“Mr. Corrigan, has your client reached a decision on complying with my order as given in the custody case of the minor child in question.”
Mason slowly stood and glanced at Devlin who stared straight ahead. “Against advice of counsel, my client continues to maintain his refusal to disclose the location of the minor child.”
His irritation evident, the judge pinned Devlin with his sharp gaze. “Mr. Prescott, do you understand that your refusal to turn over the minor child to her legal guardians will result in a felony kidnapping indictment.”
Devlin stood and clasped his hands in front of him. “Yes your Honor, I understand.”
“Mr. Corrigan, does your client fully understand the implications of this charge?”
“He does your Honor.” Mason looked down briefly at Devlin before settling his eyes back on the judge. “Your honor, I have a witness that would like to address the court.” Mason looked over his shoulder to the double doors which were pulled opened by a bailiff. Casey entered quietly and made her way towards him. He heard Devlin shift in his chair and take in a sharp breath at the sight of her. The young woman looked terrible, like she hadn’t slept or eaten in a while. Her sallow skin was pulled tight over her skinny frame and dark circles were under her eyes. Her gait was shaky but she stiffened her shoulders when she reached his side and stared straight at the judge.
“We have some new evidence your Honor.”
The judge studied her for a long time before finally waving her forward. “Go ahead Miss Dane.”
Casey ignored everyone around her and took a few more steps forward. She felt lightheaded for a moment but felt Mason’s hand close around her arm offering support. As the dizziness passed she smiled briefly at Mason and nodded slightly, indicating she was okay to stand on her own. Devlin was studying her, a look of longing and concern on his face. She imagined his strong arms closing around her and it gave her what she needed to proceed.
“Your Honor, I wasn’t honest with Mr. Prescott and his attorney in this matter,” she began.
“Are you denying the charges brought against you by your parents?”
She shook her head. “No sir. It was me in that video and that was my arrest record. I was very young when I arrived in Chicago and I ended up with a man who made me believe that he cared about me.” She laughed bitterly. “For a while I actually thought he was my knight in shining armor.”
When she hesitated, the judge said, “Please continue Miss Dane.”
“I didn’t tell Mr. Prescott any of these things because there were other people’s lives at stake. I thought I could protect the people I loved most and still keep my niece away from my parents.”
“Mr. Prescott has refused to disclose the location of your niece Miss Dane,” the judge informed her.
“I’m aware of that your Honor. But keeping silent won’t help my niece because she needs Devlin in her life. His son needs him.” She glanced over her shoulder at Devlin before turning back to the judge.
“I didn’t leave home because of the physical abuse. I left because my stepfather had been raping me for as long as I could remember.”
“That’s a lie!” shouted Elliot as he leaped out of his chair.
The judge slammed down his gavel as the crowd started to talk. “Dr. Dane, please sit down.”
“She’s lying your Honor. You bitch!” he screamed at Casey as he took a step towards.
“Sit down or I will have you removed from the courtroom,” threatened the judge. The bailiff was already there, his large body blocking Elliot from moving any closer. Caroline grabbed her husband’s arm and dragged him back down.
The judge waited until the room was quiet again before he focused on Casey again. “Miss Dane, that is a serious charge. Do you have any evidence to back up the allegation?”
“Yes, I do.” Casey reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper that was wrapped around a tattered photograph. “When I left home, I didn’t go straight to Chicago. I went to Los Angeles. About a month after I got there, I found out I was pregnant.” She handed the picture to the judge. “His name is Jeremy. Elliot is his father.”
“She’s a whore your Honor!” shouted Elliot as he once again stood. “That she accuses me of something like this is preposterous.” Elliot snapped his mouth shut when the bailiff stepped towards him again. The judge waited until Elliot sat back down before looking at the picture.
“A priest in Los Angeles arranged the adoption. A couple of days after I had given up my son, I called my sister.” Casey hesitated as she dashed a stray tear from her face. “I just needed to hear her voice, you know. She was only able to stay on the line for a minute before she had to go. I didn’t tell her about Jeremy. About a week later, my stepfather showed up at the church. He was showing my picture around the neighborhood. The priest gave me enough money for bus fare to Chicago and took me to the bus station before Elliot was able to find me. I always blamed my sister for giving me up but I know now that she wouldn’t have done that. Elliot probably saw the number on the phone bill and traced it back to the payphone I used to make the call.”
Casey handed the judge the slip of paper she had been clinging to. “Jeremy’s six now. I contacted his parents this morning and they’re willing to comply with a DNA order to prove Jeremy’s parentage. That’s their attorney’s number.”
The judge glanced at the slip of paper and then turned his gaze back on Casey. His voice was surprisingly soft when he asked, “Miss Dane, why didn’t you bring all of this to the court’s attention earlier?”
“I couldn’t risk my son’s future, your Honor. I truly believed that I could help my niece without having to alert anyone to Jeremy’s existence. My parents are powerful people. Their strength comes from their ability to manipulate people and control those who are weaker than them. I didn’t want to risk exposing my son or his parents to that.”
“But now you feel you have no choice.”
“I love my niece and I want her to have the life that her mother intended for her. Devlin Prescott is the only one who can give that to her.”
“And your son?”
“My parents no longer have any power over me your Honor. I’ve given my son a future and I won’t allow them to take that away from him.”
The judge gave her an assessing glance and then smiled. “The court appreciates your honesty Miss Dane.”
“Thank you your Honor.” Casey turned and walked past Mason and Devlin. She didn’t miss Devlin’s look of gratitude. She cast him a brief smile and then started down the aisle. All eyes stuck to her as she walked past her parents. Elliot’s hateful glare and her mother’s brittle features didn’t even slow her stride as she left the courtroom.
***
By the time her plane landed, the story had already hit the front page. Casey grabbed a copy of the Times as she hurried to the bus that would take her to Ashland. Although her picture wasn’t in the paper, her name was there clear as day. Luckily, there was no mention of Ashland or the animal shelter. That meant she and Jonas had a small window of time to get things settled at the shelter before they had to leave. As much as she would miss the simple life she had made for herself at the shelter, she knew she had done the right thing. Devlin had already been released and the judge had overturned his previous ruling and granted custody of Isabel to him pending the results of Jeremy’s DNA test results. Her thoughts drifted to her son, a luxury that she rarely allowed herself anymore.
Casey knew that Elliot and Caroline would set their sights on Jeremy. Elliot would find a way to beat the rape charges she had made against him and then they would go after the little boy. Jeremy’s adoptive parents, although financially comfortable, didn’t have the money or the social status to battle her parents for custody. Elliot’s status as birth father, no matter how ill gained the title was, gave him a stronger tie to Jeremy than he had ever had to Isabel. She had meant what she told the judge; she would find a way to stop them even if she had to tell every gritty detail o
f Elliot and Caroline’s brutality to any news outlet or talk show that would listen. Casey almost laughed at her own determination. She’d spent so many years doing everything she could to lead a quiet, simple life yet here she was contemplating going public with every humiliating detail of her past in order to save her son.
As Casey leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes she took a deep breath and waited but it didn’t come…that darkness that was always there to remind her how worthless she was and how she didn’t deserve anything good in her life was quiet, dormant. She felt only calm and peace. Even knowing the worst was yet to come she felt light. Instead of hearing whispered taunts she heard Isabel and Ryan’s laughter as they played in the snow. There were no arms holding her down or sweaty heavy bodies thrusting over – there was just the soft touch of Isabel’s hands on her knees as the little girl sat between her outstretched legs while her hair was being braided. She felt Ryan’s hand as he tried to pull her up from the snow so she wouldn’t step in her newly created snow angel.
Casey let out a laugh as she remembered Sampson sprawled across half the bed with a stream of drool hanging off the silk covered pillow. Jack’s soft nose pressed against her arm, Jonas’s strong, comforting embrace, Devlin’s heart stopping kisses and powerful embrace as he loved her, her newborn son’s tiny fist gripping one of her fingers. They loved her. Each and every one of them loved her. They didn’t care about the mistakes she had made in the past. They didn’t expect her to fit a certain mold. She could be anyone she wanted to be and they would still love her. How had she not seen that before?
She knew the answer. She’d been too busy seeing the woman that Caroline and Elliot Dane had wanted her to be - weak, untrusting, frightened and filled with a crippling self-hatred that blinded her to everything else, that filled her with revulsion when confronted with even the simplest form of love – human touch. The change had happened so slowly over time that she had never even been aware of it.
Casey was still lost in thought when the bus rolled to a halt. She didn’t snap out of until she heard her name being called. “Case?” Turning, she saw Jonas sitting next to her, his face full of concern. “You okay?” he asked.
She smiled at the simple question. “Yeah, I am.” She reached out and hugged him.
“Are you okay?” he asked as he returned the embrace.
“I love you so much Jonas. Thank you for not giving up on me.” Jonas sighed and hugged hear back so hard she let out a tiny squeak. He softened his hold but didn’t let her go.
“I love you too Casey.
***
Jonas finished packing his bag and dragged it down the stairs. Casey was preparing several sandwiches and stuffing them into paper bags. “Maybe we should think this through,” he said as he dumped the bag on the floor.
“I can’t let them get to him.”
“I know but maybe there’s a better way. What about Devlin or even your father?”
“The press hasn’t figured out my relationship to Peter yet and I want it to stay that way. As for Devlin, he’s got his own life to get back on track. No, this is my fight.” She hesitated and then looked up at him. “I wish you would reconsider though.”
Jonas shook his head. “Nope. We’re a team. Where you go, I go.”
“But it’s what you’ve always wanted.”
“Art school can wait,” he declared.
“Yeah, but that scholarship won’t.”
“Casey, if I had wanted to go to that school so bad I would have filled out the application myself instead of relying on you to sneak around behind my back and submitting my drawings to them without my knowledge.”
“Well, I didn’t want to get your hopes up,” she responded in self-defense.
Casey abandoned the sandwiches, closed the distance between them and took his hand. “Jonas, I can’t even put into words what your friendship these past three years has meant to me. I was cruel to you and you deserved better than that.” Jonas began to shake his head in protest but she cut him off by saying, “Please, listen to me, okay. I love you. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to tell you that but I only just started figuring all this out. You believed in me when no one else did. You made it possible for me to figure out what I wanted.”
“And what is it that you want Casey?”
She smiled at the question. “Right now I want to make sure my son is safe. After that, we’ll see.”
“Then that’s what we’re gonna do.”
“Jonas-”
“End of discussion. Now, I’m going to go to town and get some gas and pick up some supplies for the road and then we’ll be good to go.” He gave her a swift kiss on the cheek and then left before she could argue any further.
***
Jonas bit back tears as he fled to the truck. As he turned the engine over and put the truck in gear, he stared at the house. From the moment she had stepped off that bus, she was a different person. Her eyes were bright and clear with no trace of fear or confusion in them. Casey Wilkes had finally found herself. Jonas smiled and pressed down the gas pedal and drove out of the driveway. As he made the short drive into town, his thoughts drifted to the future. He would go to art school someday, of that he had no doubt. But he had to see Casey through this one last battle. He wondered if she wasn’t getting in over her head. Although she was ten times stronger than she had been when all this started, Jonas knew better than to underestimate her parents.
Casey’s admission of Elliot’s sexual abuse and the birth of her son had been a complete shock to him. He had never guessed how deep her secrets ran. Clearly, the most important thing to her now was making sure her son was well protected. But Elliot and Caroline had money, influence and experience. Casey needed something in her favor. Jonas wracked his brain for the answer but nothing came. As he turned down Main Street, his eyes caught on a familiar figure. Peter Caulfield was filling up his Lexus at the same gas station that Jonas was headed for. As he pulled the rickety truck up behind the Senator’s sleek black car, an idea raced through his brain. Instinct told him it would probably work but would Casey ever forgive him for it? He sat for several seconds in silent contemplation, and then got out of the truck.
“Jonas, how are you?” asked Peter as he replaced the pump.
“Good sir.”
“How’s Casey?”
“Um, she’s good – she’s back in town.”
Peter eyed him closely and then nodded. “I know. I saw the paper.”
Jonas gave him a startled look. “What?”
“I was actually on my way out to see her but I didn’t have quite enough gas for the trip.”
“You were?”
Peter laughed at Jonas’s high-pitched voice. “I figure she could use some advice from her old man. What do you think?”
Jonas shook his head, unsure of what he was hearing. “Are you telling me you know who she is?”
“I believe so. I was hoping she’d confirm it for me but it looks like you just did that for her.”
“How?” Jonas croaked.
“It’s not every day that a man like Devlin Prescott gets arrested. It’s also not every day that you forget a woman as inherently evil and duplicitous as Caroline Carver. After I read that article, everything just kind of fell into place. Casey’s age, her meeting with Devlin a couple of months ago. I wanted to stop by a couple of days ago but I figured Casey still had some unfinished business she had to deal with.”
“You sent her the newspaper article,” Jonas breathed.
He nodded. “I figured she could use a little push in the right direction.” Peter hesitated and then said, “How is she?”
“I think she needs your help. She just doesn’t know it yet.”
***
Casey was finishing the last of the instructions for Dr. Jackson when she heard the bell go off in the front lobby. She glanced at her watch and realized it was too soon for Jonas to be back. Writing down the last notation from the card on the cat cage in front of her, Casey h
urried to the front room. As she opened the door, she said, “I’m sorry, we’re closed.”
A man stood just inside the doorway, his back to her. At first her heart leaped when she thought it was Devlin but then she realized his build wasn’t quite right. “Sir, I’m sorry, but we’re closed,” she said again as she moved farther into the room. When he finally turned around, a scream caught in her throat and she dropped the clipboard.
Mateo Santero studied his prey with dark eyes. His long coat swished lightly over the material of his black pants as he moved closer to her. She took several steps back but came up hard against the wall.
“How are you Casey?”
His menacing voice bounced off her as she glanced around the room. He was in the line of the front door and he’d be on her instantly if she tried to make it through the swing door to the back. As he closed the distance between them, she forced her body to relax as her mind raced. She had to get him out of here before Jonas got back.
Mateo ran his hand down the length of her cheek. “I’ve missed you,” he said as his fingertip drifted down the column of her throat and finally stopped between her breasts.
“How did you find me?” she asked, her voice surprisingly strong.
“Well, now, that’s a funny story. You see, after you and that piece of shit fag ran out on me, I had to weigh my options. Your departure cost me a lot of money. All I had that was worth anything was the little video we made but the company I sold it to ripped me off – they made a hundred times more on it than what they paid.”
Casey closed her eyes as the truth hit her. “You gave my parents the video.”
“Sold it to them actually. Your stepfather seemed to want it pretty bad and he paid a pretty penny for it too. Funny thing is he was disappointed to learn that you had only made the one video.
“How did you find them?”
Mateo laughed. “They found me sweetheart.” He ran the tip of his finger back up her chest as he spoke and then stopped on the pulse point in her neck.
Letting Go Page 21
