First to Fall (17 page)

‘He what?!’ Aiden could barely contain himself. ‘What did he say?’

Isla was still crying and shaking, struggling to get her words out.

‘Baby, calm down and tell me exactly what he said.’ Obeying her husband she drank some more wine to try and steady herself.

‘He said…he told me to look after Meegan.’

‘Well, hun, that sounds more like advice than a threat.’ He started to relax, concluding that as usual his wife was overreacting. He reasoned that she was perhaps putting on this whole charade to make him feel guilty about their argument.

‘No, Aid, it was how he said it! He was really menacing, saying how awful it was to lose a child.’

‘Well, he has lost a child. I’m sure you just misinterpreted what he meant.’

‘No!’ She was starting to get angry now. ‘He was trying to scare me! He asked me to talk to you about the case, to try and get you to change your mind.’

‘If that’s the case, he is being unreasonable, I’ll talk to him.’

‘That won’t help, Aid. Don’t you see? You are turning everyone against us! This has to end!’

Aiden hung his head in shame. He had brought his troubles at work onto his own doorstep. He should have known just how low people would be willing to sink in order to preserve Brandon’s memory. But he expected more from Clyde White. He had clearly misjudged the businessman.

‘Why have you changed the plea? I don’t understand!’

‘Because it wasn’t murder. It was a crime of passion. She doesn’t deserve to die for what she did; I can’t stand by and let her be persecuted for a crime she had no choice but to commit.’

‘No, you said yourself it was open, shut!’

‘Well, it isn’t.’

‘Why, Aid, are you doing this? Why do you have to put your ass on the line for this woman? She’s sat in jail where no one can get to her whilst you are putting your family in danger! This needs to end; you are going to try her for murder!’

‘No, I’m not.’

‘Yes!’ Isla screamed hysterically. ‘You are not going to put your family through hell after we have moved heaven and earth to do as you please!’

‘I can’t let her die.’

‘Why not, she killed him didn’t she?’

‘Yes, but…’

‘There is no but, Aiden. She did it, end of story. Why do you insist on making this so difficult? Do you really think that he hit her? Or do you think that she is just trying to save her own skin?’

‘I think that he hit her.’

‘Well, maybe she deserved it,’ Isla said spitefully, rage surging through her body.

‘That is a vile thing to say, even for you,’ Aiden replied in disgust.

‘Do you ever stop to think why people are defending Brandon so intently? You never knew him; all you are hearing is one side of the story. He was clearly a good man who didn’t deserve to die. You are being taken in by that bitch’s lies!’

‘But they aren’t lies.’

‘Yes, Aiden, they are.’ She stood up, wine glass in hand. ‘And now, because of what an idiot you have been, I have people threatening me, threatening our daughter! If you don’t care about protecting me at least give a damn about her! I don’t feel safe here any more!’

‘You are safe, Clyde White is just trying to scare you, to get to me.’ Aiden hoped his words were true. He needed Isla to believe him; he needed her to calm down.

‘No, you are going to change the plea else so help me, I’ll leave you! I’ll walk, Aiden! And I’ll take Meegan with me! Are you going to risk losing it all just to stop some little slut from getting what she deserves?’ She wobbled slightly on her feet as she yelled at him.

‘You’ve been drinking, we will talk about this another time.’ He took the wine glass from her hand and tossed the remaining crimson liquid down the sink.

Isla’s eyes gleamed with tears and fury.

‘This has to end, Aid.’

‘And it will.’

‘I don’t want to lose you over this.’ She broke down and fell into his arms. He held her close, feeling her tears soak through his shirt and onto his skin. He hated doing this to her, but he had to stand firm. Clyde White was using dirty, sneaky tactics. Aiden wouldn’t sink so low, he could only hope that the evidence would speak for itself once they were in the courtroom.

‘Do you really think that her life is worth saving?’ She looked up at her husband, her anger starting to subside.

‘Baby, any life is worth saving.’

‘I hope you are right.’ Aiden knew he was right. He had consulted his conscience time and again over Brandy White and had decided to follow his gut instinct. Only time would tell if he had made the right decision.

As he held his wife, standing there in the kitchen of their new home, he prayed that Brandon had hit Brandy. Because if he hadn’t, and if he had been foolish enough to believe the lies of a desperate woman, there was no telling what lengths Clyde White and Buck Fern would go to.

Chapter Ten: Father, Can You Hear Me?

When Brandy White saw Father West sitting on the opposite side of the Perspex glass her heart soared and an unfamiliar feeling began to creep up inside her. It was hope.

‘Oh, Father West,’ she gushed, leaning forward and pressing her palms against the glass. ‘I knew you would come!’

Father West smiled fondly at her. Her love for him, for the church, was so sweet and pure. To see her like this, caged like an animal, it broke his heart.

‘How are you doing, Brandy?’

‘I’m doingOK. The food isn’t all that great and I am getting mighty bored just sitting in my room all day long.’ She spoke as if she were on a less than pleasant vacation, rather than sat on death row awaiting sentencing. He admired her courage, or was she merely in denial?

‘The trial is only a few days away now. How are you feeling about it?’

‘I’m feeling really good,’ she smiled. ‘I’ve been talking to Mr. Connelly; he has been so nice to me.’

‘What have you told him?’

‘I’ve told him…you know…what happened? And he didn’t judge me, he was actually quite kind!’

‘Well, he’s a nice man.’

‘Father West, I don’t want people to hate me any more. If they knew the truth about Brandon, about what he did, do you think they might understand me more?’

‘I’m sure they will, Brandy.’

She smiled and her face lit up and Patrick West remembered, regretfully, the vows he had taken when joining the priesthood. He was still a flesh and blood man and when a woman as beautiful as Brandy smiled so fondly at him he began to have yearnings, desires. If it wasn’t for the dog collar around his neck he would have taken her in his arms a long time ago and shown her how a real man loves a woman. But this was neither the time nor the place for such thoughts.

‘You understand what will happen at the trial, if you are found guilty?’ He put the question to her as delicately as he could.

‘I am guilty.’

‘Well, yes, so you are aware of what will happen?’

‘I’ll die.’ It seemed so surreal to hear her say those words. She was a healthy young woman, in the prime of her life, yet she was being forced to contemplate her impending fate. Her time on this earth was going to be cut tragically short.

‘Have you made your peace with God?’ he asked, hiding being the priest mask. She nodded solemnly.

‘I pray every night, asking him to understand the choices I have made and to welcome me into his kingdom.’

‘Good girl, remember, the Lord forgives all sins as long as you repent.’ He felt like a fraud as he sat there facing her. Yes, in theory God forgave those who repented their sins, but what about those who commit murder? If you take another life what fate does await you on the other side? There was no guarantee that being sorry was enough to get you past the gates of heaven.

‘Just make sure you keep praying, and I’ll pray for you too.’

‘Thank you, Father.’

They were both silent for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. It was Brandy who spoke first, her voice unsteady.

‘Am I…am I doing the right thing?’

‘Of course you are.’ He reached forward to touch her, forgetting the glass which kept them apart. His hand made a hollow sound as it smacked against it. ‘Brandy, what you are doing is incredibly brave. The way that Brandon treated you…it was just disgusting. The town needs to know who he truly was. It sickens me when people celebrate him. He was a monster, a monster which you slew. It should be you who is the hero!’

‘I’d love that more than anything.’

‘Love what?’

‘To be seen as a hero. For people to look at me and smile. When I walk past people would just say hello instead of pointing and whispering behind my back. I’d give anything just to feel loved, just once. Like how everyone looked at me when I won my crown.’ She bowed her head in sadness; the time when she could hold her head high with pride felt like an all too distant memory.

‘You are a hero to me,’ Father West said in an effort to comfort her. But it was true; he did see her as a hero. She had conquered her demons and was accepting the consequences with such dignity and grace. He admired her more than she would ever know. Perhaps in another life, another time, he could have told her, he could have loved her.

‘I’m so glad that you came. I was scared that you were going to desert me.’

‘I could never desert you.’

‘I want people to remember me as a good person but I know that they won’t.’ The thought that the eternal memory that the world would hold of her was to be a negative one left Brandy distraught. Sat day after day in her tiny cell at Eastham Ladies Penitentiary she had nothing but time to think, to re-evaluate her life. To relive mistakes over and over again. Her greatest regret was letting her mother go. She missed her dearly, even if she wasn’t the greatest parent in the world. Now more than ever she could use her guidance, just a few kind words. Would Janice Cotton ever know that her daughter had died? Perhaps she would sense it, in only the way a mother could: that something that was once so close to you, so connected, was now gone forever. Maybe she would just wake up and feel a profound sense of emptiness, like something was missing but she couldn’t work out what. As long as on some level she knew that her daughter had passed, Brandy would be happy.

Father West hated to leave Brandy there, alone, but he had no choice.

‘I’m afraid I must go, I have service in an hour.’

‘Yes, of course.’

‘I’ll be thinking of you.’

‘Will you come again?’

He knew he shouldn’t. This one visit was already tearing him up inside more than he had imagined it would.

‘I’ll try to,’ he lied.

‘Remember me,’ she said softly as she was led away, tears pricking at her eyes. The greatest fear that anyone dying young had to face was remembrance. That in their all too brief time on Earth they had failed to leave any lasting mark. But Brandy White would be remembered. Perhaps not for the right reasons, but her name would be on the lips of the people of Avalon for many years to come.

‘Mommy, where we going?’ Meegan asked as Isla strapped the toddler into her car seat.

‘We are going to see one of Daddy’s friends,’ she told her as she consulted her map once more.

‘Why isn’t Daddy coming?’

‘Daddy is working, baby girl. It is just you and me.’ The words echoed in her head long after she had said them. Avalon no longer felt remotely like home. Isla felt as if the townspeople were watching her every move, judging her. If Aiden didn’t change his plea in Brandy’s case their family would be forever branded. She couldn’t have that. If they were to remain there, then for Meegan’s sake she had to do something. As she drove off she wondered if she was doing the right thing, but Aiden had left her with no other option. If Aiden wouldn’t push the murder charge then Isla would have to go straight to the source directly herself. She would do anything to protect Meegan, to protect her family. Brandy White was manipulating Aiden, Isla was sure of it. Batting her eyelashes and playing on his good nature. But Isla refused to stand idly by and let it continue.

‘You sure are popular today,’ the guard said as she opened up Prisoner 929’s cell.

‘What?’ Brandy asked, confused.

‘You’ve got another visitor.’

Her heart soared as she was led into the familiar visiting room with the glass wall. She was expecting to see Aiden sat there waiting for her, but to her surprise she was confronted by a woman. Not just a woman, but also a child. A small girl was sat on the woman’s knee, gazing out at Brandy with terrified eyes. For a moment Prisoner 929 hesitated. Clearly, this visitor was not for her, she had never seen her before in her life.

‘My, the people of Avalon were right, you truly are stunning,’ the woman said to her sadly.

Bemused, Brandy sat down in her chair.

‘It is no wonder that he comes to see you so much.’

‘I’m sorry but do I know you?’

‘No, but you know my husband.’

‘Your husband?’

‘Yes, Aiden Connelly, your lawyer. He is my husband.’

As Brandy took in the identity of her female visitor, Isla watched her intently. She was breathtaking. With youth on her side and a glowing mane of luscious blonde hair she was the stuff of every teenage boy’s fantasy. Isla watched for any hint of guilt in her eyes, or shame, but if anything, she seemed frightened. Sat behind the glass Mrs. Connelly was beginning to feel extremely foolish for having come. There was no way Aiden could be having any sort of physical relationship with this young woman, he couldn’t even touch her! She was stupid to have ever entertained the idea that he had feelings for the girl. Yet here she was, she had to say something.

‘I wanted to come and see you.’

Meegan leant forward, intrigued by the wall of glass, and began placing her little hands all over it.

‘Is that your daughter?’

‘Yes, it is.’ Isla wrapped an arm around Meegan protectively and realised that it was not just Brandy who was afraid. The reality that she had bought her infant child to a prison, and was now exposing her to a killer, was beginning to sink in. In her crazed jealous rage she had thought only of confronting Brandy, not the impact it may have on her child.

‘She is lovely.’ Brandy placed a hand against Meegan’s on the glass and the little girl giggled.