NaNoWriMo Day 29: 41,948 of 50,000
The end is neigh and this story…. doesn’t have much left to it if I’m honest :/
To read the previous chapters head HERE!
Chapter Thirty-Nine
“Ladies and gentleman of the jury we find ourselves in a unique situation today. As the Greater Seattle clambers out of the rubble of disaster we have found ourselves here in this room together. While our city toils day and night to rebuild we have taken precious time away from our remaining friends and family to put on a speedy trial without all of the facts and evidence having been gathered.” Theo could not believe what he was hearing, but knew to brace for it. Adeline had mentioned that he was going to stop at nothing to convince the jury that this was moving too fast.
“Oh my gosh he is totally using pathos right now. Unreal,” Chloe had leaned over Alice to whisper that at her older brother.
Theo just rolled his eyes not in the mood to discuss the three types of appeals that can be made in an argument. This guy was moving fast as he walked over to where Adeline sat.
“In short, ladies and gentleman, she has done everything she can to get us here today just two months out from one of the worst natural disasters this area has ever seen. It is unfathomable to believe that we are here today without so much as the word of a witness who, by definition, is going to reveal himself to be a stalker,” Theo felt like a ton of bricks had just hit him, “so jury, I hope you see the incredible lengths District Attorney Adeline Stewart has gone to just to get us here today.”
With that he gave one last look at the jury and went back to his seat whispering into Tyler’s ear as Adeline stood up.
“The prosecution would like to bring Theodore Henderson to the stand your honor,” she uttered with politeness seeping from every word.
Theo took his cue and stood up squeezing Alice’s hand and giving his sister the best reassuring look he could give. He swung open the door that separated the gallery from the judge’s bench. Theo approached the witness stand and placed his hand on the Bible being held by the bailiff.
“Please raise your right hand and repeat after me,” the gentleman said looking sternly at Theo. After a deep breath Theo did as instructed and uttered the words he had heard often on TV and movies. “I solemnly and sincerely declare and affirm that the evidence I shall give will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” Theo hesitated to add ‘so help me God’ and was glad he decided against it as he realized how many people were looking at him as he sat down.
Adeline approached him with a smile on her face, but it wasn’t a friendly smile. It was both one to show him comfort and one to put on a show for the jury. “Mr. Henderson thank you for taking the stand I am sure this has been incredibly difficult for you,” she began smoothing her dress pants.
“I want the truth as much as everyone else does,” Theo spoke into the microphone.
Adeline smiled again. “Great,” all was going according to plan, “let’s begin with how you met both of the suspects. Could you begin by telling the courtroom how you met Tyler Wilkinson?”
Theo cleared his throat. “Sure. Right after I moved here from Michigan I was eager to get into the mountains for some snowboarding. As the season began I made my way to Stevens Pass. On that day I met Tyler on the lift and we had lunch afterward. We soon found out we lived near each other and that’s how I was introduced to Ophelia.”
Adeline nodded her head and moved toward the jury. “And were you introduced to Ophelia Sinclair through Tyler?”
“Sort of. I told Tyler I needed a coffee shop to do my work at and he mentioned Ballardite because he had a friend named Ophelia who worked there. I followed his advice and met Ophelia a few days later.”
Another nod before she continued. “How long after you met them before you began your own investigation into the women’s disappearances?”
Theo hesitated because the truth was that his investigation began with Saul then Tiffany went missing. “About three months,” Theo answered not necessarily lying.
“Who did you believe to be behind the disappearances initially, Theo?” she asked moving closer to him.
“Um, a man in my neighborhood,” Theo answered truthfully.
“Why were you initially drawn to this man and is he in this courtroom today?” she prompted.
“Objection your honor,” suddenly the defense attorney was up unbuttoning his jacket.
“Speaks to credibility, your honor,” Adeline coolly answered.
“Overruled,” the judge said simply allowing Adeline to continue.
“Please answer the questions Theo.”
“I was drawn to him because he had a knife and would use it to trim the weeds in our neighborhood,” Theo swallowed, “and yes he is in the courtroom. He is sitting right next to my younger sister Chloe behind your desk.” Theo pointed to where Saul sat. He stared at Adeline but did not express any emotion because the scrutiny of a ton of eyes on you was enough to shock you into a frozen position.
“When did you begin to realize this gentleman was not the suspect?”
“After he evacuated us to his cabin and explained himself to me.”
“Explained himself how?”
“Well, I or my friend Alice, actually, asked why he had a knife and disappeared a lot. He was able to answer each inquiry logically so we believed him.”
Adeline moved to stand right in front of Theo. “Theo could you please recount the events of your kidnapping for the court?”
Theo wanted to say yes because he knew he had to say yes, but every logical cell in his brain was telling him no. “Sure.”
Chapter Forty
The only thing holding Theo to the ground right now was the feel of Alice’s hand in his. The group had clambered out into the sunshine streaming in front of the courthouse after the judge decided to take a recess prior to the cross-examination. It usually didn’t happen that way, but members of the jury were showing discomfort over Theo’s recounting of the kidnapping and Theo himself was wanning in his resolve.
“Just tilt your head up and close your eyes,” Chloe said softly to the group.
Theo obliged and basked in the warmth of the sun thankful that he was alive and surrounded by people he cared about. “How are we doing?” Adeline’s voice approached them.
“Alright, under the circumstances,” Theo responded putting his head back down and opening his eyes. “How are you doing?”
Adeline was struck by that question but smiled nonetheless. “I am confident.”
Chloe spoke up always trying to be the cheerleader for the group. “Me too Ms. Stewart. Me too.”
Adeline smiled as Chloe continued basking in the sunshine. “Alright, head back in soon. Recess is almost over.”
He was domineering in his appearance and intense in his stare. The defense attorney stood up and unbuttoned his suit jacket a habit that was beginning to annoy Theo.
“Mr. Henderson,” he said in a condescending tone, “thank you for sharing your story today for the courtroom. It was most touching.”
Theo swallowed knowing he had to bite back the witty retort he had for him. “The truth needed to be told.”
“But at the expense of your friends?” he asked turning his body toward Ophelia and Tyler. Theo looked at them and felt nothing but sympathy for these two.
“They are not my friends.”
“Oh so you are telling the court that your loyalties change that quickly?”
“When someone kidnaps not one, not two, but three innocent people. Yes, my loyalties change sir.”
The man stepped closer to Theo before continuing. “Setting loyalties aside for a moment. Why should we believe you? If I’m not mistaken the other so-called witnesses are not coming forward to speak and to be honest I would be hard-pressed to believe a former friend who was missing for a day in the mountains over the testimony of three women who have been gone for nearly a year.”
Theo was boiling on the inside, but one look at Adeline made him stop short. “I cannot force anyone to believe me, sir. I just hope my story speaks for itself. Arguments aside, I do not know why anyone would come forward to claim they’d been kidnapped only to have it be revealed they were lying. What would one stand to gain by doing that?” Theo challenged the man realizing in that moment that a career as a lawyer could be an option for him.
“Well I think we can all find it quite simple,” he began, “to throw us off the trail from the real kidnappers.”
“Who are?”
“That’s my question Theo. Who are the real kidnappers because the evidence for Ophelia and Tyler being the kidnappers is dwindling by the minute. You yourself sit here claiming that one could stand to gain a lot by lying.”
Theo was about done with this man, but knew he had to power through.
“Objection, we are approaching a theoretical line of questioning your honor,” Adeline said standing up.
“I do agree Ms. Stewart. Mr. Hamilton,” the judge said peering down at the attorney, “can we get back to the facts please?”
“Of course, your honor. Mr. Henderson could you tell us more about your rescue. How exactly did you escape from the shed?” he buttoned up his suit before approaching the jury.
Theo was exhausted now. He felt like he had been retelling the same story over and over only to be stuck in an endless loop of kidnap and deceit. “I already told you all,” he said looking at his sister and Alice which somehow gave him encouragement, “my sister, my friend, and Saul had found me. Alice saw me before I left the property and was able to trace my route,” Theo finished.
“Hm. Okay. Seems pretty coincidental that it just worked out for you that way. When, allegedly, this other victims had been gone for nearly a year you just had to endure a night.” Theo didn’t know how to answer whatever question was in the inquiry coming from Mr. Hamilton, so he just stared at the man. “No further questions your honor.”
Theo wanted to shout hallelujah in the courtroom but knew that wasn’t appropriate, so when he was told he could leave the stand he tried his best not to rush back to his seat in the gallery. “I need some alcohol after this day,” Theo whispered to Alice.
“Done.”
Chapter Forty-One
Done indeed was the need for alcohol. After the court broke for the day Theo, Alice, Saul, and Chloe headed to a hole-in-the-wall place that was happy to be serving anyone alcohol. After the city began rebuilding there was only one thing that was helping many people endure the many deaths and injuries that shook the core of the people who lived in Seattle: a pint of beer. The clean-up effort was still going strong and could be heard from across Lake Washington.
“Cheers to resiliency,” Chloe said throwing her pint up. Everyone clinked their glasses together before taking a sip.
“I have to say Theo I was ready to get up and punch that defense attorney myself,” Saul shared making Theo smile.
“I am surprised I held it together. I swear if he went at me with one more ‘Well…’ question I was going to lose it!” Theo exasperated.
“Maybe that was the defense’s plan all along,” Alice shared making everyone look at her like something gross just walked into the room. “What? I’ve seen it on TV all the time. The y try to shake the witnesses which I just think is ridiculously insensitive.”
Theo couldn’t necessarily disagree, but Chloe was quick to defend her brother. “I don’t care what their tactic was, Theo didn’t let him get through,” she smiled at him, “I mean he looked a little shaken by the time that defense attorney got back to his seat.”
“I’m just glad my part is over.”
“Are you going to try to talk to the others? Convince them to take the stand?” Saul asked. For Saul he was just as intimately involved as Theo. His property was part of the crime scene which meant his turn on the stand was sure to come up soon.
“Whoa,” Chloe’s voice made everyone look at her, but their eyes quickly followed her eyes to the TV screen over the bar behind them.
“That’s right Paul,” a broadcaster was speaking in front of the courthouse looking just as tired as everyone else around here did, “the 25-year-old kidnapping suspect Ophelia Sinclair was found dead in her cell moments ago. No word yet on what will come of the trial into the kidnapping of three local women.”
Everyone simultaneously turned toward Theo as the broadcast moved on. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Ophelia was dead. How she had died no one knew, but for Theo it didn’t seem to matter. His friend, the one who had made his coffee every morning, the one who had-for a brief moment-given him happiness, was gone. It didn’t matter what Theo had said on that stand because for him Tyler and Ophelia would always be his friends in some capacity.
A few weeks passed and the trial had abruptly been called off. Adeline called Theo one morning after police found out a guard had stabbed Ophelia-a guard who was close friends with Tiffany Lee-to share that Tyler had taken a plea for 25 years to life in prison. Everyone wanted it to be over. It seemed naive and a little awkward, but Theo planned to go to Ophelia’s funeral that afternoon. He couldn’t seem to convince his therapist that this was something he needed to do. He needed to say goodbye to her. He needed to put it all behind him so he could move forward.
“We know the circumstances which brought Ophelia to leave us are not the most stable one’s to stand on. We know that she did not live a life free from strive and evil,” the pastor began his eulogy with an umbrella in one hand and a Bible in another as the small crowd stood around an empty grave in the cemetery, “but we know that God works things together for the good of those who love him as Paul tells us in Romans 8. We do not know where Ophelia’s heart laid that afternoon she left us, but we can put our hope in a righteous and loving God. We can hope that she is resting peacefully now.” The coffin was lifted and placed into the ground as a few mourners took a daisy, Ophelia’s favorite flower, and dropped it into her grave.
Theo followed the mourners, but was the last one to stand at her grave’s edge twirling the stem of the daisy in his fingers trying to muster up the courage to say what he needed to.
“Ophelia I cannot believe this is where we are. I cannot believe you are here,” Theo felt tears form in his eyes, “you made me feel safe for so long. You were always there with my morning cup.” He had to stop as the tears came out. Many people would believe Theo to be made of stone, but for him it ended when someone didn’t deserve to die did. Like Ophelia. “I cannot forgive you for how you manipulated me. I cannot forgive you for kidnapping me, but I know that before that there was a moment where our friendship was honest and true. So Ophelia,” he sobbed now as the rain beat down on him, “I will always remember that moment when I think of you. Always.” His daisy dropped as a hand touched his shoulder.
“Come on Theo, let’s go home,” Chloe was standing next to him and placed her umbrella over him. She looped her arm through his and walked them back to the waiting car.
Follow along with me this month at Jenna Pratt!
