by Lolita Lane
Sarah managed to get the apartment sparsely furnished by using the last of her meager savings to shop for used stuff at thrift shops and in the local classified ads online. There were few decorations, and very little furniture, but she had a basic bed, a couch, a rickety old table and chairs. One of the chairs was missing its seat, but she hid it in the back, intending to repair it later.
She rented a television from a rent-to-own place, knowing her credit was imperfect. It even came with a simple stand and made the living room seem less empty.
The task of setting up her apartment was daunting on her budget, but it offered a welcome distraction. It helped her resist the urge to call Luke, which was incredibly difficult. They’d already missed twenty years together, and Sarah wasn’t thrilled with the idea of losing even more time. Still, he needed it, and she would give it to him, no matter how much her heart ached.
The final piece of the puzzle was finding a little folding patio set on clearance. The store even threw in a few half-dead potted plants for free, and Sarah was sure she could nurse them back to health. She was so proud of her little balcony as she arranged everything just perfectly.
Before the weekend was over, her home was officially ready to live in. She’d even have television service and Internet turned on while she was at work on Monday. Georgette had promised to be there to let them in.
Her life finally seemed to be falling into place. She had a job she enjoyed. She finally had a few friends, if you could call them that, at work. She even had her own place. But something was missing. Something ached inside her empty soul. And she knew exactly what… no, who… that something was.
Chapter Seventeen
Sarah hadn’t spoken to Luke in nearly two weeks. When she saw his name on her phone early one morning, she was startled. She picked it up immediately.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Hey, it’s me. Look, I know I haven’t been in contact lately, and I apologize. I just needed to get my head straight,” he said.
“It’s ok, I understand,” Sarah said.
“Do you have some free time today?” he asked.
“Why?”
“Because today is Lacey’s first hearing, and she wants me to be there. I don’t think I can go by myself.”
“You’re actually going?” Sarah asked.
“Yeah, I want to look her in the eye and watch her lie to me. I need that closure.”
“What time is the hearing?” she asked him.
“It’s at 10:30.”
“Let me ask my boss if I can go,” she said. “I’m sure he’ll let me, because it’s part of a story, and…” she paused, hating to mention that she’d have to write about his pain in the newspaper. Finally she said, “I have to get clearance anytime I leave the office during work hours.”
“I’m not upset with you,” he told her.
“About what?” she asked.
“I know you have a job to do,” he said. “It’s not your fault this story involves me.”
“I wish it didn’t,” she said.
“Yeah, me, too.”
“Ok, let me go ask my boss, and I’ll let you know if I can make it. I’ll try my best,” Sarah said.
“Thanks,” he said, and he hung up.
She headed toward Mr. Fuller’s office, but the door swung open before she could knock.
“There you are,” he said. “I was just coming to look for you. I need you to get to the courthouse before 10:30. That girl who tried to kill her fiancée has a hearing, and I need someone to go get the scoop.”
“Oh, really?” she played dumb. “Sure, I can go.”
“Well, get to it!” he bellowed, slamming his door.
She smirked and thought, well, that was easy.
The parking lot was packed. Reporters stood in a line for the metal detector at the front of the courthouse. Some carried microphones and cameras, but they were turned away. No recording devices allowed.
Sarah spotted Luke waiting for her beyond the metal detector. He waved to her, and she waved back. Minutes later, she placed her keys, phone and press pass into the plastic box offered by the guard, set her satchel on the conveyor belt, and stepped through. On the other side, she picked up her belongings.
“Thanks for coming,” Luke said. “I really appreciate it.”
“I wouldn’t dream of being anywhere else,” she told him honestly.
The courtroom was standing room only, but Lacey’s legal team had reserved a spot for Luke on the bench directly behind her. Seeing he’d brought someone with him, they cleared a spot for Sarah. She squeezed in beside him.
The room was buzzing. She’d never personally witnessed such a madhouse in a courtroom. Most court cases were quiet affairs, with nothing more than hushed whispers in the minutes leading up to the judge walking in.
Lacey’s legal team was speaking with each other quietly, leaning close in to keep their conversation private. The prosecution team sat silently, staring straight ahead with their hands folded on the table in front of them.
A door opened, and Lacey entered with her wrists and ankles shackled together, escorted by a burly bailiff. She had to take baby steps to reach her seat, and she nearly tripped at one point. The bailiff clutched her elbow and kept her on her feet.
Her eyes focused directly on Luke, but he continued to stare ahead, avoiding eye contact. He reached his left hand toward Sarah, clutching her fingers. She wrapped them around his comfortingly and squeezed.
The shackles were removed as soon as she stumbled into her seat. She turned to look at Luke, but his eyes were glazed, focused on the sign that hung above the judge’s bench.
“All rise,” announced a bailiff, his voice deep and grim. “The Honorable Judge Harrison Tyler presiding.”
The din of voices and shuffling papers quickly subsided. Everyone stood and watched quietly as the judge, dressed in his flowing black robe, ascended the steps behind his bench. He took his seat.
“Be seated,” the bailiff instructed, and everyone complied.
The judge cleared his throat and looked at Lacey sternly. “Miss Evans, I presume your legal team has made you aware that today’s hearing is solely for the entering of your plea on the following counts. Count one, arson. Count two, arson. Count three, arson. And count four, attempted murder. Are you aware that today’s hearing is only for entering your plea?”
“Yes, Your Honor,” Lacey answered.
“And you are knowingly and willingly entering these pleas before me today?” he asked.
“Yes, Your Honor,” she replied.
“You were worn in and informed of your rights before this hearing, so we will continue immediately. On the first count of arson, how do you plead?” asked the judge.
“Not guilty,” she answered.
A brief hum of whispers arose, and the judge rapped his gavel sharply on its sounding block. “Order! Order in this courtroom at once!” he shouted. The noise subsided, and the judge turned back to Lacey, asking, “On the second count of arson, how do you plead?”
“Not guilty,” she repeated.
“On the third count of arson, how do you plead?” the judge asked.
“Not guilty,” she said once more.
“And on the count of attempted murder, how do you plead?” he asked.
She paused for a moment, turning her head to look at Luke, whose eyes were fiercely attached to the judge. The swallowed hard and said, “Guilty.”
A deafening roar erupted in the courtroom. People ignored the judges gavel and his stern admonishments, their shocked exclamations rising far above the poor judge’s voice.
The judge banged his gavel repeatedly, a vein pounding angrily in his temples as he tried to regain control of the courtroom.
“If I don’t get order in this courtroom every single one of you is going to be found in contempt and fined!” he shouted, springing to his feet.
Slowly, the commotion dissolved, and he slowly seated himself. He cleared his throat again and sa
id, “One more outburst and I will clear this courtroom of all non-essential persons, is that clear?” Then he peered at Lacey over the top of his glasses and said, “I’ve entered three not guilty pleas on the arson counts and one plea of guilty to attempted murder. Is that correct?”
“Yes, Your Honor,” Lacey replied.
“Then we will schedule the first date of the trial for the first available calendar date. Council, do you have anything to add?” the judge asked her lawyers.
“No, Your Honor, not at this time,” answered the taller, older attorney.
“Court is adjourned,” said the judge. “Please remove the defendant from the court. She is to be remanded into the custody of the Hart County Jail to await trial.”
Lacey turned to Luke with tears filling her eyes. One spilled down her cheek and she said, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m giving you your life back. Forget me. Move on with your life and forget I ever existed.”
“You’re already forgotten,” he said, glaring directly at Lacey with his eyes full of ice and steel.
He pulled Sarah’s hand, and she stood. Following him out of the courtroom as Lacey was shackled and taken away.
Luke’s head was held high as he descended the courthouse steps, making his way toward his car. He was still clutching Sarah’s hand tightly as he approached it. He stopped just before they reached it and turned to face her.
“I couldn’t have done this without you here,” he told her. “Really. I wouldn’t have made it.”
“So what now? Are you going to attend her trial?” Sarah asked.
“I wash my hands of her,” he said. “What’s done is done. She’s dead to me.”
“Not to defend her, but she entered a guilty plea to save you the pain of an extended trial,” Sarah said.
“And she’ll pay for what she did,” Luke said. “It’s not my problem anymore.”
“Where does this leave us?” Sarah asked.
“There is no us, and there never will be,” he said bluntly, releasing her hand.
She watched, her heart throbbing painfully, as he walked away. He unlocked his car and disappeared inside. Then he pulled away in a cloud of burning rubber and screeching tires. She watched the little black sedan disappear in the distance.
That evening, there was a knock on Sarah’s door. She peered through the peephole and saw Luke standing there. She opened it.
“Hey, stranger,” he said. “Mind if I come in?”
“How did you…”
“I got your address from some chick at the newspaper office,” he interrupted her. “Diana… Dana…”
“Donna?” she asked.
“Yeah, I think that was it,” he said.
“Come on in,” she said, waving him in. “It’s not much, but it’s home.”
He entered as she closed the door and locked it. Then she followed him into the living room, where he was already seated on the couch.
“Nice place,” he said, looking around. “Cozy.”
“Do you want a drink or anything?” she asked.
“No, I can’t stay long,” he told her. “I need to grab some beer and head home.”
“Well, what brings you by?” she asked, sitting at the other end of the couch.
“I wanted to talk,” he said. Then he added softly, “About us.”
“You said there was no us and never would be,” she pointed out.
“Maybe I was too hasty,” he said. “I was upset. Raw nerves. Fresh from the hearing. I didn’t mean to say never.”
“So you’re saying there might be a chance for us?” she asked hopefully.
“Someday,” he said quickly. “I didn’t want to leave it like I did this morning. It wasn’t fair of me to say all that. I wasn’t in my right mind.”
“I understand,” she said, touching his arm softly with her fingertips.
He grasped her hand between both of his and wistfully said, “God, you’re so beautiful.”
Her entire body relaxed, and her lips parted involuntarily. She said, “I’m getting old and fat.”
“Stop,” he demanded. “You’re beautiful and you have the curves of a woman. You’re just as beautiful as the first day we met. Even more so.”
She flushed and smiled slightly, unable to think clearly. She had no idea what to say. She wanted the moment to last, but he released her hand and stood up.
“I need to be going,” he told her. “I’ll call you later.”
“Oh, ok,” she said, disappointed. “Drive safely.”
She stood to follow him, and just before they reached the door, someone knocked. She looked through the peephole.
“What the hell?” she muttered.
She opened the door, and Eric was standing there holding a large bouquet of flowers, which he extended toward her.
“How did you know where I live?” she demanded.
“It’s nice to see you too,” he joked. “Here, take these.”
“Answer me!” she said, stamping her foot. “How did you find me?”
“Easy, easy,” he said calmly. “You still have Find My Friends turned on.”
“Damn it,” she spat.
“Why all the hostility?” he asked her.
Without waiting for an invitation, Eric pushed past her, entering her apartment. He nearly bumped into Luke, who had been watching silently from the foyer.
“Who the fuck is this?” Eric demanded, eyeing Luke from head to toe.
“This is my friend, Luke,” Sarah said. “And I don’t recall asking you to come in.”
“Luke,” Eric muttered. “Luke. You mean that dude you said cheated on you way back when? The one you lost your virginity to?”
“Eric, you need to leave,” Sarah said flatly.
“Is this why you broke off our engagement?” Eric demanded, tossing the bouquet of flowers on the floor and rolling up his sleeves.
“I think it’s time for me to go,” Luke said.
He tried to squeeze past the two of them, but Eric stepped in his way. Eric’s hands were balled into fists at his sides, and his eyes were narrow.
“You’re the one who stole my fiancée from me,” Eric said.
Sarah pushed Eric away with her hands on his chest, saying, “He’s not why I broke up with you.”
“Then what is?” Eric demanded loudly. “You never really told me! Don’t you think I deserve that much?”
Luke quietly slipped past them and retreated, leaving Sarah to defend herself to the hostile Eric.
“Please, just go,” she said, pushing Eric toward the door.
“Fine, I’ll go,” Eric said. But he turned around and said, “This isn’t the end. I deserve to know why you threw away nearly a year.”
She closed the door and locked it, putting the chain in its track as an added precaution. She leaned against the door and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Then she noticed Luke was gone.
“Damn!” she cursed.
She flicked off the overhead light and padded on bare feet into the living room, plopping onto the sofa and flicking on the television. Leave it to Eric to screw everything up. Now Luke would probably be more afraid than ever to pursue something with her.
As the television flickered in the darkened room, her eyelids grew heavy. Soon, she’d fallen asleep to the sound of laughter blaring through the screen.
Pounding. Relentless, angry pounding.
It jerked Sarah from her sleep with her heart thudding against her ribs. She cautiously approached the door and before she could look through the peephole, she heard Eric’s voice.
“Open the door, Sarah!” Eric called, slurring his words.
“Eric, go away,” she shouted through the door.
“Not until you tell me why you broke up with me!” he yelled.
“I’ll call you tomorrow!” she shouted back. “It’s late!”
“Open the god damned door!” he screamed, pounding harder.
He was obviously drunk and very upset. She ran to the living room and looked
for her phone, but she couldn’t locate it. Eric kept pounding as she flipped over couch cushions and spilled the contents of her purse onto the floor.
“Where’s the damned phone?” she muttered.
“Sarah, open this god damned door right fucking now!” he screamed.
“No!” she shouted over her shoulder, fumbling in the dark for her phone. Her hand swished under the couch, but she came back with nothing. “You’re drunk!”
The pounding stopped, and she froze. Maybe he’d given up and gone away. She still searched for her phone, wishing she’d taken the time and money to get a landline installed. She didn’t think she’d need one, and now she was regretting the decision.
She heard a bang and a rattle. Her heart jumped into her throat and lodged there, and she paused breathlessly. She heard it again. It was coming from her bedroom. The balcony! Maybe she’d left the French doors unlocked.
Panicked, she raced for the front door. Her trembling hand fumbled with the chain, finally managing to pull it from its track.
She screamed as someone grabbed her from behind. She fought with the door, but it was locked. The lock stuck, and she gripped the doorknob firmly, fighting to unlock it as she was being pulled away from it.
Her grip loosened, and he managed to pull her away from the door. He threw her against he wall, his eyes red and bloodshot, his breath stinking with the pungent aroma of far too much alcohol. He leaned against her, grasping her chin firmly in his hand and pinning her there.
“Tell me why the fuck you left me,” he demanded.
“Eric, please stop,” she begged, tears falling. “You’re drunk. You don’t want to do this.”
“Don’t tell me what the fuck I want to do!” he spat at her. “What I want is to marry you and live the life we were supposed to have!”
“Eric, please…” she squeaked.
He slammed her head hard against the wall, knocking her loopy. Her head began to swim, and the world swirled around her.
“I said tell me why!” he screamed. “Fucking tell me why, you heartless bitch!”
“I… I… I just… wasn’t ready…” she stammered, losing control of her speech.