Page 13

13

S ix Months Later

Not appealing in the first twenty-eight days of a conviction meant a lengthier process. Ollie had to appeal for his appeal to be heard in the Crown Court. It put him at the back of the list of applicants. But that wasn’t the only reason it took six months to have his date in court.

Letters from Howard disappeared , and they had to reschedule the date due to Ollie coming down with food poisoning…twice. Teddy made his unhappiness known, especially when Seinfeld stated Ollie might have to be moved to the hospital wing if Ollie continued having spells of vomiting. Teddy had become anxious at the idea of Ollie being out of sight, and Ollie didn’t want to be put there after what had almost happened with Keith.

He promised Teddy he wouldn’t pretend to be ill again, and Teddy had wrapped him up so tight in a hug that Ollie was sure his bones were reshaping.

Whenever the date got pushed back, it was harder to face Leo.

He had no idea Ollie was doing it on purpose.

But Maggie seemed to realise, telling Ollie sternly it wasn’t just Ollie’s life he was messing with.

That made Ollie feel an ant small.

It wasn’t fair on Leo, or Maggie, or Howard, who’d been putting so much work in, and it wasn’t fair on Teddy either.

It all felt surreal when the day arrived.

Seinfeld told him to pack a bag of belongings just in case he got lucky. All Ollie put in the clear plastic bags were pages and pages of Teddy’s words of his stories about his childhood, the dreams he sometimes had that he wanted to share and sweet nonsense he sometimes wanted Ollie to hear.

Teddy stood beneath the window, putting on a smile that had no hope in hell of reaching his eyes.

Ollie dropped to his knees, removed the bottom drawer, and placed it on the floor. Teddy cocked his head as Ollie reached beneath and pulled out a drawing.

Of course it was a butterfly.

But this one was a peacock butterfly.

This one was in colour.

And it was Ollie’s best one yet.

He handed it to Teddy, who took it with shaking hands. He looked at the picture like it contained the secrets of the universe.

Ollie removed one last thing before slotting the drawer back in place.

“This butterfly wants to visit,” Ollie whispered. “I’ve spoken to Captain, Jack and Green. They’re all more than happy to write out the visiting slips for you, and letters too. You just need to point each word out like you do for me.”

Teddy continued to stare at the butterfly. He traced it with a finger.

Ollie bit his lip. “Or maybe you could write to me yourself.”

That got Teddy’s attention. His head snapped up.

Ollie held up the booklet. It was a handwriting book for children. He’d asked Maggie to send one in for him. She hadn’t questioned why.

“I thought you could learn to write with your left hand.”

Teddy’s throat bobbed as he swallowed.

“I know I’ve mentioned it before, and you always said you’re not worth it.” Ollie couldn’t keep the bitterness from his voice. “But we established I’m always right.”

Teddy snorted softly.

“You’re worth it,” Ollie said firmly. “But the question is…am I worth it?”

Teddy frowned until his eyes were slits.

“Am I worth learning how to write for?”

When Teddy didn’t answer, Ollie sighed. “I was kind of hoping for a yes.”

Teddy nodded, but it was slow, reluctant almost.

“Whatever happens today, I will keep you in my life. I’ll write. I’ll visit. I’ll even pick up your calls. It’ll be harder to understand you over the phone, but we’ll manage. I’ll probably just rattle on about rubbish, just cough three times when you’ve had enough or something.” He laughed softly; it was that or cry. “Please, Teddy, I did this for you. Please do this for me.”

Teddy took the booklet.

“You don’t get letters, or phone calls, or visits. But if I get out of here, that’ll change. You’re always going to have me, no matter what happens.” Ollie sighed. “Not to mention… there’s always the strong possibility I don’t get released.”

Teddy huffed and dropped the booklet and drawing on the bed so he could fold his arms.

Ollie lifted his hands in surrender. “I’m only saying.”

Knuckles tapped on the cell door.

Ollie’s heart clenched. It was too soon. It was always going to be too soon.

“Teddy,” Ollie whispered. He hung his head.

Teddy hooked Ollie under the armpits and lifted him to his feet.

“I don’t think I can—”

Teddy kissed him. He walked Ollie backwards, pressing him to the door, which was still being tapped on. His mouth didn’t leave Ollie’s, and there were tears on both of their faces.

“Linton,” Seinfeld shouted, bashing a fist to the cell. “You’d better not have barricaded yourself in there. That will not go down well.”

Teddy pulled back, but Ollie grabbed his face. “Listen to me, I am never going to look at anyone the way I look at you—” He gripped Teddy harder when he tried to pull his face free. “I mean it. This isn’t the end of us. It’s a change, that’s all. It’s a cycle, right? A metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly. I’m your butterfly until the day I die.”

“Out of the cell right now!” Seinfeld barked.

Teddy wrapped his arms around Ollie’s waist, pulling him away from the door. He let go when Seinfeld pushed it open.

“Finally,” Seinfeld hissed. He gestured for Ollie to leave the cell.

He didn’t move. Teddy gave him a shove.

He should’ve said it then, those three words, but Seinfeld stood behind him, huffing on his glasses so he could wipe them on his shirt.

As soon as Ollie was out of the cell, Seinfeld slammed the door shut and locked it.

The sound ricocheted around the wing. It echoed in Ollie’s chest. It slapped against his heart.

It was too final.

Too real.

He took a few deep breaths, tightening his hold on the plastic bag.

It was early morning. Everyone was still in their cells.

Ollie pointed to the top floor. “Can I at least say goodbye to Captain?”

Seinfeld sighed. “I know what you’re doing right now. You’re not the first, and you won’t be the last.”

“To what?”

“Drag this out.” He took Ollie by the elbow, guiding him to the gate.

Ollie glanced back over his shoulder. “Teddy!”

Teddy thumped the cell door in reply.

Murmurs went around the wing, then inmates began to shout. He picked out Green, Jack, Jonesy, even Einstein, all wishing him luck.

Then Captain’s voice boomed down from the top floor. “You’ve got this, Ollie.”

Seinfeld only let go of his arm when they got to the van.

“Inside,” he ordered.

Ollie sat down in the small cubicle with his bag of Teddy’s words on his knees.

“If you feel sick, use your bag.”

Ollie would’ve rather vomited down himself than ruin one page of what Teddy had given to him.

Seinfeld secured the door.

Ollie rested his head against the blacked-out window, trying his best to keep it together, but his heart was splitting in two.

When he was taken into the courtroom, he noticed his brother first. Leo jumped up from the bench in the gallery, waving frantically at Ollie as Seinfeld walked him inside. Maggie was with him, clutching her handbag. She gave Ollie a comforting smile.

There were a few other people in the public gallery but only one other Ollie recognised.

Rory was sat on the bench behind Leo. He wore his police uniform. His brown hair looked recently cut, and his blue eyes were fixed to the judges.

“Take a seat, Ollie,” Seinfeld muttered.

He dropped down, and Seinfeld undid the cuff securing them together.

Howard strolled over, eyeing Seinfeld with disdain. “That’ll be the last time you cuff my client.”

Ollie absentmindedly stroked his wrist.

There were three judges at the front of the room, all wearing wigs. Two were women, one was a man. Howard had told him the best-case scenario was three women, and the worst case was three men.

The courtroom settled.

When prompted by a judge, Howard began. Ollie only had to speak once to confirm his name, then he stared down at his shoes and zoned out.

He clutched the back of his neck, thinking he could feel Teddy breathing against him from the night before. Teddy had taken his time. Teddy had barely paused for breath while kissing him.

Ollie wouldn’t have that again, the intimacy of Teddy recovering his breath after blowing Ollie’s mind. The intense look in Teddy’s eyes, like Ollie was everything. His strong arms wrapped around Ollie’s sweaty body as he held him close.

But sex was sex. They were more than that. He could go without sex, but he couldn’t go without Teddy.

Howard droned on and on, occasionally being interrupted by one of the judges.

No one asked Ollie any questions.

He heard words like complicated, long term, and mental stability.

Howard put a lot of emphasis on Ollie discovering Leo had been hurt and being terrified of it happening again. He killed their father to protect his little brother.

The wine incident with their uncle Asher was brought up.

He’d not visited Ollie once, but he had written a statement about that night and recalled how terrified Ollie had been at the thought of being separated from his brother.

Seinfeld sat beside him. He knocked his knee into Ollie’s leg.

He didn’t move his lips when he said, “You look on the verge of passing out.”

This case was about him. Everybody in the courtroom was there to see what happened to him, but Ollie felt detached. It was as if he floated above it all, a silent, paralysed observer to the biggest moment of his life.

Ollie raised his eyes when Howard paused his constant stream of noise. He’d stopped to sip his cup of water, and when he put it down, there was a slight smile on his lips.

It was going well.

Ollie’s heart began to pound. He reached up to undo the top button on his shirt, fingers clawing at his throat. Seinfeld took pity on him and patted Ollie’s hand aside to undo it for him.

Ollie would’ve thanked him, but his mouth had gone dry. His sandpaper tongue stuck to the inside of his cheek.

“Here,” Seinfeld said, pouring him a cup of water. “Get that down you.”

It parched his mouth and tongue, but when it came to swallowing, he couldn’t. He choked, bending at the waist. Seinfeld thumped him on the back and leaned closer to whisper in Ollie’s ear.

“Keep it together.”

“Are you all right, Mr Linton?”

One of the judges asked him, but he didn’t know which one. He couldn’t recall their names. He didn’t even know if the voice had been male or female. The room, the sound, it all warped in time with his heartbeat.

“Fine,” he said, sitting back in his chair. “It went down the wrong way.”

“My client is emotional,” Howard explained. “What happens here will change the course of his life.”

“And what is it you believe should happen?” one of the judges asked.

“I believe the conviction should be overturned.”

That got a murmur in the courtroom. The judges shared looks.

“A manslaughter charge,” the man said, “even with these unique and terrible circumstances, needs punishment. The conviction cannot be overturned.”

Ollie breathed a little easier at that. He was going back to Teddy.

The judges shared another look before standing.

Everyone stood when they did.

“We need to consider Mr Linton’s sentence,” one of the women said before leading the other two out of the courtroom.

“It’s macaroni cheese tonight,” Seinfeld huffed. “Just in case you’re interested.”

“Good. Teddy likes it…”

Seinfeld snorted. “I imagine they’ll give you double helpings, soften the blow of more years inside.” He twisted in his seat, glancing up into the gallery. “Poor kid.”

Ollie knew he was looking at Leo. He didn’t have the courage to look himself.

Howard stood in front of them, packing all his evidence into briefcases.

“How much is he charging?” Seinfeld asked.

Ollie swallowed. “I don’t know.”

Another pang of guilt hit him. Maggie was the one paying Howard to represent him.

The judges didn’t take long and returned to the front of the room. They appointed the man to be the speaker, and he spoke directly to Ollie.

“There’s no doubt this is a complicated case, and you suffered at the hands of your father for nine years. It’s also clear you desired to keep your brother safe. The system failed you, not once, but multiple times. Concerns were raised about you and Leo, and yet no action was taken. For that, I apologise. But it does not excuse the actions you took that night. But we do feel, after hearing your case as laid bare as it just has been, nine years is too long a sentence. We’re reducing your sentence to three years.”

Three years. He’d already served two. Which meant one more to be with Teddy.

Howard cleared his throat. “The governor at Hollybrook has labelled Ollie an ideal prisoner, eager to learn, drug free, well behaved. He just passed his GCSE’s with ease. He would’ve been an ideal candidate for early release. I request his remaining time be shortened to seven months and be changed to a suspended sentence so he walks out of here to be reunited with the brother he so desperately wanted to protect.”

Ollie blinked. He glanced at Seinfeld. “But he said three years. That’ll mean one more in Hollybrook.”

Seinfeld hummed. “Your barrister is working his magic to get you a suspended sentence for the remainder.”

“Wait.” Ollie got to his feet. “Don’t I get a say in this?”

“Sit down,” Howard hissed through his teeth.

“He bought us takeaway pizza that night. He was smiling. Leo was smiling. He’d been sober for five days, and he kept saying this time was for good. He believed it. Leo did too. I didn’t. I didn’t believe anything he said to us anymore. I daydreamed of killing my father hundreds of times. I planned to do it while he was sleeping.”

“What are you doing!” Leo shouted.

Ollie flinched but didn’t turn to him.

“Silence in the gallery,” one of the judges snapped.

“He was snoring. I stabbed him in the heart.”

“Christ, Ollie,” Seinfeld whispered. He tugged at the hem of Ollie’s shirt, trying to make him sit down.

“Once I started stabbing him, I couldn’t stop. I needed him to be dead.”

“Why did you need him to be dead?” Howard asked.

Ollie frowned at him. “Because there’s something wrong in my head. I’m a monster.”

“What you did, some might call monstrous, but that doesn’t make you a monster. You kept stabbing and stabbing because you knew if you didn’t kill him, if he somehow survived the attack, you’d be taken away, leaving him with Leo.”

Ollie lowered his head. Yes, it was true. It had to be brutal. He had to leave no doubt. He dropped back into his chair.

“That’s why you did it when he was sleeping. You needed to be sure. You didn’t want to give him the opportunity to defend himself. You couldn’t risk it. You couldn’t risk Leo.”

Ollie closed his eyes, sinking down in his seat.

One of the judges cleared her throat and took over.

“We accept the request for a suspended sentence. You’re free to leave the courtroom today and reconcile with your brother. Break the conditions of your suspension, and you’ll return to Hollybrook for the remainder of your sentence.”

Ollie stared down at his shoes.

“You’re free to go,” Seinfeld mumbled, giving him a nudge. “At least look happy about it.”

“What are the conditions?” Ollie asked.

“Don’t worry about that now.” Seinfeld snorted. “Stand up.”

Ollie got to his feet.

The judges left the room, then Howard spun around to face him.

“You went a bit rogue at the end there, but a result is a result.”

He directed Ollie towards the door.

Ollie lifted his wrists on instinct, but Seinfeld shook his head. “None of that, unless handcuffs are your thing if you know what I mean.”

He came into the courtroom from one door and left from another one, stepping into a corridor where people rushed by, oblivious to him. Howard vanished, and Seinfeld said he was going to the holding cell below to get Ollie’s things.

Leo skidded into him, hugging him tight.

Ollie managed to grip him back.

“What the hell was that?” Leo demanded when he pulled back. “What were you playing at?”

“Not the time,” Maggie said, squeezing Leo’s shoulder.

“But—”

Maggie shot him a stern look.

“Fine,” Leo relented. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“Out of here?”

“Maggie and Asher’s place is a four-hour drive away.”

Ollie frowned. “I’m… I’m going home with you?”

“Of course.” Leo grinned. “Asher’s cleared the garage out for you. I know that sounds bad, but it’s a converted garage, has its own en-suite and everything. It can be your space.”

“If you want it,” Maggie whispered. “There’s no pressure.”

“Where else is he going to go?”

“There are rooms for the newly released,” Maggie said. “Howard told us that.”

“He also told us they were dirty and riddled with drugs.”

Ollie caught Rory in the corner of his eye, hovering close by. He looked at him, which seemed to be what Rory had been waiting for. He strode over, hiding his hands behind his stab vest. His blue eyes were wary, unsure whether he was welcome.

“Actually,” Ollie said, loud enough for Rory to hear. “I’ve arranged to stay with Rory.”

Rory’s steps faltered, but he quickly recovered.

“What?” Leo asked.

Ollie couldn’t look at his brother. “There’s some courses I wanted to check out—”

“There’s courses where we live too,” Leo snapped.

“Leo…” Maggie said.

Rory stopped in front of them. “Is anyone else hungry?”

Everyone stared at him.

“I’ll take that as a yes. There’s a great restaurant around the corner.” He smiled at Ollie. “How about it?”

Ollie looked back at him. He hoped Rory could see his gratitude. “Do they do macaroni cheese?”

“I imagine so.”