Guilty As Charged

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Red Eye!

Chapter Three

Miami – Lisa's Hospital Room

With a groan, Lisa stirred in the bed.

Bright lights assaulted her vision and she raised a hand to shield her eyes. Her mouth was dry and her throat burned when she tried to swallow.

Damn you, Jackson…

She knew without looking that her husband had left bruises on her throat—probably in the shape of his hands. Once again he'd lost his temper had knocked her out. At least he'd been thoughtful enough to place her on the bed instead of leaving her on the floor.

An unfamiliar voice called out, "She's awake!"

That was the first clue that wherever she was wasn't home in her own bed.

"Jackson?" she croaked despite the pain in her throat as she lowered her hand to see her surroundings.

"It's okay, Mrs. Rippner. Don't speak," a nurse urged her as she raced around taking notes and checking monitors.

The hospital… I'm in the hospital. What did you do this time, Jackson?

For some reason one of the immediate affects of Jackson's attacks was the short term memory loss. She had a hard time recalling what exactly had happened until sometimes as much as days later.

That's why she'd had Myra start a log a few years earlier. She was trying to pin down what set him off and what exactly he did to her. She'd considered leaving him several times and the log would be her ammunition. With the log, she would be granted a divorce. She'd probably also end up throwing Jackson in jail.

Sending him to jail wasn't her goal. But each time he hurt her she swore it wouldn't happen again. Each time she told herself he'd soon see the light and he'd never harm her again.

Now it was at the point where almost every day they quarreled and he was never kind anymore. If he didn't raise a hand to her, he would berate and yell at her. She couldn't remember the last time he'd kissed her or gently dragged her off to their bedroom. He'd often confused passion with violence in the beginning but now it seemed that violence had consumed him.

Lisa missed those nights before Kyra's birth when he'd appear at her apartment. She'd fix him up and together they'd make themselves whole. She lived for those fleeting moments where he'd shed his cold demeanor and they'd chase their demons away, knowing full well that in the morning they'd probably regret it and that they wouldn't be together for long.

But when Kyra had fled two years before, their world had crashed down and he'd become cold. He'd chased after their daughter and left her without a second thought.

She'd cried herself to sleep every night for those painful first few weeks without him. As the weeks turned into months, she hardened her own heart and cursed him for leaving her. Even when they were reunited, it wasn't the same. That year apart had destroyed them.

Kyra needed help and he refused to see it. He wanted nothing to do with her and spent all of his time tending to their oldest daughter. He was ruder to Myra than before—hissing at her when he needed to speak to her and glaring at her whenever he caught sight of her.

It didn't take much to notice that he blamed Myra for what had happened to Kyra. He would never realize that his own self-destructive had forced Kyra down the path and estranged him from his other daughter. He'd never acknowledge the role he played in tearing their family apart.

"Mrs. Rippner, the police would like to speak to you," the nurse said and two men filled her view.

She nodded, wanting to speak but thinking better of it. She'd get Jackson back for this one—perhaps another pen would teach him a lesson.

They introduced themselves but she barely heard them.

"Mrs. Rippner, what happened to you?" one of the officers asked.

She shook her head 'no' before rasping, "Don't remember."

"I think it's only fair to let you know that we've arrested your husband. He can't hurt you if that's what you're worried about."

"Arrested? Why?"

"For what he did to you. He was quite cooperative when we told him about the marks he left. He's pleading guilty to your attempted murder."

Attempted murder? Jackson Rippner, what did you do to me this time?

Miami – Law Office of Maura Brown

Kyra opened the heavy oak door and stepped into the reception area of her parents' attorney. Maura Brown was well acquainted with the unusual relationship between Lisa and Jackson as well as her father's criminal activities.

Jackson's last directions as the police led him away were "Contact Maura—she'll know what to do."

She'd listened to him and drove his car to the law office in the busy business section of downtown. She'd shot Myra a scathing look before heading out the emergency room's doors. It had been her idea to call 911 to save their mother and now her father had been arrested. She was thankful that he hadn't tried to run or resist arrest. In fact he'd seemed rather downtrodden.

I guess nearly killing your wife does that…

Maura's familiar brunette head peaked around the corner. "Why, what a surprise it is to see you, Jack. Is something wrong?"

Kyra rushed across the room and into the lawyer's arms. Maura hugged her tightly and then with what Kyra liked to think of as her lawyer-look stared at her.

"Jackie, what's happened?"

"Can we go to your office?" she asked quietly, biting her lip.

"Sure thing, sweetie," Maura agreed and led her down the hallway. She helped Kyra over to a chair before she shut the office door and came around to sit beside the upset teenager.

"Jackie, what's wrong?"

She sniffled and looked up at her parents' only friend. Maura had been introduced to them by Joe Reisert over a year ago and had become a part of the Rippner family with surprising ease. She even used Jackson's nicknames for Kyra.

Through the tears slowly gathering in her crystalline eyes, Kyra looked at the lawyer. "It's dad… he's been arrested."

"Oh, no, what happened?"

"The police… they think he tried to kill mum. She's in the hospital right now. None of us have seen her."

"Jackie, what did Jackson do?"

She shook her head. "I'm not sure. He hasn't said a word. I thought someone was attacking them at first when I heard all the noise. I cornered him in the hallway but he wouldn't say anything to me. He seemed out of it… disoriented. Then I heard Myra scream and I ran to see what was wrong."

"Where was Lisa?"

Kyra closed her eyes. She could still picture her mother's still body. "On the floor of their bedroom. She wasn't breathing. Dad followed me, but he didn't say a word. He just stood there."

Maura nodded. "What happened next?"

"I bent down to check mum. She definitely wasn't breathing. I told Myra to call 911 and I started CPR. I kept going until the paramedics pulled me away from her. I drove dad to the hospital—Myra rode in the ambulance. We were still in the emergency room when the police came to arrest him."

"Okay, Jack. What did the police say?"

She took a deep breath before continuing. "They asked to speak to him, mentioned mum's name. They said they'd spoken to her doctor and asked what happened. He said that she slipped and hit her head on the wall. They responded that her injuries weren't consistent with a fall."

"What did Jackson say? Did he argue with them?"

"No, it was quite the opposite. He said 'I love my wife' and asked to see Lisa. I urged him to tell the truth. He looked at me and then dared them to arrest him."

"Dared them? What did he say?"

"He said, 'If you're going to arrest me, go ahead and do it.' He was very annoyed with them I think."

"Did Jackson say anything else?" Maura inquired.

"He said, 'Because I did it. Don't you see? I'm guilty as charged. I did it. Now you're either going to cuff me or you're going to leave me and my family alone,'" Kyra recited.

"Oh dear," Maura said with a sigh. "He's really done it now."

Kyra just nodded.

Author's Notes:

Lisa doesn't quite realize what happened yet. And she still loves Jackson very much; she just doesn't think he loves her back. They have a very strange relationship and she doesn't like to admit that his actions are abuse.

Kyra needed someone to turn to and it's never a bad idea to have a lawyer on your side. Hence Maura Brown's appearance. And no, she's not the same lawyer that prosecuted Weiss in Coldest Degree. Similar but not the same.

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