“I guess so. I don’t really have a choice. I can’t let her ruin what chance we have of the community believing us. Give me ten minutes.” Will takes my hand and leads me to the dock. We walk faster than I had hoped we would upon our return to our favorite place. I wanted to savor every step, but time is not on our side right now. “This is it, Layla. Are you ready?” Will takes both my hands in his and holds them tight. He stares into my eyes as if he’s searching for my answer before I speak.
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” I tell him.
“I’m sorry that this is our first time back down to the dock and we aren’t able to enjoy it. I just didn’t know where else to take you. I wanted to be sure to have a least a few minutes with you before all the mayhem.” Will shakes his head, seeming to try and collect his thoughts.
“It’s going to be ok. It’ll be crazy for a little while, but it’s nothing we can’t handle. It’s not like we have to hide anymore after today, right?” I say, smiling at him, hoping to convey with my eyes all the hope that fills me.
“I love you,” Will says, pulling me to his chest and wrapping his arms around me.
“Not nearly as much as I love you.”
*****
We pull up to the backside of the Mecklenburg County Courthouse and park at a meter. Wes pops eight quarters into the meter buying a couple of hours. There’s no one around on this side of the courthouse, not that anyone in Charlotte would necessarily recognize Will or his mother. It’s only in Davidson that they were local royalty. There are, however, a half a dozen news station vans on the street which tells me that Marlene is either still ranting or Wes’ call to whoever Steven is kept them waiting for us.
As we walk down the street and round the corner we immediately see the flock of reporters milling around the podium set up in the shade next to the Government Building where Marlene Harris is talking with a man and a woman, both dressed sharply in suits. It seems she commanded all the attention she can and is hovering around for whatever reason. You’d think she’d leave and go across the street to the jail to see Holly.
Luke’s contact, Steven, approaches and exchanges just a few words with Luke and Wes before returning to the media pool. He says something to a few reporters with pads of paper and pens in hand when they look over his should with wide eyes. He corrals them back into the group and connects with a woman who appears to be an on-air reporter by the fact that she’s holding a microphone and is pretty well put together.
“Ok,” Luke says as he stops us a few yards from the podium. “I’m going to start by giving a short summary of the events, then I’ll introduce Will. Will, you’ll speak for both you and Eliana unless they want to hear directly from her. Eliana, do you have your statement?” Eliana nods and Wes takes her hand in his and kisses her knuckles. “Will? You good?”
“Yeah, I’m good. What about you, babe?” he asks me.
“I’m good. As long as we’re together, we’ve got this, right?” I say to Will.
“It’s you and me against the world.” Will gives me on hard kiss and we’re all on our way toward the podium.
Luke whispers something to Steven and steps up to the podium. There are four or five microphones attached to the stand like a metallic creature reaching out for him. He’s composed and assured of himself. Luke is a pro at standing before a group of people and delivering a statement that some may or may not believe.
“Thank you all for sticking around today after Ms. Harris spoke to you. I had planned on calling this press conference for tomorrow afternoon, but seeing as you were all already here, I thought I’d save you a trip and some money on the parking meters,” Luke begins. The reporters laugh and one of them says “Thanks, Luke!” He’s got a rapport with the media that I had no clue about. It’s almost magical.
I see Ms. Harris taking note of our presence and see her eyes widen when she finds Will and Eliana standing with us, alive and well. She begins speaking animatedly to the man and woman she had been talking to when we walked up. She’s upset, angry even. Have we taken her spotlight? I wonder to myself as I consider the small backstory I received on her earlier.
“As you know,” Luke continues. “I am representing Holly Reynolds in the murder trial of Gregory Meyer. Many of us watched that day as Mr. Meyer was shot on the steps of the federal courthouse not far from here. Ms. Reynolds was arrested on the scene and taken into custody. My job is to make sure Ms. Reynolds is afforded her due process and receives a fair trial. I will be presenting a defense of mental anguish and bringing in testimony that will support our position. Today you’ll be getting a bit of a preview of the testimonies we’re prepared to present to the jury.” Luke turns and gives Will a nod, letting him know he’s about to be up.
“Almost two years ago Gregory Meyer’s wife and son disappeared. Shortly after that, it was reported that their bodies were found in the fiery wreckage of a car accident near Interstate Forty in Hickory. Today, we are here to tell you that Will and Eliana Meyer are alive.” Luke has to stop talking because the questions from the media immediately begin to fire off like rockets at Will. He pulls me closer to him and I do everything I can to let him know that I’m not going anywhere.
“Why would you fake your deaths?”
“Who orchestrated the façade?”
“Where have you been all this time?”
“Whose idea was it?”
“Ok, ok…please, guys, please…save your questions until the end. Will Meyer is here and he’s going to speak on his and Eliana’s behalf. I ask that you please listen to his statement before you ask any questions.” Luke steps aside for Will to take his place at the podium.
Will squeezes my hand and I give them the same look I’ve seen Luke and Claire give each other hundreds of time. It’s the look that tells him I believe in him, that I know he can do this, and that everything is going to be ok.
“Thank…” Will begins but then clears his throat. “Thank you all for being here today. I know you have a lot of questions, so I appreciate you allowing me to give my statement first. I promise I’ll answer as many of your questions as I can.” Will takes a few deep breaths and I wonder if he’s wishing he brought his written statement with him. “What I have to tell you today isn’t easy, and some of you may not believe our reasons for doing what we did. My only goal today is to set the record straight so that my mother and I can reclaim our lives in Davidson.” Will looks at me and I nod a gesture of encouragement to him. He gives me a faint, tight-lipped smile and returns his attention to the microphone monster before him.
“Without going in to too many details, because, quite frankly, the details are no one’s business, my mother and I endured years of mental and emotional abuse by my father. It’s hard to explain to someone what mental and emotional abuse looks like to another person. The best way I can try to help you understand is to ask you to think about the one person in the world who you love the most. Think about all the things they do to show you they love you. Do they complement you? Do they spend time with you? Do they support or encourage you? Do they tell you they love you? Now think about what life would be like if they didn’t do any of those things. Even after you begged them, they had no interest in you.
“Now imagine that there wasn’t just an absence of those things, but a deliberate antithesis to them. That instead of complementing you, they put you down. Instead of spending time with you, they ignored you. Instead of supporting or encouraging you, they manipulated you into thinking that you couldn’t achieve your dreams. Instead of telling you they loved you, they used you for their own selfish gain. This is what life with Gregory Meyer was like. He played the part of upstanding citizen well. In reality, he was a conniving, backstabbing, manipulative, controlling man who did whatever he had to, including destroying people’s lives, to get what he wanted.
“Almost three years ago I met a girl who changed my life.” Will holds out his hand to me and I step forward and take it. “This is Layla Weston and she’s not just a girl,
she’s the girl. When we met I was scared out of my mind to fall in love with her because I was afraid of what might happen to her. You see, the year prior I was romantically involved with Holly Reynolds. When my father found out, he didn’t approve. Instead of having a civilized conversation with me about his disapproval, he went to her family, threatened them, and then paid them to leave Davidson. I don’t mean to disrespect Ms. Harris or her husband. I don’t blame them for taking the deal my father offered them. To reject the offer would have put their lives at risk. This isn’t about them…it’s about the power my father wielded and our need to come out from under his reign.
“When Layla and I made our relationship public, my father disapproved and began a similar path to break us apart. Now, it might seem like high school popularity games when I say that my father worked to break us up. I wish it had been that benign. He threatened her life as well as the lives of both her uncle and aunt. They were forced to leave town or suffer the consequences. It was the last straw for my mother and me. We took action and plotted to disappear and then fake our deaths. It was the only way to escape the power and control he crushed us with on a regular basis.” Will pauses for a moment realizing that he’s actually telling the world not only the secret we’ve been keeping about them faking their deaths, but the family secrets Will has kept under lock and key his whole life.
“I know you have questions, and I’m going to answer them. But first, I want to apologize to the people of the Town of Davidson. You were what made my life there so wonderful. You’re a kind and generous town and I hope you’ll be able to forgive me for having deceived you. My mother and I…we want nothing more than to be a part of your special community again, and we hope you’ll take us back.”
Will releases the grip he’s had on my hand and puts his arm around my waist, drawing me closer to him. Luke comes and stands on the other side of me and I’m guarded by two of my favorite men. Luke directs the reporters to ask any questions they’d like, but that not all questions may be answered.
“Will, where have you been all this time?” a scruffy reporter with a bad comb-over asks.
“We’ve been living in Tallahassee, Florida,” Will answers curtly.
“Why fake your deaths? Why not just disappear and change your names?” another, younger, more put-together male reporter asks.
“My father would never have stopped having Layla’s family monitored unless my mother and I were dead. He was suspicious of everyone, as suspicious people usually are.”
“How did you fake your deaths?”
“This isn’t an instructional seminar, Reggie,” Luke says to the reporter he’s obviously familiar with. It doesn’t seem to bother Reggie since he laughs at Luke’s response. “Next question.”
“Miss Weston, did you know Will was going to fake his death for you?” a female reporter asks, catching me off guard.
“Oh, uh…no. I wasn’t aware of anything until after they revealed themselves to me. I was just as shocked at their deaths, and mourned with the rest of the community.” Whew! I smile infinitesimally with pride that I actually remembered part of my statement!
“I have a question,” a woman’s voice calls from the side of the crowd. “What makes you so special that Will Meyer would fake his death for you?” Heads turn trying to see who would raise such a brash and insensitive question. Marlene Harris is standing there with her Kristin Chenoweth pocketsize frame, hand on her hip, staring at me.
“Now is not the time or the place, Marlene,” Claire says from behind us.
“Oh, I beg to differ,” she says, echoing a Meyerism that I’m confident she heard on a semi-regular basis. With all of her conniving and game playing, I’m sure it turned into a mantra for Meyer with her. I remember how unnerved Luke and Claire were when I told them Marcus had said it to me, and how it confirmed to Will that we were telling him the truth about Marcus being his brother. It seems Gregory Meyer may not have been the only one to repeat this phrase to Marcus.
“Thank you, everyone, for your time today. We hope that you’ll respect Will and Eliana’s privacy as they adjust to life back in Davidson and the Charlotte area. If you have further questions, please contact me directly. I believe you all have that information. Thank you, again.” With that, Luke steps away from the podium, taking Will and me by the elbows to lead us away.
“Leaving so soon?” Marlene asks. She slithers the same way Gregory Meyer did. I’m amazed that he didn’t keep her around. She’s beautiful with long, blonde, full-bodied hair, and the arm-candy stance that is the prerequisite for any woman who stood at his side.
“What do you want, Marlene? And why did you call this press conference today? I told you to wait,” Luke chastises.
“I’m simply here to support my baby girl,” she says with feigned concern. “And since when do you get to tell me what to do?”
“Since I’m representing your daughter pro bono,” Luke says cold-faced.
“So you’re the Layla Weston. You’re not as pretty as Marcus made you out to be. But, I never could count on him to get anything right so…”
“You need to back off,” Will tells her. “Do you have any idea what he did to Layla?”
“My son was an idiot and it got him killed. What do you want me to do about it?” she says so nonchalantly.
I think I might actually throw up. I can’t believe the way she’s talking about her own son. When Holly told me that she repeatedly made Marcus beg his biological father to take him in I thought maybe it was a slight exaggeration of the truth. But standing before this poor excuse for a human being, I believe it all.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Ms. Harris,” I say. “Not that you have a clue what you lost. Despite your pathetic excuse for parenting, Marcus was a great guy. Knowing Gregory Meyer as I did, I used to think that Marcus took after you. But, he was smart and funny, and he cared about people, so…I guess he paved his own path. I’m sorry that Will didn’t fight for Holly the way he did for me. Maybe the idea of being saddled to a family that would take any offer Gregory Meyer presented them wasn’t so appealing.”
“You little…” she begins in retort but I don’t flinch.
“We’re leaving now. I hope you got your fill of the spotlight you were looking for because it’s not about you anymore. It’s about Holly, and if you screw this up for her, she’ll never forgive you.” I take Will’s hand and walk briskly back toward the car.
“I can’t believe you just did that,” Will says to me, smiling from shock.
“I know enough about that woman that I don’t have to exchange false pleasantries with her. We’re so close to having everything we’ve ever wanted. I’m not going to let that miniature Barbie ruin anything.”
“I thought you weren’t going to go rogue on me,” Will says with a smirk.
“You told me not to go rogue with the media. You didn’t say anything about the witchy mother of your ex-girlfriend.”
Chapter 11
We walk back through the door of the house and file into the kitchen. Silent. We’re all silent, at a loss for what to say or what to do with ourselves next. Of course Holly’s trial is still going to consume much of our time and conversation, but without looming threats or the need to hide something, we seem to have entered a new reality.
“So…” I say to no one in particular.
“Yeah,” Will says.
“Is it me or does it seem wonderfully weird to stand here in complete and total freedom?” I recall the day we stood in this kitchen when Will’s father presented the dirt he’d dug up on my family, and laid out his seedy offers. That day was clouded by the revelation of lies and the manipulation of a mad man. Today, the sun is shining and the world is ours.
“It is wonderful, isn’t it?” Eliana says. She, more than all of us, is relishing in the freedom we all now enjoy. I can’t imagine how different her life is going to be now, and I hope that as she walks down the streets of town that she’ll be welcomed and embraced.
“I have
something for the two of you,” Luke says to Will and Eliana with a smile. He lays his attaché case on the counter and pulls out a large envelope. From it he pulls two standard size envelopes.
Will opens his envelope first and takes out the contents, laying them on the counter for us to see. Spread out in a neat row is his driver’s license, social security card, debit and credit cards, all with the name William Gregory Meyer.
“I guess I don’t need these anymore,” Will says, pulling the same cards out of his wallet that bear my father’s first and my mother’s maiden name.
“Huh. I called you by this name for two years, yet it seems so out of place now,” I say, examining the ID’s side-by-side. “I was so honored that you took my dad’s name, but I’m so glad I have Will Meyer back.”
“And Will Meyer is glad to be back,” Will says with a relieved smile.
“Eliana?” Claire prompts. “We made the change you requested.”
“Oh, yes, of course,” she says hesitantly. Eliana takes the same cards from her envelope and sets them in a neat row, just like Will’s. “Oh, my. It’s odd, seeing my name like that again. I hope you don’t mind, William.”
Will and I look at her new identification cards and see that she’s changed her name back to her maiden name of Hufford. Will stares at her driver’s license, picking it up and examining it…letting the name roll around in his head for a long moment.
“I needed a fresh start, darling. I just…I couldn’t be attached to that man in name any longer,” Eliana tells him.
“Are you going to look at me with regret now? A casualty of the mistake you made in marrying my father?” Will’s voice is soft and reflecting the conflict he’s experiencing.
“Oh, no, no, no.” Eliana glides to Will and embraces him. “You are the very best of everything your father had to offer and I will never regret marrying him. Of all the things he ever gave me none of it compares to what he gave me when I had you. Please don’t think terribly of me. I need a fresh start, William. Part of that is reclaiming myself by going back to my maiden name. Part of that, well, part of that includes Wesley.”
Safe Harbor (The Lake Trilogy, Book 3) Page 9