The Aftermath

by R. J. Prescott

  “And you were resentful of all the attention and affection that he lavished on her?”

  She swallowed and looked down again. “Of course not. She was a young girl without a father. It was only natural that she’d need him as much as I did.” It was the most unconvincing answer she’d given so far. We might not have any physical evidence, but the barrister was doing a pretty good job of painting Frank as some sick pedophile who’d targeted her mum as a way to get to Em. It made me sick to my stomach to imagine how it played out.

  “And in the years following your marriage to Mr. Thomas, did you ever see him hit or punish your daughter in any way?” She looked down again. Surely I wasn’t the only one seeing that this was what she did when she was lying. “He disciplined her. As she grew up, she became more willful and disobedient. I wasn’t equipped to deal with a teenager so Frank handled it.” Frank’s face twisted ever so slightly, and it was clear he wasn’t happy with how she’d phrased that.

  “In what way did Frank discipline Emily?” The barrister asked. She swallowed again, and I clenched and unclenched my hands to stop me calling her out on all these fucking lies.

  “He would ground her mostly. Confiscate things if she was really bad. Send her to her room. The usual way of punishing teenagers, I guess,” she replied so quietly I had trouble hearing her.

  “Let me be clear then. You are telling the court that at no point did you ever see or hear Frank strike or beat Emily. I would remind you that you’re under oath,” he pressed her.

  She shook her head.

  “Please state your answer to the court,” the judge directed her.

  “No, I never saw or heard him beat or strike her.”

  “And the night of the alleged rape. What is your account of what happened?”

  She looked briefly toward Frank, and he gave her a tiny nod. You’d miss it if you weren’t looking.

  “We’d had a disagreement. She wanted to go out to a party. We didn’t want her wandering around at that time of night, so Frank offered to drive her there and pick her up. We argued about a curfew. She hadn’t even turned eighteen yet, and we felt that midnight was a reasonable hour to be home. She didn’t agree and argued with us. I don’t remember exactly what was said but eventually she walked out, still in her school uniform, and slammed the door behind her.”

  “What happened then?”

  “Frank wanted to go after her but I convinced him to let her calm down. She came home a couple of hours later, and her uniform was all torn up. Her face was bruised and beaten but she wouldn’t tell us what happened. She just kept screaming at Frank that it was all his fault. If he hadn’t been laying down the law, it would never have happened. She was yelling that she wanted to go back to when it was just me and her. Frank went over to try and calm her down and she scratched his face like a wildcat. One of the neighbors must have heard her and called the police. When they turned up and saw the state of Frank’s face, they took him in for questioning.”

  “Well, that is a very elaborate story, Mrs. Thomas,” the barrister responded. “I understand that following the rape you were estranged from your daughter, is that right?”

  “Yes. Not by choice, but yes.”

  She spoke softly, and it was really beginning to piss me off. If you’re going to stab someone in the back, do it with conviction.

  “May I ask then how you knew anything about Emily’s life after leaving your house?”

  “We understood that she wanted some space so we left her alone but my husband hired a private investigator.”

  “And you didn’t think that was a breach of her privacy at all?”

  “No. We didn’t contact her, we just wanted to know that she was all right.”

  “And once you had this information, did you dispense with the services of your investigator?”

  “Yes,” she said glancing up at Frank.

  “And when she was kidnapped, how did you find out that she was gone?”

  “The police telephoned me to tell me that she’d been taken and to ask if I knew where Frank was.”

  “Is it true that your husband is a probation officer?” he asked.

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “And before that, what did he do?”

  “He was a policeman,” she told the court.

  “And were you aware of Mr. Thomas retaining any of his contacts or friendships from his time with the police force?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t really keep track of who my husband’s friend are.”

  “I understand, Mrs. Thomas. Finally, I would like to know whether you have ever seen or heard Mr. Thomas touch or speak to Emily in a way that would be considered inappropriate for a father with his biological daughter?” The bitch didn’t look at me or Frank once. She looked straight at the barrister and crucified her daughter.

  “No, I didn’t.” The barrister had no further questions, and the judge dismissed us for a break.

  “What the fuck?” I said walking over to our barrister.

  “Not here,” he told us authoritatively. “Not in front of the defense.” Following his lead, we went into the foyer where all the guys crowded around him looking pretty pissed off.

  “What was that? You gonna just stand there and let her spin her bullshit lies and then just walk off the stand?” I barked at him.

  “What would you have me do, Mr. O’Connell? I understand your frustration, but without tangible evidence, I can’t accuse a sworn witness of being a liar. I did explain to Mr. Driscoll that if Mrs. Thomas stuck with her original statement, we’d have no case.”

  “So what now?” Danny asked him dejectedly. He looked so old and forlorn. This was going to destroy Em, and none of us knew what to do about it.

  “I’m not going to call Frank to the stand. He’s skilled at manipulating his audience so I don’t think it will do our case any good. The prosecution will likely call him, and he’ll embellish the story they’ve cooked up. Then we’ll go for summations, and the jury will adjourn to deliberate. In all likelihood, he will be acquitted. There really isn’t enough corroborated evidence to make either charge stick. Mr. Thomas has done a thorough job of creating the public facade of an honorable and respected member of society and a loving stepfather. We’ve challenged his character, but I’m sorry, I really don’t think that what we have is enough to satisfy the jury beyond all reasonable doubt.”

  I sat down hard on the bench and rubbed my face with my hands in despair. How can he rape, kidnap, and torture her and just walk out of the courtroom a free man? As Danny and the guys debated shit with the barrister, my fear turned to anger. It wasn’t fair for Em to grow up in a home where she was raped and beaten. It wasn’t fair that I had an alcoholic mother who’d made my childhood a living hell. None of it was fair but I had the power to make it right and give my girl the justice she deserved. With my mind made up, I felt calmer and more in control than I had for a long time.

  “Shall we go back in?” I said to Kieran and stood up. The guys all stopped talking and turned to stare at me.

  “What’s going on? We thought we’d have to sit on you after her mother’s performance.”

  “It is what it is. There’s nothing I can do about it. Let’s just get this over with, shall we.” Turning, I buttoned up my suit jacket and walked toward to the courtroom. The last thing I saw was the grave look on Kieran’s and Danny’s faces. They knew me better than anyone in the world, except maybe Em. Aside from babysitting me every minute of every day, there was nothing they could do about my plans, even if they did figure them out. The legal system had its chance. It was going to fail Em, but I wouldn’t. Not again.

  By tomorrow morning, one way or another, we’d know. Frank had given his testimony, and I hadn’t flinched while he did it. The guys kept looking at each other worriedly as they noticed my behavior. I was still because I was focused. Like I did when I fought. I tuned out all the outside shite and thought only about what I needed to. I didn’t hear a word Frank said. Didn’t mat
ter anyway. The lying sack of shit looked like he was having fun up there in the limelight.

  One hour. That’s all it took for both sides to finish with him. But, oh, what I did to him in that hour. Every conceivable means of torture ran through my head. In my mind, Frank died a thousand times but I only needed to pick one way to make it happen for real.

  Lifting my hand to put the key in the door, I paused and took a minute to work out what I was going to say. I wanted to shield Sunshine from everything and tell her it was all going to be ok. She wouldn’t thank me for it. I’d do whatever I needed to keep her safe, and I wouldn’t apologize for it, but I wouldn’t lie to her either.

  “How’s she been?” I asked Nikki, as I walked into the flat.

  “Pretty bad,” Nikki replied quietly so Em wouldn’t hear. She looked worriedly behind her, and I could see Em was still in bed.

  “She says she’s all right, just having a bad day. How’d it go in court?”

  I shook my head slowly and wiped the friendly smile off her face quickly. “He’s getting away with it,” I told her.

  “They’ve released the verdict already?” she whispered angrily.

  “They will tomorrow but our barrister is sure he’s going free.”

  “This will destroy her,” she said sadly, looking Em’s way.

  “After everything she’s been through, people still doubt how strong she is. It’s going to hit her hard, but if we stick by her, she will move past this.”

  Nikki nodded and gathered up her things. “I won’t say good night,” she told me. “She’s been asleep for about half an hour so I want her to get some rest. Tell her I sent my love though.”

  “Kieran is waiting for you downstairs. He’s going to give you a ride home.”

  “Thanks, Con,” she said giving me a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. “Take care of her,” she ordered as she left with a wave.

  Locking the door behind me, I walked over to see my girl. She looked deceptively peaceful as she slept, and I needed some of that peace now. Peeling off my suit, I climbed into bed and wrapped my body around her. Thinking back over the day, I knew she needed a man who was gentle and kind to see her through this. I was neither of those things. The fury I was going to unleash would take me to a place darker than I’d ever been. Maybe at the end of it, I’d be dead or behind bars myself. Fuck it. The angel in my arms had given me salvation. If I had to go back into hell to keep her safe, so be it.

  Chapter 18

  Em’s eyes blinked open as she woke and automatically looked for me.

  “Hey,” she said, and I knew by her gravelly voice that she’d spent a good part of yesterday crying.

  “Mornin’, love,” I answered her.

  “You been awake for long?” she asked.

  “Not long,” I assured her. I’d been awake for two hours, and before that, I hadn’t slept much all night. The last time I’d fallen into a fitful sleep, I dreamed that Frank had taken her from outside the courtroom, and that her body had been left on the steps of the gym. I woke as I dreamed of holding her in my arms, her blood pooling beneath me as life drained from her tiny body. The tears I’d cried in sleep were still wet on my cheeks when my eyes opened. I didn’t try and sleep again. My eyes were scratchy from staring so hard, like she was some kind of ghost who’d fade and disappear if I turned away, even for a moment.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, knowingly.

  “Things didn’t go so well yesterday,” I admitted.

  “She sold me out, didn’t she?” Em said sadly, and I nodded.

  “Tell me everything, O’Connell. I need to know,” she pleaded.

  “Trust me, love. You really don’t. She sided with Frank. That’s all you need to know.” I replied, desperate to protect her from as much of the fallout as I could. “So fuck the bitch,” I told her. “She sold you down the river when she let Frank get away with raping you. I never thought any parent who did that would change, so fuck her. Her and that bastard can rot in hell for I care,” I told her venomously.

  “She’s still my mum though. It still hurts,” she admitted.

  “I know, love,” I told her sadly.

  I would make this right for her but she couldn’t know that. So for the moment, I’d do my best to help her through this.

  “Let’s stay here today. We’ll take a day off from school and training and court and just spend the day in bed, watching old movies,” I suggested, knowing full well that I couldn’t afford to take the days off from training I already had, let alone another one to just stay in bed. None of that mattered though. Everything was secondary to taking care of my wife. It always would be.

  “I can’t think of anything I’d love to do more,” she said, and I waited for the “but.” I knew it was coming by the look of determination on her face.

  “But we’re going to court,” she told me.

  “Why put yourself through it, Sunshine? You know your being there won’t make any difference to the verdict.”

  “I want Frank to know I’m not scared of him anymore and that I’m not alone. He might get away with what he did but I’ve cried the last tear I’m going to cry over what happened. I have a wonderful life ahead of me, and I want to live it. So let’s go to court and show them that we’re not afraid, get this thing over with, and get on with our lives.”

  “It can’t possibly be that easy, love,” I cautioned her.

  “It won’t be. Of course it won’t be. I have waking nightmares every day when a smell or a sound brings back what happened but you told me once that the good stuff takes up room, so we have to let the bad stuff out to make that happen. That’s what the therapy is for. But for now, the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

  “That sounds like another one of them famous quotes,” I said.

  “Franklin D. Roosevelt in his presidential inauguration speech.”

  “You are wicked smart, you know?” I told her. “I love that you want to be strong and move on from this, I really do. I mean, watching you cry over what this guy did kills me a little bit more each time I see it. But I don’t think I can let it go that easily. I didn’t protect you once, despite my promises, and when he’s released I feel like I’d be letting you down a second time.”

  “You have to try, O’Connell, or he’s not only ruined my past. He’s ruined my future as well.” That was never going to happen. I would take care of that for her, and she’d never have to be afraid of anything else ever again.

  We turned up for court at nine, but deliberation took much longer than any of us thought. When the steps became too cold, we moved to the benches in the lobby outside the courtrooms. Eventually, when I didn’t think I could wait much longer, the clerk came out of the dark, heavy oak door and told us that a verdict had been reached. We filed silently into the courtroom one by one, with Em sitting in the middle of us.

  Without prompting, Danny and I, who were seated either side of her, held each of her hands tightly. Em’s mum, who was already seated on the other side of the courtroom, had turned to face us when we filed in. For a brief moment, she caught Em’s eye, but Sunshine quickly turned her face away. She was done, and by the wave of regret that washed over her mother’s face, her mum knew it too. Like I said before, fuck the bitch.

  She turned to watch as Frank was brought up from the cells in cuffs; we all did. The bastard had the brass balls to wink at Em as he was led to his seat, and I wanted to vault over the barrier and remove his kidney. Maybe removing it was ambitious but I was pretty sure I could render it useless for the rest of the cock’s miserable life with one good punch.

  Sunshine filled me with pride. In a gesture completely unlike her, she lifted her hand and gave him the finger. Frank frowned angrily. This wasn’t the same girl he left bleeding on the floor. The courtroom went silent as the judge left his chambers and the clerk said, “All rise.” We stood, then sat again as the judge was seated. The clerk moved over to Frank. “The defendant will stand,” he called out, and Frank stood up
smugly.

  “Members of the jury, will your foremen please stand,” the clerk said, and an older guy rose from the jury. He had a kind look about him, and I closed my eyes, hoping this guy could deliver me a miracle. Hoping that he would deliver me justice.

  “Have you reached a verdict upon which you are all agreed?” he asked, and the man replied, “We have.”

  “Do you find the defendant Frank Stephen Thomas guilty or not guilty of the charge of rape?” There was the slight pause and then the deep baritone voice sounded clearly across the courtroom. “Not guilty.”

  “And in the charges of kidnapping and assault with the intent to kill, do you find the defendant guilty or not guilty?” The pause didn’t seem as long this time because I knew what was coming. “Not guilty.”

  “Is this the verdict of you all?” the clerk asked.

  “It is,” the guy replied. The man who I thought looked kind only a minute ago, now looked like any other fat, middle-aged fuck, judging my girl’s word over that rapist and finding her the liar.

  “Mr. Thomas,” the judge called out clearly, “you are free to go.”

  “All rise,” the clerk called out, and the judge had already fucked off for his afternoon game of golf before anyone realized that Em and I still sat in our seats. I looked over to see the bailiff unlocking Frank’s cuffs, and Em’s mum looking down into her lap. I hope the bitch was fucking petrified at taking Frank back. She’d brought this on herself. On all of us.

  “What now?” I asked Em. I didn’t know whether to hold her close or carry out my plan of putting one of Frank’s kidneys out of commission. I wanted to do both.

  “No hugging or commiserating,” she told us all. “I don’t want to give Frank the satisfaction.”

  “Let’s just go back to the gym.”

  “You don’t want to go straight home?” I asked her.

  “No. There’s something I need to do first.”

  “Okay, love,” I told her, “whatever you need.” Frank’s barrister quickly led him outside and down the steps of the law courts, probably for his own safety. I stared a hole in the back of his head but the fucker, grinning ear to ear and laughing with his barrister, ignored me until he climbed into a cab and then turned and fucking waved at me before driving off.