Joanne left Danielle's cell door open as she ran out towards Myers and Jefferson, she touched Michael's shoulder, as he continued to slam Jefferson's head against the bars. "This has to look convincing," she breathed to the killer. "Cameras. But please don't attack me. I'm not going to try very hard. As far as I'm concerned, he deserves this." She pulled out her gun and aimed it at Michael's chest. "Don't just stand there, woman!" Jefferson managed to yell, blood running down his face. "This fucker's going to kill me! Do something, you stupid bitch!"
Yep, Joanne thought. Good. "It's empty," she breathed to the killer, as she pulled the trigger. Click. "Shit," Joanne pretended to scramble for the bullets in her belt.
"Shit. Rick!" She yelled over her shoulder. Rick briefly caught her eye, and she knew they both understood each other. The other guard was still fiddling with his radio. "Sorry, what?" He turned and saw what was happening. "Fuck! I was listening to my radio to get an update on the riot! Shit! Um, hang on…" He too pretended to reach for his gun. He approached Michael and fired, the bullet only slightly grazing the killer's shoulder. Rick fired again, this time totally missing. He made his hand shake badly.
Joanne pretended to try and get in between them, but Myers grabbed her in what looked like a tight grip but was actually so gentle it took her by surprise. Very softly, he pushed her back. She pretended to stagger, hitting the ground. Rick rushed to help her up as Jefferson's head hit the metal twice more. Clang, clang!
"Shit," Rick put panic in his voice. He pretended to activate his radio and spoke fast. Danielle heard him, but by now she'd guessed the guards were in fact doing nothing to stop Michael. Good. That was fine with her. The smell of his semen was still strong in her nose. She wanted to puke. "Help!" Rick shouted into his turned off radio. "We need help in here, guys! Now!"
This time it was Rick who got between Michael and Jefferson, or at least that's how it looked. The killer grabbed him, as he'd grabbed Joanne, by his vest. Rick raised his gun and caught the killer's eye. Holding it up, Michael's hand closed around the hand grip and pulled the trigger. The bullet slammed into Jefferson's neck, and he fell to the ground, in a heap.
Rick pretended to try and restrain Myers, the killer looking as if he was attacking the guard, but in reality, he wasn't putting any effort into it and Rick felt nothing. He vowed when they were in private, he'd acknowledge this and thank the killer. He could've, after all, seriously hurt him if he wanted to.
"Danielle!" Joanne yelled. "Don't move, there's blood everywhere!" Danielle was keenly reminded of her dream, but this was real. Next second, she felt a gentle arm around her and could hardly believe who it was. It was Rick. She rested her head on his shoulder and finally, her tears came. She felt violated, disgusting.
"There, there," Rick murmured. "It's alright Danielle," he squeezed her close to him. "I'll let you in on a little secret." He raised his gun, opened it and handed Danielle something. "That's a rubber bullet," he murmured. "That's what we use. Michael only has a slight graze because I had to show that we were trying to stop him."
"I… I know," Danielle said shakily, as Rick's arm stayed around her. "I… I need some air," she breathed. "That… That smell… Taste…"
"Adam?" Rick asked. Danielle nodded. "Guessed as much," Joanne murmured.
"I've got this Jo," Rick said as he carefully led Danielle past the blood and to the door. "You ok to…" He didn't finish and Danielle guessed Joanne had nodded in response to his unfinished question.
When Rick led Danielle back in about half an hour later, Joanne, Dr Loomis and Dr Stark were waiting. "Sorry Michael," Joanne murmured as she loosely cuffed the killer. Dr Loomis stepped close to the killer, placing a hand on Michael's shoulder. "Hey Michael," he murmured. "You alright?"
Danielle knew why he was asking. Michael Myers had killed Jefferson. But she could hardly believe it. They weren't moving him from her, and more to the point, the guards hadn't really helped to stop it. Moreover, the doctor's understood this and why. Joanne must've told them what he'd done. As if on cue, Dr Stark took Danielle's hand. "Danielle, are you alright?"
"I don't think I'm going to be sick anymore if that's what you mean," Danielle gave her doctor a small smile. Dr Stark saw how pale and tired she looked. "Joanne told us what he did," Dr Stark said. " I'm so sorry Danielle. He was going to be moved tonight."
"He still is," Danielle looked straight back at her. "To the morgue." She said cryptically.
"Well, yes," Dr Stark nodded.
"Paramedics gave time of death at 2:48 PM," Danielle heard one of Dr Loomis's assistants say. "Blunt force trauma."
Dr Loomis nodded. "Thank you," he said quietly. Jefferson's body was loaded onto a stretcher and carried out of the block. Meanwhile, 2 cleaners had come in and were now cleaning up the blood.
"Do you need another session now?" Dr Stark asked Danielle, who could only shakily nod. "Joanne, will you come with me?"
Joanne immediately came to her side and Dr Stark made no objection. As they left, Danielle looked back. "Michael," she said softly. "Thank you."
They entered the therapy room and Danielle asked what she was dying to know. "What happened out there? After…"
"Michael shattered his skull against the bars," Joanne said. "We had to… You know, do our thing…"
"Pretend to try and stop him?" Danielle gave a bitter chuckle. "Yeah, I know."
"What? Don't know what you're talking about!" Joanne sounded indignant, but Danielle was sure she was grinning. "We had to try and stop him! We're security guards. We don't pretend anything!"
"Of course," Danielle said. "Don't know what I was thinking."
"Did Adam…" Dr Stark asked. Danielle nodded. "I know how to swallow it and not gag," she said quietly. "He forced me."
"I'm so sorry," Dr Stark and Joanne said together. Danielle smiled at them. The guard and doctor were becoming fast friends.
"Is Michael ok?" She asked.
"Dr Loomis is talking to him now. Rick's with him. You may have heard Joanne cuff him, that was all an act. It was very loose and wouldn't hurt him. Rick's probably removed them already. Dr Loomis just has to check that he's ok."
"Of course," Danielle said. "Upset and angry Michael Myers equals, well... death."
"Mr. Dawson, please tell the court how Miss Hayward was abusive to you?"
Adam stood in the dock in his best suit and tie, inwardly smirking. Danielle loved guys in suits, but he'd never let her touch him in his. He'd often tease her. "I'm wearing my suit and tie," he'd say, before moving out of her way silently so she couldn't find him. The funniest part was he never actually was, but that blind bitch had no way of knowing it. Oh, it was so much fun being cruel to a blind person and now he would paint his picture of her to the court. Abusive, insane.
He looked down at his lawyer James Barlow sitting at the defence table, it was he who'd just asked the question. He'd come highly recommended from an associate of Adam's who'd done time in prison for similar offences. Domestic violence they called it. What a load of shit. It was putting women in their rightful place. With blind ones it was even more fun. Adam didn't really like Barlow, but he had to admit, if only to himself that he respected him. The guy knew his job.
He opened his mouth and began to speak, making sure to sound miserable. He could see some of Danielle's friends glaring at him from the public gallery, but no sign of Charlotte. That was a good thing. For her that was. He'd ordered her not to come and said if she did she wouldn't like the consequences. That bitch had no place at his trial. He didn't want her knowing the truth. She was, satisfyingly enough, too scared of him to disobey him. That, as far as Adam was concerned, was just perfect.
"Danielle would look at my phone, she made me install a speech program so she could read my text messages, if I didn't, she would start hurting herself, resulting in her many scars and would threaten to kill herself. If I came home late from work, she'd hit me and demand to know where I was. She would often accuse me of having affairs, wake me up at all hours of the night to do things for her. She even got a friend to check the mileage on my car to make sure that I hadn't travelled further than I'd said I had. She also put a screen reader on our computer so she could monitor my internet activity. I had to be really careful what I clicked on. Couldn't have any access to websites which involved money, domestic violence help, etc. She would get really angry and violent if I left the screen on too, saying it got really hot and she didn't like the feel of it when sitting at the computer. The day she tried to hang herself was because I wouldn't help her make dinner. She had been acting crazy for a while, I just didn't see it and it really hurt me because I loved her so much, still do." Adam pulled out a tissue and dabbed at his eyes. "I'm glad our neighbour acted as fast as he did, or we'd have lost her and that would've broken my heart. He heard Danielle's chair fall over and called for help. I couldn't get in because the garage door was locked. She'd locked it behind her."
Alan Goodwin, the prosecutor, stood, and approached the dock. Another shrewd man. He looked at Adam with open hostility. 'This guy's sharp,' Adam thought. 'I need to be cautious.'
"So, Mr. Dawson," Goodwin started. "I just have a few questions. Firstly, why did you, if it was you on the internet, access a site for a new white cane which is a blind person's product?"
"Yes, I wanted to buy her a new cane because hers was broken."
"How did Miss Hayward's cane break?"
"She tripped over something causing it to be bent beyond repair. That devastated me. She's lost without it, literally."
"The web browser history was cleared, but the crime lab still managed to analyse it - as is shown in Exhibit G." Adam felt the blood drain from his face, just for a second, he fought not to panic. Shit. He was sure he'd cleared it properly.
"My next question is, why in that case is the username on the account Danielle Hayward?"
"I simply wanted to make it easier for her, so she knew whose account she was signed into, she was of course more than welcome to use mine."
"Finally, do tell us, why is there an email in your deleted folder - Exhibit G, page 11 - in which it appears someone tried to permanently delete it, but without success. Which reads and I quote, 'Come home right now, you blind bitch unless you've got lost somewhere which I hope you have. I want my dinner and then a fuck, if you want me to even consider allowing you to buy a new cane. Do as I tell you.'" Goodwin looked up at Adam. "Why, Mr. Dawson, would you send that if she's monitoring your internet and if as you say, she's in control of your relationship?"
"She sent me that. She signed in as me to do it. I told the police that in my first interview. She was going crazy by that point, insane. That's one reason she's now in Smith's Grove. But she wanted to make it look like I was the bad guy."
"Are you really a victim, the 'bad guy' Mr. Dawson, or are you an abusive, callous, cold and manipulative liar?"
Barlow jumped to his feet with an objection, which the judge upheld, but Adam could see that Goodwin was fighting a smirk. The damage had been done.
"Recess," Judge Spinner ordered. "30 minutes!" Her gavel hit the bench and Adam had to try hard not to think of it as the lid banging shut on his prison coffin.
"So, you say she checked your mileage every time you were late, or every so often to check where you'd been. Correct?" Goodwin asked.
"Yes," Adam nodded.
"Mr. Dawson, tell me, please. Danielle is totally blind, so how would she have done this?"
"She had a friend come check it for her."
"Are you saying she called her friend over every time to check?"
"Yes, that's what I said."
"What was the friend's name?"
"I don't remember his name," Adam said.
"Well, how convenient," Goodwin looked at him with cold disdain. "So, we have a totally blind woman here, who you claim, used a friend to check the mileage on your car. This friend apparently did it quite a few times and yet you can't remember his name? I for one find that very hard to believe. You also said she'd assault you if you were late. Then tell us, how is it you're not covered in bruises or scars, but Miss Hayward is?
For the first time, Adam found himself hoping the judge would intervene from her bench, disallowing the question. But she didn't. She too was looking at Adam with cool hostility. This was bad. They didn't believe his story. "Answer the question please, Mr. Dawson," Her Honour Hannah Spinner said right on cue with his thoughts. Shit.
"Because I was able to see what she was going to do, which she very sadly couldn't and moved out of the way, so she didn't hit me. She got those bruises and scars from her own self-harming."
"How many times did the friend come over to check the mileage?"
"At least a dozen times, probably more."
"Do you mean that this friend came to check the mileage at least a dozen times but you cannot remember his name?"
"Yes, that's what I said. It was a friend of Danielle's, not mine. They believed every word she said about me, so they didn't speak to me. Danielle told me their name once, but I can't remember it."
"So was your statement that 'she hit me all the time' untrue?"
"She…" Adam swallowed hard. Shit. The jury would've noticed even that tiny little movement. "Like I said. She'd try but I'd move out of the way. So, she'd take it out on herself. You know, to make it look like I was responsible for the injuries."
"Do you have a new girlfriend?"
"Yes."
"Is she in the courtroom today to support you?"
"No. It was too traumatic for her," Adam said. "She and Danielle know, or should I say knew each other. She couldn't face it."
"I see," Goodwin said slowly. "So, she was close to Danielle, but is now living with the man her friend apparently abused? Must've been difficult for her to choose her loyalties Mr. Dawson."
He didn't know what to say. This wasn't looking good for him at all. Even Barlow hadn't interjected, which was very bad indeed. Did he also believe that Adam was guilty? That it was actually the other way round from what his client was claiming? Even if he did, he had to represent him, didn't he? God knew Adam was paying him enough to do it.
"Today's proceedings are complete," Judge Spinner said, slamming her gavel on the bench. "My decision is for Mr. Dawson to be remanded into custody tonight." Adam swore under his breath. Fuck. That meant they didn't believe him and knew they had him in a corner. They didn't trust him not to appear. Charlotte would be happy, the fucking cunt! She'd have his house to herself that night, but God help her if she touched any of his things or took anything from the fridge, he'd make her suffer. This changed nothing. She was his bitch and did as he said. He'd told her not to use the TV or stereo and if she did by God she'd pay. Maybe he'd make her pay just for this, even though she had nothing to do with it. He was angry and felt like a caged animal. Right now, all the confidence he'd felt upon receiving his summons, was gone. This looked bad for him and there were no two ways about it. Very, very bad.
Adam inwardly cursed in frustration as he was led back to his cell below the courthouse. This was really not looking good. Even his Goddamn lawyer, James Barlow, was turning against him. Was he that easy to see through? Well, fuck it! He was paying Barlow a lot of money, so the man would damn well see this through. He pulled off his suit jacket and slung it on to the small bed. He couldn't be bothered to try and keep it smart anymore. What was the point? It was wrinkling, just like he was. He simply couldn't face time behind bars, he just couldn't. "I want to see my lawyer," he snapped at the guard who was removing his handcuffs.
"You can call him at 7:00, after dinner Mr. Dawson," the guard said, before the door slammed shut and locked. "FUCK!" Adam yelled at the wall. Anger surged through him. No way could this be allowed to happen. No fucking way! Spinner would pay for this. As he thought of the bitch of a judge, he felt his cock become rock hard in his pants. Man, he wanted to fuck her so hard she was bleeding and keep doing it over and over again until she was practically begging the jury to release him. Then there was Danielle. Oh yeah, he'd fuck her alright given the chance. This, he'd actually pull off. He was set on that. His ex-cunt would learn her lesson, they both would. No woman defied Adam Dawson. They obeyed him, end of story.
His erection was becoming painful. Damn he needed release. He tried to calm himself and consequently it down, but it wasn't working. All he could think of now was fucking Spinner until she bled, then Danielle and Charlotte until they were doing likewise. "Fuck you," Adam muttered at the CCTV camera. Let them watch. Free porn for them. He wondered if any of the guards were female. That made him, if possible, even harder. Walking over to his bed he unfastened and removed his pants and lay down, wrapping his left hand around his throbbing cock. It wasn't long before he was shooting his load against the cell wall.