Scars

Chapter 12

“Miss Cavanagh tells us exactly what happened.” Said the investigator. “My story with Michael Brown started a long time ago. He constantly tortured, teased, and abused me many times in my life. He raped me when I was only 15 years old in my own home when his family had come to visit us on Christmas. After graduation he forced me into a relationship with him making me live with him since I was 18. I escaped to here because of all the abuse he had given me. Tonight he came to the party looking for me to take me back home to harm me again. He when he finally found me he tried to make me leave with him and take me back to his car. When I refused he started to beat me up again. I begged for him to stop but he wouldn’t. That’s when my boyfriend, Colton Dixon came over and punched him upward to give me the chance to defend myself. Michael taunted Colton about Baylie Brown, Michael’s own sister whom he had abused who Colton had been in love with and dating at the time and of course that he would never see me again. That’s when I got on the defensive. Colton is the love of my life and I never wanted him to lose me and hurt the way I’ve seen him hurt over Baylie. So I took the matter into my own hands built up with anger I pushed him off the ledge to his death.” I said carefully almost telling the entire true story. I would have done it to save him so it wasn’t a total lie.

“That is quite some story.” The officer said shaking his head. “Sir I knew Baylie,” said another officer who looked about Colton’s age “We went to school together. Her brother abused her like that to no end. Raping her, beating her up, you name it he did it to her. I didn’t report it when I was younger because he was insane. I believe Miss Cavanagh’s story.” “Thank you.” I said graciously. He nodded. “Well Miss Cavanagh I can understand the instinct to kill him, you suffered terribly. I honestly think the anger built inside of your for too long after taking the abuse from him. However you’re going to have to wait for a trial….I’m going to put you under house arrest until then. I don’t think you’re a danger to the community especially since you came forward but I have to give you some sort of punishment.” He said. I nodded I understood completely. House arrest was nothing to me. I felt bad to have to miss work but hey at least I was able to spend my days with Colton.

When I was released out and the Dixons drove me back home Colton hugged me tight. “I don’t want to lose you.” He cried. “I had to do this…Colton you had no real history with him other than what he did to Baylie. I had to make it seem like I did it otherwise you’d be gone.” I sobbed holding him tightly too. He seemed to understand “So you’re just under house arrest?” “Yes until the trail I am.” I said. He smiled at me “I'm just glad you’re alright.” “I am too.” I smiled back.

The next few months under house arrest were alright. Schyler got me plenty of movies and Colton and I were still inseparable together. Spending every night praying the trial would be fair and not convict me of murder. The night before the trial I had another dream.

“Hollie!” Baylie smiled at me giving me a hug. “Baylie!” I hugged her too. “You did such a noble thing for Colton you know?” she smiled at me.  “I couldn’t bear for him to possibly never be free again as for me I was always a prisoner of my own mind.” I shrugged. “I have to say Colton is sorry for killing him. We all know here he is. All he wanted was for him to leave you alone. He won’t suffer in Hell because he killed off one of the devil’s protégés. God won’t see that happen. He may spend awhile in purgatory like I did but he’s not damned forever. I know you worried about that. As much as we don’t like lies you did it for the best reason possible love. What Michael did was far worse than anything he suffered while dying. I wish he would’ve suffered long and hard but that’s just me.” Baylie shrugged seeming happy he was dead. “Were you here as a warning?” I asked a little terrified for tomorrow. “No. I came to say don’t stress Hollie. God will be doing all he can to keep you out of jail. You may still be under house arrest for a while but there won’t be any jail time.” Baylie smiled at me. I sighed of relief. I was more worried of losing Colton than anything else. “Good luck tomorrow and remember it will be okay.” She told me and I woke up the next morning confident for my trail. 

“Order in the court!” said the judge as it was time to start the prosecution. The Browns surprisingly were on the opposing side to me. If Luke or Aaron had done what Michael had done I can guarantee my parents would have been on my side. I could hardly believe his parents wanted me gone they would be shocked when Colton testified against them. Up first were Mr. and Mrs. Brown. They talked about how Michael was a good child and always well behaved (I find that hard to believe). They said he got straight As and all he wanted in life was to be a pro-basketball player. They accused me of making him out to be a monster that he wasn’t saying he had never harmed Baylie or even me that I had made it all up for the sake of making him look bad. Wow. I thought Michael was the worst liar I’d ever met that is until I met his parents. Most of the jury seemed to roll their eyes. Murfreesboro was a small town and many knew Michael so my side already had an edge.

Colton walked in next for my first defendant in the stand “I'm not speaking today for me but I am speaking for two of the most important girls I have ever had in my life, Baylie Michelle Brown and Hollie Jessica Cavanagh. Baylie and I had grown up together. We went to the same school and were such good friends even though she was a year ahead of me. Baylie had a dark secret that most of the school seemed to notice, that she came to school bruised and her eyes bloodshot. I worried about her and she never told me what was going on. That is until that one fateful night she had run off when Michael had tried to rape her.  I can still hear the pounding on my door beginning someone to answer as she sobbed telling my family what had happened. She was welcomed in with open arms and even moved in with us for about 6 months. Her family which you heard from acted like she had run off somewhere to get away from them. Acted like she didn’t want to ‘face her problems’, which was not the case. Baylie was just trying to escape her abuser but her parents didn’t listen to us so in the end the poor girl took her own life by her own free will. How messed up does your life have to be to think that’s the answer? Baylie had always been a dedicated Christian and felt she had no other options. She had tried praying for a way out only to get sent ride back in. So jury I ask you, what kind of cruel family does that to someone struggling through those things? Mr. and Mrs. Brown I never blamed you for any actions of Michael’s but the fact that you even defended him today after all he did to your own daughter, I just don’t think I can ever understand why.” He said taking a pause before continuing.

“Now for Hollie’s story, she had met Michael on vacation and had become friends with him. Soon the friendship turned toxic and Michael started to abuse her verbally over the phone at first. That is until during Christmas break his family had traveled to McKinney to visit Hollie’s. That Christmas Day Michael had stolen something Hollie can never get back, her virginity. He raped her no matter how many times she pleaded for him to stop. No matter how many times she tried to get away all he did was laugh at her. Hollie was only 15 at the time and she did not know to speak up. She dreaded being alone with him anytime during the break. She ran off one day they were left alone again and hid out at a girl whom she had just met that day’s house. How desperate does one have to be to stay with a complete stranger? When the Browns finally left Hollie found a little bit of a peace of mind that is until Michael came to her graduation. Her parents had told her to live on her own which Michael took full advantage of. He made sure she was stuck moving in with him and made sure she couldn’t get away no matter how much she wanted to. So how did she escape? She was taking her friend to the airport and she bought her own plane ticket to get out of the abuse and came to Nashville that’s how I met her. I was present the night Hollie had pushed him off in self-defense. I saw the anger rise in her face when he said anything to me. When he taunted me about her is when she lost it. She called him inhumane I believe and said after all the things he did to her she was fed up with it and that she just wanted to be left alone to be able to enjoy her life, something he never let her do and with that she pushed him off the balcony. So Jury, this was not an act Hollie normally would have committed but after all the pain and torture he had put her through I ask, what would you have done if this was someone who had abused you all your life?” with that he had finished and I felt he gave such an amazing, strong, and passionate argument. If I thought he didn’t love me this would have proved it otherwise.