A Shadow Fell (24 page)

             
             
             
             
             
             
             
57

             
It became obvious early on that the Bureau had no real interest in pursuing a case against me for killing Reuben Henderson. If I had
done him in
before hacking him to pieces with an axe there would have been no question of any serious charges being laid. The only real concern was that I had tortured him before doing the deed. They couldn’t very
well condone such actions, could they?

             
My willingness to come clean about everything that had happened
certainly worked in my favour. That the
puzzle pieces
were finally able to
come
together made them feel inclined to find some way of
putting the whole messy business behind them.

             
My trial
took place in Virginia and
was a simple formality. Everything was arranged before I stepped into the courtroom. I pled guilty to the charge of aggravated assault causing death with extenuating circumstances and was sentenced to two years in state prison.

             
Callie
and the Wilsons were there for my brief court appearance. After the sentencing was announced Callie
asked
the judge
for permission to visit
me
before I was
led away
.
We were given five minutes and left in an anteroom at the courthouse.

             
It was very emotional for both of us. I broke down and begged her to try and find it in her heart not to hate me for what I had done.
Actually, s
he had no trouble at all accepting the role I had played in Reuben`s death but I had hurt her almost beyond repair by allowing her to believe I had been dead for all those years. That
,
she
couldn’t
forgive.

             
“You’ve got two years to think about this, Callie,” I said as I kissed tears from her cheeks. “When I’m out I want to come back to you and begin our lives again. I want to spend the rest of my life trying to make everything up to you.”

             
She looked at me with more sadness than I could
bear
. “I don’t know, Jack. Maybe. We’ll just have to see how things go.”

             
I couldn’t really hope for any more than that from her. She had a
great deal
to forgive.

             
And I had a lot to make up for.