CHAPTER 88 - ...OF THE END.

BRIAN

I feel Justin reach for my hand.

“No! Lindsay wouldn’t do that!” Michael shouts in disbelief.

“Of course, she wouldn’t! Tell me something, Mr Devore... didn’t you hear her on Friday? You wouldn’t be in her world! And your ability to run your mouth, as you have demonstrated time and time again, would pose a threat to her carefully ordered existence. Can’t you see that in you and Christopher Hobbs she had the perfect murder?!”

I look across at Hobbs and he looks incredulous and a little green.

“Is it weird that I feel sorry for him of all people?” Justin whispers.

“No.” I whisper back and kiss the top of his head as he moves closer to me. I lean across to Carl and he nods.

“Mr Taylor-Kinney, is there a problem?” Judge Finch asks.

“Sorry for the disruption, your honour, we were....” I start to reply, keeping my eyes fixed on him.

“Your honour.” Hobbs’ attorney stands up. “In light of this allegation, which I am sure counsel has the evidence to back up?” She nods. “May I respectfully request a recess to…”

“Absolutely. Court is adjourned. We will reconvene at 9.00am sharp on Wednesday morning!”

“All rise.”

We go to stand, but the bailiff shakes his head. The court is quickly cleared with them being taken out the left side door. When it is just us, we all turn to Mel. “No idea.” She replies to our unasked question. The door opens and the judge and DA come back in.

“DA Granger, the floor is yours.”

“I’m sorry that you had to hear it the way you heard it. But we only got the rest of the surveillance this morning…”

“That was why you were late?” Mel asks.

“Yes.” She sighs and rubs her temple. “I had wondered why they kept pressing for us not to allow emotional distress or insanity. But, although it is little compensation, she would only have killed the liabilities…”

“Liabilities?” I echo.

“Those who are a hindrance to her wellbeing. Devore, as I said earlier, Hobbs to make her look like a hero and one other person.”

“Baby?” Emmy’s voice is quavering and he reaches for Justin’s hand.

“No. She’d have tried to kill Ruth, wouldn’t she?” Nancy asks, reaching for Ronald at the same time and he pulls her shaking form, into his arms.

“Yes.”

“But why?” Debs gasps.

“You can’t be a mother if you’re dead.” DA Granger replies, watching for Ruth’s reaction. We all are, but she has a ghost of a smile. DA Granger frowns.

“That explains Januck.” She chuckles softly.

“But Arno’s Hiccup’s father.” Ronald points out.

“She still doesn’t believe that.” Mel sighs.

“Judge Finch, why are you here?” Justin asks.

“To offer you the choice not to attend on Wednesday and we prepare a statement explaining why.”

“Oh hell the fuck no. I want to watch that fucking termagant go down and hit her hellish reality hard.” Ruth growls.

“That goes for us too.” Justin’s voice is strong and I am so proud. As I look around, everyone is nodding in agreement.

“Fine. I wanted to make the offer.” He stands, but then pauses. “And to ensure that if Robin Hood rides through this glen again, he comes unarmed.” He smiles at Ruth with a Perry Mason-esque smirk.

“How did…” Ruth begins and then nods. “I’ll tell him.”

“Thank you. Once is unfortunate; twice will raise some security concerns. Have a nice evening all.” He sweeps out, chuckling to himself.

As the door closes behind him, we all turn to Ruth. “Not here.” She laughs and leads us out.

BRITIN - EARLY EVENING

MASTER BEDROOM

JUSTIN

We still can’t believe what Gary did! Or that Nancy wants him to teach her, but then again she is constantly surprising us. Carl made Debs promise not to tell him if she joined Nancy in the teach-in! I am reading up on the Carummies’ Cherokee heritage and come across something very interesting. “Wow, she held out on us!” I call out to Brian, who’s in the bathroom.

“How so?” He calls back.

“Remember she said that she boxed and taught me the clothesline thing?”

“Yeah.” He comes back in carrying a bottle and is wearing my favourite thing...nothing!

“Well according to this, there is a martial arts called Okichitaw...no seriously, read this!” I hand him the laptop and with a pouting sigh, he starts to scroll through quickly but then starts to slow down.

“Wow. You think she knows how to do this?” I just stare at him. “Yeah, dumb question. When they are old enough…”

“Absolutely.” I agree and take the laptop off him. “Now then, what’s that?” I indicate the bottle.

“Oh this. Nothing. Just something for me.”

“Give.” I order and with a smirk, he hands it over. I inhale. “Oh my god, Brian!” I sniff again. “Tonka bean and honey!” I gasp and in my excitement, I almost drop it! “Can we please use it tonight, sparingly, please pretty please-please?!”

“No.” He smirks. “There is no sparing use of this. I have another 3 bottles, and yes in this size before you ask. So laptop off the bed.”

I quickly put the laptop on the table and scurry back to bed. “Whoa, lil-doggie, let’s put the towels down first.”

“Is this why you let me shower first?” I ask, smiling as we prep the bed.

“Maybe. Now lie down.”

I flop inelegantly on the towels. “How’d you want me?” I purr.

“As you are.” He replies and I allow him to move me into position. I still can’t believe he did this! “Want me to give you a facial?” I nod and he pulls me down slightly. “Don’t move from there!” He orders and heads to the bathroom. He comes out a few minutes later with my box of goodies. He gets behind me and I rest my head in his lap. No words are exchanged as he applies the mask to my face and, although I am only a little bit insulted, his cock doesn’t twitch once behind my head. “It will twitch when I’m stroking that beautiful body of yours. Now stop pouting.” After 15 minutes, he is peeling the mask off. “Open your eyes.” I do so. “Blue as the sky and baby soft.” He murmurs. “Now, turn over.”

For the next hour, I am stroked, pressed and kneaded into a puddle of gloop. And true to his word, I felt his cock twitching against my body. “Brian…” I mumble.

“Get in.” He husks and kisses my shoulder.

I squirrel under the covers and the feel of the silk against my skin is exquisite, and different! Normally we sleep on Egyptian cotton; the higher the thread count, the better. The bed dips as he slides in next to me.

“Feeling good?” He whispers but before I can answer, he slants his mouth over mine, soothing me even more with the kiss. All I can do is softly moan in response. “Need some cream...be right back.” He mutters against my neck and kisses a trail all the way down to my straining and twitching cock.

“Oh fuuuuccckkk!” I groan as he slowly takes me down whole and starts to flex his throat. “I don’t…mmm...think I can...oh fuck yeah!” I yelp as I come hard and a lot quicker than I expected. He slides up, chuckling and kissing my body along the way. “That was…”

“Quick?” He teases me and I swat him round the back of his head.

“Spoon or mattress?” I ask and get his only for me smile. “Good answer.”

He arches his head back into the pillow, groaning as I kiss my way down and push his legs wider. “Oomf!” He moans as suckle his dick and balls.

“Tell me when.” I call up and start to work him gently open. He holds off until I get 4 fingers inside him and then starts to clutch the sheets, nodding. I throw the covers over my head and unerringly, slide into him. “So hot and so tight and mine!” I growl as I slide in and up his body. Once I am deep inside him, I tuck my head under his chin.

“Uh-ah! Slower! Want to last!” I stop thrusting and start grinding. “I love you, twat.”

“I love you too, stud.”

When we wake in the morning, he has to carry me and the bedsheet to the bathroom!

RUTH’S CONDO - LATE TUESDAY EVENING

LOUNGE

ARNO

I hang up and sigh. “Papa was ahead of us.” She smiles and hands me a glass of wine.

“I’m glad. But this stays between us...for now.”

“They would under…”

“After the trial yeah, please babe?”

“Alright, but we must tell them.”

SUPREME COURT - WEDNESDAY MORNING

COURTROOM 1

ELIZABETH TRENCH

These last days have been very trying indeed! She has strongly protested that the DA is talking rubbish! But there is a dark glint in her eye, every time she does. “Elizabeth, are you listening to me? I asked what is going to happen today. Are they going to put Michael back on the stand?”

“I don’t know. They don’t tend to let the opposition know what they are planning, tends to weaken their attack.”

The door opens and she stiffens when she sees Ruth coming in and I have to bite my lip when she tinkles a wave at her and adjusts the coat she’s wearing, a little smugly.

“What’s that about?” I ask Lindsay.

“She’s being pathetic, as usual.” She spits and with one last malevolent look in that direction, turns her face to the front.

I smile at Casper as he takes his seat and then frown. “Bathroom.” Devore comes in and sits next to Lindsay and smiles at her. I begin to question the man’s sanity and intellect!

“All rise!”

As Judge Finch takes his seat, he looks across at the family and smiles.

“Proceed.”

DA Granger stands up and I wait. “I call to the stand Lindsay Peterson.”

Bingo! As I thought, they want to wrap this up quickly!

“Ms Peterson, continuing on from Monday’s allegation. Do you have anything to say?”

“As if I would actually try and kill one of my dearest friends... How farcical!” She scoffs, but with her hairless visage, she looks like Medusa after she’s taken off her snakes!

“Yes, let’s go with that. Now, can you tell the court why Carlo Koslov-Masterson was taken?”

Oh, this should be interesting!

“Pardon?”

“Why did you have Mr Devore take a child that is not genetically linked to either Brian or Justin?”

“I don’t think that Mr Koslov would like such a delicate matter aired in a public forum.” She simpers.

“And what delicate matter would that be?”

“His, um, inability to provide…” She trails off blushing, right on cue.

“Your honour, may I present Exhibit 1G. This is a DNA report for Carlo Koslov-Masterson.”

“And we have this why?” Judge Finch asks.

“Proof.”

“Proceed.”

“Thank you. Ms Peterson, can you read the results at the bottom of the page out loud for the court please?” She takes the paper and then reads it, and I don’t know what that expression is about. She starts to mutter. “Ms Peterson...you are an intelligent person, I assume. So you understand the concept of out loud, when ordered. So do so!”

“Percentage match for Brian Taylor-Kinney 0%, percentage match for Justin Taylor-Kinney 0%, percentage match for Arno Koslov 100%.”

“So again, why was Ms Masterson and Mr Koslov’s child taken?”

“I…”

“He’s a baby. He could hardly identify the pair of you, could he?”

“As Mr Devore said, they had left them un…”

“Ms Peterson, you set out to take their child because you believed, wrongly, that either Brian or Justin Taylor-Kinney had fathered him. You wanted to have all the children under one roof with you, and only you, as their mother.”

“Preposterous!”

“What is?” DA Granger asks.

Seriously, this woman is a joy to watch in court!

Silence.

“Okay, let’s continue. Do you recognise this laptop?”

“Yes, it’s mine.”

“Your honour, I am entering this laptop as evidence 1H now that she has confirmed ownership.”

“Agreed.”

“Does anybody else have access to this laptop?”

“No, as I said, it’s mine and the stuff on there is private!” She snaps.

“Not when you are charged with a whole hosts of federal crimes, it isn’t!”  DA Granger takes a breath. “Now, do you know what an IP address is?”

“Not entirely, no.”

“It means that once a computer is connected to the internet, those with the skills are able to find it and anything on it.”

She swallows hard. “I see and this should concern the court because?”

“Because, rather interestingly, a lot of the comments made on the Rage Unleashed website came from this laptop…”

“Objection! Relevance!” I stand up...well you have to keep up appearances, don’t you?!

“Your honour, I am trying to establish her motive to keep her accomplice focused on his hatred of Justin Taylor-Kinney. Especially as the characters of Zephyra and Calista are based upon Michael Devore and Lindsay Peterson…”

“Overruled.”

I sit back down with a pitiful shrug.

“So Ms Peterson, you posted the comments, didn’t you?”

“No. While the laptop is mine, it was out in lounge so…”

“Do you need to be reminded about perjury? For the record, Ms Peterson, when you were court-ordered to provide the login and password for the laptop, you wrote the password down twice. And you were very emphatic about it being private. Are you seriously suggesting that a man of Mr Devore’s questionable intellect would’ve guessed the password and posted the comments himself?”

“Hey!” Devore protests and that gets a smirk.

“Of course not. When I said it was private, I meant private to myself and Michael. Of course, he knew the password. We have no secrets from each other.”

“So he knew about your calls to Christopher Hobbs, then?”

“I never called Christopher Hobbs.” She shudders for emphasis.

“You did. But not via cellphone…” She opens the laptop and turns it to the court. “Your honour, may I have this full screen?”

“Proceed.”

As the login screen comes up, she asks Peterson to type it, but then stops her from putting in the password. “Mr Devore, what is the password for this laptop?”

“It’s GusKinney007.” He calls out and we watch as the login fails.

“Are you absolutely sure about that?” She calls over her shoulder.

“Yes, I never forget a password. I’m famous for it in my group of friends.” He crows.

“And she made hay from that. By the way Mr Devore, having one friend, even a questionable one, does not a group make.” She clicks on the ‘show’ button so we can see her try the password again and again it fails. “Let me try something else. How about I try MrsBKinney4ever? Do you think that would work, Ms Peterson?”

“I wouldn’t know. I didn’t change the password from the one that Michael just said.”

“Of course, you didn’t.” She replies tartly. “Oh look, there we go. Now for the benefit of the court, I will show when the password was last changed.” She clicks on a few screens and then smiles. “There. It was changed over a month ago. And he never forgets a password, isn’t that right?”

She gets a ticking twitch in her jaw.

“Now, back to your contact with Hobbs. You did call him, like I said, but you called him via FaceBook messenger from this laptop...see?”

“Your people have the skills and…”

“You called Christopher Hobbs to arrange to meet him at his home. Why?”

She sits back in the chair and glares at her, then narrows her eyes. “Why don’t you tell me? I mean, you seem determined to paint us as the perpetrators here when we were…”

“I’ll tell you when I am good and ready. Now the day of the kidnapping, why did you go to Gus’s school and not the home of Melanie Marcus as you two planned?”

Silence.

“The witness will answer the question.” Judge Finch orders. “Or be held in contempt.”

“I changed my mind at the last minute…”

“Who hired the van that the children were transported back to your property in? No, don’t answer...we all know the answer, it was Mr Devore. As mentioned by Mr Devore on the morning of the kidnapping, he was feeling unwell. How did you feel?”

“Well since I ate the same thing as him, I was unwell too.”

“But not as bad as him or your fellow dining companions, hereinafter referred to as Agent Coltrane and Agent Brown. They took their food home, didn’t they? Because they had an appointment. Naturally, they didn’t eat it but when it was examined, there were large traces of codeine and quinidine. For the benefit of the court, quinidine, when taken in large doses causes stomach upset and diarrhea.”

“Lovely.” Judge Finch mutters, garnering snickering.

“So all your players were in place.”

She rolls her eyes. “If you say so.”

“Oh I do, Ms Peterson, I do.” DA Granger retorts. “No further questions, right to recall. Your witness.”

“No questions.”

“Witness will stand down.”

She cuts her eye at DA Granger as she heads back to her seat and pats Devore’s arm; he basks in the affection...the fool!

“I call to the stand Michael Devore.” He sighs as he gets up and goes to sit down. “Remember you are still under oath, Mr Devore, although you won’t be here long. When you rented out the property, did you know about the cellar? And are you on medication?”

“Medication? No. And what cellar?”

“No further questions. Your witness.”

“No questions.” Casper replies.

“I call back to the stand Lindsay Peterson.”

“Ms Peterson, why did you have children’s Benadryl among your personal effects?”

“A habit. I’ve always carried it since Gus was a baby.”

“How sweet, but this is for a child from ages 7 and upwards. That’s some forward thinking.”

“What do you mean forward thinking?”

“Ms Peterson, you don’t know any children aged 7 or older and your son has no known allergies. So surely, as a sweet, loving, and responsible mother, you would know that this would be far too strong for any child under that age?”

“I just picked it up in the store. I didn’t check the…”

“But why pick up something that you are not using? Gus hasn’t seen you in a long time, has he? So why do you have a new bottle? And then there’s the Valium?”

“Valium. Oh that. Well during my time of stress, I needed something to calm me down as I, understandably, was extremely upset.”

“Nancy.”

“Pardon?”

“The prescription is in the name of Nancy Peterson, which is not you. So who is she?”

She looks across at her mother with concern. “My mother. She gave them to me, even though she shouldn’t have. Will she get in trouble? I really hope not.” She tone drips sarcasm.

“No, she won’t get into trouble because she didn’t give them to you; your father picked up the prescription. But you took them. The prescription is very out of date, and the only fingerprints are on the bottle are yours and his.”

“Mine?” She echoes.

“Yes, yours. But back to the calls between yourself and Mr Hobbs. You called him via Facebook Messenger on this laptop, why? Before you say that we did this, while you have to have a certain skill to change an encryption on a laptop...you have to be a computer savant to change it on the mainframe. Especially when you don’t know where that mainframe is. So why did you call him?”

“As I said, I didn’t.” She retorts.

“I can prove that you did. Remember, Hobbs didn’t have access to any electronic equipment, so you were speaking to an agent when you asked him to stop harassing Justin Taylor-Kinney, but that was only after you had Gus secured. In the same conversation, you asked if you could visit him to explain why face to face. Why what?” She sits back in the seat again. “At least you would save him the pain…by rendering him unconscious.”

“Who are you talking about now?” She snarks.

“Gus, of course. You couldn’t have him hearing the, now what does he call them? Oh yes, the Carummies. But luckily for us, Gus wasn’t thirsty. So he didn’t drink the drink or eat the food you left out for him. And guess what was found when they were tested?”

“I don’t know as I never…”

“Ms Peterson, I am sick and tired of your constant, but futile attempts, to play little Miss Dumbass, so let’s end this. Benadryl. Benadryl was found in both the food and the drink. You were going to sedate Gus and do you know why we know that?”

She shrugs, but I can see her eyes start to shift and she starts to squirm in her seat.

“Because he told the authorities that you kept insisting that he was to eat what you had left out for him, but he kept saying he wasn’t too hungry and that he already had a snack. But then you took that snack away. Why did you do that?”

At first, it doesn’t look like she’s going to say anything, but then she shakes her head. “It was an unhealthy one…”

“An apple and two cookies made by his very health conscious fathers...oh, I think not! Now before we move on to other personal effects, how long had you been drugging him?”

“I didn’t drug anyone!” She snaps.

“I suppose we could say you were doing a kindness by at least rendering him unconscious so he wouldn’t feel it.”

“This is getting tiresome now. I…”

“You had been putting the Valium pills in Mr Devore’s food for a while. The doctor found it in his system when he was first arrested.”

“Lindz, what are they talking about?”

Maybe realisation has finally begun to dawn?

She pauses for a minute and then looks at Devore. “You are without doubt the stupidest man I have ever had misfortune to come across.”

“Huh?”

“See! There, right there! Huh! I got sick and fucking tired of waiting for you to follow through and step up, but no! Not you! And like the DA said you have a big mouth, but she didn’t mention your very tiny brain!” She shrugs. “So I decided to clear out the trash. But like they said, I wasn’t just going to beat you to death with the baseball bat. I mean, yes I was, but you wouldn’t have felt a thing. It was me allowing you more mercy than your idiocy ever afforded me! And as for you…” She glares at Hobbs. “I would’ve slit your wrists, but left the bat nearby.”

The courtroom is stunned into silence.

“And what about Ruth?” DA Granger asks. “How were you going to eliminate her? We found a completed gun permit application on your laptop, so…”

“I never completed a gun permit application.” She retorts, smiling smugly.

Granger returns the gesture, speaking slowly and succinctly for us all to hear very clearly. “Well not in your name, of course. But you completed one in the name of Michael Devore, didn’t you?”

“Oh, haven’t you been thorough?” She chuckles. “What gave me away?”

“You. You gave you away. Your very nature. Sneaking, conniving and arrogant beyond all that is reasonable since you are far from accomplished. But above all else, you are jealous. Pathetically jealous! Your life is in shambles because you are a complete failure in everything you do. For you, it is all about the image and the more Brian and Justin pushed you away, the more that image began to fade and the person that replaced you in that wholesome family picture is Ruth. And you couldn’t stand it! For Ruth, the ghetto queen as you disparagingly call her, to come in and be as open and honest about herself as she was stuck in your craw, especially since she is everything you aren’t and never will be. She’s a successful business owner and she didn’t have to lie on her back or fall on her knees to get that way. You did but still got nowhere! She earned every single penny she has, which is something no one can say about you. Hell, basically you were paid to go away, correct? But that wasn’t the tipping point for you. No, the tipping point was your parents’ reaction to Ruth. They accepted her for what she is...a hard-working, honest, loving, caring, mother, friend and confidant...who they love like a daughter. Because Gus loves her like a mother!”

“NO!” She screams as the veins in her head bulge. “She is not their mother! She’s an incubator! A vessel, a skanky one at that, for the seed that should rightfully have been mine!”

“Ms Peterson!!” Judge Finch bellows as he bangs his gavel.

“What, you dried up old fossil?! I am done trying to explain why we did what we did. But I am curious to know, how did you get me?”

“You left a paper trail, a very long one!” DA Granger retorts.

“But when did you know? This is what I don’t understand. I am very clever you see; I would’ve spotted…”

“You didn’t spot that there were two FBI agents living on your street, so not that clever and besides, remember the house was bugged.”

“When?” She looks puzzled.

“Remember the electrician that suddenly turned up and fixed your electrical box… well his name is Agent Matthews! Or should we just call him Checkmate for your benefit?”

“I see.” She huffs a breath of annoyance. “So now what happens?”

“You go to jail.” DA Granger retorts.

“Lindsay! Lindz! You were going to kill me?!” Devore shouts at her.

“Can we please get out of here? If I have to hear that pathetic drone a minute longer, I will scream!”

“It won’t work.”

“What won’t work?” She looks puzzled.

“Your last hurrah.” DA Granger grins. “Your final attempt at a big fuck you and to escape punishment for the rest of your life. You’ve had many a headache since you’ve been in custody. But not enough, in your mind, to raise suspicion. Feel free to take the entire batch you have squirreled away...they’re called placebos.”

She gasps and goes pale. “WHAT?!”

“You will die in prison Lindsay Peterson...either by order of the government or of old age!”

She screams and is about to lunge at DA Granger when Judge Finch swiftly rabbit punches her hard enough to stun her, but not enough to knock her out.

“DA Granger, are you alright?” He demands.

“Uh yes, yes your honour.” She stammers. “Nice punch.”

“My wife is a Latina from Harlem, she taught me a thing or three.” He chuckles. “Court is adjourned for two hours!”

“All rise!”

COURTROOM 1 - TWO HOURS LATER

LINDSAY

I look at a still incredulous Michael and giggle. “Oh you should’ve seen your face when you realised what I had planned.”

“Why? Why not just let me walk away?” He whines.

“Because I didn’t want to.” I reply simply.

“You’ve been using me all this time?”

“You let me use you, so in effect you gave permission.”

“All rise!”

I glare at the judge as he sits down. Everyone else sits like obedient fucking poodles, but I remain standing.

“Sit down!” Elizabeth orders.

“No I want an apology for his assault on….ow! Ow! Ow!” I scream as my arm is wrenched behind my back and my head is pressed against the table.

“Like you were told. Sit. Down!” The guard growls in my ear, who I hadn’t realised was behind me.

“Let go of me!” I shout.

“You sit, then I let go. You get up again. I put you back in this position. Do you understand?”

“Yes!” I cry as he presses my arm up higher.

“Ass on seat, first!” He orders and I manoeuvre myself back down.

I’m furious and humiliated! I rub my shoulder and turn to Michael, who is snickering. “You are still going to jail, remember?”

“No I’m not. You admitted what you were going to do.” He smirks.

“But I didn’t do it, did I? You on the other hand did as I bid, of your own free will and with no coercion, just because I say doesn’t mean you do.”

He quickly turns to his attorney and then goes very, very pale.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the court. In light of the confession by Lindsay Peterson and the proven guilt of Michael Devore, the jury has been dismissed as they have been found guilty. Therefore, I will now pass sentence. The defendant Michael Devore will stand.”

“No wait! Please!” He whimpers like the pathetic whelp he is.

“I, Judge Nicholas Finch, find you guilty of kidnapping, breaking and entering, breach of restraining orders and failure to protect. You are sentenced in totality to 36 years in prison. Sit down.”

He crashes to the floor in a dead faint. Pathetic!

I watch them attend to him and occasionally look across at Debs, I’m surprised that she doesn’t seem to be bothered as she is chatting to Jennifer.

“Lindsay Peterson, you will stand...now. If you need to be assisted, feel free to remain in your seat.”

I stand quickly as the guard approaches. “I, Judge Nicholas Finch, along with a jury of your peers, find you, Lindsay Peterson, guilty of breach of restraining orders, failure to protect…” I tune him out as he drones on. It went as I thought. Michael carried the can for it, not me. “And attempted assault on DA Granger and therefore sentence you to 45 years in prison…”

“Forty...did you just say forty five?!” I gasp.

“Yes I did. Sit down.”

“But wait, I didn’t do anything!”

“But the intent was there. And to my mind you are still a danger to certain individuals, so you will be incarcerated until that is no longer the case.”

“No, you can’t do that to me!  Who is going to look after my children?! I won’t accept this!”

“Acceptance or not, you are going to jail. But not before I tell you this, Ms Peterson. Christopher Hobbs, is as far as this court is concerned, a free and innocent man.”

When I look pitifully across to where the family sits, there is no one there.

TWO MONTHS LATER

SUPREME COURT

JUSTIN

I don’t take my eyes off of them. My sperm donor is about to be sentenced.  

“Craig Taylor, you have been found guilty of corruption, bribery of a court official, jury tampering, attempted extortion and being an accessory after the fact. I, Judge Rina Topperman sentence you to 31 years in prison in totality. Take him down.”

He shouts and swears as he is dragged from court.

“Christopher Mark Hobbs, please stand.” He swallows a couple of times, but gets steadily to his feet. “As you know all cases by Judge Russo have had to be reviewed and yours is the last one that has to be re-sentenced. Therefore, I, Judge Rina Topperman sentence you to 10 years…”

“Holy fuck!” Debs gasps.

Hobbs just nods.

“Silence in court!” She bangs her gavel and then levels her gaze at him again. “However, because of your help in this case and in the cases of the State vs Peterson and Devore. Plus your continued good and, now, honest behaviour since the attack on Justin Taylor, I do not believe that you pose a threat to society. Therefore, the 10 years I have sentenced you will be served on a tag. Sit down.”

As he sits down, he looks across at us and stands up again. “Your honour, can I say something?”

“Yes.”

“Justin, Brian I am sorry. I know you don’t want to hear it, but I truly am. And accept that you can never forgive me.”

“You’re right, we can’t. But this time, we accept your apology.” I reply and Brian squeezes my hand.

BRITIN - EARLY EVENING

LOUNGE

BRIAN

“Are you sure you’re okay with what Jules is doing?” Ruth looks around concerned.

“Yes honey.” Debs replies. “This is what he does and to be honest, I would rather he did that. At least with Jules watching him, we all feel better.”

There are nods of agreement and Ruth smiles in relief.

“To freedom and blowpipes.” I declare.

“To freedom and blowpipes!” They all shout back.

“And breathing! Brian! Let him breathe!” Jennifer shouts, laughing.

I look down at my very dazed husband with his kiss bruised lips...and laugh. “Yeah that’s good too!”

“Shut up darling!” He laughs.

“Whatever you say sweetheart.” I kiss him again. “Whenever you say it.”

The End.