Wall of Silence

by Dorey Whittaker

  Susan had been dreading this for weeks. “Did she say what she wanted? Scott, Mr. Duncan told me how she behaved during her deposition. At first she wouldn’t even agree to an interview. Finally, he forced her with a subpoena. He said the deposition went as expected. She was uncooperative and hostile and has no interest in helping us with Lisa’s case.”

  “So what’s new? We all knew she would act like that.” As this came out of his mouth, Scott regretted it. His sarcasm was not only unnecessary, it was cruel. “I’m sorry, Suz. I didn’t mean to say it that way. Her coming here caught me by surprise, and I guess I’m a little more upset than I thought.”

  “Honey, we all are. This trial is wearing on all of us. I’ve been going around here feeling so sorry for myself I caught myself getting angry at Aunt Gladys this afternoon. It was over something really stupid. Even though I knew it at the time, my emotions were so on-edge, I said something harsh and hurt her feelings.”

  “What did you say?” It wasn’t that he couldn’t picture his aunt doing something that might irritate Susan; after all, she wasn’t perfect. It was that Susan was so stressed, she responded harshly toward this woman she loves so deeply. This concerned him.

  “It’s fine. We made up. We’re all getting anxious now that the trial is right on top of us.” Then, wanting to get back to the original subject, Susan related Mr. Duncan’s story of her mother’s deposition. “Even though she was stubborn and hostile, he did make her understand that she has no choice but to come to court. He said she fairly seethed with anger, but that was weeks ago. Why do you suppose she’s trying to find me now?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m glad she doesn’t know where you’re staying, or about Aunt Gladys. If she comes to the office again, do you want me to give her your phone number? It might be best if you knew what she’s up to because she obviously won’t talk to me.”

  “I don’t much like the idea of getting a call from her, but if she’s determined to reach me, the phone is the least threatening. I guess it would be all right for you to give her this number. I can always hang up on her if she gets abusive. By the way, Mr. Duncan said the prosecution doesn’t have her on their witness list, so she shouldn’t be in town for the first week of trial. I doubt she would care to come for any part of the trial she didn’t absolutely have to.”

  “I would agree with that.” This time Scott made sure his remark wasn’t inflammatory. “Susan, we have only one more week before I move down to stay. I’ve cleared my calendar for tomorrow and will be able to spend a three-day weekend with you and the kids. I’ll pack my things and be down around mid-morning tomorrow.”

  “Oh, Scott, that sounds wonderful. I know it’s late, but do you have to wait until tomorrow?” With as much temptation in her voice as she could muster, and trying not to laugh, “I’ll be more than happy to wait up for you.”

  “Suz, you know I’d never turn down such an inviting offer. I’ll be there in two hours.”

  With them both laughing, Susan ended the phone call with, “The kids will also be happy to have you for three whole days. Having you here when they wake up will be great.”

  As soon as she hung up, she headed for the bathroom and drew water. She had two hours before he arrived and wanted to soak in a hot bath and drive the weeks of tension out of her body.

  Two hours later, Scott quietly slipped into bed and into Susan’s waiting arms. This had been a hard week, and she needed to feel his body next to her and have his smell envelop her. Tonight was all they wanted to think about. Tonight there was no trial, no tension, and no fear. Tonight there were only the two of them, speaking in soft, low tones so they would not wake the children. Even though it was late and they were tired, they wanted to take their time, as if by making love slowly and deliberately, they could force the tension of the past two months out of their room.

  They were awakened the next morning by Lisa Anne diving onto their bed. She had gotten up early and, seeing her daddy’s car in the driveway, came running into their room with a good-morning kiss for him. After having her own special time with her parents, she ran into her room to wake up her little sister and help baby Matthew out of his crib. Soon the whole family was snuggled under the covers. None of them were anxious for the day to start. They were all enjoying this private time together. But all too soon, they heard the back door open and knew Aunt Gladys was in the kitchen making coffee and getting the children’s breakfast ready.

  Scott slipped into the bathroom for a quick shower while Susan grabbed her robe and headed for the kitchen to help Aunt Gladys.

  “I noticed Scott’s car in the driveway. Did he drive down last night?”

  “Yes. He got here a little after eleven. He decided to take today off so he could have a three-day weekend with us.”

  Gladys did not miss the lack of tension in Susan’s voice. She had been watching the strain building for days and was happy to see a lighter, happier Susan. “Have you changed your plans then? Are the five of you going to spend the day together?”

  “No. If it is all right, we still need you to watch the children. Scott will be going with me to see Lisa.” Then, after a moment’s hesitation, Susan decided to ask, “Aunt Gladys, have you noticed anything different about Lisa this week? Has she seemed distracted to you?”

  “Yes, Ruth and I both noticed it. You’ve been under so much pressure I didn’t want to mention it to you. We hoped it was just the strain of being in jail and because the trial is almost here.”

  Accepting the cup of coffee Gladys offered, Susan said, “That’s what Scott said, but I don’t know. It’s like she’s measuring her every word.”

  Pouring herself a cup of coffee, Aunt Gladys asked, “Have you asked her?”

  “Yes. She says she’s fine. But you know that kind of response is really saying, ‘Don’t ask any more questions.’ ”

  “Well, Susan, maybe it’s true. After all, I don’t know how someone going through what she’s going through is supposed to act.”

  “Maybe,” Susan conceded, although she didn’t really think so. She didn’t want to upset Aunt Gladys and decided to let it be.

  A few minutes later Scott and the children came bouncing into the kitchen with grins and giggles, and the conversation turned to lighter matters. Lisa Anne pleaded with her daddy to take them to the park, but knowing Scott and Susan would be tied up all day, Aunt Gladys suggested, “Lisa Anne, they have to see Auntie Lisa today. Why don’t you and I make a special cake for your daddy this morning?”

  Always eager to help bake a cake, Lisa turned to her daddy and asked, “What kind do you want, chocolate?”

  Giving a wink to Aunt Gladys for saving the situation, he gave his girls a kiss goodbye and said, “You know chocolate is my very favorite kind. I’ll think about that cake all day.”

  While driving to the jail, he filled Susan in on the family’s plans. “Mother and Carol Anne have decided they will take turns coming down every day to sit in the courtroom. They both want to be here for Lisa, but they don’t want Carol Anne’s kids too upset by the disruption. Dad is busy clearing his calendar in hopes of being able to come down for at least a few days.”

  After pulling into a parking space behind the jail, he leaned over and gave Susan a kiss. “Lisa Anne seems to be handling all this pretty well, isn’t she?”

  Returning his kiss, Susan added, “She still doesn’t understand why she can’t go to see Auntie Lisa, but she’s being a good girl and not fussing about it. Aunt Gladys and I bring her notes from Auntie Lisa almost every day, and that seems to help. I know six-year-olds can’t really grasp the situation, but at least she won’t grow up knowing we lied to her. It was good that we told her the truth.”

  Scott took a deep breath. “I hated telling our little girl what’s really going on. Things like this make children have to grow up way too fast. I’m glad we kept it simple and matter-of-fact. She understands that everyone who loves Auntie Lisa is going to court and telling what a kind, sweet person she is and th
at she couldn’t have done this bad thing.”

  Closing the car door after Susan, Scott continued. “It’s too bad we adults can’t also believe it could be that simple. None of us really trust the court system these days. People who are obviously guilty seem to walk away free, and people, like Lisa, get found guilty. There’s no sure thing when the court is blind.”

  Susan nodded in agreement and repeated something Mr. Duncan had said to her. “It’s funny how that term, the court is blind, has been turned around. Once it was a good thing. Blind to a person’s rank or position in the community so justice was sure to be honest and fair for all. Today, blind seems to mean that as long as the prosecution, or in some cases an unscrupulous defense attorney, can manipulate the court into allowing only that evidence that supports their position, they can blind the jury from the truth.”

  Almost as if thinking out loud, Scott added, “It doesn’t seem to be a search for truth these days. It has now turned into a contest between opposing attorneys.”

  Reaching the top step, Scott opened the door and ushered her inside. They had only a few minutes before visiting hours started and didn’t want to waste a minute of it.

  It was almost noon before they said their goodbyes to Lisa and headed back to the house. It was Friday afternoon, and they had the whole weekend in front of them. As Scott drove through town, a plan began forming in his head. “Susan, we still have most of the three-day weekend. Why don’t we pack a few things and take the children to the shore?”

  Utterly amazed at the suggestion, Susan could only respond with, “That sounds wonderful.”

  Now, more determined than ever, Scott started piecing the plan together. “It’s only three hundred miles to Savannah. My cousin, Bill, has a place on the shore. I’m sure I could get him to lend it to us. We could be packed and on the road by two o’clock. The children would love the adventure. We could be there by ten o’clock tonight and have all day tomorrow to play in the water.”

  With the image of a day at the shore in her head, the excitement in Susan’s voice gave her away. “Do you really think we can get ready that fast?”

  “Sure. We don’t need to pack very much. I’ll call Bill and see if his place is available while Aunt Gladys helps you pack. Susan, we need this break. I don’t think we’ll make it through the next three weeks if we don’t get away for a little fun.” Scott noticed the excitement leave her face as he said this. “What? Now what are you thinking about?”

  Hesitating for a moment while she pondered her own dilemma, Susan then gave him a big, reassuring smile. “It’s all right, Scott. I just had a pang of guilt for getting to go off for a fun weekend while Lisa sits in jail, but she would be the first one to tell us to do it. The children need this, and so do we.”

  Within an hour they were packed and ready to go. Aunt Gladys packed a lunch for the family as Susan gathered everyone’s beachwear. Lisa Anne decided to help Aunt Gladys, wanting to make sure her chocolate cake got packed, while Megan raced around helping her mother. It had been months since she had seen her girls this excited.

  Megan gathered up all her dolls and was busily stuffing them into the suitcase when Susan came back into the bedroom with a stack of towels. “Honey, the dolls need to stay here. You’ll be so busy playing in the water, you won’t have time to play with your dolls.”

  Then, seeing the look of disappointment in her little girl’s face, Susan reconsidered. “All right, Megan. Pick two dolls to take along. It’s going to be a long drive, and you’ll have lots of time to play with them in the car.”

  While Susan and Aunt Gladys got things ready at home, Scott filled the car with gas and picked up the keys from Bill. As they packed everything and took off, Aunt Gladys closed up the house and headed for the jail to visit Lisa. No one knew better than she did how much stress this family had been under. Even though Susan worked very hard at keeping up appearances in front of the children, they knew something was wrong. This little outing was exactly what they needed.

  ***

  The weekend was over much too soon. Driving back to Atlanta Monday morning, Scott thought about what a great weekend it had been. They’d played in the waters of the Savannah seashore, built sandcastles with the children, and watched several old movies in cousin Bill’s video collection. Anyone observing this young family would never have guessed what was going on in their lives. Susan had been wonderful. She’d laughed and played with the children as if the world were a thousand miles away. He knew she was worried about Lisa, but she was determined that the family was going to have fun, and they did.

  Chapter 28

  Although the actual trial was scheduled to start the following Monday, Susan and Aunt Gladys went to court every day from Wednesday on. Mr. Duncan thought it would take three days to select a jury, and although Susan was dreading this week, she felt strangely relieved when it finally arrived. Scott was glad there would be no more daily meetings at Mr. Duncan’s office. He had everything he needed from Susan, so apart from her twice-daily visits to jail, she was going to focus on getting the children prepared.

  As he reached the Atlanta city limits, he realized this would be the last time he would drive back here alone. It wouldn’t be too long before he could pack up his family and bring them home. He wanted to tuck his children into their own beds, sit with his wife on their front porch, and have this feeling of dread finally gone from their lives.

  As Scott was reaching Atlanta, Susan was meeting with the new sitter back in Jefferson. Since Gladys needed to be in the courtroom every day, Susan had arranged for Mrs. Anderson, a church friend of Gladys’s, to watch the children. Susan wanted the children to get comfortable with her before being left in her care for seven or eight hours every day, once the trial started.

  Only Susan, Gladys, and Mrs. Bascom were in the courtroom during jury selection. The rest of the family would be there when the actual trial started. Although the questioning of each prospective juror was at times tedious, and the repetitious nature of the interviews became rather boring, Susan was determined to listen to each and every response. These were the people who would determine Lisa’s future. Although tedious, this was the most important battle Mr. Duncan had ahead of him. If he didn’t read these people correctly, it wouldn’t much matter how good a job he did presenting his case. He had to pick the right jury.

  As he had expected, by late Friday afternoon the jury of twelve, with four alternates, was in place. Opening statements would begin Monday morning. The trial was now officially underway.

  Scott moved to Jefferson that weekend, and everyone tried to keep busy. It was hard getting to sleep on Sunday night, knowing what they were going to wake up to the next day.

  Monday morning greeted them with the sound of rain hitting the window. Scott woke up first, realized what day it was, and then turned over and put his arm around his wife. She stirred slightly and then snuggled against him. Brushing her hair away from her face, he lay there looking at her and remembered something his father once said. ‘Son, it’s seldom the good times that deepen your love. You’ll find it’s really when things are the hardest that you two will pull together and in the struggle, you’ll find you come out the other side closer and more in love. So don’t you be afraid of hard times.’

  Scott smiled as he remembered those wise words and understood what he’d meant. Studying this incredible woman lying in his arms, Scott leaned over to give Susan a good morning kiss.

  Mrs. Anderson arrived almost an hour before they were to leave for court. She wanted to keep the children busy and allow their parents some quiet time before taking off. She had coffee ready and some toast and melon slices setting on the counter as they came into the kitchen. They sat with the children for several minutes, trying to remain calm. They were as ready as they could be.

  After kissing each child goodbye, they drove over, picked up Aunt Gladys, and headed for the courthouse.

  Gladys and Caroline were standing on the courthouse steps when they arrived, and the
four entered the courtroom together.

  As they sat waiting for everyone to enter, Scott wondered what the jury would look like. He hoped there would be more women than men because he feared men might have difficulty seeing Chuck Miller’s actions with total honesty. A few minutes later, all the attorneys, the court clerk, the court stenographer, and the bailiff were in place. They were now waiting for Lisa, the jury, and then the judge.

  Lisa and Officer Jackson came in a side door, and he walked her to her seat next to Mr. Duncan. She looked very nice in the salmon-colored suit that Susan had brought her. She was almost forty years old, with touches of gray at her temples, but she was still very attractive. She had learned to carry herself with an air of dignity that came from within.

  Lisa sat up straight as the jury was ushered in and began taking their seats. She looked each one directly in the face, her eyes never wavering as she nodded an acknowledgment to each of them. There were sixteen jurors in all, and they sat in two rows of eight. They all seemed to be studying each person in the courtroom as they entered, trying to absorb as much as possible. All they knew so far was that this was a murder trial, and that Lisa Miller was the accused.

  Susan quickly looked from face to face. There would be twelve of these people actually impaneled, with four alternates. No one knew which were the twelve, since the court wanted all sixteen to pay close attention to the facts of the case. There were ten women and six men.

  She studied the men first. Three were fairly young, probably in their early thirties. Two looked like they could be close to fifty and the sixth one looked around his mid-sixties. She could not tell by looking at them what kind of men they were, but she intended to pay close attention to their facial expressions as they listened to the evidence.

  The ten women were fairly evenly divided between young and old. Three looked like they were in their early twenties, three in their mid-thirties, and four looked as if they were in their mid-fifties. Most nodded back as Lisa nodded toward them, but two jurors simply stared back with a cynical look on their faces. Both were women, and both were young. Susan decided she would pay close attention to these two because they made her a little nervous.