Chapter Thirteen
R iley was outside for recess with her kindergarten kids, but even that wasn’t distracting her. She found herself thinking about the trial coming up.
She never said anything to her husband, but she could tell he suspected she was having a problem with the situation. She should get over it, but she knew she had to see the woman one more time. It would be an extra bonus to see her convicted and put in prison. She knew once the trial was done, she could finally put it behind her.
The problem was not knowing the date, and it seemed to be taking forever to happen when, in fact, it had only been three weeks. The waiting was messing with her head, and she wasn’t sleeping well.
“Mrs. Matney,” one of her students yelled. “They’re fighting,”
Riley glanced up and saw one of the boys running from a girl. It looked like he had her hair ribbon in his hand. “Thank you, Finn.”
Riley walked toward the kids with the issue. Before she got to them, the little girl tackled the boy, took her ribbon, and walked away.
The look on the boy’s face was priceless. She pressed her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.
Riley knew he had learned a great life lesson she hoped he’d always remember. Don’t piss off a girl because she’ll knock you down. Riley grinned. She’d have to remember to tell Rick about this. He’d get a kick out of it.
Later that day, she walked into her house, and one look at her husband made her tense. “What is it?”
“They’ve set a date for the trial,” he said and wrapped his arms around her.
She exhaled. Finally , she thought. But then a different kind of nerves started to build.
“Are you sure you want to go? They don’t need you to testify. The prosecutor has everything he needs.”
She nodded. “Yes. I need to see what happens and look her in the eyes. I feel if I don’t, I’ll never have the closure I need.”
Rick sighed but nodded and gave her the dates.
“How many days should I take off?” she asked.
“I’d say three. It might only take one, but if it goes on for a long time, your classroom will be taken care of.”
She nodded. “I’ll go now and start dinner.”
“Don’t worry about that. I started to make spaghetti.”
She had such a great husband. How Gloria thought she’d ever be able to tear them apart was beyond her, and she learned a lesson about messing with people’s relationships. “Yum. That sounds wonderful. I’ll make a salad and garlic bread.”
“Sounds good to me,” Rick said. He kissed her and walked over to the stove to stir the sauce.
She watched him for a moment and sighed. God, she loved this man.
****
A week and a half later , Riley walked into the courthouse with Rick’s arm around her waist. She couldn’t believe how nervous she was, and she didn’t really know why. Gloria couldn’t do anything else to her, especially with Rick at her side. He’d never let anything happen to her.
They sat a few rows behind the prosecutor. While Rick talked to the man, she looked around at the dark, intricate woodwork and the people loitering. She’d never been in a courthouse before. It was intimidating and exciting at the same time.
A guard walked out from a side room and called for everyone to stand.
People hustled to their places and stood to wait for the judge. Within a minute, the judge walked in and took his seat on the bench. The bailiff called for everyone to be seated.
Riley’s heartbeat rose as two deputies brought Gloria into the room and over to a chair next to an older man Riley assumed was her lawyer.
She couldn’t believe how bad the other woman looked. Riley had never seen her dressed in such a bland outfit or without makeup. She also seemed smaller somehow, but Riley couldn’t figure out why.
The first witness went to the stand.
One after another sat in the chair by the judge and talked about the horrible things she had done. Riley hadn’t realized how truly awful the woman was. They testified about her stealing several thousand dollars from her employers and the drugs she took and sold.
Riley had never seen any evidence of drugs when she was with her in the past. But then, Gloria knew how Riley felt about them. How much she hated them.
This went on until lunchtime when the judge called for an hour’s break. Rick led her out to the hallway.
“Are you hungry, Sweetheart?”
She shook her head. “No. But you can eat.”
He smiled gently. “No. I’ll wait for you. How about we take a walk outside? It’s so nice out, and the fresh air will do us good.”
She felt her mood instantly lighten. “That sounds wonderful.”
They made it back just in time and sat in the seats they were in before. Rick tucked her tighter against his side.
“That walk we just took helped me relax,” she whispered.
He kissed her forehead. “Good. I had hoped it would.”
She watched as Gloria was brought back. Riley would have felt some pity for the woman, but she deserved everything she was getting.
The bailiff called for everyone to stand.
The first person on the stand after lunch was one of Gloria’s friends, who looked vaguely familiar. She told the judge about the things Gloria had stolen from her.
The next few hours seemed to last forever, and Riley just wanted to go home and soak in a hot tub. Sitting on the cold, hard bench made her anxiety rise, but she wasn’t going to leave. Not until she heard Gloria’s conviction and how long she’d be behind bars.
Finally, the judge called a recess until the next morning. After the judge left, Gloria was led out of the courtroom. The woman hadn’t caught sight of them yet and wondered how she would take it when she did. She’d see they were closer than ever and she hadn’t done the damage she thought she had.
Rick helped her into the car. She sighed and leaned back against the headrest.
“How about we grab some tacos and take them home?” Rick asked.
She turned her head and smiled. A minute before, food had been the last thing on her mind. “That sounds wonderful.”
She wasn’t that hungry, but she knew she had to eat something, and she didn’t feel like cooking.
They went to a drive-thru. After he had paid, Rick handed her the sack of tacos. The aroma made her stomach cramp with hunger. By the time Rick got them home, she was salivating.
The two ate in silence for a few minutes. Riley rolled her wrapper into a ball. “I’m going to head up and take a bath.”
Rick nodded. “Good. You look like you need it. I’ll be up to check on you in a bit.”
“All right.” She kissed the top of his head as she passed him.
The hot, fragrant water settled any more tension she’d accumulated from the stressful day.
“Hey, now, don’t fall asleep,” Rick said.
She grinned and opened her eyes. “I won’t.”
Rick sat on the toilet seat and rested his elbows on his knees. “Are you sure you want to do this again tomorrow?”
As much as she dreaded it, she needed to do this for herself. “Yes.”
He nodded. “All right. How about we go to bed early? We can watch something on TV before we go to sleep.”
“I’d like that. I don’t think I have the energy for much more than that.”
He grinned and reached for a towel. “I can see that.” He reached into the water and pulled the plug before helping her to her feet. He dried her off. “Brush your teeth while I turn down the covers and turn the TV on.”
Riley brushed and walked into the bedroom to see Rick holding the blanket up.
“Hop in. I’m going to shower, and then I’ll be in bed.”
After tucking the blanket up under her chin, he handed her the remote. Riley clicked on a few channels but didn’t have any interest in anything.
Rick came back in and turned off the lights before dropping his towel and sliding into bed. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You didn’t find anything.”
She shook her head and yawned. “No. I thought you could. I don’t think I’m going to be awake much longer.”
He chuckled. “I’d bet money on it.” He pressed a sweet kiss to her lips.
She was out before he decided what to watch. The next day was as grueling as the last, but at least it looked like it would be the last day of the trial.
Riley watched Gloria’s face as she caught sight of them for the first time. The pure disbelief, and then what looked like fury in the woman’s eyes, made Riley stiffen. She knew Rick had caught the look, too, when his arm around her tightened and brought her closer to his body.
When the verdict was read, Riley felt she should have felt a bit of pity, but instead she felt triumphant. The woman had tried to hurt her but had completely failed, and it had backfired on her.
She would now have at least a decade to think about how badly she screwed up.