When the samples of dried blood collected from the dock were tested against Blake’s and resulted in a positive match, he decided his best course of action was to cooperate with the police in the hopes of a reduced sentence down the line. He admitted a sexual relationship with Rebecca had started a couple of months after she’d been dating Marshall. Smitten by Blake, Rebecca wanted to end it with Marshall, but Blake convinced her otherwise. If the relationship ended, Blake wouldn’t be able to see Rebecca like they had been when she’d slip out of Marshall’s room at night once he was asleep. And there was an even bigger worry. If Blake’s betrayal came to light, he’d be out of a job—a job that paid more money than he’d ever made in his life.
To keep things going the way they had been, Blake suggested a temporary solution to their predicament. Rebecca would remain with Marshall and find excuses about why the two couldn’t be intimate. It wasn’t hard. While Marshall still enjoyed the company of ladies, his recent struggle to function in the bedroom had caused him to back off from pushing for sex.
Blake and Rebecca continued to meet in secret, something Rebecca struggled with the more time went on. She was desperate to come clean and tell Marshall the truth so she and Blake could be together. To pacify her, Blake had matching rings made as a promise of his commitment. It seemed like the perfect plan, until Rebecca became pregnant with Blake’s child—a child she couldn’t hide from Marshall for long.
Rebecca wanted to keep the baby.
Blake wanted her to abort it.
The way he saw it, Marshall could never know about the pregnancy. Something had to be done—now. Soon she’d be too far along, and any chance for an abortion would be derailed.
Rebecca and Blake sparred over how to handle the pregnancy. In a fit of rage, Blake slammed a wad of cash onto Rebecca’s kitchen table and served up an ultimatum. If they were to have a future together, she’d take the money and get the abortion in the next few days. Until she complied with the request, he refused to see her again.
Over the next week, Rebecca called Blake multiple times. He didn’t answer. Stressed over the ordeal, he decided he needed time apart from her—to figure out whether the relationship was worth salvaging. Knowing how unpredictable Rebecca could be at times, a flood of “what-ifs” poured through his mind.
What if she didn’t get the abortion?
What if she confessed everything to Marshall?
In the end, the reward of a future at a high-paying job was greater than the risk of a love affair with a woman he didn’t love as much as he loved money. There was only one way out, one way to ensure she’d remain silent forever. Rebecca had to die.