Aidan leaned over and kissed Vicky. “Aw, thanks, kid.”
“O’Malley is a good name, too, Aidan. Full of your family’s heritage,” Brigid inserted. “If you do change your name, would you consider taking your grandfather’s last name?”
“Of course, Mom. It was the first name I thought of,” Aidan assured her, feeling suddenly torn.
Brigid looked at her daughter closely “Aidan, I want you to understand why I didn’t tell the Church about you.”
Everyone at the table suddenly fell quiet, trying not to listen, but listening anyway.
“I understand, Mom.”
“No, I don’t think you do. In the eyes of the Church, my marriage was not blessed by a priest, nor held in a church, therefore, it never happened, so I didn’t have to declare it. You have to understand. I thought you were gone forever, Aidan. I was only thinking of myself. Please say you forgive me.”
Aidan thought for a moment before saying, “I’m not much of one for organized religion, so does that mean that if you were to declare me now, I still would not be your daughter in the eyes of the church?”
“No, of course not. You are my daughter no matter what anyone says, because you came from my womb. No one can take that away from either of us.”
“Then there’s nothing to forgive, Mom” Aidan stated.
Brigid started to argue, but saw the sincerity in Aidan’s eyes. She didn’t say anything, she just held Aidan’s hand for a moment, squeezing it affectionately.
“So, now I guess it’s Harold’s time to call his witnesses.” Richard stated.
“Oh, God. I had forgotten about that,” Aidan said, shaking her head.
“I can see a string of bean sráides and meisceoir making their way to the witness stand.” Brigid said.
“Bimbo’s and drunks,” Aidan translated.
“It’s going to be a bit amscaí,” Brigid concluded.
“Yeah, awkward for him, maybe,” Aidan laughed. “It’ll be hysterical, if you ask me.”
Chapter Fourteen
“All rise. Court has reconvened. The Honorable Judge Cecilia Williamson, presiding.”
As the Bailiff stepped to the side, the Judge walked in. “The Defense may call their first witness,” she stated as she sat down.
Aidan noticed that there were two more security officer’s in the room. Is that for Harold or because of Harold?
“Your Honor, for the record, as his attorney, I have advised against this,” George said and then turned to Harold. “The defense calls Harold Cassidy to the stand.”
Everyone looked at each other in amazement as Harold strutted to the witness stand. He was clearly enjoying the shocked looks on their faces. He was sworn in and spelled his name for the clerk, then he sat down.
“Mr. Cassidy, did you do the things you are accused of?” George asked.
“No, I did not,” Harold responded.
“No further questions, Your Honor,” George said and sat down.
Aidan shook her head. What the hell? What’s his game now?
Meghan looked at Harold incredulously. He is nuts. She quickly regrouped and stood up. “Mr. Cassidy, you say you are innocent of these charges, but let me rephrase the defense’s question. Were you at the Montgomery’s house?
“Yes, I was,” Harold answered.
“Did you hold them against their will?”
“Yes,” he said.
Meghan held up her hand, “You have just admitted to the kidnapping charge.”
The gallery erupted in applause. All except Aidan. That was too easy. He’s up to something.
Meghan walked back and leaned on the defense’s table. Those directly behind her shifted in their seats so they could see Harold. “Mr. Cassidy, why the game? Why prolong the trial if you were going to admit your guilt all along?”
“Ah, I’m glad you asked,” Harold said, sitting up straight in his seat. “At first, I thought you didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell. But when you took my daughter away from me, I said fuck it. Three square meals and a roof over my head sounds pretty good to me. All at the expense of you wonderful tax payers.” Harold waved his hand toward the gallery.
Several people in the back booed him. The Judge gave them a stern look.
Truly curious, Meghan asked, “Based on testimony, you didn’t even like Aidan, why would you care if her adoption was revoked?”
“Would you like the short version so the court reporter doesn’t run out of paper?” Harold teased.
“I would like the truth, Mr. Cassidy,” Meghan retorted.
“Ah, the long version it is then. Glad I’m not paying for this.”
The Judge leaned toward him, registering her annoyance with a single glare.
Harold exhaled dramatically. “All right. All kidding aside, here’s the story of Harold Cassidy. My father was a survivalist in northern Kentucky, and I don’t know who my mother was other than she was a bitch. I only made the old man proud twice in my life. Once when he got a gander at that ring, and the other when he was dying. Aidan was still a baby when I took her to see him. He thought she was a boy who would carry on our family name. I couldn’t tell him otherwise,” Harold stopped to clear his throat.
“How did you care for Aidan? I mean, did you have help?”
“Sure, hold a baby in your arms and the women come out of the bar like cockroaches.”
Aidan listened intently, developing a mild case of nausea. I don’t know which is worse, him holding me or those cockroaches.
“Anyway, at an early age I was put to work to provide for the community. I was taught how to fish, hunt, and chop wood. After Aidan ran away and Vicky forced me to rape her, I disappeared in the Boston Mountains and lived there for years. That’s how good I am.”
“How old was Vicky when you raped her?” Meghan asked.
“Oh, I don’t know, twelve or thirteen, I think. I had a lot of pretty little girls at that age back then,” Harold said, his eyes closed, his lips smiling.
“Let the record show he admitted to raping Victoria Montgomery,” Meghan decreed.
“Oh, sure. The record will be full of this shit by the time we’re done here today,” Harold quipped.
Meghan looked at him curiously. “Mr. Cassidy, why did you suddenly start raping little girls?”
“Nothing sudden about it. I had a nice little set up going on in that hick town before Vicky. And honestly, I hadn’t plan to touch her because she lived next door, but when her mother accused my daughter of molesting her, I thought, what the hell, why not. I have to admit, at first I was a little bit jealous of Aidan, and then I was proud. She was more like her old man than I thought.”
Every muscle in Aidan’s body constricted, but it was Vicky who protested.
“That’s not true!” Vicky shouted.
“Order!” the Judge demanded. Aidan patted Vicky on the leg, as the Judge looked at Harold. “You may continue, Mr. Cassidy.”
“Thanks, Judge. Now where was I… yeah, so anyway, that’s why I left town and lived in the mountains for a while. Well, that and the damn cops trying to arrest me for back taxes. I never paid taxes in my life. Another good reason to go to jail,” Harold said, laughing.
“Mr. Cassidy, why did you come back to Little Rock and go after Vicky again?” Meghan asked.
“I ran out of females. I always thought it would be food or water, but in the mountains, there aren’t a lot of females to choose from. So I went down to the local bar and saw her on some stupid show, and I thought, wow, she must be some big celebrity now. And imagine my surprise when I saw Aidan sitting beside her.”
“You’re referring to the Maggie O’Hare Show, correct?”
“I guess so. The barflies seemed to be pretty impressed with the show. When I told the woman next to me that Aidan was my daughter, I got laid for free. So, I thought, I needed to remind Vicky where she came from and the fact that if it hadn’t been for me, she wouldn’t be up there on TV.”
“Could you elaborate?” Me
ghan probed.
Harold thought for a moment. “When you teach young women at an early age, like I did with Vicky, and they go astray, it is up to us to set them back on the right path, is it not?”
“No, it is not,” Meghan answered.
“What the hell do you know anyway? I was Vicky’s first. I tried to teach her how to love, and who to love. Me! And when I saw her up on that TV screen, making googly eyes at Aidan, I knew.”
Meghan shook her head. “Knew what, Mr. Cassidy?”
Harold laughed and grabbed his penis. “That all she needed was to feel my cock inside her again.”
“Objection!”
“Order!”
“Bastard!” Aidan jumped the rail and rushed at him but two guards grabbed her arms and stopped her. “You’re dead, old man. Dead!” she shouted.
“Order in this courtroom!” Williamson demanded again.
Aidan jerked her arms free and went back to her seat.
“I think we can all use some down time,” Williamson said. “Court is in recess until 0800 tomorrow morning.”
“Your honor, tomorrow is Saturday,” Meghan reminded her.
The Judge nodded. “Yes, it is. Please make note of the time change. Court is adjourned.”
“All rise.”
Aidan, who was still fuming, took a step toward Harold, as the guards put the handcuffs on him. Jerry stepped in front of her, and held her arm.
“Let it go, Sarge. He wants you to come after him. Don’t give in to him.”
“I swear to God, Jer, I’m going to kill that bastard with my own bare hands.”
“The hell you are!” Vicky admonished, forcing Aidan to look at her. “I can’t make love to you in jail, Aidan.”
“Ah, good point, Vic,” Aidan said, suppressing her anger.
“Can we get a statement?” Once again reporters rushed the two women, looking for a statement for their ten o’clock news bite.
“No comment,” Aidan grunted, and took Vicky’s hand. They pushed their way past the reporters and out the door.
*
It was late and the two women were preparing for bed. Aidan had been distracted all evening, not even noticing when their friends left, or that her mother had retired for the night. The two undressed without a word, and crawled into bed together, sitting with the sheet covering them.
“Sweetheart, what’s wrong? It’s almost over with. He confessed. We won.”
Aidan shook her head. “We haven’t won anything, Vicky. He wants to go to prison. That’s why he strung us along. Don’t you see, by confessing, he will have two or three more trials, including his case against me. So, over and over again, he can legally sit up there and torture us and we have to take it. We’ll be trap in an eternal hell.”
“He’s dying. Meghan told me as we were leaving today. She had just gotten a report in from the private detective she’d hired. Harold is dying of cancer and has six months to live.”
“Bullshit,” Aidan quipped. “It’s just another way to torture us by getting our hopes up.”
“Maybe so, but it could be the real reason he confessed. He wants to clear his conscious,” Vicky said.
“Nah, I think it’s more like he wants free medical care at the prison.”
Vicky chuckled. “You’re probably right.”
“But if he really has cancer, then he’s cheating us again. I want him to rot in jail for the rest of his life, but no, he’ll up and die just to spite me.”
“Honey,” Vicky said, leading her to the bed. “Purgatory is a far worse punishment than prison, or anything else on this earth. Now listen to me. You’ve got to let this go. You’re letting Harold eat you up inside. We are not his judge and jury, God is. And like I said, he faces a far worse punishment than what Judge Williamson will give him.”
“I know you’re right, it’s just that…”
“What, Aidan? What is it?”
Aidan shook her head and looked away.
Vicky stared at her for a second, trying to understand. Then suddenly it hit her. “I know what you’re thinking Aidan Montgomery-Cassidy, and you are completely wrong.”
“What am I thinking?”
“That Harold was right. Honey, you are not a bastard. You know who your biological father is. Your mother is sleeping down the hall, and your grandfather is serving pints of beer in Ireland. You were not legally adopted so you have everything you ever wished for as a child. Why the hell are you letting Harold get to you like this?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’m thinking about what could have been if he hadn’t ruined my life.”
Vicky leaned back and crossed her arms. She was mad and confused, trying to think of a way to get through to her stubborn wife. Finally, taking a breath to calm her anger, she pulled the sheet back and repositioned herself so that she was sitting in front of Aidan. “Think about this, Aidan,” Vicky said, holding her hands up. “Things happen for a reason, it’s the end result that counts. If you hadn’t run away when you were fourteen, you would have killed your father rather than let him touch me again. You would have gone to prison instead of into the Army, and you wouldn’t have been there to save Jerry’s life. He’d be dead now. So would President Trenton. And, honey, so would I.”
“So, you’re saying that I should thank Harold for raping you?” Aidan asked snidely.
“Don’t be a jerk.” Vicky retorted, exhaling her annoyance. “Of course I’m not saying that. He was the tipping point. Quite frankly, I could say that it was my mother who ruined my life, because she caught us necking in the treehouse and caused a scene. But my life wasn’t ruined. Yes, it was rough for a while, but in the end it made me stronger, just like it did you. Look, the bottom line is that if you believe he ruined your life, then he truly has won.”
“I don’t know what to think, baby. I’m so angry, and so full of hate for that man. I want him to say he’s sorry to the people he’s hurt and really mean it. But there’s not an ounce of decency left in him, so I know it will never happen. I’ll never have my revenge.”
Vicky shook her head. “Remember, it’s not about revenge. It’s about living and loving our life to the fullest in spite of him. That’s your best revenge.”
“You know what, kid, I hadn’t thought about it that way, but you are totally right. That’s why he keeps poking a stick at us, because we’re happy and he’s not. In spite of everything he did to us, we’re still very much in love and I for one, am completely, ecstatically happy. That must eat away at that son of a bitch.”
“Then I need you to do something for me. I need you to stop inviting him into our bedroom. Our sanctuary.”
“What? Oh, shit. I’m so sorry, baby. I promise, I’ll never mention his name ever again.”
“No, we both need to talk about it, about him. Just not in bed where we consummate our love for one another.”
“Absolutely. What about the shower? Please say he’s not allowed in the shower. The washer and dryer.”
“Are you sassing me?” Vicky asked.
“Of course not. I’m not that brave. So, what about the living room.”
Vicky laughed. She knew even though Aidan was being mischievous, she was also serious. “Well, I don’t know. Where in the living room?”
Aidan contemplated for a second. “The floor, the couch, the recliner, and the end table.”
“No, not the end table. It already hurts too much. No need to add salt to the wound.”
“All kidding aside, baby,” Aidan said as she picked up Vicky’s hand. “I really am sorry. Like you said, this is our sanctuary, and I promise you that means more than I can say.”
“Then why are you holding my hand instead of squeezing it?”
“Uh?” Aidan looked down at Vicky’s hand just as Vicky squeezed her hand.
“Anywhere but the end tables,” Vicky said lustfully.
***
It was rare in Little Rock to have court on Saturday, but Judge Williamson decided that the sooner the trial ended, the bet
ter for everyone. Harold had already confessed, so it was just a matter of protocol to have the defense rest, and she make the judgement official. Even before Harold confessed, she knew he was guilty by virtue of the evidence and the testimony. Personally, though she would never say it out loud, she couldn’t wait to send Harold away for good. Thankfully, she knew she wouldn’t be called to officiate in Harold’s next case, or any other case with him as the defendant.
The news media had sensationalized the trial over the last few days, and Vicky and Aidan were once again in the spotlight through no fault of their own. It was one thing to cooperate with reporters when the hospital was viciously attacked. But for something as personal as rape, at times it was almost as horrendous as the trial.
“Today’s the day! Rise and shine!”
“Go back to sleep, honey, you’re dreaming,” Vicky mumbled and put the pillow over her face to hide her eyes from the light.
“Come on, Vicky. The judge is going to pronounce sentence today!”
Vicky raised up on an elbow. “How do you know? Harold can still call more witnesses and drag it on for God knows how long.”
“Harold confessed. The judge won’t let him keep yanking her chain.”
“Aidan Marie, you promised me. And after last night’s fireworks display, how can you mention that man in our bed?”
“Uh… oh, so, I can see more fireworks, of course.”
“I’ll give you fireworks, missy,” Vicky snickered, and sprang up in bed, tackling Aidan and pinning her down.
***
Aidan rushed into the gallery and sat down beside Vicky.
“Aidan, what happened, did you fall in?” Vicky asked.
“No. I never made it to the restroom. I got distracted.” Aidan looked around at another packed courtroom. She saw George at his regular spot, but Harold had not been brought out yet. “Hey, why hasn’t court started yet? Where’s the judge and Harold?”
“I don’t know,” Vicky said. “I was wondering that myself. I thought we were supposed to start at eight o’clock.”
“We were,” Aidan said, looking at her watch. “It’s already 8:40. Something doesn’t feel right.”
I Won't Remember You (Aidan & Vicky Book 6) Page 17
