Stanton Completely

by T L Swan

  Goosebumps cover my skin and fury starts to drip from my every pore. Oh I’m going to fucking kill someone alright. If they think for one minute they have the last word they can think again. I’m not taking this shit. You are going to regret the day you messed with me, assholes. And as my love’s heart breaks on the screen I turn and walk into the bathroom with a cool renewed purpose. I need a fucking weapon and I need to find one now. I’m getting the hell out of here.

  It’s day 26 and I go over the plan I have in my head for the hundredth time today. I have unscrewed the shower screen and have it placed it strategically in the bathroom, waiting for my attack. For the last seven days I have woken up every morning determined that today is the day, today I’m going to escape, but then I’m so scared I’m going to mess it up and end up dead and my love will really lose me that I chicken out. I have to be positive my plan will work before I do it or else it’s just a death wish. I just wish I knew if the coverage of me in here is going back to base somewhere else or if this is the only outlet, because if this is the only outlet I have a much bigger chance of getting away before anyone knows I’m gone. I know what shift Carl is on and I have to do it when the young boy is here, as I have a much greater chance of surviving against him. He won’t even talk to me because he knows I’m trying to break down his defences. I have strategically started to call myself Cinderella and asked the two men to call me Joshua’s nickname Cinderella on the offchance that the person doing this is someone we know and that they may refer me as Cinderella to Adrian. He knows that he and I are the only two people who know about that. It’s a long shot, but I’m trying anything.

  I got my period this morning, and I cried. Both tears of sadness and tears of relief. I had been holding off my escape, half thinking that I may have been pregnant and I didn’t want to endanger Joshua’s and my child, but I needn’t have worried. I’m not pregnant and that makes me just plain sad. I just pray I survive this and we get the chance to try again. More and more I know that as time goes on my chances of getting out of here alive are diminishing. I will wait now until my period finishes because if it works and I do get away, who knows how long I will be in the forest. My eyes flick down to my feet. I don’t even have shoes. How do you escape through the forest without shoes?

  Adrian

  “Are you ready?” Nicholas asks me.

  I nod and swallow my fear. We are in the foyer of our building and I am doing the first press release since this nightmare began. With the court case coming up I need to make a statement on behalf of Joshua. There must be at least fifty reporters and cameramen here. Bridget sits in the front row with Abbie and Cameron. Ben and the security line the walls, and I’m as nervous as all hell.

  I walk to the small podium at the centre of the room and with shaking hands retrieve my notes that Nicholas has written for me.

  Hmm, hmm. I clear my throat.

  “Thank you for coming.” The cameras start to click.

  “Thirty-eight days ago off the coast of Portofino, Joshua Stanton and his beloved fiancée Natasha Marx were staying on the luxury liner of a friend. They attended a wedding and during the course of that wedding, unbeknown to them, their drinks were spiked with the drug Rohypnol. Joshua Stanton awoke in the morning to find Natasha missing and a large…” I stop as I struggle to read the next words. You can do this. “Amount of blood on the deck. Natasha had been attacked overnight when Joshua was unconscious.” The cameras all click double time and my eyes flick to Nicholas who stands silently against the wall next to Ben. He nods reassuringly. I take a deep breath and continue. “The coroner ruled Natasha Marx’s death as a result of massive blood loss was a direct result of the premeditated attack on her. We, Natasha’s family, are devastated at the loss of her life and Joshua Stanton is in deep mourning. After an anonymous tip off, police searched Joshua Stanton’s properties to uncover eight vials of Rohypnol that had been planted there by the perpetrator with the intention of framing Joshua Stanton for the murder.”

  I swallow the lump in my throat as the cameras click and the reporters start to buzz at the impending story. “Joshua Stanton does not know who put the Rohypnol at his country estate, nor does he know where his beloved fiancée’s body is. He is deeply in mourning and currently being held in Corcoran Penitentiary for a murder he did not commit.” I stare down the barrel of the camera with renewed purpose. “These allegations against him are false in every regard. Joshua Stanton is innocent and has been framed. We will be fighting these allegations on all fronts and are confident that justice will prove to be the victor and the true criminal brought to justice. It is our greatest wish that Natasha’s body can be recovered so that she may be laid to rest in peace.”

  The cameras go crazy and reporters start to scream questions. “Mr Murphy, Mr Murphy.” They call. I bend back to the microphone. “No further questions will be answered. Thank you.”

  Chapter 25

  Adrian

  With Joshua I stand outside an office in the courthouse. Joshua has been freed from his cuffs and has two security guards following him. Today is the court case, and we need to get him out of here. We are waiting for his lawyer and, like clockwork, he walks up the stairs towards us with his three PAs trailing behind him.

  He smiles warmly. “Hello, I’m Vincenzo Di Luca.” Wearing a dark grey suit he is flawless, we have hired a new hot shot lawyer who doesn’t lose.

  Joshua and I shake his hand. Joshua could have only one person with him in this meeting and he chose me. I am as nervous as hell.

  “Joshua Stanton,” Joshua replies

  “Adrian Murphy.” I nod.

  We follow him into the designated office, and I feel myself become a little awestruck at being in Vincenzo’s presence. The rock star of the legal world, he represents murderers, Mafia, hitmen and politicians to name a few. He is a large Italian man with model-like good looks and the personality of an asshole… or so I hear. He has a cult following on social media, and he’s a bit like Joshua in that his outsides don’t match his insides. Too good looking to be this successful and intelligent, the puzzle doesn’t add up.

  We sit down at the table and he sits calmly and clasps his hands in front of him on the desk. His eyes bore into Joshua’s. “I have been studying the case for the last week and I have a few questions I need answered,” he replies.

  “Yes,” Joshua answers.

  Joshua is very nervous and empathy fills me.

  “The prostitute you had sex with in Sydney?” Vincenzo continues.

  Joshua drops his head in shame; he would never normally talk about something like this in front of these secretaries. “Yes,” he replies.

  “How did you first meet her?” Vincenzo asks.

  Joshua hesitates. “Um.” His eyes flick to me sitting next to him and I nod to him to go on. “She arrived at my door as a housewarming present,” he replies.

  Vincenzo nods and scribbles down notes. He doesn’t even flinch—what must he hear doing this job?

  “Who ordered that present?” he asks.

  Joshua hesitates.

  Joshua won’t tattle on his friend, I know him too well, so I cut in. “Um Vincenzo, if I may.”

  His eyes snap to me. “Call me Vin,” he replies.

  I nod thankfully. “Ok, Vin. It was Joshua’s friend Carson Milane,” I reply.

  Vin’s eyes flick back to Joshua. “With friends like him who needs enemies.” He raises his eyebrows as he flicks the page of the notepad.

  Joshua drops his eyes to the floor.

  “I will be calling him to the stand,” Vin replies without further thought.

  Joshua frowns. “I would prefer him to be left out of it.”

  Vin’s cold eyes snap to Joshua. “Are you aware of the seriousness of your plight, Joshua?”

  Joshua’s eyes hold his. “Yes,” he murmurs.

  “Are you aware that I am the only person who can get you off this charge, and what I say goes?”

  “I didn’t do it,” Joshua snaps.


  “I don’t give a flying fuck if you did?” Vin sneers in reply. “I don’t lose cases and I don’t play nice. I will degrade everyone in your circle if it makes you an innocent man and if you have a problem with that I will go now.”

  Joshua glares at Vincenzo and I feel my uncomfortable gauge hit ten. Oh shit, this guy is full on.

  “Fine,” Joshua snaps, annoyed.

  He starts to flick through his pad and notes he has made. “I read on a statement from Natasha’s mother that Natasha kept a diary.” His eyes rise up to Joshua. “But there has been no mention of them. Where are those diaries now?” he asks.

  I frown. Oh shit, I forgot Tash kept a diary. My eyes flick to Joshua in question.

  Joshua runs his tongue over his top teeth in contempt. “I don’t know anything about diaries,” he replies.

  I frown. What?

  Vin’s eyes hold Joshua’s. “You need to work on your lying skills—you’re atrocious. You lie very poorly,” he says dryly.

  Joshua sits back in his seat annoyed. “Listen if you are going to be a cock…” he replies.

  Vin cuts him off. “That’s exactly what I’m paid to do. I am paid to be an in-your-face cock and I do it very well for a very high price. Send someone to get the diaries,” he sneers.

  “I don’t know where they are,” Joshua snaps. “I think they were taken by the perpetrator to cover the evidence. I’m not sure.”

  Vin’s eyes meet his. “What did you tell the police about their whereabouts?” he asks.

  “They didn’t ask me,” Joshua replies.

  Vin shakes his head. “Fucking useless,” he mutters under his breath. His eyes meet Joshua’s across the table. “Ok, so here is the story. The prosecutor they are using used to work for me and he’s brilliant. He is going to rattle you like you have never known. Keep your mouth shut. Do not elaborate on anything. Do not give him ammunition to twist your words.”

  Joshua nods and swallows.

  His eyes hold Joshua’s across the table and I can hear his brain ticking. “I’m going to request a closed hearing. I understand how much you hate the press.”

  Joshua’s gaze holds his. “Thank you,” he mutters.

  “Can you give us a minute alone please?” Vin asks me and his assistants who are sitting behind him silently.

  We nod, stand and leave the room as my heart starts to beat hard in my chest.

  “All rise,” the administrator calls as the judge enters the room, and everyone stands silently. The gallery is full of reporters with notepads. Joshua, dressed in a navy suit, stands in front next to Vincenzo and two of his assistants. Then in the front row are Victoria, Bridget, Abbie, me, Cameron and his parents, and Ben and Nicholas. I feel like I am going to have a heart attack.

  The judge walks in silently, sits down and flicks through the notes in front of him.

  Vin is the first to speak. “Your honour, I request that this hearing be held in a private court room,” he calls.

  The judge looks up from his papers, seemingly surprised. “Denied, this is a matter of public interest.”

  Joshua’s head drops, oh god. Everything is going to be dragged through the press—this is Joshua’s worst nightmare.

  The prosecution lawyer stands. He is about forty, nerdy looking and grey. He also appears very confident which only escalates my trepidation.

  “We are here today to bring to justice the man who has taken his innocent fiancee’s life. To bring the truth out in the open. Natasha Marx did not die in vain and her case will prevail.

  “I call to the stand Joshua Stanton,” he calls across the room.

  My heart sinks and Cameron drops his head. “Fuck,” he whispers.

  The room sits in silence as Joshua swears on the bible and goes through the motions.

  “Is your name Joshua Stanton?” the lawyer asks.

  Joshua nods. “Yes,” he replies.

  “I’m going to go back to the beginning, shall I?” He pauses and looks around at the room for effect. Oh get off it, this jerk should have been an actor. “Natasha Marx is your first cousin is she not?” he purrs.

  Joshua swallows the lump in his throat. “Yes,” he replies. The reporters gasp and start to scribble on their pads fervently.

  “And when she was just a seventeen-year-old child you snuck into her tent one night on a camping trip with the sole purpose to seduce her.”

  Joshua hesitates as he thinks about his answer. “No, we had started a relationship that was consensual,” he replies.

  “But you did have sex with her when she was just seventeen in a tent,” he replies.

  “Yes,” Joshua replies.

  “And did Natasha’s parents know about this?”

  “No,” Joshua replies

  “You didn’t tell them because you knew that they would not approve, is that right?” he asks innocently.

  “Yes,” Joshua murmurs.

  “You left her then and moved to America and made your fortune in app development and became a household name,” he asks.

  “Yes,” Joshua replies.

  “But then you went back to Australia to see Natasha?” he questions, seemingly puzzled.

  “I went back for my brother’s wedding,” Joshua replies.

  The jerk-off raises his eyebrows in humour. “Oh yes, you mean Natasha’s cousin,” he replies.

  Joshua glares at the prosecutor.

  “It was at this wedding that you reconnected?” he asks.

  “Yes,” Joshua replies.

  “But you didn’t reconnect at all, did you? You decided on that very day that Natasha Marx was going to belong to you and nobody else.” He sneers.

  “No,” Joshua replies cold-faced.

  “Joshua, have you ever used prostitutes?”

  Joshua drops his head shamefully. “Yes,” he murmurs.

  “Oh that’s right, because you were sleeping with one in Sydney while you were…” He holds up his fingers to accentuate his point. “Dating Natasha.”

  “No,” Joshua replies. “I was never unfaithful to Natasha.”

  “Did Natasha not satisfy you in bed?” he sneers.

  I can feel the anger radiating from Joshua. “You will pay her more respect,” he sneers.

  Vin jumps to his feet. “Objection,” he yells.

  “Move on, Mr Grieves,” the judge calls.

  The prosecutor fakes a smile and holds up a series of photographs to the audience. “Can you tell me what these photos are of, Mr Stanton?” He passes them to Joshua.

  Joshua looks at the photos and hesitates.

  “Let me tell the jury what these photos are of: Mr Stanton leaving a strip club with a stripper and kissing her as he got into his car.” He smiles broadly.

  Oh no, it’s from when Joshua was trying to make Natasha leave him, back in the very beginning. Cameron shakes his head and drops it softly. This is a fucking nightmare. I thought they would at least ease into it.

  Joshua stays silent and his eyes flick to Vincenzo.

  “Was Natasha heartbroken when this story hit the headlines, Mr Stanton?” the prosecutor snaps.

  Joshua stays silent.

  “Objection,” Vincenzo yells. “Mr Stanton cannot be asked how another feels.”

  The judge nods. “Carry on,” he replies to the prosecutor.

  “Are you a cocaine addict, Mr Stanton?” he purrs conceitedly.

  “No,” Joshua answers quickly in return.

  “But you have been hospitalised in the past for a cocaine overdose, have you not?”

  “Yes,” Joshua answers.

  “What are your fitness pursuits, Mr Stanton?” he demands.

  Joshua swallows. “Boxing and kickboxing,” he replies.

  The prosecutor smiles. “Please tell the court what other extreme sport you do?”

  Joshua rolls his lips. “Cage fighting,” he murmurs.

  “So you like to beat the hell out of people,” he asks.

  Joshua looks at him deadpan. “Some more than others
,” he replies and the gallery all break into chuckles knowing that Joshua would love to beat the hell out of this guy right now.

  The prosecutor narrows his eyes at Joshua. “Am I right in saying you are a self-absorbed, womanising drug addict who uses his power and wealth to control the people around him?”

  “Objection!” Vincenzo calls.

  “Overruled,” the judge responds.

  Everybody looks back to Joshua alone on the stand. “No,” he whispers.

  “Did Natasha Marx love you in the beginning?” the prosecutor asks.

  “Natasha loved me till the end,” Joshua replies angrily.

  “But she didn’t—she fell in love with her bodyguard,” the prosecutor sneers.

  “No,” Joshua snaps.

  The prosecutor smiles. “That is all, Mr Stanton, for the moment.” He turns to the audience. “I call to the witness stand Simon Wells.”

  Joshua frowns, stands slowly and returns to his seat next to Vincenzo at the front and the door opens and Simon, Natasha’s friend from Sydney, appears. Fuck.