Essence of Path

by Neviah Wohl

  They laughed.

  “Everything is delicious,” Diana said. “I must admit I’m not always disciplined with great food and sweets. I may devour them until I see anything on the tray.”

  She did not really mind it, she was confident with her body, especially now, Kari worshipped her curves and praised them on the daily.

  They were in elated moods, sharing stories and laughs, and they shut out the impending trial. It was there deep in their thoughts, but they still could enjoy happy moments. Plus, they trusted Diana, but she could sense their bright smiles and jokes were not just meant to the criminal attorney who was supposed to keep Kari out of prison. They considered Diana family probably because she was a smart, gracious woman with a big heart and irresistible deep laugh, probably because Kari was in love with her.

  After dinner, before they left, Grandma stayed alone with Diana.

  “I guess my Kari is getting ready to settle down at last. She’s so happy, she’s glowing, and she’s so adult. She’s less impulsive, more patient. I’ve never seen her like this. You’re a good influence on her!”

  Diana was moved by her words, it sounded like a blessing.

  Chapter 7

  Diana’s cold hands were shivering as she fumbled with her keys, she was soaked with rain, and she was so exhausted after a long day, she had been working for twelve hours in an attempt to find new character witnesses or forensic psychologists who were willing to help Kari. She finally managed to open the entrance door of her apartment, only to find Kari within; they had already had keys to each other’s apartments. Kari was resting comfortably in a recliner. Her dark eyes were glowing with glee in the light of electric candles shimmering on the table. For a few moments, Diana admired her wild, unapologetic beauty, cheerful smile, delicate African features, Kari was high-wired with energy and youth.

  She spotted a bottle of Chardonnay on the desk, next to a small bowl of sweets. She laughed and inched closer to Kari who stood up and handed her a champagne flute.

  “To us,” Kari said, lifting up her flute.

  Diana smiled.

  “Bottom up,” she said warmly, lifting the flute with a graceful motion.

  Kari was standing next to her, she had finished her drink.

  “I love your voice,” she said. “That sexy deep quality.”

  Her arms circled Diana, her eyes were worshipping her. Diana placed a hand against Kari’s chest, in an unconvincing gesture of protest. “Wait,” she murmured. “We shouldn’t—"

  “Your voice. You’re doing it again. You’re seducing me on purpose.”

  They did not make love yet, but they caressed each other all night long, it was sort of foreplay. Kari had elegant, strong hands, Diana loved those hands all over her. She herself was an experienced and confident lover, plus, she wanted to give Kari an unforgettable experience.

  After a few hours of sleep, they were in each other’s arms again, cocooned in a warm blanket. Diana tensed, because now she started doubting how long this illusion of safety may last for them. Kari must have sense where her thoughts were going, probably she was thinking the same.

  “What if I get convicted?” Kari asked quietly. “Life in prison? Honestly, Diana.”

  Diana thought for a moment.

  “First-degree murder means it was premeditated and willful. In New York State, you may get life imprisonment, without a possibility of parole. Or you may get a prison term of twenty to twenty-five years.”

  “May they give me the needle?”

  “Don’t think about it. It never happens in New York. If you keep positive and optimistic, things will work out for us. I’ll do the worry, right? I’ll do whatever I can to keep you out of trouble.”

  Kari took her hand and squeezed it.

  ***

  Diana herself did remain hopeful, positive and optimistic. She made phone calls, met with medical examiners from the office of chief medical examiner who were present at the autopsy of Jim Walker, she consulted with forensic psychiatrists, pathologists, New York Police Department detectives who worked on the case, and people who had known Kari, Jim Walker, or both of them. It seemed as if Walker’s friends were talking about two different people. Walker’s colleagues and acquaintances said he was a smart, sharp, active, friendly, and extroverted man, a generous friend, a talented leader, however, those who knew him close turned uneasy and awkward at some point of the conversation. There was something about him they could not quite pinpoint, but they could sense something about him, being too aggressive, controlling, having anger management issues. Diana took notes, she had several sessions with top-notch criminal profilers and psychologists, she was determined to prove that Jim Walker had a dark side that he had hidden carefully from the world.

  She also focused on Kari’s injuries that most officers and doctors dismissed as shallow scratches and bruises. She, however, had ideas about them.

  Chapter 8

  Diana was sitting at her large desk in her office, her face was stoic, it did not tell tales about her emotional turmoil as she was listening carefully to Dr. Anthony Lester’s words. She was clasping her hands on her lap, probably their squeeze was a bit harder than normally, but only she could know about it. Dr. Lester was Kari’s psychotherapist. He was about sixty, he had penetrating blue eyes and handsome, harsh features, with deep lines around the mouth and eyes. He was stocky and well-built, he wore black paints and a dark shirt.

  “I really hate to break it to you, Miss Rodham,” Dr. Lester said. “But I assume you have to know about it. You care about your client, so do I, that’s why I’m here. I’ll have to give up confidential information about her, there’s nothing I can do about the subpoena, but if you know about it, you may spin it in her favor,” he said with a grin. “That’s what defense attorneys are for, right?”

  Diana gave him a bright smile, she admired his wicked sense of humor, even in a hard moment like this. He just let her know that he was subpoenaed by a grand jury, which meant he had to give up details on what Kari had confessed to him during sessions with him. Kari had visited him once a week and talked about her relationship issues with Jim Walker, and it went far beyond normal issues. Their relationship was violent, even brutal. It had started out like a happy, envied romance of a power couple, then dominance issues and jealousy emerged. Walker humiliated Kari on purpose, originally by verbal threatening, obscene language, degradation, steadily undermining her confidence in her own character, qualities and achievements. Later, as things got worse and Kari withdraw from everyone else, he physically attacked her, slapping her across the face, grabbing fistfuls of her hair, pushing her against walls, throwing her on the ground and threatening her with stomping and kicking her. He did have weapons, always at hand, on his desk, they were easily accessible. Kari, by then severely depressed, angry, and hysterical, provoked him more than once, taunting and challenging him coldly and purposefully, even slapping him or fighting back, she pushed his buttons. Walker sent her to the breaking point she was ready to kill him. She admitted it to Dr. Lester that she had violent visions of killing him with a knife, stabbing and slashing his belly, eviscerating him.

  “I know it’s a blow in the face,” Lester added.

  It was, and it could very well shatter their case, since it meant that Kari might have planned killing him. Dr. Lester, however, said that her homicidal ideation did not make her dangerous. She could make a difference between wrong and right, fantasy and acting upon her violent thoughts. Her mental images were the ideas of a depressed, desperate person, not an indicator of future criminal behavior.

  Chapter 9

  Cheerful pop-R&B music was coming from Diana’s apartment. She opened the entrance door, the music sounded louder now, it filled her living room with its mid-tempo rhythm and merry tunes. A smile appeared on Diana’s tired face, she was working all day. Kari, who had been on a paid leave since the murder and the media frenzy in the aftermath, had more free time on her hands, and she suffered from it. Diana knew how she fought for th
e right to stay at her workplace, but the management found the media attention unfortunate, so much that they were ready to part with their most promising talent. Kari was not sure if she could go back, even after the trial is over.

  By now, Diana was almost accustomed with finding Kari in her home in the evenings, waiting for her.

  Kari welcomed her with a passionate hug. Their touches, kisses, and hugs turned more heated, more intense these days. Again, Diana was the cautious one, while Kari acted on impulse.

  Diana held her away from herself, studied her face.

  “I’m just your Becky or your older woman,” she said with a rueful smile. She had already prepared herself for the painful moment when her young lover would move on and she would wait for her to no avail.

  Kari, however, laughed like a kid.

  “No way. I adore you,” she said, lifted Diana’s hand to her lips, and kissed it. “Let me prove it how I love you.”

  In a moment, her arms were around Diana’s waist, then one hand wandered to the front of her blouse, unbuttoning it.

  ***

  Diana was lying in the dark, sated, relaxed and happy. Kari was peacefully sleeping next to her. She still could not believe what they had done. She slowly recalled the sensation when their soft bare breasts touched and were pressed together, the way she was wide open to Kari, the intense physical and emotional joy of their lovemaking.

  It was three a.m. and she could not sleep, because she worried about Kari’s future, their future. She sure as hell would not admit it to Kari. She had always told her everything would be fine with the trial and she would be acquitted. Diana did not talk about her doubts, she did not even think of them, but now, at the dark of the night, they just came to her. She dismissed them as she reached out to caress Kari’s sleeping form.

  Chapter 10

  The courtroom’s air was crackling with excitement, anticipation, and outrage as the prosecutor listed his arguments against Kari Williams.

  Diana Rodham stepped ahead, with all the confidence and dignity in the world, proud and experienced. She had been through so many trials and had persisted when success seemed not merely unlikely but downright impossible, yet she had won those cases. Right now she could sense things would go all right. She looked sharp and professional in a black pantsuit and a flawless white silk blouse. She gave a second look to Kari who was sitting in her seat, her eyes were so trusting and full of love. Diana felt moved, and sent a small, encouraging smile to her.

  Almost below audibility level, a slight murmur filled the air, people were whispering, hissing, and gasping. It stopped when Diana Rodham started speaking, everybody suddenly fell quiet, they felt compelled to listen to her. She was calm and determined, her deep voice sounded strong and steady as she addressed the prosecution and audience.

  “I am here to prove that while my client did kill Jim Walker, it was a justifiable homicide,” she said, giving wide gestures with delicate, pale hands. “We are aware of the unfortunate facts that she talked about killing her boyfriend to Dr. Lester, her therapist. I consulted with Dr. Lester, and he says there was no predictive relationship between my client’s homicidal ideation and dangerous behavior, and she had no intention of acting upon her violent ideas. Her thoughts were just general fantasies about violence, coming from crime news or horror movies, they fulfilled her wishes or psychological needs, and they were not detailed, realistic plans of killing Mr. Walker. She, for example, never mentioned that she wanted to use Mr. Walker’s own knives that were always easily accessible to both of them. I consulted with other mental health professionals, Dr. Gordon David and Dr. Laura Jenkins, and they confirmed what Dr. Lester had said.”

  She was walking up and down the courtroom, dominating it with her presence.

  “I’ve seen autopsy photographs of the victim, as well as photographs taken of my client right after the incident and several hours later, and I’m convinced that it wasn’t a premeditated act. My terrified client was acting on impulse when she grabbed the victim’s knife to defend herself.” Her voice was getting louder and stronger as adrenalin kicked in, she was full of energy. In addition to her normal ambition to give her all to her clients, this time had a personal stake at the case. “Strangulation marks on my client’s neck were barely visible, but I’ve consulted with Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Anne Norton and Deputy Chief Dr. Phillip Graham, they say strangulation marks normally don’t show on photographs, even if the neck is badly damaged. Most strangulation injuries are internal. Both experts said bruises were unreliable indicators of what had actually happened, and even if they looked faint, we can’t exclude the possibility that the assailant used great force and his act was life-threatening. Plus, deep bruises may appear several hours later. I’ve obtained photographs taken twenty-four hours and forty-eight hours after the incident and the finger pad marks are more apparent there, and we also need to consider that bruises are less visible on black skin, and the medical expert who examined my client failed to use ultraviolet light on her skin. Neither was she examined for brain injury, so any minor brain injury may have remained undiagnosed, failing to show the severity of Mr. Walker’s attack.” She held a dramatic pause, throwing up both hands, looking around the room, and she could tell her speech was powerful.

  “Both the chief ME and her deputy detected petechiae on my client’s skin. Petechiae are tiny bruises often to be found after a strangulation attempt. They also found counter pressure bruises on Ms. Williams’ back as a result of forceful restraint against a wall, which is consistent with her testimony. So are the marks on her face which suggest she was punched, the knuckle marks are clear in photographs.”

  The prosecutor was slowly walking up to her, he was looming in front of her, he was tall, athletic, at least ten years her senior, his handsome face was thoughtful and intense.

  “You’re still trying to say your client was acting in self-defense?” he asked.

  “I’m not trying anything, I do say she was,” she snapped back with an ironic, deep laugh. A murmur of laughter rushed through the room. “The neck is the most vulnerable body part, only mild pressure applied to the neck may cause vagal inhibition. Blocking the path of oxygen to the brain may cause permanent injury in a victim’s brain or may kill them. So it is safe to say Ms. Williams was afraid for her life when she used a knife against her attacker. It’s obvious that Mr. Walker had abused my client for several months, and fifty percent of domestic violence are subjected to strangulation attempts throughout the toxic relationship.” She was talking with passion, making wide gestures with both hands, small shivers ran through her hands.

  “Your client’s testimony still has inconsistencies,” the prosecutor warned her. “She didn’t call the police for several minutes, her story shifted constantly, and by many friends she was described as pathologically jealous and possessive. It sounds like she couldn’t deal with rejection and murdered her boyfriend in revenge. She planned everything in advance. She arrived at Mr. Walker’s apartment with an intention to kill him.”

  “My client’s testimony may have sounded wobbly,” she said, and there was a warm, vibrant smile in her deep voice, “but Dr. Norton and Dr. Graham say victims of strangulation attempts often cannot recall the event precisely. It can be a result of shock or a minor brain injury. It also explains why she had failed to call 911 right after the incident and why she couldn’t remember how much time went by until she did call the police.”

  “There are no defense wounds on the victim. It’s unusual in a brutal attack like this.”

  “According to both MEs, when a victim’s neck is grasped and compressed, they are unable to fight. It may explain the lack of injuries on Jim Walker’s hands. After choking my client and pushing her up against a door, he let go of her and turned away from her. It was when she grasped the knife from the table and stabbed him in the back. Pain immobilized him, and he was caught off guard.”

  “She stabbed over and over again. I sense premeditation here.”

  “I
sense none.” Diana turned to face him. “Even if the first stab punctured a vital organ or severed an artery, Mr. Walker would have had minutes to live until bleeding out, and he still could have overpowered her, probably killed her. She wanted to stop him.”

  “All right, thank you, Ms. Rodham,” the prosecutor said. “I see your point. Now we will leave the decision to the jurors.”

  ***

  Whispers amplified into a loud murmur. The verdict shocked the attorneys, audience members and journalists. The jurors decided Kari Williams was not guilty of a premeditated murder of Jim Walker. It was a justifiable homicide.

  Kari gasped, played with her trembling hands, looking shivery. Diana was delighted, she had earned another stripe, another victory, another difficult and important case that she had won. The most important of all, because it was about the woman who she loved. She gave Kari an ear-to-ear smile and pulled her into a warm hug, Kari’s toned, familiar body was pressed against her.

  “Thank you, Diana,” she whispered, while Diana hummed comforting words in her ear. It was hard to imagine that soon she would give up her life as a single independent woman and live with a girlfriend who she loved. She was already thinking of intimate late-night conversations with sweets and tea, endless walks in the summer, and hours of reading and working together during long winter nights.

  THE END

  Devilish Uncertainty

  Description

  A smelly, ѕmоthеring presence invaded Lin'qa's dreams, and she felt herself ѕtаrting to аwаkеn in a hurry. The рrеѕеnсе didn't go аwау, and in fact, mashed into her face even harder, forcing her brain to асknоwlеdgе that ѕоmеthing was happening to her physically and not just in the drеаm.