“Because that’s the amount we won together in Atlantic City gambling.”
“So, you are saying you two won the money together gambling? Do you have any proof of that?”
Pops smiled. “Sure do.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out hotel invoices, restaurant bills, and store receipts. “The boy even took me to a concert that night to see Lyfe Jennings, who happens to be one of my favorite singers now.” Pops pulled out two concert ticket stubs and smiled.
“Why would you only now make a claim on the money?”
Pops put his head down and said, “Well, to be quite honest, I thought he took the money and skipped town. I was so hurt because I trusted him out of all the boys who worked for me. But I was recently contacted and notified that he didn’t skip out on me, he was arrested and the money was confiscated. I could care less about the money; just knowing he didn’t steal from me makes me happy. Rocco has been one of the most honest young men I met in my ninety-one years. I may look old and broke, but my estate is worth over two million dollars, and I told him long ago that he can come to me and I’ll give him anything he wants. Hell, I was giving him half the money we won gambling, so why would he want to rob a bank?”
The trial was winding down, and everything was looking good for Clyde. The time had come for Martha to testify. Since she was due to testify on Clyde’s behalf, she had been restricted from sitting in on the proceedings until now.
“The defense calls Ms. Martha Woods to the stand.”
Martha was led to the bench aided by a cane as the bailiff helped her to her seat. He swore her in and she sat down. Ms. Hemmingway asked her a barrage of questions about what kind of person Clyde was, if he had ever been in trouble, and his character in general. After Ms. Hemmingway finished asking her questions, T. Bernard was up to ask his own questions.
“Hello, Ms. Woods. How are you today?”
She smiled lightly and said, “I’m just fine, thank you.”
“Good, good. I just have a few questions to ask you, Ms. Woods, okay?”
She nodded.
“I understand that you raised Ceasar Barker, Sonny Barker, and the defendant, Clyde Barker, since they were toddlers when their mother fell ill, is that correct?”
Martha smiled and nodded. “Yes, me and their mother was best friends growing up, and when that tragic incident happened, I took all three boys in and raised them.”
T. Bernard smiled and said, “Wow, that’s very noble of you, taking them in like that.”
She nodded. “Oh, that’s the least I could do. Like I say, me and their mother was closer than sisters, so them boys was like my own family, and I was always taught to take care of family.”
T. Bernard paused as if searching for the right words and then asked, “What happened to their mother to cause them to live with you for so many years?”
Martha put her head down as if she were hurting to think about what occurred and said, “She was shot.”
“By whom, Ms. Woods?”
She lifted her head up and said, “By her husband, the boys’ father.” Suddenly she began to cry. The entire courtroom seemed saddened by the revelation.
T. Bernard reached inside his suit jacket and pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her. He gave her a moment to settle down, then asked, “Ms. Woods, can you tell us where their father and mother are right now?”
Martha wiped her eyes and said, “Their father is still in prison somewhere for the shooting, I believe, and Cathy, that’s their mama’s name, is still in a nursing home. They say she is catatonic, like a zombie. She’s been like that ever since.”
“Ms. Woods, we are going to move on, and I’m going to ask you some questions about yourself, okay?” She nodded confidently, and T. Bernard went in for the kill. “What was your part in the bank robbery, Ms. Woods?”
The entire courtroom gasped, and Ms. Hemmingway jumped to her feet and yelled, “Your Honor, I object!”
The judge pounded his gavel and said with aggravation in his tone, “Sustained! Sidebar, Mr. Williams!”
Ms. Hemmingway and T. Bernard Williams walked to the judge’s bench. The judge said through gritted teeth, “Mr. Williams, you better have a damn good reason to accuse Ms. Woods of bank robbery or I will personally see that you are disbarred.”
“Your Honor, Ms. Woods is a convicted felon and had been involved in several federal-related bank felonies. I also have strong evidence that Ms. Woods is connected to this bank robbery and have a witness who will support that.”
“But, Your Honor,” Ms. Hemmingway protested, “Ms. Woods is not on trial here today, and it would be unfair to the entire case if she is brought into the proceeding at this stage.”
“Your Honor, Ms. Woods is a defense character witness. I have every right to explore her character and ask her questions about her background. It isn’t my fault that the defense did not do their homework and investigate their witnesses. Your Honor, this witness is a convicted felon who robbed banks and is here to testify about the character of a defendant that she has a connection to on a bank robbery charge.”
The judge absorbed the argument and conceded, “Ms. Hemmingway, you opened the door for her to be questioned, and I’m overruling the objection.”
“Thank you, Your Honor,” T. Bernard said with a smile, and they both returned to their respective tables. T. Bernard pulled out a document and entered it as evidence. “Ms. Woods, I ask you again, what was your role in the bank robbery on April 10, 1981? And remember you are under oath.”
Martha looked desperately at Ms. Hemmingway and toward the judge for help but received none.
“Can you answer the question, Ms. Woods?”
“I had nothing to do with no bank robbery,” she said nervously. She had walked right into T. Bernard’s web.
“How about the bank robbery you participated in in 1981, Ms. Woods? Can you tell us about that?”
It was if a dagger had stabbed Martha in the heart as she looked toward Clyde and his lawyer for some sort of support. T. Bernard smelled blood.
“Your Honor, in my hand I hold an indictment dated April 10, 1981, United States v. Martha Woods, charged with federal bank robbery, 18 USC Section 2113 (a).”
Normally, Ms. Hemmingway would have objected to such actions, but she thought this information might work in her client’s favor. T. Bernard walked over to the defense table and handed her a copy.
“Your Honor, please enter this into evidence as J-six,” he said as he continued. “Ms. Woods, I ask you once again, what role did you play in the bank robbery on May 16, 2001, at the First Bank of Savings?”
Martha grew angry. “I don’t know what it is you talkin’ about,” she spat.
“Come on, Ms. Woods, isn’t it more than a coincidence that all three brothers, one who worked at the bank where the other two brothers showed up, are charged with robbing that same bank?” Martha was boiling, and her eyes began to widen from the pressure. “I ask again,” T. Bernard said twelve inches from her face, “what was your role in this bank robbery, Ms. Woods?”
“I fuckin’ told you I ain’t have shit to do with it!” T. Bernard had stripped away the innocent-looking caretaker role that she was displaying and exposed her for who she really was.
He stared at her with malice and said, “Your, Honor, I’m temporarily finished with this witness until after I call a corroborating witness to testify about Ms. Woods’s connection to the crime and her character.”
The judge stared at T. Bernard Williams and looked over to the defense. “Any cross, Ms. Hemmingway?”
“No, Your Honor, the defense has no questions.”
“Ms. Woods, you are remanded to the courtroom until such time as witness examinations are heard.”
“Thank you,” said T. Bernard. “The government would like to call to the stand Sonny Barker.”
Keyshia and Ceasar held each other’s hands tightly as they sat in the rear of the courtroom and watched three federal officers escort Sonny inside the courtroo
m. His hands and ankles were shackled and he took short, choppy steps. Even though he wore gray prison coveralls, they could see that Sonny had packed on at least thirty pounds of solid muscle since the last time they’d seen him. Keyshia and Ceasar watched Sonny’s girlfriend, Cheryl, wave wildly at him from the second row. She was still riding his bid out with him after all these years and was excited to see him.
They placed him in the witness chair and swore him in, but Sonny refused to raise his right hand as the bailiff asked. Keyshia noticed that Sonny wore a coffi on his head, which symbolized that he was now a Muslim. He had mentioned in his letters that he was studying the religion but hadn’t said that he’d made the commitment yet. Sonny looked around the courtroom and spotted his girlfriend, Ceasar, Keyshia, and Martha. Though he was happy to see all of them, it seemed that he refused to crack a smile—a permanent mask that he’d acquired in prison.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Barker.” Sonny remained silent and simply glared at him. T. Bernard cleared his throat and continued, “Mr. Barker, you have been found guilty on federal bank robbery charges and are currently serving time at Leavenworth federal prison, is that right?” Sonny remained silent.
T. Bernard looked at the judge, who said, “Mr. Barker, answer his question or you will be charged with contempt of court.”
Sonny tossed the judge daggers with his eyes, wanting so badly to curse him out, but he looked at his little brother’s pleading eyes and then at his girl’s and answered, “Yes.”
T. Bernard got straight to the point. “Do you know a Martha Woods?”
Sonny sneered at him and said, “Yes.”
T. Bernard walked over to his table. “Did she participate in any part of the bank robbery that took place at the First Bank of Savings in Harlem on May 16, 2001, Mr. Barker?”
Sonny jumped to his feet and yelled, “Fuck you, son of a bitch!” and tried to leap over the bench at T. Bernard, but he was quickly subdued by the court officers. Clyde, Sonny’s girlfriend, Keyshia, and Ceasar all covered their eyes. Martha was the only one in the courtroom smiling. The judge banged his gavel and ordered that the witness be removed from the courtroom and stated that questioning would be continued via closed-circuit television, then he called for a thirty-minute recess.
Deflated, Ceasar said, “Keyshia, I told you Sonny wasn’t going to say anything against Martha. He’d rather die before he does that. When they call me to the witness stand, I’m gonna tell. I’ve got to get my brother off.”
Keyshia took a deep breath and knew that Ceasar was right. The only way Clyde was going to get off was if one of the people who took part in the robbery testified against Martha; and seeing how violent Sonny became, she knew he wouldn’t rat on her. But she didn’t want to see Ceasar go to jail because she knew the brothers wouldn’t want that and that Ceasar wouldn’t be able to make it in jail. She thought fast and decided to speak to T. Bernard and ask him not to call on Sonny yet but instead to call on the witness who was supposed to be called last.
When everyone came back from recess, the court technicians had cable wires and cameras set up by the witness bench. Five minutes later the bailiff yelled, “All rise!”
“Please be seated,” said the judge as he sat down.
The bailiff said, “Everything is set up, Your Honor.”
“The witness room?” he asked.
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“Okay,” said the judge. “Mr. Williams, are you ready to resume questioning of Mr. Sonny Barker?”
“Yes, Your Honor, but I’d like to call another witness first.”
The judge looked at the defense table and asked, “Defense, do you object to having the prosecution call another witness?”
“No, Your Honor.”
“Fine,” said the judge. “Mr. Williams, you can call your next witness.” The video’s red light suddenly came on as the technician swiveled the camera toward the witness door. Everything was being broadcast via closed-circuit television to a TV monitor that Sonny would be watching.
T. Bernard smiled and walked to the middle of the courtroom and said in a dramatic fashion, “The United States now calls Mrs. Catherine Barker to the stand.”
Clyde, Ceasar, and Martha suddenly sat up in their seats as they watched the bailiff escort the boys’ mother from the witness chamber. Martha looked as if she were seeing a ghost.
Ceasar looked at Keyshia, speechless. All the jurors watched as Mrs. Barker took tentative, fragile steps toward the witness seat. Clyde looked back at Keyshia, who was in tears as she gave her man a nod. The bailiff asked her to lift her hand, and she struggled to raise it, and he aided her by lifting it up for her.
“Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, so help you God?” asked the bailiff.
Mrs. Barker nodded slowly and said almost in a whisper, “I do.”
Clyde could not hold back his tears. This was the first time in his entire adult life that he’d ever heard his mother’s voice and it pierced his heart. He could hardly contain himself as he wiped away his tears. He had to fight to keep from running over to his delicate mother and giving her a hug.
The bailiff helped her to her seat and walked away. She looked around the courtroom and saw Clyde and smiled.
T. Bernard approached her and asked, “How are you today, Mrs. Barker?”
She gave him a tremulous smile and said, this time a little louder, “I’m okay.”
He smiled. “Good. Mrs. Barker, I’m going to be asking you a few questions, okay?” She nodded, and he continued, “Do you know why you are here today?”
“Yes,” said Mrs. Barker. “My sons are in some kind of trouble and I’m here to help them.”
T. Bernard smiled and nodded. “Do you know which of your sons are in trouble?”
She turned her head toward Clyde and said, “My youngest child, Clyde, right there, and my second son, Sonny.” T. Bernard thanked her as he looked at the jurors’ bewildered eyes.
Suddenly, Mrs. Barker recognized a familiar face, and her lips instantly began to curl and her brows began to turn downward. T. Bernard decided to take advantage of the precious moment.
“Mrs. Barker, do you know a Ms. Martha Woods?” Martha was nervous and refused to raise her head.
Mrs. Barker’s eyes were like a razor as she stared at her former best friend. “Yes, I know her.”
“When did you first meet Ms. Woods?”
“We were from the same projects, and we met when we was fourteen years old,” she said, never taking her eyes off Martha.
“Are you and Ms. Woods still best friends, Mrs. Barker?”
“No!” she said flatly.
T. Bernard looked at the jury and walked closer to where Martha sat to ensure everyone knew where she was when he asked his next question. He gestured to where she sat and asked, “May I ask you, Mrs. Barker, when was the last time you saw Ms. Woods?”
The entire courtroom became silent as all eyes watched her stare at Martha with disgust. “The last time I saw her was when she shot me in the face!”
The courtroom erupted as Martha cried hysterically, “She’s crazy! She’s crazy! She doesn’t know what she’s talking about! Her husband shot her, not me!”
Both Ceasar and Clyde could no longer contain themselves as they jumped up and cursed at Martha.
The judge banged his gavel and called the court to order and threatened, “Young man in the rear, if you don’t remain silent and sit down, I will have you removed from my courtroom. And Ms. Hemmingway, that goes for your client, also, so I suggest you keep his mouth shut and tell him to stay in his seat!” The judge saved his last remark for Martha. “Ms. Woods, if I even hear so much as a peep from you again, I will have you locked up for contempt of court—so sit down and shut up!”
It took another five minutes for the courtroom to come back to order, and then T. Bernard resumed his line of questioning.
“Mrs. Barker, according to the police report dated February 3, 1983, your husband, Mr. Lamont Barker, was cha
rged with attempted murder for shooting you. Are you saying this is incorrect?”
“Yes,” she said quickly. “My husband didn’t shoot me, she did!”
“Can you tell us what happened that night to cause her to shoot you, Mrs. Barker?”
She nodded and spoke with anger as she recalled the fateful night that changed her family’s lives.
“I had just come home from working overtime at my job at the telephone company.” She paused and stared at Martha before continuing. “Martha had just gotten out of prison for getting mixed up in a bank robbery or something with her boyfriend. Since she ain’t had nowhere to go, I let her stay with me and my family for a while until she got a job and an apartment. Like I said, I came home from working overtime and walked to the kids’ room to check on them. They were all asleep. Then I walked toward my bedroom and heard a moaning sound.” She paused and put her head down. T. Bernard asked her if she was okay, and she nodded.
“I walked slowly to the room and opened the door, and I saw Martha on top of my husband.” All the jurors tossed Martha an evil glare as she continued, “I cut on the light and she hopped off the bed and put on the housegown she had dropped on the floor. My husband didn’t move, and that’s when I realized he was passed out.” She turned to T. Bernard and confessed, “Back then my husband had a drinking problem and would pass out like that all the time. I turned toward Martha and told her to get her stuff and get out of my house. She was crying and saying she was sorry, but I wanted her out! The next thing I knew and last thing I remember was seeing her raise her arm with a black pistol in her hand and then everything went black.”
Martha saw every eye was on her and could no longer take the heat of the stares and stood up and said angrily, “I don’t have to listen to this anymore. She’s sick in the head, delusional!” She made her way toward the aisle, but the judge ordered his bailiff to stop her.
“Get your fucking hands off of me!” she cried.
Two more officers detained her by putting her in handcuffs, and they all surrounded her as they put her back into her seat.
“I have no more questions, Your Honor!” said T. Bernard as he nodded to Mrs. Barker.
Keyshia and Clyde Page 28