Trial & Tribulations

by Rachel Dylan

  “Because it’s true.”

  “And how do you know it’s true?”

  “Because Ms. Crane had access to my computer and my servers while we were dating. I routinely caught her examining my files. I honestly didn’t think she would stoop to the level of theft, but she did.”

  Olivia stood. “Move to strike the last comment he made.”

  “The jury should disregard the last comment made by Mr. Alito,” Judge Martinique said.

  But for Grant’s purpose it didn’t matter. Layton was sewing the seeds that Nina Marie was a deceitful and untrustworthy thief. And for the next thirty minutes, Grant walked Layton through his time with Nina Marie and the specifics of the theft.

  Layton performed even better than expected. But as Grant sat down, the real test was about to come.

  “Your witness, Ms. Murray,” the judge said.

  Grant sat in great anticipation as Olivia stood up from her seat and walked over toward the witness box. This was going to get interesting.

  “Mr. Alito, isn’t it true that you fabricated these allegations in the same way you fabricated evidence to implicate Ms. Crane?”

  Whoa, going for the jugular. He jumped up. “Objection, prejudicial.”

  “Counsel, please approach the bench.”

  They walked up to the bench where the judge was frowning.

  “Ms. Murray this is your only warning. I thought my prior ruling was clear. There should be no talk of this fabricated evidence.”

  “With all due respect, Your Honor, your prior ruling didn’t specifically exclude the possibility that I could ask about this at trial. Just that you made no factual determination about who fabricated the evidence.”

  The judge narrowed her eyes at Olivia. “Well, Ms. Murray, I will make it clear now. You can’t bring up this fabrication issue at all. Am I clear?”

  “I just want the court record to reflect that the court has made this determination as it’s something I will raise on appeal if need be.” Olivia wasn’t backing down.

  “Duly noted. You may proceed.”

  “Given your ruling, Your Honor, I’d like to ask for a recess to determine the propriety of an interlocutory appeal on this issue right now.”

  “Fine. We will recess for the rest of the day. Be ready for whatever you plan to do first thing tomorrow.”

  “Your Honor, respectfully given the importance of this issue, I would like to ask the court for twenty four hours.”

  Judge Martinique sighed. “Very well. We’ll reconvene first thing Wednesday morning. Mr. Alito, you may step down.”

  The judge dismissed the jury telling them they’d have Tuesday off and to return Wednesday.

  Grant went back to his table where Layton stood. “We’ve got to talk.”

  “What happened up there?”

  “This fabrication issue is going to come back and bite us in a big way. This judge has ruled that Olivia can’t introduce anything related to the evidence fabrication issue. But Olivia is going to try an interlocutory appeal.”

  “And what exactly is that?”

  “It’s an appeal that can happen right now as opposed to waiting on the case to reach a verdict and then appeal. And if that remedy isn’t available, if Optimism wins it will definitely be the basis of the appeal.”

  “So what are you saying?”

  “I’m saying that we’re in a tight spot because of what you and I both know you did. We could win here and eventually still lose.”

  “You’ll stop talking to me like that.”

  Grant didn’t even respond.

  “I’m out of here,” Layton said. He walked out and Grant didn’t even bother to go after him. He was so over this all.

  **

  That night, Olivia sat in her conference room at Astral Tech typing away on her computer. It was getting late, but she wanted to have a solid draft that she could polish and add to on Tuesday. She had a team of lawyers back in the DC office doing supplemental research, and they were emailing her key cases for her brief supporting the interlocutory appeal.

  She heard loud voices arguing with each other down the hall, and whatever was happening it sounded like they were not happy. She couldn’t afford to be distracted right now.

  She wanted to get up and yell at them to stop. But then she realized she didn’t really want to get involved in whatever latest squabble was happening between Nina Marie and Matt. She’d witnessed the two of them in heated discussions lately at the Astral Tech office. She surmised that there was some type of power struggle going on between the two of them post Clive’s death.

  Trying to ignore the loud voices, she kept working on the brief until a sense of dread started to fill the air causing her fingers to freeze on the keyboard. Then the lights in the room began to flicker.

  What’s going on? she thought.

  Her heartbeat sped up. Something was terribly wrong, and she was right in the middle of it.

  Put on the full armor of God, she heard a voice say clearly. The sounds outside of the conference room got louder and louder. But they no longer sounded like human voices arguing. No, there was an awful shrieking. A loud moaning sound. She broke out into a sweat as fear gripped her entire body paralyzing her. She sat unmoving in the office chair listening closely to what was unfolding all around her.

  She wasn’t ready. Not yet. The battle wasn’t supposed to be happening now. Not when there was so much to do to get ready. Was it really time to do battle? And why was it happening here at the Astral Tech office?

  She was cornered. Dear Lord, protect me now. I need You.

  Another piercing shriek filled the air. The room went completely black, enveloping all of her in a sea of darkness.

  Was it better to stay in the conference room or try to get out of the office? Out of the building?

  She didn’t even know if escape was an option. It wasn’t as if she was trying to get away from a human attacker. No, this was a spiritual battle.

  Before she could make any decision, a strong force lifted her up out of the chair and threw her up against the wall, knocking the breath completely out of her.

  This attack was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. Yes, the other spiritual assaults were painful, but as she lay on the floor crumpled into a ball, she wondered if the demons might try to kill her right there in the Astral Tech conference room. The sounds emanating from the forces of evil that attacked her were agonizing to hear and made her head pound.

  She tried to shake off the shooting pain down her spine and stand up, but then another strong force knocked her hard flat on her back. She gasped for air.

  This time she couldn’t move as the demon held her down. She couldn’t see a thing, but she felt the demonic presence as it kept her on the ground. A presence filled with hatred.

  There was no way she could fight the demon off with her human strength and abilities. She was no match for their physical strength, and at this rate she would be dead soon. She needed the Lord.

  “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus Christ,” she said.

  The demon writhed against her as she uttered the name of the Lord, but he didn’t give up. All of her senses were on high alert.

  Her skin burned as a string of foul curses came out of the demon’s mouth. But she wasn’t deterred in her quest. She was going to fight. She tried to open her mouth to speak, but she couldn’t. It was if her lips had been sealed shut with glue. So instead she repeated the rebuke over and over again in her mind.

  The demon’s rough grip loosened. Not wasting a second, she broke away from him and ran in the direction of the door. She slammed her arm against the conference room table as she went, trying desperately to get out the door and make her way through the darkness, into the unknown of the hallway.

  As she pushed open the door, thick smoke billowed throughout the hall. She choked as she breathed in the toxic air that filled her lungs and threatened her ability to take in any oxygen.

  She dropped down low to the floor. Crawling on h
er hands and knees she headed toward the front door of the building. But she had a ways to go. She tried to move quickly, but it was as if something was pulling her back every time she made any progress moving forward.

  Her nails scratched the floor, and a demon grabbed tightly onto her ankles with sharp nails tearing into her skin. She dug in refusing to let them take her back to the conference room. The demons weren’t going to leave her alone until they reached their goal. And that goal was to kill her tonight.

  But that’s when she saw a clearing in the smoke and a faint light coming from Nina Marie’s office. She took a deep breath that caused her to cough violently.

  In front of the office stood Layton surrounded by forces of evil. She counted at least five hooded creatures that stood flanking him on each side. She saw them as clearly as she saw him. A chill shot through her body at the sight of literally seeing demons in physical form right in front of her.

  She had two options. Make a run for the front door or stay and try to help Nina Marie.

  Why in the world should she help someone who was evil? Someone who admittedly sought out the devil? A battle raged inside her as she weighed her options.

  But succumbing to the forces of darkness wasn’t her way. It wasn’t right. She couldn’t just let Layton and the demons kill Nina Marie. Could she?

  Absolutely not. Dear Lord, you wouldn’t want me to stand by and watch her be killed by a human or a demonic force. She knew deep in her gut what was right. Remembering the verse in the Bible that basically said that you shouldn’t repay evil for evil but always seek to do good, she took a deep breath and crawled toward Nina Marie’s door. She was going to try her best to save Nina Marie’s life.

  “Leave here,” Olivia yelled.

  That got the attention of Layton and the demons who all turned toward her.

  She sucked in a breath and clenched her hands by her side. Her nails pushing into her flesh. She’d never actually seen a demon. These demons took a quasi human form except that their eyes were the color of fire blazing brightly. All five appeared masculine as they stood tall towering over Layton by quite a few inches. They were cloaked in black from head to toe, but their physical prowess was undeniable.

  “You have no business in this fight. This is between Nina Marie and me,” Layton said. He moved closer to the doorway.

  She took a few quick steps and that’s when she got the first look inside and saw Nina Marie writhing on the ground.

  “Olivia, they’ll kill you. You should leave,” Nina Marie said. She looked battered as her hair was falling down out of the bun, and her face was streaked with bloody scratch marks.

  “I’m not going to leave you here with them. It doesn’t have to be this way, Nina Marie.”

  As she finished saying the words, she was tackled hard to the ground. Eyes filled with the pits of hell stared down at her.

  She heard Nina Marie scream from the office.

  “I told you. Get out of here. I rebuke you in the name of Jesus Christ,” Olivia said. The demon rose up above her, and she got to her feet. Taking another step toward the office door, she felt searing heat.

  “I have no problem destroying you, too,” Layton said. “But Nina Marie is my first concern. Why would you try to aid one of the defenders of darkness anyway? Isn’t that against your Christian values?”

  She shook her head. “No, Layton. That’s where you have it wrong.” She steadied herself and took a deep breath. “The Lord will forgive and redeem those that turn away from the darkness and come to Him. It’s not the Lord’s way to condemn and kill. That’s the way of Satan. Only your master acts like that.”

  “Stop it!” he roared.

  His words were delivered with a punch that sent her stumbling backward, but she regained her footing.

  As she took another step forward one of the demons outstretched his arm. While he wasn’t physically touching her, she felt his powerful grip tighten on her neck.

  “The demons will kill you, Olivia. This is your final way out. Your last chance,” Layton said.

  She refused to give in to evil. The Lord would protect her. She closed her eyes and started to pray. Asking God to give her strength. To provide an army of angels to come to her aid to combat the demons that stood in front of her.

  As she continued to pray, she felt the demon’s grip fall away from her. And then she saw Micah and another angel in front of her taking on the demons. While the demons were strong, the angels were stronger.

  Flashes of light mixed with smoke and shrieks filled the air. And she was caught in the crossfire. Pain shot through her. Her side, her head, her legs.

  But through it all, she kept praying. And she inched her way closer to Nina Marie who now lay on the ground seemingly unresponsive.

  The fog of evil started to fade, and she knew the angels were gaining ground. Layton started to slink toward the front entrance showing his lack of true courage. He would leave the demons to fend for themselves.

  She watched as he ran out the front door. The battle waged on between the angels and demons, but there was no doubt in Olivia’s mind that the angels would prevail. Without Layton to lead them, slowly the demons began to disperse. Within minutes, the remaining demons were vanquished by God’s angels.

  She stood beside Micah and Ben. In awe to be in their presence and so thankful to the Lord for sending them to help her.

  “I couldn’t let them kill her,” she told them. “Even if she’s evil too. I just couldn’t do it.”

  Micah reached out to her and touched her shoulder. “We understand. But know that there will come a time when she may not return the favor for you.”

  She nodded knowing that while she made the only decision she thought she could today, that it could have troubling implications for the future. “I wanted to believe that there’s still a chance for her redemption.”

  “Only the Lord knows,” the other angel said.

  She breathed in a sigh of relief.

  Before she could say anything else, they were gone. As quickly as they arrived, they disappeared. She knelt down beside Nina Marie and saw the blood coming from her temple. She prayed that she made the right decision in saving Nina Marie’s life.

  **

  Grant drove quickly over to the Astral Tech office. He’d been trying to reach Olivia for the last hour. When she didn’t respond, he decided to drive over to the office. He figured she had to be working, but he also couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

  As he pulled up in the parking lot, he immediately got an uneasy feeling. The inside of the building looked dark, but he saw that Olivia’s car was still there in the parking lot along with another one.

  He jumped out of the car, and his pulse quickened. Jogging to the front door, he tried the entrance and it was locked. But he could hear some commotion coming from the inside. Screams permeated the air, and he could also smell smoke. Was there a fire? He didn’t see any physical signs of one. The entire situation seemed completely odd.

  Pounding on the door, he waited but there was no answer. What should he do? Not hesitating for long he made the decision to break the glass. He ran back to his car to grab his jack and smashed the front door in sending glass fragments to the ground.

  Ignoring the shards of glass, he quickly stepped through the broken door.

  “Olivia!” He called out, over and over again with no answer. The entire office was pitch black. He smelled the remnants of smoke but couldn’t see flames. While he knew his way around, it was still difficult in the dark. There were no screams or noises like what he thought he’d heard from the outside.

  A flash of light so bright he had to shield his eyes burst through the room. And then the lights came on in the building. As his eyes adjusted, he ran toward where he knew Olivia worked. But he stopped short in front of Nina Marie’s office.

  There on the ground was Nina Marie with Olivia leaning over her.

  “What in the world happened? Should I call an ambulance?” He rushe
d to Olivia’s side.

  “Yes,” Olivia said. “I’m okay, but Nina hit her head. She’s going to need medical attention.”

  He pulled out his phone and dialed 911. After talking to dispatch, he turned his attention back to Olivia.

  “What happened here?”

  “An attack,” she said. “A direct attack. And I got caught in the battle.”

  “What do you mean an attack?”

  “A demonic attack.”

  He felt his eyes widen. “Thank God you’re all right.”

  “Yes, thank God.” She nodded. “It was touch and go for a few minutes. But I’ll tell you about all of that later.” Olivia checked Nina Marie’s pulse again. “She passed out a few minutes ago, but her pulse is still strong.”

  The sound of sirens were off in the distance. As he looked into Olivia’s dark eyes, and saw the pain there, he knew then and there that the enemy was all too real.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The last person Nina Marie had expected to call her was Layton. But he’d insisted that they had to talk in person. So against her better judgment, she went over to his house. She hoped he wasn’t planning on trying to kill her—again. The surprise attack on her last night at the Astral Tech office had rattled her, but she didn’t want to let him know that. She refused to let him see her fear. She touched her temple where the bandage still covered just one of her wounds. But the outward wounds didn’t hurt as badly as her pride, which took a huge hit. She vowed that she wouldn’t ever be caught off guard again.

  She rang the doorbell, and he opened the door with a smile and kissed her on the cheek, sending her into a bit of a tailspin.

  “Nina Marie, thank you for coming. Do come in and let me get you a drink.”

  She followed him into the living room where he poured her a glass a wine from his large bar in the corner. “Please have a seat.”

  “You have a lot of nerve after what you did to me last night.” She sat down and took the glass of wine he offered, but she immediately gave it back to him. “You taste it.”