CHAPTER 62

Adriana mustered up her most pathetic look and then faced the juror. The standby juror is a 50-something man from the accused's side. Due to the peculiarities of the case, the judge and the two attorneys agreed to have a jury. The jury was composed of 10 members from Miami suburbs: 5 men and 5 women. As the accused lawyer, Adriana had upped her game. If she were to win this case, she had to play smart. Two stand-by jurors had actually been picked, a man and a woman who happened to live in the same neighborhood as the accused. There was to vouch for the woman's credibility, that she had no bad intentions and wasn't dangerous to anyone.

Knowing the other attorney would go for the male stand-by juror, she intentionally called him to the stand first. This way, she could gain the upper hand. If he, in turn, picked the woman stand-by juror, then he had himself to blame. No woman would defend the man in this time of case. Except the really crazy ones. And she hopes Mrs. Handy wasn't among those. "As a man who lived on the same street as the accused, how would you judge her character?"

The stand-by juror shifted forward and leaned his mouth closer to the microphone placed in front of him. He was a short, plump man. Though the microphone had been adjusted for him, it was still farther a bit. To be audible, he'd have to keep leaning forward to speak. "I wouldn't say Mrs. Daniels is a terrible person." He swallowed. The courtroom waited tensely for him to elaborate. Adriana stepped closer, egging him on with quick nods. "She's the kind of neighbor who comes to welcome you to the neighborhood the instant you move in." He said and moved a bit closer. "When I first moved in, she brought lasagna to welcome me, and so many other families. She's a baker, so she's always giving out cookies to the kids. Everyone loved her."

Thank you! Adriana mellowed to herself. It was exactly what she'd hoped he would say. Now, to the harder part. "Did you at any time suspect that she was being violated almost every day by her husband?"

"There were bruises." The stand-by juror attested. "Sometimes a dark eye. Once I saw her hand red beneath the elbow. She's also most times with a swollen mouth. But she hated being asked about it. Most people just ignore it. Add there's the make-up she uses too." Some people in the courtroom laughed at that.

"Order!" Said the clerk. They kept quiet.

"The make-up covers most of these bruises well. My wife only found this out recently and told me about because I thought he'd stopped beating her up. But then no one could hide completely a swollen mouth or face." He said.

To the juror, Adriana said, "Thank you," before turning to the jury. "Please take note of these members of the jury. The accused was constantly walking around with bruises, evidence that she was being hit by her late husband. And she did her best to cover up her pain in spite of it all." she then turned to the judge. "That will be all, my Lord."

The state's attorney stood up and addressed the stand-by juror. "Why do you think the accused covered up her wounds?"

The juror looked lost as he thought about that, "I don't know." He said, "Probably because she loves, loved her husband, maybe?"

"What if she had other intentions?" He asked the man who couldn't say anything to the man. The attorney turned to the jury, "Why would a woman who's being hit go the extra mile to cover it up? Did she do something to get battered? Is there a crime she's trying to cover up and not the bruises?"

From where she sat, Adriana watched the jury members to see if they were buying this. Some were nodding to what was being said. But there was nobody scribbling anything. She hoped they weren't being swayed just yet.

The attorney turned back to the juror, "Has the accused ever shown any trait of being violent in the neighborhood, either to herself or anyone?"

Adriana tensed. She had waited for this. An incident had happened in the area, and the attorney was going to use it to bash her client. She had been hoping that the question would be directed to the woman stand-by juror and not this man. Her colleague was obviously throwing all his punches at once. She smirked, scribbling down a counteract.

"Not particularly." The man said before sparing the accused a quick look. "There was this incident that happened one time. She pushed her husband towards an oncoming vehicle. He was rushed to the hospital." He paused, "But..."

The attorney quickly cut him off.

Adriana knew what was coming. The 'but' was to clear her client. She immediately stood up, "Objection, my Lord," she said, "My colleague should let the juror say what he was about to say."

"Sustained." The judge said, "Proceed."

The attorney nodded and asked the juror to complete his sentence.

"I was going to clarify that she didn't exactly push the husband." He corrected

"But you just said she did." The attorney said.

"They were having an argument. To anyone looking, she just pushed him. But when we asked her what went wrong, she told us they were arguing and that she got angry. She didn't mean to push him towards a car coming full speed."

"So this was hearsay from the accused." The state attorney smiled triumphantly. "Did the victim, I mean the husband that she later brutally stabbed, confirm this?"

"No." He confirmed quietly.

"That would be all, my Lord."

"We shall be going on a short recess." The judge announced, "Let's meet back here in fifteen." He stood up, and everyone did too, while the judge walked out.

CHAPTER 63

Evangeline kissed Jason goodbye and opened the car, intending to step out. She had made him drive them down to her office, promising a little something later. Their weekend wasn't about to end just yet. Before heading home, she pleaded with him to let them stop at LA. That way, she could check in on Audrey and do some office work.

Jason smiled at her obvious ploy to play him. "Two days?"

"Two days." She agreed

"I'll come for you." He said, "In the meantime, Sloane stays here with you."

"And who stays with you?" She asked, closing the door again. She turned to face him squarely, "You can't afford to stay unaccompanied, not now."

"I've called James. He'll be in here shortly. But while I wait for him, I've got a couple of things to do."

She squeezed her face, "I'm not sure that makes me comfortable or relieved."

He pecked her and smiled, "Relax. I can take care of myself."

She didn't doubt he couldn't. She smiled at him and got out, "Bye then." He waved and drove off. The walk to the office was spent greeting everyone.

"Hello." She said to the building cleaners, the one assigned to her office came over. She had always been particularly nice. Every time she cleaned her office, and she was around, she would stop at her desk and ask about her day. Sometimes, they chatted back and forth on petty issues. She was an older woman and always had something to talk about. The few times she could spare her a minute or so, Evan made it a point of duty to listen and talk with the moment. But when she was busy, she gave a few words and a nod while doing her job, and the women knew to just let her be and get on with their merry way.

"It's been a while since I saw you." She said, walking with her to her own office.

"Yes. I've been staying at home doing my job there."

"Okay." She looked her over and smiled

"What?" Evan asked her, partly sure it had everything to do with her body changing. She had caught the woman looking her over.

"You're glowing." She replied, "The boy treating you well?"

She laughed.

"And you look..." She paused, then said, "Fatter?"

Evan refused to say anything to that, just a smile cast to the other woman's side.

"I'll come check you up when I'm through down here." She told her and went the other way, with her mopping things. Evan found herself staring at the woman as she walked away. Just as she stood, Audrey, who was coming down to get something, sighted her and stooped to greet her. Retrieving her boss's bag, she said, "It's been a long time, boss."

Handing her the tote bag, she said, "Thank you." And responding to her comment about being a long time, "We spoke yesterday."

"I meant since you came here. It's been almost a month."

"It couldn't be helped." She responded. They walked into the office, and when she was settled in, Audrey left for her office. She thought about Jason and wondered if he was okay. We should call him, she said as she sat down. She was barely seated when her phone rang. "Hey, Jase. I was just about calling you."

"He,y you!" he replied, "You're settled in?"

Smiling, she told him she had.

"I just wanted to check on you and let you know James is here."

"Better." She replied.

"Talk to you later, babe."

"Bye." She responded.

With Jason safely in good company, she focused on seeing to her company's file. Calling her PA, she asked that the account and record files be brought to her. Audrey brought the files and left her to it. Evangeline scanned the files with a frown. She reviewed the business file and wasn't satisfied with what she found. Then she opened her account files. It was just a reflection of the business account. Audrey had notified her about the Sims withdrawing from their business deal, and she had instructed her to work with the business manager to resolve the issue. It doesn't look like both of them have been able to resolve it. She called both of them to her office and waited impatiently for them.

"Sit." she told the account manager, Mr. Toby. To Audrey, she pointed at the chair beside the man. "Please explain to me what's going on with the Sims." She said to them before staring at the file, "Whatever the issues are." She shrugged, "It doesn't look like they've been resolved."

"The manager insisted on getting a side cut that we couldn't give, considering their budget." Toby, "We had a sit-in with hi,m and it was terrible. He wasn't being reasonable."

Evangeline looked at her account manager weirdly, "When did we start giving cuts?"

Toby squinted uncomfortably in his chair. "He wanted a..."

"Bribe?" Evan turned to Audrey, "When did we start doing this?" She asked her. Audrey looked uncomfortable in her seat, too. She stared at both employees aghast. "Okay, so let me get this straight, he asked for a cut before you got the deal, and like frauds, you had a meeting to sort things out with him?" She stood up angrily, "What are we? Fraudsters? It's not even a political deal. Why would he ask for a cut?" She screamed at them. Realizing she was getting overly worked up, she turned to her PA again. "Why didn't you tell me this yesterday?"

"I did ma'am." She replied meekly, "I informed you the manager wanted his cut."

"I assumed that was the CEO."

"We didn't meet the CEO. The manager blocked us from submitting our quotes to her." Toby added.

"So, our quotes aren't even on..." remembering he had said 'her' rather than 'him' for the CEO, she paused, "Wait a minute, the CEO is a woman?"

"Yes. Mrs. Sullivan is the new CEO. Her father passed away and she's the only child. The new project is to commensurate with her position and show the partners she is up to the task."

Evangeline suddenly realized she's been far too far away from her business. Sitting down, she thought of how best to handle the situation. Her staff waited as she considered a plan. "I need to deal with the manager." She said, more to herself than the two seated in front of her desk. "Audrey?"

"Yes?"

"Do we have Mrs. Sullivan's contact?"

She nodded, "We do."

"Get her on the line, please."

Audrey quickly stood up to get the office's telephone. She checked the file and dialed Mrs. Sullivan's number. It rang a few times before she picked. "Good afternoon, ma'am," she said before passing the phone to her boss.

"Hello, Mrs. Sullivan. This is Evangeline Swiss." She listened to the other woman respond brightly. Unsure if she was going to be easy to talk with, she took her time listening more to her response and tone, "My condolences about your late father's demise. He was a good man." She signaled to Audrey to bring the company's laptop and open the file too. "Yes. I'm calling in respect of the proposal." She listened, "I just got to know you don't have mine yet. It's been submitted to your manager since..." She beckoned to Audrey, who stood and pointed at the date on the file: "Two weeks ago." She told her.

"I am sorry to disturb you over this on the phone. Can we bring another draft and maybe discuss in person?" When the woman agreed, her face brightened up. "Today would be great." She murmured to her PA. Audrey instantly got her notepad and scribbled what was being said. "Cartels, this evening, 5p.m." She repeated so her PA could get the information. "Thank you again ma'am." She smiled at something the woman said, "See you then."

She turned to her staff and informed them, "We have a meeting with her soon. You both are coming with." With a nod, she dismissed them.

CHAPTER 64

The court resumed the second phase of the trial, with the standby juror called to the stand by the state attorney. During the short recess, the two attorneys had been at loggerheads as to who should call the second juror. But it was all a ploy by Adriana; she wanted the state attorney to call the second juror. That way, when she cross-checks the juror, her testimony wouldn't look bought. After all, she wasn't the one to call her to the stand. Finally, having given the attorney a tough time, she agreed to let him have the stage.

"Stand-by juror 2. Can we have you on a seat, please?" He called happily. As she walked upstage, Adriana smiled. This should be a win. After the usual court routine had been done, the attorney began his questioning

"How well do you know the accused?" He asked to gauge their relationship and whether this juror could be allowed to be the best of the accused's character.

"We are next-door neighbors." She responded calmly.

"Do you think the accused got those bruises by harming herself?" He asked

The woman looked petrified by the question, "Why would she harm herself?"

"The same reason why she wanted to harm her husband." The attorney replied.

"No." She shook her head, "She couldn't have. Swollen mouth, broken arms. Swollen face. I don't think she could have done that to herself." The juror said. "I happen to know how often he hit her. We could always hear her scream every time. There was nothing we could do. The door was always locked."

"Did you at any time call the police?"

"We did, once. She didn't" she looked at the accused and shook her head pitifully, "She didn't like that. Warned us never to." Then added, "Said it was because she didn't want her husband going to jail"

Some were petrified and very annoyed. They couldn't resist passing sly comments. The accused looked at them all, sadly. It was like they didn't understand why she did all these things for her late husband. The man had been a troubled man all his life. The clerk called for the order.

"Did you talk to her about this unsafe behavior?"

"And by unsafe behavior, you mean how she lets herself be beaten?" The juror asked.

"Yes."

"That one time, she was annoyed I'd called the police on her husband. She warned me never to interfere in her family's business. Her excuse was not even plausible. It was absurd. She claimed her husband was a troubled man and we should let him act out." She threw her hands in the air, at a loss for words to describe the situation.

"Finally!" The accused sighed, and everyone looked at her. She smiled at them all. Everyone, including Adriana, looked shocked.

The juror shook her head, staring at the woman, she made her point loud and clear "Looks to me like she was the troubled one." It was a great punch to Adriana's build-up points. She slides down further in her chair.

The state attorney smiled at that. The juror had nailed it. Now, he had to ride on that confession. "Has she ever put anyone in danger or even herself?"

The juror sighed, recollecting an incident. "A while back, I came home to find her in another nasty fight with her husband."

"Before you proceed, I'd like to know. These fights with her husband, have they ever landed her in the hospital?" He asked. Knowing what the answer would be.

"No." the juror responded

"Not once?"

"No."

The attorney looked at the jury and commented, "Not once did she land in the hospital." Adriana sat up straight. Okay, that was wrong, mister. She smiled at herself. There's still hope... "Please go on with this incident you were describing."

"After their fight, he left the house. Some minutes later, she paused, unsure how long it took to get out, "I stepped out to get some things. She was outside with a knife."

"Who?"

The juror pointed at her. "She was with a knife, cutting through her own hand. It was a deep cut with blood everywhere. She just went. I screamed. And people started coming in. We rushed her to the hospital."

"I take it that was the one time she was rushed to the hospital after their fight?"

"Yes."

"And she inflicted that wound."

"Yes"

"The night of the incident, was there any fight?"

"Yes."

"Did you hear her scream?"

"No. It was awfully silent until the next morning, when we found her crying beside her dead husband."

"Members of the jury." He bowed slightly, "This woman had a fight with her husband and stabbed him severely with a knife." He flicked the remote, and vivid images of the crime scene were shown; the dead man and the stab wounds were on the screen for everyone to see. Some of the jury looked away. "They had a fight, and she stabbed him multiple times. And while she could have saved the man had she called for help, she waited until it was too late. He could have lived, but she wanted him dead, so she stayed till the next morning before asking for help. But then, he was already dead." He turned to the jury again, "I hope you're taking notes of all these." He turned to the judge, "That would be all, my Lord." He turned off the images and walked proudly to his seat. Adriana scoffed.

"Any cross-examination from the accused's attorney?" Asked the judge, who adjusted himself properly on his seat.

Adriana stepped forward. "Ma'am, the other time, you said that each time they fought, the door was always locked. Did I get that fact right?"

"Yes. The door was always locked." She confirmed.

"Who do you think locks the door?"

"Her late husband, I suppose."

"Objection, my Lord," the state attorney stood up immediately, "Couldn't it have been the accused who locks the door, considering her willingness to self-inflict injury?"

"Sustained." The judge approved, "Juror. You may answer that."

"I think it's her husband." She quickly corrected herself, "Late husband."

"Why are you insisting he's the one?" Adriana asked, hoping her response would ruin everything.

"I saw him more than once. In fact, I got to dread seeing him near the door because I knew what that meant." She looked at the accused pitifully again.

"Doesn't that sound premeditate to you?" She turned to the judge, then the juror. "The man locks the door while pounding his wife till she lays weak and helpless to the point where she sees nothing wrong in slicing her hands."

She moved towards the audience, "That looks like a premeditated crime with no remorse and it kept happening over and over again. The jury, my lord, this woman right here has suffered enough. It is wrong to keep her suffering by punishing her for a crime committed out of self-defense." Taking the remote, she flicked the picture back to the horrible wounds on the late man's body. "Members of the jury, please take a good look at these wounds." She zoomed in, "I know they look offensive, but please, just take a look because of a life that's at stake due to these." She cajoled. All the jury looked at the obscene sight.

"These are wounds inflicted by a kitchen knife. They are not deep cuts. Given the circumstances, the accused ran into the kitchen to defend herself. The multiple stabs were to get him off her back. And like anyone, seeing such a sight made her lose it. She didn't deliberately leave him unattended till morning. She tried to resuscitate him before passing away." She moved the pictures to where the wound looked like someone had draped clothes cover it to stop the bleeding, "She fainted while tending the wounds" Adriana said in a whisper, "She did her best to revive the same man who had molested her over and over and over again." She flicked the projection off and faced the jury, "The jury, please take these into consideration while you make your rulings." As she walked to her seat. Adriana waited with everyone for the jury to reveal its verdict.

The voting started immediately. The jury wrote their verdict and threw it into the box one after the other. This way, no one knows what the other wrote, and everyone is safe. Once done, the clerk goes to the box and brings out the papers.

"Guilty." She read. "Not guilty." She reads the next one. "Not guilty." She read again. As she read, Adriana, the other attorney, and the judge, along with others, counted. The jury had ruled in favor of the accused. Adriana tried to curtail her joy.

"The jury finds you not guilty." The judge announced, "You are hereby discharged and acquitted."

"Court." The clerk called, everyone stood, and the judge walked out. Adriana shook hands with the attorney and went to congratulate her client. "You're free to go home now." She said.

The woman looked at her and started weeping. It wasn't strange to see clients cry over their victory. At least that was what Adriana had thought until the woman said, "There's no home with Ben." And then she knew, her client might really be the one who's troubled after all!

Tired and in need of a quick shower, Adriana went through the back door as she usually does when avoiding the press. And the press this time was loud. Everyone was interested in the outcome, given the peculiarity of the case. It was twisted when the supposed victim turned out to be the accused. Everyone had concluded it was a murder case, that the woman's delay in calling the police or 911 was so her husband could be dead before help came. Nobody had cared to know what had happened between the hours she didn't call and daybreak. All everyone wanted to know was why she didn't call.

Peeping to be sure no one was there, she stepped down and started to walk to her car. Before she could open the door, a car drove roughly and stopped right in her front. In a quick flash, someone got out, pulled a black hood over her head, and bundled her into the car. She couldn't even scream. Everything had happened in a flash. But as her captors drove away, Adriana smiled inwardly. It wouldn't take long before her family discovered her missing.