Page 53 of Drowning in Lies
I had made the decision not to tell Sherry what had really happened.It was one thing for Chris to know.In his line of work, he dealt with morally gray areas all the time.Plus, if he were ever questioned, the attorney-client privilege would protect both him and me.I didn't want Sherry to be in a position where she would have to lie for me, although I knew that she would do it in a heartbeat.
"I am absolutely sure that I want my child to have a godmother who is fierce, and who will protect him or her to Hell and back if needed.That's you, honey."
I smiled through my tears, once again reminded how lucky I was to have two such wonderful friends in my life.
The next month brought stress and tension back into my life, and the anxiety that had been dormant for months flared to life as the date for the trial drew closer.
I'd met with the prosecutor again, and he felt confident that the case would be a slam dunk.He had offered them both a plea bargain, but it required a guilty plea for all charges.Scott and Vanessa each insisted that they hadn't gone through with their part of the murder conspiracy, since of course, they actually hadn't. They blamed each other and each accused the other of framing them to take the fall. Since they refused to plead guilty for that charge, the plea offer was rescinded.
Early on the morning of the trial I received a call from Liam, wishing me luck for the day.We chatted for a few minutes, with him promising to see me soon.Chris and Sherry arrived a little early to pick me up, so I had to cut my call short, agreeing to keep him posted on the trial.
Once court was in session, both defense attorneys announced that their clients had elected to plead guilty to all charges except for the attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder.Chris whispered to me that they were throwing themselves on the mercy of the court, knowing that the evidence was incontrovertible. He said that it was a common tactic, hoping that their guilty pleas would result in the judge showing leniency when it came time for sentencing.
I was the first witness called to testify, and I made it a point to look directly at Scott and Vanessa during the key points of my testimony. Neither one had the courage to look me in the eye. Chris and Sherry sat by my side for the duration of the trial. Each evening on the drive home, Sherry would come up with new and inventive ways to torture both of them.
The day that the videos were shown to the jury - along with the transcripts of their text conversations - their fate was sealed. It was obvious from the looks of disgust on those twelve faces that Scott and Vanessa were not going to win this one.
I will admit that I got a petty thrill out of the fact that Vanessa cried while watching David talk about how much better I was in bed.The "greasy burger" comparison nearly did her in.The final straw was when David mentioned having sex with a woman named Marissa while Vanessa was out of town.She burst into sobs, screaming incoherently at the image of David on the video screen, asking him how he could cheat on her.I snorted a laugh at the irony of it.After her attorney wasn't able to control her outburst, she was led from the courtroom by two very stern-faced court officers who clearly had no patience for her drama.
Neither Scott nor Vanessa took the stand in their own defense, which did not surprise Chris in the slightest. "There is no way in hell I would advise a client who is clearly that unlikeable to take the stand, especially with the amount of evidence against them."
I was pleased to see Detectives Horton and Dobrowski, who both testified for several hours.The defense attorneys tried to deflect blame and questioned both the evidence and the interrogation techniques, but it was clear that both detectives were well-trained on how to deliver compelling testimony.
The trial lasted three and a half days, and the jury deliberated for less than an hour.A triumphant smile broke out on my face when they were found guilty on both charges.Sherry grabbed my hand and squeezed it, leaning over to whisper "Boo-yah, motherfuckers!" in my ear. I loved my best friend.
At the sentencing the following month, Vanessa had to be helped to her seat by the prison matron.She was pale and gaunt, and quite frankly, looked like hell.Scott once again had a black eye, so clearly he wasn't making any friends in prison.
The judge announced that their sentences were to be served consecutively, and Chris flashed me a subtle thumbs up. They were both sentenced to twenty years for the attempted murder and conspiracy charges.Vanessa received an additional two years for forgery and five years each for mortgage fraud and embezzlement. She would be eligible for parole after sixteen years.
Scott received an additional four years for forgery, three years for drug possession, ten years for mortgage fraud and five years for wire fraud.He would not be eligible for parole for twenty-one years.I had the pleasure of seeing the usually cocky Scott look totally defeated, and Vanessa was damned near catatonic at the news.
Chris and Sherry dropped me off at my house that afternoon, after I'd declined their offer to go out to celebrate.I just wanted to shower away the stench of breathing the same air as those two, put on my comfy pajamas, and sit in front of the fireplace with a glass or two of wine.
I unlocked my front door and stepped inside, closing and locking it behind me.I tensed slightly as I realized that my alarm didn't give a warning chime as it should have when the door opened.I glanced at the keypad next to the door and saw "System not armed" on the display. That was odd, because I always, without fail, turned on the alarm when I left the house.
I jumped and whirled around as I heard soft footsteps behind me.
"Hello, Princess. I hope you don't mind, but I made myself at home."
Epilogue
I looked around Sherry's backyard, as Chris put the finishing touches on the birthday party decorations.Their yard had been transformed into to a pink and purple unicorn fantasy land, as requested.I couldn't believe that my sweet goddaughter was turning two years old today. She loved all things pink and purple, and "oonacorns" were her favorite thing in the world.
Madelyn Rose had come into the world kicking and screaming, and she'd been hell on wheels ever since. Sherry was expecting baby number two any day now. She had hoped to wait until Maddie was three before having another one, but she and Chris had gone to Maui for their anniversary nine months ago.
They'd stayed in my condo, and I had watched Maddie for them while they were gone.Sherry had once again come back from vacation with a little extra special souvenir, and when the pregnancy test came up positive a month later, she'd declared that she and Chris weren't ever taking a vacation again.Chris, on the other hand, had been thrilled at the news, and hadn't stopped smiling and strutting around like a peacock for months.
"Aunt Wiwa!" I heard Maddie squeal as she came barreling out the back door.I knelt down and she ran into my arms as she always did.I scooped her up and swung her around as she giggled and clung to me like a spider monkey.
"Where's Unca Wee-am?" she asked. I loved that she still couldn't pronounce the letter 'L' yet.
I gave her a final squeeze and set her down on her feet as I answered her. "He's on his way. He promised he'll be here before the party starts this afternoon."
Liam's surprise visit after Scott and Vanessa were sentenced to prison had resulted in us getting drunk together, then deciding to have a bonfire with the photos of Vanessa and David that I had taken from the condo she'd lived in.
We toasted each other as we watched the flames destroy all traces of their images, and then spent the rest of the night fucking as if our lives depended on it. We couldn't get enough of each other.After waking up wrapped around each other the next morning, we decided to take our casual friends-with-benefits arrangement to the next level.
We continued the long-distance thing for a few more months, until Uncle Pat determined that Liam wasn't needed in Ireland any longer.He had moved back to Chicago, and I had decided to remain in Indianapolis to be close to Sherry, Chris and Maddie.Indy was my home, and we didn't need to live together to be together.It was only a three-hour drive between the two cities, or about a fifty minute flight, and we each made the trip several times a month.
