EMBRACE YOU Lone(liness Book Two)(22)

"And? She liked him first. To our minds, she had the right to get involved, not his wife. When I saw how much she likes him - Cara, that is - well, I just knew that I had to help her get closer to him. To try and get him away from his wife, if at all possible. And we were going to use their kid to do that."

As I hear that, Marcus' arm goes around me, partly to protect me and partly to keep me from leaping out of the bench and attacking Melanie. My heart begins pounding and I grow light-headed as I hear Melanie's testimony.

Tim is sitting on my other side and he grabs my hand. Feeling the support from the band and Marcus helps me to calm down.

I look up to find the prosecuting barrister looking at me with concern in his eyes. He turns and asks the magistrate a question.

"Sir, that revelation had to be a shock to Mrs. Hadley..."

"Mrs. Hadley, do you need a break? I don't know what other testimony we'll be hearing," says the magistrate.

I take a deep breath. "Thank you, sir. I'm fine."

"Continue," the magistrate orders Melanie's attorney.

However, he is just as stunned by Melanie's admission as we are. It takes him several seconds as he fumbles to catch up and recover from the damage Melanie has done to her case.

"Uh, so your plan was to grab an innocent, harmless baby and use her as a ploy to get her father to start spending time...with her...kidnapper."

"Yeah. Pretty much. If she hadn't stopped for the blanket and if the band hadn't run after her, it would have worked. Why shouldn't she get what she wants, once in a while?"

There is little Melanie's attorney can do to recover from this damaging testimony, and he knows it. However, he still tries.

"If you had realized that what you were planning would land you behind bars...would you have tried to do it?"

"Don't know. All I know is that, when a friend needs my help, I'm going to try and help her out."

The attorney pounces on this tiny lifeline.

"Loyalty! Much to be praised. Yes. Maybe you didn't understand that your contemplated actions could be harmful or that they were illegal, hmmm?"

"Well...maybe." Melanie finally catches on to what her attorney is saying. Still, I think it's too late.

The magistrate releases Melanie from the stand and the defense barrister pleads his client's case.

"Sir, I think you can see that my client has trouble with the concepts of right and wrong and cause and effect. All she saw was her friend's lovelorn condition. All she wanted to do was to help her. Therefore, she should be given leniency. As well, she has been given a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, which renders her incapable of understanding the effects of her actions upon others." His arguments went on in this vein for some time.

Finally, it was the prosecuting barrister's turn to speak.

"Sir, Miss Stabb's mental health diagnosis renders her 'incapable' of understanding how her actions affect others. It's more like she doesn't care to regard the effects of her actions on others. She doesn't care now - and she didn't care then - about how her actions impacted baby Hadley and her parents. If she is released from jail, she will be very likely to resume her past behaviors - entering into illegal acts and 'mischief' with others, regardless of how they harm others. Sir, she must be held liable for her participation in the attempted kidnapping of baby Hadley. She must serve time behind bars, beyond what she has already served. She must be given the opportunity to take advantage of therapy so she begins to understand the effects of her actions on others."

Finally, both trials are over. It is all over but for the jury's verdicts and the magistrate's decision. He plans to take a few weeks considering any possible sentences, depending on the verdicts coming from the jury.





Chapter 7





Now that both Cara's and Melanie's trials have ended, we return to practicing for the concert tour, which is now imminent. Even though both women are still behind bars, Marcus and the boys feel we should keep our security high - especially since the press are still bothering us. They are still upset at us for the stunt we pulled several weeks ago on the big reveal we hinted at. We're still in complete compliance with the gag orders. The press are, as well, but they do keep a very close watch on us. It's highly irritating. Now that it's so cold outside, we don't take the baby outside, but for a few minutes here and there.

"Johanna, Marcus, you might want to take a look at this," Tim warns us. He's holding out one of those ever-present rags.

I sigh and take it from him. Opening it, I read, "Hadley Family Spiraling Into Depression. Rarely Seen Outdoors." Looking at the title, I laugh, then I read:

Now that the trials for Cara Wells and Melanie Stabb have ended, the Hadley family appear to have virtually disappeared. Where are they? What are they doing? Mrs. Hadley has gone into hiding, close friends say, because she is "concerned" that the women who attempted to kidnap her baby girl are soon to be released from jail.

Friends of the Hadleys say that Mrs. Hadley sits at home, worrying for the safety of her child; that she spends her days crying. These friends report that Mr. Hadley is rapidly becoming exasperated by his wife's moods and tears, and that he is actively searching out a new lover.

I lower the rag, then, on impulse, wrinkle it.