The Virgin Whore Trial: A Holly Park Legal Thriller

by Brad Chisholm

  As she clung to her father's neck, Holly saw two little girls standing at the bottom of the stairs. She peeked from her father's shoulders and glanced at two toddlers standing behind their mother's skirts. The girls peeked back. They were very small, their bare shoulders and arms thin as chopsticks in their strange foreign matching dresses, their disproportionately large eyes round with a foreign tang that stared back at her. These girls looked different. Korean? American?

  Holly stared curiously. They were such exquisite creatures! They were like out of one of her storybooks, only one faded and one vibrant with color. The one with the fair pale skin and large grey eyes met her gaze and gaped at her. The other child looked away shyly and buried her face in her mother's skirt. Holly peered at the girls but soon her curiosity got the better of her.

  "What is your name?" Holly asked.

  "They don't understand you. They speak only Korean. They are Sari and Sara. They are 'mugunhwas'- beautiful Korean national flowers who just arrived from Seoul," Yong Kim, the church clerk said as he came in with their luggage.

  "Sara?" Holly said slowly feeling a little dizzy.

  "That's my sister. I am Sari. Do you remember us now?" Naomi asked, a tiny spark in those otherwise lifeless eyes. A strange chill spread out across Holly's spine. "I liked Sunday school,” Naomi said softly in that little girl voice.

  That familiar face and voice from her childhood -- Sari and Sara. Always, the subject of gossip and whispers, but Holly was too young to know why. Sari and Sara, painfully shy girls who rarely spoke. Skinny, hesitant, and withdrawn. It was their voices that stayed with you. And Holly remembered the green coats. The sisters who were inseparable, holding hands or walking with their arms encircled each others waist, one always dressed in tights and coats and the other in sun dresses. The pictures in Holly’s memory faded then, and she realized she had never seen the two girls separately.

  "Shall I call you Sari, or Naomi?” Holly asked softly.

  “Naomi… Sari isn’t here anymore,” Naomi said wistfully.

  “Naomi, it was your father who hired me, not your mother," Holly began carefully, keeping her voice low, soothing.

  "Wolf?" A tiny voice asked, hesitantly, hardly daring to speak.

  "No... not Wolf." Holly murmured, carefully.

  Naomi's face went as white as a field of new snow. Her eyes were blank.

  "Your real father," Holly began. “He was looking for you all this time.”

  Still Naomi gazed back with wide eyes and said nothing. Softly, patiently, for the next hour, Holly explained as best as she could how her real father had come searching for her and was paying for her defense.

  It was a lot for Naomi to process. She kept her arms around her knees and rocked softly.

  "I need to ask you some questions about the night of the Councilman's death, is that okay?" Holly began slowly. Naomi nodded.

  "How did you meet the Councilman?" Holly asked, carefully.

  Naomi bit her lip, looking down and her chin quivered as the next words tumbled out.

  "I went to his office."

  "Why?"

  "I wanted his help."

  "For what?"

  "I wanted his assistance in obtaining some public records."

  “What records?"

  "A death certificate."

  "Whose?"

  "Sara’s". The voice, barely a whisper.

  "Sara’s?" Holly looked up, surprised. “Your sister Sara is dead?”

  "Yes -- Sara drowned." The next words were so soft Holly could not hear. Naomi was more agitated.

  "When?" Holly asked again.

  "When we were little, in the pool."

  "What swimming pool?"

  "A plastic backyard pool."

  "What happened?"

  "We were just playing... and she drowned," the tiny voice whispered.

  "What happened?"

  "My mom said it was my fault."

  "What did she say?"

  "That I shouldn't have pushed her head under the water," Naomi whispered. "After that, I think God forgot all about me," she breathed.

  Holly was shaking inside and had to force herself to inhale.

  "My mom stopped going to church after… the… accident, Naomi continued, and the tears began, without warning. She lifted her head and met Holly's gaze. "If I pray, like we used to in Sunday school, will Jesus forgive me for what happened? I didn't do it on purpose. Do you think Jesus forgives accidents, too?"

  "An accident is just that. An accident," Holly said, her heart racing.

  "But Holly, once is an accident, but twice?" Naomi whispered. "Sara and now the Councilman? How come everybody dies who comes near me? Do you think I’m cursed?"

  Holly shook her head vigorously.

  Naomi wailed. "I used to pray… but… I gave up. I know it looks really bad… but if you see my mom can you tell her this time it really was an accident, too?"

  Holly promised, like you would promise a child, then excused herself to the washroom, merely washing her hands, not looking in the mirror, trying to remember. She stood outside the door, her fingers wrapped tightly around her briefcase, so she could gather her strength and have something to give Naomi. Holly came back and Naomi stood, swaying, biting her lip.

  "Will you tell my dad thank you for me, please?" Naomi pleaded as tears streamed down her face.

  Holly nodded yes.

  “What is my dad, like, Holly?” Naomi asked, summoning all her courage to ask.

  “He is exactly what a dad should be like, Naomi,” Holly answered with utter conviction.

  Holly sat in her car for a long time. She drank some of her watered-down ice tea. It was warm. She wanted to think but all she could do was cry. But she told herself that she couldn't help Naomi if she fell apart, too. That gave her the strength to start the car, fix her makeup and head for the church.

  "Hi dad," Holly burst in and plopped herself in the chair across his desk.

  "Dad, do you remember two sisters named Sari and Sara? Little girls, from a long time ago?”

  "Yes. The twins... sure, I remember."

  "What happened to them?"

  "They left the church."

  "Why did they leave?"

  "The mother remarried." Pastor Park thought of the day the fancy black car had pulled into the church parking lot. The fair daughter standing next to her mother, more beautiful than ever, but less alive.

  "I remember now, when she came back. She had changed her name. She introduced her daughter, Sari as Naomi Linser."

  "What about the other sister?"

  Pastor Park that thought back about that day. He frowned. “There was no mention of Sara. Nobody asked. It was as if she had never existed.”

  "Why did the mother come back?"

  "Nara’s father was dying. The twins grandfather. They needed to leave for Korea right away, but Naomi didn't have a passport. They asked me to sign a witness affidavit regarding her identity because her name had changed from Sari Lee to Naomi Linser. It was required by the Consulate to issue the passport under a different name."

  "Did you sign the affidavit?

  "Yes. As I said, only one. No one mentioned the sister.”

  Chapter 57

  Daisy Moreno was not happy. In the six years she had worked for the freshly buried Councilman she had never been questioned by any person of authority. Until now. She straightened her too tight skirt and slipped her feet out of her pumps and examined the red semi-circles on the skin of her feet where the top of her shoes had created a painful welt. Reaching up, she nervously patted her hair.

  "Thank you, Ms. Moreno, for seeing me. I'm truly sorry for your loss and the loss to the public," Holly said. "The Councilman had a long and illustrious record of public service - I join the public in mourning his untimely demise. I know you are concerned that the Councilman's political legacy is remembered, not the scandal of his death," Holly continued.

  She is smooth, this one, Daisy thought. "His murder," she said stiffly.
"But yes, that is my concern."

  "There is the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, Ms. Moreno."

  "The girl got life, is what I heard. That's not innocent where I come from."

  "You may not have heard that the guilty plea has been withdrawn and vacated. Naomi Linser has new lawyers and will stand trial."

  "At great public expense!" Daisy exclaimed. How many people loved to decry public expense until it was their turn at the trough, Holly thought, but she was gracious.

  "Actually, the new defense is privately funded."

  "A lot of trouble to go to, Missy," Daisy sniffed, not liking that answer at all. "Naomi Linser stabbed the Councilman to death, is what she did. Cracked his sternum like a roast chicken. Don't see a lot of wiggle room there."

  Daisy's harsh perception matched that of the general public and Neil Cooper. Holly tried again.

  "I'm sure it will be quite difficult for the next Councilman to fill such big shoes."

  "There are a lot of pressures. Some days I just throw up my hands."

  "That's true," Holly agreed. "I'm lucky. If people want something from me, they have to pay."

  Daisy laughed in spite of herself. She didn't much like defense lawyers but she was starting to warm up a bit to this one.

  "Sometimes men under a lot of pressure have to blow off some steam," Holly suggested evenly, thinking if she could get Daisy Moreno talking, she might learn something valuable.

  "The Councilman was an attractive and charming man, in the prime of life - and he liked the ladies, and the ladies liked him. It never needed to make the papers," Daisy sniffed.

  "So he engaged in casual relationships, to help manage the pressures of this job?"

  "Don't think your precious Naomi Linser was the first, not even close." Daisy shook her head.

  "And never any problems?" Holly queried carefully.

  "We covered up for his indiscretions. We got good at it, we had the practice - but this Naomi girl was different. She was the kind of girl who marries the richest boy in town and hangs out at the country club all summer. She wasn't one of those night-club girls, if you know what I mean. But he saw her and liked her."

  "So you had met her?" Holly asked, surprised.

  "Yes," Daisy said. "That Naomi was beautiful, but scrawny as a chicken wing. Don't understand that at all. A man usually likes some meat on the bones."

  Daisy was on the plus side of voluptuous, mid-30s, and her dress left little to the imagination.

  "How did the Councilman meet her?"

  "Actually, Naomi just walked into our office one day like a regular constituent. At first, the Councilman assumed she was from Club Kiki. Turns out she wasn't."

  "Why did she come?"

  "She came in looking for some public records," Daisy answered.

  "How is it that you remember her? There must be so many constituents that contact the Councilman."

  "She stood out."

  "How so?"

  "She was classy, that one. She wasn't like those other girls from the Club. And the Councilman saw that and liked her. And I don't mean 'blowing off steam' liked her. I mean, 'leave-your-wife-and-kids-and-move-to-Costa-Rica' liked her."

  "Did the Councilman frequent Club Kiki?"

  "He was a VIP there, he was crazy for the Korean nightlife. He enjoyed the hostess bars and room salons. They made him feel like a big shot."

  "If Naomi wasn't from Club Kiki how is it that she was there the night of the murder?" Holly asked.

  "The Councilman's repertoire was the same. And it worked every time with these young girls. He always started by inviting a girl to accompany him on functions. The girls were always easy, willing, you know, the novelty of it and all. Naomi was no different. The problem was he developed feelings for that one, that Naomi girl. But, her feelings did not reciprocate. She stopped accepting the Councilman's invitations, always making up an excuse not to go."

  "Was he upset? Did his behavior change?"

  "Yes. I could tell by his mood something was wrong. He was preoccupied, less enthusiastic about his work which was not like him," Daisy said. "It wasn't my place to say anything, but of course now I think maybe I should have."

  "How did they end up together that night at Club Kiki?"

  "Geez," Daisy frowned. "I don't know. They were on the phone and arguing that morning. Then, the Councilman left the office which was unusual."

  "What were they arguing about?"

  "Those records. He had promised her the records she had originally come looking for."

  "What records?" Holly persisted.

  Daisy sighed. "Naomi wanted a copy of her sister's death certificate, is what it was. I had asked her what year because the application is different if it's before 1995. I looked it up for her and wrote it down and gave it to her. It was the most I could do. I remember it's sixteen dollars, the fee, I wrote it down for her that first day she showed up, I remember now," Daisy said. "He promised her he'd obtain a copy."

  "Did he?" Daisy shook her head.

  "I tried to get the records but couldn't find them. I thought maybe she died in a different county which would means we couldn't access it. We can only access Los Angeles county records. So I asked Naomi to double check the venue where the accident occurred. That was the only time I spoke to her about it."

  "Is there any way the database is wrong? Did somebody personally check the archives?" Holly persisted. Daisy was annoyed.

  "The database is accurate. If the sister died in Los Angeles County, we would have record of it unless, of course, they buried the body in the backyard and nobody knows about it," Daisy joked. She stopped and looked up. "Are you ok, there?" Daisy held one of those small cylindrical paper water cups.

  "Thank you," Holly said and drank the whole thing.

  "Well, somehow Naomi ended up at Club Kiki that night. Do you know if it were at the invitation of the Councilman or do you think Naomi found out he would be there and she just showed up?"

  "Well, the Councilman came back to the office late in the afternoon. I guessed Naomi and the Councilman made up because he was in a good mood and he gave his driver the rest of the evening off which meant he drove himself to the Club." Daisy stopped. "Is that helpful?"

  "Yes, Ms. Moreno." Holly pulled herself together and stood, using the back of the chair to steady herself. "Thank you. If you think of anything else, no matter how unusual or insignificant, please call me. And thank you again, I'm so grateful."

  Chapter 58

  "Naomi, try to remember, please. Tell me, what happened in Seoul?" Holly pleaded. "I spoke to Wolf and he said something happened to your mother in Seoul. What happened? Can you tell me?"

  Naomi’s eyes went far away as she remembered.

  "Your grandfather is very ill, so don't say anything." Nara told Naomi in the cab. "He may call you a different name so just answer normally. If grandpa says anything to you that seems strange, just bow down your head and don't correct him."

  They had gone straight to the hospital from the airport because Nara's mother had said that time was short. Wolf went to the hotel with the luggage.

  "Who are those men?" Naomi whispered to her mom pointing to the dark suited men with ear pieces outside the hospital door.

  "They're here to protect your grandfather."

  As arrogant as ever, Nara thought. Even facing death he thinks assassins are lurking. Nara's mother emerged, her lips pursed and tight. She had aged. Perhaps they all had.

  It was a large single room. The Ambassador lay on the bed with wires and intravenous tubes extending from both wrists like a puppet. How ironic. The master puppeteer puppeted. The sight of her father made her blood cold. His eyes were closed. She noticed the IV drip with the morphine and heart monitor and other colored lines which ran across the screen. The monitors beeped and buzzed incomprehensibly. A nurse stood at full attention with her hands clasped tightly without moving.

  Nara was not afraid. She knew he was arguing - using his inevitable courtesy as
a weapon - with God, making his case that he be allowed just a moment more and the strength to lash out his great bear claw at her one last time. She who did not exist.

  He had erased her - her school records at Ewha University, excised from the family records, burned the photographs, forbid the very mention of her. Cut from the will, displaced, disinherited, disowned. Nara stared at her father silently.

  Beep.

  Beep.

  Beep.

  Who let her in the room without his permission? Why had she come? He certainly had not summoned her. Her mother conceded every time to avoid a fight yet this time she had insisted, despite his wishes, that Nara come.

  Nara had not come for her mother, either. She was angry over her mother's weakness, for refusing to answer any of her letters all those years. Only after her father had become gravely ill did they develop a superficially cordial relationship - as long as it was at a distance.

  Why had she come? To defy him? No. To upset him? No. Perhaps, even after all these years, it would be nice to pretend she still wanted her father's forgiveness and approval, which is why Nara had agreed to go along with her mother's story. Or maybe she just wanted closure. But those were just lies to be socially palatable.

  The utter truth was that she would not have trusted news of his death. What she needed was to see the head in the basket before she would truly believe and be free of his judgment.

  Nara angrily wiped away the hot tears from her cheeks. When she had returned from her brief honeymoon at Jeju Island the Ambassador had horsewhipped her for shaming the family with her out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Her forearms black and purple with defensive wounds. The following day he removed all her belongings, everything that was reminiscent of her from the house and forbid anyone to ever speak of her again. It was as if she never existed. He ordered Nara's exile to America, thrown away like trash. But Nara could not travel until her wounds healed and by the time she was ready to travel, her belly was too big.

  Her father was considered a great man. He had fought the communists. He had fought the Japanese. He had stood up to the Chinese and Americans when it had been politically difficult. A hero to everyone, but harsh and unrelenting in his judgments of his own daughter.