“Samantha, you’re losing it. I’m supposed to lose it today, not you.”
“Oh, right.” Samantha let out a breath then gave him her most beautiful smile. “I’m back.”
“Can they charge me with all of this?”
“Yes,” Samantha said. “I doubt they could convict you on all of them. They can easily add them to this case. Or they can open a new case against you in Federal Court. We’d be held up in court for… years. If they grant our motion to dismiss, the entire case will shift to Federal Court. If we proceed…”
Samantha looked over Aden’s shoulder for a moment. Her eyes were vague and thinking. When she turned back to Aden, she was present.
“I think we should allow him to try this case,” Samantha said. “We lose our right to an appeal but only over judicial prejudice due to family relationship. That’s okay. Your goal is to get this over with right?”
“Right,” Aden said. “I want to get on with my life.”
“Then, let’s move forward,” Samantha said. She gave him a vague smile. “Sorry I lost my cool. I never imagined something like this might happen. But I can do this. And if I can’t, I know people who can help.”
“Let’s move forward,” Aden said.
They turned back to the court just as the prosecution was returning to their table.
“Your honor,” Samantha said. “The defense agrees to allow you preside over this assault case. Mr. Norsen waves his right to appeal on the grounds of judicial prejudice due to familiarity with the victim.”
“Thank you, Ms. Hargreaves. Please let the record show that I will preside over this hearing,” Judge Alberts said. “Is your client aware of the repercussions of this agreement?”
“Yes, your honor,” Samantha said. “My client understands the nature of his crime and is anxious to get this matter settled.”
“Good. That’s good news. You’ve changed quite a bit, Mr. Norsen.”
“Yes, your honor,” Aden said.
“Have you received a written plea agreement?”
“Yes, your honor,” Samantha said.
“Your honor,” the Federal prosecutor said.
“And where do you stand with the plea bargain, Ms. Hargreaves?” the judge asked.
“The defense accepts the plea bargain. We signed the documents and have filed them with the District Attorney’s office yesterday.”
“Good girl.”
For the first time, the judge leaned back in his chair. He even smiled at Samantha.
“Does the District Attorney’s office agree to the terms of the plea bargain?”
“Yes, your honor.” The District Attorney stood with his back faced the Federal prosecutors. “The City and County of Denver signed the plea bargain and entered it into court record first thing this morning.”
“Perfect,” the judge said. “This court hereby accepts the plea bargain including the stipulation that no further charges will be added to this case or this defendant.”
When the Federal prosecutor began screaming at the judge, Samantha leaned over to Aden to whisper:
“The DA added that to the plea last night. Did I tell you?”
Aden shook his head.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t think it was any big deal. He called. I was surprised he wanted to add it. I mean, at the time, I had no idea they wanted to add all these charges. Anyway, it seemed to suit our purposes. Is it all right with you?”
Aden nodded. Samantha smiled.
“Now, we just have to get through sentencing.”
Aden looked up as the District Attorney yelled at the Federal Prosecutor:
“You left this man on our streets! Your callous lack of regard for the well being of the citizens’ of Denver is unprecedented. You didn’t even bother to include the Denver Police Department until it was too late. You created the line Mr. Xavier. We are simply using your line to protect the citizens of Denver.”
Bang, bang, bang sounded the judge’s gavel.
“That is enough!” the judge yelled.
The courtroom became silent.
“Your honor, I would like to withdraw our request to dismiss the charges,” Samantha said. “We are ready to proceed to sentencing.”
“Usually, Mr. Norsen, there is an additional hearing for sentencing. But given the nature of this case, and at your attorney’s request, we will proceed.”
“Your honor, may I have a moment to consult with my client?” Samantha asked.
“Go ahead,” the judge said.
“I’ve never heard of anything like this,” Samantha whispered. “If he goes for the maximum, we can easily appeal. But I worry that an appeal will leave you open to all these other charges.”
She glanced over at the Federal Prosecutor.
“My guess is that they can’t afford the negative publicity generated by leaving Sandy’s father on the streets for so long. That’s why they wanted to add the charges to your case. It’s a gamble but I bet the District Attorney is attempting to mitigate his own publicity nightmare by shifting the responsibility to the Feds.”
“Will they charge me with all this stuff?” Aden whispered.
“They can,” Samantha said. “If they were going to charge you in Federal Court, they wouldn’t try to piggy back on this hearing. My guess is they don’t want the publicity of a full blown trial. And we’d take it to a full blown trial.”
Aden nodded.
“If we move forward to sentencing, you’ll have to go today,” Samantha said. “I can delay it, but you run the risk of these other charges.”
“Let’s get this over with,” Aden said.
“We’re ready for sentencing, your honor,” Samantha said.
“Thank you, Ms. Hargreaves,” Judge Alberts said. “I have reviewed the plea bargain. I have spoken with corrections. I have also reviewed Mr. Norsen’s file, as well as his extensive background check. Mr. Norsen, do you understand the charges against you?”
“Yes, your honor.”
“Do you understand the nature of the sentencing? You have agreed to one year in jail and one year probation.”
“Yes, your honor.”
Aden bit his lip. This was the moment he’d waited for. Would the judge change the sentencing? Would he go in for life?
“I sentence you to ninety full days in jail with no possibility of good time reduction. After you’ve served ninety days in jail, you will be remanded to community corrections for the remainder of your two year sentence.”
The judge banged his gavel and stood up. He was out of the courtroom before anyone could say another word. In a heartbeat, Aden was cuffed. He watched Sandy hold Noelle back when she tried to run to him. Nash wouldn’t look at him. Without getting a chance to say goodbye, Aden was led from the courtroom.
~~~~~~~~
Wednesday — 1:07 P.M.
“So that’s that,” Sandy shrugged. “My fairy tale ends with the prince going to jail.”
She was sitting on the couch in the apartment at the Castle. Heather touched Sandy’s arm.
“Oh honey, that can’t be it,” Jill said. She was walking back and forth bouncing Heather’s newborn, Mack, in her arms.
“That’s what I said,” Tanesha said.
“According to his lawyer, he goes to some place called DRDC, reception and diagnostics, off Havana. He’ll be there a week or more for testing, and then he gets placed. We won’t be able to see him until he’s placed,” Sandy said. “Samantha said she’s seen it take months for people to get in there. Then, they can spend at least a month there. This isn’t a really busy time of year, so she thinks he’ll go through fast.”
“How are the kids?” Heather asked.
“Hysterical,” Sandy said. “Sam and Delphie helped me get them back here. Anjelika was able to get them to watch a movie downstairs. That’s where they are. They didn’t want to leave me but Jill’s Mom knew how much I needed to see you guys. Aden’s gone and I’m… I really needed to see you.”
“We’re
glad you called,” Jill said.
”Social Services is coming in a couple of hours,” Sandy said
“Do you think they’ll take the kids?” Jill asked.
“Sam says they’re doing a house visit to make sure the kids are going to be all right here. He, Delphie and I will be their guardians while Aden’s in jail. No one wants to add them to the system.”
“Wow, you’ve gone from a single gal to a mother of two,” Tanesha said. “And one on the way.”
“Will you deliver my baby too?” Sandy asked. Relieved to talk about something other then her messed up life, Sandy shifted her attention to Tanesha.
“Boy… That was fun,” Tanesha said. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since that happened.”
“You did great,” Heather said. “I couldn’t have done it without you. And look at me – no tearing, everything’s really good. I was in the hospital for less than twenty-four hours. You and Blane make a good team.”
“Well, that’s what I was thinking about,” Tanesha said. “You remember when I went away to school?”
“Morehouse,” Jill said. “I was so jealous. I would have painted my skin black to get your scholarships!”
“You had Trevor,” Tanesha said.
“Don’t remind me.” Jill kissed little Mack’s face. “You wouldn’t have liked Trevor, Mack.”
“What about school, Tanesha?” Sandy asked.
“I missed you guys so much,” Tanesha said. “I counted the days until I was home again. I felt like your lives were moving along and I was standing still. But I couldn’t stop. I was the only person in my family to ever get a chance to go to college. I wasn’t going to fail all those generations of slaving and subsistence farming and struggling to get me here.
“But I missed you guys,” Tanesha said. “You know I’m supposed to go to medical school in the fall?”
“I know you’re going to medical school in the fall,” Heather said.
“Are you unsure about school?” Sandy asked.
“I was thinking I would hurry through. You know, just get it done and become a GP or something fast so I wouldn’t miss too much,” Tanesha said. “But after yesterday? I want to deliver babies.”
Jill, Heather and Sandy gave a little cheer.
“But that means I’ll be in school forever,” Tanesha said. “I won’t be available for confabs like this one or to help out with kids or to go out for drinks or… It will be like when I was exiled at Morehouse.”
“We’re right here,” Jill said.
She held Mack out to Tanesha. Tanesha picked him up to cuddle.
“We won’t let you drift too far,” Jill said.
“We don’t go out so much anymore,” Sandy added.
“You can’t get rid of us,” Heather said. “I can’t wait until you open your new office. Dr. Tanesha!”
“We’ll call you Dr. T,” Jill said.
“We wouldn’t be your true friends if we didn’t want you to be really happy,” Sandy said. “We want you to do what makes you happy. We’ll still be here.”
“There’s something else,” Tanesha said. She looked over at Heather. “That Tres asked me out.”
Heather flushed.
“I know how much you like him, Heather. I don’t need a man getting in between my besties. No man is worth that.”
Jill and Sandy watched Heather.
“What did you say?” Heather asked.
“I didn’t say anything,” Tanesha said. “He called about an hour ago. Listen, I’m serious. If you don’t want me to see that guy I won’t see him.”
“I want to get all hysterical, you know,” Heather said. “I want to say that I found him first. He’s really cute. I think he likes me. How can he like you? Stuff like that. But you know, I have really crappy taste in men. I can’t pick a guy who’s good for me to save my life.”
“You picked Blane,” Jill said.
“He picked me,” Heather smiled. “My good taste was to pick the sperminator. Would you really not date Tres if I said so?”
“I would never accept another call from him,” Tanesha said. “You come first.”
“I feel that way about you too,” Heather said. “And Jill and Sandy.”
Jill and Sandy nodded in agreement.
“I have Blane and Mack,” Heather said. “I have to believe that, if it’s meant to be, the right person will come along for me when the time is right. I thought that was Tres, but if he’s asking you out, he’s not the right person for me. Anyway, right now, I need to focus on Mack.”
“He’s such a good baby,” Jill said. “So mellow.”
“Not like Katy!” Sandy laughed. “Remember how active she was when she was this age?”
“I do!” Heather and Tanesha said at the same time.
“She’s still that active,” Jill laughed.
“So you don’t mind if I go out with Tres?” Tanesha said.
“I don’t mind, Tanesha,” Heather said. “Have fun.”
Heather stood to hug Tanesha. With Mack in her arms, Tanesha walked into Heather’s hug. Jill put her arms around the two and Sandy stood to hug them. With the tiny newborn at the center, the four friends hugged each other.
“Family of choice,” Sandy whispered.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO
Worth it
Wednesday evening
Aden spent most of the day waiting. After the hearing, he had waited in a holding cell at the courthouse. It wasn’t awful. It wasn’t even all unexpected. He’d simply forgotten what it was like. He’d started the day as a President of a large construction company. Everything he said or did was important.
Now, his time no longer mattered. What he thought no longer mattered. What he said or did no longer mattered. The only thing that mattered was his compliance and the passage of time. Some hours later, he was taken to the main Denver Police station.
The policemen who processed him couldn’t have been more polite. Oddly, Aden was a bit of a celebrity. Everyone knew he was the guy who beat up the pedophile and embarrassed the DA. They didn’t make him change or do anything humiliating. Instead, they put him in another large holding cell. A tall Hispanic policeman told him that the DA wanted him moved to DRDC, the diagnostic center, right away. People can wait months to get into DRDC, but Aden would go today.
“Out of sight, out of the voter’s mind,” the police officer had laughed.
The other prisoners gave him wide berth. For the first time in more than a decade, his senses were inundated with the scent of unwashed human bodies, alcohol detoxing through pores, industrial cleaners, filth and despair.
How had he ever been used to this life?
Why had this been so normal for him?
He tucked his emotions away. He would have time enough to think about them later. Instead he tracked time against his old life. He always called Sandy at twelve-thirty during her lunch break. His heart squeezed with panic around three. He’d forgotten to pick up Noelle from school. With a sigh, he realized he wouldn’t pick her up today or any of the next ninety days. Nash usually went to soccer practice at six o’clock.
What had been his regular, boring, uneventful routine only a week ago seemed like a dream right now.
As he waited, his mind jumped from one vague worry to the next: what would happen to his car? Would Sandy dump him? He would dump him. How stupid could he possibly be? He was the dumbest man in the world. Why had he given his Blackberry to Samantha? He could work now. Would his kids survive the next months? Why hadn’t he prepared for this? God, poor Sandy was going to have to deal with all his crap. And on and on.
Under the cover of darkness, they were escorting him to DRDC. Once there, they took the Tag Hauer watch he’d bought when Jake had offered him a job. They took his sobriety ring, his wallet, his keys, the gold chain bracelet Sandy gave him for Christmas and every other symbol of his former life. They stripped him down, made him shower and redress into an orange prisoner jumpsuit. They gave him a blanket and escorted him
to a cell.
No one was happy to see him. No one made jokes. It was all business, all prison. He was just another one of the livestock housed in this barn.
The guard opened the cell and he stepped inside. He barely had time to clear the gate when the door clanged closed. The lock made an ominous ‘click’ when it closed. Aden stood behind the bars staring out into the prison.
“It’s hard to get used to at first,” a man’s voice came from behind him. “But you’ll do fine.”
Aden turned around to see who spoke to him. A man stood from a bunk on the right side of the room. Aden blinked. That’s Molly’s husband. Jacob’s bookkeeper Molly’s husband. Pete.
“Pete?” Aden asked. “What?”
“Hi Aden,” he said. “They told me they were putting us together. They thought since we knew each other, I wouldn’t be influenced by your fame.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Drugs,” they said together.
“I thought you kicked it,” Aden said. “You’ve been driving for us for a year. And I know they pee test you every time you step into a truck. Hair follicle test every three months.”
“Yeah, I had a year and three days,” Pete said. “Then… I don’t know what happens. I miss the life, I guess. Molly’s been working a lot for Jake. They’ve gotten really busy. She’s making great money.”
“Too much of a good thing?”
“Nah, I swear she and Jake have a thing.”
“Molly and Jake?” Aden shook his head. He sat down on the bunk across from Pete. “Have you seen Jake with Jill?”
“I was at the wedding reception. But otherwise, I haven’t.” Pete shook his head. “I went to high school with Jill. She and Trevor were always a thing. It’s hard to believe she could be with someone else. But Molly says I’m a fool to think that she’s with Jake. Anyway, I got pissed off and stupid jealous.”
“Started using again,” Aden said. “I’ve done that. Rewarded myself. I deserve a little…”
“Right, that’s exactly right,” Pete said. “Fuck this, I’m going out. I was gone for three days. When I got home, Molly was mad. I’ve never seen her that mad. We argued and the neighbors called the cops. I was angry, high, drunk, obnoxious and on parole.”
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