A Life Unplanned (21 page)

Tyler squinted one eye and opened the other. He looked at Trent and cuddled into his side, hiding his face.

"We had a rough night," Trent said with a yawn.

"Okay, you two can sleep some more, and we'll call you when breakfast is ready." I left them both with a kiss. When I was out in the hall with the door closed, I turned to Maylene. "We need to find someone now."

She nodded in agreement. "You look online, and I'll work on breakfast. Don't worry, Clara, I promise it'll get better from here."

I prayed it would.

Chapter 25 – Flushing the Devil

Just as Maylene promised, she helped me find psychologists for us to see. Unfortunately, since Livingston was such a small town, they weren't local. She encouraged me to look in Waco.

That was where the rape charges were formally filed, and that would be where the trial would be. I also needed to take care of a few things at my apartment. It looked like we'd be living there, while the trial took place. It made it easier for Brian and Kelly to come by and update us on the progress of the case.

Tyler's doctor had us come in and sit quietly, while he played with different toys. She was taking notes on his behavior, and I knew she didn't miss how he frequently moved back between Trent and me. She let us know that she wanted to gradually work on getting Tyler to meet with her alone, but she didn't want to force it and traumatize him more.

Trent's doctor was an older man of large stature. I waited outside his office during his hour-long visit. When he came out, he looked like he felt a little better. "Do you like him?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yes, I think talking to him helped. He wants me back in a week."

I kissed his cheek and helped him make his appointment.

My doctor was a woman who didn't look much older than me. She made it clear that anything said or done in her office stayed there. I cried for most of the hour. I hadn't realized how much weight was on my shoulders, until I had a chance to unload it. I had been holding it together for Tyler and Trent. I had to keep it together to take care of Katie. I hadn't been given a chance to let it out, and I was thankful for the safe place to do so. Just like Trent and Tyler, I had an appointment for my new doctor for the following week. We all had a lot to work through.

Tyler seemed to be doing better, once we moved back into our apartment. It was also nice to have my parents close by again. I had really missed them and welcomed my mother's help.

It was time for Katie's two-month checkup. I made the appointment and then had a serious talk with Trent. "We need to keep this apartment, so I think I'll go back to work when my maternity leave is up a month from now."

He looked stunned. "O…okay, yeah, I knew I was asking a lot of you. It was selfish for me to think you should move to-"

"Trent, we need somewhere to live, while you go through the trial. I'm going to go back to work so I can support us. Once this is all over, we're still moving in together…er…again or back... What I mean is, we're in this together, and you're staying with me, and then when this is all over, we'll be staying with you."

He kissed me hard. "I love you," he said and had tears in his eyes.

"I love you, too," I answered back. I couldn't wait for him to be healed completely, so I could really show him how much I did love him.

Katie's checkup went smoothly, and I confirmed my return date with Dr. Coust. She was looking forward to having me back. I was nervous about leaving Trent and the kids alone. Not because I didn't think he could handle them. I was sure my mother would step in and help out where it was needed, but it was difficult to go for an extended period of time without seeing them.

It was one thing to be gone for an hour, I could usually settle myself down before I became too upset, but I'd be gone all day. I had to find a way to pull myself together enough to go back to work and support our family. I had to buck up and take care of everyone. It was definitely something I'd have to talk to my therapist about. I had a little less than a month to get better. It needed to happen fast.

Brian was working his magic and had the judge questioning the validity of the claims, when bank records were exposed showing both of the accusing women had received twenty-five thousand dollars from the same entity the day they had filed charges against Trent.

What really turned the tables was the day I asked about the third woman. I thought it odd that there were three sets of journal entries, but only two of the three women had filed charges against Trent. After a quick chat with Kelly, she decided it was something worth looking into, even if her husband had rather her not "poke the bear" and possibly get a third charge brought against Trent.

Of course, they were eating their words when Kelly came back with Caitlyn Owens in tow. She was a single mom who'd been laid off from work. When Kelly found her, she was actually packing up her little one-room studio apartment, because she had been evicted. There was a campsite with showers and electricity she had planned to park at until she could get a new place.

Kelly found her a little two-bedroom apartment and paid up six months of rent for her, so she could get on her feet. Apparently, Kelly's family had been homeless before, and she wasn't about to let a mother and baby be stuck out in the cold.

It was Kelly's kind heart that compelled Caitlyn to talk. "I was approached about six months ago. The guy had gotten my name off the website. He said he wanted to make sure I was alright and assist me if I wanted to file any charges."

"How did you learn about the website?" Brian asked, while he took notes.

"It was a weird ad in the College Alumni newsletter. It said if you were ever sexually involved with Trent Carrington to go to the site immediately. I thought it was going to be something about being exposed to AIDS or an STD, but it was just some site about girls accusing him of doing stuff. He didn't do anything to me, though…well, nothing I didn't want done. He was much more of a gentleman in the bedroom than he was out of it. When I heard some of the stuff he was accused of, I wondered if they were talking about a different Trent Carrington."

"What would make you think that?" Brian asked.

"Because I'd seen him listen to women before when they'd turned him down, and he wasn't even remotely persistent. I really started to think back to those days, trying to figure out if I'd really been around some freaky rapist for years or not. I dated Garrett, you remember him, right?" she asked Trent.

Trent smiled. "Yeah, what's he up to?"

"Last I heard, he was running his daddy's business in Houston. Anyway, the fact is, I hung out at Trent’s house almost every weekend. He'd hit on me several times, but as soon as I turned him down, he'd just move on to the next girl, like it was nothing."

"I'm sorry, I was under the impression he'd had sex with you," Brian stated.

"Oh, we did. My senior year of college, Garrett and I had a huge fight, Trent offered, and I took him up on it, simple as that. He asked me if I was sure three or four times. I actually thought he was going to back out, because he was Garrett's friend, but he didn't. I really couldn't see Trent as a rapist, it just didn't fit. Womanizer and crude asshole, yes, but he'd never laid a hand on a woman who didn't touch him first. I don't know if you remember Chris Holt, the film student in your house. Well, when I heard about what they were doing on that site, I called him up. I was freaking out a little. I didn't want to believe I'd been with a rapist. If anyone would've caught something going on, it'd be him. He had a bit of a crush on you."

"Chris was gay?" Trent asked shocked, and Caitlyn laughed.

"The poor thing never stood a chance with you. He was so sure you went through so many women, because you really needed a man to satisfy you."

"No, I'm definitely straight and satisfied," Trent said squeezing my hand.

Caitlyn smiled at his response. "I figured you'd eventually settle down. Chris didn't find anything that would even allude to sexual misconduct. You literally had women falling all over you."

"Really? I don't see it," Kelly said with a giggle.

"That's because he's not your type, sugar," Brian answered her with a smirk and a kiss.

"If you know I'm not a rapist, why would you turn in journal entries saying I was?" Trent asked.

"Journal entries?" Caitlyn looked confused.

Brian dug a copy out of his briefcase. "These were presented to Trent's place of work in an attempt to get him fired."

Caitlyn looked them over with her brow furrowed. "This isn't even my handwriting, but…"

"But what?" Kelly asked.

"Someone approached me shortly after I lost my job. They asked if I'd be willing to tell someone else's story in a courtroom. I told them no, that was perjury. They said they'd pay me twenty-five thousand dollars if I memorized a victim's script and testified as her. He gave me his card and promised me that the person was guilty, and he said I'd be doing a great justice if I helped him out. You know, I could've really used the money, but I didn't want to end up in jail."

"Him…it was a man who approached you?" Kelly asked.

"Yes."

"Do you know how to contact him?" Brian pushed.

"I'm not sure. He gave me a card, but I don't think I kept it, and then with the move…"

"Could you recall his name or identify him if you saw him again?"

"I could probably pick him out of a lineup. His last name started with an 'H.' It made me think of hotels, but it wasn't a Hampton or a Hilton…I remember it now. It was both put together, Hamilton. I don't know his first name, though. He never said it, and I didn't look too closely at the card."

Kelly's fingers were flying over her tablet, and she suddenly shoved it in Caitlyn's face. "Is this him?"

She nodded yes. "Yeah, how'd you know? There has to be thousands of Hamilton's out there."

"Yes, but only one is married to Sabrina Carter!" Kelly said triumphantly. "We've found our source. Thank you so much, Caitlyn."

"I'm glad I could help in some way, after what you've done for me," she said humbly. Caitlyn really had no idea the break in the case she'd given us.

Kelly walked Caitlyn out, and Brian looked determine. "This all makes so much more sense now."

"How does this make more sense?" Trent asked frustrated.

"Think about it, Trent. If you thought someone had raped Clara and gotten away with it, wouldn't you do everything in your power to bring him down?"

"I'd kill the bastard!"

"Exactly! You'd be relentless. I couldn't figure out what you did to those women to make them hate you so much. It didn't make sense, but a husband who thinks you've assaulted his wife, 
that
 I can see as grudge-worthy material."

"But I didn't assault his wife. It was proven in a court of law that I was innocent! The bitch ruined my family's life back in Boston!"

"Sometimes, the guilty go free, Trent, and for some reason, he still thinks you're guilty."

"Do your job and set him straight! Give him the transcripts or whatever from the trial, so he'll leave me the hell alone!" Trent shouted.

"You said you left, because there were rumors of you paying witnesses to testify," Brian pointed out.

"But we didn't. They were actual witnesses!" Poor Trent looked to be at his wits end.

"We just have to convince Mr. Hamilton that his wife's a lying bitch, and then maybe he'll leave you alone," I concluded.

"Either way, we'll have our work cut out for us," Kelly cut in. "It looks like I'm going to have to put a security detail on Sabrina and see if I can find some dirt on Mr. Hamilton's angelic wife. It's time we exposed her devil horns and put her in her place."

Past time indeed.

Chapter 26 – Back of the Book

It was finally time for me to go back to work. I was struggling with the idea, and my mother knew it. She offered to let us all move into their tiny house while the trial went on, but I didn't think we'd all fit. It was only a three-bedroom house, and one of those rooms was a hobby room with no bed. Besides, I'd have to find somewhere to put all of my things, and I'd still have to find somewhere to put them once we moved back to Livingston.

In the end, I was grateful it was me and not Melissa who was working the day Mr. Hamilton walked in to my office with his daughter. I had barely seen a picture of him on the tablet, when Kelly had shown it to Caitlyn. In fact, Caitlyn's testimony to the judge was really shaking everything up. He was on the verge of throwing out the whole case because of her testimony alone, and we were all very grateful for it. Once the trial was over, I was going to suggest she apply for my job, and I'd put in a good word for her. It was the least I could do.

Of course, seeing Mr. Hamilton stand before me, I realized he wasn't backing down. It looked like he was trying to redouble his efforts. "Excuse me, Miss, I'm looking for Melissa."

"She was just a temp. I'm back now. Can I help you with something?" I asked trying to hold it together.

"Could you tell me how to get a hold of her? She'd mentioned she'd be free in a few weeks to take a job as a nanny. I'm afraid I've waited too long to contact her."

"I'm sorry, but I can't give you any personal information on her. It's against our policy." I didn't know what he was up to, but I really didn't want him to succeed at it. "If you don't have any family to watch your little girl, maybe you could look into a nanny service. There are several listed in the free family guide that's in the sitting area," I suggested pointing in the direction of them.

"Hey, Clara, when you have a minute, can you come and help me with a few files?" Casey, the other office worker asked.

"Sure, I'll be there in a minute," I answered.

Then a longtime patient came in smiling. "Ms. Sharp, I'm here to get shots! Can I have candy if I don't cry?" little Terrance bargained.

"If your mommy says it's alright," I gave him a wink, and his mother nodded yes. "You come back by, and I'll hook you up." We kept a stash of lollipops that only a few patients knew about.

Mr. Hamilton tipped his head to the side, as if trying to figure something out. "Are you Clarissa Sharp?" he asked, making me very nervous. I'd never met him, and I hadn't been involved with any of the legal crap going on. Trent wanted to keep me out of that, but I was kept up to date on the progress they had made. He shouldn't have known who I was.

Of course, there was no way to deny who I was now, either. "Yes, can I help you with something?"

His smile widened, and he almost looked relieved. I didn't think I wanted to know why. "Do you have a moment? I'd like to speak to you about a private matter."

"Casey needs my help, and I have a lollipop I'll need to issue in about twenty minutes," I tried to decline.

"Then maybe on your break?" I looked up at the clock and saw that Trent would be bringing in Katie for my first breastfeeding break in about an hour. I had to get rid of Mr. Hamilton before then.

"Could you give me a reason why I should talk to you?" I pushed. I was a little curious as to what he'd say to me.

"Little Emily is my stepdaughter, I believe you know her father, Trent Carrington," he stated matter-of-factly, and my world stopped. It had to be a lie. This little girl looked too old, but then I remembered all of this had gone down when Trent was only seventeen or eighteen.

"I can see I’ve piqued your interest, Ms. Sharp. Would you like to join me for dinner after work?" he offered.

I should have said no, but I couldn't. I didn't know what I would say to the others. "Yes, that's…when and where?" I had to know more.

His smile widened. "Would you mind eating at my hotel? I'm here from Boston."

I nodded in agreement, and he gave me a business card for the hotel. It was posh and upscale, like I knew it would be, like it had to be for someone who could afford to fund so many lies.

I wasn't sure what to say when Trent brought Katie in. I fed her and kissed him goodbye. He could tell something was off, but he didn't push me. He came twice more before work was over, and I met him at home.

After feeding Katie, I went to my closet and looked for something to wear to the hotel.

"What are you looking for?" Trent asked innocently.

"I have a dinner date," I started, but he cut me off.

"A date with who?" he shouted startling the baby in his arms. It was clear he was pissed.

"Mr. Hamilton," I answered immediately.

His expression changed to confusion.

"He came in today looking for Melissa."

"I don't want you going, Clara. What if he figures out who you are?"

"I have to go. I'm sure I could get some information from him. This could be important."

"No, I have Kelly working for me for that. She's my informant. I don't know what kind of man he is. We already know he's willing to commit fraud."

I shook my head no. "She hasn't brought us anything back on Sabrina. This could be our chance."

"No, Kelly is working on it. She just said some records are harder to get than others."

"This is our chance! I have to go, Trent. Don't worry, I'll be safe. We're meeting at his hotel in the restaurant. It'll be in a public place."

At least, that was what I had thought it would be, but when I arrived, I was directed up to his penthouse suite. I prayed Mr. Hamilton wouldn't figure out the truth about who I was.

I sat at the posh dinner table and was passed a menu by a waiter. He had room service to the extreme. I ordered a regular sort of meal, trying to look normal. I wasn't sure I'd be able to stomach it. Emily was apparently in her room and would not be joining us.

"Ms. Sharp, I usually contact new members within the first six months of their joining my site."

"Your site?"

"The site about Trent Carrington. I've looked up your information. I'm sorry to say that our attempts to remove him from practice for knowingly spreading an infectious disease didn't work. I have a few other things lined up. The man is a gynecologist. I'm sure you can see the danger in that. Though you may not know for sure, I can say with a certainty that Trent Carrington is a rapist."

My eyes widened, how could he be so sure?

"I can see the doubt in your eyes, but that little girl in there, she's his daughter, because he raped my wife."

"H…H…How…"I wasn't even sure what to ask. This man was dead set on proving Trent was a rapist, when I knew he wasn't.

"I can see you're wondering how I could be so sure. I'll tell you. My wife is in a mental institution. She tried to get over the incident. We met in a counselor's office. Her parents had her in therapy, but it wasn't working. She didn't abort the baby; she gave it up for adoption."

My brow furrowed in confusion. I was sure Trent would have told me if he had given a baby up for adoption. "He signed the papers?"

"He was a minor at the time, just barely a minor, but still a minor. The papers were signed by his father before the baby was born, before he turned eighteen."

I was stunned. It didn't make sense, though. "How did you end up with the child? If your wife was raped, wouldn't she want to get rid of it?" My stomach turned at the suggestion.

"Emily is still technically in the foster care system. After it was determined that my wife would not be getting out of the mental hospital anytime soon, I decided to look for her little girl."

I kept telling myself that Sabrina hadn't been stable before she'd met Trent, and there could have been a number of reasons why she had been committed.

"I thought I was going to have to dig through adoption papers to find who had her. It turned out that his father had made other arrangements for the little girl. She can't be adopted, or I would have taken her in instantly. You see, his family is still hurting my family."

"Why would he do that?" What he said couldn't be true. I didn't want to believe Roger would do something like that, but I truly didn't know the man. He was gone a lot for business.

"He sees little Emily as family. In fact, he spends quite a bit of time with her in Boston. I don't know what he tells his family, but he's there for at least half the month."

I didn't know what to say.

"I can see you're finally understanding the gravity of my situation. I believe that if I can show my sweet wife I've had Trent finally put away in prison, it could help her. She's also said she wants to meet her daughter. I can't take Emily to the mental institution. I can’t gain custody of her, as long as my wife is deemed mentally unsound. I'm trying to put a bad man behind bars and help my wife, Ms. Sharp."

"How did he get off? Why wasn't he convicted?" Surely if he was so deep into the mess, he'd know there were witnesses who could prove Trent wasn't a rapist.

"His father paid four people to testify for Trent. At first glance, you'd think it was an open and shut case, but I dug into things, Ms. Sharp. I was so captivated by my sweet wife that I dug to see what had happened. I had to know. When I looked into the witnesses, do you know what I found?"

I wanted to say nothing. I shook my head no instead.

"I found his father had grabbed four kids who had attended the party and paid them each twenty-five thousand dollars to testify on his son's behalf."

"No, that can't be right!" I protested not thinking straight.

"I have the proof. I wanted to look into things, before I became too involved with Sabrina. The Carrington's had left Boston, because not everyone believed the story that their son was innocent. The worst part was that several people believed he 
was
innocent. My wife was harassed as a liar.

"When I'd voiced my interest in her, my parents didn't approve. I initially started digging into things to prove to my parents she wasn't a liar, but I became more and more enraged by what I found, by what we'd endured. I was constantly warned to stay away from her, because she'd lie and get me thrown in jail. It was never-ending, Ms. Sharp. People who she'd thought were her friends turned on her and warned me to stay away from her.

"I was finally able to dig up the truth and show it to my parents. They were appalled by what my sweet wife had had to go through. I have to find justice for her. I have to do what I can to make it right."

"They were paid?" I barely got out in shock.

He nodded yes.

Shit just got real, and I was lost in it. He let me sit in silence for a moment, and I tried to gather my wits about me. I was finally able to settle myself down enough to realize Mr. Hamilton was probably lying to me. He had to be. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"You've experienced Trent Carrington's bad behavior yourself."

"He was an asshole, that much I'm sure of, but how do I know what you're say is true? How do I know that you're not dragging some little girl around telling stories because of some other vendetta?"

He seemed to be trying to think of something else to say, but then he jumped up abruptly. He hurried to the door he had said his step-daughter was behind and disappeared.

When he sat down again, he was holding a binder. "I was trying to think of a way to prove to you I was telling the truth. Of course, any document I produced, you could believe was forged, but then I remembered this." He tapped the binder in his arms. "My step-daughter likes to scrapbook. I've asked to borrow it for a moment." He handed me the binder, and I was afraid to open it.

Mr. Hamilton pulled up a picture of Roger from his business website. "This is Trent's father." He showed it to me and then pulled up a few pictures of Roger and the rest of the family. "Now, do you believe that this man is Trent Carrington's father?" he asked me carefully.

I nodded yes, because I knew he was before he even started showing me the sites.

"Okay, now open the book. You'll see Emily's grandfather is very active in her life. The reason my step-daughter isn't adoptable, is because his sister, Katherine, has custody of her."

I tried to let the words sink in, but they didn't fit. I opened the book to see a younger-looking Roger holding a baby. With each page I flipped, the baby grew, and Roger aged. There was a woman in the pictures as well. The worst thing about it all was how much little Emily resembled the pair of them.

I started looking at the dates, as I came to the back of the book. My chest tightened, when I saw the more recent ones. I could confirm some of the dates he had been gone for myself. Then one of the latest entries was a picture of Emily holding a Mickey Mouse plushy. Next to the picture was written, 
"Uncle Roger had to cut our time together short and missed my piano concert last Thursday, but he promised to take me to Disneyworld to make it up to me."
 I looked at the date and did the math. Roger had come home early from a business trip, when he'd heard Trent and Tyler were missing. The dates matched up. There was no way this book could be faked.

"Ms. Sharp, are you alright?" Mr. Hamilton asked, as he offered me a tissue. I hadn't realized I was crying. My hands shook horribly, as I tried to take it from him.