'Kirsten, are you sure you want to do this?' Sandy looked down at her face and saw no doubt in her expression.'Yes, Sandy, I'm going to go. And if you don't want to that's ok.' She looked at him: 'But please will you come with me?' He smiled.'Of course I will.'
They were standing by the car facing the tall, uninviting walls of the prison where Carter was being held. He had been there for three days; he had gone missing after he left the Cohen's house but after a week they tracked him down. Sandy had been with the police and he remembered that morning well. He could still picture the face of the man who had attacked his wife to the point of rape, and Sandy was sure he would have raped her had Seth and Marissa not opened the door. When they caught him, he was hiding in a tiny flat just outside Newport, preparing to leave the town the very next day. The police had gone in and arrested him with no trouble and, after marching him out of the door, he had come face to face with Sandy. He didn't look at Sandy, but stared down at the ground. 'It was what she wanted, she didn't stop me. She's lying…' he looked up, pleading, at Sandy but stopped speaking when he saw his face. Sandy looked at him for a few seconds, and Carter tried to step backwards for the look on Sandy's face showed his feelings so much clearer than a punch in the face. 'Take him away.' Sandy had said quietly to the officer who nodded and pushed Carter into the back of his car.
Now they were about to see each other again, but this time Kirsten would also be present. Although the physical scars of her ordeal had healed within five days, the emotional impact she had suffered had only started to disappear when Sandy told her Carter had been caught. Suddenly, she became alive again, as if the flame inside her had been lit again. Now, only three days later, she was about to face the man who could have ruined her forever.
'Sandy? Hi there.' Sandy turned and saw one of the prison officers walking towards them. 'Ah, Jack. My wife, Kirsten.' He looked at her and smiled, surprised at how well she looked. 'Pleased to meet you.' He turned back to Sandy: 'So, you're here to see Carter Buckley. Both of you?' He was even more surprised when Kirsten replied 'Yes'. Sandy shrugged, and the man turned to lead them into the prison. 'Honey, are you sure this is..'said Sandy quietly. 'Yes.' She interrupted, knowing what he was about to say. She took his hand and he squeezed it reassuringly. 'I love you.'
They were led into a small room. It was not like the room in which Sandy used to meet Ryan: no one else was present, apart from two officers behind a screen. The windows were tiny and high up on the white-washed wall. There was a table in the middle of the room with one chair on one side and two chairs on the side closest to them. They walked towards the chairs. Suddenly a door at the back of the room opened and in came the officer who had met them.
'Ok?' he looked hard at Sandy, but saw no shake of the head. He glanced at Kirsten. She was holding Sandy's hand tightly, and her face was white and motionless. Neither of them spoke, and after another futile look at their faces, he stepped aside. Carter was led into the room. He was pushed roughly into the chair and handcuffed to it. He didn't look at them.
'We'll be in there.' Said the officer, pointing at the screen. Sandy nodded at him: 'Thanks.' The door shut. Carter looked up and stared in surprise at Kirsten. She stared back at him, her face taught.
'Come back for more?' he said. Sandy laughed bitterly. 'Still defiant? I don't know how you manage it. Only a journalist would be able to think up a story like yours and hope people believe it.'
'She knows it's true.' Snarled Carter, still staring at Kirsten. 'Lying bitch.' Sandy saw a single tear roll down his wife's face.
'You're all alone in the world now Carter. There's no one to believe you. And I just can't see your plan; concentrating all your lies on the one person who knows for sure they are untrue. What are hoping for- that Kirsten's going to feel sorry for you and admit that yes, she had wanted it? Or are you going to force her believe you- handcuffed to the chair, I think not.' The sarcasm dripped off his voice: 'The Jedi mind tricks aren't going to work either.' Carter stopped staring at Kirsten and looked instead at Sandy. He could think of nothing to say back to him- what was the point in lying when you were up against a man like that.
'If you ever get out of prison, don't ever come near Newport again. If you ever come near my wife again, I'll kill you.' Carter looked down at the table again, the anger inside him reduced to sheer hopelessness.
'What's come out of this, Carter? You thought you might as well ruin someone else's life as yours fell apart? Well that failed- she is standing right here in front of you. If I were you, I'd be asking myself: what's the point in being alive at all?' He signalled to the men in the room behind the screen.
'I'll leave you to ponder that question.' He said as the door opened. He put an arm around Kirsten and she looked up at him.
'If I didn't have you, Sandy, I'd be answering that question as well.'
Sorry for people who were expecting Kirsten angst, but there's quite a lot of that already in this story! Thanks for the reviews