Loneliness Trilogy Bundle Boxset (21 page)

I have to admit, I’m lost when he says this.

“Tim, what do you mean?”

“I mean, talk to the magistrate and see if he’ll give you lot the right to meet with members of the press. Act like you’re going to answer all their questions. Build up to a huge denouement. Then, at the end, when it looks like you’re going to give them a huge scoop, give them the big zero. Of course, you’d have to decide ahead of time what you’re going to say and how you’re going to build up to that big zero.”

I look at Marcus, completely confused. The past few nights of interrupted sleep are telling on me.

“I don’t know, Tim. I’d need to think about this and talk to Marcus about it. Right now, thinking of anything beyond Lizzie’s next nappy is too much for me.”

“Guys, can we think about this and decide if it would work? If we think it might, we’ll talk more about it then,” Marcus suggests.

“Okay, Johanna, I know you’re completely exhausted right now. Let me explain why and how we came up with this idea. The press are dancing you two a very un-merry jig right now. Every time they are stopped by an injunction or gag order, they pop up somewhere else you don’t expect them to. This is what we’re thinking: Talk to the barrister for the magistrate. Let him know what we’ve suggested. Which is this…Marcus would call the tabloids and rags that have been bothering you the most. Promise a huge scoop to them - provided they leave you alone after you talk to them. They’re going to jump at that. Then, we all sit down and decide just what you will give them. We’ll decide what we’re going to use as bait for the Big Reveal. Then, as you’re talking to them, you reel them in with harmless little tidbits. Start building up to that Big Reveal. Then, when it’s time, wind them up and give them - absolutely nothing. And usher them back out the door, all the while reminding them of what they’ve promised you.”

I’m barely able to keep up as my heavy eyelids drift down. I look at Marcus and he’s slowly nodding his head. He’s able to keep up much better than I can.

“Coffee. Or tea. Something to wake me up,” I mutter.

Laslow hears me and puts his hand out, indicating he’s going to get me something. A few minutes later, I’m holding a big, steaming mug of strong tea. I sip slowly, savoring the heat and flavor. I feel more alert and as if I can actually hold two thoughts in my melted brain.

“Okay, so let me see if I have this straight. You lot are suggesting that we promise a big scoop to the press, get together with them, give them small pieces that we wouldn’t mind having out there? And then, we wind them up and make them think we’re going to give them something huge…am I right?” At Tim’s nod, I go on. “Then, when they think we’re going to give them the biggest scoop of their careers, we give them nothing. How do we keep them away after that? They will be highly upset,” I say.

“That’s where your prior arrangement with the barrister comes in. Marcus, you make them leave. You escort them out, all the while reminding them of their promise to you - that they will leave you alone. And, if they threaten to come after you for anything, any scoop, you tell them that you will complain to the barrister and magistrate if they don’t stop.”

“Okay, I think we need to talk about this. Right now, she’s totally exhausted because the phone calls stop Lizzie from sleeping. Which disrupts her - and our - night time sleeping habits.”

“Have you shut your phone off?”

“Yes. They can’t get in through the gate.”

“How do they keep Lizzie awake then?”

“They leave voice mails, and even though we have the volume turned way down, those calls are still loud - it travels upstairs!”

“Disconnect the house phone. We’ll communicate with you via email or your cell phones. Have your families call only your cell phones or contact you via email. Just…disconnect that farkin’ phone!” Tim says.

“Johanna, what do you think?” Marcus asks me.

“I…think I like the idea, but I need time to think it through first.” While I feel more alert, my brain is still moving like stiff cement.

From that impromptu meeting, we practice. The tea and, as always, the music engage me fully. I wake up while we’re working on our European concert play sets. Linny goes for take away meals. Tim and Laslow watch for him and, as he knocks at the studio’s door, they let him in and quickly shut and bolt the door against the hordes of press camped outside.

“Argh, they’re cockroaches! Johanna, we’ll be more than happy to help you eliminate them - come up with a good come-on story and everything,” says Linny.

I’m opening up my order and sniffing in the delicious scents.

“I’ll think about it, Linny, but I need to think slowly. My brain is mush right now,” I tell him.

“Damn them. They’re keeping my favorite niece from her beauty sleep,” he says.

“Thank you for that - by the way, she’s your only niece. I will think about it because I want to see this nonsense ended.”

At home that night, Marcus shuts off and unplugs both the house phone and voice messaging system. Carrying them to a closet in his office, he stashes them and dusts his hands off, muttering to himself.

“What was that, luv?” I ask him.

“I just said, ‘good riddance to bad rubbish.’ I’m hoping you and Lizzie will be able to sleep better tonight. Thankfully, they don’t have our cell…oh, fuck!”

I look up in fear, my eyes widening.

“What, Marcus? What?”

“You’ve heard of the tabloids and their misuse of celebrities’ phone records, haven’t you?”

“Who hasn’t? Oh, my God! You’re not thinking they could…”

“I am,” Marcus says as he makes a beeline for his computer.

“What are you doing?”

He sighs. “I’m sorry to say this, but we’re going to have to deactivate our phones and accounts temporarily. At least until the trials end. We’ll still be able to communicate, but it’s going to be online. I’m going to vastly increase our security - your accounts as well as mine. I’ll do the same for the boys on their computers, as well as your family’s and mine,” Marcus says.

“How do you know they’ll get to our phone accounts and records?” I ask. This is all moving much too fast for me!

“D’you remember that school girl that was murdered? The reporters found her phone records and hacked into her text messaging. It was unholy hell on earth for her parents. That’s not happening in our case. I know what they’re capable of - and I know how to deflect them,” Marcus says with determination. “Bring your laptop to me, please. I’m setting you up with password protection so that, even if those sorry bastards get your laptop, they can’t get to anything you’ve got logged on it.”

“That’s possible?” I ask, watching as Marcus brings up different security window and clicks on different options.

“Yes, and it’s not hard. It’s another password to remember…”

“Small price,” I mutter. Leaning over, I press a kiss on my husband’s bristly cheek.

After he’s set our computers up, we send quick emails to our families, letting them know what we’re doing. Ten minutes later, my dad responds.

To: JohannaH

From: GWilliams

Subject: Measures

Good! I wasn’t sure this would apply to you or Marcus, but apparently, it does. I’ve talked to your mum and we’re all okay with having our computer security increased. So is your sister. When can you come by?

My immediate response:

To: GWilliams

From: JohannaH

Subject: Re: Measures

Just spoke to Marcus. Tomorrow night, if that’s okay with everyone. I’m totally exhausted tonight. We’ll only be able to communicate via email. We’re temporarily deactivating our cell phones; our house phone and voice mail system are both unplugged and stored away.

Marcus wants all of us to meet at your house tomorrow night, so you should all have your computers there. It looks easy, but I think I’ll trust him to be the one to set up your security. We’ll do the same for his family’s computers. And, I hope we can sleep now!

Dad’s response:

To: JohannaH

From: GWilliams

Subject: Re: Re: Measures

Thank him for us. Anything we can do to ease the stress on you. As long as you three are secure and safe, that’s all we want for you. We’ll see you tomorrow night. Go to bed.

That night, we all sleep the sleep of the just. With no messages belting out into the silence of the slumbering house, Lizzie sleeps uninterrupted. This means my sleep is unbroken. I wake up feeling more refreshed than I have in days. This means I’m able to discuss Tim’s idea with Marcus and understand everything.

“…You do know that we’re either going to have to reconnect the house phone or use a public phone, don’t you?” I ask.

“I knew that yesterday. Probably set up our phone just for the one call, then unplug it one more time and stash it back in the closet. I’ll leave Lizzie with you today and go talk to the barrister about Tim’s idea. All this relies on his eventual decision, you know.”

“Yes, I do.” I look down at Lizzie as she feeds. She’s alert and calm. Her eyes are deepening to the same emerald green as Marcus’ eyes. Her small hand rests on my breast, patting and kneading it. “Talk to him, let him know this would be a one-time effort and that the press would be required to comply with the gag order once our interview is over.”

“Got that. I’ll let you know when I get to the studio - ahh, that’s another thing. I’m going to continue taking you to practices and home. No way in hell am I going to allow you to be vulnerable to those jackals,” he growls.

I stand slowly and move over to Marcus, giving him a slow, searching kiss.

“I love you, you know?”

“I love you,” Marcus says, gazing solemnly into my eyes.

“I am perfectly okay with you continuing to take us to practices. I don’t know how I’d handle those ‘jackals,’ as you call them. One-on-one, I think I can handle them, but not in a horde as they’ve been rushing us!”

At the studio that day, we tell Tim that we’re in for his idea, depending upon the decision of the barrister.

“I’m going to go visit him in a while and see what he says. Oh, before I forget, we have unplugged the house phone and voice mail. We’re temporarily deactivating our cell phones as well - the hacking scandal - and communicating with everybody only through emails. I need to see everyone’s computers so I can put security on them. I wouldn’t put it past them to try and steal someone’s computer and find out what’s up with us regarding Cara,” Marcus says.

“Spooky! Boys? Bring your lappys here tomorrow and we’ll have Marcus do his thing,” Tim says. “So, until after the trial - and a sentencing decision - no phone calls. Only emails using our secured computers. Now. Onto the CD and planned European concert…the CD will be ready for release before year’s end. Plan for some big CD release parties, here and in the U.S. After that, we’ll go on the European concert tour, which should last roughly three months. That said, we will continue to practice and get ready for both events. Johanna, it’s going to be very busy, so I hope you get the rest you need.”

“I slept better last night than I have in days,” I say.

Marcus leaves and we begin practicing. We focus on our newest songs and play sets today. Tim works with us on rough areas. As we practice, we take each song in the order in which we will play it in our concerts.

Marcus returns close to lunch time, bearing lunch bags. We retreat to a room of the studio where the press cannot see in, and we discuss the barrister’s and magistrate’s decision.

“Okay, he thought our idea was…unique, to say the least. I told him everything and, at first, he wanted to say “no,” outright. Then, when I told him about the non-stop phone calls interrupting Lizzie’s and our sleep, unplugging and chucking the phone and voice message machine into a closet, deactivating our cell phones and communicating with everyone only via email from security-protected computers, that’s when he realized that the press are completely intruding on our lives. We talked about your idea, Tim, and how we could make it work - especially after we give them a big build up and then give them, basically, nothing. That’s when we started to talk details. In the end, he called the magistrate and discussed your idea with him. Here’s what we have. As long as we meet in a neutral spot; comply with the gag order post-interview and tell him if the press are violating the terms of the gag order, we can move ahead with our plan.”