Chapter 13

Evelyn

Monday 6.34am

Seagulls are circling as Rosie tosses her toast crust onto the sand. “How can you be so chill about this? I mean, I think this is possibly the most excitingly romantic thing ever, but this is a big case, so your sex life is going to be on the news.”

I take a bite of my toast and wince at the pain swallowing causes. “I’m recording a video. It may not even go to trial.”

Rosie seems a little deflated I won’t be put on the stand and called out in front of a jury. Her shoulders slump, and she takes another bite of toast before answering. “The nude picture’s going to be released though. And the photos after ass face attacked you.”

I sigh and lean back on the sand and look at the sunrise. “I agreed to those being released because they’ll help Connor’s case.”

Rosie releases a long sigh. “Wow. When you go in, you go all in.”

I smother a smile as she stares at the scorch mark we’re sitting in the middle of. “Still can’t believe you burnt all his clothes without me. I’d have brought some marshmallows, and we could have made smores.”

I laugh and shove her shoulder. “Maybe we’ll do that next time I have a ceremonial burning.”

She grins back at me. “It’s nice to see you smiling. I really hope this works out for you. You deserve a happy ending after all the shit you’ve been through.”

“Thanks. I hope so too.” I exhale and pull myself up, cleaning the sand off my jeans. “Can I use your phone since your provider has coverage out here?”

She gets to her feet and pulls out her phone as we start walking back to the house. “Can’t believe you’re going to tell your mom. She’s going to freak out.” I frown at her, but she doesn’t let up. “You think she’ll like, lose her reputation in the church or something? I mean how strict are Baptists about stuff like this?” I press my lips together and jam them tight in case I say something I can’t take back. She seems to get the hint when I glare hard at her. I open the door and start to dial my mom’s number, and Rosie seems to lose all her bravado. “Eeek. I can’t listen. I’m going to make some coffee. Good luck.” She slips away like a coward leaving me to face the music alone.

I hit call and clear my throat. Whatever I was going to say goes out the window when my mom picks up on the first ring. “Rosie? What’s wrong? Is it Evie? Oh, dear Lord, is she okay?

“Mom! It’s me. It’s Evelyn.”

My mom shrieks in my ear. “Oh! Evie! It’s so good to hear from you. I’ve been calling Rosie frantically when you didn’t respond to my messages. Tammy told me you got fired. Is that true?”

I scratch my scalp and try to sort out in my head how I can break the news along with her heart. “Mom, um. I have something important to tell you.”

She sucks in a gulp of air. “I can’t say it’s surprising. And it’s important you know that even though I don’t agree with your life choices, I still love you.”

What on earth? “Mom? What are you talking about? What life choices?”

“Well, you know. Being a gay lesbian.”

I snort and have to muffle a laugh as my eyes start to water. “Um, I’m not a lesbian.”

My mom is silent as I clamp a hand over my mouth to stop from laughing. “Are you laughing at me? That’s just plain rude, dear. I raised you better than that.”

Rosie pokes her head around the corner with a worried expression on her face when I wave her away. This is hard enough without an audience.

“Mom, would you just listen to me?” My mom is silent long enough for me to pull myself together. “I was calling to say I met someone. A man.”

A loud squeal comes down the phone. “Oh, that’s marvelous! Oh, Evie, I am so happy for you! Tell me everything. I want to know every juicy detail.”

I flinch at her choice of words. “I think you better sit down for this.”

To her credit, she hears me out, not interrupting once until I get to the assault when she cuts me off. “Oh, dear Lord, how could you not tell me all of this? Thank the Lord he was there. Don’t you tell me that praying doesn’t work. There was more at work than you think, Evie. This was a miracle!”

I smile. “Well, he does say I’m his angel.” From the heavy breathing, I think my mother is about to faint, so I wrap things up and tell her the worst, that in order to keep him from going to jail I’ll have to share all the details of the weekend we spent together. “I’m sorry if this is going to cause you problems, mom. I never intended for this to get out.”

She near growls down the phone. “Oh, don’t worry about it. You’re a beautiful girl and if nude pictures of you are going to come out, better now than in twenty years.”

I snort another laugh. “Mom! It’s not just a picture. It’s the details. I don’t know how much will be released to the media, but a lot of it is going to make me look bad.”

She scoffs in my ear. “So the gossips will have fodder for a while. It’s your brother I’m more worried about. He got into countless fights when you hit puberty. I can only imagine what this will be like for him.”

I pull a face as I stare at the floor. “What about dad?”

My mother’s stony reply gives me answer enough. “He’s in no position to judge, now is he?”

She doesn’t elaborate, and she doesn’t need to. Dad’s affair seven years ago is our family’s worst kept secret. “Okay. Well, still, he should know.”

“Oh, I’ll tell him, but like I said. No position. Evie, are you really alright? I mean, this man. He’s good for you?”

I try not to think about every way Connor is extremely good for me, and just give her the reassurance she needs. “He’s rough around the edges, but I think I could smooth him out.”

“Good for you, sweetheart. Now put Rosie on, I want her to tell me the truth about how badly you were hurt. I know you’re lying to me.” I start to protest, but she cuts me off again. “Do I need to come all that way out there and stay again?”

“No, mom. I’ll go get her.”

“Good girl. I love you, darling. And I expect continual updates on this. Please don’t leave me in the dark again.”

“Love you too, mom.”

Tears start to blur my eyes, so I hand the phone off to a noncommittal Rosie and escape to my bedroom. I lie back on my bed and exhale all the tension out of my body. My new cell vibrates in my pocket. I wriggle it out and find a clump of texts and a voice message. I read the texts, more from my cell service, one from my mom, which must have been delayed, and a couple from work wondering when I plan to return.

I’m not sure I can retrieve the voice message, but I check it anyway. My heart starts to thump hard, and my stomach backflips as I hear Connor’s voice.

They let me have a phone call since I’m staying here till the trial. I figured you wouldn’t be able to pick up if you’re at home again, but I need to ask you something… He draws out the silence, torturing me. What are you wearing right now? I roll my eyes, grinning like a moron considering my life is about to be trashed. Are you wearing that black bra with the bow at the front? And the matching panties? Because thinking of you wearing those is kind of getting me through all the prelims. Aaaw shit, I gotta go.

The message ends with a click.

Rosie knocks on the door and looks like she’s seen a ghost. I sit up and start to laugh. “Talking to my mom was that bad?”

She hands me a cup of coffee and sits beside me on the bed. “She wants me to take a picture of Connor and send it to her. I can’t do that, can I?”

I sip my coffee and sigh heavily. “What did you tell her?”

Rosie pulls a face and makes her voice an octave lower to match her posture. “I told her I’d try, but I did draw the line at trying to get a picture of you together.”

I hold in a laugh, even though I’m not sure this is something funny. “Well, she’ll be seeing my photo alongside his mug shot on the news soon. Maybe that’ll work?”

Rosie starts to laugh. “Who are you? And what have you done with my stuffy, uptight, and miserable friend?”

I grin and laugh with her. “You make really awful coffee; you know that?”

***

Two weeks later

Connor

Tuesday 8.57am

My pulse is speeding as I take a seat in the waiting area. We passed a couple of stray reporters in the hallway who shoved microphones in my face and started asking me a bunch of questions I knew to expect but liked even less. At least Evelyn isn’t here for the Hoskins’ trial. Walter’s lawyer will come out swinging. Lucky for me, I’m withholding something they don’t know about.

Even Travis seems to have found a bit of fighting spirit, possibly due to Tessa finally agreeing to go out with him. Two trials got too much for him to handle on his own, so he went ahead and found a few interns. I’m sitting with the three of them, pouring over a document when I start to get nervous. My hands are shaking, and my feet can’t stay still in my shoes. I’m wearing a borrowed suit that fits snugly, and the neckline is choking me.

Travis’ phone rings and he answers it and frowns. “It’s for you.”

He hands me his phone, looking none too pleased. I take it while he goes back to the interns. “Hello?”

“I know we’re not supposed to be talking, but I wanted to say I’m sitting in today,” she says.

I shake my head. This isn’t a game I want her involved in. “I’d rather you didn’t.”

She’s silent. “You don’t want me there?”

I huff a breath. “I don’t want you hearing the details.”

“I know all about your conviction and the women involved in both of these cases. My lawyer was very thorough.”

I cover the phone and curse. “I’ll bet he was.”

“She. Connor. My lawyer is a she.”

The door opens, and my heart starts to speed when three armed court officers are visible in the hallway. “It’s time to go, Slade.”

I nod. “I’m going in now.”

“I heard.”

I can’t say anything else in front of the officers, so I just hand the phone to Travis. He switches it off and slides it back into his pocket. He steps to my side, looking like a pit bull, and supremely confident. “Just remember what I said. Stick to the facts. They’ll try to bring the Myers case into it, but the judge is sympathetic.”

The interns fall into step as the media swarms around us in the hallway. They start shouting, pushing cameras into my face as we try to get into the courtroom. The court is buzzing, jam-packed so even if Evelyn is inside already I can’t see her. I take the stand and try not to look at the jury or at Hoskins as I place my hand on the Bible and swear my oath to tell the truth.

Clara Hoskins is sending me coy glances from her seat in the front row which is unsettling, to say the least. I scan the crowd, and my heart nearly explodes when I see Gina sitting amongst them. I press my lips together to hold in a muttered curse. Have all my past hook-ups decided to come see this? Gina shouldn’t be here. There’s a possibility this isn’t going to go well.

Hoskins’ lawyer eases up from his seat, and Hoskins’s sends me a decidedly smug look, making my unease grow even further. “Mr. Slade, would you please state your full name and address for the record?”

I bite my tongue. “Connor Anthony Slade. I don’t have a home address.”

“You’re homeless?”

My fists curl. “I’m currently lacking a residence. Yes.”

He nods slowly and looks at the jury. “And Walter Hoskins decided to give you a chance despite knowing your criminal history?”

I swallow. “I’d say he gave me a chance because of my criminal history.”

The lawyer stares at me for a beat. “And what did he hire you to do on his boat?”

I know where this is heading so I keep my voice calm. “He said he hired me as a deckhand, but that’s not why he agreed to pay me to stay on his boat.”

The lawyer shifts his weight slightly. This isn’t what he expected. Travis is keeping a straight face, but one of the interns has the worst poker face. She’s already looking at the jury waiting for a reaction.

The lawyer is quick to steer me back to his question. “He hired you as a deckhand. He asked you to work for him, gave you an opportunity, and the moment his back was turned, you took advantage of him and his wife.”

I shake my head. “No. He hired me because he thought his wife was being unfaithful. He paid me to try to seduce her because he wanted to catch her in the act.” I hear several gasps, one coming from the direction of where Hoskins is sitting, glaring daggers at me, just begging for me to tell the truth in its entirety.

The lawyer’s eyes widen, but he’s too experienced to let this throw him off his game. He shakes his head and almost smiles. “Mr. Slade, that is an outlandish accusation to make.”

I don’t say a word, just keep my expression neutral as Clara whispers to her lawyer. “He was going to start divorce proceedings, and he needed a rock-solid case against her. He was trying to catch her in the act so he could take photos.”

Clara leaps to her feet. “You bastard! I knew it!”

Hoskins twists in his seat. “It didn’t stop you from whoring around though did it?”

The entire courtroom erupts, and the judge has to call order several times.

The lawyer takes the tiniest step back then looks at the judge. “Your honor, may I approach the bench?”

The judge waves his hand. “You may.”

Travis scratches something on his legal pad and slides it to the intern. He is quick to rise and runs out of the court.

The lawyer gives me the evil eye as he stalks up the judge. “Your honor, I need to confer with my client.”

The judge looks vaguely amused. “Yes, I’d say you do.” He bangs his gavel. “This court will convene. I’ll see both lawyers in my chambers.” The lawyer moves to shake his head, but the judge raises an eyebrow. “Really? Would you rather I allow this line of questioning to continue? This is fast turning into a three-ring circus.” He pointedly looks at the jury who seem to be having trouble keeping their composure, along with the rest of the court. I hold my breath, hoping this is enough to get me out of here when the judge looks at me. “You are dismissed, for the time being, Mr. Slade.”

I have just enough time to catch Travis’s subtle nod at me before I’m bustled out of the courtroom. The intern Travis sent out of the room is waiting for me when I get back to holding. He’s winded as he takes a seat alongside me.

His voice is a little too excited. “Did you really get caught right in the middle of having sex with his wife?” I glare at him, and he shrinks back against the wall. “Sorry, it’s just that, uh, that’s kind of awesome?”

My lips twitch. With nothing else to do but wait, I figure I may as well talk to the kid. “Sorry to burst your bubble, but all I did was rub sunblock on her.” In a manner of speaking.

His face looks crestfallen. “Oh.”

I chuckle and keep everything else that happened after she took her jewelry and her bikini top off to myself. Clara’s not exactly innocent in this. I’m pretty sure she would have screwed me, but I’m not landing her in the crap for working with her Uncle O’Reily in their little insurance scam.

As far as I can tell, if I keep my mouth shut, no one loses.

I lean my head back against the wall and think about Evelyn and hope she slipped out the door when the court went nuts. There’s still a chance she’s going to hear all the worst things I’ve done, but I can’t think about that right now. I can’t think about anything to do with her until I’m free and clear of this.

Travis comes in the room forty minutes later with a smug smile and a piece of paper that is a lawyer equivalent of a hard-on. “Mistrial.” The intern beside me jumps to his feet, and Travis looks like he’s either going to hug me or kiss me and right about now I think I’ll probably let him do either.

“Do I need to testify again in court?”

Travis shakes his head. “You’ve been struck off the witness list, but a new trial could take months.”

My stomach knots. “I’m going back to jail ‘til then?”

He still looks puffed up, but he doesn’t sound as confident. “There’s the matter of Evelyn’s trial and your involvement. It complicates things.”

I exhale in a rush of air. “Just answer the question.”

Travis takes a seat and places his laptop on the table. “I don’t know. Evelyn has given her video testimony, but you should know that the media has gotten wind of your involvement in her case. You’re turning into a rock star. I’m fielding calls left and right. Everyone wants a piece of this.”

“I’ll bet they do,” I mumble.

“I got a call from Evelyn’s lawyer a few minutes ago. She’s working on a deal. Evelyn drops the charges if Myers drops his against you.” Travis opens the browser on his laptop and punches in the local rag’s address. A photo of a school and Myer’s grinning face is plastered over a headline for a charity event. “Myers can’t afford for this to go wrong. He’d be an idiot not to take the deal.”

The intern squirms beside me. “He’s a school teacher?”

Travis nods and a flickering of disgust crosses his face. “Was. He’s been suspended. And police are investigating an alleged assault from a former student who’s come forward after seeing the news, but there’s a chance he can still salvage the situation if he agrees to drop the charge against you.”

“Settle out of court, you mean?”

Travis nods and looks about as disgusted as I feel. “He may walk for this one, but you will too, and like I said, it looks like he has a history, and you know how it goes. More will crawl out of the woodwork now that this is public.”

I run a hand over my face, not sure whether I should be celebrating the fact a rapist isn’t going to go to jail for what he did to Evelyn, but if I did half as much damage to his face as I think I did, he’ll have a lasting reminder of what’ll happen if he tries it again every time he looks in the mirror.

It’s not enough recompense, but I figure if the police don’t prosecute him soon, I make one quick call to O’Reily, and Rick Myers won’t be physically capable of pissing, let alone raping a woman.