Letting Go

by Kennedy, Sloane

  The stern looking judge entered and sat behind his massive bench in the empty courtroom and studied the documents in front of him. Casey was sitting between Mason and Devlin and luckily her view of her parents had been restricted to only a few seconds when they had entered the courtroom with their lawyer and sat down at the table. Mason’s tall frame blocked her from the cold looks she was sure her parents were sending he way.

  “Mr. Connelly, how do your clients respond to the allegations brought to this court by Miss Dane?” the judge asked as he looked over his reading glasses at Arthur Connelly, Elliot and Caroline’s lawyer.

  Arthur stood and answered, “My clients are very concerned for the welfare of their youngest daughter, your Honor. She has been mentally unstable since childhood and my clients would like to see that she gets the help she so desperately needs.”

  “I assume they are denying the allegations of physical abuse?” continued the judge.

  “Of course your Honor.”

  Mason stood up. “Your Honor, I’d like to remind the court of the evidence-”

  “Your Honor, those pictures prove only that Miss Dane has suffered severe atrocities in the past. They in no way indicate that my clients are guilty of anything,” interjected Arthur.

  “Miss Dane will be testifying under oath-” began Mason.

  “Your Honor, in an effort to spare this court’s valuable time, I’d like to introduce evidence that will bring to light the validity of any testimony Miss Dane might have to offer.” The judge made a motion with his hand and the bailiff went to Arthur and took the thick manila envelope from him.

  “What’s going on?” Devlin whispered to Mason.

  Mason sat down and directed his attention to Casey. “Casey, do you have any idea what kind of evidence they’re talking about?”

  She was about to respond that she didn’t but then sucked in her breath when she saw the judge pull out a DVD and examined it. Following the disc were several pieces of paper.

  “Casey, what is it?” asked Devlin but she didn’t hear him. They couldn’t have the video – it was impossible. The judge handed the DVD to the bailiff who popped it into the DVD player. He hit the play button and turned the TV on. The scene that came into view brought tears to her eyes. Three people, two men and a woman were having extremely graphic sex. As a close up revealed who the woman was, Casey covered her mouth and hung her head. She heard Devlin’s sharp intake of breath.

  “That’s enough,” said the judge to the bailiff who turned the TV off and took the DVD out. “Miss Dane, was that you in the video?” When she only nodded, the judge said, “I need to hear your response Miss Dane.”

  “Yes.” Her voice cracked on the single word.

  The judge flipped through the papers in front of him. “These records indicate you were arrested in Chicago for solicitation and drug possession four years ago. It also indicates that the video we just saw has been distributed on multiple internet sites by an adult film company. Is that correct?”

  “Yes.” Casey saw Devlin drop his head into his hands.

  “In light of this information, I see no reason to delay this case any longer.”

  “Your Honor,” interjected Mason.

  “Sit down Mr. Corrigan. I find serious issue with your witnesses’ credibility so unless you have something else I am ready to rule. Full custody of the minor child is awarded to Dr. and Mrs. Dane. Mr. Prescott, you have 24 hours to turn the child over to the Danes.”

  Devlin rose so quickly that his chair fell over. “You can’t do that!”

  The judge slammed down his gavel. “Mr. Prescott, you will come to order.” Casey didn’t wait to hear any more as she fled from the room. Outside the courthouse, she flagged down a cab. She heard Devlin shouting her name from somewhere behind her but she didn’t stop.

  ***

  Casey flew up the stairs of Devlin’s townhouse, tears streaming down her face. She had failed. Rushing into her room, she ripped her bag out of the closet and started stuffing her clothes in it. She didn’t even slow down when she heard the front door slam and the sound of Devlin’s voice as he shouted her name. The door to her room flew open with such force that it slammed into the wall.

  “Casey!” he shouted as he strode into the room. She ignored him and kept jamming the clothes in the bag. He went to her and ripped the bag from her and threw it across the room. “What the hell was that?”

  She shook her head as tears ran down her cheeks. She tried to move around him to get her bag but he pushed her back against the door of the closet. “Start talking!” he yelled.

  “I’m sorry Devlin.”

  “Jesus Christ! Do you have any idea what you’ve done? How could you not tell me?”

  “I didn’t think they’d find out. Your private investigator didn’t know so I figured anyone they hired wouldn’t figure it out either. I never used my real last name!”

  “Start from the beginning,” he said in a barely restrained voice. “I think you owe me at least that much.”

  “I met a man named Mateo Santero a couple days after I got to Chicago. I didn’t have any money or friends and I was terrified that Elliot would find me so when Mateo offered to help me I took him up on it. By the time I figured out what kind of man he was, it was too late. I tried to run once but he found me and after that he made sure I knew what would happen if ever I tried to leave him again. And then he made me make that video – I don’t even remember most of it because he had forced me to take some pills.” Her voice broke off and she dashed angrily at her tears.

  “One day about three years ago, Mateo took me with him when he went to take care of some business – that’s what he called it. We stopped at the apartment of this girl who had only been working for him for a couple of months. Her name was Carrie. He told me to wait in the car but I was worried about Carrie – she was really young and she didn’t want to work for Mateo. So I waited a few minutes and then I followed him upstairs.”

  Casey pushed her hair off her face and cradled her head in her hands for a moment, trying to ward off the pain that was building in her head. “It turned out that Jonas was friends with her and was trying to help Carrie leave that night and Mateo found out about it. When I got to the apartment I heard shouting. The door was partially open so I looked in and saw Jonas lying on the floor – his face was covered in blood and he was holding his side where Mateo had kicked him. And then I heard Carrie scream.” Casey’s voice broke off in a strangled sob. “He was stabbing her over and over. Before I could do anything, Jonas got up and tried to stop him but Mateo knocked him down and went after him with the knife. That’s when I grabbed a lamp from the side table and smashed it over Mateo’s head. It didn’t kill him but it knocked him out long enough for me and Jonas to get away.”

  “And the girl?”

  “She didn’t make it.

  “Why Ashland?”

  Casey wiped at her face before responding. “I found out Senator Caulfield was my father when I was five and I overheard my mother and her first husband arguing about it. He found out I wasn’t his after my appendix ruptured one day and I had to have an emergency appendectomy. The hospital asked him to donate blood because I had a rare blood type. When they told him that the combination of his blood type and my mother’s didn’t match mine, he confronted her and she told him the truth about Peter.”

  Casey shook her head. “My father wouldn’t even look at me after that and after he died my mother kept reminding me of what a disappointment I had been to him. I didn’t tell her I knew everything but as I got older I started to wonder more and more about him. I found out that he lived in Ashland when he wasn’t in DC. After what happened with Mateo, it just seemed logical to go there. I had no intention of telling him who I was but at least I could be near him and Mateo would never think to look for us in a remote northern Wisconsin town.”

  “What happened when you got to Ashland?”

  “We tried to find work but with both of us being so young it was hard.
Every place we tried wanted our social security number and we couldn’t risk either Mateo or my parents using it to track us down. After a few days, we decided we might have more luck in Minneapolis so we tried hitching a ride. While we were on the side of the road, we found a cat that had been hit by a car. It was hurt pretty badly but we didn’t have the heart to just leave it so we walked back into town and tried to find a vet. A guy gave us a ride to the animal shelter. The owner was a retired veterinarian. She helped the cat and offered us a place to stay in return for doing some of the chores she couldn’t do anymore because of her age. We ended up sticking around and when she died last year she left the shelter to us.”

  “That still doesn’t explain why you didn’t tell me all this in the beginning,” Devlin said tightly.

  “Jonas and I witnessed a murder Devlin. Mateo is still looking for us. I couldn’t risk any of it getting out and into the papers!”

  Devlin shook his head and took several steps away from her as if he was afraid of what he might do to her if he didn’t. “That doesn’t excuse what you’ve done Casey! Don’t you get it? They won. I can’t stop them now. If I had known the truth about your past, maybe I could have prevented all this – found another way.”

  “There has to be something-” she began.

  “There isn’t! This was Isabel’s last chance!” Devlin paced for a moment and then grabbed her bag and tossed it at her feet. He pulled a business card from his wallet and dropped it on the bed.

  “Here’s Mason’s number – call him when you decide where you want to start over and he’ll help you get set up.” Once he was gone, Casey sank to the floor and cried.

  ***

  Three hours later Casey found her way to the bus station and caught a late night bus bound for Green Bay, Wisconsin and then another bus that took her to Ashland. Jonas was waiting for her when the bus pulled into the depot the following evening. She hadn’t needed to explain much to him when she called him the day before and he didn’t even press her for details when they arrived home.

  When Casey saw all the renovations that Devlin’s money had paid for, her heart shattered into a million pieces. Unable to bear the pain, she sought the shelter of her room. Several days passed but she didn’t come out. Jonas left her food outside the door but it remained untouched. By the end of the third day, Jonas started to wonder if she would snap out of it at all. He’d never seen her so devastated and lifeless before. In the past, she had always buried herself in work to escape her feelings but now she was letting them control her ability to function in even the simplest of ways.

  At a loss as to what to do, Jonas closed the shelter for the evening and then walked to the end of the driveway to collect the mail. There was still a bite in the air but winter was slowly on its way out. He wondered if the coming spring would lift Casey’s spirits at all. Opening the mailbox, he dragged out a stack of mail, mostly bills, and then made his way to the house. With the mail tucked under his arm, he entered the house, dropped the stack on the kitchen table and then went about the task of scrounging up another dinner that Casey probably wouldn’t touch.

  As he was waiting for the water to boil for the macaroni and cheese he was making, Jonas sifted through the mail, separating out the bills. It was then that he noticed the large manila envelope at the bottom of the stack. Casey’s first name was written in large black letters on the front and there was no return address or postage on the envelope. Jonas went back to the stove and turned it off. He ran upstairs and knocked on Casey’s door. “Case?” When there was no response, he said, “Casey, there’s a package here for you.” Still nothing. Jonas tried the door but it was locked. Fear went through him. “Casey, are you all right?” She didn’t answer. “Casey,” he yelled as he pounded on the door, “talk to me.”

  He finally heard movement from inside the room and then her weak voice, “Leave me alone Jonas, please?”

  “Casey, you have to come out and eat something. You’re gonna make yourself sick.” Jonas bit back a curse when she didn’t respond. He glanced at the envelope in his hand and then bent down and shoved it under the door before returning downstairs.

  ***

  Casey was too lost in her own world to even hear the envelope as it scraped along the wooden floor and came to a rest just inside the room. She was surrounded by blackness but no matter how dark the room was or how tightly she squeezed her eyes closed, she could still see images of Isabel flashing over and over in her mind. Elliot’s heavy hand, Caroline’s wicked smile and Amanda’s tear stained face mixed with pictures of Isabel’s tortured features.

  All of Casey’s strength had disappeared the moment the judge had made his ruling. She should have known that she would fail. Her parents were stronger. They always had been and they always would be. What had ever made her believe she could beat them?

  Exhaustion ruled every fiber of her being but she was in too much pain to sleep. Rational thought had left her the moment she had fled New York and even the most common tasks required too much effort to do. Her stomach screamed for food but she was too tired to chew. If only she could sleep for a while. If she could just close her eyes and not hear Isabel’s crying. Casey put her hands over her ears and then rolled on to her back. Her muscles screamed in pain from lack of movement as nausea swept through her. She forced her legs over the edge of the bed and hung her head in hopes of easing her rolling stomach. The light from the hallway outside her door was just enough for her to see the outline of the envelope near the door.

  Casey dragged herself off the bed and crawled over to the envelope. She could barely make out the big black letters on the front. Opening the envelope, she pulled out a piece of paper. Turning it over in her hand, she realized it was a piece of a newspaper. Crawling over to the wall, she reached up and flipped the light switch to on. Light flooded the room, causing her head to swim. She closed her dry eyes and waited several seconds before testing them in the light. A full minute passed before she was able to see clearly. The first thing she saw in the newspaper article was Devlin’s face and then his body. His hands were handcuffed behind him. Mason stood next to him, trying to shield Devlin’s image from the camera.

  Casey’s eyes lifted to scan the headline which read, Millionaire CEO Found in Contempt; Faces Kidnapping Charges. Her eyes quickly scanned the article. When she was done, she lowered the newspaper clipping and stared blankly at the wall. Isabel was safe. Devlin had found a way to keep her safe. She glanced at the article again. Isabel, Ryan and Devlin’s parents were nowhere to be found. Casey shook her head in disbelief. Devlin had hidden Isabel away to keep her from Caroline and Elliot. His refusal to disclose the child’s whereabouts to the judge was about to earn him charges of felony kidnapping.

  She turned the article over and then checked the envelope it had come in. Forcing herself to her feet, she wobbled over to the door and unlocked it. “Jonas!” she screamed as she moved into the hallway.

  “What?” he shouted as he hurried up the stairs.

  “Where did you get this?” she asked, waving the envelope in her hand.

  “It was in the mailbox.”

  “Did you see who put it there?”

  “No. What is it?”

  She handed him the envelope and article and then went back into the room. Jonas scanned the article. “Shit.”

  “Jonas, you have to get me to the airport.”

  Jonas looked up from the article and finally noticed that she was cleaning out her shoulder bag and stuffing a fresh change of clothes in it. “What are you doing?”

  “I have to go back.”

  “Casey, there’s nothing you can do. It says here that he’s got one more chance to tell the judge tomorrow where Isabel is or he’s gonna be brought up on charges.”

  “Do we still have emergency money left?”

  “No” he paused but then said “But there’s money in the account Devlin set up for the shelter. It came with a debit card – we just have to activate it.”

  “Good,
do it please.”

  “Casey, I know you want to help but I don’t think there’s anything you can do,” Jonas said softly.

  She stopped and turned to face him. “Jonas, I need you to be ready to leave when I get back, okay?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I don’t know how but my parents found out about what happened in Chicago. If they know then it’s possible Mateo knows about us…about where we are.”

  “Casey-”

  “Jonas, I’ll explain it all on the way to the airport, okay. Can you call and see what time the next flight leaves for New York while I get cleaned up?”

  Jonas gave in and nodded. “You got it.”

  As he left, Casey started stripping off her sweater as she made her way to the bathroom.

  Chapter 15

  Unlike the custody hearing, the courtroom was jam packed with onlookers and reporters. The sight of Devlin entering the room in handcuffs brought even the noisiest gawker to silence. Caroline and Elliot Dane sat in the first row of courtroom, their eyes bright with satisfaction at the sight of Devlin. The bailiff removed Devlin’s handcuffs and directed him to the seat next to Mason. Seconds after he sat, the judge entered and the entire courtroom stood.

  “You may be seated,” said the judge as he took his place behind the bench. His eyes found Devlin and then fixed on Mason.