“The prosecution would like to call Mr. James Bowers, Jr. to the stand,” Mr. De Luca stated, glancing at Mr. Bennett.
The doors to the court room opened and in walked Jimmy, clean shaven and in a nice suit, looking as if he were the boy next door. But it was the man that walked in alongside him that drew attention. He was a distinguished looking gentleman in a dark blue suit. His hair was lightly graying and slicked back. The man glanced around the courtroom and made eye contact with Mr. Bennett, who stared at him with narrowed eyes. The corners of the man’s mouth quirked up into a knowing smile before he looked at the prosecuting attorney.
“Go ahead, son,” Senator Bowers said loudly enough so the jurors could hear him. He lightly tapped Jimmy’s shoulder before nudging him forward slightly.
Elias was annoyed when Senator Bowers came in with his son. He knew that some of the jurors might be swayed by this and, as much as he hated it, he had to tip his hat off to Arturo. It was a good play. Elias turned around and could see that some of the jury was staring at Senator Bowers with rapt fascination. He did his best not to react but knew he needed to fix the situation before he lost his jury. He had been playing the jury like a fine instrument, slowly swaying them to a not guilty verdict. He knew that all he needed was a little bit of doubt and he could get Andrew off, but with the realization that Jimmy was Senator Bowers’ son, that could sway them back to Arturo’s side. It was a strange phenomenon with juries. If they saw someone they respected or whom they deemed as powerful, their testimony appeared more relevant and honest. The last thing that Elias needed was for them to believe Jimmy’s account of the events that took place at the lake.
“Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?” The bailiff asked.
Jimmy smiled brilliantly at the jury and then looked at the bailiff. “I do.”
The prosecutor walked up to Jimmy and smiled. “Thank you for coming in today, Mr. Bowers. Why don’t you tell us what occurred the night you were brutally assaulted by Mr. Harrison.”
“Object!” Mr. Bennett stated firmly. “I do believe that in this country a man is innocent until proven guilty. That being said, Mr. Harrison has not been convicted of assault and therefore should not be referred to as if he has been.”
Mr. De Luca grinned, excited that he had Elias riled up. It was rare that Elias was shaken, so it was a sight to behold. When Arturo had called the senator and asked that he accompany his son to court, he had thought it a brilliant plan and seeing the smug look washed off of Elias’s face was worth the groveling it took to get the senator there.
“I will rephrase. Mr. Bowers, could you please tell the jury how, on the night in question, Mr. Harrison attacked you without provocation?”
Arturo glanced at Elias, waiting for him to say something, but he said nothing. He sat there with his fingers entwined on the table and, inwardly, Arturo was flustered that Elias seemed to have regained his composure. Jimmy looked between both men and then at Andrew before turning to the jury.
“I, and several of my friends, were enjoying a day at the lake. We had invited Madison Ellis, a new girl in town, to come along. We were trying to be sociable and welcoming,” he said with a shrug.
Madison narrowed her eyes at him.
“When she arrived, she brought Andrew, a known sex...”
“OBJECT!” Mr. Bennett fired quickly, standing up. “Your Honor, what Mr. Harrison may or may not have done in the past has no bearing on the case before us and unjustly denies him the ability to receive a fair trial.”
“Approach,” the judge said motioning to both attorneys.
Andrew watched as both attorneys walked up to the judge. He couldn’t quite hear what they were saying but he could tell that Mr. Bennett was pleading his case. Andrew glanced behind him to Madison, who was also staring at the judge. He then turned to everyone else and all but Olivia were watching what was transpiring. Olivia was watching him. She gave him a small smile that, oddly enough, lessened some of Andrew’s anxiety. He smiled back at her before he heard the judge speaking.
“You are to disregard the last statement made by Mr. Bowers. You are not to use it in your deliberations on this case.” He turned to Jimmy. “You may not mention any past criminal allegations or convictions that you may be privy to. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir,” Jimmy said apologetically.
“Mr. Bowers, please continue,” Mr. De Luca said, slightly annoyed that he couldn’t get Mr. Harrison’s sex offender status in.
“When Madison arrived with Andrew, I was upset because of things I heard he had done in the past.” Jimmy looked up to the judge to see if that was acceptable. The judge nodded so he continued, “We had words, as I didn’t think it was appropriate that someone, ummm, like him, should be anywhere near us. At the end of the night, I saw him with Madison and, honestly, I really thought I was doing the right thing,” Jimmy said, looking at the jury with innocent and pleading eyes.
“What did you believe was happening?” Mr. De Luca asked in a concerned tone.
“Object,” Mr. Bennett stated with a sigh.
“Your Honor, this has direct bearing on the mindset that Mr. Bowers was in at the time. What he believed is indeed relevant to the case,” Mr. De Luca appealed.
“Overruled, you may answer the question, Mr. Bowers.”
Jimmy turned back to the jury. “I thought that he was trying to rape her. I merely asked her if she needed assistance. When Andrew walked away, Madison approached me and slapped me. And it’s with great regret that I say I had a knee jerk reaction and pushed her away from me. My father has always told me to be respectful of women, to cherish them and honor them. I would never purposefully hurt someone, let alone a woman,” he said glancing at his father who was smiling.
Elias noticed that several of the jurors looked towards Senator Bowers as well.
“What happened next, Mr. Bowers?”
Jimmy took a dramatic breath and glanced at the jury. “Andrew attacked me. I tried to defend myself but he wouldn’t stop even when I asked him to.” Jimmy looked down, a forlorn expression on his face.
Madison was livid. Jimmy was laying it on thick and she was desperate to jump up and call him out on his lies. She glanced at the jury who looked as if they believed every word that Jimmy was saying. How they could believe all of it amazed her.
“Thank you, Mr. Bowers.”
“Would you like to cross, Mr. Bennett?” The judge stated matter of fact.
“Yes, I would, Your Honor.” Elias pushed back slightly in his chair and set his glasses down. He then turned to Madison and leaned close to her. “Did Jimmy ever apologize to you?”
Madison shook her head, not sure why that was relevant. Mr. Bennett smiled and rose. He straightened his tie and casually strolled up to the witness stand, offering a knowing smile to the jury.
“Mr. Bowers, it’s my understanding that you feel the fight between you and Mr. Harrison was unprovoked?”
“Yes, sir. I did nothing to warrant that kind of attack. I was trying to help Madison,” he said glancing at the jury again.
“I see. Just one moment,” Elias stated, holding up his finger momentarily before walking to the table and picking up his notebook.
Elias walked back up to Jimmy and made a show of flipping through the pages before stopping on one. He nodded and glanced at Jimmy, raising his eyebrow slightly.
“So, the fact that there are seven eyewitnesses that claim you were antagonizing not only Mr. Harrison but others as well throughout the day is inaccurate.”
“Who said that?” Jimmy asked, showing the first signs of frustration.
“Well, we will get to that later. But the witnesses I spoke with indicated that you continued to pick a fight with Mr. Harrison throughout the course of several hours. They state that with each interaction you had, you became progressively bolder in your statements in hopes of eliciting a reaction out of him. In fact, did he not pull you off another person who y
ou also antagonized into a fight?”
Jimmy leaned back in the chair and furrowed his brows. Mr. Bennett smirked as he tapped his notepad on the juror box.
“Did you or did you not pick a fight with another individual that was also at the lake?” Elias said with force as he gave Jimmy a hateful glare.
“That was different,” Jimmy said angrily.
“Object, Your Honor, Mr. Bowers’ interactions with other individuals that day is not relevant,” Arturo quickly countered.
“Mr. Bennett, move on,” the judge said, eyeing Elias who nodded his acknowledgement.
Elias stepped back for a moment and placed one of his hands in his pocket while the other held onto the notepad, his finger tapping it. He then walked closer and set the notepad down as he placed his hands on the witness stand, eyeing Jimmy as the loathsome creature he was.
“Isn’t it true that you wanted to fight with Mr. Harrison because you felt threatened by his presence, that the more he avoided you the angrier you became until the point where you made a ridiculous claim of rape when you knew that Andrew and Madison were indeed a couple and willingly engaging in an intimate moment with one another, as two consenting adults are allowed to, and that it was only after Madison called you out on your negative behavior throughout the day that you pushed her, hard enough so that she fell to the ground and it was only then that Mr. Harrison was forced to confront you as he came to her defense, to protect her from what he deemed as a viable threat to her safety,” Elias said in one long complete statement, escalating his voice as he went along.
Jimmy was shaking his head in a meek attempt to thwart Mr. Bennett’s attack. Elias slapped his hands forcefully on the stand and stepped back again.
“Isn’t it true, Mr. Bowers; that the reason you pressed charges was because Mr. Harrison embarrassed you in front of your peers. That inherently you are a coward who picked a fight and lost?”
“OBJECT!” Mr. De Luca stated angrily. “The witness is not the one on trial here.”
Elias turned quickly, giving Arturo a lethal glare. “Well, maybe he should be.”
“Mr. Bennett, another outburst like that and I will hold you in contempt.”
Elias raised his hands in a surrender type motion and turned back to Jimmy. Jimmy was glaring at Elias, his face and neck red from his anger. Elias had him right where he wanted him. An angry witness always revealed their true colors.
“I expect an answer, Mr. Bowers,” Elias said, once again placing his hands on the jury box directly in front of Jimmy.
“I tried to help Madison. I thought he was trying to rape her,” he said with less conviction.
“Well, I suppose you would know about that, wouldn’t you?” Elias stated coolly.
There was movement in the audience as Jimmy’s father rose. Jimmy looked in that direction. Mr. Bennett turned slightly and could see the look on Senator Bowers’ face. Elias smiled, knowing that he would probably be getting a call before the end of the day but he didn’t care. Jimmy didn’t hold up his end of the bargain so that left him fair game as far as Elias was concerned. He turned back to Jimmy as his father sat back down and crossed his arms.
“Mr. Bennett, you are dangerously close to the line,” the judge warned.
Elias glanced at him and nodded once again. He knew he was skirting the line but he needed the jury to see what kind of person Jimmy was so they would question his testimony.
“You said earlier that you were taught to respect women, to treat them with honor. Is that correct?” Elias asked, glancing at the jury who was staring at the two of them.
“Yes, that’s true,” Jimmy said assuredly but uncertain where this was going.
“So tell me, Jimmy, is it honorable to threaten a woman that you can,” Elias picked up the notepad again, “take her, as well, a respectful thing to say to someone?”
Jimmy’s eyes widened and his nostrils flared while Elias’s lips quirked into a smile.
“Object! Mr. Bennett is antagonizing the witness and disparaging his character.”
“I am merely pointing out that a man who threatens to rape a woman may not be the best judge of character,” Elias said with a shrug as he uncrossed his arms and placed them casually in his pockets.
“Your Honor?” Mr. De Luca stated angrily as he stood up.
“Mr. Bennett, you have crossed the line. I will not allow you to malign the character of a witness. Get to your point. NOW!”
“I will rephrase, Your Honor,” Elias said with a smug look. He turned to Jimmy who was sitting there dumbfounded. “Isn’t it true that you had eyes on Madison, you wanted her and she chose Andrew, a man you deemed unacceptable and, in turn, you harassed him until he was forced to retaliate and then later you threatened her because Mr. Harrison humiliated you at the lake.” He moved just a tad closer. “The reason we are here today is because you want to get back at Mr. Harrison? Isn’t that so?”
Jimmy stared at him and then his father, looking for some guidance.
“Don’t look at him, Mr. Bowers. Your father can’t help you now. It’s time for you to man up and take responsibility for yourself and your actions,” Elias said eyeing him.
Jimmy closed his eyes and looked down, not saying anything. Elias watched him and gripped the railing on the witness box once again, leaning in real close.
“Did you or did you not push the defendant into fighting you because you were jealous and angry that Madison recognized the unworthiness of your character and wouldn’t give you the time of day?” Elias stated with venom.
Jimmy’s head shot up and his face showed none of the 'boy next door' persona it had earlier. He was furious and it was reflected in the way he glared at Mr. Bennett. His lip quirked up angrily as his fists clenched at his side. At that moment, the hatred he had for Mr. Bennett outweighed the hatred he had for Mr. Harrison.
“She wanted that fucking loser over me,” he motioned towards Andrew. “He’s just some ex-convict bastard that could give her nothing. He doesn’t even have a job. Well, fuck her and that fucked up asshole. She’s nothing special. She’s not even that pretty,” Jimmy seethed.
“I see,” Elias said, turning to the jury. “Sounds to me like you have some unresolved issues with Mr. Harrison.”
Several of the jurors looked shocked and when Elias saw some of them shake their heads a minuscule amount he turned to the judge. “I have no further questions at this time.”
“Mr. Bowers, you may step down.”
Elias sat down and Andrew was staring at him open mouthed. He had never seen anything like that. Andrew turned his eyes away from Mr. Bennett as Jimmy walked passed them, stopping to stare at Madison who gave him a dirty look as she crossed her arms, giving him her best bitch brow. Andrew turned even further and saw Jimmy’s father stand abruptly and place his hand on Jimmy’s shoulder, squeezing it tightly. Jimmy flinched slightly and shot his father a spiteful glare. As Andrew’s eyes followed the Bowers’ out of the courtroom, they settled on a familiar face. Jamal sat in the back row with his arms folded across his chest as he too watched the Bowers’ exit through the door. He then turned and made eye contact with Andrew as he stood up, smiling just slightly before he slid out as well. Andrew grinned and shook his head slightly, shocked that Jamal had come, considering he had told Andrew he didn’t do that kind of thing.
“Mr. Bennett, are you prepared to start your defense?” The judge asked.
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“We will resume at 9 a.m. Court dismissed.”
Andrew turned around, not having heard the prosecutor state that the prosecution had rested. Mr. Bennett rested his hand on Andrew’s shoulder, tapping it lightly as everyone rose, respecting the judge who was now exiting the courtroom.
“Andrew, let’s meet at my place tonight around 6 p.m. and go over what transpired today. I need to go into the office for a bit and put out whatever fire Senator Bowers is surely attempting to set,” he said with a roll of his eyes.
Andrew nodded but did
n’t say anything as he turned to Madison, who immediately wrapped her arms around him. All Andrew wanted to do was get lost in Madison but he knew he wouldn’t be able to do that, at least not yet. For now, he would hold her and pretend that he was free and that everything would be settled soon.
28 INTERFERENCE
Madison pulled up to her grandmother’s house and sat in the car for a moment, glancing at her reflection in the rear view mirror. She had wanted to go with Andrew to the Bennett’s home but she had already been gone all day and couldn’t shirk her responsibilities to her grans. She could tell that Andrew was disappointed but she had no other option. With a heavy sigh, she exited the vehicle and walked inside. Her grandmother looked up from her recliner as she entered the room and, taking quick note of Madison’s appearance, she patted the arm of the chair.
Madison smiled as she remembered her grandmother doing that when Madison was a little girl. When Madison was only a few years old, her grandmother had broken her leg so Madison’s mom had told her she couldn’t sit on her lap for a while. Madison had cried and cried so her grandmother would have her sit on the arm of the chair to hug and comfort her. It soon became their special thing but Madison hadn’t done it in a very long time. Madison walked to her grandmother and sat on the arm of the recliner as she had done when she was young. Her grandmother’s arm embraced her waist while Madison wrapped her arm around her grandmother’s shoulder, resting her head against her grandmother’s head.
“How did it go today?” she asked sympathetically. Madison shrugged. “I’m sure it will work out the way it’s supposed to, Maddie,” she said sweetly.
“I know, Grans,” Madison replied with a sigh. “That’s not what’s bothering me. Well, it is, but not entirely.”
Her grandmother waited patiently. She knew her granddaughter well enough to know that if she just gave her a few moments that she would start talking.
“I don’t want to go back to New York. The two people I care the most about are here,” Madison said, barely audible.
Helios Awakened (The Helios Chronicles #1) Page 27