“These charges?” He threw papers on the table. “They’re all bullshit. You could drive a truck through their case. I know you haven’t been watching the news, but the people fucking love you. Women are praying they get lost in the snow just so you can save them. Men are wishing they had the balls to do what you did to that motherfucker.”
“I was young.” I shook my head. “It was stupid.”
“It was the heat of the moment. You were scorned. Who gives a shit, it’s been six years? Obviously, nobody gave a damn about finding you or they would have. You were living on land you owned before the incident happened, so it isn’t like you were hiding in fucking Mexico or something. Besides, everyone in Wolf Creek is ready to mobilize the town and come testify on your behalf. Your ex-wife wants nothing to do with this and her husband is ready to drop all charges. The last thing either of them wanted was to be caught up in this. As far as the public is concerned, they’re the bad guys now.” He pushed paperwork across the table.
“What’s this?” I looked down at the papers.
“Sign it and you’re a free man.” He folded his arms and smiled.
My freedom was in front of me. I flipped through the paperwork and tried to comprehend what it said. It was all sorts of legal talk with words I didn’t totally understand. After I finished flipping through them the first time, I had to start over at the beginning and try to really read it.
Why can’t they print this in fucking English?
It basically stated that I wouldn’t talk about anything that occurred between my ex-wife, her new husband, and myself. I would be bound by a confidentiality clause, because they didn’t want to be brought into the discussion. There was talk about book deals, television, and other stuff, basically stating that if any of it happened, I had to avoid all mentions of them. I was free to discuss anything that happened after I got to Wolf Creek, but nothing that happened before it.
Wow. Leave it to my ex-wife to just take a scorched earth approach to our past.
My life before that moment was pretty much erased. I couldn’t discuss the divorce, the reason for the divorce—hell I couldn’t even talk about my previous marriage. I couldn’t mention that she cheated on me. I couldn’t mention that the guy I caught her with was fucking her while we were married. It was clear that they wanted out of the spotlight and wanted to trade anything to get it. There was a time when I would have been more than willing to sign such an agreement, but there was something that didn’t sit right.
“No.” I shook my head.
“Seriously?” He unfolded his arms and placed them on the table. “Do you realize how hard it was to get that agreement put together in one day? They’re willing to drop everything! The District Attorney has agreed not to press charges, even though he can, because they won’t testify!”
“You’re my lawyer, right?” I looked up at him.
“Yes sir.” He nodded. “And as your lawyer—”
“Get your pen out.” I tossed the paper on the table, interrupting his sentence.
For the next hour, we carefully wrote down my terms. I wasn’t going to run from my problems. I was guilty. I was guilty of assaulting the motherfucker, and I wanted that to be known. It had to be public record. I wanted the accountability and if that meant prison, I would do the time.
If they wanted to avoid testimony, the price for that was my freedom, but there was no way I would let the past be completely erased. I knew it was foolish pride, but there was no way I was just going to pretend none of that ever happened to please them. I had no intentions of ever giving an interview, or talking to the press, so that part was fine, but they weren’t going to just pretend I never existed.
I didn’t feel like it was too much to ask for. I wanted to be left alone and I wanted to live in my cabin away from it all, but they didn’t get to decide who I was. My lawyer didn’t seem happy with the terms, especially when I had to be led back to my cell, but the next day I got word they agreed to what I outlined without question.
I talked with the District Attorney and entered my guilty plea, but since there was no testimony, they declined to prosecute it. A few hours later, I was sitting in first class on a plane heading back to Wolf Creek.
Fuck it. I might as well splurge since it’s the last time I’ll ever be on one.
“You’re him, aren’t you?” A stewardess moved her cart towards my seat. “You’re Shane Black.”
“Yes.” I sighed. “Can I get a whiskey?”
“Of course, absolutely.” She poured it into a glass and handed it to me.
“So, tell me...” She leaned in. “You didn’t spend all that time in your cabin just staring at the fire, right?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I mean...” She winked. “You and that girl? Have you heard what people are saying?”
“A gentleman doesn’t tell.” I finished my glass of whiskey in one gulp. “Can I have another?”
“Sure...” She poured another one and put it in front of me. “Well just so you know, I’m hoping there’s more to the story.”
You and me both, but that doesn’t seem pos
sible anymore.