Delayed Justice

by Constance Bretes

  “Carol had an unplanned pregnancy and she wanted to schedule an abortion.”

  “How does this work when a woman comes to you for an abortion?” Dani questioned.

  “We schedule an appointment with someone like myself, for counseling, and then we schedule a medical appointment to be sure the patient is pregnant and determine how far along she is. From there we schedule another counseling session to go over all the options, and then we ask that the patient go home and think about it very seriously, and if they still want to have an abortion, they will call us after a few days and schedule the procedure,” Ms. Koon explained.

  “Is this what happened in the case of Carol Shields?” Dani asked.

  “Yes, only we didn’t schedule her for the procedure as she was killed in the bombing at Glacier Pharmacy.”

  “How would you describe Ms. Shields’s state of mind during the two times you talked to her?” Dani asked.

  “She seemed very sure she wanted an abortion. She indicated that she got pregnant purely by mistake and did not want the baby. She said that she was engaged to be married to someone else, not the baby’s father. She had waited for his marriage proposal for a long time and didn’t want a pregnancy standing in her way.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Koon.”

  * * * *

  “Does the defense wish to cross-exam?” Judge Harding asked.

  “Yes, Your Honor.” Mr. Yates came up to the witness box. “Your clinic, Ms. Koon, doesn’t it perform a lot of abortions?”

  “We do about five or six a day,” Ms. Koon responded.

  “Is that a lot?” Mr. Yates asked.

  “Not really. If you compare us to a clinic, perhaps, in Billings, we’re quite small. We don’t just do abortions, we have planned parenthood, and provide a wide range of services. Abortion is only one area.”

  “Ms. Koon, what kind of pressure do you put on those individuals who come to you wanting an abortion?” Mr. Yates asked.

  “I don’t put any pressure on anyone to have an abortion. I explain the personal conflict that the individual will encounter, and I explain other options that are available, and a medical doctor explains the procedure if the patient chooses to go that route. We do not force or pressure anyone into making a decision.”

  “Only two visits seems kind of rushed to me,” Mr. Yates stated. “No further questions, Your Honor.”

  * * * *

  “Your next witness, counselor?” Judge Harding said to Dani.

  “I’d like to call Dr. David Bellamy to the stand please.”

  After Dr. Bellamy was sworn in, Dani proceeded. “Please tell us your name and occupation for the record.”

  “My name is Dr. David Bellamy, and I’m a physician.”

  “What kind of a physician are you, Doctor?”

  “My specialty is gynecology and obstetrics. I run a family clinic on Market Square.”

  “What services does your clinic offer?” Dani asked, leaning against the prosecutor’s table.

  “We offer a full range of gynecological and obstetrics.”

  “Does this include abortion?”

  “Yes, it does,” Dr. Bellamy replied.

  “Please explain to the court what happens when someone comes to you wanting an abortion.”

  “Patients meet with a counselor who acts as their guide through the entire process. After an initial assessment, they are then referred to either me or one of the other doctors in the clinic for an examination and then an explanation of the procedure for an abortion if they are wishing to have one. They then have a follow-up meeting with the counselor. If the patient still desires to have an abortion, we schedule the procedure.”

  “Doctor, I have here your appointment schedule for June 27th, 2008. Please look at this and tell us the highlighted name of the person you have scheduled.”

  “Carol Shields.”

  “Doctor, do you remember seeing this patient?”

  “Yes, I remember seeing her.”

  “What did Ms. Shields come in to see you about?”

  “Well, we estimated her at about ten weeks pregnant, and she wanted to terminate the pregnancy. She had met with counselor Donna Koon, and the next step in the process was to see a medical doctor, which turned out to be me. I examined her and asked her some questions, and then explained the procedure for having an abortion.”

  “How would you describe Carol Shields’s attitude at that time?” Dani asked.

  “She seemed pretty adamant that she wanted an abortion. She said the pregnancy was a ‘stupid mistake’ that she made and an error in judgment, and she wanted to end the pregnancy.”

  “Did she schedule the procedure at that time?”

  “No, after the examination we send the person home and ask them to wait a week and think things over, then if they still want the abortion, they can call the office and schedule it.”

  “Thank you, Doctor. No more questions, Your Honor.”

  * * * *

  “Does the defense wish to cross-exam?” Judge Harding asked.

  “Yes, Your Honor. Doctor, what would you say was Carol Shields’s emotional state? Did she appear upset, tearful or crying?”

  “No, she was not,” Dr. Bellamy said.

  “Did she appear angry?” Mr. Yates asked.

  “She did not appear to be angry to me.”

  “Had it been a week between the time you saw her and the bombing incident?” Mr. Yates asked.

  “Actually, it was two weeks between the time Ms. Shields left my office to the time the bomb exploded.”

  “So, she may have changed her mind about the abortion and decided she wanted the child after all?”

  “That is possible, yes,” Dr. Bellamy admitted.

  “No further questions.” Mr. Yates walked back to his seat.

  * * * *

  “Your next witness?” Judge Harding said to Dani.

  “I would like to call Andrew Johnson to the stand.” After Andrew Johnson was sworn in, Dani said, “Please state your name and occupation for the record.”

  “My name is Andrew Johnson, and I work as a pharmacist technician at Glacier Pharmacy.”

  “What exactly does a pharmacist technician do?” Dani asked.

  “Objection,” Mr. Yates said. “I fail to see the relevance of taking up the court’s time with this since his job duties have no relation to the bombing incident.”

  “Overruled, you may answer the question,” the judge said.

  “My primary function as a pharmacist technician is to assist the pharmacist with providing medication and other health care products to the customers,” Andrew Johnson responded.

  “Were you an employee at Glacier Pharmacy on July 11th, 2008?” Dani asked.

  “Yes, I was employed there, and I was in the building when the bomb went off.”

  “What were you doing when that occurred?”

  “Stocking sinus and cold medications on the shelves in front of the pharmacy area.”

  “Were you anywhere near where the bomb exploded?”

  “No, I was at the opposite end of the building.”

  “Tell us what happened,” Dani stated.

  “The noise from the explosion was ear popping, it blew my eardrums so I couldn’t hear for a few minutes. All the lights went out, and the shelf fell on me. I stood there stunned. Then my hearing came back and I heard screaming and yelling. I managed to trip my way to the front of the store to get out. I heard some people crying and screaming, and I looked back and saw people trapped under the shelving units that held the products. I went back to help lift the shelves, and then I helped them get out of the building. I turned to go back in but then I saw fire.”

  “Were you injured in the explosion?” Dani asked.

  “I had some deep cuts on my arms and my face, and they transported me to the hospital for stitches.”

  “Thank you. I have no more further questions.”

  * * * *

  “Mr. Yates, do you wish to cross-exam?”

&n
bsp; “Yes, Your Honor. I just have a couple of questions.” Mr. Yates walked to the witness stand. “Did you see anyone suspicious lurking about before or during this horrible ordeal?”

  “No, I did not.”

  “You didn’t see someone like my client walking anywhere around the store?”

  “No.”

  “Hmm, interesting. No more questions, Your Honor,” Mr. Yates stated.

  It was toward the end of the day and Judge Harding recessed the court until Tuesday morning at nine. He dismissed the jury with their instructions, and court was adjourned.

  Chapter 10

  Sami and Makeeta exited the courtroom, side-stepping the reporters who were there to cover the story. Mr. and Mrs. Shields and Cathy Shields walked out and were in the middle of the crowd of reporters, talking about the court proceedings.

  As Sami and Makeeta walked to the elevators, Makeeta asked, “Where are you getting your rental car from?”

  “Down the street at Sony.”

  He gave her a sad smile. “Okay, let’s go.”

  The roads were slick, the snow blowing and drifting, and Sami was glad she didn’t have to walk. She got into the sheriff cruiser and buckled her seatbelt.

  “What did you think of the trial today?” she asked. “I thought the witnesses were pretty good with their evidence.”

  “Yes, they were quite compelling, leaving no room for false evidence or testimony,” Makeeta agreed as he maneuvered the cruiser out on Main Street.

  “I didn’t know Wilkes was the father of Carol’s baby.” Sami flicked a glance over at Makeeta.

  “Neither did I. I didn’t know she was pregnant until the autopsy was done. I knew the baby wasn’t mine,” Makeeta said grimly.

  “I can only imagine the shock when you found out.”

  “Yeah, it was a shock. But everything about the whole situation was a shock.”

  “I hope I can be as convincing and do as well. Mrs. Shields paid me a visit today during lunch.”

  Makeeta turned his head, glancing at her quickly before returning his gaze to the road. “She did?”

  “Yes, she said she knew I wasn’t involved in the bombing, and then she thanked me for testifying. She was very different toward me than Cathy has been, that’s for sure.”

  “Cathy has quite a mouth on her when she gets going. If you’re on her bad side, it’s best to avoid her,” Makeeta said.

  “So I’ve noticed,” Sami said regrettably.

  “Sami, there’s a new steakhouse just as you’re going out of town toward your cabin, would you mind keeping me company and having dinner with me?”

  Sami didn’t know what to make of that. She really didn’t want to talk to Makeeta any more than necessary. It was all she could do to make small talk with him. Makeeta pulled up to the rental place and turned to look at her as she thought for a minute. Sami wished she could read him, but his face was always unreadable.

  “A steak dinner does sound good.” Sami let out a sigh. She couldn’t believe the words that had come out of her mouth.

  “Okay, meet me there at five o’clock. I have to go back to the office and take care of a few things.”

  * * * *

  Sami arrived at the restaurant a few minutes early, and the hostess seated her in a booth by the window. She watched the snow fall and thought back to the many times she and Makeeta had met for dinner. Those days were the happiest she ever remembered having. He could be hard to criminals and if you got a traffic citation, but he could also be charming, kind, and fun to be around, as well as a great lover.

  She’d been shocked and heartbroken when he broke things off with her. Him ending their relationship so he could marry Carol Shields had crushed Sami to pieces. She’d had her own visions of the two of them being together and having a family. She’d hoped that their little fling would change to something more permanent, but it didn’t.

  When the bomb explosion at Glacier Pharmacy killed Carol, it really hardened Makeeta. He showed Sami his dark and stormy side, his voice always cold and exact. He believed at the time that she was involved in the explosion and Sami had a hard time forgiving him for that.

  Maybe with this trial going on she had started to mellow out about him and became a little more open and willing to talk to him. There was no reason to be at odds over something that happened years ago, was there? Or was she opening Pandora’s box? She still had a secret that no one knew about. How would Makeeta react if he ever found out?

  Each time she thought about him, she was either angry, hurting, or desiring him. Why couldn’t she sort out her true feelings and be done with them? Because you won’t sit down and talk to him about it, that’s why. He offered to talk to you to clear the air a few months ago, but you refused.

  * * * *

  The loneliness had eaten at Makeeta for some time now, even though he’d dated. But it was a kind of loneliness that could only be filled by someone who was his soul mate. He wanted someone who wanted more than just sex. Someone who was passionate and committed to only him. He wondered who that person would be and if he would ever find her. He had thought at one point that Sami was the one, but then this marriage arrangement came up and he felt obligated to honor his parents and the Cheyenne Nation to try to keep the bloodlines pure.

  Since he’d hurt Sami quite badly by breaking up with her, he doubted she would forgive him for the breakup and the accusations that came afterward. But it looked like maybe she was softening just as his granddad said she would. With his granddad doing the ritual prayers and peace pipe smoking on his behalf, he hoped that perhaps he would get a second chance.

  He arrived at the restaurant and took a seat at her table.

  “Did you get all your work done?” Sami asked him with a gloomy smile.

  “Most of it, but work is never done.” He smiled thinly at her.

  The waitress came by and took their drink order.

  Sami and Makeeta both looked at the menu and Sami asked, “When did this restaurant open? I never noticed it before.”

  “A couple of years ago,” Makeeta replied.

  The waitress came back with their drinks and then took their orders. Sami squeezed the lemon into her ice tea and Makeeta pulled the lemon off his glass of ice tea and put it in her glass, as he’d always done in the past.

  “So what have you been doing with yourself the past five years?” Makeeta asked.

  “I’ve kept busy.” She rubbed a palm down her face. Makeeta noticed that she took her time answering his question and was not being very forthcoming. He guessed he couldn’t really blame her.

  “Do you still work at the hospital?” he asked, determined to find out some information about her. After all, he still cared for her.

  “No.” She narrowed her eyes, somewhat tense.

  Makeeta decided to try something else. “So, how well do you know my granddad?” He looked into her clear, beautiful blue eyes.

  “Pretty well. He visits me fairly often and always brings his dogs with him, which I love.”

  “I didn’t realize you’d bought that cabin from him until I drove out there in August to talk to you.”

  “He didn’t tell me that you were his grandson until I went over to his home for dinner one night. He had your high school senior picture on the fireplace mantel,” Sami replied.

  “I went for dinner and saw the picture of you sitting with the dogs on the fireplace mantel,” Makeeta said.

  “I don’t recall seeing a photo of me on his mantel,” Sami reflected.

  “Don’t be upset with him. He hasn’t said anything to me about you, and when I called him and asked him about the circumstances regarding you, he wouldn’t talk about it or volunteer any other kind of information. He said that he was sworn to confidentiality.”

  They sat there quietly for a while. The town hasn’t been too kind to Sami, Makeeta thought. The public’s wrath, the family’s wrath, the reporters’ stories that started with her childhood and blamed everything on her upbringing. They made
her out as a delinquent who’d never redeemed herself. She really had no one to lean on, certainly she hadn’t had him to lean on.

  “So, tell me what you’ve been up to these past few years,” Makeeta requested again.

  “Why do you want to know?” Sami asked suspiciously.

  “I haven’t seen you in five years, I’ve wondered about you and where you were at and what you were doing. That’s all.”

  Sami let out a deep sigh. “Well, I write murder-mystery books. I write under a pen name as I don’t want anyone to know who I am, but I have four national best sellers, and I’m working on my fifth book. That’s one of the neat things about this trial—though I hate that I have to take the stand, at least I get to see the inside of a courtroom and see what happens there. It’s great experience for my writing.”

  “Hmm, what pen name do you write under?” Makeeta asked with keen interest.

  “Clarissa Burke.”

  After a few minutes, he recognized the author’s name. “Ah yes, Clarissa Burke, I’ve read a few of those books. Very well written, and the sex scenes are quite juicy,” he responded with a grin. No wonder some of those bedroom scenes seemed familiar to me.

  Sami blushed and lowered her eyes to her drink.

  * * * *

  Sami decided to change the conversation over to him. “What about you? What have you been doing in the past few years?” she asked.

  “Same as always, upholding the law by staying in office. The public seems to want to re-elect me every four years,” Makeeta remarked.

  “You’re up for re-election again, aren’t you?” Sami asked.

  “Yes.” Makeeta nodded.

  “Is there anyone running against you this time? I remember a few years back no one ran against you.”

  “Yes, there is someone running against me.” Makeeta’s voice sounded strained and he looked cross.

  “Who is it? Do I know him or her?”

  “His name’s Carl Sargeni. I doubt you know him. He’s a deputy who moved to town a few years ago. He’s making quite a spectacle of himself.” Makeeta grimaced.

  “In what way? I can’t think of anything that he could use against you as you seem to do everything by the book,” Sami mused.