Chapter 12: And Justice for All

Mr. Coulton was a fair and honorable man. Beth and I asked Mr. Gaines to settle for five million or seek ten if it went to trial. We settled for $4.5 million in a structured settlement. Eventually, all six other victims settled for $1 million each.

Sonia was fired 5 minutes after the meeting in the conference room. At the time she was the breadwinner in her family. She decided to disappear with her daughter, thus leaving a dead-beat husband to fend for himself. Nobody knows where she went, but it’s suspected she went to live with relatives in the Dominican Republic.

Five months into her pregnancy, Beth had severe abdominal pain. Joshua Freed was stillborn a day later and the family deeply mourned his passing at his funeral. I had no mixed emotions. I grieved for our son as did Beth. There was no blessing in disguise. Our child died. That tiny casket was the most heartbreaking sight I’d ever seen.

Don Baird was convicted for raping Beth and two of the other women. Evidence for the other four victims was too weak to hold up. The horrendous trial judge gave him a surprisingly light sentence of six years. His wife divorced him and she was granted all assets by a very understanding judge Dunn.

Don was released after two-and-a-half years. Despite a restraining order, he called Beth the day of his release and made ridiculous threats.

Don went missing the next day and was found five weeks later in agony on the side of the road in Georgia. His tongue and mouth were severely burned from what was thought to be a large pipe inserted and heated with a torch for a prolonged period of time. All his fingers were missing. He had a catheter sticking out from where his penis used to be. He was repeatedly attacked with a baseball bat to the scrotum and his testicles were so badly damaged that they had to be surgically removed. I can’t even begin to describe the work needed to repair his backdoor. He would depend upon a colostomy bag for the rest of his life.

Paul and I asked each other the same question. We each gave the same answer: “No, I had nothing to do with it.”

We had a chat with Mike, and I asked point-blank, “Mike, do you know anything about it?”

“Nate, if I did, I wouldn’t say.”

Of course, Beth and I were interviewed by the police, but they found no evidence that we or any of the other victims of Don were involved. A mysterious group called PJT took credit and used Don’s punishment as their first public statement of promised consequences for predators.

The devil on my one shoulder had pushed for me to use Mike’s friends, but my beliefs wouldn’t let me go down that path. I fought with myself to forgive him, although his last call to Beth made that difficult. Even so, I would never wish for someone to suffer his injuries. He was useless and abandoned to a state-run nursing home that I wouldn’t put a rabid dog in. I couldn’t feel good about how he ended up as much as my evil side tried to smile.

Beth and I were quickly back to normal. We had trouble looking at each other without ending up in bed or in the shower. She started her own, independent agency to provide marketing communications for an expanding list of clients. Her favorite client is Coulton Industries. Our basement was finished into her office so she can work at home with her three assistants. The room was designed so children could be with her, which brings me to my favorite subject.

Twenty months after ‘the incident’ Nate Jr. arrived on the scene. A year later our twins, Ava and Cali joined our family. Beth learned last week that number four is on the way.

So was justice served? I don’t know if the scales balanced, and I’m glad I’m not the one who needs to figure that out.

What about forgiveness? So many people were hurt and so much forgiveness was needed. Some are still trying to find the ability to forgive both themselves and the guilty parties. Some will never find or offer it, but the stress and consequences of holding on to anger like that can last a lifetime. That’s not the way to live.

Beth and I have forgiven all involved. That’s how we choose to live.

Thanks for reading. Please take the time to rate the story and leave a comment.