Butterflies churn in my stomach the moment I enter the courtroom, but like every other tough situation I’ve faced in my life, I plan to tackle it head on. Squaring my shoulders, I put on my you-can’t-fuck-with-me-face as I walk to the witness box. My eyes briefly meet Brock’s as I pass. He nods, giving me a reassuring smile. His presence is all I’ll ever need. He’s my rock. Tate, Joshua and Theo are here with him to give Rupert and I moral support.
‘This way, Mrs Weston,’ the bailiff says as I approach him.
I see M’s head swing around from where she’s sitting with her lawyer. I’m momentarily taken aback by her appearance. She’s no longer the immaculately dressed woman I once knew. Her hair isn’t meticulously styled like it used to be, and her face is bare. What really shocks me is the horrid prison green overalls she’s dressed in. They’re very unflattering. Karma’s a bitch.
Her eyes narrow as soon as they meet mine. I swear if looks could kill I’d drop dead on the spot. Nice try. Her days of instilling fear in me are over. She can no longer hurt me, where she’s going.
‘Bitch,’ she mumbles as I pass.
Looking her square in the eyes, I plaster a pleasant smile on my face and reply. ‘It takes one to know one.’ I refuse to let her intimidate me.
Her mouth gapes at my brazenness and I see her lawyer place his hand on her arm, stopping her before she reacts further.
I walk across the room with all the confidence I can muster. I feel liberated already. Once I’ve taken the stand, the bailiff makes me hold the bible up in front of me. ‘Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you god?’ he asks.
‘I do.’
After I give my evidence, I’m not allowed to enter the courtroom again and the trial drags on for five tedious days. I sit in a small room just off the corridor and wait. Thankfully, Brock fills me in on all the comings and goings each day.
The biggest shock of all comes on the last day of the trial, when Rocco takes the stand. Not only does he give his account of all the murders, he identifies the male remains and the reason behind his death.
Brock tells me everything Rocco said. Apparently M wasn’t responsible for the man’s death, but was present on the day it happened. The victim’s name was Robert Sanderson. He was one of M’s many lovers, and the first body to go into the dam. The kicker was he was shot by Maxwell Weston. ‘He’s still fucking with me from the grave,’ Brock murmurs. ‘I never thought he was capable of murder. I guess he was more ruthless than I thought.’
Going on what Rocco said, around twenty years ago, M and Maxwell were apparently having an affair. One day, Maxwell walked in on M and Robert in a compromising position, and shot him in a fit of jealousy.
‘You double-crossing dog,’ was apparently what M had screamed across the courtroom when Rocco said this. She never once tried to deny his claims. I can tell by his body language that it was heart-wrenching for Brock to hear this about his father, but it also explained a lot. Brock went on to tell that Maxwell had given M one million dollars only days after the murder had taken place and had gone on to spend millions more on M’s escorts. This may also explain Maxwell’s involvement in my kidnapping: Brock and I think he was bribed into taking part. M was no stranger to bribery; she thrived on it and always used it to get what she wanted.
M’s lawyers successfully appealed to have the ninth murder charge downgraded to an accessory to murder, but fat lot of good that did her. She was found guilty of the other eight deaths as well as a string of other offences, and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
It’s gratifying to see her finally get her just deserts, but it will never bring back the lives she’s taken, or undo all the damage she caused over the years.
Nevertheless, Rupert and I agree the past is now the past, and that’s exactly where it is going to stay. M can no longer harm another soul, and we take solace in that, making a pact to never mention her again.
She’s dead to us.
It’s a few minutes before midnight on Christmas Eve, and I’m so excited I can’t sleep. We have the whole family staying at the house with us. Elaine, Joshua and Theo, my brother, Tate, and of course Rupert, who’s still living with us. Brock’s huge home was once empty, and it’s now bursting with life.
This will be the first Christmas I’m surrounded by people I love, and who love me back. We have a beautifully decorated tree that’s bursting with presents. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. I have a huge feast planned.
‘Brock, are you awake?’ I say, nudging him.