by Leila Lacey
“Guilty, not guilty,” Sarah and Mr. Brownstone said at the same time, which caused Shelby to stand up in shock. “WHAT? Momma NO!” Shelby said before she knew it. The judge picked up his gavel slamming it down. “Order! Young lady, you will maintain a sense of decorum in my Courtroom or I will have to find you in contempt of Court!”
“I apologize for my clients, your Honor,” Mr. Brownstone said tuning around to Shelby saying, “Shelby, sit down. I have this.” Then turning to Sarah, he leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Sarah, let me do the talking.”
“I want to plead guilty,” Sarah said to him.
“Sarah, no!”
“Mr. Brownstone, I hate to interrupt. How do you plead?” the judge said sarcastically.
“I plead ‘guilty’, your Honor,” Sarah said answering him.
“Ah, no, your Honor, she does not,” Mr. Brownstone said again whispering to her. “Sarah, you have to let me handle this.”
“You are my lawyer, right? So you have to do what I want, right? I want to plead guilty,” Sarah said to him.
“Mrs. Beasley, I can see that you and your attorney are having a difference of agreement on how you should plead. I suggest you allow him to do the talking until you can come to an understanding. It will never be said that a plaintiff did not get their due process in my Court,” the judge said to them.
Looking at her lawyer with a look of ‘you heard what I want so do it’, Sarah said, “I apologize, your Honor,” before looking down again.
“Mr. Brownstone, I will try this again. How does your client plead?” Judge Sheldon said.
“Not guilty, your Honor,” Mr. Brownstone said without pause.
“That wasn’t so hard now was it?” the judge said. “And on the issue of bail?” he finished looking at the Prosecutor.
“Mrs. Beasley is a woman of considerable means, and she is accused of attempting to murder her husband. We ask that she be remanded until trial,” the Prosecutor said.
“Your Honor, my client is a woman in her sixties. She has no prior criminal history. My client is willing to surrender her passport,” Mr. Brownstone said.
“He does have a point, Ms. Johnson. From the details that I see here, I do not see a reason not to grant bail. What are your feelings on the amount of bail?” the Judge asked.
“Five million dollars, your Honor,” the Prosecutor said.
“Your Honor, being that my client is accused of killing her husband, she does not have access to that kind of money,” Mr. Brownstone said to the judge.
“Yes, she does!” Shelby said standing up.
“Young lady, you are not very good with direction. What did I just tell you?” the judge said angrily.
“I am sorry, your Honor, this is my mother,” Shelby said.
The judge paused for a moment looking at Shelby and her mother. He could tell there was more to that story but he was not anything if he was not a momma’s boy and he understood. “Well, in that case, I will give you a pass THIS time. Do not make a habit of this in my Courtroom.”
“Yes, sir,” Shelby said.
Taking a deep breath, the judge closed the case file and said, “Bail is granted in the amount of five million dollars, cash or bond. Next case,” the judge finished.
The Court officers stepped forward to take Sarah back to jail until the bail was paid. Sarah finally looked up at Shelby with tears streaming down her face. Shelby gave her mother a sad smile and mouthed to her mother, ‘I love you.’ Sarah smiled and slowly walked away.
“Come along, Shelby, so that we can pay your mother’s bail. Where is she going to go? She can’t go home,” Mr. Brownstone said to her.
“Momma doesn’t need to go home. She is coming home with me. Besides I don’t think that big house has felt like home to Momma in a long time,” Shelby said to him as they left the Courtroom.
Shelby was standing on the steps of the Courthouse waiting for her mother and her lawyer. She was trying to call Greyson for the eighth time. As the phone rang, she looked up at the Courthouse. Although Georgia is the twentieth largest state, it is second in number of Courthouses—exceeded only by Texas. One hundred thirty-two Georgia Courthouses are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Shelby’s favorites are the highly detailed Queen Anne Courthouses of the late 19th century, and the best example is the 1885 Landmont County Courthouse still in use in tiny Cuthbert. Rich Georgia clay formed the brick of this compact structure, symmetrical but for a tall, cone-topped clock and bell tower that rallies the community. Fine craftsmanship and detail is evident from the imaginative brickwork, through the sunburst and tulip motifs in the woodwork, to the terra cotta lizards and curlicues adorning the roof. The Courthouse is often the most prominent building in town with the city planned around it. Courthouses are instantly recognized symbols of government and graphic icons of the aspirations and pride of their communities. They are holders of community memories, not just in the records they contain, but in the collected memory of thousands of small and large transactions, meetings, and activities that have occurred there. People still gather in the buildings as they have for generations. The Lincoln County Courthouse was constructed in 1915 in the Neoclassical Revival style with a four-entrance cross-plan floor layout. Just then, Shelby heard the beep of Greyson’s voicemail.
“Grey, you missed Momma’s hearing. She has been let out on bail. Where are you? We need to talk. Call me back,” Shelby said in an annoyed tone. Just as she was hanging up, she saw her mother coming out of the front of the Courthouse.
“Momma! Are you ok?” Shelby said as she bundled her mother into her arms. Sarah hugged Shelby tight as if she was her lifeboat in treacherous ocean waters. “I was worried about you,” Shelby finished.
“She is fine, considering,” Mr. Brownstone said. “Shelby, Sarah can’t go within a thousand feet of the hospital or the big house. I told them she would be staying at your home until the trial.”
“Ok, thank you so much, Mr. Brownstone,” Shelby said to him. Sarah was still very quiet and sad but that was to be expected.
“No thanks necessary,” Mr. Brownstone said rubbing his hand up and down Sarah’s back. “I have loved... I mean cared for your mother, your whole family for many years. I…I will be in touch with you ladies in a few days to schedule a meeting and go over things,” he stammered. Mr. Brownstone high-tailed it away from Sarah and Shelby flustered. ‘Did I see what I think I just saw?’ Shelby thought to herself. Then she looked at her mother who was blushing and all of a sudden had a glow and she knew that she had seen what she thought.
“Come on, Momma, let’s get you home so you can shower, change and eat. I already had your clothes brought to my house,” Shelby said laughing and shaking her head. As they drove down the street, Shelby thought of the revelation she had just had. She remembered family dinner parties where Daddy would invite Mr. Brownstone and she would see her mother and Mr. Brownstone talking quietly in a corner; her mother blushing with him and him laughing with his chest puffed out. Shelby wondered how long they had had feelings for each other and if they had ever acted on it. ‘Jesus, is anyone I know faithful anymore?’ Shelby thought; not that she could blame her mother if she had cheated. Her father had spent their entire marriage cheating on her mother, making children, forcing her to not only raise the product of his infidelity but to endure his over bearing high-handed abuse.
“Momma, do you want to talk about what happened that day?” Shelby said to her mother looking at her quickly and then looking back at the road.
“I will not discuss that day, Shelby. Not now, not ever. Do you understand?” Sarah said excitedly.
“Calm down, Momma!” Shelby said. “Momma, I want to help you. You have to talk to me!”
Just then Shelby’s cell phone rang. Sarah looked out the window like she was relieved. ‘You’re not getting out of this that easy,’ Shelby thought. Hitting the button so that the call would come through her car, Shelby said, “This is Shelby.”
“Shel, w
hat happened with Momma?” Grey said. He sounded distracted as usual.
“She is sitting right here with me. I am taking her back to my house. You would know that if you had shown up to Court, Grey,” Shelby said irritably.
“Don’t start, Shel. I had to get ready for the Board meeting in an hour and I….” Greyson said but Shelby cut him off.
“Wait! What Board meeting? I did not schedule a Board meeting. What is going on?” Shelby asked him annoyed.
“There are still decisions that need to be made, Shel, and you have not been in the office in a week,” Greyson said.
Shelby was really getting pissed off with Greyson. He had been MIA at the hospital and he had not shown up to Court or to see their grandmother, despite Shelby’s repeated requests for his help. “That’s because I have had no help from you with the FAMILY and Savannah has been MIA for over a week,” Shelby yelled at her brother.
“Wait a minute!” Sarah said loudly. “Children, please don’t fight! Shelby, what do you mean you have not seen Savannah since the day of my arrest?”
Shelby could see the terror in her mother’s face and it was, well, weird to Shelby. Why was she so upset? Ever since her father had made the announcement that Sarah was not her biological mother, Savannah had been all over the place and Shelby was not sure but she thought that she may be using drugs. Her new boyfriend was known in town for being the local meth dealer.
“No, Momma, calm down. What is the big deal?” Grey said.
“First of all, young man, you need to watch your tone with me!” Sarah said to her son. As soft spoken as she was, she was still a Southern mother and she demanded respect from her children. “Second, that is your sister. She is having a hard time and we need to support her.”
“So does Daddy,” Greyson said in a nasty tone.
“GREYSON!” Shelby yelled, looking over at her mother who looked like she had just been shot in the heart. She was even grabbing her chest. “You have no right to talk to Momma that way! You also have no right to hold a Board meeting without me,” Shelby said angrily.
“Your brother has a right to his feelings, Shelby,” Sarah said wiping tears from her cheeks as she looked out the passenger side window.
“Yes, Momma, he does. He also has the right to take those opinions and shove them up his ass,” Shelby said angrily. “Grey, I don’t think I need to remind you that I am the CEO of Beasley Holdings now and there will NOT be a Board meeting without me there. I will be there in forty five minutes. I trust you can find a way to stall,” she finished ending the call before Greyson had a chance to piss her off further.
“Shelby, I do not want you and your brother and sister to fight. This family has been torn apart enough. You three need to stick together,” Sarah said sobbing.
“Oh, Momma, please don’t cry!” Shelby said. The sun was shining, birds were chirping and the sky was the bluest it had been in weeks as they drove down Main Street. It struck Shelby how there seemed to be a dark cloud over just her car. “I don’t want you worrying about us. Everything will be fine. We are just having a rocky time right now. What we need to do is talk about what happened the day of Daddy’s shooting,” she finished.
“I told you, Shelby, I will not talk about that with you. Mr. Brownstone and I will work it out,” Sarah said looking out of the passenger side window.
“DAMN IT, MOMMA!” Shelby yelled at her mother as she pulled to the side of the road.
“SHELBY BEASLEY!” her mother said looking at her daughter like she had lost her mind. “What has gotten into you, young lady?”
“I am FED THE HELL UP, MOMMA!” Shelby said turning toward her mother. “First of all, Momma, I am a grown ass woman so stop treating me like I am a stupid child. Secondly, I KNOW you did not shoot and beat Daddy like that. You have had bad arthritis for years and there is no way that you can shoot that gun, let alone cluck him over the head three times, although I would totally understand if you had. SO, either you saw who hurt him and you are protecting yourself or someone else, or you are in on some type of weird guilt trip about everything and you are being a martyr. Either way that shit stops today!” Shelby said pausing to look out the window to calm down because she could see that her mother was on the brink. Shit, so was she for that matter but if she was going to lead this family out of this, which it seemed like she was going to have to do, she needed cooperation from someone. “I am so sorry to yell at you and swear, Momma. It’s disrespectful and I apologize. But Daddy is no longer the leader of this family; I am. I need you to help me figure out what is going on and to save your life. This is not some messy divorce. Although after all of this, I assume there will be one. This is your life. I need you to tell me the truth,” Shelby said to her mother, looking her in the eye giving her a pleading look as cars whizzed by them. Before Sarah could say anything, there was a knock at her window. “AHH” both the women screamed. When Shelby turned around, it was Lance at her door. “LANCE!” Shelby yelled clutching her chest, rolling down the window as he waved at them.
“Sorry to scare you, ladies,” Lance said to them.
“Hello, dear, how are you today?” Sarah said to him.
“What are you doing on the side of the road?” Shelby and Sarah asked at the same time.
“Come on, Shel, you are pulled over on Main Street in our little town. It’s not like I am hitchhiking on the highway to Heaven,” Lance said laughing. “I came by to go with Logan to do the final walk-through of the new shop. I saw you ladies sitting over here when I pulled up so I thought I would say ‘hi,’” Lance said to her. “Hi.”
“Oh no! That is today?” Shelby asked Lance. Logan was opening a third repair store in the next town today. His business was doing so good that he had two stores in town and now would have one in the next town over. Shelby had missed so many important things lately. She knew that Logan was getting fed up. She had promised him she would not miss his Grand Opening. That was before she knew that Greyson had planned a Board meeting. As the CEO, she could not miss this meeting.
“I thought that was why you were parked here,” Lance said with a curious look on his face. “Shel, please tell me you are not about to let him down today?”
Sigh. Shelby put her head back against the headrest looking at the roof of her car with tears in her eyes. She could not be everywhere all the time. “I have to; Momma just got released and I have to take her to my house and go into the office for a Board meeting,” she said looking at Lance with a look of exhaustion and desperation.
“Look, Shel, I know that you have a lot on your plate right now. But I have talked to Logan a lot lately with the business expanding and he needs you. He needs to know that you care about him as much as he cares about you. Is there a way you can come today even if it’s just for a few minutes?” Lance said to her. Taking a deep breath, Shelby grabbed Lance’s hand. “Logan knows I am only doing what I have to do. I will call him and explain when I get to the house. It will be ok,” Shelby said. Lance knew better. Logan had told him that he was getting fed up with Shelby’s excuses and all of the focus in life being on her family. “I feel like I am alone in this relationship, or like I have worn out my welcome,” he had told Lance.
“You know better than that. I mean, her father is on his death bed and her mother is in prison for putting him there. She just took over a multi-billion dollar company with little to no experience and her siblings seem to be no help at all. I am sure that things will settle down soon,” Lance had said in defense of Shelby. Although she had broken three lunch dates with him in the last two weeks, he understood the frustration Logan was feeling.
“I know that. I feel like an ass even thinking like this. I need her, too. I mean I know things are bad with the family but with all the mess that has gone on with them lately that could last forever,” Logan had said to his brother. “I mean when does it become Shelby’s time to focus on our family? I want to marry her, Lance, but I can’t if I don’t think that my wife will be available to me when I need her,�
�� Logan had said taking a final sip of the beer he was drinking.
“Hey, I know what you mean,” Lance had said picking up a wrench on the work bench. “One thing this whole ordeal has taught me is that I am glad we are not rich. Rich people have issues. I guess that’s what happens when you have unlimited funds. You get bored and start screwing everybody and killing each other.”
“Amen!” Logan said. “I am cured of my jealousy of the rich after getting to know these people. We may have no money but I am not looking to bust a cap in your ass…. yet” he finished chuckling to himself.
“HA! Let alone the list of men Momma has fucked being a mile long with kids to match,” Lance said. Logan and Lance looked at each other and shivered, both saying “EWWWW!” at the same time.
They both laughed. “Do you think Mrs. Beasley shot him?” Lance had asked his brother. Logan had started to organize the tools again as he thought about it. “Shelby said she didn’t; that she is not even physically capable. I don’t know. I know if she did, I would not be able to blame her.”
“Amen!” Lance said. Lance had watched his brother introspectively. He knew that Logan was taking the situation with Shelby a lot harder than he wanted to admit. He wished that he knew what to do for his brother.
“I love her, man. You know?” Logan said stopping what he was doing to look at his brother. Lance had not seen him this defeated in a long time. “But I can’t always come second to her family.”
“I know,” Lance had said sitting his beer bottle down. “Try and be patient. Give Shelby a chance. She will surprise you, I know it. Besides it’s not like you are a young stud anymore. You are getting up there. You better take what you can get, Grandpa,” he had finished in an attempt to lighten the mood, which had, thank goodness, worked.
