“Now we’re going to ask you some questions, Ms. Reed. You just answer them truthfully and to the best of your ability. We’ll hit record on this video camera and we’ll send in whatever we get from you to the judge to consider. Do you understand or have any questions for me?” Mr. Nayson sat back in his chair as he waited for Bailey to answer.
She looked over at Jonathan and Leo’s lawyer, Mr. Dennison, and again at Mr. Nayson and then quietly said, “No, I, um, I think I'm ready to do this. Let’s go.”
With that, the secretary stood to her feet and pressed the red record button on the small handheld set. She then sat down and began to type on her small keypad.
Mr. Nayson looked down at his sheet of paper and requested that she state her full name, birthday, and current address. Bailey hesitated as she gave her new address. He caught it as he asked, “Is that the address of Mr. Leo Connelly?”
“Yes, sir. I was previously employed with him as a live-in housekeeper. I now am a resident of his home.”
He smiled lightly, “Does that mean that you are in a romantic relationship with the defendant, Mr. Connelly? If yes, can you please state for the record how long you two have been involved?”
“Yes, we're in a romantic relationship, and it has been going on for a little over a month now.” Bailey kept her cool. Jonathan and Mr. Denison had prepped her for questions about her link to Leo. It would hurt her character testimonial a bit, but it wouldn’t make too much of a difference considering she started dating him after the incident in the parking lot.
“As a housekeeper for Mr. Connelly, you must have seen a lot of his private life. Did you ever see Mr. Connelly engage in drugs or alcohol during your tenure?”
She swallowed. It was another question she had rehearsed answering. She looked him straight in the eye and recited the line, “Yes, I did see him drink, but I did not ever see him or any of his guests use any illegal drugs.”
“It's my understanding based on testimonial from Mr. Jonathan Winters that you kept a diary of his daily habits. Can you elaborate on that for us?”
Bailey lifted a finger to him as she retrieved her purse from under the table. She took out a small notebook and placed it upon the conference room’s oak table. She flipped through to the first page as she said, “Yes, sir. I was asked by Mr. Winters when I started my employment to document Mr. Connelly’s days, including his visitors, schedule, and eating and drinking. I continued this journal until a few days prior to our trip to Tucson last week.”
“The trip in which he was reported to have rescued your daughter from your ex-husband?”
“Yes, sir.” She smiled. The news had, in fact, gotten out that the Lionheart fighter, the one with the bad boy reputation, had managed to save a girl from almost certain death. At least, that is what the press and scandal papers reported. Journalists had flooded their phones with interview requests from the moment the cops were called. And upon their return back to the estate, Jonathan had to hire additional security guards to keep the television crews and photographers in check.
Only now, a week after, had they started to die down and the incessant flashing of cameras gone almost all away. Yet the guards remained in place for an entirely different reason other than to keep prying eyes from getting too close.
Bailey pushed the notebook towards him as Mr. Denison requested that there be copies made of the journal to be submitted to the court later. An assistant took the notebook and disappeared. She returned with several stacks of photocopies that were distributed to both of the lawyers. Bailey waited as Mr. Nayson looked over the pages. His eyes grew larger and smaller as he studied the handwriting and the words on the page.
“Based on these dates, did you continue to keep a record after you had started your romantic relationship?”
“Yes, I had. I thought that, until Mr. Winters had hired a new housekeeper, I should continue monitoring Mr. Connelly’s progress with his schedule.”
“Progress? What in regards to?” The man smiled widely. He had caught her.
“Mostly his drinking, sir. As you can see by the activities, Mr. Connelly had slowly weaned off alcohol. He did have some slip ups, but has remained largely sober. The other part is that his outbursts have improved greatly. I no longer see him getting angry or upset like he used to when he was drinking heavily.” Bailey beamed. She knew it wasn’t much to the outside world, but with Leo, the first steps were the hardest. And he seemed to conquer it.
The lawyer put on a pair of glasses and then flipped to the end, taking in the information that she had presented to them. He then quickly asked, “At any point in the last few weeks in which you did not record his behaviors did you see him drink or have an outburst?”
Bailey paused. She had seen him drink and get angry. It was the one time when he thought that she was cheating on him. It was a mistake, a slip up, a one-time occurrence. He recognized his mistake and moved on. He got better. She had warned Jonathan and Mr. Denison of this, but their answer was unhelpful. She was to be truthful, but to not give away details. She soberly and reluctantly answered in her lowest voice possible, “Yes, I have.”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Reed. I need you to speak up clearly so we can record your answer for the court’s records.” He was trying hard to conceal his excitement, but his face gave him away.
She rolled her head forward and looked toward the wall behind Mr. Nayson’s chair. “Yes, sir. I did see him drink and have an outburst during that time.”
“What were the circumstances of this day?” He, too, began to write notes on his yellow pad.
“On that day, he had received a letter with bad news. In addition, I had begun receiving threatening letters from my ex-husband. When I left the home to deal with the situation,” She swallowed, “Leo—Mr. Connelly—began drinking from a small stash of liquor we had kept hidden inside the house.”
“What was the scene when you returned home?” His hand couldn’t keep up with her testimony.
“He was drunk and upset.” She spoke louder and more firmly as she justified, “However, we talked through the situation and he decided to throw away the remaining alcohol. He sobered up that night and then attended a meeting with his agent first thing in the morning after a training session.” She blushed at the training they did that night.
The man in front of her removed his glasses once again and rubbed the temple of his forehead as he asked, “Ms. Reed, do you really think that a man with Mr. Connelly’s track record of alcohol abuse and anger management issues has any chance of rehabilitating themselves?”
Bailey’s lip curled. She had been waiting for this moment. This was her time to speak from the heart. “Yes, Mr. Nayson. I do believe a man like Mr. Connelly can become a new person. Prior to my relationship with Mr. Connelly I was married to an abusive man who drugged and kidnapped my daughter. He put me in the hospital several times during the course of our marriage. Each and every time he made excuses as to why he acted the way he did. But with Mr. Connelly, it's different. He owns up to his mistakes; he acknowledges that, like all men, he has his weakness and vices. After last week, when he saved my daughter from an uncertain outcome, there is no doubt in my mind that Mr. Connelly is not only capable of overcoming any anger or alcohol issues. He’s also capable of becoming a good, honest, and decent man.
“He has made mistakes. He has caused pain. But in no way has that man presented himself to me or my daughter. Instead, he's a kinder, gentler person. And I know that with time and effort on his part, he won't just be the boxer with the bad reputation. He will be known as the man with the heart of a lion: brave, loyal, and strong.”
The lawyer looked at her long and hard, unsure of what to make of her words. She had presented a picture of a man totally against what he was trying to paint. He had other witnesses and testimonials to hear. But with Bailey Reed, he knew he would not get the information from her that he had expected.
He signaled the secretary to press pause on the record button and then stood to shake Mr. Denison and Jonathan’s hands. Bailey walked out to the parking lot and headed towards her car. Jonathan came running after her, slamming her door shut to get her attention. He turned her to face him, “Listen, Bailey. I know I owe you an apology. I fired you before hearing your story. I was a complete ass. But I wanted to let you know that, well, I’m sorry—truly and deeply sorry. What you did in there for Leo, what you said about him, shows me you’re not in it for the money. If you were, you would have been talking to the press ages ago. For that, Leo and I are forever in your debt.”
She fidgeted with the keys in her hands. She wasn’t entirely ready to trust that Jonathan now wanted to become best friends with her. But she was satisfied to hear he finally trusted her. “Thanks Jonathan. I appreciate it.” She looked around at the parking lot as she turned steely, “I would also appreciate it if you could get this blackmail thing sorted out, okay?” He nodded as he opened the door, promising to get it taken care before the trial in a few short weeks.
Back at home, Leo and Lily waited anxiously together. Leo had entertained her with an almost endless amount of choices in cartoons and a box full of new toys well-wishers had left at their gates. The story of a girl dangerously close to death by a cocktail her dad had concocted out of alcohol, sleep meds, and downers captivated just about everyone. As her hospital stay went on and she faced a long recovery from the stomach pump the doctors performed soon after she awoke, the amount of interest in Leo’s saved girl had grew to massive proportions. He may have been the hero, but she had managed to captivate the world.
She giggled as the large, burly man sat on the ground to have a tea party with her and her new favorite dolls. Together, they sat on the quilt Lily had always loved sipping imaginary drinks out of plastic pink cups.
The young girl still was weak from the medications the doctors had given her to continue emptying her stomach. Leo watched her helplessly as she lay down next to the set and asked to be carried into her new bedroom on the second floor. But as he carried her through the long hallway, she perked up as the sound of the front door closing filled the space.
“Mommy? Is that you?”
Bailey ran to her room just in time for Leo to place her gently into the gigantic white bed with the purple and green ruffled sheets. Bailey planted a kiss on her head and tucked in her feet as she watched Lily fight off sleep. Leo stood behind her, unsure of his place.
Bailey watched as the young girl began to softly breathe. Each movement of her chest reassured her that everything was going to be all right. They were together; they were safe. For good or for bad, the medications, the drug tests, the stomach pump, the pricks and blood draws had all led them to this moment of peace and respite. Now, Bailey could inhale and exhale just like her daughter.
Bailey reached out her hand for Leo. Without taking her eyes off of her daughter, she spoke, “It went well, I think. I hope I helped you.”
“I don’t care what you said, as long as you believed it. I want to be a better man for both of you, not just so I don’t have to prison or get my career back. Do you believe that?”
Bailey turned her back to him and nodded her head. She had felt from the moment she met him in that hotel room that he could be the person she had dreamt of. And now, as she said goodnight to her baby with her man by her side, she could believe in a happy ending for all three of them.