Chapter Fourteen
The World Collapses
Savannah, Aaron, and Alexis had been granted the day off from school due to special circumstances: it was their father’s bail hearing. So, instead, they travelled to the local court; a bleak, grey, and unwelcoming building. The courtroom where Jeremy’s hearing was to take place housed a small public gallery that could host no more than twelve people - that wasn’t an issue on this occasion, as no one omitting Savannah, Aaron, and Alexis expressed any interest in Jeremy’s fate - and a large mahogany desk on an elevated platform where the judge (an elderly white male in his billowing black judicial robes) presided over two additional rows of desks below him.
Behind one of these benches was Jeremy and his lawyer - a short, dark-haired young man with soft features in a sharp suit. Behind the other desk were the two prosecution lawyers - a greying, vulture-like woman wearing an immaculate pinstriped suit and a tall, fair-haired, stocky man who wore a crisp, white shirt and smart trousers.
Savannah grew in confidence upon taking in the prosecution’s professional (and, to her mind, experienced) air. She knew that her father getting released on bail was an unlikely possibility, given that he was up on a murder charge, but she and the twins were there to ensure that, either way, they were informed and prepared for anything that might come their way as a consequence.
‘Savannah,’ Alexis whispered as the judge took his seat. ‘You should have told the police what he did to you - for all they know he was dangerous only to Katerina, and now she’s out of the way they mightn’t deem him a threat.’ Her eyes were cold and hard, like a block of steel.
Savannah sensed that if their father was granted bail, Alexis would waste no time assigning the blame to her.
Savannah had been thinking the same over the week that had elapsed since Jeremy’s initial arrest; agonising over whether she should go to Bradshaw and inform him of how violent Jeremy had become, but she’d decided against it. She’d managed to persuade herself that even without her testimony he’d be denied bail by the judge. Plus, it would be a ‘he-said, she-said’ scenario; Jeremy would deny it happened and there was no evidence to prove it had, save a faint, white scar on her cheek, which could have been sustained in a million different ways.
‘Yes, thank you, I know,’ she hissed back, leaning over Aaron. ‘I don’t need you to remind me. But, he’ll be remanded, I promise you. He killed someone, Alexis.’
‘We are present for the bail hearing of Jeremy Glasco, who stands charged with one count of trespass and one count of murder in the first degree.’
Jeremy’s lawyer stood and addressed the judge. ‘Your honour, my client would like to apply for bail on account of his extensive familial ties to the area and the low risk of flight that he poses. In addition, the defence would like to bring to attention the defendant’s previous criminal record - or, rather, his lack of one. Therefore, he is at a low risk of reoffending, despite the severity of this offence. Which, I remind the court, my client has pled ‘not guilty’ to.’ He retook his seat upon conclusion, at which point the vulture-like lawyer stood.
‘Your honour, the prosecution argues the defendant should not be granted bail, given the aforementioned seriousness of the offence. His allegedly clean criminal record up to this offence gives me great cause for concern. Is this merely the first occasion he has left behind sufficient evidence to be prosecuted? Has something tipped him over the edge, in which case, is the defendant’s mental state of threat? Of course, this is speculative and these questions are to be answered at trial. However, what is the likelihood he’ll commit a similar offence in the interim? The prosecution’s argument is, given the nature of the offence the defendant stands accused of, he should not be granted bail because the risk posed to other citizens is simply too great.’
‘Your honour, I would remind the prosecution the defendant entered a not guilty plea to the charges,’ repeated the defence lawyer. ‘And therefore their argument is predicated on speculation and irrelevant to the hearing today.’
The female lawyer opened her mouth to argue with the defence lawyer, but the judge held up his hand to stop her. ‘Need I remind you both we are not at trial now? In light of that, whether the defendant is guilty or otherwise is not the primary issue of this hearing. While I do agree with the prosecution that the nature of this offence is troubling indeed, and, tragically, the life of a pillar of the community has been taken away… it is my belief, as reflected by the law in most cases, that our attitude must remain ‘innocent until proven guilty.’ The serious nature of the offence is noted, but I must assess other factors as well.
According to section 114 (2) of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, bail may not be granted to a defendant charged with murder, unless the court is satisfied there is no significant risk of further harm to another person. That is what we are here to establish, not the defendant’s guilt.’
‘Yes, your honour,’ the two lawyers said, before taking their seats.
‘Now, Mr Glasco. I understand you have family that live in the community, correct?’
Jeremy, looking as rough and untidy as usual, did not stand, and regarded the judge with an air of indifference. ‘Yes… your honour.’ The manners seemed to catch in his throat, but he applied them nonetheless.
‘A wife? Kids? Parents? Siblings?’
‘Erm,’ he cleared his throat. ‘Wife and four kids. Your honour,’ he added.
Alexis shared a look with Savannah. Aaron placed a hand on both their shoulders in an unspoken reminder that they couldn’t shout at the judge and contradict their father in this setting, despite sharing their disdain at Jeremy’s glazing over Lyra’s filing for divorce.
‘No parents, they, uh, died ‘bout twenty years ago. No siblings, neither.’
‘Mmhmm. And, how long have you lived in the area?’
‘Comin’ up… erm, le’s see,’ he bit his lip, doing the maths. ‘Nineteen, comin’ up twenty years, your honour.’
‘Do you have any friends or relatives in other parts of the country, or another country entirely?’
He shook his head. ‘No, your honour. Everything in my life is ‘ere.’
The judge clasped his hands in front of him. ‘And do you see any reason that you should be unable to attend any future court dates?’
‘No, your honour.’
‘Do you have a job?’
‘Yes, your honour. Been there since I moved up ‘ere, so again, comin’ up twenty years.’
‘Good. From that, I discern we have a man before us who has a stable life and a long-standing presence within the community. Low flight risk, given a lack of ties outside of his town of residence… unless the prosecution has anything to add…’
‘We do, your honour,’ the female lawyer said, standing again and fingering a sheet of paper. ‘We have a statement from a source close to the defendant regarding another act of violence he perpetrated.’
Savannah, Aaron, and Alexis looked at one another with questioning expressions - was it you?
The judge raised a single eyebrow. ‘Who is the source?’
The lawyer smirked at Jeremy. ‘The defendant’s wife, Lyra Andrianakis, your honour.’
The judge gave a start. ‘Ms Andrianakis is your wife?’
Jeremy’s temples throbbed. ‘Yes, your honour.’
The judge nodded at the prosecution, and she read the statement out.
‘Further to the defendant’s charges, I would like to report another event of violence he partook in. On the night of the 19th of October, he argued with my eldest daughter. This argument, in full view of my seven-year-old son and other, sixteen-year-old daughter, causing great distress to them, turned violent. The defendant took a knife from the kitchen and slashed my daughter across the cheek. Fortunately, this event was not more serious, leaving a single facial wound that has since scarred over. Nevertheless, I am not satisfied that, in the event the defendant is granted bail, he will commit no other acts of violence. In addition, I am wholly unconvinced that he will not bring further harm to my family. In truth, I fear for our safety if he is released. I hope that the esteemed court will respect my view, and take it into consideration when providing their verdict.’
The defence stood and pointed at the prosecution. ‘Your honour, have we any evidence to these claims? For all we know, they are unsubstantiated. As such, I move to have this statement discarded, and for you to disregard it in your verdict.’
The judge looked from the defence to the prosecution. His gaze drifted over to where Savannah, Aaron, and Alexis sat. All three shifted in their seats.
He returned to Jeremy. ‘Those three in the gallery. They’re your children?’
Jeremy twisted in his seat. Upon seeing them, his expression twisted too.
‘Yes, your honour,’ he said, turning back around.
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‘And the older one, she is the daughter mentioned in your wife’s statement?’
‘Y-Yes.’
‘And is that scar on her cheek your work?’
‘No.’
‘I’m not sure I believe that. In any event, I cannot overlook the violent nature of the crime you have been charged with, particularly when it is combined with the accusations levelled at you in this statement. Mr Glasco-Mason, I cannot grant your bail application and I hereby declare that you will be remanded in prison until your trial. I am not convinced that there will be no more violence on your part, nor that you will be of no danger to anyone.’
The siblings let out a collective sigh of relief. Jeremy, on the other hand, displayed no emotion whatsoever. He stared, lifeless, at the judge, knowing he was in for a rough ride and that there was nothing he could do about it.
*
That afternoon, Savannah and Alexis picked up Theo from school, and ventured up to the high school to meet Lauren. Aaron had gone to meet his friends (who’d, naturally, bunked off their last lesson).
Aaron had been spending an inordinate amount of time with these friends since the half-term break began - in those three weeks since Katerina’s death, he’d been home for five evenings. On the others, he had come home either mortal drunk or high as a kite in the early hours of the morning, if indeed he returned at all (having developed a tendency towards staying at the home of either a friend or a random girl).
This behaviour was a source of concern for Savannah (Alexis wasn’t overly bothered). It was evident that Aaron wasn’t coping; similar to Lyra, yet with an exceedingly different outlet for his emotions. Where Lyra allowed hers to envelop her and render her senseless to all else, Aaron sought the same effect from drink and drugs without having to feel the emotions.
The worst part for Savannah was she had no idea what to do, how to care for either Lyra or Aaron, how to help them through this… she had no idea how to give them what they needed, or what it was that they needed. She was helpless. To her, it was like she was standing at the rim of a deep pit filled with darkness. Inside were Lyra and Aaron, and she had no method to pull them out, so all she could do was watch them suffer and starve as the darkness enveloped them.
The girls and Theo met Lauren and walked along the road together back into town. Theo went hand-in-hand with Alexis, talking her ear off, rabbiting about his day. Lauren and Savannah conversed in hushed tones behind.
Theo was unaware their father had been arrested. He hadn’t asked about him, either; given his familiarity with his father’s constant absence anyway, he hadn’t noticed anything different. Even so, him overhearing anything alluding to Jeremy’s situation was not the way Savannah wanted him to find out about it.
‘So,’ Lauren said. ‘How’d it go?’
‘Well… Alexis scared us into believing the judge would grant Jeremy’s bail - he didn’t and he remanded Jeremy. Mum somehow got it together enough to submit a witness statement which swayed the judge. So… I hope Jeremy has fun in prison.’ Savannah shrugged. ‘I’m glad he’s not free. I don’t think any of us need that stress right now. Never mind what he’d do now he’s on trial for murder - doesn’t have anything left to lose.’
Lauren pursed her lips. ‘No, he doesn’t. I mean, the guy hasn’t got a conscience on a normal day. With a prison term hanging over his head?’ She scoffed. ‘I’d fear for us all. Well, it’s fantastic he’s out of the way for the foreseeable future. How’s your mum?’
Her voice, which had been caustic and aggressive when referring to Jeremy, became soft, considerate and concerned.
‘She’s… I’d like to say fine… but the reality is she’s just exactly the same as she has been for nearly, what’s it been now, a month? Aside from the statement, which I’ve no idea how she found the energy to work on...’ Savannah shook her head. ‘She’s had a grand total of two slices of toast in that entire period and she’s changed her clothes... maybe three times? She honestly looks like something from a horror film - she’s so pale and haggard and her eyes… the bags under them aren’t black anymore, they’re red. She doesn’t sleep, but doesn’t leave her bed… cries constantly - bless her heart, I half expected her tear ducts to have dried up by now, but apparently not.’
Lauren grimaced. ‘Jesus, Sav, that’s awful. At least she found enough strength for something.’
‘I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to help her. It’s-’ Her voice cracked. ‘It’s rough. I need her to recover. We all do. And she will, I’m certain of that… it’s just a matter of how long it’s gonna take. We’ll just… have to make the best of it in the meantime, I suppose…’
They trudged alongside the main road through the town and Theo stood on the edge of the path, waiting to cross, his hand still in Alexis's. Together, they started crossing the road. Halfway across, Alexis pulled a confused, dazed expression, listening.
A black jeep charged round the corner at full speed.
Savannah’s arm shot out and grabbed Lauren. They screamed, unleashing an awful sound. Other passers-by gasped and yelled.
Then, the jeep rammed into Theo first, then into Alexis.
Everything seemed to freeze. Savannah’s thoughts ceased rattling around her brain.
Theo and Alexis launched over the bonnet, then the hood, of the jeep. They slammed onto the tarmac beside one another, motionless.
Theo’s tiny, young frame lay at a jaunty angle, his head turned away from Savannah and Lauren. A trickle of blood escaped Alexis's lips.
The jeep continued without pause.
Savannah and Lauren pelted towards the two bodies, their tears streaming, their screams still on their lips.
Savannah grabbed Theo by the shoulders, shaking him, while Lauren checked Alexis for a pulse, pulling out her phone and dialling 999 as she did so.
Savannah pulled Theo’s face around to hers and let out a heaving sigh of relief. He was conscious and breathing. He fixed his eyes on her; they were calm and peaceful, like an ocean on a relaxing summer evening. From their corners, a silver trail of tears streamed. He blinked. He attempted to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. He found her hand, gripped it in his tiny grasp and breathed out in a shuddering, ragged manner.
The angle of his body…
‘Savvy,’ he whispered, the sound like a slither of wind. His eyes became glassy, the waves growing still. With a ghost of a smile, Theo’s heart gave its final, feeble pulse.
‘No, NO!’ Savannah shrieked, clutching him below the chin and shaking his head. She grabbed his wrist, desperate to locate a heartbeat.
There was nothing to be found.
‘No, no, no… this can’t… no…’
Savannah shook her head and tears streamed. She grasped Theo and pulled him to her chest in a timeless embrace. Nothing else mattered but her brother’s broken body.
Until she came to her senses enough to remember the jeep had a driver. This was murder.
The shadows around her came off the ground, hovered centimetres above it, writhing and slithering, becoming enraged shards, poised to attack as Savannah wailed into Theo’s shoulder.
Lauren reached over from Alexis's still body and placed a free hand on the top of Savannah’s back.’ ‘Sav, calm down! Th-They’ll be able to fix this, I promise you. They’ll f-f-fix this.’
Though Savannah’s wailing continued, the shadows surrounding her relaxed.
*
Five hours later, Savannah sat in A&E with her head resting on Lauren’s shoulder, an exhausted, grief-stricken wreck of a human. Her eyes were puffy and her debilitated frame was slumped against Lauren. The vengeful fire towards the driver of the jeep that had erupted in the immediate aftermath of the collision had abated. The loss and defeat were too fresh and too monumental for her to care about them anymore.
Lauren’s crossed legs jiggled. A vein throbbed in her neck; a muscle pulsed in her jaw. She’d been able to find the slimmest pulse in Alexis, but her body… so many broken bones and internal bleeding... part of her didn’t want to know whether Alexis was alive or not. She doubted Savannah could take it.
Each moment lasted for an eternity. On each occasion a nurse or doctor came out of A&E to call a name, Savannah’s head shot off Lauren’s shoulder like a distressed meerkat’s, and sunk back, dejected, upon realising they weren’t calling her.
Lauren had called Lyra while in the ambulance (Savannah’s hysterics had been so pronounced she was in no state to be contacting anyone). Lyra’s reaction had been silence. Whether she had the strength to travel, or leave the house in any way… well, she hadn’t arrived yet. Lauren couldn’t blame her - she could imagine having to hold her own dead child in her arms.
Savannah’s mind, on the other hand, was filled with darker imaginings.
What if I’d walked in front? Would I have been hit instead of them? I deserve it more, if it wasn’t for me being so focused on my own bloody self I’d have been able to stop it happening. I’d rather it was me, then no one else would have to suffer because of my mistakes. In what world did Theo deserve this?! He’s… was… no - he is so young, so kind, so loving… why is it that he’s had to suffer, because of something I could have prevented? And Alex… so young… and headstrong… tough… promising… hurting and physically broken due to my ineptitude. I should have walked in front. It should have been me. They could both die… all because I was mindless. I should have walked in front. I should have been the one the jeep hit. Hell, if Jeremy had stuck the knife in my chest rather than missing, maybe it would never have happened and no one would have to reap the consequences of yet another of my mistakes… it should have been me… it should have been me… it should have-
‘Savannah Glasco-Mason?’ a nurse called from the doorway of A&E.
Savannah leapt from her seat and Lauren was upright just as fast. They were at the door in seconds.
‘How are they? Are they alright? Are they awake?’ Savannah asked in one breath.
The nurse, a blond lady in her mid-40s, looked solemn, heightening their panic.
The nurse spoke slowly; her voice had a nasal quality to it. ‘Well… Alexis… it’s remarkable, really, never seen anything like it in twenty years of nursing… had 4 cracked ribs on her left side, the jagged edge of one punctured her lung, there were early signs of subdural haemorrhage, intense and widespread intracranial bleeding - erm, severe damage to her brain-’
Savannah gasped and she clasped her hands to her mouth; Lauren’s jaw dropped.
‘Very fortunate, actually, the risks of her broken ribs nicking her heart - but it didn’t, so we have that to be thankful for. Arms were broken, left hip and knee shattered… the damage to her brain was more than significant enough to result in… well, death...’
‘Was?!’ Lauren interjected.
The nurse regarded them with a wondrous look. ‘Yes, was. Don’t know how to describe it… she healed on her own. Haven’t been required to operate or anything. The contusions in her brain didn’t just stop bleeding, the blood actually went back into her blood vessels. Her ribs healed, then the puncture sealed itself... We’ve moved her onto the trauma ward for observation and rest for… probably a few days, just to make sure but… she’s exhausted, of course, and will need a great deal of rest… but physically, somehow… she’s fine. Perfectly healthy.’
Savannah and Lauren exchanged joyful glances before their faces fell. They didn’t dare hope for the same for Theo.
‘What about Theo?’ Savannah asked, tugging her ear. ‘Is he al-al- okay?’
The nurse’s solemnity returned and she looked at the ground.
‘I’m sorry... but no... he’s not okay. I’m so, so sorry. Weren’t able to revive him in the ambulance, nor upon arrival. I’m so sorry, my sweethearts,’ the nurse said. ‘Theo’s dead.’