The Lonely Hearts 06 The Grunt 2

by Latrivia S. Nelson

  There was a gasp in the room and suddenly Sharon wanted to stand up and leave. Damn Amy for writing this shit down. She turned her chair slightly away from the glaring judge and cleared her throat.

  Mr. Benson treaded carefully. “That is your daughter’s personal diary. Is it your position that you didn’t know about Leo?”

  “I don’t recall any of this,” Sharon said, closing the diary. “I don’t recall talking to my daughter about any affair or saying those disgusting words.”

  “Remember, Mrs. Riley that you are under oath. Do you recall this conversation with your daughter?”

  “No. I’ve never heard of any Jermaine and I never knew about Leo until he showed up at my door,” Sharon said, wiping her tears.

  “So you didn’t know a name. Alright. Did you know that Amy had plans to abandon Cameron, leaving him with her husband Brett Black, to attempt to run off with another man who was an officer in the Marine Corps?”

  Sharon twisted up her mouth. “No.”

  “At any point, did Brett Black tell you that this had occurred?” Mr. Benson had her right where he wanted her.

  “He said it on the porch when he came to my house three months ago.” Sharon eyed Brett. “That’s when he told us that Amy had left him.”

  “Is that when Brett called Amy a whore?” Mr. Benson asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you think that Amy’s decision to abandon Cameron was in his best interest?” Mr. Benson asked.

  “No,” Sharon said without emotion.

  “Would you consider yourself a racist, Mrs. Riley?” Mr. Benson asked compassionately.

  “No,” Sharon answered emphatically. “My husband and I are Christians. He’s the head of a Church in Fayetteville and our doors are opened to everyone.”

  “Do you think it would be in the best interest for Cameron to be around hate mongers or hate groups?” Mr. Benson went in for the kill.

  “Absolutely not.”

  Mr. Benson turned away from Sharon and looked over at Leo. “Can you open the diary again, this time to the bright green tab and read the highlighted portion of the text for the Court, Mrs. Riley.”

  Sharon’s voice trembled. “I ran up on some awesome old people artifacts in the attic of my parent’s home today looking for pictures from high school. There in the corner, folded neatly in a box was my parents matching Klan robes from when Daddy was a young man. LOL. There was a picture in there of them from before I was born in their get ups looking like complete rebels. They are so cheesy. I had to take a keepsake.”

  Mr. Benson winked at Leo’s lawyer then turned on his heels to Mr. Riley. “Were you ever a member of the Ku Klux Klan, Mrs. Riley?”

  “No,” she said, eyes lowered.

  “To your knowledge was your husband a member of the Klan?”

  “No.”

  “So what did Amy find up in the attic? And what picture is she referring to?”

  “I have no idea.” Sharon looked up at the ceiling.

  Mr. Benson went back to his table. “Your Honor, the Defense would like to submit Exhibit C.” He picked up an old photo and walked it back over to Sharon. With each of his steps, her heart pounded in her chest. Mr. Benson slowly laid the picture in front of her and quirked up the side of his lips. “Is that you in the white Klan robe beside your husband?” He pointed at the picture.

  Sharon’s eyes pulled slowly away from the photo. “Yes.”

  “So I’ll ask you again. Do you think it’s in Cameron’s best interest to be around hate groups or hate mongers?” Mr. Benson asked, waiting for the Plaintiff’s lawyer to…

  “Objection,” Leo’s lawyer said, jumping up from his seat. “The Defense is badgering the witness. She has already answered that question.”

  “Sustained,” the judge answered mechanically.

  “No further questions for this witness your Honor,” Mr. Benson said, taking a seat. He rested his forearms on the table and got ready for the next round. “That is how it’s done,” he said under his breath to Brett.

  As the rest of the witnesses were called, Mr. Benson provided more and more evidence that supported his argument that Amy had been a bad person. Judy spoke to how disrespectful and lazy Amy had been during the entire course of the marriage. Gavin spoke to how many fights he witnessed where she was loud and belligerent. But then he moved his attention to Leo Tabor.

  As Catherine sat down and swore in, Leo felt the brace around his neck grow a little tighter nearly cutting off his air way. Mr. Benson went through a series of questions to verify who she was, where she worked and why she had divorced Leo, but then the juicy questions came.

  “Where you aware that Leo Tabor was, to use your term, a serial philanderer,” Mr. Benson asked.

  Catherine looked over at Leo and sneered. “Not until I went to the doctor for my annual exam and found out that I had an abnormal pap. It was the first in 20 years.”

  “Why did you have an abnormal pap?” Mr. Benson asked.

  “He had given me HPV,” Catherine said, gripping the stand with her nails. “After that I had him followed to get solid proof. The detective found out he was sleeping with four women at a time. The evidence came in to me around the same time that he got in trouble for sleeping with his commanding officer’s wife during some party. They were found on a golf course having sex by two Military Police officers. I wasn’t there. I had refused to attend after I found out about my condition and his cheating.”

  Sharon shot mind bullets into the back of Leo’s head as she soaked in the embarrassment for him. This information would have been very helpful to know before she went to bat for him.

  “What about the kids?” Mr. Benson said, moving on. “Would you classify him as a dutiful father?”

  “No,” Catherine said firmly. “He’s behind on child support. He misses most of his allotted time to see the children and when he does seem them, he seems to only do it because he has to. There is no excitement.”

  Leo wouldn’t’ look at Catherine. Instead, he looked past her, directly at the wall and prayed for it to be over soon. He tuned out the rest of her testimony and refused to pay attention until Mr. Benson stopped his line of questioning.

  The MP gave more of the same confirmation about Leo getting caught with his testimony detailing how the couple were found on the golf course that night. “Naked in the 69 position on top of a blanket with a bottle of champagne and a small dildo.”

  Leo could have done without the dildo portion, considering they had already bust his balls wide open.

  When Gavin was called, Leo was ready to throw in the towel and go. “How much more of this do I have to bear?” Leo asked the attorney. “We can regroup when she calls a recess.”

  “It’s been hours,” Leo complained.

  The lawyer huffed under his breath. “She’ll call a recess soon.”

  After Gavin swore in, he detailed the strip club, the coke, the fight, Amber, the pimping and lastly, the posing.

  “Do you think that based upon your experiences with Leo that he truly cares about his grandson?” Mr. Benson asked, setting Gavin up for the free throw.

  “No. I overheard him say that Amy Black had a life insurance policy for $750,000 that would be given to him only if he established paternity and full custody.” Gavin winked at Leo. “If he doesn’t get the boy, he doesn’t get the money and he’s flat broke.”

  Mr. Benson was getting a work out today. Walking back to his table, he retrieved a copy of the life insurance policy that Amy took out and the instructions to the trustee on how to carry out her last wishes.

  Leo sat up. “How in the hell did they get a hold of that?” he asked in a strained voice.

  After getting it admitted it as evidence to the Court, he knew that he was done with Gavin. “No further questions.”

  The judge had heard enough and she had not even gotten to the testimony of Brett and Courtney Black or Leo Tabor. Taking a sip of her water, she looked out at the exhausted room and decided. “I’
m calling a one hour recess. Both parties return back here at 1:30 p.m.” Slamming the gavel, she stood up and disappeared into her chambers.

  The Defense was exhausted but feeling good. They shook the hands of the witnesses and let them know that they could leave and move on with their day while at the same time speaking to Brett and Courtney under his breath about what was going to happen next.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Mr. Benson said, walking with the large party out of the doors, leaving Sharon and Leo to lick their wounds.

  Sharon quickly stood up and leaned over the partition. “I need to talk to you right now,” she ordered Leo. “Right now.”

  Leo held up a hand to dismiss her as he went over what would happen next. “Not right now, I need to talk to my lawyer, Sharon. This is a trial if you haven’t noticed.”

  “I’m paying for the lawyer and I say now,” she snapped.

  “Not now!” he growled, voice echoing in the nearly empty room.

  The bailiff walked back into the court from the private chambers and looked over at Leo.

  “Sorry,” the lawyer said. “We’re getting ready to leave.” He gathered up his things.

  Sharon stepped back and grabbed her purse, appalled that Leo had just screamed at her. “You’ve cost us this case, but you won’t cost us another dime. As of 1:30 this afternoon, we are no longer paying for your lawyer.” Throwing her purse over her shoulder, she strode out of the court room and let the door slam behind her.

  Leo rubbed his head. “Can today get any fucking worse?”

  “Do you have money to pay for your trial? The lawyer asked.

  “It depends,” Leo said, sitting back down. “Do we have a chance in hell of winning this case?”

  “I’m just going to level with you. No. Even though Cameron is your biological son, your lifestyle, your history, your finances, your military record all count against you. And no judge in her right mind is going to take that boy from two parents who love him and care for him and give that child to you.” The lawyer didn’t blink. Instead, he sat there glaring at Leo with his arms folded over his suit waiting for the truth to finally sink in. “If this is about money, you’re not going to get it.”

  “Then what am I doing this for?” Leo asked, standing up.

  “You tell me?”

  Leo looked up at the seal over the judge’s chair. “I gave it a good try, but it’s time I got on a plane and head back to Rochester to make amends with my father.” In other words, he was going to tuck his tail between his legs and run back to safe quarters like he always did when things got tough.

  “I’ll tell the Defense and close the case when the session reconvenes.”

  “Thanks,” Leo said, resting his head on the table. “Can you just leave me here for a minute?”

  “Sure. No problem,” the lawyer said, grabbing his things, glad it was finally over.

  ***

  Out in the hall, the entire Defense team along with Brett, Courtney and the family all stood talking and debating where to go for lunch when Sharon burst through the doors.

  Walking up to Brett, she swallowed down her pride. “Brett, can I have a word with you, please?”

  Courtney looked at the side of Sharon’s head, then rolled her eyes. “I’ll be over here, honey.”

  “No,” Brett said, holding Courtney’s hand. “You can say whatever you have to say in front of my wife.”

  “Very well,” Sharon said, trying to focus. “Even though the judge has not yet ruled, it’s obvious that Leo Tabor won’t be getting Cameron. And I know that this will leave a scar on our relationship for years, but I’m hoping you will still allow Cameron to be in our lives. He’s all we have left.” Sharon wiped real tears. “This was a mistake. I admit that. But I am begging for your mercy.”

  Brett licked his lips. After so many hours in the Court, his mouth was parched. “Whose fault is that, Sharon?”

  “It’s ours,” she eked out. “And I’m truly sorry. But I love my grandson. Please don’t take him away from us.”

  Brett had no pity. Had this trial gone differently, she would have gladly taken him away. “Allow him to see you so you can turn him against Courtney? So you can turn him against me? So you can turn him into a racist? I don’t think so. I’m a man of my word, Sharon. I told you that I would be there for your daughter until death do us part. And I did. I told you that you’d never see Cameron again after you tried to ruin my entire family and you won’t.” His voice was calm and quiet. “This is the end of the line, Sharon. There is no going back from here.”

  The hallway was silent, all watching as Sharon was forced to take her medicine. Unable to even think of a cruel response, she turned on her heels and headed down the hall in the same manner that her husband had.

  Gavin walked over to Brett and hit his shoulder. “She’ll be okay.”

  Brett honestly felt sorry for her. He never wanted it to come down to this but they had chosen the outcome for him by trying to take his son. “I doubt she will be okay, man. But what can I do?”

  “Well, I followed Old Man Riley from the court house this morning and evidently, he’s got another kid here in Jacksonville that he went to see while Sharon was being put through the ringer by Benson.” Gavin laughed. “Cameron’s not the only grandchild she has. Well, if you count step children. He’s just got to tell her about them. Pretty ironic, don’t you think?”

  Brett’s mouth flew open. He turned to Gavin and frowned. “You can’t be serious?”

  “Yeah, I am.” Gavin pulled out the address he had written on a piece of paper. “I bet if I slip this to the lawyer in there, he’d make sure she got it.”

  “I tell you, the Riley’s are just full of surprises,” Brett said flabbergasted.

  Gavin watched as she finally disappeared down the hall. “That’s probably why the Reverend didn’t want to get on the stand. He wasn’t sure what we had on him. It wasn’t even about Sharon and her shit. He just didn’t want to get busted.”

  “Runs in the family, I guess,” Brett said, turning his attention away from her. “I appreciate you man.” He offered his hand and Gavin took it. Reaching in, they gave each other a hug. “Hey, you’re my brother.”

  Mr. Benson walked back over. “So far, so good. Let’s head out and get something to eat at Chili’s. We can go over what’s coming for you one last time.”

  “Not so fast,” Leo’s lawyer said coming out of the courtroom, looking like he had just been run over the coals. He walked over to Mr. Benson and whispered in his ear. “Mr. Tabor is dropping the case.” He raised his hands. “Let me correct that. Leo has dropped the case. You and I both know he’s getting pummeled in there. It’s time to throw in the towel.”

  Mr. Benson looked over at Brett and smiled. “I’m going to talk to this good gentleman alone, and I guess if what he says checks out then I’ll meet you a Chili’s for a celebration lunch.”

  Brett ran a hand over his head in disbelief. “Wow,” he said realizing his cover was still inside of the court room. “I’ll be right back,” he said, disappearing back behind the door.

  When he came into the courtroom, the lights had been turned off. In darkness, Leo sat in the same place, staring blankly into nothingness.

  Brett pushed open the partition that separated the back of the courtroom from the tables and went over to the table where his cover still sat where he left it.

  Leo looked over at Brett and rolled his eyes. “I guess you’ve already heard, huh?”

  Brett put his cover back on and turned to Leo. “Yeah. I heard.”

  Leo had never felt so humbled and beaten before in his life. The experience had left him hollow. “I guess you both know that I deserved it…all of it.”

  Brett was surprised at how the anger had just dissipated inside of him. He no longer felt the need to beat Leo within an inch of life, not to mention that someone had already beat him to it. “I wouldn’t say that you deserved all of it. It’s apparently clear that you had help.”


  Leo tapped his fingers on the table. “I’m sure you’ll take good care of Cameron.”

  Brett didn’t hesitate. “I will.”

  Remorse darkened Leo’s face. “Do me a favor? When you finally have to tell him about me, don’t tell him everything. I don’t want him to know that his old man was a piece of shit.”

  “I’ve always taught my son to come to his own conclusions about people. I’m sure with this, he’ll do the same,” Brett said, unsure of exactly how he’d really handle telling Cameron the truth when the time came. No matter how it played out, he’d do it with honor and love. “You know when I came back stateside, I didn’t understand why I was spared. I remember one of the nurses telling me at Bethesda hospital that God must have had something important for me to do. But I just brushed it off. Until today, after hearing the testimony of people that you and Sharon Riley had influenced or impacted, I realized that if I had not come back alive, my son would have been subjected to a world where honor, pride and loyalty would have never truly been a part of his life. He would have turned out like…you. So thank you, for helping me realize more clearly, my purpose. Because while I had an idea, I didn’t know for sure until today.”

  That was a low blow. Leo would have honestly preferred a left hook to the cold hard truth. “I’m sure you have at least one question you want to ask me. Now’s the time,” Leo said with a deflated huff. He knew that once he left out of these doors, no one here would ever see him again. He’d make damn sure of it.

  “About Amy?” He rolled his eyes. “No questions,” Brett said, walking away. “She wasn’t that important.”

  “I have one,” Leo said before Brett could leave.

  Brett stopped and turned around. “What’s that?”

  “How did you find out about the life insurance policy? I mean, the lawyer wasn’t exactly forthcoming with information on it. Amy designed it that way.”

  Brett thought about it and smiled. “I’m going to have to plead plausible deniability on that one.” In truth, he didn’t know. Gavin just showed up with it one day.