Barbara's Plea

by Stacy Eaton

  An hour later, they walked me to the plane, and we boarded before anyone else. Lots of people glanced at me furtively and whispered with the people beside them. I was sure they were wondering what kind of crime I had committed, but I didn’t care. I was still numb. My only thoughts were questions, ones that couldn’t be answered.

  What was Grey doing now? Where was Allie? The thought of Allie being with strangers shook me to the core, and I bit my lip to keep from sobbing. The two officers, or detectives, as I had learned, allowed me to sit by the window. I closed my eyes and tried to shut everything out.

  I slept most of the flight, more to avoid my situation than due to fatigue. We waited until everyone was off the plane, and once again I was paraded through the airport. A marked patrol car waited out front, and I was seated between the two men on the ride to the police station.

  No one said much to me until we arrived at the station. There, I was Mirandized for the fourth time and asked questions about myself. They were strictly for my arrest and had nothing to do with the case, so I answered them.

  Once again, I was placed in a cell and told that I would see a judge the next day. In the morning, they handed me a cold egg sandwich and a bottle of water. I left the sandwich on the bench and finished the water. The only thing more mortifying than being paraded through the airport was having to use the toilet in this open space.

  While there was no one across from me in the cell block, there were others in the area. One of the guards told me I was lucky it was a quiet night, or I might have had to share the cell. As if I cared. I was practically oblivious to everyone and everything around me.

  An hour later, a female officer came to let me out. I was getting used to how things went, hands cuffed at the waist, legs shackled. Then a long walk down a hallway and into another van and—what do you know?—another freaking holding cell at the end of the line.

  This one was larger with several benches around the edges and a single scary-looking toilet in the corner. I sank down on the only bench that wasn’t occupied.

  I had no idea what was going to happen. I hadn’t bothered to ask. I knew that somehow, sometime, I would get to speak with my attorney.

  I glanced around the cell, a lot of the women were roughed up, most dressed scantily, and I assumed they had probably been arrested for prostitution. One tried to talk to me, but I just glanced her way and looked back down at my cuffs.

  They called us one by one. Sometimes the people would come back, sometimes they didn’t. I wondered which one I was going to be.

  They finally called my name, and I left the cell and was taken by the arm down a hallway. A man dressed in a suit was standing near a door and straightened up when he saw me.

  “Mrs. Murphy, I’m Ken Smallwood. Your grandmother hired me to be your attorney. We spoke on the phone a few weeks back.”

  “Yes, I remember, Mr. Smallwood. What’s going to happen now?”

  “This is just a bail hearing. I’m going to try and get you out on bail, but with the charges, they might not allow that. Whatever happens in there, I need you to trust me and stay quiet.”

  I nodded in agreement. I had nothing to say.

  The door opened, and I was ushered into a large room. There were two tables up front and rows of benches in the back. The judge sat on a high platform behind a dark-stained wood bench.

  I glanced around and saw Grey and Gigi on one of the benches. The sight of Grey almost broke me. He had come all the way to California for me. I blinked back tears and turned to the bench when the judge began to talk.

  “This case is the State of California versus Barbara Murphy. How does your client plead?”

  “Your Honor, Mrs. Murphy pleads not guilty,” Mr. Smallwood spoke from beside me, his voice loud and clear.

  The judge glanced at me, his eyes trailing from my head to my waist before he looked back down at his papers.

  “She will be remanded to the county prison until such time as her preliminary hearing.”

  “Your Honor, Mrs. Murphy has no criminal record, and I can attest that she will remain here to comply with all instructions. There is no need for her to be kept in jail.”

  “Mr. Smallwood, your client kidnapped a child, pretended to be someone else, and ran to the other side of the country. I understand that she is from a very wealthy family, and I’m not willing to take a chance on her disappearing. She will remain in custody.”

  I hadn’t expected any differently. I hung my head as I was guided out of the room. I didn’t even have the energy to turn back to look for Grey or Gigi.

  Once outside the room, Mr. Smallwood spoke to the officer who was with me, “I’d like to speak with my client alone.”

  We were ushered to a small room that contained a table and four chairs. I sank down in one, feeling totally defeated. I looked up at my attorney expectantly. Mr. Smallwood set his briefcase on the floor and pulled out a chair. “I understand there were some serious things going on at home that made you make this particular decision. I’m going to need to know everything.”

  “How far back do I need to go?”

  “To the beginning, but not now. I’m going to go out and speak with your family. Then I will come by the jail later this afternoon. You are going to have to tell me everything so I can decide how to proceed.”

  I cocked my head, suddenly concerned about something, “Do you know my husband?” I didn’t know anything about this man. What if he was friends with Todd?

  He nodded, “I know exactly who your husband is. He’s the son of a bitch who was sleeping with my wife before I divorced her.” He paused and his eyes softened, “I also heard the audio recordings, all of them.” I hung my head, embarrassed that someone had to listen to what I had endured. “Trust me, Barb, I’m on your side, and I’d like nothing more than to wipe the smug smile off your husband’s face.” The vehemence in his voice could not have been faked.

  I nodded, “I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

  “I know these conditions aren’t ideal, but hopefully we can get this taken care of quickly. You are a priority case right now, and I’ll do everything I can do for you.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Smallwood.”

  “Ken, you can call me Ken. Let me go talk to your family, and I’ll see you later. Is there anything you want me to tell them?”

  What could I possibly say to them? How could I even explain to either of them how sorry I was that I had caused all these problems? I couldn’t. “Not right now,” I replied softly.

  “Alright, keep your chin up. I’ll see you soon.” He stood and opened the door. The guard waited for me to stand, and I followed him out of the room and back to the cell.

  I was one of those.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Grey

  I went back in the house and stepped out of the way as the officer who was there with the search warrant sauntered past. I unconsciously rubbed my pocket and felt the discs still safely tucked inside.

  I found Gloria in the library, the phone to her ear. She glanced up when I walked in and pointed to the seat in front of her. “Thank you, Mark, I owe you one.”

  She hung up the phone and leaned back in her chair on a sigh.

  “Was that the attorney?” I asked.

  “No, I already spoke to him. He’s calling the attorney I hired out in California to tell him what’s going on.”

  I sat forward in the seat, my elbows on my knees and my hands clenched together, “What are you going to do?”

  She tossed the pen she was holding onto the desk, “Get our family back. Go get a suitcase packed, we have a plane to catch.”

  I didn’t hesitate a second. Fifteen minutes later I was pacing the front foyer. Gloria joined me, and Tom carried two bags down the steps and out the door. “I had Amelia pack a suitcase for Barb and Allie.” I nodded and we were out the door with the luggage.

  The man, Mark, that Gloria had been speaking with was an employee of her company. We arrived at a different entranc
e to the airport and as we drove out on the tarmac I realized that we were going by private plane, and not on one of the commercial ones. We would probably be in California before Barb and Allie. I stared at the airport and wondered where they were.

  At any other time, I might have been impressed by the interior of the plane, but all I could think about as I sat down and fastened my seatbelt was that Barb was in handcuffs someplace wondering what was going to happen to her. The thought that she was all alone pierced my heart.

  I let Gloria rest on the flight. I knew that the events of the morning had taken a major toll on her, and she needed all the rest she could get to handle what was coming.

  We arrived in California in the late afternoon. The first phone call was to the attorney who stated that Barb wasn’t back yet and probably wouldn’t be for a day or two. I wondered if we should have stayed in New York, but after telling him about the recordings, we set a time to meet so we could discuss them. We wanted to have a plan in place before she even arrived.

  After a few more phone calls, we learned where they were planning on taking Allie, but no matter what Gloria said, they refused to allow us to see her.

  We wandered around the hotel suite Gloria had booked for us, both of us at our wits’ end. “Gloria, what do you think is going to happen?”

  “I don’t know, Grey, but with that sleazeball of a husband, I don’t think it is going to turn out very well.”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Yeah, I was thinking the same thing, but I was hoping you’d have better thoughts.”

  “Afraid not. He obviously wants to play hard ball. Let’s just hope the attorneys we hired are good at their jobs.”

  I spent the night staring up at the ceiling wondering where Barb was and if she was alright, and after that, I worried myself sick about where Allie was and if she was being taken care of properly. Tears slid down my face as I worried about the little girl I had come to love as if she were my own.

  She was alone. I couldn’t imagine having not been there for Nate, no matter how painful it was to watch his life slip away. I had been with him. He had never been alone—and poor little Allie now was.

  Please, God, please get Barb out of jail and Allie back to us. Please, don’t let this take too long.

  In the morning, Gloria looked more rested than I had anticipated. I, on the other hand, hadn’t been able to sleep all night.

  We met with Ken Smallwood, Barb’s local attorney around ten, and after telling him what I knew about the history and turning over the recordings, we left and went back to the hotel. Ken had told us that Barb was on her way back to California, but we wouldn’t be able to see her until the next day.

  It was a long, tense day for the two of us. Gloria took a few naps, and I paced and tried to watch television, but all I could think about was Barb and Allie.

  We had dinner brought up to the suite, and Gloria had them bring me a six-pack of beer. “You need to get some sleep tonight. Maybe those will help.”

  And they did. I managed to get four hours of sleep and was up putting one foot in front of the other back and forth in my room at the crack of dawn.

  Gloria and I showed up at the courthouse early, hoping to get a few minutes to see Barb, but we were told there was no way. We spoke with her attorney again, and he said he was going to try and get bail, but he didn’t think, with the charges leveled against Barb, that he would be able to.

  Gloria and I sat down on the hard wood benches and waited for Barb to be brought out. When they finally called her name, she entered through a side door wearing the same clothes she’d worn on the day she was taken. Her beautiful hair was matted and knotted at the ends. She looked defeated as she entered the courtroom.

  I didn’t think she would even see we were there, but just before the judge began to speak, she turned our way. Her shoulders shook as she bit down on her lip. Had it made it worse that we were there? I hoped like hell not because I was not going to allow this woman to think for one second that she was alone—no matter what happened.

  Gloria held my hand, and when the judge denied bail, I felt her hand go lax. I kept my tight hold on her; I wasn’t going to give up. We watched them escort her out of the room and went back out to the hallway to wait for the attorney.

  Fifteen minutes later he joined us. “I didn’t think he would grant it, not with the way the charges were written, but I have a few ideas. After listening to the recordings, I think I might be able to work out a deal.”

  “A deal? What kind of deal?”

  “One where she will do minimal time.”

  I almost lost my cool, “She shouldn’t be doing any time. She was the victim in this!” I pointed at the door to the court room.

  “Calm down, Grey. I know she was, but there is too much evidence against her. I am going to have to hand over the audio recordings to the prosecutor.”

  “What?” I snapped.

  “Grey,” Gloria grabbed my arm, instantly calming me down.

  “It’s evidence, Grey. I have to turn it over, but I think it is going to work in our favor. I will demand that the judge listen to the evidence so he understands what and why she recorded the events. It’s going to put the judge on her side.”

  I eyed him warily, “If you say so.” I turned in a circle, “What are we supposed to do now?”

  “Wait. Go back to your hotel. I am supposed to meet with her later this afternoon, and I will call you after that.”

  “There is nothing else we can do, is there?” Gloria asked. I knew she didn’t want to sit around any more than I did.

  Ken shook his head, “Not right now.”

  “Is there any way we can see Allie?” I asked.

  “I checked on that before I came. They will only let her parents see her, supervised, and since Barb is in jail, there is no way. I doubt Todd will even bother trying. This isn’t about the kid. This is about controlling Barb.”

  “I’m glad someone else sees that,” I said, exasperated.

  Gloria and I left the courthouse and walked down the busy street. Gloria tugged on my arm and pulled me over to a bench where we both sank down.

  “I feel like we’ve been here before,” she said softly, and I snorted.

  “Yeah, seems like that was our last bad day.”

  “Grey, don’t give up hope.”

  I turned to Gloria, “I’m not, that’s all I have left right now. Except for you, that’s it.”

  She put her hand on my back and rubbed it gently while I leaned over and stared at the cement sidewalk.

  We had gone to an early lunch and then back to the hotel. I found a sketch pad and pencils at the store down the street, and while Gloria rested, I tried to lose myself in a few new chair designs.

  When Gloria’s phone rang, I answered it so it wouldn’t wake her.

  “Grey, it’s Ken Smallwood. I just got done talking to Barb.”

  “How is she?”

  “As strong as she can be right now,” he replied. “Tomorrow, I need you to come down to the courthouse.”

  “Why? What’s going on?”

  “We are going to be talking to Todd and the prosecutor; we might have a plea to offer them. I’m going to need you there.”

  “Sure, anything I can do to help.”

  He told me what time to arrive and before he hung up, he added, “I think this is going to work out well. Have a little faith and try to get some rest.”

  When we hung up, I tried to hold on to his optimism, but within seconds it vanished. If Barb was still locked up, then it wasn’t good enough.

  The evening went by at a snail’s pace, and with the help of a couple more beers, I managed a few more hours of sleep. At this rate, I was going to end up an alcoholic.

  When morning came, I found myself edgy and frustrated. Even Gloria’s mood was tighter than normal. We made our way to the main courthouse and found a bench in one of the hallways. Ken joined us a few minutes later and shook our hands.

  “How is she?” I asked.<
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  “She’s holding up. You’re going to get to see her in a minute. I got permission because she needs to ask you to do something.”

  “I’ll do anything she needs,” I vowed, waiting to hear what it was.

  “She was hoping you would say that.” He turned to Gloria, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Withers, I only have permission for him to see her.”

  “That’s fine. He’s the important one anyway. Give her my love.” She patted my arm, and I followed Ken down the hallway.

  We went through a series of locked doors and finally into a small interview room. Barb was seated on the other side; an officer stood in the corner. When we entered, the officer stepped out.

  Barb was in my arms before the door was shut. “Grey, I’m so glad you are here.”

  “I wouldn’t be anywhere else, Barb. Are you alright?”

  Her laugh was strangled as she pulled away. “I’m okay. Really, I’m okay.”

  “I hate to interrupt, but the judge only gave us a few minutes.”

  Barb nodded at Ken. “I need to ask you a huge favor, Grey, one that you can say no to, and I will understand.”

  “Whatever it is, I’ll do it, Barb. All you have to do is ask.”

  “Do you love Allie?” She seemed to be holding her breath as she waited for an answer.

  I rested my hand on her cheek. “That’s a stupid question, of course I do. I love her like she’s my own daughter. Why?”

  She released the air she had been holding, “Would you adopt Allie as your daughter?”

  I stared at her, “Excuse me?” I couldn’t have heard her right. Had she just asked me to be Allie’s father?

  “I want you to sign papers to legally adopt Allie as your daughter,” she said, and I continued to stare at her.

  “What has this got to do with your case?” I finally asked her and peered over to Ken.

  “We have a plea deal she is willing to take, but in return she is demanding that Todd release his paternity to Allie. If he does that, and there isn’t a legal guardian of the child, she will stay in foster care for the time being.”