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A light tap on my shoulder caused me to sit up and stare right into the eyes of Thane Erickson. After seeing my face, he sat down beside me and put his arm around me. “What’s wrong, Darcy? Are you okay?”
I didn’t have the energy to fight with him, so I clutched the arm of his sweater, leaned my head into his chest, and sobbed uncontrollably. We sat like that for a long time, and he stroked my head to comfort me.
I told him everything that happened (it was a weak moment), and he talked me through it. “You have done nothing wrong where your mother is concerned. You’ve done everything you can do for her. She’ll never change unless she wants to for herself. You can ask her and tell her, but unless she wants to, it will never be different.”
I couldn’t believe Thane was being so supportive of me after everything we’d been through and after how I’d been treating him. I was even more surprised that I was glad he was there.
“I’m driving you and Addison to the courthouse. When do you have to be there?”
“I’m not sure. With everything happening, I forgot to ask her,” I told him.
“I’ll call and ask.” He found the number on his phone and made the call. “It’s tomorrow at three. It’s about a four-hour drive to Orlando, so we’ll leave here at nine. That gives us time for a couple of pit-stops to pee and have lunch and if there’s any traffic.” He rubbed my back one more time and said, “I’ve got a meeting, but I can come back here tonight if you want.” He sounded so hopeful.
I shook my head. “I think I just want to relax tonight, but I appreciate it. It’s nothing personal. I just want to be alone.”
“Of course, take all the time you need.” He was out the door before I got into bed for a much-needed nap.
THANE & DARCY
Thane
It was a much different trip than it was to the cabin. I could feel the anxiety emanating from Darcy and felt really sorry for her. I couldn’t imagine growing up the way she did. I understood why she was so rough around the edges now. She had no other choice. I compared her to a mama bear protecting her young.
I snuck a peek at her while she was looking out the window, and I felt my groin awaken, pushing against my pants.Not now!It didn’t matter what the circumstance was; if she was angry and screaming at me, if she was being sarcastic at my expense, if she was pushing me away, or if she was sad and depressed. The simple fact was she turned me on. All the time, every time. I was a puppet to her charms. Even when she was being far from charming.
“How are you holding up?” I asked. Addison was asleep in the backseat.
She looked at me sleepily. “I’m alright. I’ve just been going over what I’ll say on the stand.”
“You should write it all down. It might give you more clarity on what you want to say,” I suggested.
She shrugged her shoulders. “If I read it from a piece of paper, there won’t be any feeling in it. I want to let the judge know what it feels like to be Richard Blackwell’s daughter.”
We arrived at the courthouse a few hours later, and I had to wake both Darcy and Addison. I guessed this ordeal was causing them great stress, which led to severe drowsiness.
Darcy and Addison did remarkably well emotionally until they got into the courtroom itself and saw their father at the stand. I was watching Darcy closely from my seat in the audience. I wished I could have sat beside her and held her hand.
Richard’s lawyer asked the appropriate questions for him to answer. He looked so tall and well put together in a black suit with a red tie and white dress shirt. His hair was shaved as was his facial hair. He didn’t look threatening at all, and he had a warm smile on his face. I knew the game. His lawyer was trying to present a man who had been reformed and therefore deserved back into society. I looked into his eyes. I was struck by the emptiness in them. They were so dark and lacked any kind of humanity. Would the judge notice that?
It was now Darcy’s turn up on the stand. She looked radiant up there in her white linen dress, which was a great contrast to her dark features (even though she was emotionally exhausted and mentally drained).
She looked out at the crowd, and I could tell she was fighting her tears. “I’m here today to tell you whether I think my father, Richard Blackwell, should be released on parole into society. I have nine reasons why he shouldn’t be. The first reason is Lynn Blake, aged twenty-one. Dead at the hands of my father.”Darcy paused to collect herself. “The second reason is Tammy Parker, aged twenty-three, dead as well. The third reason is Jessica Carpenter, aged twenty-five. Jessica was killed walking home through the park after visiting with her dying grandmother. Bethany Roberts was victim number four. She was twenty-seven. All of these women’s lives have been taken from them. Mentally and emotionally, their families and friends will never be the same.
“Reason number five is my sister, Addison. She shouldn’t have to live in fear of her father. Reason number six is me. Reason number seven is my mother. She has lost her way completely, and I’m sure he’ll just beat her to death once he gets his hands on her, like he always used to do. Reason number eight is every female out there. Please don’t give him the chance to hurt them. Reason number nine is Richard Blackwell.” Darcy stopped and looked directly into the eyes of her father. “Reason number nine is you, Dad. You don’t deserve to be out in a society where you can find another person to satisfy your awful urges.”
“Objection, your honor. Speculation,” Richard’s lawyer said.
“Over-ruled. The witness is allowed to submit her feelings about her father gaining parole. Are you finished, Ms. Blackwell?” The judge eyed her for a quick answer.
Darcy held her head up high. “Yes, your honor. I’m more than finished.” She stepped down from the stand and was led out into another room.
I stayed to watch Addison give her objection. “I can’t remember any good memories of my father. The only memories I have are of him beating up my mother until she couldn’t move or screaming at my sister and me for being born. A man like this will never change. It is who he is and who he will always be. I’m terrified he will get out because I know that means my mother will die at his hands. And I know that means many other women will lose their life by his hands. Just remember, if you have a daughter, or a niece, a granddaughter, or a younger sister, she might be next if he gets out of prison. You should also add another murder to his list of crimes because he has literally killed my mother. You deserve nothing,” she said directly to Richard. “You are worth nothing to us.”
* * *
When we got home,Addison went straight to bed, exhausted, but Darcy wanted to walk along the beach. I was shocked when she asked me to go with her.
“Thank you for coming today. It meant a lot to Addison and me,” she said.
