few times, now and again, but he had never witnessed a man being strapped down to a table and 'put to sleep' and this held a morbid fascination to him. And, being that he had known Charles for many years, Mr.Pruce felt a sort of closeness to the story Hays would tell him.
"Alright, I'll stay up a little longer. So, where shall I begin."
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