Grand Slam (The Boys of Summer 3)

“The state is asking that Mr. Kidd be held without bail.”

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me, Your Honor.” Irvin stands. “My client has cooperated with the police from the beginning, even voluntarily submitting his own DNA sample, and still to this day, the state has been unable to produce a report implicating my client. Mr. Kidd is being accused of multiple crimes that he did not commit, and the state is willing to ruin this man’s career because of who he is. I’m asking that my client be released on his own recognizance.”

“These are some fairly strong charges, Mr. Abbott.”

“Yes, sir, they are, but I assure you that Mr. Kidd is innocent. We have a witness that can confirm his whereabouts if this were to go to trial, but wasting the taxpayers’ money is not in the best interest of the state. The victim in this case is my client, and not the accuser. She’s simply a woman scorned.”

My eyes drop to my hands as my life flashes in front of me. This is another mark against me, and one Elijah will happily add to the growing list of reasons he’s coming up with to take Lucy away.

“The state is willing to accept three million for bail,” the assistant district attorney says.

Travis’s head falls, and I desperately want to reach out and tell him it’ll be okay, but I know it won’t be.

The judge continues to look over the summons, flipping pages back and forth, while we wait for his answer.

“Mr. Kidd, you are being accused of a heinous crime, and you voluntarily provided your DNA?”

“Yes, sir,” Travis says after he stands.

“Did you hit this woman on the day in question?”

“I did, but not in the way she’s describing.”

“How so?” the judge asks.

“As I told the officer this morning, I was coming out of the bathroom and ran into a woman. I didn’t know it was her until after she moved her hair out of her face. I immediately stepped back, and she told me she was calling her lawyer.”

“You can sit down.”

He returns to reading, stopping only to jot notes down.

“I’m going to deny the state’s motion to seek bail in this matter. However, Mr. Kidd, you are not free to leave town. And you”—the judge points to the ADA—“better be ready to proceed next week. I want to see everyone back here after the first of the year.”

He slams his gavel down, causing me to jump. Irvin and Travis hug, and while I’d love to feel his arms around me, the press is outside waiting, and I’ll be damned if the state is getting to them before me.

BREAKING NEWS

Left fielder Travis Kidd has been arrested and charged with rape and aggravated assault. According to the state, Kidd assaulted the victim after he cornered her at her place of employment. The complaint shows that Kidd has been following her around since the rape was reported and even offered her money to “make it go away.”

During the arraignment, Kidd pled not guilty and was released without bail. A court date was set for next week where the state will need to present their case against Kidd.

Speaking on behalf of Kidd at the press conference after the hearing, his publicist, Saylor Blackwell, indicated that the state is purposely dragging their feet, and that their lack of evidence in this case is bothersome. Kidd’s attorney, Irvin Abbott, stated that a lawsuit against the state would be forthcoming on his client’s behalf.

Our staff reached out to Kidd, but we were unable to get a comment from him.

The BoRe Blogger

Chapter 27

Travis

I stand back while Saylor rips into the district attorney’s office about their shoddy investigation and the damage that it has done to my career. What she doesn’t mention is that my life is in shambles and she’s the only one who can fix it, or at least that is what I keep telling myself. She can give me an alibi for that night, telling the judge that I attempted to leave with her and about the threatening comment that was made. I need her to help put this farce behind me. Little does she know that I’m not giving her an opportunity to say no this time. Saylor doesn’t get to call the shots anymore.

Hundreds of questions are asked as soon as she finishes her tirade, but the microphone is taken over by Irvin, who echoes everything Saylor said. When it comes down to it, I have a team of people surrounding me who are looking out for my best interests. It’s unfortunate that a handful of my teammates don’t feel the same way. I guess the joke’s on them when I accept the first trade that comes my way. I have never been more excited to get out of Boston than I am now, which is funny because I used to love it here and saw myself retiring in the area.

Saylor stands next to me, poised and confident. She faces forward, keeping her hands in front of her, watching the crowd of reporters take in everything Irvin has to say. I should listen to him, but I can’t take my eyes off of Saylor. Memorizing everything about her is high on my priority list because I won’t see her ever again after today. I can’t continue to pine for a woman who is hell-bent on keeping me at arm’s length. And when I thought I finally broke through to her, when she finally felt like I was worth the risk, shit hit the fan.

I sigh heavily, causing her to look my way. She offers me a sweet, and professional, smile before turning her attention back to Irvin. His voice booms over the microphone as more and more onlookers start to gather. The amount of people outweighs the media coverage. I chuckle, thinking about how fucking cold it is outside and yet people are clamoring for any piece of information they can get. Once again, I’ll be front-page news, and the story is pure bullshit.