Chapter Ten
Day two of the trial, and there were new faces in the gallery. Trial watchers, or as Aidan called them, looky-loos. People who sat in court all day and watched the proceedings even though they had no connection to the people on trial. Some of the watchers were retired, some were in college studying to be lawyers, and some were there simply because they were curious. Aidan noticed an annoyed looking man on the back row who was sitting in the same spot he had sat the day before. He had a notepad and pen at the ready, and she wondered what he was annoyed about and why he kept looking at her. On the opposite end of the row from him, sat the man who had visited with Vicky. The one whose daughter had also been a victim of Harold’s. Vicky chatted with him a few minutes before taking her seat.
There were also new faces in Aidan and Vicky’s support group. Dakota was there, along with Mary Wedding, RN, BSN, who had taken care of both Aidan and Vicky, when they were patients. Yvonne was at the office, filling in for Vicky, and Jerry was out in the field, filling in for Aidan. He had finally manage to convince his mother, Virginia, to go home, much to Yvonne’s relief. The rest of the group; Joyce, Ellen, the Montgomery’s, Samantha and Dr. Kline, had taken their seats directly behind Aidan and Vicky.
Meghan addressed the Judge. “Your Honor, the People recall Leonard Montgomery to the stand.”
Leonard squeezed Vicky’s hand, stood up and walked to the witness chair.
“I remind you that you are still under oath, Mr. Montgomery,” Judge Williamson advised him.
“Yes, Your Honor,” Leonard replied, sitting down to the left of her.
“Mr. Montgomery,” Meghan began, “Yesterday you were telling us the particulars of being taken hostage by the defendant. Please continue.”
“Well, considering my history with him, I was naïve enough to believe what Harold said. He told us that if we wanted to see our daughter alive again, we had better cooperate. But I didn’t cooperate. Not at first anyway. That’s when he showed me the picture of his hand on Vicky. It was enough to convince me, but now I guess that was probably a fake, too.”
Harold frowned and said, “Objection, it wasn’t a fake.”
The Judge looked at him curiously and then made a note on her notepad.
George jumped up. “We withdraw that objection, Your Honor.”
Meghan’s face was like stone, but in her mind she was laughing.
“So noted,” Judge Williamson stated, scribbling through what she had just written.
George sat back down and quietly chastised Harold. “Are you trying to be found guilty?”
“It wasn’t a fake, damn it. I went to great pains to take that picture.”
“It doesn’t matter whether you took it or not,” George said tersely. “It’s evidence against you, you idiot.”
“Don’t you fucking call me an idiot!” Harold exclaimed.
“Order,” Williamson demanded loudly. “Ms. Tisdale, you still have the floor.”
Meghan nodded at the Judge and turned to Leonard. “Please continue, Mr. Montgomery.”
“After he tied my wife and I up, he bragged about how he tricked us into believing him, and how he was about to do the same to Vicky. He was pacing the floor, rambling on about how Vicky ruined his life. It didn’t make any sense to me.”
“Why do you think that is, Mr. Montgomery?” Meghan asked.
“He said Vicky forced him to rape her when she was thirteen. It was her fault he’s the way he is now, and he had to stop her before he raped again.”
“Objection!” Harold yelled.
“Grounds?” the Judge asked.
“Uh, hearsay, Your Honor,” George responded
Judge Williamson shook her head. “How can it be hearsay if they were both in the same room together?”
“If I may, Your Honor, Mrs. Montgomery is also available to corroborate the facts,” Meghan volunteered.
“Never mind, overruled,” Williamson said with a crack of her mallet.
“Mr. Montgomery,” Meghan turned back to Leonard. “Did he specify who he would rape again?”
Leonard exhaled wearily. “My daughter, for one. And his daughter, for another.”
Aidan jumped up and yelled, “You come near her again and I’ll shoot you dead, old man!”
“Order!” Judge Williamson demanded. “Anymore outbursts like that and I will hold you in contempt, do you understand?”
Vicky grabbed Aidan by the sleeve, urging her to sit down. Aidan, still glaring at Harold, finally nodded to the Judge, then sat down, taking Vicky’s hand again. Vicky patted Aidan’s hand, silently reassuring her. Harold had to be lying about Aidan. He wouldn’t have the guts… would he?
“Objection, Judge,” Harold said. “Motion to, uh, what do you call it? Acquit. Motion to acquit.”
“On what grounds?” the Judge asked pensively.
“My daughter is trying to prejudice you against me,” Harold stated.
“I grow weary of this, Mr. Cassidy,” Williamson warned him. “Motion denied.”
“Thank you, Mr. Montgomery, I have no further questions,” Meghan stated.
“Does the defense have any questions for this witness?” the Judge asked.
George stood up. “Not at this time, Your Honor.”
Judge Williamson looked at Leonard, “The witness is dismissed.”
Leonard exhaled gratefully, and hurried back to his seat.
“You may call your next witness, Ms. Tisdale,” Judge Williamson said.
“Thank you, Your Honor. The people call Samantha Vincent to the stand.”
Samantha looked at Dakota, who was sitting beside her, and then walked to the stand. She was sworn in and spelled her name for the clerk.
“Ms. Vincent, you were an eye witness to the assault on Aidan Montgomery-Cassidy and Victoria Montgomery-Cassidy. Is that correct?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Samantha replied. “Except they weren’t married yet.”
“So noted. Would you please tell the court what you saw?”
“I was looking for Aidan, who was staying at a hotel during that time. I knocked on the door, but no one answered. I heard Aidan yell, and then a man’s angry voice, so I didn’t wait for someone to answer the door, I barged right in.”
“And please tell the court what you saw upon entering the room, Ms. Vincent?” Meghan probed.
“I saw him,” Samantha pointed at Harold, “sitting on top of Vicky, who was lying across the bed unconscious.”
“Let the record show the witness identified the defendant,” Meghan stated, then she nodded at Samantha. “What did you do next?”
“I was shocked at first, I didn’t know who that man was. But when I realized what he was about to do, I screamed.”
Meghan shook her head. “And what was he about to do, Ms. Vincent?”
“He was about to rape her,” Samantha replied.
“Objection.” George said. “About to doesn’t mean that he did.”
“Sustained,” the Judge agreed.
Meghan thought for a moment, and then looked at the Judge. “If Your Honor will permit a small demonstration?”
“Agreed, as long as it’s done with decorum, Ms. Tisdale,” Williamson replied.
How can you be dignified in a damn rape? “Of course, Your Honor.” Meghan walked back to her table and, using her chair, climbed up and sat down on the table. Thank God there’s no reporter in here today. People in the gallery were shocked, some were laughing nervously, Aidan and Vicky looked at each other curiously, and the Judge leaned closer for a better view. “Ms. Vincent, please demonstrate what you saw the defendant doing when you walked in,” Meghan requested, lying down with her head resting on her portfolio.
Samantha came down from the witness stand and climbed on top of the table, straddling Meghan with her knees. Audible gasps from the gallery as people craned their necks to get a better view. Samantha unzipped her jeans and began to unbutton her blouse when Meghan stopped her. The picture had been painted in the Judge’s
mind, no need to be too brash.
“When I walked in, he was just as you see me now,” Samantha testified, enjoying the release of tension she felt.
Vicky was white as a sheet, her trembling hand to her lips, trying to keep from crying, her other hand squeezing Aidan’s hand so tightly that it turned white.
“What was he doing?” Meghan asked.
Samantha picked up Meghan’s hand and used her fingers to demonstrate taking a ring off of her finger. “He was trying to pull her engagement ring off.”
“It’s my ring, damn it!” Harold argued.
“Mr. Cassidy!” Judge Williamson said crossly. “If you don’t adhere to my rules of conduct, I will invoke the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Title IX, Rule 43, and have you removed from this court. The trial will proceed without you. Do you understand, Mr. Cassidy?”
“He understands, Your Honor,” George said quickly, clamping his hand on Harold’s shoulder to quiet him.
“Thank you, Mr. Peterson, but I require an answer from the defendant, himself.”
“Yeah, Judge,” Harold said reluctantly. “I understand.”
To keep from laughing out loud, Aidan wiggled Vicky’s hand in a playful way, and Vicky squeezed it happily. They both silently wished Harold would show out again. Hang yourself, stupid.
The Judge nodded at Meghan.
“Ms. Vincent, please continue,” Meghan requested. “What happened next?”
Samantha took a breath and then exhaled. “I was at the doorway and I yelled at him. I told him to get off of her.” Samantha got down and acted out the scene. “When he didn’t move, I picked up Aidan’s gun from the floor and shot at him.”
Meghan sat up and got down from the table. “You shot at him? Can you clarify that for the court?”
“He rushed at me and I panicked and shot without aiming. But I know I hit him,” Samantha said.
“Thank you,” Meghan said. “Please return to the witness stand.”
As Samantha sat down again, Meghan pulled out another photograph from her portfolio. “You did indeed wound him, Ms. Vincent,” she said as she handed the photo to the Bailiff. “Your Honor, that is a photograph of Harold Cassidy’s shoulder. It was taken at his incarceration examination and clearly shows a still healing bullet wound. I submit it as people’s exhibit number two, along with the physician’s report on what caused the wound as exhibit two B.”
Harold rubbed his shoulder and growled under his breath at Samantha. After this is over with, bitch, I’ll show you how it felt to be shot.
The Bailiff handed the photograph and report to the Judge, who studied it closely.
“And I’d also like to enter into the record, the forensic report, as the people’s exhibit number three. This report matches the DNA found in the hotel room with that of Mr. Cassidy’s DNA.” Meghan handed the report to the Bailiff, then turned her attention back to Samantha.
“Ms. Vincent, please tell the court about the occupants in that hotel room.”
“Well, I found them passed out. Jerry, uh, that’s Jerry Williams, a friend of ours, called Doctor Joyce McMillan, a close friend of Vicky’s and described the wine to her. She believed that someone had laced the champagne with a drug of some sort, and both Aidan and Vicky were unconscious.”
“Objection, Your Honor,” George inserted. “There doesn’t appear to be physical evidence to corroborate this.” He knew that there was not a bottle of champagne listed on the discovery report the prosecutor had given him yesterday.
Williamson looked at Meghan, who shook her head. There was no physical evidence.
Aidan was kicking herself for completely compromising a piece of evidence. She hadn’t been thinking like a cop. She had thrown the bottle of champagne away to prevent it from triggering Vicky’s memories of Harold. A rookie mistake that reminded her to be even more cautious when it came to her wife’s wellbeing.
“Your Honor,” Meghan said. “I have two witnesses who can corroborate the scene.”
“Objection, it is still supposition,” George said again, standing up this time.
“Sustained,” the Judge ordered.
Meghan knew she had taken a hit with that one, but the eyewitness testimony was still viable. “Please give the full names of the victims,” Meghan instructed.
“Aidan Cassidy and Victoria Montgomery.”
“No further questions, Your Honor,” Meghan said as she sat down.
The Judge looked at George. “Mr. Peterson?”
George stood up and stepped to the side of the table. “Ms. Vincent, you’re seeing a psychiatrist and are taking medication for depression, is that correct?”
Samantha girded her resolve, if they’re going to use it against her, she was going to make damn sure they knew why. “Yes, I am a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army, and I am suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I was a prisoner of war in Iraq, then I was sold to a Syrian as a sex-slave. I am uniquely qualified to know when someone is about to be raped.”
There were a few gasps, but Richard smiled. Very good, Sam.
George shook his head. He had lost precious points with that one so he quickly changed directive. “Ms. Vincent, were the police called to the scene?”
Samantha looked dejected. She had to tell the truth, and she knew it would not help their case. “No.”
“A friend of yours was supposedly being raped and no one called the police? Makes me wonder if any of it is even true.”
“It happened just like I said,” Samantha growled, her left eye twitching.
“You were in close combat over in Iraq, correct? You were trained on how to fight and shoot a gun?”
“Yes.” Okay, here it comes, remember what the Richard said this morning.
“In fact, I submit that you made the whole thing up, and shot my client, an innocent man, as he walked down the hallway of that hotel.”
“Objection, Your Honor.” Meghan stood up. “Ballistics prove Harold was in their hotel room when he was shot.”
“Sustained.”
“You like to shoot, don’t you Ms. Vincent?” George prodded. “To hear the explosion in the barrel, smell the sulphur, feel the recoil.”
Samantha closed her eyes, fighting to keep control.
“The scream of the bullet as it propels out of the barrel probably sounds a lot like an RPG, doesn’t it?”
Samantha leaned on her knees and covered her ears, rocking back and forth.
Dakota jumped up. “Samantha, don’t listen to him.”
Richard jumped up at the same time. “Your Honor, he’s painting a picture of the war. Deliberately trying to create a flashback.”
Meghan looked from Richard to the judge. “Objection!”
“Sustained. Counselor, I will not tolerate such games.”
“I’m all right,” Samantha said, holding her head up and smiling. “I was just jerking his chain like he was with me.”
Dakota exhaled and clapped her hands.
George sneered and huffed off. “No more questions, Your Honor.”
“The witness may be dismissed,” Williamson said.
Samantha got up slowly, and stepped down. She walked toward Dakota, who was smiling encouragingly, but she stopped beside George. She leaned close to his ear and whispered something so alarming, that George recoiled, then jumped up and yell objection. Samantha returned to her seat with a smile on her face.
“Objection to what, Counselor?” the Judge asked.
George looked at the judge, then back at Samantha. There was no way to prove what she said, and objecting to her being in his space would sound like he was whining. He sat back down. “Objection rescinded,” he said reluctantly.
“I think this will be a good time to recess for lunch. Court is adjourned for one hour.” The Judge hit the mallet against the sound block.
“All rise,” the Bailiff ordered as the Judge walked out of the room.
*
“Pass the ketchup, please,” Aidan said.
“Here you go.” Leonard handed her the ketchup, but left his hand up. “Now, pass the mustard, please.”
The group had gone across the street to the Red Hog Bar and Grill, famous for its buffalo burgers and wings. Luckily, they broke for lunch thirty minutes earlier than the usual rush-hour crowd, and were able to get a table almost right away. Several tables, in fact.
“Are you not going to eat your pickles?” Dakota asked Samantha, who was scooting them onto an empty plate.
“No, you’re welcome to them,” Samantha replied. “What about your onions?”
“Help yourself. By the way, you were really good on the stand, Sam,” Dakota said
“Thanks. I really appreciated your support in there today,” Samantha stated as she piled the onions on top of her hamburger. “It made all the difference.”
“So what did you say to that lawyer that got him so shook up?” Dakota asked.
“I told him that if he ever pulls a stunt like that again, I’ll use my training to shoot off his dick and shove it up his ass.”
Dakota laughed. “That was brilliant. He’ll think twice about it now.”
“So, are you staying for Aidan’s testimony after lunch?”
“No, I can’t. I need to get back to work. I just wanted to be there for you, um, you know?”
Samantha’s eyes beamed with energy. “There was one point that I wanted to throttle that lunatic, Harold, but I saw you shaking your head, almost as if you could read my mind.”
“I was just so shocked at what an idiot he is,” Dakota exclaimed.
Vicky joined in the conversation. “I think the judge sees right through Harold. At least I hope she does.”
“How could she not, like Dakota said, he’s an idiot,” Samantha reiterated. “My question is why. It’s like he wants to be found guilty, but why?”
“Because he’s insane, pure and simple,” Aidan pointed out.
“Except that he knows what he’s doing, and he’s enjoying it,” Richard inserted as he walked up to the table. “Sorry I’m late, I had a patient to see. So, what did I miss?”
I Won't Remember You (Aidan & Vicky Book 6) Page 11
