Tony shrugged. “The investigators weren’t certain if it was intentional or if she forgot to open the flue. They said that electronics aren’t the most combustible material: she probably threw other things in the fireplace to get the fire going quickly. Based on some evidence, they’re presuming bed linens. It would make a lot of smoke. The fact that the fire spread may have been accidental—or not.”
“They’re waiting on more definitive evidence before they charge Catherine with Sophia’s death. It’ll most likely be manslaughter.”
Tony’s head slowly moved from side to side. “As much as I want to see her spend the rest of her life in prison, I can’t believe Catherine intended to kill her own daughter.”
“This whole thing gets more twisted every day,” Brent replied. Refocusing on the tablet in his hand, he returned them to their task at hand. “Judge Temple will ask you some questions. The purpose of this meeting is to talk with you, and assess the need for the order. The Vandersols claimed that due to your past history, you’re a threat to Claire and to Nichol.”
Tony’s lips made a straight line as he fought to remain silent. There’s no way he’d ever hurt Nichol: it wasn’t even plausible. He’d never hurt Claire again. But with that damn book out, he couldn’t deny the past.
Brent continued, “No matter what he says or what he asks, don’t get upset. Jane will also ask you questions. I guarantee she wants you to lose it.”
Tony turned his dark gaze on his friend. Anthony Rawlings didn’t need lessons on public appearances. He was the master. Before he could comment, Brent continued, “I’m saying that because if I were her, that’s what I’d want. I’d want to provoke you. I know that you know not to do it, but I also know that you have triggers. Expect those to be exploited.”
“I’ll watch it,” he conceded as he reflected on the past few weeks. With every passing second, he missed paradise—not the location but the bond. Lamenting the loss of what he, Claire, and Nichol shared on that tiny island wouldn’t bring it back. Besides, Anthony Rawlings wasn’t a watcher: he was a doer. He’d do whatever was necessary and swore that he’d never give up. If playing nice with the Vandersols, Judge Temple, or even the devil himself was what Tony needed to do to get even a sliver of paradise back, he’d do it.
Returning to Iowa City had been both pure hell and a resemblance of normal. The hell part was obvious. The return to his previous normal came after the meeting with Evergreen. Everyone had rehearsed his part, even Eric. Tony didn’t want anyone other than himself to be held responsible for the actions at the estate. He also didn’t want anyone else charged with aiding and abetting; however, they all agreed that Eric’s involvement wouldn’t trigger red flags. At the time of the incident, he was employed by the estate. By virtue of Tony’s will, Catherine assumed the role of executor of the estate so, in essence, she’d become Eric’s employer.
Working with the estate’s security had always been a component of Eric’s job. As Tony’s driver and pilot, his presence was for more than transportation. He was Tony’s first line of protection. Once Tony became missing, Eric assumed that role for Ms. London. Reviewing the surveillance video was an acceptable component of his job. Who would be more likely to find the evidence that could potentially implicate Catherine as well as exonerate Tony?
Though the estate had turned everything over to the police, their forensic teams had a lot of footage to dissect. Eric claimed that it was his personal concern for everyone involved that prompted him to scan the videos. Despite the incriminating evidence against his new employer, he had an overwhelming sense of conscience to set the record straight.
With Evergreen and Chief Newburgh, the Iowa City police chief, present, Brent showed them the video. Once it was confirmed that the video hadn’t been doctored, that it was the same as what had been confiscated by the police, it was logged into evidence. Of course, it was only a small step along the legal process. Catherine’s attorneys had motioned to have the video evidence dismissed. Although no definitive decision had yet been made, Brent believed that it would stand. After all, Catherine ran the estate at that time. She’d lived there for many years and was well aware of the surveillance cameras. Eric even had video evidence of her accessing the feeds from multiple locations. Even though it was true, there was little to no chance that she’d be able to claim that she’d been video-recorded without her knowledge. Why would a judge or jury believe that she assumed the office was not recorded when she knew that the rest of the estate was under surveillance?
The footage that Eric presented also showed Catherine engaging the electronic lock on the suite where the Vandersols were held. The crime lab’s analysis of the water bottles within the suite found that the water contained the deadly toxin actaea pachypoda. Once that particular poison was identified, the FBI joined the case and confirmed their previous knowledge. After a few turf wars and posturing, the two agencies seemed to have found a common ground.
They all knew more charges would come against Tony; they just hadn’t happened yet. The video had made it clear that Tony had knowledge of other crimes but it also overwhelmingly showed Catherine’s involvement. After she was charged, her bail was set at the same amount as Tony’s—$ 10,000,000. When she professed her right to the estate’s assets, Tony vehemently denied the request, as well as forbidding the use of Rawlings Industries’ resources. In order to secure counsel, she laid claim to overseas accounts. Imagine her surprise when the accounts no longer existed. It was a mystery. According to the bank’s records, it was C. Marie Rawls who had made the final transaction. They promised to investigate. Currently, Catherine Marie London was resting comfortably—or uncomfortably, Tony didn’t care—in the Iowa City jail awaiting her next court appearance with her new legal representation, a court-appointed attorney. The charges levied against her included two counts of false imprisonment with the threat of harm, thus felonies, as well as multiple counts of conspiracy to commit murder, murder by hire, and falsifying sworn statements. With the FBI and ICPD cooperation, there was the potential for more charges.
Even though it showed incriminating evidence against him, Tony didn’t regret sharing the video footage to the authorities. Not only had it incriminated Catherine, it also helped to vindicate Claire. For that reason, Jane and John were not fighting the admittance of the footage into evidence. It showed Claire acting in self-defense. John even admitted that, in the video, it appeared as though Tony and Claire were working together.
Judge Temple’s chambers couldn’t comfortably hold the number of people in attendance; therefore, their meeting was relocated to a conference room down the hall. Brent and Tony followed a young woman to the new location. Brent audibly sighed as they entered, and Tony felt his chest tighten as he took in Jane Allyson, and John and Emily Vandersol. “Ladies and gentlemen,” the young lady said, “now that everyone is present, Judge Temple will be with you shortly.”
A murmur of courteous replies filled the tight air.
“John, Emily,” Brent said, as he extended his hand.
John shook Brent’s hand. “Mr. Simmons.”
Turning to Jane, Brent said, “Ms. Allyson, the last we spoke you were planning on attending this meeting alone.”
“Mr. Vandersol is my co-counsel, and as you know, Judge Temple wanted equal representation. Mrs. Vandersol is the plaintiff.”
“Well,” Brent said, using his most affable voice. “I’m pleased that we can all be together. Hopefully, we can reach an amicable conclusion to this unfortunate situation.”
“That is our plan,” Ms. Allyson replied, stopping as the door once again opened and Judge Temple entered.
“Good afternoon,” he offered, as he pulled out the chair at the head of the shiny table and sat.
Again, murmurs of acknowledgements filled the room.
“I see we were all able to make this meeting. I’m all about disclosure. Nothing will be done in my courtroom behind closed doors.” He eyed Brent. “Is that clear, Mr. Simmons?”
&nbs
p; Tony bristled at Temple’s tone. Could this guy be that out of sorts over losing his first appearance?
“Yes, Judge. It’s clear.”
“Very well, Mr. and Mrs. Vandersol are present, representing Mrs. Rawlings who, according to these documents…” he held a manila folder, “…is mentally incapable of making this complaint on her own.” He looked up at the Vandersols. “Is that correct?”
“Yes, Your Honor, it is. We also have been granted guardianship and temporary power of attorney over Ms. Nic—Mrs. Rawlings,” John replied.
“As Mrs. Rawlings’ husband,” Brent countered, “my client has issued an injunction of that power of attorney. It is common practice for the husband—”
“We are getting ahead of ourselves,” Judge Temple interrupted. “I assume that we’ve all read the affidavit?” When his question was met with resounding affirmative responses, he continued, “The affidavit was filed on behalf of Mrs. Rawlings immediately following the incident at the Rawlings estate; however, that particular matter is not being heard by me. It’s my place to decide if the petition has warrant.”
“Yes, Your Honor,” Tony said, believing he sounded controlled.
“Mr. Rawlings, do you believe the affidavit has warrant? Do you believe your brother- and sister-in-law have reason to question your wife and daughter’s safety in your presence?”
Tony inhaled. That wasn’t the question he’d anticipated. “I love my wife and daughter unconditionally. There is no way I’d do anything to harm them. I believe Claire needs me during this difficult time.”
“That wasn’t the question,” Judge Temple replied. “I asked you if you believe Mr. and Mrs. Vandersol have grounds for questioning your volatile temper.”
“I object,” Brent replied.
“Mr. Simmons, we’re not in court. You do not need to object.”
“Judge, I believe that Mr. and Mrs. Vandersol are making assumptions.”
Jane replied, “Then I’d like to ask a few questions, if I may, Judge Temple?”
“Go ahead, Counselor.”
“Mr. Rawlings, have you ever lost control of your temper in the presence of your wife and daughter?”
“My wife and daughter? No.”
Brent interceded, “May I also ask a few questions, Judge?”
Judge Temple leaned back against the vinyl chair. “Please, I’m interested in the way this will play out.”
“Mr. or Mrs. Vandersol, have you personally witnessed any behavior by Mr. Rawlings that you deem violent?”
Emily’s chin rose indignantly. “Violent, no. Controlling and manipulative, yes.”
“Mr. Vandersol?” Brent continued.
“I’ve always had a gut feeling that something wasn’t right.”
Brent turned back to Judge Temple. “I don’t believe there’s a legal precedent for issuing orders on gut feelings, is there?”
“No, Counselor, but there is more at play here than a gut feeling. Mr. and Mrs. Vandersol claim that the incident at the Rawlings estate was evidence that Mrs. Rawlings was trying, once again, to free herself from Mr. Rawlings. Ms. Allyson, has that changed?”
“Yes, there has been new evidence regarding the incident. At the time of the filing, neither Mr. nor Mrs. Vandersol knew for sure that Claire and Mr. Rawlings were remarried. They also believed that Mrs. Rawlings was trying to free herself from him, as she’d done in the past.”
“Speculation,” Brent interjected. “As you so eloquently stated on a previous occasion, Ms. Allyson, Mrs. Rawlings did not plead guilty to attempted murder in 2012. She pled no contest. That wasn’t an admission of guilt. Mr. Rawlings filed for divorce from their first marriage. She did not free herself in the past, as you state. And the previous charges, as well as her plea, were expunged. They are not relevant.”
“Thank you, Mr. Simmons, for that clarification,” Jane replied. “As I was about to say, there has been new evidence. First, we now have reason to believe that Mr. Rawlings and Claire Nichols were legally married on October 27, 2013. We also have reason to believe that Mrs. Rawlings was not trying to harm Mr. Rawlings. That however, does not render this petition null and void. As court-appointed representatives of Mrs. Rawlings, necessitated by your client’s incarceration and based on their status as next-of-kin, the Vandersols still believe that Mr. Rawlings has been and continues to be a threat to their sister.”
“What evidence do you have? Other than sensationalized fiction?” Brent asked.
“Mr. Simmons, I warned you about insinuating that this court is taking anything other than the facts into consideration,” Judge Temple reprimanded.
“I apologize, Judge, but I’ve yet to hear anything except hearsay—”
Jane produced documents. “I have evidence.”
Tony took the papers that were passed. The first was a bound folder. He’d seen one very similar in the past. Of course, he hadn’t read it then, and he didn’t want to read it now. It was Claire’s non-sworn testimony from 2012. It was her account of their first marriage.
“This testimony was not given under oath…” Brent began. As he spoke, Tony watched Emily’s agitation rise. Her unusually quiet demeanor was no doubt at the prompting of her husband. She appeared as ready to spring as Tony felt.
Finally, she interrupted, obviously unable to contain her words any longer. “You almost killed her! Do you deny that?”
Brent’s hand quickly went to Tony’s arm, warning him to remain silent. Tony bit the inside of his cheek and pressed his lips together forming a slight grin as his unwavering stare remained fixed on his sister-in-law.
“Mrs. Vandersol, your attorneys will ask the questions,” the judge reminded Emily.
“To that point, Judge, we also have recently obtained medical data,” Jane said as she passed more documentation around the table. “This is a preliminary report regarding Mrs. Rawlings’ mental state. It has been noted through various tests that Mrs. Rawlings suffered a concussion approximately three years ago.”
Tony and Brent scanned the papers. Thanks to Phil Roach, they’d seen the report. It didn’t take long before Brent replied, “This is not conclusive.”
“No, Mrs. Rawlings has only been recently evaluated. These tests take time. However,” Jane continued, “her current state is theorized to be a psychotic break—a break with reality.” She turned toward the judge. “It was theorized to me, by the doctors, that such a break is brought on, in most cases, by one of two reasons. The first is traumatic brain injury. While we just received this report this morning, we haven’t been able to thoroughly research, but the idea is that Mrs. Rawlings was so violently injured in 2010, that her brain formed scar tissue. This is a very painful process as the gray matter around the brain shrinks. It can sometimes cause debilitating headaches.” Her eyes went to Tony.
He remembered Claire’s headaches. She’d been suffering with them for as long as he could remember, but he couldn’t recall if they’d occurred prior to her accident. Though she often tried to pretend that the headaches weren’t happening, Tony also knew that there were times when nothing but sleep would relieve the pain he had witnessed in her emerald eyes.
Jane continued, “Mrs. Rawlings was also attacked by a perpetrator in 2013, once again sustaining trauma to her head, though, according to medical documentation, not as severely as in 2010. There is ongoing research that verifies that, with time, the lingering results of the TBI (traumatic brain injury) can result in a psychotic break. Therefore, it’s the belief of my clients that Mr. Rawlings is the cause of Mrs. Rawlings’ current condition and is obviously a threat to her future wellbeing.”
“Ms. Allyson, let’s stick to the facts and dispense with the beliefs,” Judge Temple said.
Brent looked at his notes, things he’d scribbled as Jane spoke, as well as information from the medical experts on Rawlings’ legal team. “Ms. Allyson, you said there were two possible causes for a psychotic break. What is the second?”
“The evidence points to the TBI.”
/> “Psychotic breaks can also be brought on by a traumatic life event.” Brent handed documentation to Jane as well as Judge Temple. “I too have research. It cites many well-documented examples.”
“Judge,” Jane retorted, “I have seen some of this research. These people didn’t have brain injuries.”
Brent sat straighter. “Do you deny that the incident that occurred at the Rawlings estate could be defined as a traumatic life event?”
“I do not. However—”
“Sometimes the brain just cannot handle the stress. Mrs. Rawlings was undoubtedly undergoing excessive anxiety. According to witness testimony and the video surveillance, she’d just learned about the downed Rawlings Industries plane, she’d gone to the estate to assure her husband and family’s safety from Ms. London. The home was on fire, and she’d just had a gun pointed at her. Can you honestly say that it wasn’t this traumatic event that caused her psychotic break? Can you even say with one-hundred-percent certainty she has suffered a psychotic break? Come now, Ms. Allyson, do you have proof that a TBI caused her current condition?”
“It is too early to say definitively,” John admitted, as his wife shot silent daggers in his direction.
Judge Temple interjected, “Let me get this straight: it’s believed that Mrs. Rawlings’ current mental state was caused by previous injury or possibly a very stressful situation?”
“Yes,” Jane replied.
“Are both options viable?”
“Yes,” she said again.
Turning toward Tony, the judge asked, “Mr. Rawlings, in the best interest of your family, though you are not under oath, I’m expecting a truthful answer. Do you know how Mrs. Rawlings received the initial and most severe injury to her brain that is evident on the medical scans?”
“Judge, my client does not need to answer that question,” Brent interjected.
“Counselor, I need the facts to make my decision. Mr. Rawlings, I’m waiting.”
The rush of blood to his face made Tony feel faint. Maintaining the eye contact he’d demanded of Claire in the past, Tony gazed only at the judge. “Yes, I do.”