A Snow Covered Nightmare: Refuge Series Book Two by Debbie Zello (11)

Chapter Eleven

Cody Williams was waiting at eight in the morning, to drive Briah to the courthouse. He had worked for the marshal service for three years, doing everything from delivering summons to guarding evidence. This was his first baby-sitting job.

He was told on Friday, that he was going to be the chauffer/bodyguard/baby-sitter for a witness in a murder trial. Great! He was paying his dues, biding his time, until something opened up and then he was pouncing. Enough of the crap duty he was always getting.

Cody was standing outside of the car, leaning against the door. He looked up from checking his watch, to see a lovely young woman walking towards him. She wore a light beige skirt-suit with a white frilly blouse under it. Her shapely legs were long and beautiful. Her heels clacked on the sidewalk as she was hurrying toward the car. “Are you here for Briah Spencer?”

“Yes ma’am. I’m Cody; are you Briah?”

“I am, and I hope I haven’t made us late. I changed my mind at the last minute on what to wear. What do you think?”

“What are you going for?” he asked having dealt with women before and not wanting to give the wrong answer.

“Sophisticated, non-bimbo, has a brain, but not stuck-up.”

“Yup, I can see that!” he said feeling that was a safe answer. What she really looked like to him was a knockout masquerading as a secretary. He might enjoy this baby-sitting gig after all.

She was quiet on the drive to the courthouse, and Cody didn’t press the issue by trying to engage her in conversation. He just looked her way occasionally in the mirror. She sat in the center of the backseat. She looked far away in thought. He didn’t know that much about who she was or what trial she was involved in, but for her to have an escort it must be something special.

He pulled into the underground garage, as he had been instructed to do. Briah felt it was all a little silly to take so many precautions, but went along uncomplaining, with the plan. Cody parked and got out, coming around to open the door for Briah. She slid over in the seat and climbed out. He escorted her to the prearranged conference room and opened the door. As she went to walk in, he said, “I’ll be right where I parked when you are finished for the day. Have a bailiff bring you down to the garage and I’ll drive you home. Good luck.”

“Thank you, Cody,” she said walking through the door. Blain was waiting for her, dressed in his black, perfectly tailored three-piece suit. He looked like he had just stepped off the page of a designer’s portfolio. He smiled widely.

“You look sensational, Briah. Pretty and professional, how do you do that?”

“Spackle and spanks; my two deadly weapons,” she said giggling.

“Did you get some sleep last night?” he asked chuckling.

“With the help of two Advil and two glasses of Zinfandel. I thought I’d worry about addiction later.”

“Good thinking. I’m going to go and shake hands with the poor people who have been paid a fortune to defend a murderer. They’ll call you in as soon as the court settles and the jury is seated. It might be several minutes in case there is any last-minute wrangling to do.”

“I’ll be right here, twiddling my thumbs. Good luck with everything,” she said seriously.

“Thanks. Relax, you got this.” He walked out, leaving her alone in the bleak room. She wondered if all courthouses were decorated by macabre-are-us.

She walked around the room, figuring she would be sitting for quite some time so she kept moving while she could. She looked out the window at the people walking by, who had no idea what was happening in the courtroom down the hall; that, right now, the man who’d shot Dan in the groin and face was sitting in a chair while Dan was buried forever. The door opened.

“Miss Spencer, they are ready for you now. Please follow me,” the bailiff said. She followed him out, noticing that he had a gun at his side. Given the identity of the defendant, it shouldn’t have surprised her, but it did.

He opened the door to the courtroom for her, allowing her to enter in front of him. It was a very large courtroom. Briah had watched some court shows on television, but this one was much larger than any she had seen. To her dismay, it was full, leaving no empty seats at all.

She walked alone down the aisle, first looking at the judge. He sat behind an ornately carved, large, raised desk. He had a statue of Blind Justice on the far corner. Flags and such were behind him. To Briah’s left sat Blain, along with two other men and one woman. To her right, was a table with five men, one of which was David Slater. He was dressed in his own three-piece suit and she wondered briefly why he wasn’t wearing an orange suit with a ball attached by a chain to his leg. That would have suited him better than this suit did.

The judge pointed to the left of his desk, to a chair that was higher than the floor but not as high as his desk, for her to sit in. “Please take a seat, Miss Spencer,” he said to her.

“Thank you,” Briah said. Sitting down, she crossed her leg and tucked her skirt under her.

“Please swear in the witness,” someone said. A woman stood up and walked to Briah.

“Stand please and raise your right hand. Do you swear to tell the truth in these proceedings?”

“I do.”

“State your name for the record, please.”

“Briah Spencer.”

“You may have a seat.” Briah repositioned herself in the chair. Blain stood at his table.

“Good morning, Miss Spencer.”

“Good morning, Mr. Kurtz.”

And so, it began. For the next three hours, Briah retold all of the gory details of what had happened in the office that afternoon. What she heard and what she saw. Blain took her through everything as easily as he could.

Max Delmar, the lead defense attorney, bounced up and down in his chair like a puppet. He objected to just about everything Blain asked. Briah loved the look on David’s face, when she first said she had seen the whole thing from the closet. It was his moment to realize how badly he had screwed up.

They broke for lunch with Briah a little more than half way through her testimony. It was apparent that with the bobble-head defense they wouldn’t finish her cross today. She would have to come back tomorrow.

Blain had sandwiches brought into the conference room for his team and Briah. “You did very well, Briah. I’m so happy with what we have done so far. Keep it up,” he told her.

“I’m exhausted from my head swiveling back and forth because they keep objecting.”

“They do that to interrupt my train of thought, and your ease of answering. It’s a tactic, and if you could see the judge’s face as I can, you’d see he is getting sick of it as well. Soon, he’ll drag all of us into his chamber and put an end to it. All that does is confuse the jury. Which is also what they want. A confused jury usually acquits.”

“Don’t say that. Dan needs justice. I need to know it’s possible.”

“It’s early, Briah. So much can happen. We haven’t brought in the tape or the gun. Those two things along with your testimony will be enough to convict him. I’m betting a year’s salary on it.”

“You found someone to take that bet?”

“I have friends that will bet on anything. Eat your lunch. An hour goes by quickly,” he said smiling. Briah walked around the room again and made sure she used the rest room before she went back.

The judge reminded her that she was still under oath, and Blain began questioning her again. The afternoon wore on, and just before the fifteen-minute break at three o’clock, Blain concluded his questions and turned Briah over for cross-examination. They went on the break and came back.

“Miss Spencer, you have testified that you saw everything from a crack in the door, is that correct?” Max asked.

“Yes.”

“How big was the crack?”

“I’d say about three inches.”

“Are you a carpenter that you would know what three inches looks like?”

“No sir, I’m a woman with a keen eye and a sharp mind,” she said stone-faced. The entire courtroom burst out laughing.

“I see, so you are imagining that it was three inches? What else did you imagine about what you say you saw?”

“Nothing, sir. I saw your client,” she said pointing directly at David for the second time. “Standing in front of my boss, Dan Post. I heard him arguing with Dan, and I heard him shoot him, killing him.”

“I object to the witness’s characterization of my client. Please instruct her to answer with a yes or no and not to embellish her answers,” Max shouted.

“The witness will answer with a yes or no,” the judge said looking at Briah.

“Yes, your honor, sorry,” she said contrite, as the courtroom quieted.

“So, you’re in this closet and you’re filing, right?”

“Yes.”

“How long had you been in there?”

“Yes.”

“I asked you how long?” Max repeated.

“Your honor, I can’t answer that. It’s not a yes or no and Mr. Delmar just said, he only wanted a yes or no,” Briah said.

“Everyone approach the bench,” the judge said loudly. All of the attorneys walked up to talk to the judge. He moved his chair over to the side away from the microphones. After a heated discussion, Blain smiled at Briah as he walked back. “Miss Spencer, you will answer the questions posed to you by the attorneys, to the best of your knowledge. If you can answer with a yes or no, please do so. If it requires a different answer, please provide it in as few words as possible. Do you understand?”

“Yes, your honor. I was filing for approximately ten minutes.”

“You didn’t see the person walk in, did you?”

“No.”

“You became aware of someone in the office when you heard voices speaking?”

“Yes.”

“You turned around and the door was almost closed, yet you didn’t see who had closed it. Is that right?”

“Yes.”

“So for all you know, the person that had come into the office closed it. Isn’t that a possibility?”

“No. Mr. Slater was there to kill Dan, not to protect me by closing the door,” Briah spoke as if she was pondering the question. It was magic in the courtroom. Blain was biting his lip as Max was exploding in anger.

“Your honor! I object and ask that the witness testimony be stricken from the record, and the jury instructed to disregard her statement. Once again to instruct this witness to refrain from editorializing.”

“Calm down, Mr. Delmar. Miss Spencer, you have been asked to keep your answers to a bare minimum.”

“I’m so sorry your honor. I apologize to the court, Mr. Delmar and the jury. I’m sorry that my honesty offends. I’m offended by liars and murderers.”

That was it, the judge had to clear the court and adjourn for the day. Blain knew he was going to be reamed out by the judge, and told to control his witness, as if anyone could control her. He knew exactly what she was doing and he loved it. Still he would have to put a stop to it or risk being in contempt of the court. He wrote on his pad “What a woman” and threw it into his briefcase.

Briah waited in the conference room for Blain. She knew she was in trouble, and she would do it again. Some things were worth the punishment and some weren’t. This definitely was.

A few minutes later, Blain walked in. “I don’t know whether to kiss you or spank you. If I were a single man, I might do both,” he said chuckling. “That was some stunt, and I could honestly say, I knew nothing about it, thank you for that.”

“You’re welcome. How much trouble am I in?”

“You’re going to get the contempt of court lecture, first thing in the morning, outside the presence of the jury. Then you’re going to behave for me. As much as I enjoyed that, I don’t want you in trouble. I wish it were taped. It won’t read as well as if they could see your face as you delivered the lines.

“Well, that was some first day. Get out of here and go home. Same time tomorrow, right here. And thank you,” he said walking out. Briah stood there for a few minutes, relishing the tremendous feeling making your point gives you. She had called David a murderer twice in open court and his battery of well-paid attorneys couldn’t stop her.

She walked out of the room. She found a bailiff in the hallway, and asked her if she would escort her to the parking garage. The two women walked down to the elevators and got in. Briah was tired, which was funny to her, because all she had done all day was talk. Mental fatigue was just as exhausting as physical.

Briah saw the car as soon as they stepped off the elevator. “Thank you,” she said to the bailiff as she neared the car. A strange man opened the driver’s door and stepped out. “Who are you?” Briah asked.

“Damian.”

“Where is Cody?” she said becoming nervous. Briah held onto the forearm of the bailiff as she moved her hand to her gun at her side.

“He got called away and I’m taking his place. I’m sorry to scare you, but it was unavoidable. He had a family emergency that he had to tend to. I’ll be driving you home. He’ll be back in the morning, to drive you back here. I can call someone to verify it for you if you want,” he said.

“No, it’s all right. I understand. Things happen,” Briah said feeling better. She turned to the bailiff again and said, “Thank you, I’ll be fine.”

“Okay, I’ll let Mr. Kurtz know you’re on your way home.”

“I’ll see everyone in the morning,” Briah said brightly as she got into the car. She took her usual spot in the back seat right in the center of the seat. Damian got into the driver’s seat, adjusting the mirror. He turned slightly around to look at Briah.

“You should buckle up, Miss Spencer.”

“I am, thank you.”

“No, I mean with the shoulder harness over there,” he said pointing to the seat by the passenger side door.

“If I sit in the back seat of a car I always sit in the center of the seat. I sat in the back seat when I was a little girl. I couldn’t see over the head-rest, so I got used to sitting in the center of the seat so I could see where we were going,” she explained. She could see he wanted to say more but chose not to.

Aiden arrived at the courthouse a few minutes after Briah had left. He walked down the hall after spotting Blain talking to someone. Aiden got close and then stopped, not wanting to appear that he was listening to their conversation. Blain finished speaking and turned to walk towards Aiden. “Have you seen Briah?”

“Not yet. Where is she?”

“I was told she had left and gone home,” Blain said.

“I missed her then.”

“You missed a lot today,” Blain, said smiling.

“Did I? What happened? How did it go?”

“Like clockwork. It was magnificent. She was magnificent. I’ll let her tell you, but she is one hell of a woman,” he said reverently.

“Don’t I know it,” Aiden cogitated. Blain’s attention was redirected elsewhere and Aiden walked away. He got to his car, deciding to drive to her house. Maybe he would take her to dinner if she wasn’t too tired. He’d see when he got there. They could order in if she was tired.

Briah was looking out the window watching the scenery pass by. They were early, as her antics had cleared the court. So they were slightly ahead of the usual afternoon rush-hour traffic. It was a lazy, warm afternoon. It wasn’t raining yet, but the sky was gloomy with the threatening grey color it takes on just before it rains.

Briah watched the pedestrians walking quickly, as though they were trying to get where they were going before getting wet. She looked down at the seat next to her, thankful there was an umbrella there. Her crepe suit wouldn’t be stained with raindrops.

Damian shifted in his seat, causing Briah to look up. He held a gun in his hand and it was pointing at her. Before even taking a breath, she grabbed for the gun. Being restricted by the seatbelt made her strain to reach it.

She got a hold of his fingers, trying to redirect the barrel sideways. Ducking her head, at the last possible second the gun went off, shattering the rear window behind her. The second shot was immediate, and demolished the rear window next to her.

Still struggling with his grip on the weapon, she pointed it to the ceiling as it went off again. The last thing she saw was his face, as he grabbed her with the other hand, to free her grip on the gun.

Aiden got to her apartment and knocked on the door. There wasn’t any answer, so he sat on the step, figuring he must have beaten her home. He called her cell but it went to voice mail. “Hey, beautiful. I’m here at your place waiting for you. I thought we might get something to eat. I ran into Blain at the courthouse. He said you had a lot to tell me. I can’t wait. Talk soon.”

He wasn’t really worried, because he knew she would have shut it off for court, and probably hadn’t remembered to turned it back on yet. He sat there playing FreeCell on his phone. Fifteen minutes later, when she still hadn’t arrived he called her again. When she didn’t pick up again, he stood and went back down the stairs to his car.

Placing a call to dispatch he asked, “Anything going on?”

“There is a drive by shooting downtown resulting in an accident with injuries. A robbery at a convenience store, and a domestic. Pretty light for a Monday,” she said.

“Okay, thanks. You’re sure there is nothing related to the courthouse?”

“You looking for trouble?”

“No, my girlfriend is late getting home and isn’t answering her phone,” he explained.

“She’s crazy. If you were waiting for me, I’d be there!” she said laughing.

“Thanks, Jill. I’ll tell her you said that. If you hear anything call, okay?”

“You got it, cutie.”