Wash, Rinse, Repeat Part 8
Author's Note: We're getting to the end folks! Thank you so much for following along. Expect maybe one more chapter after this one.
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Liz Ressler sat in the courtroom clutching Agnes' one hand. Ressler had his arm around the back of both of them. They had received a call from Tom's lawyer that Agnes may be called to speak. To prepare her for this with a court social worker everything had been delayed for another 2 days. She seemed...good. Surprisingly calm considering she was in an unfamiliar place with the man that had kidnapped them. Liz did note that Agnes looked at Ressler's gun in it's holster as they walked out the door and thought that maybe that made her feel secure. She wasn't sure of much anymore.
They had requested that any inappropriate picture not get shared while Agnes was in the courtroom and that when Liz spoke, Agnes was also out of the courtroom. That request was granted. Aram was on standby to take her to another room and watch her if needed. He was on the other side of Ressler. Liz turned and smiled at her daughter as Tom was brought in; she wanted to make sure that Agnes was okay. She felt her daughter burrow into her frame a little more and watched her little hand reach for her dad's and take it in hers. Ressler smiled down at her.
"It's going to be fine, honey," he said to their daughter reassuringly.
She nodded and looked at her shoes.
He sighed and exchanged a worried look with Liz over her head.
The court was called to order and Agnes was brought up to speak immediately.
"Hi, can you tell me your name?" The female lawyer asked Agnes as she sat on chair at the front. The witness box, the social worker had said, was too intimidating. A chair away from Tom with a Ballif between them was determined to be the best scenario.
"Agnes Ressler," she said with a slight whistle from her missing teeth.
"Agnes..." the lawyer started.
"Ummmm," Agnes interrupted.
"Yes?" The lawyer asked.
"I have a middle name too after grandma but...I can't remember it. Mummy what's my middle name?"
Everyone in the courtroom chuckled softly.
"Liesel after daddy's mummy, your grandma," Liz said, her voice thready.
She could feel Ressler's grip on her shoulder tighten a little. He was nervous for their little girl too.
"Right, but mummy calls her Lisa," Agnes smiled.
The lawyer smiled back at Agnes. Liz and Ressler had been assured that she had received special training on how to deal with child witnesses.
"You found out some news about a dad you didn't know about recently, didn't you?" The lawyer asked.
Agnes nodded and pointed to Tom who smiled at her. She looked back down at her lap.
"So, he's your real dad, the dad who made you with your mom right?" The lawyer asked, not sure what sex education Agnes Ressler had at this point in her young life.
"My real daddy is my daddy," Agnes said softly.
The lawyer tried another attempt.
"The man who has raised you with your mother is one of your dads, right?" she asked.
Agnes nodded.
"Please submit an affirmative nod for the record," the judge said.
"Wouldn't it be nice to have another dad too?" The lawyer asked.
Agnes shook her head in the negative.
"Please submit a negative response for the record," the judge said.
Agnes turned and looked at him, not sure what was happening.
"Did you mom or dad tell you to say that?" the lawyer asked.
"No," Agnes scrunched up her face. They hadn't talked much about the other dad since she came back. Except when they talked with Ramona at her appointments where she talked about feelings and played with dolls.
"Did you make this Agnes?" She asked as she pointed toward a large picture of Agnes holding up a picture of a man and the word 'daddy' on it.
"When we were in the room that smelled like cat pee," Agnes nodded.
Liz sighed, she remembered that smell that felt like it travelled on them and their clothes for two days after they left that motel.
"And it's of dad?" the lawyer gestured toward Tom.
Nodded.
"Let the record indicate an affirmative response," the judge said.
The lawyer looked confused.
"You made it for your real daddy?" the lawyer asked.
Agnes nodded.
"Please let the record show an affirmative response," the judge said.
"Daddy is my real daddy," Agnes said. "I made it for him."
The court around them started to murmur and mumble.
The lawyer changed tracks.
"Maybe it will be fun to have two dads?" The lawyer started.
"My daddy is enough," Agnes looked at Ressler and smiled. "He's my best friend too. Except at school, then Genivieve is my best friend."
The people in the courthouse chuckled and Ressler winked at his daughter.
"Were you mad at your dad for not telling you about your other real dad?" The lawyer asked.
Agnes started to play with her fingers.
"Agnes?" the lawyer asked.
Agnes nodded.
"Let the record show an affirmative response," the judge said.
Ressler swallowed hard.
"Why?" The lawyer asked.
Ressler felt Liz take his hand in hers.
Agnes didn't say anything.
"Agnes?" the lawyer implored.
"I don't look like daddy and I wondered why," Agnes said softly.
"And you look more like your real dad," the lawyer said, gesturing to Tom who was smiling at Agnes.
Agnes looked up and directly at Tom, angry. "My daddy's my real daddy, not him."
Liz closed her eyes feeling for the confusion this must be causing Agnes at this young age.
"But don't you want to get to know the dad you just learned about?" The lawyer asked.
Agnes shook her head in the negative.
"Let the record indicate a negative response," the judge said.
"Did you mom and dad tell you to say that, Agnes?" The lawyer asked.
Agnes looked at her with a furrowed brow and shook her head in the negative.
"Let the record indicate a negative response," the judge said.
"Why did you make this picture while you were with your new dad if you don't want to spend time with him?" The lawyer asked as she pointed to Agnes' drawing.
Agnes looked at the picture and furrowed her brow.
"Agnes?"
"I made it for my daddy," Agnes said.
"So, you want to spend more time with him?" The lawyer asked, excitedly.
"Yes," Agnes nodded.
Liz squeezed Ressler's hand; Agnes may be interested in spending time with Tom after all and they would have to abide by any court decision even if it killed them.
"So, you want to visit him?"
Agnes looked at the lawyer confused.
"You want to visit your new dad?" The lawyer asked.
"No," Agnes said.
The lawyer looked at her confused.
"You made that picture while with him and you want to visit him, right?" She clarified.
"No, I made it for my daddy and I don't need to visit him anymore because he moved back into our house with mommy and me and Luke," Agnes smiled at Ressler.
Liz heard Ressler audibly sigh next to her.
"No more questions," Tom's lawyer said in defeat.
Their lawyer rose.
"Agnes, I only have a couple of questions," Mr. Peterson said.
She smiled at him.
"Why don't you want to spend time with your new dad?" He asked.
"He's mean," she said with a slight growl. "He took me and my mommy away from my brother and daddy and made us stay in places we didn't like and he tried to buy me things and play games but I knew he was bad."
"And why are you smiling in this picture with mom and him?" He asked as he pointed to another picture with Agnes.
"Mommy told me I had to and she tickled me so I laughed," Agnes said.
"Finally, are you happy with the way things are with mom and dad and Luke?" Mr. Peterson asked.
Agnes nodded.
"Let the record indicate an affirm..."
"As long as daddy doesn't go back to his apartment again," Agnes interrupted the judge.
"Thank you for clarifying Miss Agnes," the judge smiled at her. "Let the record indicate an affirmative response. You can go back to your parents' honey."
Agnes walked back to her mom and jumped on her lap.
"You were so brave," Liz smiled at her.
Agnes looked at her intrigued. "You said that before."
Liz thought back to the weeks with Tom.
"I need you to be very quiet and jump down and run as fast as you can to the front desk," Liz whispered to Agnes as she popped out the screen to the bathroom window above the tub. "You tell her what we practiced?"
"I am Agnes Ressler and I have been kidnapped, please call the police. My mommy is with the bad man," Agnes whispered back.
"Good girl," Liz smiled at her.
She heaved Agnes up and slowly dropped her outside the window until she dangled just above the ground. Then she dropped her. "You are so brave."
Agnes nodded.
"Okay, go!" Liz whispered. She watched Agnes walk around the corner quickly.
She popped back the screen and quickly walked into the main room. She was going to do something that she would need to explain to her husband and hope he forgave her, but if it distracted Tom, she was going to do it.
"How is she?" Tom asked as she returned. They had been on the run for just over a week with him and he had started to grow less wary when Liz went into the washroom with Agnes.
"Constipated," Liz said. "She's going to be on the toilet for a while. All the meat and cheese..."
"Wisconsin," Tom chuckled as she watched her walking toward him and pulling off her shirt. "What's this?"
"We probably have about 10 minutes if you want to..." Liz said as she straddled his lap and undid her bra throwing it off to the side.
"This is a lovely surprise," Tom said as he palmed her breast. "Boy wonder not doing it for you?"
"Don't talk about him," Liz said as she blew into his ear and kissed down his neck.
"I knew you couldn't be with a boy scout and be satisfied..." he hummed as she continued to kiss him and he started to knead her breast.
"I miss you," she said softly into his ear. In her mind she was hoping Agnes was at the office and the police were on their way before she had to go through with this.
"I miss my naughty girl," Tom said as he flipped her over onto her back and then stood up and walked toward the washroom.
"Tom!" Liz called to him.
He pushed open the door and seeing no Agnes inside grabbed his gun and ran for the door with Liz attempting to hold him back.
He threw her off and ran out the door with Liz following topless and screaming. An occurrence, considering the clientele that frequented this seedy motel, that may not have been very odd.
He got to the office and found Agnes standing there alone. There was no one at the desk. He picked her up as she screamed, carried her back to the room with Liz attempting to pull Agnes from his arms, and handcuffed a topless Liz to the bed and told Agnes if she ever ran away again, he would hurt her mom.
Between the crying and the screaming it took Liz over an hour to sooth Agnes to the point where she would fall asleep.
Tom ignored them both, sat down on the other bed, drank, and watched sports.
"I know when he took the picture in bed with me," Liz whispered to Ressler as Aram walked Agnes from the courtroom.
"When?" Ressler asked.
"Remember when I tried to get Agnes to the front desk out the bathroom window?" Liz asked, her cheeks going red.
He nodded.
"And I said I was trying to seduce Tom to keep him distracted?" Liz asked, knowing the next part was something she hadn't told him.
He nodded.
"I said I took my shirt off but I didn't mention I took my bra off," Liz said gauging his reaction. A look of sadness crossed his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't think it was a detail you..."
"Liz, stop deciding what I need to know and let me decide that," Ressler sighed.
"Okay, I took my bra off and we kissed and then he flipped me onto my back," Liz said, mortified she was whispering this to her husband. "But he knew, so he went to check on Agnes and all hell broke loose when he went to the motel office. I ran after him half naked and he cuffed me to the bed once Agnes was back and didn't give me back my shirt until the next day. He took the picture that night because it was the only time I slept without a shirt on."
Ressler nodded and looked at his hands.
"I'm sorry," Liz said. "I didn't want you to look at me like I was..."
"Trying to keep your daughter safe by any means?" He asked. His bright blue eyes piercing through her soul in that moment. "Liz, you did what you needed to. I just wish you trusted me enough to tell me."
"I trust you Don, I was..."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Embarrassed," she said softly. "I'm sorry."
He leaned in and hugged her. "No more secrets?"
"No more," she replied.
"Good," he sighed. He was done with surprises for a lifetime.
Liz cancelled her statement and explained the circumstances of several of the photographs (although how the shower one happened still baffled her) and re-iterated that she did not think that Tom Keen would be a good influence on her child.
The judge ruled that the earlier ruling stood. Agnes Ressler showed no interest in a relationship with her biological father and while he was in jail and convicted of kidnapping, he would not see his daughter. When she turned 18, she would decide for herself if she wanted him in her life.
With a great sigh of relief, Ressler and Liz hugged their friends, watched Tom get taken away, and took their little girl home.
To be continued...
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