Loneliness Trilogy Bundle Boxset (30 page)

“Gerroff me!”

Cara’s wails become quieter and fainter.

“Cannot be allowed to walk free. She will go after Mrs. Hadley and her child. When she doesn’t get Mr. Hadley, she’ll attempt to harm him. I am sentencing her to life behind bars. She will not have the opportunity to get out early. She will die behind bars. Period.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir,” says the defense barrister. He swallows, as if the sentence is being imposed on him.

I look at Marcus and the boys.

“She’s in prison for life! Thank God!” I gasp and wipe tears from my cheeks. I see the press writing feverishly.

Outside the courtroom, we are escorted to a small room and offered hot tea.

I feel better now, so I accept the offer. As we wait, I sip the hot, sweet brew. We talk.

“Well, that’s one down, one to go,” Marcus says. “Let’s see what happens with Melanie, then we’ll know if we have to flee to the U.S.”

One hour later, we file back into the courtroom. I grip Marcus’s and Laslow’s hands nervously.

Melanie is escorted in. She, too, is restrained by handcuffs and ankle shackles. She sits down. Her hair is no longer styled in an outrageous Mohawk. Her hair is now shoulder-length and a mousy brown.

The magistrate returns to his bench and we stand once again.

Miss Stabb, will you and your barrister please stand?”

Melanie and her barrister both rise.

“Miss Stabb you helped a friend inflict harm on an innocent child and her parents. You know that Miss Wells has long been fixated on Mr. Hadley. You decided to help her in whatever way you could, regardless of what she asked you to do - and regardless of the effects of your actions on an innocent baby, her mother and father.

“During your questioning after your arrest, you professed no sorrow for what you did. No remorse, Miss Stabb.”

“But…”

“Quiet, Miss Stabb. It is my turn to speak,” warns the magistrate.

The guards move closer to Melanie, prepared for her outburst.

Melanie sighs gustily, but she doesn’t say anything more.

“You showed no remorse. Instead, you promised that, if you had the opportunity, you would help your friend to get to Mr. Hadley in any way you could. You have a mental health condition that makes you crave crisis and drama. These are like drugs to you - when they are not present, you crave them. When they are present, you overdose on them - and you want more. No medication exists for your condition. All that does exist is face-to-face therapy and learning how to develop empathy for others.

“I am, therefore, forced to sentence you to a prison term of life behind bars, with no chance to get out early…”

“NOOOOOO! YOU CAN’T! I…I…” Melanie dissolves into helpless sobs.

I watch her when she turns to glare at me. There are no tears running down her cheeks. She’s faking. I squeeze Marcus’s and Laslow’s hands to signal them.

“FUCKIN’ BITCH! I’LL GET OUT AND…”

“Take her out and into a cell,” the magistrate sighs.

The guards lift Melanie and remove her. She continues to scream as the guards force her down the hallway.

“Your client will not be getting out. She was ready to threaten Mrs. Hadley, so it is clear that she does not care to understand the impact of her actions on her, Mr. Hadley or their child. Mr. and Mrs. Hadley, I am very sorry for what you have been made to go through. You will be safe now - safe to go on with your lives.”

With that the entire stalking episode is over. Both Cara and Melanie are headed to prison, where they will live out their lives.

As this realization slowly sinks into my nearly frozen brain, I relax and begin to cry.

“Marcus, we can stay in the U.K.! We don’t have to be forced to move!” I say through sobs.

Marcus pulls me into an embrace, pillowing my head against his chest.

“Yes, luv, I know. We don’t have to leave the U.K. unless it’s the best move for the band. We can focus on the tour and raising Lizzie,” he says.

I hear a slight hitch in his voice. Looking up, I see tears sliding down his cheeks.

“Let’s go before the slavering hordes descend on us,” Tim says.

We slip out as a group and go to the studio. Nigel is waiting for us.

“Well?” he asks.

“Both got life terms with no parole,” Tim says.

“Let me call my mum,” I tell the others. Calling her, I wait.

“Mum? We’re staying in Britain! They got life terms, both of them! No parole!” I squeal.

“Oh, thank the Lord! I’ll see my grandbaby grow up! That means you can unpack the extra suitcases in your garage,” mum says.

“Yes, thank God. That and the instruments and equipment,” I say, wiping tears from my face.

We invite everyone over for an impromptu party at our house. Tim, Linny and Laslow all bring their families and partners. Lizzie shyly watches as other small children troop into the house. Soon, she is sharing her toys and playing with them.

We discuss how it feels not to fear what’s going to happen that day. We talk about the “slavering hordes” Tim referred to in the courtroom.

“Well, you’ll have to deal with them, regardless. Now that Cara can’t stalk me, they’ll lose interest in that. Instead, they’ll focus on your music and fake broken marriage reports and unintended pregnancies,” Marcus predicts.

“All we can do is live our lives in a way that we would be proud to see recounted in the headlines. No drugs, drinking to excess, violence, stunts. None of that,” says Nigel. “Speaking of which…” he looks at the bottles of whiskey and ale arrayed on our kitchen counter.

“Oh, no! We aren’t drinking all that tonight,” I say. “I don’t want to be trying to board a flight with a hangover!”

After everyone leaves, Marcus and I relax in the living room. Lizzie is upstairs, sleeping. The day was a long one for her, being cared for by her beloved gram. On top of that, she met other kids and wore herself to a nubbin.

Upstairs, Marcus and I talk quietly as we unpack the “extra” clothes we had packed in preparation for a quick getaway.

“Luv, I am so grateful you stuck with me through all this. What would you say to having another baby, when we get back from Europe?”

“Oh, Marcus, I love that idea! Yes!”

End of Book Two

Be With You - Loneliness Book Three

Chapter 19

N
ow the trials and sentencing have been finished for both Cara Wells and Melanie Stabb, we all meet at Heathrow Airport in London so we can fly off for our first European city on our tour. This tour will last a month, more or less. While it’s shorter than our U.S. tour of last year, I am now a mum to a child just over one year of age, and I am going to miss her horribly! Still, mum, dad, Marcus and I have decided that a regular schedule and consistency are the best for Lizzie, so they will take care of her while we are gone. Marcus is going on tour with us, partly to help with watching out for any more stalking issues and partly so he can help out with moving heavy equipment and such. We still feel very spooked and unsettled - my guess is that this feeling will slowly go away over time. I try to wrap my mind around the thought that Cara and Melanie no longer pose any danger to us, but I’m having trouble really believing it.

Besides, mum and dad will bring Lizzie to different European cities so we can spend a few days together every few weeks. Still, once I board the plane, I feel as though I am missing a vital limb or body organ. I’m sad.

We fly to Paris, which is our first concert engagement. We are going to play for two nights in the largest cities, such as Paris, Berlin, and Frankfurt. In smaller cities, we’ll play for one night only, then move to the next city. Here’s our hectic tour schedule: Paris and Lyons in France. We fly to Belgium and perform in Brussels, Antwerp, Brugge and Bastogne. In Germany, we’ll begin in Munich, then fly to Stuttgart, Heidelberg, Frankfurt, Aschaffenburg, Wurzburg and Berlin. After that, it’s on to Athens, Thessaloniki and Petra in Greece and then, on to Italy, where we’ll play in Rome, Venice, Milan, Florence, Verona, Naples, Bologna and Turin. In Spain, we’ll perform in Barcelona, Madrid, Sevilla and Zaragoza. We’ll wind our tour up in Portugal, where we’ll play in Almada and Lisbon. Whew! I never realized how popular our band truly is! Just in three years, our band’s fame has moved outward from England to Europe and the U.S. Despite the all of the stress of last year, I am looking forward to this exciting tour!

Nigel joins us on this trip - it’s short enough that he can be away from his partner and, every few weeks, his partner can join him. Once we arrive at our hotel in Paris - and security checks out every entrance - we all meet in Nigel’s room. He’s thinking of recording a live CD from different European concert dates. After the band thinks this over, we realize that we do like it, although it will take a lot of work from sound engineers and good, steady mixing to make it sound its best.

And - why am I not surprised? Lizzie’s kidnapping and the resulting criminal cases are common knowledge in Europe. As a result, we are hounded and followed everywhere we go as we move around different cities. In Paris - the city where our beloved Princess Diana died after being chased by the paparazzi - we are followed from hotel to concert stage to restaurants. Because Nigel doesn’t want a sad repeat of what happened to Diana, he contacts the French police and files a complaint against the worst offenders. Our security team cannot intercede for us, because they would potentially interfere with French traffic laws. Thus, we are forced to rely on the French gendarmes as we move from one spot to the next. Once he has filed a report, we are escorted by several police vehicles, which does help keep the press and photographers at bay. It is truly a strange feeling to have protection at French restaurants! How many ordinary citizens are accorded this kind of protection as they do something as commonplace as eat? As this realization sinks in, I find the bloom coming off the rose when it comes to the press and paparazzi. Make no mistake, I truly enjoy what I am doing! It is what I was born to do. I just wish the press would leave us the hell alone!

For this reason, when mum, dad and Lizzie fly to visit us in Europe, we keep our plans top secret. I do not want my baby girl exposed to the worst of these vultures, slavering hyenas that they are. In this city, (Antwerp), we have protection from the Belgian police as mum, dad, Marcus, Lizzie and I spend two glorious days together. When we meet them at the airport, Lizzie is overjoyed to see us again! We go to kid-friendly venues in Antwerp and spend time eating, laughing and talking all weekend long. Of course, when it’s time to say goodbye at the airport, Lizzie is heartbroken and wailing when she realizes she’s leaving mummy and daddy behind. I hold it together when dad takes her out of my arms and goes down the boarding walkway to get onto the plane, but as soon as they turn the corner and are out of sight, I collapse into my husband’s arms, crying my heart out. I am going to miss my Lizzie. Tim and the boys are present to wave goodbye to my family as well. When he sees my emotional response, Tim calls my mum and dad and arranges to have them flown to the next city on our tour - Brugge. They will join us for the remainder of our tour, which I am delighted to know.

Roughly one month later, our tour ends and we fly back to England and Saint Albans. Once home and back in our daily routine, Marcus and I resume talking about having another baby. Lizzie is still firmly in nappies - she’s only a little over one year old, after all. We talk about the difficulty of having two young ones in nappies, with our work schedules. Even though Marcus works from home, this would be difficult. We decide to postpone having a second child for at least one more year. I focus on being a mummy to Lizzie at home and when we’re out and about. At the studio, the band work together and we decide we are definitely going to create a “live” CD, using selections from our just-past tour. Nigel works with the sound engineers as they choose the best recordings and best performances of each song we performed while on tour. We decide that this third CD will be a “best of” compilation of our music. I just know it will be smash-hit!

It’s now January and the weather is horrible. It’s gray, cold, blustery and wet. Notwithstanding the nastiness of the weather outside our beautiful home, Marcus is excited. His sister, Millie, will be graduating from the divinity program at a university in the U.S.! She’ll be coming back to England, where she will take up a reverend’s post and begin preaching and leading her congregation. Marcus tells me what she was like before she left England to begin her advanced studies - outspoken and not afraid to stake her opinions. She sounds like a strong woman, someone I look forward to meeting. I decide that I’m eager to meet her! If she’s anything like my wonderful husband, we will get along beautifully. After a few more weeks, we learn that Millie and her husband will be coming back to Saint Albans at the end of May, after she graduates. Marcus’s family are excited - now, their family will all be reunited.

Marcus loses a client. This is the client who tried to get a larger packet of articles without paying the difference. He argued with Marcus about this on the day Cara tried to kidnap Lizzie. When he tells me this news, he’s not upset, which surprises me. This is a loss of income.