Barbara's Plea (15 page)

“Alright, keep your chin up. I’ll see you soon.” He stood and opened the door. The guard waited for me to stand, and I followed him out of the room and back to the cell.

I was one of those.

I
went back
in the house and stepped out of the way as the officer who was there with the search warrant sauntered past. I unconsciously rubbed my pocket and felt the discs still safely tucked inside.

I found Gloria in the library, the phone to her ear. She glanced up when I walked in and pointed to the seat in front of her. “Thank you, Mark, I owe you one.”

She hung up the phone and leaned back in her chair on a sigh.

“Was that the attorney?” I asked.

“No, I already spoke to him. He’s calling the attorney I hired out in California to tell him what’s going on.”

I sat forward in the seat, my elbows on my knees and my hands clenched together, “What are you going to do?”

She tossed the pen she was holding onto the desk, “Get our family back. Go get a suitcase packed, we have a plane to catch.”

I didn’t hesitate a second. Fifteen minutes later I was pacing the front foyer. Gloria joined me, and Tom carried two bags down the steps and out the door. “I had Amelia pack a suitcase for Barb and Allie.” I nodded and we were out the door with the luggage.

The man, Mark, that Gloria had been speaking with was an employee of her company. We arrived at a different entrance to the airport and as we drove out on the tarmac I realized that we were going by private plane, and not on one of the commercial ones. We would probably be in California before Barb and Allie. I stared at the airport and wondered where they were.

At any other time, I might have been impressed by the interior of the plane, but all I could think about as I sat down and fastened my seatbelt was that Barb was in handcuffs someplace wondering what was going to happen to her. The thought that she was all alone pierced my heart.

I let Gloria rest on the flight. I knew that the events of the morning had taken a major toll on her, and she needed all the rest she could get to handle what was coming.

We arrived in California in the late afternoon. The first phone call was to the attorney who stated that Barb wasn’t back yet and probably wouldn’t be for a day or two. I wondered if we should have stayed in New York, but after telling him about the recordings, we set a time to meet so we could discuss them. We wanted to have a plan in place before she even arrived.

After a few more phone calls, we learned where they were planning on taking Allie, but no matter what Gloria said, they refused to allow us to see her.

We wandered around the hotel suite Gloria had booked for us, both of us at our wits’ end. “Gloria, what do you think is going to happen?”

“I don’t know, Grey, but with that sleazeball of a husband, I don’t think it is going to turn out very well.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Yeah, I was thinking the same thing, but I was hoping you’d have better thoughts.”

“Afraid not. He obviously wants to play hard ball. Let’s just hope the attorneys we hired are good at their jobs.”

I spent the night staring up at the ceiling wondering where Barb was and if she was alright, and after that, I worried myself sick about where Allie was and if she was being taken care of properly. Tears slid down my face as I worried about the little girl I had come to love as if she were my own.

She was alone. I couldn’t imagine having not been there for Nate, no matter how painful it was to watch his life slip away. I had been with him. He had never been alone—and poor little Allie now was.

Please, God, please get Barb out of jail and Allie back to us. Please, don’t let this take too long.

In the morning, Gloria looked more rested than I had anticipated. I, on the other hand, hadn’t been able to sleep all night.

We met with Ken Smallwood, Barb’s local attorney around ten, and after telling him what I knew about the history and turning over the recordings, we left and went back to the hotel. Ken had told us that Barb was on her way back to California, but we wouldn’t be able to see her until the next day.

It was a long, tense day for the two of us. Gloria took a few naps, and I paced and tried to watch television, but all I could think about was Barb and Allie.

We had dinner brought up to the suite, and Gloria had them bring me a six-pack of beer. “You need to get some sleep tonight. Maybe those will help.”

And they did. I managed to get four hours of sleep and was up putting one foot in front of the other back and forth in my room at the crack of dawn.

Gloria and I showed up at the courthouse early, hoping to get a few minutes to see Barb, but we were told there was no way. We spoke with her attorney again, and he said he was going to try and get bail, but he didn’t think, with the charges leveled against Barb, that he would be able to.

Gloria and I sat down on the hard wood benches and waited for Barb to be brought out. When they finally called her name, she entered through a side door wearing the same clothes she’d worn on the day she was taken. Her beautiful hair was matted and knotted at the ends. She looked defeated as she entered the courtroom.

I didn’t think she would even see we were there, but just before the judge began to speak, she turned our way. Her shoulders shook as she bit down on her lip. Had it made it worse that we were there? I hoped like hell not because I was not going to allow this woman to think for one second that she was alone—no matter what happened.

Gloria held my hand, and when the judge denied bail, I felt her hand go lax. I kept my tight hold on her; I wasn’t going to give up. We watched them escort her out of the room and went back out to the hallway to wait for the attorney.

Fifteen minutes later he joined us. “I didn’t think he would grant it, not with the way the charges were written, but I have a few ideas. After listening to the recordings, I think I might be able to work out a deal.”

“A deal? What kind of deal?”

“One where she will do minimal time.”

I almost lost my cool, “She shouldn’t be doing any time. She was the victim in this!” I pointed at the door to the court room.

“Calm down, Grey. I know she was, but there is too much evidence against her. I am going to have to hand over the audio recordings to the prosecutor.”

“What?” I snapped.

“Grey,” Gloria grabbed my arm, instantly calming me down.

“It’s evidence, Grey. I have to turn it over, but I think it is going to work in our favor. I will demand that the judge listen to the evidence so he understands what and why she recorded the events. It’s going to put the judge on her side.”

I eyed him warily, “If you say so.” I turned in a circle, “What are we supposed to do now?”

“Wait. Go back to your hotel. I am supposed to meet with her later this afternoon, and I will call you after that.”

“There is nothing else we can do, is there?” Gloria asked. I knew she didn’t want to sit around any more than I did.

Ken shook his head, “Not right now.”

“Is there any way we can see Allie?” I asked.

“I checked on that before I came. They will only let her parents see her, supervised, and since Barb is in jail, there is no way. I doubt Todd will even bother trying. This isn’t about the kid. This is about controlling Barb.”

“I’m glad someone else sees that,” I said, exasperated.

Gloria and I left the courthouse and walked down the busy street. Gloria tugged on my arm and pulled me over to a bench where we both sank down.

“I feel like we’ve been here before,” she said softly, and I snorted.

“Yeah, seems like that was our last bad day.”

“Grey, don’t give up hope.”

I turned to Gloria, “I’m not, that’s all I have left right now. Except for you, that’s it.”

She put her hand on my back and rubbed it gently while I leaned over and stared at the cement sidewalk.

We had gone to an early lunch and then back to the hotel. I found a sketch pad and pencils at the store down the street, and while Gloria rested, I tried to lose myself in a few new chair designs.

When Gloria’s phone rang, I answered it so it wouldn’t wake her.

“Grey, it’s Ken Smallwood. I just got done talking to Barb.”

“How is she?”

“As strong as she can be right now,” he replied. “Tomorrow, I need you to come down to the courthouse.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“We are going to be talking to Todd and the prosecutor; we might have a plea to offer them. I’m going to need you there.”

“Sure, anything I can do to help.”

He told me what time to arrive and before he hung up, he added, “I think this is going to work out well. Have a little faith and try to get some rest.”

When we hung up, I tried to hold on to his optimism, but within seconds it vanished. If Barb was still locked up, then it wasn’t good enough.

The evening went by at a snail’s pace, and with the help of a couple more beers, I managed a few more hours of sleep. At this rate, I was going to end up an alcoholic.

When morning came, I found myself edgy and frustrated. Even Gloria’s mood was tighter than normal. We made our way to the main courthouse and found a bench in one of the hallways. Ken joined us a few minutes later and shook our hands.

“How is she?” I asked.

“She’s holding up. You’re going to get to see her in a minute. I got permission because she needs to ask you to do something.”

“I’ll do anything she needs,” I vowed, waiting to hear what it was.

“She was hoping you would say that.” He turned to Gloria, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Withers, I only have permission for him to see her.”

“That’s fine. He’s the important one anyway. Give her my love.” She patted my arm, and I followed Ken down the hallway.

We went through a series of locked doors and finally into a small interview room. Barb was seated on the other side; an officer stood in the corner. When we entered, the officer stepped out.

Barb was in my arms before the door was shut. “Grey, I’m so glad you are here.”

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else, Barb. Are you alright?”

Her laugh was strangled as she pulled away. “I’m okay. Really, I’m okay.”

“I hate to interrupt, but the judge only gave us a few minutes.”

Barb nodded at Ken. “I need to ask you a huge favor, Grey, one that you can say no to, and I will understand.”

“Whatever it is, I’ll do it, Barb. All you have to do is ask.”

“Do you love Allie?” She seemed to be holding her breath as she waited for an answer.

I rested my hand on her cheek. “That’s a stupid question, of course I do. I love her like she’s my own daughter. Why?”

She released the air she had been holding, “Would you adopt Allie as your daughter?”

I stared at her, “Excuse me?” I couldn’t have heard her right. Had she just asked me to be Allie’s father?

“I want you to sign papers to legally adopt Allie as your daughter,” she said, and I continued to stare at her.

“What has this got to do with your case?” I finally asked her and peered over to Ken.

“We have a plea deal she is willing to take, but in return she is demanding that Todd release his paternity to Allie. If he does that, and there isn’t a legal guardian of the child, she will stay in foster care for the time being.”

There was no question. “I’ll sign,” I stated to Ken. There was no way in hell I was leaving that little girl in foster care, no matter what.

“Grey, are you sure?” Barb’s eyes filled.

“Barbie, God, you don’t even have to ask that. I love Allie. I’d do anything for her, for you.”

She was so emotional that she couldn’t even reply, she shook her head and Ken motioned me over to the table. “Sign here, Grey.”

The door opened as I was signing the last line. “The judge said time is up.”

Barb stared at me, “Thank you, Grey.” She smiled. “You have no idea what that means to me.”

Before I could speak, they had whisked her away. I turned back to Ken, “What happens now?”

“Now, we go before the judge and accept the plea,” Ken brushed past me.

“Isn’t this all happening fast? Don’t these things usually take months to deal with?”

Ken turned back to me, “Yes, in most cases they do, but everyone, including the judge, wants this taken care of quickly. I’m pushing as hard as I can to get this moving. I think the judge wants me out of his courtroom since I keep pestering him so much.” He laughed before he left.

“Mr. Bloodstone, you can follow me.” A uniformed officer led me back out to the hallway, and Gloria stood as I walked toward her.

“Grey, what happened? You look like you just lost someone. What’s going on?”

I shook my head and sat down, “No, I didn’t lose anyone. I just became a father again.”

G
oing
through intake at the prison was a mortifying experience even though I had already done it once before in New York. I was stripped naked, again; searched even more thoroughly than before, and that didn’t leave much left to search; and then told to shower with de-licing soap.

I shared a cell with a woman who didn’t much care who I was, and that was fine. She fell on the bed as soon as we arrived, and I climbed up on the top bunk and lay back myself.

When I had been planning how I was going to leave, I had never imagined that I could have ended up in this place. The thought had never crossed my mind. I had only wanted to get me and Allie out alive.

I should have known better.

I dozed for a little while, although the clanging of the metal doors opening and slamming shut woke me every time.

It was late afternoon when Ken returned, and I was led to a small room with a table, three chairs, and a double-sided window.

“You doing alright?” he asked as he took out his ledger pad and a pen.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“I listened to all of those recordings again, and I think I have an idea, but it’s not going to be easy.”

“I don’t care about easy. I just want to put this behind me and get my daughter back. Is she with Todd?”

I clenched my hands in front of me—at least the cuffs were off. I guess they trusted you to behave when you were with your lawyer.

“No, I put an order in to keep him away until the investigation is complete.”

“What investigation?”

“The one I started when I filed a complaint that he had abused Allie.”

“What?” My hands shook.

“I listened to those recordings; I am bound by law to report child abuse if I believe a child might have or could be harmed. I believe that after listening to those tapes, he would do bodily harm to her, or at least total neglect, so I filed a report with the police that he had abused her.”

I couldn’t help it, I laughed.

“Right now, Allie is with a woman named Donna. I believe you know her?” His right eyebrow rose—and he smiled.

At the mention of her old babysitter’s name I wanted to put my head down on the table and cry. Allie was being loved and cared for. She was safe. I nodded as I wiped away the tears streaking down my face. Ken smiled. Obviously, they didn’t know that Donna had been involved in my escape. I wasn’t going to mention it.

“So, tell me, how good is your relationship with Grey Bloodstone?”

I stared at him, confused by the change in conversation. “Why?”

“Because I have another idea.”

T
he next morning
, Ken, a police officer I didn’t know, Todd, his attorney, and I filed into the judge’s chambers. “This is a little unorthodox, so let’s get this out of the way.” The judge announced as he glanced around the room.

“Your Honor, I’d like to offer up a plea on behalf of Mrs. Murphy,” Ken began as he sat beside me. I was sitting up so straight I thought my back would snap with the nervous vibration trying to shake through me.

“You know you are supposed to deal with pleas with the prosecutor, not with me, Mr. Smallwood.”

“I understand that, Your Honor, but these are unusual circumstances. Mrs. Murphy is ready to plead guilty to Identity Theft charges and wiretapping charges, in exchange for dropping the kidnapping charges.”

“But the kidnapping charge is the lead charge,” the prosecutor stated quickly.

“Yes, but there is something else: In return for the plea, Mrs. Murphy wants the divorce papers signed and for Mr. Murphy to terminate his parental rights.”

I watched the judge’s face, his eyebrows rose and he turned to Todd.

Todd, being the smug man that he was, flicked his hand my way, “Fine, I didn’t want the brat anyway, but I want her in jail for at least a year.” The prosecutor tried to hush him up. He knew what Todd had just done—and so did Ken.

“No more than six months,” Ken countered firmly, and the judge eyed the prosecutor.

“Your Honor, if Mr. Murphy turns over his rights to the child, does Mrs. Murphy understand that the child is going to be put into the foster system while she is incarcerated?”

The mere mention of that made my toes bounce, and I used my clenched fist to push down on my thighs to stop them.

“Your Honor, we have a person who is willing to adopt the child, Allie, and he is here in the courthouse right now.”

The judge looked around the room. “Who is this man?”

“His name is Grey Bloodstone, Your Honor, and he is a friend of the Withers family. He has no criminal history, Your Honor, I already ran him.”

The judge stared at me for a moment, “Mrs. Murphy, is this your wish to have Mr. Bloodstone adopt your daughter and have her in his care while you serve out your sentence?”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

“I assume your client has not changed his mind about ‘the brat’ as he so described the child.”

I almost laughed, but bit my tongue instead.

“No, sir. We will accept the terms; drop the kidnapping and move forward with a six-month sentence for the ID theft and wiretapping,” the prosecutor grumbled. I could tell by his voice that he was angry.

The judge turned his attention back to Ken and me, “You have fifteen minutes to get the necessary forms completed for the adoption. I assume you have them together already.”

“Yes, Your Honor, we do. I would like to ask that Mrs. Murphy be allowed to speak with Mr. Bloodstone in person about this.”

“So be it, fifteen minutes. Now get out of my office.” He waved his pudgy hands our way, and we all filed out of the office. Ken took me by the arm, while the police officer followed us.

“Now to get Grey to sign the papers,” he said as the elevator doors slid closed. “Do you think he will?”

I felt sick to my stomach. “I can only pray that he feels the way I hope he does.”

“Let’s hope.”

When Grey walked into the room, nothing could have held me back from launching myself into his arms. I never wanted to let go, but we had no time. I had to make sure Allie was taken care of. I knew I loved Grey, and I could only hope he cared enough about Allie that he would be willing to adopt her.

When he said he would sign the papers, I almost wept in relief. Allie was going to be alright. She was going to go home with Grey and Gigi, and she was going to be alright until I got home. Six months wasn’t that long, I could be home around the time she turned two.

I was whisked away the minute the papers were signed and then kept waiting outside the judge’s office for an hour. We were told he was preparing for another case.

When he was done, we weren’t shown back into his chambers; we were directed back to the courtroom. Ken went out in the hallway and retrieved Grey and Gigi. They sat behind the galley wall on my side. I tried to smile at them, but it was strained.

The judge came into the courtroom and everyone stood.

“Mr. Smallwood, do you have the signed documents?”

“Yes, Your Honor.” Ken stood and handed them to the clerk who stamped them and passed them to the judge.

“Mr. Bloodstone, can you stand, please?”

Grey glanced at me before he stood.

“Mr. Bloodstone, you signed this document concerning the adoption of,” the judge looked down at the paper, “Allie Marie as your legal daughter?”

“Yes, Your Honor.” I couldn’t believe how strong he was being. “I’m honored to take on the responsibility for her.”

“Mr. Murphy, did you sign your copies?” the judge asked Todd.

He stood, “Yes, Your Honor, I did.”

“And did you sign the other papers?” the judge glared at him from the bench.

“Yes, Your Honor, I did.”

“Fine, sit down.”

The judge turned back to Grey. “Thank you for taking on such an important position, Mr. Bloodstone.” The judge scribbled on the paper, “As of now, her name is Allie Marie Bloodstone. Congratulations on your new daughter. I wish you the best. You can have a seat.”

“Thank you, Your Honor.” Grey slowly sat down. Gigi grabbed his hand. He smiled at me, and I wiped away a tear, a happy tear. At least something good came out of all of this.

“Can I please have the copies of the other documents?”

Todd’s attorney brought forth the documents and handed them to the clerk. The judge scanned over them and signed in a couple of spots.

“Mr. and Mrs. Murphy, as of now, you are officially divorced, due to the complicated situation and criminal charges pending, I hereby authorize this divorce immediate and final.” Just like that, I was single. Ken and I exchanged a glance. “Now for the final matter. Barbara Murphy, I need you to stand please.”

My legs were shaking so badly that Ken put a hand under my elbow to help me stand. I was about to sign the papers and admit guilt to crimes I had done to protect me and my daughter. It had been worth it.

“Barbara Murphy, your attorney has explained the plea agreement that you are about to enter, is that correct?”

“Yes, Your Honor, he has.”

“And you understand all the facts in this document?”

“Yes, sir, I do,” my voice cracked, and I bit my lower lip to quell the tears that threatened to overpower me.

“Do you have any questions about this document?”

“No, Your Honor, I do not.”

“Okay, then, on the charges of kidnapping Allie Marie, I understand the charges have been dropped. You are pleading guilty to one count of identity theft, and one count of wiretapping, is that what you understand?”

“Yes, Your Honor.” My heart beat fast, and I felt faint.

He looked down at the papers in front of him, “In this agreement, you agreed to an incarceration term of six months,” I heard a gasp behind me and wasn’t sure if it was Grey or Gigi, “with a one year probation. Is that correct?”

I swallowed hard, “Yes, Your Honor.”

“You are willing to plead guilty and sign these forms that spell that out?”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

He tapped his pen and looked around the courtroom. I didn’t dare move for fear I would pass out.

“I’m changing the terms.” He bent over the workspace of the bench and began to write, I almost collapsed. Oh, my God! Was he going to give me longer? The blood pounded through my head, making my vision swim. “I hereby sentence you to two months of incarceration, and one year of probation.”

My head spun toward Ken, and his eyebrows went up. Did he just say two months?

“Your Honor!” Todd’s attorney had stood up. “We had an agreement, and she just agreed to that in this courtroom.”

“Counselor, are you questioning my right to amend a plea?”

“Um, no, Your Honor, but,” the attorney stammered and was cut off.

“I just spent the last hour listening to the evidence that Mrs. Murphy recorded. I believe what I heard justified what she did, so I have changed the agreement.”

“That’s bullshit!” Todd slammed his hand on the table as he stood up.

The judge glared at him and I saw several deputies straighten up as if they were prepared to move toward him. “Another outburst from you, Mr. Murphy, and I will find you in contempt.”

“Your Honor, with all due respect,” Todd began, and his attorney started whispering to him quickly; Todd waved his attorney out of his face, “you can’t use evidence from the crime to lessen her sentence. You listened to the recordings that she made of me illegally; that should have made you want a longer sentence.”

The judge glared at him, “Are you done, Mr. Murphy?”

Todd’s attorney hung his head and shook it.

“I’m done if we go back to the original agreement,” Todd, in his complete arrogance, just had to continue.

The judge smiled, not very nicely, “I can only assume by your statement that you have not had the chance to hear the recordings, is that correct?”

“No, I haven’t, but that doesn’t matter,” Todd was going to keep digging himself a hole.

“That’s enough. My decision is final.”

Todd opened his mouth, and the judge simply pointed a finger at him. No words were necessary.

Ken put his arm behind my back as I wavered on my feet. I was going to pass out.

“Counselor, did you even bother to listen to them?” the judge asked Todd’s attorney.

“No, I didn’t have a chance,” he murmured quietly.

“If I had been you, I would have made time.” He finished writing on the papers and handed them to the clerk. “Mrs. Murphy, I will accept your guilty plea and plea bargain based on the changes I have made. I will assume you will accept them.”

I nodded dramatically, “Yes, sir, Your Honor, sir.”

“Fine, sign the papers.” The clerk brought them forth, and I had to adjust the pen in my shaking hand three times before I could finally sign my name.

“I believe you stated that you were going to begin your incarceration immediately, is that correct?”

I handed the papers back to the clerk, “Yes.”

“Fine, but before they take you downstairs, I want to see you in my chambers. Bring your attorney.” The judge picked up his gavel and slammed it down, “Ten minute recess.”

“Barb,” Grey called out to me, and I turned. I wanted to go to him, but an officer was already trying to pull me away.

Gigi was holding a tissue to her face, and shiny trails lined her cheeks from the tears she had missed.

“I’ll be alright. I promise, I’ll be alright. I love you, Grey. Go get our daughter, take care of her.”

I was pulled from the room, but not before I heard him yell over the commotion, “I will. I love you, too, Barbie!”

In the hallway, I could barely see where I was being led. The tears flowed unchecked down my face. The judge had only given me two months, instead of the agreed-upon six. I couldn’t believe it. I would be out in sixty days.

The judge was already in his office when we arrived, “Stand outside, officer. I need to speak with Mrs. Murphy privately.”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

The door closed and the judge slid a box of tissues my way. “I’m proud of the way you handled yourself in there, but that is not why I called you in here.”

“Why did you, sir?” I asked him after I wiped my face.

“I am going to have an officer come down to the prison this afternoon. I want him to get your statement.”