Southern Greed

by Peggy Holloway

  The witnesses went on and on and some were people I had never met but who worked in the mansion. The worst one was my own mama who said I made things up and that I had lied about a man of God raping me.

  That seemed like the final nail in my coffin but then Mr. Quincy started questioning my mama.

  “Mrs. Jenkins, where did you get Belinda?”

  “What do you mean, where did I get her? I got her the usual way.”

  “Are you saying you gave birth to her?”

  “Yes, that’s what I’m saying.”

  “What hospital was she born in?”

  “I had her at home.”

  “But you had a doctor. There must have been a birth certificate?”

  “I had a midwife. We all did in those parts.”

  “There has to be a record of her birth, Mrs. Jenkins. Show me her birth certificate.”

  Mama started crying and Ms. Miller objected saying that Mr. Quincy was badgering the witness.

  The judge called a recess after ordering mama to get a copy of my birth certificate. He gave her a week.

  I felt more hopeful as I left the courtroom. While we were having lunch we were call into judge’s chambers. When we walked in mama was sitting there, along with Ms. Miller.

  “Mrs. Jenkins has something to say to you,” the judge said, looking at me.

  She cleared her throat and started and then cleared it again. Then she said, while looking at the floor, “Your father and I always loved you, as much as if I had given birth to you.”

  She looked at each of us before going on, “Your parents were killed in a car crash. Somehow you were thrown from the car and had wandered onto our front porch. It was like an answer to our prayers. We had been praying for a little girl.”

  The judge spoke up, “Ms, Jenkins, how were you able to hide her? From what I understand, the police, the FBI and the local deputies searched for months.”

  “We lived several miles from the crash site. When she came up on our porch, my husband got in the truck and rode around until her saw the crash site and we figured that she had somehow or other been thrown out of that car and wandered off.

  “We thought she was a gift from God. We figured she was supposed to be raised in a home with God fearing people. The law came around for months, and questioned us, but when they would drive up she knew to get under the house.

  “They would walk through the house but never looked under it. They couldn’t have gotten under there anyway. It was too low to the ground. Belinda could barely get under there. After awhile they quit looking.”

  The judge let out a heavy sigh, “I guess you know you’ve broken the law, Mrs. Jenkins. Kidnapping is a serious offence.”

  I was surprised that the judge read mama her rights right there. I didn’t know a judge could do that. He ordered her to be held for trial.

  I didn’t even feel bad for her. I didn’t think she had been a good mama and she had made my life miserable.

  I hadn’t thought of her as being my mama since I had found my real grandmother.

  The judge studied me before saying, “You’re still on trial for murder. This really doesn’t change anything.” He looked at his watch, “Y’all be back in the courtroom in fifteen minutes and we will resume the trial.”

  So, all Mr. Quincy had accomplished was to prove that Mrs. Jenkins wasn’t my real mama.

  CHAPTER 24

  The prosecution called my ex-boss and my ex-landlord who both testified how I had walked out without any notice.

  Mr. Quincy winked at me when he said he didn’t have any questions for either of these witnesses.

  Then the prosecution called a surprise witness and Mr. Quincy objected saying this person wasn’t on the list of witnesses that was given to him by the prosecution.

  Ms. Miller said they had just found this witness and the judge said he would allow it.

  The prosecution called the Reverend Jacobs to the stand and I thought I would faint.

  I couldn’t breathe, I was gasping, I was shaking all over, and I was drenched in sweat.

  A lady sitting in back of us reached into her purse and pulled out a lunch bag and handed it to Mr. Quincy. He held it for me to breathe into and I started calming down.

  The judge said we would continue the next day. I was taken back to my cell.

  The next day I was taken into the courthouse early and met with Mr. Quincy in the same small room we had been having lunch together.

  As soon as I was seated Mr. Quincy patted my hand, “I wanted to meet with you before court started. Did you get any sleep last night? You look so stressed.”

  “I didn’t sleep a wink. I’m so worried about everyone believing Reverend Jacobs.”

  “I’m so sorry I didn’t meet with you last night and set your mind at ease, but I worked on my cross for this witness until very late.”

  He took a deep breath, “I think Ms. Miller is making a mistake by calling this witness. I’m going to tear him apart on the witness stand. This is not some backwoods place where the jury is going to believe everything that comes out of his mouth just because he’s a minister.”

  I hugged him, “Thank you so much, Mr. Quincy. That makes me feel so much better. Mr. Baker is paying you but, when you get me cleared of these charges, I am going to pay him back and give you a big bonus.”

  He smiled and looked at his watch, “We need to get going or I’ll be in contempt of court.”

  We had just sat down when the judge entered and we had to rise again.

  Ms. Miller looked cocky when she called the Reverend Jacobs to the stand.

  I felt like throwing up when I saw him. He was the ugliest man I had ever seen. He was tall and skinny with pock-marked face. His nose was a long hook-like thing, and his hair looked like steel wool and I remembered how it had fallen over his eyes while he had rammed into me.

  But his eyes were downright scary. They were close together and a gray-blue. They looked like they could see into your soul or that’s what I used to feel like when he would stand at the pulpit preaching about going to hell. His eyebrows were bushy and curled over his eyelids.

  After he was sworn in he sat and started doing this thing with his hands I had forgotten about. He looked like he was washing them without water. I remember him doing that after he told me to put my panties back on after he raped me.

  The first question the prosecution asked him surprised me, “Reverend Jacobs, do you see the person who falsely accused you of raping her in the courtroom?”

  Mr. Quincy jumped up, “Objection,” he yelled. “There is no relevance here and the door to this subject has not been opened. I also object to the fact that the prosecution has already prejudiced the jury against my client with this witness.”

  “I’m opening it. It is relevant as to the character of the defendant.”

  “Both of you approach the bench,” The judge said and he put his hand over the microphone while he leaned down to talk to them. There was a lot of arguing going on and I watched for awhile and then turned my head toward the Reverend.

  He was staring at me and when I looked at him he licked his thick lips. I felt like puking, but I stared him down. I wasn’t that scared adolescent he had raped. I was learning to fight for myself.

  He looked confused and looked down and started the hand-washing thing again.

  When my lawyer came back he was smiling. Ms. Miller looked upset.

  “She started off like that purely for shock value. The judge jumped all over her,” He whispered to me. Then he continued, “As they say in law, you can’t un-ring a bell, so she got the idea out there for the jury, but all she did was open the door for me to drive a Mac truck straight through.”

  Ms. Miller had been questioning the reverend about his credentials and he looked like he was in hog heaven describing all his degrees. He went on the say that he had been a man of God for 45 years, that he had given his heart to Jesus when he was five years old.

  He appeared to love talking about himself
as he described his experience. He had pastured a church for 15 years before God told him to become an evangelist.

  She led him into the testimony about how he had met me and the accusations I had made against him but that I had repented for sinning against him and God.

  When he started describing me as a daughter of Satan, I looked over at Mr. Quincy, wondering why he didn’t object. Without looking at me, he tapped his legal pad with his pen and I noticed he had drawn a noose. He looked at me and winked.

  The testimony went on until lunch and we broke for lunch. “Mr. Quincy, do you think you can do some damage control for me after that testimony?”

  He took my hand, “Can I ask a favor from you?”

  I nodded, “Would you please call me Todd when no one else is around?”

  I could feel myself blushing and I nodded again. “Now, to answer your question,” he said, “Ms. Miller is making a big mistake by painting one person to look like an angel and the other like the devil, unless you have a jury made up of all ignorant fundamentalist. Most people don’t see things in all black or white.

  “Then, the second thing is, I have a silver bullet. I have some information I’m going to spring on the court that is going to make this jerk look like the devil himself.”

  CHAPTER 25

  I actually felt excited about the cross examination by Todd and I liked calling him Todd. I totally trusted him.

  “Reverend Jacobs, you testified that you were the pastor of a church for 15 years before God told you to become an evangelist. Isn’t that true?”

  “Yes, that’s true.”

  “In fact, you actually was the pastor of eight churches during that 15 year period, isn’t that true.”

  He hesitated and then said yes.

  “Why so many churches, Reverend Jacobs?”

  “God kept calling me somewhere else. God works in mysterious ways, I don’t question God.”

  “Isn’t it true that you were actually fired from all eight of those churches? Isn’t it true that there were accusations against you from teenage girls in all eight of those churches?”

  “I object,” Ms Miller said jumping to her feet. “The reverend is not on trial here.”

  “You opened the door, Ms. Miller,” Todd said.

  “Objection overruled,” The judge said.

  Ms. Miller’s face turned the red color of a beetroot.

  “Do you need me to repeat the question, reverend?”

  “No, I don’t. When you’re as close to God as I am there will always be those who, through their jealousy, will try to falsely accuse you of things.

  “I was tested over and over by God until I finally saw that I was being called to evangelistic work. If you were a Christian yourself, Mr. Quincy, you would know that.”

  Todd didn’t say anything more but allowed the reverend to rant and rave about being a man of God and God’s chosen and being a man closer to God than most men.

  At one point he raised his fist into the air like I had seen him do during the revival that he had preached at our church.

  I looked at the jury and they were looking at him like he had two heads. Ms. Miller even looked shocked and the judge was sitting there watching Ms. Miller, probably wondering why she didn’t object.

  I thought my lawyer was brilliant and understood the noose now. The prosecution had hung itself.

  We took a break after the reverend was excused. The prosecution didn’t even redirect.

  We sat at the table during the break and Todd said to me, “When this is all over, I think you should file criminal charges against the good reverend.

  “I have a buddy who is a private detective who can probably find more of the reverend’s victims. This criminal needs to be put away for life. No telling how many other young girls he raped and is still doing so.”

  After recess, the prosecution called Mrs. Dover, my grandmother’s housekeeper, to the stand. She said I had tried to take over from the first minute I stepped into the mansion, that I had changed rooms after she had assigned the best room in the mansion to me and my husband.

  She said that I had strutted around the mansion like I owned the place and that I spent all my time with Miss Gracie and ignored my own husband, Then she flat out lied, saying that I ordered her and the other servants around like I was the mistress of the place.

  On cross examination, Todd asked, “How long have you worked for Mrs. Boston, Mrs. Dover?”

  “For 35 years. She was more than my boss. She was also my friend.”

  “Did you think she would leave you an inheritance due to your loyalty?”

  She hesitated as if she didn’t know what answer would put her in a better light. Then she said, “She told me so, yes, and what’s wrong with that? I’ve devoted my life to her. I deserve some rewards.”

  Todd stood staring at her for so long that the judge said, “Are there any more questions for this witness, Mr. Quincy?”

  Todd acted startled like he had forgotten where he was, “Uh, yes, your honor.” Then

  he looked at Mrs. Dover and said, “So you must have been angry when Mrs. Boston’s granddaughter showed up and Mrs. Boston acknowledged that she was her granddaughter. Now there was someone else to inherit.”

  “Is there a question, here?” Ms. Miller said as she got to her feet.

  The judge looked at Todd, “Are you going to question this witness or is she dismissed?”

  “She’s dismissed your honor.”

  I looked at the jury hoping I could tell what they were thinking but there was very little reaction.

  The prosecution rested and the judge dismissed us for the day. Tomorrow we would start our defense and I hoped Todd had enough to win the case.

  CHAPTER 26

  “Well, you look more rested than yesterday morning,” Todd said to me as I was seated.

  “I slept better last night, knowing it would be our turn today.”

  At the same time we were told to rise and that the honorable Judge Matthews was presiding, Todd was saying, “I’m going to move to dismiss.”

  I looked at him convinced I must have misheard him, but as soon as the judge gave the floor to Todd, he said, “Your honor, I move to dismiss. The prosecution has failed to prove her case. There is absolutely no evidence that my client committed this act. There was a whole parade of people who had access to the kitchen that day.

  “Anyone could have put that arsenic in that pie. I’m amazed the prosecution had the gall to bring this to trial in the first place. There is absolutely nothing to connect my client to this murder.”

  “I will see both counselors in my chambers,” The judge said as he rose. We all stood as the judge and both lawyers entered his chambers. We waited and waited for what seemed like hours.

  When they came out Todd was smiling and Ms. Miller was bright red and frowning. The judge dismissed the case and just like that I was free.

  I returned to the mansion and was met by my husband. “Belinda, darling, I’m so sorry. I love you, I really do. Please forgive me. I’m sorry I doubted you. I should have known you couldn’t have killed that poor old woman. You’re such a sweet and kind person.”

  I couldn’t believe he was trying to smooth things over like he was, “I went to jail because of your lies, Adam. How could I ever trust you again? I want a divorce and I want you, your sister, and your lover out of here right now.”

  His eyes became very dark as he said, “You’ll regret this, Belinda.”

  “The name is Kathy, as if you didn’t know that already. I have a feeling you knew who I really was before you found me and it wasn’t an accident you found me either, was it, Adam?

  “What was your plan, to marry me, murder my grandmother and frame me for murder and get all the money? Then what, you were going to divorce me and marry your lover, Rachael?”

  I noticed someone out of the corner of my eye and turned and found Rachael standing there. She had usually been dressed in a nurse’s uniform but was now dressed in a tie dyed
long sleeved tee shirt and jeans.

  She moved toward me and I suddenly noticed a needle in her hand. Before it fully registered in my mind, Adam had grabbed me and held me and she had stuck the needle in my neck and pushed in the plunger.

  “They’ve killed me,” I thought as I blacked out.

  CHAPTER 27

  When I came to, I was in the gold room again and wondered why it was so important for them that I be in the gold room.

  I was lying across the bed and I felt like I was going to be sick. When I got up the room started spinning and I had to sit back down on the side of the bed.

  I got up again and held on to the bed post and the room finally stopped spinning and then made my way to the door. It was locked. I was locked in and I wondered what they had planned for me. How would this get them what they wanted? It didn’t make any sense. Was Adam going to try to force me to stay married to him? Was he going to keep me locked up here for the rest of my life and control the money? Could he possibly do that?

  A key turned in the lock and Mrs. Dover came in carrying a tray. While she was putting the tray on the nightstand, I ran toward the door and was met by Adam.

  I tried to fight him but he grabbed my arms and shoved me back inside and onto the bed. “Stay there,” He said pointing his finger at me.

  “Why have you put me in this room?”

  Mrs. Dover laughed, “Because you hate it, of course.”

  They left the tray without answering any of my questions. I had wanted to know what their plans were for me and how they thought they would get away with it.

  The rest of the staff had probably left now that my grandmother was no longer here. That’s was probably why Mrs. Dover served my lunch.

  I decided to see if there was any way I could escape. I tried all the windows but they were all nailed shut with huge nails. I had no way to get them out. Even if I could have, the drop was too great. The ceilings downstairs were very high so that made the upstairs very high.