Leaving Yesterday (30 page)

“Yes, he threatened me, and then he turned around and walked away. I’m the one who went after him and killed him.”

There was truth in every word, I knew there was, but I wasn’t ready to give up my trench. “After you watched him viciously attack a homeless man. Why should standing up for another human being be a crime?”

Ryan Scott cleared his throat. “If you’d rather, we could take it to trial, hope that a jury sees it the same way you do.
If
we do that, the DA’s obligated to go after first-degree murder charges. If you win, great. If you lose—you’d lose everything.”

Kurt shook his head. “No, manslaughter is good.” He came over to kneel beside my chair. “Mom, you’ve been saying we need to leave the past behind us, and I agree with you. But if I’m going to leave yesterday behind, I want to do it with as clear a conscience as I can get in this case. The fact is, Rudy Prince died because of me, and I need to pay for that.”

We called Monte and Jodi, and they drove down to Santa Barbara, where the entire family sat huddled around the living room, saying little. There was a mixture of grief and relief and regret, which seemed to choke back all conversation.

Finally, Monte spoke. “I hope I’m not overstepping my bounds here”—he cast a glance toward Rick—“but I went on the Internet this afternoon and looked up some information on Prison Fellowship.”

Rick looked at him with hollow eyes. “Prison Fellowship, what’s that?”

“It’s a Christian group that works through local churches in the prisons. They teach classes, have discipleship groups set up among the inmates, help with transitioning back out, all those things.” He reached inside the duffel bag at his feet and produced a pile of papers, clipped together. “I downloaded their
Guide to Prison Survival.
I thought it might be helpful. And I took down the numbers for the offices that work with the Southern California prisons. I didn’t call anyone. I thought I’d leave that up to you.”

Kurt took the packet of papers from his hands. “Thank you. I’ll look into this.”

I looked toward Rick, wondering how he was taking all this, especially since it was coming from Monte. I didn’t have to wonder long, because he spoke up. “Thank you. For being here for my family time and again.”

“We’re family. That’s what we’re supposed to do.”

“Yes, it is.” Rick reached over and took my hand.

Forty-Three

I stood before the judge and pled guilty to obstruction of justice and destruction of evidence while a dozen women from my church sat in the courtroom and watched. I could hear them sniffling in the rows behind me.

Then it was Kurt’s turn. He stood before the judge, his shoulders square, his back straight. Personally, I found it difficult to remain upright. What if the judge decided to go for the high end of the sentencing spectrum? I didn’t think I would be able to stand it.

The judge read a lengthy statement, none of which I heard. My mind could wrap itself around nothing but the length of the sentence, not all the legal hithertos and thithertos. “Due to the violent nature of this crime, my inclination would be to go for the high end of the sentencing spectrum.” I heard a gasp from the row behind me. I knew it was Jodi. The judge looked over his glasses in disapproval before continuing. “However, due to an overwhelming amount of the paper work recommending otherwise, including a rather lengthy affidavit from the lead detective on the case …”

I turned my head to see if Bruce Thompson was in the courtroom. He nodded at me and offered something akin to a smile. I turned back to the judge.

“ … a low-end sentence of three years.” Once I heard those words, the tears started. They weren’t happy tears—how could they be when my son was about to go to prison? But they were at least grateful tears. It could have been so much worse, there could be no doubt about that. I would thank Bruce Thompson later.

The bailiff approached our table. Kurt locked me in an embrace. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” The words were choked by sobs. My sobs.

The bailiff motioned for Kurt to step toward him and produced a pair of handcuffs. Kurt nodded and extended his hands, but he never took his eyes off me. “We did the right thing—never doubt that. We did the right thing.” The metal made a clinking sound as the cuffs were set in place, then my son was led away from me. He turned just before they pushed through the back door and called out, “I love you, Dad.”

“I love you, too.” Rick’s strangled words carried through the room.

I slowly turned and walked toward Rick. I fell into his arms and we simply held each other and cried for a moment. Then he pulled back, put his left arm across my shoulder, and started to lead me from the courtroom. “Let’s go home.”

Jodi came and linked her arm around me, Lacey on her other side. Monte did the same on the other side of Rick, and we walked out of the courtroom, one big human chain. One step at a time we would get through this. With the dawn of each new day we would shake off the dust from yesterday, learn from it, then leave it behind as we walked toward tomorrow.

Acknowledgments

Thank you, Father in heaven, for allowing me to, yet again, see my dream come true.

Lee Cushman—For the continuing love and encouragement.

Caroline Cushman—Your smile can brighten the darkest day.

Ora Parrish—The most amazing mother, friend, and allaround cheerleader in the world.

Carl Parrish—The coolest father ever!

Leah Cushman—Thanks for researching the olive farms for me. You’re a terrific mother-in-law.

Carl, Alisa, Lisa, Katy—Your unwavering support makes me so happy to be your sister.

Lori Baur—A great friend, neighbor, and marketing champion.

Sally Turvey, Carolyn Horwald, and Kara Horwald—For great feedback on the early drafts.

Dave Long—Thanks for never letting me take the easy way out.

Natasha Sperling—For cleaning up the grammar mess I leave in my wake.

The Bethany marketing team—Steve, Debra, Noelle, Jim, and Carra, you continue to amaze me.

Mike Berrier and Shawn Grady—It’s been great to walk this writing journey with the two of you.

The Winklings: John Olson, Jenn Doucette, James Rubart, Katie Vorreiter—For your support and friendship.

Carrie Padgett and Julie Carobini—Great friends and great writers.

Scott Campbell—Thank you for all the “I’m not a defense attorney, but …” answers.

Adam Pearlman—For taking the time to answer my copious questions and walk me through the criminal defense process.

Sergeant Lorenzo Duarte—For heading up the amazing “Citizens Police Academy.”

Boots Cushman—for being the second Cushman pet to make a cameo appearance in one of my books.

Questions for Conversation

1. One of Alisa’s coping mechanisms was: “If I pretend it doesn’t exist, it will go away.” What are your own ways to cope when things get too awful to face head on?

2. Lacey and Alisa’s belief systems differed quite a bit, but the two women still had a strong friendship. Why do you think Alisa felt she could show her true face with Lacey more than with her other friends?

3. Alisa and Rick practiced tough love on Kurt when he was at his lowest point. When thinking about it, Alisa makes the statement that her head tells her one thing, her heart another. What’s your opinion?

4. Jodi and Monte sold everything and moved to an olive farm in Templeton because they “felt led.” Have you ever felt deeply called to something? To what have you attributed that inner confidence?

5. Alisa spent a lot of time wondering whether Kurt was guilty, and trying to convince herself that he was not. Would you have asked him the question as soon as you found the bat? Would you have told the detective? Or would you have done what you could to help your son succeed in his new life?

6. In all likelihood, Lacey was correct: Gary Singer would almost surely end up in prison again, even if Alisa saved him by coming forward. Would you be able to trade your son for this man?

7. After Alisa saw the baby, she had a pretty good idea it really was Kurt’s. Did she do the right thing by letting another family adopt the baby without ever knowing for sure?

8. Both Alisa and Theresa Singer blamed themselves for the path their sons’ lives went down. Do you agree that they were at least partly responsible?

9. When Kurt confessed to Detective Thompson, both he and Lacey wanted Alisa to keep quiet about destroying the bat. She chose to come forward. What would you have done?

10. If you were on the jury, would you say that Kurt was guilty of murder?

About the Author

Kathryn Cushman is a graduate of Samford University with a degree in pharmacy. Her two previous novels were
A
Promise to Remember
and
Waiting for Daybreak
, which was a finalist in Women’s Fiction for the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award. Kathryn and her family currently live in Santa Barbara, California.

She enjoys hearing from readers at
www.kathryncushman.com
.