Chapter 33 #2
“Four people giving the same story, including my own sister-in-law, who’s known, for all this time, I was married to a rapist.” I look up at him, my eyes full of tears. “That’s a lot to process.”
“I can’t imagine.”
“At least now I know for certain.”
“Does that help?”
“In some ways. Since he was arrested, I’ve sort of had it in the back of my mind that maybe it was all a big mistake. But denial is no longer an option, is it?”
“No, it’s not.”
“Thank you for being there for me today, Houston. You really helped me.”
“I wish there was more I could do.”
“You were exactly what I needed—a friend. So, thank you again.”
“Would it be okay if I checked on you later?”
“Sure, that would be nice.”
“Let me walk you to your car.”
Sienna
NOW
This cannot be happening. If they call me to testify, I’ll refuse. They can’t make me, can they? I look at Cam, but he’s staring straight ahead.
The judge is pissed as she bangs the gavel and demands order in the court.
The hot stares of everyone in the courtroom burn the back of my neck.
I want to expire on the spot.
“What do I do if they call me up?” I whisper to Cam.
“You go up there and tell the truth.”
“I can’t do that.”
“You have to.”
The defense attorney, a frosty blonde with four-inch heels, walks over to Blaise, her arms crossed. She didn’t have any questions for Denise or Ramona, but she stares at Blaise long enough that she squirms on the witness stand.
“Fourteen years is a long time.”
“Yes, it is.”
“And in all that time, you never reported what you saw, not to the police or your parents or anyone, is that right?”
“Yes.”
“Why not?”
“I was afraid of what would happen to me if I did. He was a big part of my community, my brother’s best friend…”
“But you had no compassion for the woman he allegedly assaulted?”
“I thought of her every day of those fourteen years.” She glances at Neisy. “Every single day. I was sick over it.”
“Why now?”
“I heard he was running for office, and I couldn’t live with the secret any longer.”
“What’s in it for you to come forward after all this time?”
“Nothing other than the chance to right a terrible wrong. As you can see, it’s been anything but easy for me.”
“Why should we believe a word you say about something that allegedly happened so long ago, you can probably barely remember it?”
Blaise is unflinching as she stares down the attorney.
“I remember every second of it. I remember every detail of that day and the days that followed. According to the Land’s End chief of police, my description of events exactly matched that of Ms. Sutton’s, and there was no way I could’ve known what she reported. ”
I swallow hard. She’s very believable.
After a long pause, the attorney says, “Nothing further.”
Blaise is dismissed from the stand.
She walks back to her seat without looking at me.
I still cannot believe she ratted me out after she promised she never would.
“The state calls Sienna Elliott to the stand.”
I’m rooted to my seat.
“Objection.” The defense attorney is on her feet. “This witness isn’t on the list we were given.”
“Overruled. I want to hear what she has to say.”
“Mrs. Elliott?” The prosecutor gives me a pointed look. “You can testify willingly, or we can subpoena you.”
Cam gives me a nudge. “Go.”
As I get up and walk to the front of the room, my legs are trembling, and I feel like I might faint.
They tell me to raise my right hand and swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but he truth.
Ugh. I do not want to do that.
“Mrs. Elliott, were you with Ms. Merrick on the night in question? And I’ll remind you that you’re under oath.”
“I was there.”
“Did you see Ryder Elliott attack Denise Sutton?”
I hesitate before I nod.
“I need you to answer the question out loud for the stenographer.”
“I saw him attack her.”
“And you chose not to assist her or report the crime to authorities?”
“Yes.” My face burns with shame.
“Why?”
“I was dating his brother, who I later married. I did what I thought was best for my boyfriend and his family.”
“At the expense of a young woman who’d been assaulted?”
“I didn’t know her at all. I’d grown up with him. It was terrible, what he did. But… I did what I thought was right at the time.”
“And do you regret that?”
“Sometimes.”
Denise
NOW
Sienna’s testimony is shocking and devastating as I hadn’t known before then that someone was with Blaise. Sometimes she regretted leaving me in the woods, broken and bleeding. Only sometimes?
What kind of monster isn’t haunted by such a thing?
Kane’s arm tightens around me.
This has to be excruciating for him, too.
“When Ryder Elliott was initially charged with assaulting Ms. Sutton, did people believe it?”
“No, no one did.”
“But you knew it was true, right?”
Sienna looks down. “Yes.”
“Did you tell anyone that?”
“No.”
“Not even your boyfriend?”
“No.”
“So you’ve never told the man you married what you saw his brother do?”
“I told him recently.”
“After Blaise Merrick reported what she saw, you still didn’t come forward?”
“You don’t understand!”
“You’re right. I don’t. Nothing further.”
I want to stand up and cheer for Josh’s takedown of Sienna. I hope she enjoys the rest of her life in her tiny town with everyone knowing what an asshole she is.
Sienna leaves the stand and goes straight to Blaise, slapping her across the face before anyone can anticipate her intention. “You fucking bitch! This is all your fault! Why couldn’t you have just kept your fucking mouth shut?”
Cam grabs his wife from behind and hauls her away from Blaise.
Sherriff deputies surround them, cuffing Sienna as she screams like a hyena.
The judge bangs the gavel. “I want her charged with assault and contempt of this court. Get her out of my courtroom.”
I turn to Blaise. “Are you all right?”
“I, uh, I think so. What’s another bruise?”
I can tell she’s making light of it for everyone else’s sake, but her eyes are glassy with shock.
“I’ve heard everything I need to hear,” the judge says. “Mr. Elliott, you’re remanded to trial. You’ll remain on bail until your trial, which will begin on February twentieth.”
“Wait!” Ryder stands. “I want to plead guilty.”
His lawyer grabs his arm. “Ryder, sit down.”
He resists her efforts to get him to sit. “No!” He looks over at me, appearing anguished. “I’m so sorry, Denise. I don’t know what came over me. I did it, and I want to take my punishment so we can all have some peace.”
A roar from behind Ryder precedes a man flying through the air to tackle him.
The man goes crazy, punching Ryder as he screams at the top of his lungs. “How could you do this to my sister? She loved you with all her heart! She was fucking dying, and this is what you were doing?”
Oh, God. Louisa’s brother.
“You son of a bitch!”
By the time the deputies pull Louisa’s brother off of Ryder, he’s unconscious and bleeding.
“All these years, he’s been lying to us while pretending to care about my sister’s legacy?”
The man is completely out of control as he rails against the deputies trying to cuff him.
“Holy. Shit.”
Two whispered words from Kane sum things up rather succinctly.
The judge bangs her gavel, demanding order in the court as paramedics arrive for Ryder.
“I want to see the attorneys in my chambers. Right now.”
She bangs the gavel again. “Court is adjourned.”
The judge leaves the room with Josh and Ryder’s attorney following her as Ryder is wheeled out of the room on a gurney.
“What the hell just happened?” Kane asks, seeming as shocked as the rest of us.
“Ryder’s girlfriend, Louisa, had entered hospice care around the time of the attack. That was her brother.”
“Oh, damn. Wow. So all this time, he thought Ryder was innocent.”
“I guess so.”
A group of sheriff’s deputies make sure the courtroom is cleared in an orderly manner as people talk amongst themselves on their way out, expressing shock at the proceedings.
Cam Elliott appears in front of me. “I wanted to tell you face-to-face that I’m sorry for what we did after Ryder was charged the first time. The other guys and I will issue public apologies and provide the seed money to begin a rape crisis center for teens in the area.”
“I accept your apology and appreciate the gesture.”
I’m sure they’re doing that hoping I won’t sue them for smearing my reputation, but whatever. Their center will do a lot of good for kids like me who have nowhere to turn after experiencing such a trauma.
“I’m sorry for everything that happened,” Cam adds.
“Thank you.”
His apology doesn’t change anything, but I can’t deny there’s an element of vindication to this day.
Josh calls to me.
Kane and I walk over to him.
He gestures for us to come with him to a quiet corner of the room. “The judge is inclined to allow Ryder to plead guilty to end this thing once and for all. I told her you were opposed to that. She wants to know if you still are.”
I take a deep breath as I consider what he said.
“I wanted what I had today—for people to hear, in open court, that he did rape me, that he left me pregnant and shattered. I wanted them to hear from Blaise and Ramona that I wasn’t making it up.
” I glance at Kane, who looks at me only with love and admiration.
“I got my day in court—and then some. That’s enough for me. ”
“I’ll let them know you’re open to a deal.”
“Thank you for everything, Josh.”
“I wish I could say it was a pleasure, but justice was done here, however messy it got.”
“What kind of sentence will he receive?”
“Most likely five to ten years, followed by several years of probation and lifetime registry on the sex offender list. There’ll be another hearing to set the sentence in a couple of weeks. He’ll be remanded into custody at that time.”
Once again I glance at Kane to gauge his reaction. He gives a subtle nod.
“Okay,” I tell Josh. “Make the deal.”
“I’ll be in touch.”
After he walks away, I step into Kane’s arms and let him wrap me up in his love.
“I’m so damned proud of you.”
“Thank you for your unwavering support through it all.”
“I love you. I’ve always loved you, and I always will.”
“Love you, too. More than anything. I need to text my dad.” He wanted to come to court, but I asked him not to, knowing it would be too upsetting for him hear the details of what happened to me.
I send him a quick text to tell him everything is fine, and I’ll call him later.
Then I put the phone in my pocket and turn to my beloved. “You know what we’ve got?”
“What’s that?”
“Twenty-four hours without the kids before our flight tomorrow.”
“Yes, we do. How would you like to spend that time?”
“Let’s check into a fancy hotel, get room service and forget about all of this.”
“I’m with you, babe.”
Blaise
NOW
Jack has been tight with outrage since Sienna hit me.
It was a shock to me, too. When she came toward me, I barely had time to react before she’d slapped me so hard I saw stars.
“I can’t fucking believe she hit you,” Jack says when we’re in the State Police SUV. We’ve left my family members with promises to see them soon. I’m already looking forward to that. “I hope they throw the goddamned book at her.”
“I’m okay.”
“Well, I’m not! That was bullshit!”
I’ve never seen him so worked up, and that it’s on my behalf is enormously sexy to me. I’ve never had anyone who cared that much about me before, except my own family. “Come here.”
“I’m right here.”
“Come closer.”
He releases his seatbelt, scoots across the seat and puts his arm around me.
“I’m okay. You’re okay. Fenway is okay. Everything is fine.”
“She freaking hit you.”
“I know, and it hurt. But it’s over now.”
“I’m sick of people hurting you.”
I lean into his warm embrace. “I can’t believe what Ramona said in court. She never mentioned the incident in the library to me when we got together.”
“I wonder why.”
“She was probably afraid of people turning on her the way they did to Denise when she first reported the rape. I bet Ramona never would’ve said a word to anyone about that if she hadn’t been asked about it while under oath.”
“It definitely helped to establish a pattern of sorts.”
“Which only adds to the never-ending shock. I had no idea Ryder could be like that until I saw it for myself.”
My cell phone rings.
Jack sits up so I can grab the phone from my coat pocket.
“It’s Josh.” I press the button to take the call, while nearly dropping the phone. Everything is more difficult with my right hand and arm in the cast. “Hey, Josh.”
“Well, that was quite a spectacle, huh?”
“Sure was.”
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
“Sienna is being charged with felony assault.”
“Oh, wow. Okay.”
“And we’ve agreed to a plea deal with Denise and Ryder’s attorney. Pending Ryder’s approval once he’s able to review the terms, he’ll serve five to ten years with several years of probation after he’s released and lifetime listing on the sex offender registry.”
“So it’s over then?”
“Pending Ryder’s approval of the deal, which he said he wanted, and the judge sentencing him, yes, it’s over.”
I close my eyes and release a deep breath. It’s over. Once and for all, it’s really over. “Will I have to testify against his father?”
“I’ve just received word that he was in a shootout with the Marshals in western Massachusetts. Mr. Elliott was killed.”
“Oh God.” How is it possible to feel sorry for the Elliotts, even after Mr. Elliott tried to kill me?
“The good news is we can release you from protective custody now that he’s no longer a threat.”
“Okay.”
“Are you all right, Blaise?”
“I will be. In time. I never could’ve imagined everything that would happen after I reported what I’d seen to Houston.”
“No one could’ve predicted this.”
“For what it’s worth, I don’t think Louisa’s brother should be charged with anything. He’s already been through enough.”
“I tend to agree. I’ll discuss it with the AG. We’ll do what we can for him.”
“Thank you for everything, Josh.”
“You’re welcome. Thank you for your courage. It made all the difference here.”
“It’s over,” I tell Jack after I end the call and tell him Mr. Elliott has been killed.
“Thank God it’s over.”
“I want to go home and sleep for a week.” I pause and then glance at him, feeling shy all of a sudden. “I’m not sure when it happened, but when I think of home, I think of your house.”
“That works out rather well, because when I think of home, I think of you, and I know exactly when it happened.”
“When?”
“The day a gorgeous redhead drove into my driveway and turned my whole life upside down in the best possible way.”
I lean my head on his shoulder, amazed by everything that’s happened. By coming home to right a terrible wrong, I also found true love. “I feel like you’re my reward for finally doing the right thing.”
“I can live with being your reward for a job well done.”