James continued to cry into his son’s t-shirt, saying words that were unrecognizable.
When Michael looked over at me, he nodded toward the desk telephone, and mouthed, “Call the police.”
By the time James realized what was happening, it was too late. His son held him in a bear hug and wasn’t going to let him budge. The cops arrived, and after some explanation of the situation, James was taken into custody. The whole time Maggie stood tall. She spoke to the police officers with poise and strength. Her words never tumbled, and her voice hardly shook.
When the police car with James inside drove off, a heavy breath left her body. “He’s gone?” she asked me.
“Yeah. He’s gone.”
Her body almost collapsed to the ground, but I caught her. I held her up as she cried and cried, but I knew her tears weren’t from fear anymore.
They were the tears of her freedom.
After the events unfolded, the police sent out a search team to search Harper Creek. It took five days before they discovered Julia’s body. The discovery weighed heavy on many people—all of Harper County. Maggie’s family dealt with the revelation of what had happened the best they could, which meant standing by one another through all of it. I wasn’t too worried about them—they’d come out on the other side stronger for their dark days.
Yet the person I felt the most for was the son who believed his mother walked out on him. The son who lived a life with a father who in a blink of an eye became a monster. Michael had a long road ahead of him, and I wasn’t sure how he’d deal with the truths that unfolded in front of his eyes.
I’d prayed he’d find peace as he stood in the eye of the storm.
I was due in court, but my feet wouldn’t budge.
I wore a black laced dress, yellow flats, and my hair was curled, along with my eyelashes, thanks to Cheryl.
“You have to look presentable in court, Maggie. There are always cameras around, especially when you leave the building. With a story as big as this one, there’s going to be reporters,” she explained as she curled my hair.
Since she’d finished making me camera appropriate, I’d moved to my floor-length mirror, and I hadn’t stopped staring. Everyone was worried about me after what had happened at James’ Boat Shop. They’d thought I’d fall back into my fear, back into my silence—which was somewhat true. I hadn’t spoken much since James was taken into custody. I hadn’t said a word at all about what I witnessed in those woods, even though they knew it had to be awful watching a woman die and believing you were next.
When I was called to testify against James, I quickly agreed. I knew how important my side of the story would be. I knew how important it was to finally speak not only for myself, but for Julia. For Michael.
I was ready. I was ready to go to the courthouse. There was only one small problem: my feet wouldn’t move.
Brooks showed up and stood in my doorway. He wore a navy blue suit with a checkered light blue tie. His small smile made me grin. He didn’t say anything, but I knew what he was thinking.
“I’m okay,” I whispered, going back to smoothing out my dress.
“Liar,” he said, walking over to me. He stood behind me and wrapped me in his arms. We stared at one another in the mirror. Brooks rested his chin on my shoulder. “Tell me what it is. What’s going on in that head of yours?”
“It’s just…I have to sit across from him today. I have to sit knowing what that man did and try my best not to react. When I saw him before, everything happened so fast. It was all a flash, but now I really have to face him. He was the one who dealt me my hand; he was the one who stole my voice from me. How do I deal with that? How do I stand in front of the man who stole my voice all those years ago, and how do I ask for him to give it back?”
“You don’t ask,” Brooks said. “You take it. You take back what he stole from you without permission. Without guilt. It’s yours. The only way you take it back is by telling your story. You have a voice, Maggie May. You always have. Now it’s just time for the rest of the world to hear it.”
“Can we listen to a song maybe?” I asked, still nervous.
“Always.” He took out his phone and grabbed a pair of earbuds, handing me one. “What do you want to hear?”
“Play something that will drown me,” I whispered.
So he played me our song.
I told my story. Every piece, every inch, every scar. My family sat in court listening. Mama cried, and Daddy wiped her tears. Cheryl and Calvin didn’t look away from me for a second’s time. I wasn’t certain I would’ve been able to speak so loud without their quiet support coming my way.
When I finished, I met my family in the hallway, and they told me how strong I’d been, going through everything I experienced. The doors to the courtroom opened minutes later, and Michael walked out. His eyes were heavy, and I could see it—the weight of the world on his shoulders. He walked in my direction and gave me a smile that transformed to a frown within seconds. His hands were stuffed in his slacks.
“Hey, sorry. I know I’m probably not supposed to talk to you, but I just wanted to say what you just did was brave. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what you went through your whole life. I’m so sorry for what happened to you.”
“You have no reason to be sorry. You’re not your father’s mistakes,” I told him.
He nodded understandingly. “I know, I know. But still. Your life was stolen from you. And my mom…” He snickered nervously. “I thought she walked out on us. I spent all my life confused and hating her, because every memory I had of her was filled with love. I couldn’t for the life of me understand why she’d leave.”