8. Chapter 8
Chapter eight
The weather was cold and gloomy the next few days.
Any outdoor activities were put on the back burner.
Mitch was busy so Isla worked out with Lara in the gym.
She prepared every meal. She finished the painting she wanted to give Mitch, and had finished one for Stella and Lara as well.
She just wanted to keep busy to try to forget about the hearing.
She was sitting at the kitchen table sketching a picture for Colt when Mitch came into the room.
“Hi, Molly,” he said. “You’ve been busy the last few days. Are you ready for our trip tomorrow?”
Trip…as if they were going away on a vacation. The truth was much less appealing. Isla sighed, “As ready as I’ll ever be. Are you still planning on us leaving at four tomorrow morning?”
“We are,” Mitch replied. “I want you to pack a small bag with a change of clothes and any toiletries you might need. It’s just a precaution, in case we have to change location unexpectedly.”
Isla looked at him, fear in her eyes. “Are you anticipating trouble?”
“We’re not expecting trouble. But we need to be ready for anything. Don’t worry Molly, we’ve got your back.”
“I know you do. I’m just anxious to get this all over with. I’ll pack a bag like you suggested. If something does happen, will I stay with you?”
“I’m with you the whole way. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“I wouldn’t either,” said Isla, as they looked in each other’s eyes.
The morning of the hearing, Isla woke to her alarm clock, numb with nerves.
Three thirty. It was go-time. She got out of bed and packed her bag.
She found a skirt and sweater set that would work for court.
She’d have to change at the courthouse. If she wore it in the car, she’d look a mess when she got there.
Isla wanted to look confident on the stand.
This horrible man needed to account for the things he’d done.
She could never forgive herself if she was responsible for him getting off.
He didn’t need to know that inside she was quaking with fear.
She was good at hiding her emotions. As a child raised in the foster care system, she had to be.
She knew how to hide her fear. It showed weakness.
Marcus Hernandez would never get the opportunity to see that from her.
There was a knock on the door. “Come in.”
Lara popped her head around the door. “Ready?”
“I’m ready. My bag’s packed. I’ll have to change when I get to the courthouse. Is that a possibility?”
“Before we get to the courthouse, you’re going to have to lose the contacts and put on a blond wig.
Then you’ll be able to change in the bathroom off the room we’ll be waiting in.
It’s got direct access into the courtroom.
We’ll go from the car to that room and we’ll stay there until the bailiff calls you to testify.
Once you’ve testified, we’ll leave immediately and head back here to the compound. Then we wait to find out what’s next.”
“It could take months or years for this to go to trial,” Isla said. “What happens to me in the meantime?”
“Every case is different,” Lara said, suddenly uneasy. “I don’t want to speculate.”
“That’s reassuring,” Isla said with a half-smile.
“If you need to go into the witness protection program, the US Marshal Department will take over your case. They’ll relocate you and then when the trial comes up on the docket, they’ll be the ones to take you to court to testify.
Don’t worry, Molly, they’ll keep you safe.
They know what they’re doing. That doesn’t mean that’s going to happen. It’s an if.”
Isla hated all the unknowns. Where would she be relocated? Would her parents be with her? Would they be safe? There were just too many unknowns. But Isla put her bag over her shoulder and said, “Well, then. Let’s go.”