Surrounded by Darkness

by Rachel Dylan

  She’d already taken Layton’s deposition in which he sat there and lied for five hours. That was to be expected, but she would have that transcript when she faced him down in court and proved he was a liar.

  Olivia had feared what this case might do to Nina Marie, but if anything, it was only speeding up her healing process. In this litigation, Nina Marie had a voice she didn’t have in the criminal case. And Olivia openly strategized with her. It was not only good for building up their case but also their continued friendship.

  Olivia was in the separate conference room with Nina Marie, and they were about to enter the main room where the deposition would be held. “Are you ready?” Olivia looked into Nina Marie’s eyes.

  Nina Marie smoothed down her black blazer. “Yes. It’s like you told me. I have the truth on my side. I don’t need to lie or hide anything.”

  “Right. The whole point is to get the true story out there. And to be completely honest, I’m not sure what tact Eli is going to take with you, so you need to be prepared for anything. Don’t get too comfortable, even if he is a smooth talker.”

  Nina Marie lifted up her chin. “I can handle him, Olivia. I know you have every right to be nervous about this, but believe it or not, I feel good. You put in the time to prepare me, and I’ll do the best I can.”

  They had spent hours on deposition preparation, mainly to make sure Nina Marie had back the confidence Layton had stripped away from her.

  “I’m not worried. Just wanted to make sure you were comfortable.”

  Nina Marie laughed. “As comfortable as I’m going to get while sitting and being questioned for half the day.”

  Olivia escorted Nina Marie into the main deposition room. Eli was already in there scribbling down notes. When they arrived, he looked up and then stood.

  “I’m Eli Morgan.” He stretched out his hand to Nina Marie. “I represent Mr. Alito.”

  Nina Marie took his hand quickly before taking a seat.

  Eli turned to her. “Nice to see you again, Olivia.”

  They’d met during Layton’s deposition. “Looks like we have everyone and are ready to begin.” And by everyone she meant the lawyers and the court reporter.

  “Let’s give Mr. Alito another minute. He should be joining us too,” Eli said.

  She took a moment to size Eli up. Average height, dark hair and glasses, and probably in his fifties. He wasn’t an attractive man, but he carried himself with confidence she assumed came from his legal prowess. From her research, he had quite the reputation. She hadn’t shared all those details with Nina Marie because she didn’t want to psych her out, but that’s one of the reasons she wasn’t exactly sure how Eli was going to handle this deposition.

  Olivia planned to be on high alert to make sure she was protecting Nina Marie. They didn’t have to wait too long for Layton to enter the room. The energy shifted immediately upon his entrance. Lord, please protect Nina Marie.

  “Hello, everyone. Sorry I’m a few minutes late.” He gave Olivia a dazzling smile, but he didn’t even attempt a handshake. Instead he took his seat and unbuttoned his gray suit jacket. His sparkling blue eyes locked onto hers. “Olivia, good to see you, as always.”

  “I think we’re ready if you are, Eli,” Olivia purposefully diverted the conversation away from Layton.

  Eli proceeded to set the usual deposition ground rules and started his questioning with basic, boring background information. Olivia willed herself to focus because at any moment the line of questioning could change, and she needed to be sharp and on the lookout to make the right objections to preserve the record.

  It took another good forty minutes before Olivia perked up to attention.

  “Ms. Crane, isn’t it true that you believe you are a witch?”

  Olivia bit the inside of her cheek waiting for the response.

  “No,” Nina Marie said.

  Olivia quietly smiled inside because she knew why Nina Marie had answered that way.

  “So, you’re denying that you were ever a witch?” Eli asked.

  “Mr. Morgan, I believe that wasn’t your original question.”

  Eli frowned for a moment and then smiled realizing his own mistake. “Let me try that again, Ms. Crane. Isn’t it true that you used to believe you were a witch?”

  Nina Marie nodded. “Yes, that is true.”

  “But you don’t believe that anymore?” he asked.

  “No. I can say with certainty that I am not a witch.”

  “And what made you change your mind?”

  He was still conversational in tone. Olivia thought that based on how this was going he was trying to make her look crazy.

  “I have left that life behind me. I became a Christian and was born again.”

  Nina Marie was following Olivia’s instruction—just answer the question asked. Depositions were not the place to explain everything.

  Eli tapped his pen on his notepad. She was fairly certain that even given his vast litigation experience he had never had a series of deposition questions on witches.

  “How does one become a witch, Ms. Crane?”

  “There isn’t just one way.”

  “Humor me with one.” Eli leaned forward in his seat.

  “You could start practicing magic, engage in spells. That would be a start.”

  “But could a person believe that they were a witch but not actually be one?”

  Nina Marie considered his question. “I think if you believe you are, you are. You may not be a very effective one though.”

  Olivia held back a laugh. This line of questioning wasn’t going anywhere.

  “Ms. Crane, is it your contention that you believe Mr. Alito is a witch?”

  “No. I do not believe that.”

  “What do you think Mr. Alito is then?”

  “A monster,” she responded without hesitation.

  “Finally, we’re getting somewhere.” Eli smirked. “You clearly hold my client in low esteem.”

  Olivia decided the tit for tat had gone on long enough. “Eli, are you going to continue editorializing or ask your questions?”

  Eli nodded. “Fair point, Olivia. I will continue.”

  And continue he did. For the next three hours. But Nina Marie went toe-to-toe with him performing like a champion. Olivia could only hope Nina Marie didn’t peak too soon. They still had a trial to get through.

  “Ms. Crane, isn’t it true that you’re still in love with Mr. Alito?”

  Nina Marie laughed. “No. I am not.”

  “But you were before?”

  Nina Marie bit her bottom lip. “I think so, but I wasn’t thinking as clearly back then as I am now.”

  Olivia wanted to kick her, but she couldn’t and wouldn’t. She should’ve never added that last piece of commentary.

  “Let’s drill down on that.” Eli adjusted his cuff link. “At what time were you, as you used the term, not thinking as clearly.”

  “I meant the time period when I was dating Layton and working with the New Age groups versus after that.”

  “And at the time of the alleged attack, were you thinking clearly?”

  “Yes.”

  “But you had just recently left Astral Tech at that point, correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “But you contend that you were still thinking as clearly as you’re thinking today.”

  “Objection to the form, argumentative, calls for speculation.” Olivia knew Nina Marie had to answer, but she wanted to preserve the objection.

  “I am thinking more clearly today, but I was thinking clearly that night. Especially when Layton stabbed me.”

  “I’m going to move to strike the last sentence of Ms. Crane’s answer as non-responsive.”

  “Actually, it was very responsive,” Nina Marie said.

  Olivia had to decide whether to let Nina Marie keep going or try to rein her back in.

  “Being stabbed multiple times has a way of bringing extreme clarity to the situation,” Nina Marie said. />
  Olivia let her go because she wanted to see how Eli was going to handle it.

  He stayed silent for a moment before continuing. “There’s no dispute that you were attacked, Ms. Crane, and I have sympathy for you over that, but the issue here is whether my client is the man who did it.”

  “And I’m telling you that he is.” Nina Marie shifted and looked Layton directly in the eyes.

  The two of them engaged in an intense stare down that made Olivia uncomfortable. The air thickened with a heaviness that Layton brought with him. Olivia decided to intervene. “Maybe now would be a good time to take a break.”

  “Actually, that won’t be necessary,” Eli said. “I’m done here.”

  “All right, then.” Olivia stood and went over to Nina Marie to remove the microphone and shield her from Layton. She didn’t want there to be an altercation between them right now, and she could feel it brewing.

  Olivia placed her hand on Nina Marie’s shoulder and guided her out of the room. “Let’s get you out of here.”

  But Layton being Layton had to have the last word, and he followed them out. “Nina Marie,” he called.

  “Don’t engage him,” Olivia said. “Let me handle it.”

  Olivia turned to face Layton and purposely stood in front of Nina Marie.

  Layton stood proudly. “If I didn’t know better I’d say that you’re afraid of me, Nina Marie.”

  Olivia had to interject. “Layton, I’d ask that you stop harassing my client. This only continues a pattern of behavior on your part that we will be sure to discuss at trial.”

  “Olivia, you clearly want to take me down, but you’re going about it the wrong way wasting everyone’s time with yet another legal battle. Haven’t you learned your lesson yet?”

  There was so much Olivia wanted to say. Like the fact that she could tell Layton was on the run and afraid. That she was going to air all his dirty laundry in a court of law. That she planned to take down his New Age network in Windy Ridge, but she held her tongue and didn’t say a word to him. Instead, she turned around and walked with Nina Marie down the hallway.

  Once they got into the elevator, Nina Marie looked at her. “Why didn’t you respond to him?”

  “Because that’s exactly what he wanted. In his own sick way, Layton enjoys the sparring match. It’s all a big game to him, and he thinks he has the edge. I want his overconfidence to continue.”

  “It took all my strength not to lose it on that lawyer back there. Thank you for preparing me so well.”

  “I’m really proud of you. You did great today.” But Olivia also wanted to level set expectations. “We still have to get through the trial though, and as you know, that’s a completely different ball game.”

  Nina Marie turned to her. “I’ll be ready.”

  Eliza sat on her couch beside Stacey. She was having an internal debate about what she should do. Stacey was making a strong case against Layton, but Eliza also realized that if she went against Layton and their efforts failed, then she would have a huge target on her back. And she didn’t want to end up like Nina Marie and Katy.

  “Tell me exactly what you’re thinking,” Eliza said.

  Stacey finished munching down on a cookie before she spoke. “I don’t have an exact plan yet, but I know that I could help turn the tide against Layton.”

  “Aren’t you afraid?” Eliza thought that was an obvious concern.

  Stacey shook her head. “Maybe six months ago I would’ve been, but I’ve started to come into my own. Ideally, I’d have liked more time to make this happen, but opportunities like this don’t come along every day.”

  “You’re playing with fire. I worry this could go sideways and you could get hurt.” Eliza felt an affinity for Stacey that she couldn’t quite explain, and she was growing to dislike Layton more by the day. Men like him who abused women really ticked her off.

  “You’re forgetting that I have power too. Layton’s not the only one who practices the dark arts, and he doesn’t realize how strong I’ve become. I haven’t told anyone at Optimism how much time and effort I’ve dedicated to expanding my repertoire. They thought I’ve been spending the summer taking a class and laying by the pool, but I’ve been meeting and working with a variety of people from across the country who taught me a lot.”

  Eliza had to give it to Stacey. She was ambitious and cunning. More so than Eliza would ever be, but to take down Layton would probably require just that. “What do you need me to do?”

  “Be there when this all goes down and help me rally support. Many members of Optimism don’t know how ruthless Layton can be. I need help spreading that word and also spreading the message that he’s a big liability.”

  “I’m not even an Optimism member, though.”

  “Not yet. But you have credibility given your status in the Wiccan community. Our people will listen to you.”

  Eliza thought Stacey was vastly overestimating Eliza’s pull, but she let her go on with it. If Layton could get removed, that would be better for everyone regardless of whether Eliza ultimately joined Optimism or not. “All right. I’ll be standing by to help.”

  “If you want to bail, I’ll understand.”

  “No. I’m in.” Eliza hoped she wouldn’t regret it.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Olivia had been pulling crazy hours to prepare for the trial. She had a sinking feeling that Layton thought he had an ace in the hole because he had been fully on board with an accelerated trial date. Eli said they were eager to clear Layton’s name, but Olivia figured they had some other play.

  “Are you ready?” Grant asked her as they stood outside of the courthouse.

  “Ready as I’ll ever be. Thanks for coming.”

  Grant gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “You know I wouldn’t miss this trial for anything. If you need me at any point, all you have to do is ask. But I know you have this completely under control.”

  He’d been much better since his case settled. They were still working through things, but she firmly believed they would be together. “Thank you.” She let out a sigh of relief when she saw Nina Marie walking up the courthouse steps with Abe by her side. She never doubted Nina Marie’s commitment, but it was still good seeing her there now and ready to go. Olivia greeted them and ushered everyone inside.

  “Is this really happening?” Nina Marie asked.

  Olivia’s pulse began to ramp up and they hadn’t even started yet, but she didn’t want Nina Marie to feel her anxiety. “Remember it’s going to be a long day. We have to pick a jury and get through the preliminaries before any witnesses will be called.”

  “But I will be called first?”

  “Yes. You will be up first.”

  Nina Marie glanced over her shoulder. Grant and Abe were talking. “Abe is concerned, but he knows this is the right thing to do.”

  “Abe loves you and is trying to protect you.”

  Nina Marie smiled. “He really does, and I love him too. Sometimes I still can’t believe how much I’ve changed literally from the inside out. I never thought I’d be able to break free of the chains of the past.”

  Olivia squeezed her hand. “But you have.”

  “With God’s help.” Nina Marie’s eyes misted up.

  Nina Marie’s vulnerable reaction touched Olivia, and she had to hold back her own tears.

  “Now, don’t you start,” Nina Marie said. “We’ve got a case to win.”

  Olivia nodded. “And there he is.” Olivia turned and watched Layton strut into the courtroom with all the confidence in the world. It was time to change that.

  Grant sat in the courtroom audience that afternoon and tapped his leg as he waited for opening statements to begin. For some reason, he was incredibly nervous. Maybe that was because he had dealt with Layton before in a courtroom and saw firsthand how dangerous he could be. But so had Olivia. She had taken him on before, but now there was so much more baggage between all of them.

  The jury had been selected, and Jud
ge Beck had been running a highly efficient process so far. First up would be Olivia’s opening statement, which he had heard her practice.

  The fifty-something-year old judge had a reputation for being right down the middle. Grant wasn’t quite sure how he would take the introduction of some of the New Age elements, but they’d have to wait and see. The judge put on his glasses and turned his attention to Olivia.

  “Ms. Murray, are you ready to proceed with your opening statement?”

  Olivia stood. “Yes, Your Honor.” Olivia walked up to the podium where she placed her notes. Grant would be surprised, however, if she actually used them. Olivia had this committed to memory—the story ingrained in her mind.

  Olivia turned and faced the jury. “Ladies and gentleman of the jury. You met me this morning before the lunch break. Again, my name is Olivia Murray and I represent the plaintiff, Ms. Nina Marie Crane, in this litigation.” Olivia paused a beat. “This case is about assault and battery, but it’s actually more than that. The evidence will show that this case is about a man, the defendant Mr. Layton Alito, who has a pattern of abusing women. A pattern of using his power against others. A pattern of evil acts.”

  Eli shot to his feet. “Objection, Your Honor. Ms. Murray is going far outside the bounds of a proper opening statement with her argumentative editorializing.”

  Grant thought the same, but Olivia was doing this all for a purpose. Once the jury heard something, it couldn’t be unheard.

  Judge Beck’s brown eyes focused in on Olivia. “Ms. Murray, consider this a warning. Please continue.”

  Score one point for the good guys.

  Olivia continued. “Mr. Alito will point to many things to claim that he is not the man who viciously attacked and left Ms. Crane for dead on the night of February twentieth. But the evidence will show that Mr. Alito had the motive and intent to gravely harm or kill Ms. Crane and that he in fact did stab her multiple times.”

  Grant looked away from Olivia and studied the faces of the jurors. They seemed engaged. The only good thing about this situation was that a case like this was more likely to keep the attention of the jury because of all the inflammatory issues that would be highlighted.