"No. That would be silly."
"If you had guests and you wanted to show them other parts of the house that held your possessions, would you have to get your brother's permission first?"
"No."
"That's all for now, Eldreadth. You can go back to your chair."
...
"Your honours," Stu started his summary. "Nobody is disputing that the house belongs to Foster Lewis. But it serves as a joint house that Foster owns but which his sister uses. He never told her not to let guests into the house. She has every right to take a guest down to the basement to look at the artwork. If that visit meant that some bots were discovered with those painting, nothing illegal had been done. They were invited in as guests. Eldreadth has the right to invite guests into the house that she shares with Judge Lewis."
"Rebuttal."
And here comes the subway train down the tunnel and through the huge hole in my argument...
"Your honours," Judge Lewis started. "The people who were in that house were not innocent guests. They were investigators looking for information on my activities so that they could bring me to trial. The law is very clear on how such investigators must operate. A search warrant must be obtained first. Posing as a guest violates the law."
...
General MacLatchie pulled his head away from the other two heads. "The bots may not be entered as evidence," he ruled.
"Your honours," Judge Lewis reacted. "I submit that those bots should be returned to me forthwith. They were taken from my house illegally."
Again, heads conferred. Four this time instead of three.
"Thirty minute recess," General MacLatchie ordered.
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Chapter 43
Stu began the next phase of the court case. "Your honours, I would like to finish my cross examination of the defense's witness, Eldreadth Lewis."
"Objection," the judge stood and reacted immediately. "The prosecutor finished with that witness."
"No, I didn't." Judge Lee had stood up to make his objection but Stu stayed exactly where he was on his chair to reply. He was wearing his lucky shorts. The ones with the red valentine hearts. Yolanda had seen them drying on the line yesterday.
"Court Secretary, what does the record say?"
"The prosecutor said, That's all for now, Eldreadth. You can go back to your chair."
"The witness is recalled to the witness chair," General MacLatchie ruled. "I remind the witness that she is still under oath."
...
"Eldreadth, I'll be asking you some questions about your childhood with your brother..."
"OBJECTION! Such questions go beyond the topic on which she testified before."
"Your honours. Once Judge Lewis put his witness on the stand, I may ask her any questions I wish so long as they are related to the charges before the court."
"Objection is overruled. You may ask your question." Jock was quick to respond on that question. Everybody associated with trials knew that putting a witness on the stand would open the door to a broad range of questions.
"OBJECTION! The witness is not qualified to answer."
"Objection is overruled. The witness is your sister. She is qualified to answer questions about her childhood with you, Judge Lewis."
"OBJECTION! The witness is incompetent."
"Bailiff. Escort all of the interested parties to the anteroom. Return and stand outside the courtroom door and don't let anybody in. Court Secretary, put us into recess mode and wait outside." The general waited for the courtroom to be cleared before looking at the judge and saying, "Explain yourself."
(I'll skip this part. The reader knows what the judge is going to say about Eldreadth's past. Her stays in the rest home, her depression, and her suicidal tendencies. He finally stopped painting a picture of his sister as a deranged idiot and Jock asked Stu to respond.)
"I'm surprised that Judge Lewis is so unsparing in his description of his sister as incompetent to give testimony. He was perfectly willing to have her testify an hour ago. Would the judge like to describe what happened in the last hour that made his witness suddenly incompetent?"
"Judge Lewis?" General MacLatchie waited for an answer.
Judge Lewis couldn't provide the necessary description. He turned to look at Dennis Lee who shrugged.
"What's it going to be, Judge?" Stu started to twist the legal dagger that he had just inserted into the judge's objection. "Either your witness is competent enough to answer questions about her childhood with you, or you knowingly brought a witness into court that you knew was too incompetent to answer questions. If so, her testimony earlier about the bots must be stricken from the record. Without that testimony, the ruling on the admissibility of those bots into the prosecution's case will likely be different. I suspect also that you will be facing charges for a lapse of professional ethics in bringing a witness into this tribunal who you knew was incompetent to answer questions. That sounds to me like Contempt of Court. There are some cells in the basement where you could mull over your decision to object to your sister taking the stand and finishing her testimony."
The judge sat. Dennis Lee immediately stood.
"Your honours, I wish to fire my lawyer and take on my own defense. I apply for an immediate dissolution of the linkage of my case to his."
"Denied. BAILLIF!"
Reese opened the door and peeked in.
"Court is back in session. Bring in the interested parties. Escort Ms. Lewis to the witness chair."
# # # # # # # #
At about that time Wednesday morning, far away from the military tribunal, Maddy saw a small opening in the side of a hill. She was too tired to walk any further, but she knew that sleeping inside a cave would be warmer than sleeping in the open. She trudged up the side of the hill and peered inside. She was small enough to crawl on hands and knees into the interior. Maddy took the knife out of her backpack to protect herself and slumped to the ground. The pack made a good pillow. She fell asleep almost immediately.
Maddy is slated to die in that animal den. She might waken once or twice in the next couple of days, but it will be raining and she'll choose to stay dry. At some point, hypothermia, starvation, and fatigue will keep her asleep until her body succumbs. Perhaps many years later, some traveller might look in that animal den and see a small skeleton lying on a backpack. The traveller might read the handwritten story of a lonely little girl who was looking for her mommy and daddy but got lost. The traveller would look at her picture and wonder why she had to die.
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Chapter 44
Eldreadth Lewis walked sedately to the witness chair, sat down, crossed her legs, and took off her glasses. She placed the glasses on the table where the justices were sitting and closed her eyes – exactly as Marie had told her to. That way, she wouldn't have to even look at her brother. Instead, she'd put a picture of the worst thing Foster had ever done to her in her mind. If she ever got scared or confused in her testimony, she would focus on that image.
Marie thought that Eldreadth would consider the sexual incest as the worst thing Foster had ever done to her; Yolanda thought it would be the death of her daughter. Neither was right. As she waited for Stu to start asking her questions, Eldreadth was visualizing Foster walking away from her home, arm-in-arm with 14-year-old Helen. He had told Eldreadth that he would find her a job somewhere. Helen was laughing and giggling. Eldreadth watched as Helen gave her uncle a kiss on the cheek. Foster gave her a kiss back. It wasn't on the cheek. Eldreadth knew what would happen that afternoon, but she was powerless to stop it.
"Are you ready to begin, Eldreadth?" Stu's voice interrupted her memory vision.
"I'm ready." For a woman who had come to the tribunal intent on not saying anything at all to Foster, or to anybody else, Eldreadth was remarkably calm. That was because Marie had reassured her about what Stu was planning to do. Stu had mind-messaged this to Marie; she had re-worded it slightly. S
tu had figured it out. Eldreadth didn't trust anything that a man other than Dr. Sandman said. She did believe what a woman said.
Stu will ask you questions about what Foster did to you and to your daughter. If you tell Stu the full story, Foster will be punished for what he did. What you say in this room will never be repeated to anybody else. Your secrets will remain secret. But you have to tell the full truth to have Foster convicted. While you're talking, Foster will not be able to argue with you. He may try and interrupt but Stu will stop him. Foster will be looking at you, but you'll have your eyes closed. After this trial, Foster will never bother you again. You'll be able to live in his house, but it will be yours now. You'll be able to invite your grandson to live with you. To start a new life with your grandson, you'll need to answer Stu's questions for about half an hour. If you don't give Stu the full story, Foster will win the court case and you can be sure that he'll kick you out of his house.
Eldreadth's testimony lasted 40 minutes. Foster tried to interrupt with numerous objections but he was overruled each time. He tried interrupting Eldreadth's testimony with shouts; he tried calling her names; he tried telling the tribunal that she was too dumb to be able to give testimony. Eventually, after the court's "final" warning had been ignored, General MacLatchie ordered Reese to tie Judge Lewis to his chair and gag him. Dennis Lee was reminded that he was the judge's defense attorney, but he did nothing to stop Stu from drawing out Eldreadth's full story.
# # # # # # # #
Stu had reached the end of his examination. "Your honours, I believe you have heard enough. I ask that this military tribunal switch from examining Judge Lewis to charging Judge Lewis."
Heads conferred.
General Cameron began. "Judge Lewis, you are charged with raping Eldreadth Lewis when you were old enough to know better. How do you plead? I remind you that you have an attorney present if you wish to consult with him."
"Mmmmphhhh."
"Prosecutor Lee. How does your client plead?"
"My client pleads guilty."
General MacLatchie took his turn. "Judge Lewis, you are charged with having sex with Helen Masters who was under 17 at the time. This is rape. How do you plead? I remind you that you have an attorney present if you wish to consult with him."
"Mmmmphhhh."
"Prosecutor Lee. How does your client plead?"
"My client pleads guilty."
Hank took his turn next. "Judge Lewis, you are charged with having incestuous sex with members of your family. This incest occurred with your sister Eldreadth and your own daughter Helen. How do you plead? I remind you that you have an attorney present if you wish to consult with him."
"Mmmmphhhh."
"Prosecutor Lee. How does your client plead?"
"My client pleads guilty. Your honours, I knew nothing about this. The judge is a sick, sick person. Once again, I ask that my case be separated from the judge's case. He is not competent to defend me properly."
"You'll have your turn, Mr. Lee. This tribunal will now rule on the charges that have been laid against the defendant."
Heads conferred and immediately de-conferred.
Brigadier-General MacLatchie spoke. "It is the unanimous verdict of this tribunal that you, Judge Foster Lewis, are guilty of all three charges. We will determine an appropriate sentence soon."
"May I say something?" Everybody looked up at that. Hector, Chief Justice of the Ontario Supreme Court, was standing with a page of text in his hand.
"Proceed, Chief Justice."
"The three members of the tribunal asked me to research Ontario law to determine if there were a legal precedent they could refer to in the question of whether or not the carton of bots that were discussed earlier in the tribunal should be returned to Judge Lewis. I have found a precedent. Ontario law says the bots should be returned to their rightful owner. That rightful owner is Eldreadth Lewis who painted the picture that contained the bots. Judge Lewis inserted those bots within her property. As such, the bots became her property. Judge Lewis, if you wish to examine the precedent, I advise you to examine your own memory. You set the precedent."
"So ordered. Bailiff, give Ms. Lewis the carton of bots."
# # # # # # # #
The court was in a short recess. By order of the court, Reese had removed Judge Lewis' gag, but not the restraints. Prosecutor Lee was angrily denouncing his former partner as a sick animal. Eldreadth was at the back of the courtroom looking at the carton of bots in her arms, a look of bewilderment on her face. "What am I supposed to do with these, Stu?"
"Well, you aren't a witness any longer. You could go home and look at them."
"Why would I want to do that?"
"I don't know. To see if Foster told the truth about all the people that he and Prosecutor Lee killed? It's a shame that you'd have to carry it all the way home to see those bots. The carton could get heavy and you might spill some. Or, a squirrel might fall out of a tree into the carton and make off with one. Who knows what could happen to those bots on your way home."
"You weren't able to accuse Foster of murdering those people were you?"
"No. Our proof is in those bots. Your brother has been found guilty of the incest charges, but we couldn't bring him to justice for the murders that he committed. Dennis Lee will probably be released. I believe he and your brother killed thirty-seven people over the course of many years."
"I'm curious how they managed to murder those people. Do you think I could use that large screen over by the side of the courtroom to look at a bot or two?"
"Well, we're in recess right now. I don't see why not. They're your bots."
# # # # # # # #
This time the gag was in the other mouth. A fuming Prosecutor Lee was attached to his chair and trying to spit out the gag.
General MacLatchie listed the charge. "Prosecutor Lee, you are charged with being an accessory to murder. You help to lure citizens into this room where they were drugged so that they could not move or speak. Those citizens were subsequently taken to a cell in the basement of this building where they died of starvation, thirst, and sleep deprivation. How do you plead? I remind you that you have an attorney present if you wish to consult with him."
"Mmmmphhhh."
"Judge Lewis. How does your client plead?"
"My client pleads guilty. He also had sex with my daughter and he knew that she was underage."
"We'll add that to the charges. Prosecutor Lee, you are charged with having sex with a minor. How do you plead? I remind you that you have an attorney present if you wish to consult with him."
"Mmmmphhhh."
"Judge Lewis. How does your client plead?"
"My client pleads guilty."
Stu, did you want to charge the judge for the 37 murders?
We have more than enough for Bob and the Gardeners to take care of them, Hank. Let's just get them out of here.
Well, getting the two men out of the courtroom proved more difficult than expected. Lucas unlocked the judge from his chair and secured his hands behind his back. He repeated the process with the chief prosecutor. Lucas was steering both men towards the exit when they turned and charged at each other. A man can't do much damage to another man when both have their hands tied behind their backs. They tried chest bumping and head butting – all the time accusing the other of various nefarious deeds. Lucas looked on in some bemusement. In the midst of all the scuffling, Dennis Lee connected with a well-placed knee that put the judge onto the ground, howling. To make sure that he had connected properly, Dennis Lee leaped into the air and then dropped on top of the judge's body. The former head prosecutor's pointy, bony, hard knees connected with the judge's body and exactly in the location where he had aimed them. This was a spot on the judge's body that was already very tender. Foster Lewis' howls rose an octave.
All the men watching cringed. That had to smart.
Marie and Eldreadth had a different reaction. "I told you my curses always came true," Marie stated
with all due modesty. Eldreadth just smiled. All the way to what would soon become her own home.
# # # # # # # #
Since the two prisoners had proven to be violent, an armed guard of four soldiers used the elevator to take them to ground level. The other people in the courtroom saga would make their way up to the main entrance through the corridors and stairs.
This is why the four guards, Judge Lewis, and Prosecutor Lee were the first to arrive at ground level. They were making their way through a small crowd at the building's front entrance when a young girl called out "Daddy!" and ran to Prosecutor Lee. She gripped him around his waist and hugged and hugged. "Are you and mom getting back together? You are, aren't you? Tell me you are. You were planning to have another baby. I've been wishing and wishing for a brother. I've even named him. Do you like the name Theo?"
Annika had heard her mother telling her friend Millie that she was planning to go to the courthouse that morning to see Dennis. Annika snuck out of the house and came down on the Metro. She had been waiting in the courthouse foyer all morning. Madhuri didn't make it to the trial on time because she and Millie had been searching for Annika.
Prosecutor Lee couldn't hug his daughter back with his hands cuffed behind his back. His daughter realized at that point why he wasn't hugging her.
"I've been framed, Kinkin," he told her. "A gang of criminals that I've put in jail have bribed some court people and now they're accusing me of terrible things. I'm innocent. They're putting me in prison because I convicted them!"
At that point, the stair and corridor travellers entered the scene. "Those are the criminals, Annikinkin," the prosecutor said and pointed with his chin. "Remember them. They're liars. Those two little brats were in on it too."
"Reese?" Annika said.
Reese heard his name and looked up. Annika! A big smile lit up his face. Annika charged at him and knocked him on his butt with a two handed shove. "I hate you. I hate you. I never want to see you again."
By this time, Madhuri was wheeling from the street into the foyer and saw her daughter with Reese at her feet. "Annika?"
"I hate you too. Why did you have to put my dad in prison so that you could get a divorce?" Annika tried to run out of the building and into the street but Millie saw her and kept her inside. Annika latched onto her dad's cuffed hands to prevent the soldiers from taking him out of the building. At that point, the foyer got a little noisy.
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