EMBRACE YOU Lone(liness Book Two)(21)

"Don't you remember telling me that..."

"Excuse me, sir, but he's leading his client!" This is the barrister for the prosecution.

"If she was, she was. If she wasn't, don't lead her into stating something that's patently false," orders the magistrate. "Move to a different topic."

The attorney lets out a gusty sigh.

"Miss Stabb, when we talked after your arrest, we discussed your childhood. We discussed your mental health diagnosis. Do you remember?"

"Yes. Yes, I do."

"What did we talk about in your childhood?"

"About me mum leaving all us kids at home alone. About how we had to raise ourselves."

"And, what did you say about your mum's boyfriends?"

"Oh! Oh, yeah! One of her boyfriends, he was a dock worker, would abuse me and my older sister. He'd come into our room and touch us and say things to us..."

"Okay. Thank you! And what did your mum do when you told her what her boyfriend was doing to you?"

"She slapped us both across our faces and accused us of lying. Then they went out to the bars and got drunk. When they got home, we got it from him really bad that night."

"Okay. And, when your mum saw your injuries the next day, what did she say?"

"That we'd done it to each other. That's when we ran away the first time. Shortly after, I found out I was pregnant and dropped out of school. I miscarried my kid and found my job as a child minder."

"When did you meet Cara Wells?"

"Right before I dropped out. We were both ignored in school. We became friends since no one else wanted to be our friend. We got together at her house after school. Bad as her home life was, it was safer than my house. We kept our friendship after I left school and became a child minder."

"And, what did you know about her...feelings for Marcus Hadley?"

"I know she liked him tremendously. She just wanted him to acknowledge her, smile at her once in a while - that's all!"

I look at Marcus, thinking, Yeah, and she would have made that out to him being attracted to her. No, don't think so.

"And, if she'd gotten that acknowledgment, what would have happened? More to the point, what wouldn't have happened?" asks the attorney.

"To my mind, she would have known that he knew she exists. She would not have felt any need to track him down."

"Let's come to that date when you went to the The Lovely Loners' concert. The day that your friend was spotted in the audience and approached by the police."

"Yes?"

"Did you have any sense that she was up to anything she shouldn't have been?"

"No...well...no. She wanted to hear the music and she...well, she..."

"She...what?"

"She knew he would be there. She...all she wanted to do was set her eyes on him and see if he was...if he was the same as in school. That's all."

"Did you try to tell her she should listen to the warnings from the police?"

"Tuh! No! Why? I don't trust the coppers!"

"So, you didn't try to tell her she should stop trying to track down and follow Mr. Hadley?"

"No. I just told her to be careful and try not to be too obvious."

"Ah. Okay, then, thank you."

"Prosecution."

"Thank you. Miss Stabb, isn't it true that, instead of telling Miss Wells to be less obvious, that you instead helped her to track down Mr. Hadley and his family? Helped her find where he lived and what kind of vehicle he drove?"

Melanie gives the prosecuting barrister a wide-eyed look. Clearly, she doesn't expect his approach.

"Ahhh, ...Well, when she told me she just needed to see him, I just wanted to help her. That's all!"

"Okay. If I'm to accept that explanation, let's talk about the day of the Hadley child's kidnapping. How..."

"Oh. Don't wanna talk about that. No sir!"

"Miss Stabb, how do you know what I'm going to say? You're on the stand and you've sworn to tell the truth. You must answer any question I ask you. And I'm asking you, how were you involved in that near-kidnapping? What did you do?"

Melanie sits, obstinately still. She refuses to answer that series of questions.

The magistrate looks at Melanie, waiting for a response.

"Miss Stabb! You are under oath and I am ordering you to answer his questions! Now!" The magistrate's voice comes out in a dull roar.

"Oh! Must I? I already know I'm in trouble. Why should I make it worse for myself?"

"It's already bad. You were implicated by Miss Wells. You've undergone a psychological evaluation, for which there is a diagnosis. You will be sentenced to some type of penalty, although I don't know yet what that will be. Answer the question. Now!"

Melanie lets out a sigh, indicating she feels very put-upon.

"Well, all right! We were talking about how much she loves Marcus Hadley. When we were at the concert and she spotted him, we sat a row behind him ...he's not really that bad-looking. I can see why she took such a liking to him."

"So, her fixation upon him didn't concern you?"

"No. Why should it?"

"He's married...a father."