“No, I paid cash for the property.”
“Did Mr. Taliaferro give you a receipt for the cash?”
“No.”
“Do you often keep large sums on hand, such as the six hundred and fifty thousand dollars you maintain you paid my client?” Allison asked.
“I do a lot of cash business.”
“For amounts this large?”
“I paid in cash, like I already said.”
“Mr. Whitfield, how do you explain Dr. Kushner’s expert opinion that someone forged Mr. Taliaferro’s signature on the sales document?”
“He’s wrong—he made a mistake; he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
“What about Dr. Kushner’s expert opinion about the validity of Mr. Taliaferro’s signatures on the San Francisco documents?”
“He’s wrong again! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!”
“Do you have a handwriting expert who can contradict Dr. Kushner’s expert opinions?”
“Don’t need one.” Whitfield pointed to Kushner. “He’s obviously incompetent.” Whitfield almost rose out of the chair and shook his finger at Allison. “I gave this court my word!”
“The adequacy of your word will be a matter for the court to decide… I have no further questions for this witness, Your Honor. Res ipsa loquitur.”
Whitfield rose to his feet and looked at the judge. “What’s she talking about?”
Judge Prentice said, “Counselor Stevens used a Latin phrase, which means the thing speaks for itself. Take your seat at the defense table unless Mr. Scott wishes to ask you more questions.”
“I’ll say this whole sorry affair speaks for itself,” said Whitfield, “a travesty of justice.”
“Counselor Scott, take your client back to his seat and keep his mouth shut before I have the bailiff remove him from my courtroom.” Scott pulled the angry Whitfield back to the defense table. “Mr. Scott, do you have more witnesses?”
“No, Your Honor.”
“Counselor Stevens, do you wish to call anyone else to the stand?”
“No, Your Honor. We’d like to play the tape submitted as Exhibit E.”
“I don’t think we need to listen to the tape, nor do we need any closing statements from the attorneys, because this court has already heard enough. The time is only three-fifteen; I’ll need until four-thirty to consider my ruling.” He banged his gavel.
Eric, Joseph, Cathy, and Joan walked out of the courtroom. Once they were outside in a shady spot away from other people, Joseph asked, “Mom’s something else again, isn’t she?”
“She is,” Eric said.
“Your mom’s awesome,” Cathy said.
Joseph asked, “Nothing happened in Mr. Whitfield’s favor, did it?”
“He’s about to lose big time,” Joan said.
“Did Mr. Whitfield really believe he could get away with something so obviously outrageous?”
“His family has run roughshod over this county for decades. Until now, only the Andrews family has had any success against the Whitfields.”
Joseph turned to Eric. “This trial was civil, not criminal?”
“Civil, although criminal acts apparently were committed,” Eric said.
“We should stay tuned for developing events. Judge Prentice might have something to say about criminal acts,” Joan said. “Mr. Whitfield may be in for a big, unpleasant surprise.”
Judge Prentice took his seat, adjusting his half-frame glasses in order to read the paper he held. “I rule for the plaintiff. The sale was fraudulent. The property belongs to Mr. Taliaferro.” Judge Prentice spoke to Whitfield. “You will immediately cease and desist from any attempts to keep Mr. Taliaferro from the use of his property.”
“You’re an—” Whitfield began before Scott pulled his client back to his seat.
“Thank you, Mr. Scott. I’ll publish my written judgment within twenty-four hours.” The judge asked the bailiff, “Did you summon the county district attorney and sheriff as I ordered?”
“Yes, Your Honor. Both men are in the room.”
“Will the district attorney and sheriff please come forward?” Both men went to the front of the courtroom. “Yes, I am new to this county, but not to the practice and implementation of the law. Both of you will receive written transcripts of these proceedings. I adjure you to consider without prejudice the high probability of criminal acts leading to this trial. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”
“Yes, Your Honor,” both men said.
“Excellent. My judicial eye will be on further events. I also am sending transcripts to the state attorney general and to the head of the GBI.”
Whitfield exploded from his seat. “What the hell is going on here? You can’t call me a criminal! You’re an outlander! You have no business interfering with activities in this county!” He pushed Scott away. “You’re railroading me! Damn you all!” He started to leave the defense table.
“Sheriff, take this man into custody,” the judge ordered. “He’s in flagrant contempt of court.”
“Contempt?” Whitfield roared. “I for damn sure hold you in contempt!”
“Mr. Whitfield, you’ve already earned yourself thirty days in the county jail for contempt. One more outburst from you and you’ll serve ninety—no, make it one hundred and twenty—days.”
Scott pushed Whitfield back to his seat. “Sit down, Ralph, and keep your mouth shut. You’re in enough trouble as it is.”
“Sheriff,” the judge said, “take Mr. Whitfield directly to the county jail and keep him there.”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“Handcuff Mr. Whitfield. I want him out of my courtroom.”
The sheriff forced Whitfield to his feet and cuffed him. “Come on, Ralph, let’s go.”
Judge Prentice issued another order. “Sheriff, you will treat Mr. Whitfield like any other person incarcerated in your jail. If I hear he receives special treatment, you will answer to me and to your regret.”
“Yes, Your Honor.” The sheriff motioned for two of his deputies to help him remove the struggling Whitfield from the courtroom.
“We’re through with this unfortunate business,” the judge said.
The bailiff bellowed, “This honorable court is adjourned.”
Eric went to Allison. “Counselor, I’m sure glad you’re on my side. I’d hate to be against you in court.”
Allison gave him a light kiss. “I figure always to be on your side.” She swept her hand across the small group. “Miz Lizbeth is hosting a celebratory dinner for us. Raymond and his partner will be there, too.” She turned to Cathy. “You and your grandparents are invited. And, Joan, I suspect you already have an invitation?”
“That I do. Wouldn’t miss the celebration for love or money.”
“Miz Lizbeth was confident of the outcome?” Eric asked.
Joseph said, “Res ipsa loquitur.”
CHAPTER 20
Thursday, 18 September
Eric and Allison relaxed with cups of coffee in the warm glow of The Lakefront Restaurant located a few miles north of Vickery on Lake Hartwell in South Carolina. Allison had agreed to this restaurant as the site of their official first date. She asked, “Did you enjoy your fish?”
“I did.”
“I thought you probably were a beef and potatoes guy.”
“I have an eclectic taste in food, particularly when I don’t have to cook it.”
“Can you cook?”
“I like to cook. I’ll cook something for you on our next date, maybe one of my special grilled steaks, if you eat beef.”
“I do, in moderation.”
“Did Joseph have any objections to spending the night at, what do you call it, the Big House?”
“Not at all. He said he hoped the earth moved for us tonight.”
“He’s read Hemingway’s For Whom the Bells Toll?”
“And several of Papa’s other books.”
“A precocious young man, as I’ve already observed on several occasions.”
“It’s a mixed blessing. In some respects he’s very mature for his years; in others, he’s a teenager with all the emotional baggage the age entails.”
“How do you fell about the earth moving for us tonight?” Eric grinned.
Allison did not smile in return. “I don’t object, in principle.”
“But?”
“I want you to court me.”
Eric did not respond that, from his perspective, he had been courting Allison almost from the time he had taken the pastorate at Aldersgate. “For how long?”
“A decent interval.”
“I’m willing to court you and to wait until you’re ready for something more.”
“I didn’t say I wanted to wait for us to have sex. Having sex with you undoubtedly will be a lot of fun but I don’t want to commit to much more right now.”
“I prefer the term making love to having sex. And I would like to make love with you tonight, and for many days and nights thereafter, with no other commitments for the time being.”
Allison arched her eyebrows over her sparkling eyes, a smile finally appearing on her face. “The drive back to Vickery should be long enough for our dinners to settle before the main event. Your house or mine?”
“Where will you be more comfortable—your house, the parsonage, or a motel?”
“The parsonage for tonight, if our making love outside of marriage doesn’t offend your religious sensibilities.”
“My religious sensibilities will be enhanced, not offended.”
Once they were in his bed, Eric and Allison kissed deeply. Her strong musk wafted to his nostrils and he put his hand between her legs, thinking she might enjoy a little foreplay. He found her more than moist, his finger moving without hindrance.
“I don’t need any foreplay tonight, Eric.” She stroked him with lubricating fluid. He gasped when she rubbed her thumb across the tip of his penis. “And I don’t think you do either.”
Searing heat inflamed Eric’s crotch. Allison’s nipples burned his chest. She opened her legs. She pressed her pubic bone against his and her tongue moved in and out of his mouth in concert with his thrusting, and her hips moving back and forth. Within minutes, both climaxed in unison.
Allison pushed Eric off of her and onto his back. She knelt on top of him. “Did the earth move for you?”
“Like an earthquake,” Eric said. He used both hands to massage her breasts before he leaned forward to put one nipple in her mouth. She moaned with pleasure.
When her hips started to move, she asked, “How soon can we have a repeat performance? Are you too exhausted?”
“No way.” He inserted himself again, grasped her buttocks with both hands and pulled her hard against him. Allison rocked back and forth until she orgasmed for a second time, assisted by his upward thrusts. Rather than pull away, she again pressed her crotch against him. Eric massaged her breasts until she orgasmed once again. Allison fell forward on Eric, whose penis remained inside of her. Once her breathing slowed, she rocked her hips back and forth until Eric orgasmed with as much intensity as the first time.
Allison rolled over onto her back. Eric followed suit, putting an arm under her neck to hold her close. “Let’s rest awhile,” Allison laughed and was soon sound asleep, snoring lightly.
Allison awoke to find Eric already awake. “You didn’t sleep well?”
“I slept fine. The Army instilled me with the habit of waking up early, regardless of how late I was up the night before.”
Allison pulled the sheet off Eric to reveal the scars on his torso. She ran her fingers over them. “I saw these scars, as well as the ones on your legs and arms, last night.” Her smile warmed Eric’s heart. “I was too busy to ask you about them. You were wounded in combat?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“You’ve already seen where I was wounded.”
Allison pulled the hairs on Eric’s chest. “Don’t try to out-lawyer the lawyer. I’m asking about the geographical location of the battle.”
“In a firefight along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
“Which side of the border?”
“The U.S. government officially defines the border as porous, so who knows?”
“The wounds don’t look like they came from bullets.”
“Shrapnel from a rocket-propelled grenade. We were in a firefight, had to shoot our way out until the weather cleared sufficiently for helicopters to rescue us.”
“Were you wearing an armored vest?”
“Full battle rattle. Otherwise I’d probably be dead. Fortunately, my helmet protected my head from the shrapnel and some of the blast.” Eric knocked on the wood of the headboard. “Explosive blasts sometimes lead to quirky aftereffects.”
“The vest was deficient, like I read in an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution?”
“We were issued inappropriately manufactured vests. Supposedly, the problem has been rectified.”
“I remember thinking how awful it must have been for our troops to believe they had adequate protection when they, in fact, did not.”
“Also think about the devastating effects for the families of the wounded and killed warriors.”
“I hope someone, other than the warriors, paid for sending deficient armor to you guys.”
“And gals. Don’t forget the women warriors.”
“Has anybody paid for the mistakes?”
“Warriors paid in blood, like we always do. The defense contractors and military procurement officers probably haven’t paid a damn thing, at least not in this life.”
“Tell me about the battle, if you’re willing.”
“We won an old-fashioned small-arms slug fest, if you define winning as killing a lot of enemy fighters and losing only two of my comrades and friends. I wouldn’t want the gory details to ruin our memories of a great night.”
“How long were you in the hospital?”
“Several weeks. I had already been in the Army for twenty years. I was tired of fighting, so I accepted a medical discharge.”
“Based upon last night, you haven’t suffered any long-term effects.”
“I recovered.”
“I can verify your recovery. You must have had a lot of practice making love.”
“Let’s focus on the present and the future.” Eric said. “You did rather well yourself last night.”
Allison lightly kissed Eric before getting out of the bed. “You haven’t seen anything yet. After I use your bathroom again, perhaps I can exceed rather well before breakfast and work.” She laughed. “My God in heaven—I’ve missed making love.”
CHAPTER 21
Friday, 19 September
Eric drove Allison the short distance to her home. He paused at the front door of Allison’s house to kiss her good-bye before returning to the parsonage to prepare for his morning run. “See you later at Jean’s. We should have a repeat performance of last night, sooner than later.”
“I’m open to many more repeats.”
“I love you.”
“I know.”
Eric walked off the front porch, unaware he and Allison were under scrutiny.
“What a lucky break for us,” Sheriff’s Deputy Gilbert Rice exclaimed, as he took the last of several photos using the digital camera purchased with Department of Homeland Security funds. “The Commander for sure will want to see these photos.” Rice transferred the photos to a memory stick and erased them from the digital camera, which he put back into its receptacle on the dashboard of the cruiser.
A few minutes before noon, when Sheriff Brodman usually left his office for lunch, Rice drove his personal car by the Legal Restaurant to confirm the sheriff’s presence inside the establishment. Rice went into the jail and told the desk officer, “I have business with one of the prisoners.” The desk officer asked no questions.
Rice made his way to the cell where Whitfield lay on his bunk. “Got something you should see. I think you can use it.”
“It had better be interesting because you’ve broken security.”
Rice passed the photos to Whitfield. After a few moments of inspection, Whitfield grinned. “You’ve done well, sergeant. Good thinking and action. Caught almost in flagrante delicto.”
“What does that gobbledygook mean?”
Whitfield kept his exasperation under control. “It’s a Latin phrase indicating you caught Jameson and his lover red-handed after a night of illicit sex.” He passed the photos back though the bars of the cell to Rice. “If I can believe my worthless lawyer, I’ll be released this afternoon or in the morning. I should never have let the idiot marry into the family.” Whitfield laughed. “Send me the photos in a plain brown envelope marked Personal and Confidential.”
“What do you have to do to get out?”
“Make a full apology in open court, pay a ten-thousand-dollar fine, and promise to behave in the future.”
“Do you want me and our brothers to take out Judge Prentice?”
“In due time we’ll bring him, the pervert Taliaferro, his partner, his lawyer, the good Reverend, and that bitch on wheels to justice. Our justice.”
“We’ll be ready for your orders.”
“Can’t move on them now. People will assume I’m involved.”
“What next?”
“Wait. Be ready to blow the nigger church to hell when I give you the order.”
“Just let me know when. I’ve got the C4 primed and ready to go,” the sergeant said.
“I’ll give you the word directly.”
“Consider it done, Commander.”
“You better get out of here before anyone sees us talking.”
“Commander, our brothers wait for vengeance, and the Restoration.”
Mary greeted Eric when he arrived in his church office, “Eric, Mr. Taliaferro and a Mr. Charles Thomas should be here in a few minutes. Mr. Taliaferro said you knew they would be coming in this morning?”
“Yes, Raymond and Charles stopped by Jean’s earlier this morning.”
“Any idea what they want?”
“I don’t know for sure.”
Comfort and Affliction Page 16