Surrounded by Darkness

by Rachel Dylan

  “Yes, Your Honor.” Olivia took her time and gathered up her notes. Just like the others, Stacey would lie to protect Layton, but Olivia was going to do her best to try to catch Stacey in a trap.

  Olivia walked up to her. “Ms. Malone, you’re a college student, correct?”

  Stacey nodded. “Yes, I’m currently a college student studying business, and I have an internship at Optimism.”

  “You’re also part of the spiritual group known as Optimism, isn’t that right?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “For now, let’s put aside all of the talk about witches and New Age stuff and focus on something else. How did you meet Mr. Alito?”

  Stacey glanced over at Layton. “I met him at the bookstore Indigo. We had an immediate connection, and he offered me an internship. I thought it was a great opportunity, and I started work soon after that.”

  “And it’s also true that Mr. Alito has offered you full-time employment at Optimism post-graduation, correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “Have you ever personally felt threatened by Mr. Alito?” Olivia knew this was a dangerous question, but she had to walk down this path if she was ever going to show discrepancies in the future.

  “No,” Stacey answered.

  “Do you have any knowledge about Mr. Alito’s attack on my client, Ms. Crane?”

  Eli shot up. “Objection. There’s no foundation for this, and it’s argumentative.”

  “I’m merely asking if she does have knowledge. Let me lay that foundation, Your Honor,” Olivia said.

  “Overruled. Continue please, Ms. Murray.”

  “Ms. Malone, please answer the question.” Olivia kept her voice even but stern.

  “Yes,” Stacey said.

  Olivia wasn’t sure where this was going. “Yes, you have knowledge?” She wanted the record to be clear.

  “Yes,” Stacey said.

  “What kind of knowledge?” Olivia asked.

  Stacey looked her in the eyes. “Layton told me that he attacked Nina Marie and that he wished he had finished the job.”

  Olivia stood in silence. Had she heard that right? “Ms. Malone, you’re saying that Mr. Alito admitted to attacking Ms. Crane?”

  “Objection, argumentative,” Eli said.

  “Your Honor, I’m just asking a clarifying question based on Ms. Malone’s own words.”

  Judge Beck nodded. “I concur, Ms. Murray. Objection overruled.”

  Olivia looked over her shoulder and saw Layton’s cheeks redden. Morena was slack jawed and the courtroom was full of mumblings. Could Stacey actually be turning on Layton?

  “Ms. Malone, I’ll repeat the question. It’s your testimony that Mr. Alito admitted to attacking Ms. Crane?”

  “Yes.”

  “Ms. Malone, do you believe Mr. Alito attacked my client?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “And why is that?” If Stacey was stabbing Layton in the back, then she had to get this all on record.

  “Well, besides the fact that he told me as much, Layton has a violent streak. A really violent streak.”

  “How do you know that?” Olivia asked.

  Stacey paused. “Like I said, he never hurt me, but I am aware that recently he assaulted a woman he was dating. He went to some sort of court hearing and convinced them that she was lying, but that’s Layton’s MO. He has enough power to ensure that he can get his version of the story out.”

  “So why are you going against him here today? You already told us that he offered you a job. I’m assuming that won’t exist after this testimony.”

  Stacey nodded and looked directly at the jurors. “Because it’s the right thing to do. Layton is an evil man, and he’s hurt a lot of people. I was fooled by him at first too because he can be such a charmer, but I see the truth fully now.” Then Stacey locked eyes with Layton.

  “Are you worried for your safety after your testimony here today?” Olivia was used to making adjustments as she went, but this was a new test to her lawyering skills.

  Stacey looked at the jury and then back at Olivia. “Yes, but I also realize that if something happens to me, then Layton would be suspect number one given that this is all out in the public now. I doubt he would take that risk.”

  It was almost like Stacey was reveling in this. It was at that moment Olivia realized Stacey had planned this. This was a calculated move not an on-the-spot decision. “Thank you, Ms. Malone. I’m done with this witness.” Olivia returned to her seat, and Eli would take his best shot at trying to dig out of this mess.

  Now she would see if this fancy trial lawyer was worth his billable rate. He’d just been thrown a huge curveball.

  “Mr. Morgan, would you like re-direct?” Judge Beck asked.

  Eli stood. “Yes, Your Honor. Ms. Malone, you were not at Ms. Crane’s house the night she was attacked, were you?”

  “No, I wasn’t.”

  “So, you can’t say for certain that Mr. Alito was her attacker?” Eli asked in a stern tone.

  “I can say that based on what he told me and others.”

  “But you have no direct knowledge.” It came out more as an accusation than a question.

  Stacey took a breath. “Was I there? No. Do I believe he tried to kill Nina Marie? Absolutely. He was proud of it. Wore it like a badge of honor.”

  “Why should the jury believe you?” Eli asked loudly.

  “Because I have absolutely no reason to lie,” Stacey stated as a matter of fact.

  “If Layton wasn’t the CEO of Optimism, who would be next in line to run the company?”

  “I don’t know about a formal succession plan, but I’d guess it would be Morena.”

  “Any other possible candidates?” Eli asked.

  “Maybe, but Morena would be the most obvious choice.”

  “What about yourself?”

  Stacey looked at Eli. “I’m still a college student, so that’s probably unlikely.”

  “Would you have any issue with Morena being CEO?”

  Stacey looked out into the crowd. “No. Morena and I are close. She’s been a mentor to me. My problem is solely with Layton and how he treats people, especially women.”

  “Your Honor, I’m done with this witness, but I’d like to ask for a brief recess.”

  “I imagine you would,” Judge Beck said. “How brief is brief?’

  “Thirty minutes?”

  “Very well. We’re adjourned and will return in half an hour. Ms. Malone, you may step down.”

  The thirty-minute recess turned into a request from Eli for a continuance until the next day. Olivia sat in her house with Grant and Nina Marie. When her cell rang and she saw who was calling, she wasn’t surprised.

  “Hello, Eli.”

  “Olivia, I’m putting an offer on the table, but it expires at midnight. Understood?”

  “Yes, what is it?”

  “One million dollars,” Eli said.

  “One million dollars,” she repeated for Grant and Nina Marie’s benefit.

  “It’s a great deal. If I don’t hear from you by midnight, it’s off the table. I’ll await your call.”

  He ended the call without allowing her to respond. She turned to them. “Well, you heard the offer. It’s only good until midnight.”

  “You have to take it,” Grant said to Nina Marie.

  “I think he’s right,” Olivia said. “I don’t know that we’ll inflict any more damage than we did today. We got our main points out about Layton’s abuse, even if it was through Stacey’s betrayal. I don’t want to overplay things here.”

  Nina Marie nodded. “Yes, we’d talked earlier about justice versus revenge, and I don’t want to be vengeful. I say we take the offer and hope that this whole thing weakens Layton’s position in the community.”

  “We have time if you want to think about it more.”

  Nina Marie shook her head. “No. Abe should be here any minute to pick me up. This is the right thing to do.”

  “I’ll make him swe
at for a few and then call him back.”

  Nina Marie stood up. “Thank you, Olivia. For everything.”

  Olivia gave her a tight hug. “You’re welcome.”

  Olivia waited half an hour before making the call. The settlement offer was accepted, and Eli said he’d have her a draft document in the morning to review—one of his associates was already working on it. Olivia could only pray that Layton wouldn’t go after Stacey for her betrayal.

  “I’m not having a lot of luck so far,” Stacey said as she looked at Eliza. Stacey sat numbly on her couch trying to figure out how this had gone sideways. “I can’t believe people would want to stick by him after all of this.” A sinking feeling grew in Stacey’s stomach. Had she severely miscalculated? Were these women so blindly loyal to such a dog of a man?

  She’d fully expected loyalty out of Morena and Louise, but she was putting on the hard sell, working the phones, and the reactions she’d gotten so far hadn’t been great. Layton and Morena had been even faster on the move trying to shore up support. They’d labeled her a traitor for helping Olivia—the chief rival of Optimism. She didn’t care about Olivia. She cared about running Optimism’s spiritual group.

  “I’m not giving up on this fight yet,” Stacey told Eliza.

  “Well, I already told you that you’re welcome in our coven. I know it’s not what you’re accustomed to, but I can guarantee that no one is going to hurt you in our group.” Eliza gripped onto Stacey’s hand.

  Stacey thought she had gamed out all the scenarios, but now she was starting to doubt herself. There had to be a way to get the result she wanted. “I need you to start making calls.”

  “Me?” Eliza asked.

  “Yes. The only way this is going to work is if I have reinforcements, meaning you. We have to explain to them why there’s a better way.”

  A knock on Stacey’s door caused her to jump.

  “Let me see who it is,” Eliza said.

  Stacey feared it wasn’t going to be anyone she wanted to see.

  Eliza walked over to the door. “It’s Morena. Should I let her in?”

  “Yes,” Stacey said. She hoped she was right in her gut instinct that Morena wouldn’t actually do her harm.

  Morena walked in and made a beeline for her. When Stacey stood up, Morena slapped her hard across the cheek.

  “What were you thinking?” Morena asked. “After all Layton has done for you! You are an ungrateful, spoiled brat who thinks she can replace a man with more power in one finger than you have in your entire body.”

  “Are you done yet?” Stacey asked.

  “No. You’ve made a complete mess of things.” Morena’s face reddened in anger.

  “Then why are you here?”

  “Because you have to fix it. You need to recant those statements and do it in front of the entire membership. Say that Olivia unduly influenced you to lie.”

  “You and I both know every single thing I said about Layton was true. I don’t even know how you can still defend him. You were ticked off after that last domestic violence claim. I saw it in your eyes.”

  “Yes, I was, but he’s still family. We are on the same team, and our mission is so much bigger than any of this. We are at war, Stacey. War. This town is a spiritual battleground, and you gave a big win to the other team. Do you even realize that? I’m beginning to think that you convinced yourself this was just a power move for you without realizing the huge implications this has for our work.”

  Stacey let Morena go on and on. There was no point in trying to silence her when she was this wound up, but Stacey had one more thing to get out. “I agree that it’s about more than us, but why not take Layton out and then you’ll be in charge of the company? I can work on the spiritual side, and you can run the business. We’ll work together, but you’ll ultimately be in charge of the company. Don’t you see this is a huge opportunity for you? We don’t need him. You’re stronger than he is.” Stacey didn’t believe that, but she had to make this play right now. It was the best one she had.

  “Do you really think that?” Morena raised an eyebrow.

  “Yes. This is your time, Morena. Embrace it. I opened up a huge door for you. The least you could do is support me and get the other members off my back.” The more she kept talking the more she understood that Morena hadn’t thought this was a real possibility.

  “Layton would kill us both,” Morena hissed.

  “No, he wouldn’t. Look at the two of us. We have real power. Imagine what you could do as the leader of the company. I know you’ve been loyal to Layton for years, but his recent actions have been reckless and negligent. You’d be doing the best thing for all members.”

  Morena bit her bottom lip.

  “For what it’s worth,” Eliza said, “I agree with Stacey. You’re a strong woman, Morena. I know that we haven’t seen eye to eye, but from my group’s perspective, we’d much rather have you in charge of the company than Layton, and Stacey would bring a breath of fresh air to the spiritual component of Optimism’s work. Layton’s violent tactics against women are totally unacceptable.”

  Morena lifted up her hand. “Even if I were theoretically to consider this, how in the world do you plan on actually implementing this idea?”

  If she’d gotten this far, Stacey was confident she could get her all the way. Emboldened, she pushed forward. “We would start making phone calls. I know you’ve already been talking to people. You would say that you had a knee-jerk reaction, but now that you’ve had some time to think through all the facts, you believe it’s best for Layton to go and you to replace him.”

  “And if people reject me?” Morena asked.

  “They won’t.” Stacey was confident of that. “I think everyone is tired of Layton’s games. They’re afraid of the fallout. If we’re all united, then there’s nothing he can do. Get Louise on board and that will help too.”

  Morena shook her head. “I can’t even believe I’m considering this.”

  “You know in your gut it’s the best move for Optimism. Don’t let Layton’s grip on you cloud your vision here. You need to step up, Morena. It’s your time.” Stacey was laying it on thick. Morena would only reign a short while if Stacey had anything to say about it, but it was just the solution she needed right now. And Stacey planned to make it happen.

  Olivia and Grant had finished dinner and went into his living room.

  “You said you wanted to talk,” Olivia said. She hoped that meant this was going to be a good conversation, but she was also fearful that he could backtrack on the progress they had made.

  “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.”

  Uh oh. She wasn’t sure where this was headed. “And?” She held her breath waiting for the response.

  “I love you, Olivia.”

  “And you know I love you too, Grant.” She hesitated, wondering where the but was going to come in. “But?”

  “There is no but this time. If you’re willing to be patient with me as I continue to work through some things, then I want us to be back together officially.”

  Olivia sighed. “You know that’s what I want.”

  “You’ve already been tolerant of my antics and mood swings. You’ve shown me what real love is, Olivia. I’ve never had anything like this before. Never had someone love me so completely and freely. Always putting yourself second. I can only strive to be a better man with you in my life.”

  Tears started flowing freely down her face. “I know it’s not easy being here in Windy Ridge. Living this life fighting not only battles in the courtroom but battles for the hearts and minds of people in this town. But I truly believe God has called us both for that purpose.”

  Grant took her hand. “I can’t promise life with me will be easy, but I can promise that I will love you the best way I know how.”

  She thought the conversation had taken quite a serious turn. “Grant, I don’t want to push you on any grand declarations tonight. I want us to be together, and if we decide to take the next ste
p, we’ll know when it’s right.” She didn’t want him to feel pressured.

  Grant nodded. “I know now’s not the right time for any of that. I have to show you that I am the man who will be there for you, and lately, that hasn’t been what’s happened. If you give me a chance, though, I’ll show you I am willing to fight for you. For me. For us. For what we have together.”

  Her heart melted, and she leaned into him. “That’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time.”

  Grant gently lifted her chin and their eyes locked. When his lips met hers, she knew this was the man she’d be spending the rest of her life with. And she was willing to wait as long as it took to make that happen.

  Layton sat at home, still seething from what apparently was an attempt at a hostile takeover. Everyone he thought he could trust was turning against him—and the biggest traitor of them all was Morena.

  In a sick way, he almost respected Stacey’s power grab. She’d learned from the best watching him at work. So as mad as he was at her for blowing this whole thing up, at least he understood her motives and appreciated her desire for power. He’d almost been too good of a teacher, and he let his pupil get out of control.

  Morena, on the other hand, was a completely disloyal woman whom Stacey had hoodwinked into thinking that she could run Optimism. His business.

  Layton knew Stacey’s ultimate plan was her taking charge, and Morena could be easily dealt with when the time was right. But now he had to figure out what to do about all of this.

  He’d consorted with the darkness and was calling upon that power to help them. Yes, they all had those powers, but he had more. The years he had spent in service to the evil one had to pay off right now. That was the bet he was making.

  He’d invited Morena over tonight and had promised her that he wanted to see if they could talk things through. But Layton wasn’t going to let her take over Optimism. Not the company he had built and fought to make something of for a chunk of his life.

  Morena arrived a bit later, and he welcomed her into his house. “Thanks for coming over. I thought it best that the two of us have a chat given all that is going on.”