Stanton Box Set

The policeman sits back on his chair and folds his arms

in front of him. “We can do this the long and hard way or you can just admit it to now and go for a more lenient sentence. Either way we will have you charged with murder.” He sneers as his eyes hold mine.

“Enough,” Arthur snaps. “Application for bail is pending. There will be no further questioning until then.”

“We are not finished.”

“Yes, you are!” Arthur snaps as he bangs a folder onto the table in anger. “My client is innocent and unless you are going to ask some genuine questions and not seek a guilty plea we won’t be a part of this conversation.”

The policeman narrows his eyes at me.

Arthur stands. “Joshua, I will see you in the bail hearing soon, son.” His eyes stare at the policeman. “Show Joshua back to his cell.” His eyes turn to me. “And Joshua, don’t answer anything they ask you without me being present.”

I nod gratefully. Thank fuck someone around here knows what the hell is going on.

The policeman stands furiously as Arthur leaves the room and I sit in silence. One of them pushes a security button alerting someone to come and get me

The taller policeman leans over the desk and sneers. “Just because you have money doesn’t mean you can get away with murder twice. We got you Stanton and the evidence is rock solid.”

I glare at him.

“Make yourself comfortable because you not going anywhere soon.”

Five hours later I am led into a courtroom by my cuffs. My father, Cameron, Adrian and Ben are seated at the back of the room and I nod gratefully at them for coming.

“All rise.” We stand as the judge enters the room. He nods and then sits down and starts to read the file notes. He looks over his glasses and studies me.

“We are after bail, yes?” he asks.

“Yes, your honour,” Arthur replies. “The accused poses no risk and a substantial bail will be met.”

“I object, your honour,” the police prosecutor demands. “The accused is a cocaine addict with a criminal record of assault, aggravated assault and a history of aggression including cage fighting. He is currently under investigation for the murder of a prostitute in Australia who he was having sex with while he was in a relationship with the victim Miss Natasha Marx. We have photographic evidence of the level of abuse she suffered at his hands and video footage of him threatening to kill her bodyguard only hours before she went missing. The drug found in her system was found at one of his properties with his fingerprints on the vials. He has unlimited funds, his own private plane and is a huge flight risk.”

I start to hear my pulse in my ears and my eyes flick to Cameron who drops his head. Adrian gives me a weak smile to try and calm me and my father and Ben stay stone-faced.

I can’t stay in jail.

“Objection, your honour. You cannot discriminate against him because he is a wealthy man,” Arthur argues.

“And nor can we let him get away with murder for the same reason,” the prosecutor argues. “His victim has lost her life. Who is going to argue for her if we don’t?”

“Miss Marx’s body has not been recovered. She may be alive and being held hostage. Natasha Marx’s family themselves are staying with Mr Stanton. He is not a risk. He wants justice bought to the criminal who did this,” Arthur argues.

“The sharks have eaten the body,” the prosecutor yells. “She was dead before she hit the water—nobody can live through that blood loss.”

“Enough,” I scream as I stand. “Don’t you fucking talk about her like she’s nothing!” The guards push me back down in my seat. “Don’t you dare!” I scream across the room through my tears.

The room falls silent and the judge studies me over his glasses.

I drop my head as I inhale deeply to try and calm myself and my racing heart.

The hammer sounds on the desk. “Bail is denied,” the judge orders.

“You honour, please,” Arthur argues.

“Decision made,” the judge announces.

“You honour, I ask that we be given a quick trial. My client cannot be in jail for months before this is heard. All evidence is circumstantial. He is an innocent man.”