TED

I look across at Jeremy, and he is just gaping at Michael. “Excuse me, Your Honour, may I have another quick word with my client?”

“Yes. Five minutes.”

Michael sits down and then leans towards Jeremy, I can’t hear what is being said, but I do know that stubborn look on his face. This does not bode well.

“Counsel.” She prompts.

“Sorry, thank you and the court for your patience, Your Honor. He has the copies of them on his phone, could they be sent to me and his fellow defendant now? Then a recess so we can look over them?”

“Indeed.”

The court is so quiet you can hear the key clicks on his phone as he goes through it. I look across at Bob, and with each click he seems to flinch like it’s a death knell, and I suppose for his continued freedom it is.

“Do you have them?” Judge Abbey demands.

“Yes. Just now.” Jeremy is gaping, this has got to be good for us but bad for him.

“Court is in recess for an hour, not a minute more!”

“All rise!”

My phone buzzing gets my attention and it’s from Chyna telling me to not let him see them no matter what!  “Seriously, what the hell is going on?!”

VIC AND DEBS HOUSE - SAME TIME

KITCHEN

DEBS

“Now don’t get me wrong, Vic, I love Florida, but it is so good to be home!”

“Too right. Shall we go to the diner to see if it is still standing?” He smiles widely. We have had a lovely break, and finally that little asshole got the message and stopped calling.

“Yeah.” I grin back, and grab the keys to the garage. I can’t wait for our new cars to arrive. That jalopy has bruised my ass for far too long. As we lock up, I see a familiar flash of lemon making its way quickly down the street. “Ems!”

“Oh, thank god, come with me!” He exclaims, grabbing both our hands and hailing a cab with a loud whistle.

“What’s going on?!” Vic grumbles as he is manhandled into the cab. “Ems?! Ouch! Do watch where you are shoving my sister!”

“Michael is going to jail! He confessed everything!”

“He what?!” We look at each and then at Ems who is nodding like a bobble headed dog.

“He’s taking Barbarossa with him. Chyna just called and said to get to the courthouse!”

ALLEGHANY COURTHOUSE - 50 MINUTES LATER

MEETING ROOM SEVEN

JEREMY

“So why this Road to Damascus moment?” I look up from the print outs and at him staring out of the window. “It can't just be because you almost got someone killed. I mean, after all you did ‘kill’ someone by doing this.”

“I always assumed that they would be there. They have been a fixture for years, I never thought that they would leave. And they left because of me.”

“Who?”

“My Mom and Uncle. So realistically with this, what am I looking at jail time wise?”

“I don’t honestly know. If you hadn’t taken so long, then maybe it would be shorter, but…”

“Counsel the hour is up!” The bailiff calls from outside.

“However long it is, I deserve it.”

“Yeah you do.” I reply.

BABYLON - FOUR HOURS LATER

CHYNA

I am looking at Ted and Marilyn. Emmett is lying down after he hyperventilated his way into a dead faint, and has only just come around. “He wants to do what?”

“Speak to the Babylonians. To say sorry.” Ted repeats.

“Why?”

“No idea, but it would be a fitting end to this...” Marilyn answers, still shell shocked by this turn of events. “....I still can’t believe that Bob just said nothing!”

“You expected something?” I pour generous whiskies and we sit in silence, still trying to take it on board that Michael Novotny, or whatever the hell name he goes by now, has taken the rightful blame. “So what happens with the Adam thing?”

“Not sure, you would need to speak to Xin about that. Didn’t know he was in court for it.” Ted mutters around a watered down whisky after I almost excoriated his vocal cords...jeez, exaggerate much?!

“Did they see him?” I ask just as Vic and Debs walk in. He shakes his head, and I am relieved. Vic grabs them a whisky each, and sits down next to Debs. They are followed by Ems poking his head around the door. “Make room for our no longer wilting flower!” I order, and he sinks into the sofa.

“What do we do?” Ems sips and stares. “This is over now, bar the sentencing, so now what?”

I look across at Marilyn. “Elephant in the room question...how bad was it?”

“Horrendous. It was chicken shit enough that he tried to play the health card, but the things he wrote about Jerry….all he had to say was that he would not recommend him for a managerial position, but he called him, lax, incompetent and...I have never wanted five minutes alone with someone so bad in my life!”

Vic and Debs have not said a word so far, the door opening this time brings in Naomi, who smiles at me. “Told you it would work. Didn’t think it would be that quick though.”

“You did indeed, and me neither.” I sit back down and put my feet on the desk.

“What worked?” Vic looks at the pair of us.

“I knew he was in there. The fact he kept running to Debs anytime something went wrong screamed Momma’s boy to me…”

“Yeah, he’s a Momma’s Boy. I know that I raised him that way, but don’t understand how that got him into court and confessing like he did.”

“Simple. From what I heard, I saw him in me and Chyna did the rest.”

“Him in you? Rest?” Vic questions.

“Debs said he looked genuinely terrified at what could’ve happened to Xin and Adam, so I told him you guys had moved to Florida because he drove you away.” They all look astonished. “Next thing I heard was he was in court, at his insistence, just to get it over and done with.”

“So that’s what he meant when he said he had nothing now?” Ted is rubbing his face.

“But the him in me thing?” Debs probes.

“I wanted my Mom to love me no matter what, and you did that for him…” Naomi begins then nods at me.

“...then you stopped.” I continue. “We figured he could handle you not loving him and being here, because that gave him hope. But you not being here and not loving him…”

“That’s why you didn’t want him to see them, so he wouldn’t change his mind?!” Ted exclaims and I cock my gun at him. “So, in other words, you tricked him into doing the right thing?!”

“He’s not the only one that can play with the truth to suit their own ends.”

“What about the apology?” Vic is trying hard not to smile at the sneakiness.

“Did you want it after all he’s done?”

“No.” He concedes.

“Neither will the Babylonians. But if he wants to apologise so badly we will let him. Let’s hope he doesn’t remember that we’re a funny breed, we neither forgive nor forget!”