I'm no expert in law and I understand I have taken some liberties in order to write a story that is supposed to be for entertainment purposes, so just keep that in mind. It's not that serious.
Ever since Ashley Stanton had left Hudson and the Heartland ranch behind about four years ago after visiting her ex-husband Caleb Odell, she had sworn to never come back. There had been no reason for her to come back anymore, knowing for absolute certainty it was all over between her and Caleb. The humiliation and the bitter tears had only made the decision stuck. She had continued her new life in Vancouver, feeling sure that there was nothing in her past worth digging anymore. Her brother and her mother had taken care of the family-owned Briar Ridge Stables, but they barely talked to each other anyway, outside few phone calls and birthday cards.
Then again, the visit to Hudson back in 2013 had also made her realize she had probably been using her then-boyfriend, possibly-future-fiancé and eventually-maybe-husband, Andy, as a rebound, which had resulted into their break-up. Thankfully, the following years she had not had really time to even think about relationships, past or present, because her work had pretty much taken over her whole life.
But now, she drove her BMW through the gates once again to the ranch she had spent most of her life loathing, this time not to visit Caleb, but an old friend, Amy Fleming.
Never in a million years would she had thought to come here again, especially under these circumstances, and after her new-found friendship with Amy's ex, Ty Borden.
Last year, when the man she had mostly come to known as Caleb's friend and Amy's boyfriend had reached out, Ashley had been confused. After a brief discussion on the phone, Ty had explained he had relocated to Vancouver after splitting up with Amy and was looking for people to spend time with whenever he wasn't working. Ty had recalled that Ashley had moved to the seaport city years prior and was wondering if she was still around and free for lunch or dinner.
They had then decided to go for drinks and catch up. It was then that Ty had opened up about his problems with Amy and their decision to get divorced only two years after getting married. It was something Ashley had been able to relate to since her marriage with Caleb had only lasted for a year. Even though at first it had been strange to spend time with Ty with just the two of them, slowly Ashley had come to realize how nice it was actually have a friend from the past who was in some ways in a similar life situation as she was; between relationships and focusing on their work. Maybe that's why they had hit it off so well, much to her surprise.
Weeks could go by without them talking to one another, both of them focusing on their work, but as soon as Ty arrived back to Vancouver from his trips, he would always send her a message and they would meet up. She had come to connect with him in a whole new way.
Everything had been very casual, there had been no pressure one way or another, and the more time had went on, the more it had all made sense. Even though they had been teens back when they had first met, Ashley could remember there had been immediate attraction even back then too, so it made sense that simmering flame had finally turned into a flame now that they were in a much suitable place with their lives.
But it had all had to be put on hold when Ty had called from Alberta, asking for her help when he had been under arrest for an assault.
And that's why she was here now and it was all strictly business.
Thankfully Ashley had grown up with "Hudson's number one bitch", Val Stanton, and because of that she had been able to keep her heart cold while meeting Caleb. It had been a relief to notice there really were no feelings there anymore, even though it was all a bit awkward after the way things had ended the last time, but in a way focusing on her work was the blessing that had helped Ashley to keep a clear mind on the thing that really mattered here; Ty's fate.
Two of the biggest witnesses to the case - the ones that could hold Ty's future in their hands - were his friend and her ex-wife.
Or, well, technically Amy wasn't an ex-wife yet because of Alberta's divorce process that lasted at least a year before the papers could officially be signed. But mentally, Ty and Amy were separated and on their own. Then again, if this story about Amy and the new ranch hand was true and she had committed an adultery, Ty could get out of this relationship faster. That was for his divorce lawyer to find out.
At the same time, Amy could do the same thing, if only she knew about the secret both Ashley and Ty were sitting on. But that would have made Ty look bad and they really couldn't have that kind of scandal before his trial - if it ever went that far, that is. It was best not to rock to boat but instead paint the best picture of Ty Borden she possibly could. And with his record, there was definitely a lot of work to be done... But Ashley had never cowarded from a challenge and this wasn't going to be the first time, especially because it was Ty who needed the help.
With her knowledge of Ty's personal relationships and past, Ashley was able to pick and mix different things to help her build the best cocktail of Ty that would convince the people involved that he had had reason to hit Mitch Cutty on that day. There were traces of damning evidence of violence on Cutty's face about Ty's actions, but that wouldn't have to be the whole case. Maybe Ty and Amy's divorce was a blessing in disguise that was able to help Ty out of this trouble he was in, as it would help her as his lawyer explain the mental burden Ty had been carrying with him ever since things had went South with him and Amy.
Surely people could understand a man in a stressful situation like this who was about to lose it all. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Maybe they would even pity him, if not even feel sorry for him. He was a victim of his own kind.
Ashley knew that realistically speaking things didn't look good. A crime had been committed. What was done was done, but it was her job to build a case that would help Ty get out of it with as little damage as possible.
Caleb's statement was one thing, something that could help Ty enormously since it helped to understand the motivation behind the action, but Amy being there when it had all went down, was another. This visit was going to be crucial for the case and that was exactly why Ashley was back here at this damn ranch and not in some dusty office, trying to get something from Amy that would help her with Ty. This was irony as its finest and for once, Ashley didn't appreciate it.
When Ashley stepped out of her car and grabbed her bag with her, she noticed Amy coming out from the barn office with a man in a suit. The lawyer looked at them for a while and then realized this man was a lawyer as well. It made her let out few low curse words, but eventually she just settled into shaking her head a little, realizing Amy was not going to let her play without any rules. She was going to make sure this was going to go by the book.
How typical of her. She was Amy "Goody Two-Shoes" Fleming after all, and based on everything Ty had told her, she had not changed.
"Hey", Ashley said as she slowly walked toward the duo, giving them a snarky smirk. "I see you've lawyered-up, Amy."
Amy glanced at the man and then decided to introduce them to one another since there was no reason for explaining anymore, it seemed. "Daniel Ackermann. Ashley Stanton."
"Nice to meet you", Ashley said, shaking hands with Mr. Ackermann. She then pulled out her phone from her bag and looked for the audio recorder option. "You don't mind if I record this, do you?" she asked, then noticing Amy's facial expression. She was unsure, so she looked at Daniel again. "So I can play it back in my office while I'm going through the statements", she explained.
"That'll be fine", Daniel replied. This wasn't unusual for situations such as this.
"Alright", Ashley said. "And can you state your names to the recording, please", she asked and brought her phone closer to them.
"Amy Fleming", Amy said.
"And Daniel Ackermann, Ms. Fleming's family lawyer."
"Alright, great", Ashley said, then looking around. "So, let's cut to the chase. Could you show me where the alleged assault took place? You were the eyewitness for it, weren't you, Ms. Fleming?" she asked, even though she knew the answers already, but it was important to state they were all on the same page while talking at this moment.
"I was. - Well, some of it", Amy corrected herself right away as she began to lead the way to the barn so she could show Ashley where she had found Ty and Mitch.
"What do you mean?" Ashley immediately saw a possible opportunity for a little loophole.
"I was upstairs in the loft, getting my daughter ready for her trip to Vancouver with Ty, her father, when I heard noises", Amy explained, going through what had happened that day.
"Noises?" Ashley wanted her to specify.
"It was like... a scuffle", Amy described. "It didn't sound right, so I came downstairs to see what that was about. I knew Mitch was downstairs, since he was working, and I heard truck come in. I remember thinking Ty was early, which was odd, but I thought it wasn't really a big deal; that he would just have to wait while I'd get Lyndy fully ready."
Daniel listened carefully Amy's words and was ready to step in at any moment if it sounded like she could say something that would compromise her position. But so far, any type of intervention was not needed.
"Okay, so... this "scuffle"... What's your understanding of what it was about?" Ashley asked.
"Well, here's where it happened", Amy said as they arrived to the spot. "When I came downstairs, I saw Ty on top of Mitch, and Ty was hitting him. There was... blood on his hand and on Mitch's face as it had cut open", she continued, still trying to shake that image from her mind.
"Blood on whose hand?" Ashley made sure they got the parts right.
"Ty's. He was the one who attacked", Amy added.
"And why do you think he, as you say, attacked?" Ashley asked. "Had something happened? Before this incident? Or maybe there was a conversation that took place when Mr. Borden arrived..."
Amy shook her head. "No. Nothing that would have justified his assault. Besides, Ty didn't really even have any time to say anything before he was already in the barn and assaulting Mitch. He just... attacked, out of the blue."
"But you said he was hitting Mr. Cutty. Surely there had to be a reason", Ashley was trying to squeeze any type of damning words out of Amy's mouth, but Daniel quickly picked that up.
"This is purely speculation and something that should be dealt with your client and Mr. Cutty as they were the only ones involved directly with the situation", he said, making Amy realize how Ashley was trying to lead her into a trap. "Any type of allusion that Ms. Fleming has anything to do with it is-"
"Surely you can understand this could be of use to my client, Mr. Ackermann. This is no secret to anyone here, I'm sure; based on other witnesses and what my client has been telling me, the confrontation wasn't without a reason", Ashley explained. "So I'm just curious to hear Ms. Fleming's take on it, seeing that she is caught in the middle of this all, not only as an eyewitness but also for personal reasons. She has information that could be helpful to understanding the situation."
"Confrontation..." Amy hummed, getting annoyed by the terminology as it clearly showed that Ty still didn't understand the consequences of his actions. "I know that Ty thinks-"
"You shouldn't-" Daniel tried to stop Amy, but she wasn't listening.
"-he knows what's going on, but he doesn't. He hasn't been here to learn the truth. It's because of his own deluded mind that he attacked. Mitch wasn't provoking him in any way-"
"And you know this how?" Ashley asked, going for the blood with a calm approach.
"Because he told me", Amy said.
"And you take his word for it, without any proof?"
"And, more importantly, because I know Ty. It's not his first time doing something like this, and you should know-"
"Amy, stop", Daniel demanded. He understood she thought this would help, but it could actually make matters worse. Amy finally stopped, realizing she should probably not continue.
However Ashley still wasn't done.
"But you didn't see it? Not with your own eyes?" Ashley checked. "You were upstairs, right? Until you left your child alone to see what was going on."
Amy was surprised by Ashley's implications - but then again, she wasn't. Ashley had always find a way to the top and usually that way was dirty.
"I heard concerning sounds downstairs. I left Lyndy behind to keep her safe while I investigated what was going on-" she tried.
Daniel cut into their exchange, looking at Ashley. "I would like to remind you of the reason why we are really here, Ms. Stanton, and that is because of Mr. Border's actions. Not because of my client's. You are taking unnecessary side steps."
Ashley smiled and didn't seem phased even though the whole thing had been close to being an argument. In fact, she would have welcomed that, because it was usually then when people were really speaking their mind. Proving Amy's unbalanced state and irrational reactions could have been beneficial to the whole thing and her statement.
"Okay..." Ashley said, looking around. "So... you saw Mr. Borden and Mr. Cutty fighting-"
"They weren't fighting", Amy corrected, trying to remember to breathe. "Ty was hitting Mitch. It was one-sided. An assault."
"So Mr. Cutty wasn't fighting back?" Ashley asked.
"No. I think it was so unexpected for him what Ty did", Amy said, knowing that if Mitch had fought back, Ty wouldn't have probably been able to hurt him as badly, seeing Mitch had military training.
"And then what happened?" Ashley continued going over the timeline.
"I tried to get Ty off of Mitch. Ty could have get him killed", Amy answered. "I made him back off, and we had a brief talk in the barn office, right there", she said, pointing a finger toward the room.
"And what did you talk about?" Ashley asked.
Amy took her time to recall it all as it made her physically sick. "He explained his side of things. Some old fights were brought up, and he claimed Caleb had told him about "Mitch and I"".
"What does that mean? "Mitch and I"? Are you having an affair with Mr. Cutty?" Ashley asked.
"I'm not. He works here", Amy said firmly. "But that's what Ty thought because of Caleb. That's why he attacked him."
"So, how come Mr. Borden thinks you are having an affair? Surely there had to be more to it than Mr. Odell's words. No reasonable man would ever attack anyone for simply hear-say", Ashley acted stupid, hoping it would bring out Amy's spicy side again.
"Well, that's the thing. Ty Borden is not a reasonable man, he follows his feelings", Amy said, almost shaking. "He's always been jealous, violent and possessive and he doesn't care if what he thinks, hears or sees is true or not because he simplifies his feelings into a reason to fight."
"So... what you are saying is... he was jealous over you and Mr. Cutty?" Ashley checked.
"There's no Mitch and me. And I think Ty hates me at this point anyway, he doesn't care what happens to me as far as I know, but... I think the attack had more to do with Lyndy, our daughter", Amy explained. "Ty didn't want Mitch to be in her life, or something."
"Well, is he a man in your daughter's life?" Ashley asked.
Before Daniel could open his mouth, Amy answered.
"No. At least not like he thinks he is. My Grandpa is. My Dad is. Ty is still her father. Mitch has nothing to do with this. Yes, he sees Lyndy because he works here, but that's it", Amy set the record straight. "Whatever reasons Ty had for his attack, they were unfounded."
"And when you were done talking, what happened then?" Ashley asked.
"I told him I'd call the police, and he ran away. I was so shocked, I was barely able to stand, but my Grandpa and his wife came into the barn and helped Mitch and called help", Amy finished off.
Ashley didn't know if she could use this recording to her advantage, but she still figured her job here was done. She had went over the statement and Amy's side of things. Now it was left for her to figure out how she could defend Ty in all of this.
"Okay. I think that's all I need", Ashley said, putting her phone away. "Thanks for this. I'll be in touch if there's anything else I need", she added, giving both of them a nod.
Amy nodded back, feeling raw and open again, not wanting to utter another word. She was exhausted mentally and would be relieved if this would have been it. She just wanted to be free.
"I'll see you out", Daniel offered, walking Ashley to her car, giving Amy a moment to breathe.