"Thank you for that information Lola. I know this is hard for you." The prosecuting attorney said. "What can you describe of the crystal cooking operation headed by Justin Lockheart?"
"My position in the operation was to cut the crystal with other substances. I worked in the lab for approximately twelve hours a day, and was only given one day off a week. The living situation was horrendous. Last winter I got frostbite on two of my toes and thought I might lose them. I was starving for much of the winter, as were most of the men. The lab produced hundreds of pounds of crystal a week, which Justin had smuggled down the mountain and then aggressively sold it to the humans of Fate Mountain, causing an epidemic of drug addiction among the human population."
"Objection," the defence attorney said. "The witness is speculating."
"I will allow it," the judge said. "The witness has intimate knowledge of the activities of Justin Lockheart during his time at the compound."
"I have nothing further," the prosecuting attorney said. "Your witness."
Gauge could see Lola’s face darken as the defense attorney stood from his position beside her stepbrother. She leaned back slightly in her chair as the man approached the witness stand.
"You stated that you worked in the crystal laboratory at the compound." he said.
"Yes."
"You stated that you were kept a prisoner there," he continued. "Tell me, Ms. Lockheart, why would you stay if you disagreed with the production of crystal?"
"I told you, Justin threatened me. He threatened to rape and murder me if I tried to escape."
"Ms. Lockheart, we have evidence that you were a skilled outdoors woman. You could have easily left the compound at any time and made the ten mile hike down the mountain to safety. Why would you expect us to believe that you were not a willing participant in the manufacturing of crystal?"
"Objection," the prosecutor said. "The defense is badgering the witness."
"Watch yourself," the judge said to the defense attorney.
“I have no further questions for Ms Lockheart,” the defense attorney said. “I’d like to call Chris Cage to the stand.”
Lola left the witness stand as the young man who’d met Gauge down at the trail walked up to be sworn in. Chris took the stand and Lola sat beside Gauge, gripping his hand with her sweaty fingers.
“Chris Cage. How long have you known Lola Lockheart?” the defense attorney asked.
“Since elementary school.”
“And what can you tell us about her involvement in the Fate Mountain crystal operation?”
“Lola has painted herself as some kind of victim. But she’s anything but. Lola was actually the ringleader of the operation. Justin took orders from her. Lola worked tirelessly in the lab, processing the crystal for sale.”
“Objection, your honor. This witness was not included in pretrial disclosure,” the district attorney said. "I would like to ask for recess in light of this new evidence.”
"The court will recess until two p.m.," the judge said, knocking his gavel on to the desk.
Lola fell into Gauge’s arms. He knew she was holding back the tears and anguish. After everything she'd been through, someone was trying to frame her for Justin’s crimes. It couldn't get any lower than that
"It's going to be okay," Gauge said to Lola, rubbing her back.
"I can't believe that Chris would do this. We’ve known each other since first grade," she whispered into his chest as he held her.
People were wandering out of the courtroom and chattering loudly all around them, but they were in their own private space where nothing else could touch them.
"I'm so sorry you have to go through this," Gauge said into the top of her head.
They left the courtroom and went to lunch at a café around the corner from the courthouse. Lola could barely eat and Gauge couldn't blame her. She looked as if all of the blood had rushed out of her face and her hands were trembling as she picked at her sandwich.
They spent the rest of the afternoon in the hotel room they’d rented and finally went back to the courtroom later that day.
When they entered the courtroom and the judge brought the court back into session. Gauge squeezed Lola's hand and smiled, knowing that the prosecution had everything they needed to put Justin away for good.
"The prosecution would like to call Detective Gauge Stockwell to the stand."
Gauge stood from in the audience and walked up to the witness stand. He was sworn in and took his seat.
"Detective Stockwell," the prosecutor said. "You were the lead on this case, correct?"
"Yes."
“Did you see any evidence that Lola Lockheart was involved with the running of the operation?”
“Absolutely not. In fact, as soon as I arrived at the compound during my undercover investigation, the first thing Chris Cage told me was that Lola was not allowed to leave the compound.”
“Not allowed to leave? Can you explain?”
“Chris himself informed me that Lola wasn’t allowed to speak to anyone and she wasn’t allowed to leave. This led me to believe she was a captive there. Upon further investigation, I found out that it was indeed the case.”
"And can you tell me what else you found at the compound?”
"We found a fully functional crystal lab. The detailed documentation proving that Justin Lockheart was the ringleader of this operation has already been provided to the court. There are meticulous records in Justin's own handwriting outlining his entire operation.
“Aside from that, we also found a stockpile of nearly a thousand guns. Most were burnt in the raid but we were able to identify that the majority were not registered and were completely illegal. We did find another notably interesting weapon that was not burned in the munitions explosion. We found an unregistered handgun inside Justin Lockheart’s tent. This handgun matched the weapon used to murder Mrs. Lockheart eight years ago. It even still had bullets in the chamber that hadn't been changed since the same year of the shooting. The pattern matched the bullet shot at Mrs. Lockheart. It also had fingerprints matching Justin Lockheart on the handle and trigger. No other fingerprints were found."
"No further questions," the prosecutor said.
The defense attorney got up and asked Gauge several questions, trying to break through his testimony and rattle him. But he had a much harder time rattling Detective Bear than he had rattling Lola.
By the time the attorneys gave their closing statements, it was obvious to everyone in the room that Justin would be convicted for drug trafficking. He would also soon be tried again for murder.
Lola sat in stunned silence the entire rest of the trial from the time Gauge had brought the evidence of the handgun to light. When the judge excused the jury for deliberation, the audience was told that the court would reconvene in the morning.
Gauge and Lola went to their hotel room and tried to relax. Lola was in an agitated state all evening, pacing back and forth in the hotel room, talking about her suspicion that Justin had killed her mother all along.
Gauge was impressed at his mate's intuition, but he couldn't help but feel the tight agony that constricted her heart and made her want to weep with every pacing footfall she took.
"Come to bed now, babe," he said reaching out to her.
Finally, at midnight, Lola calmed down and climbed into the bed. She sniffled and cried silently beside him, he didn't try to stop her tears. He only held her until they both fell asleep late in the night.
The next morning, they showered and dressed and got ready for the day before getting a quick muffin and coffee on the way to the courthouse.
At nine a.m. the courtroom doors opened and everyone went inside. The judge called the court to order and asked the jury if they had come to a conclusion.
"We the jury find the defendant guilty as charged," the lead juror said.
There was an immediate reaction in the audience as people cheered. The judge hit his gavel to the bench and demanded order in the court.
Lola and Gauge stood and held each other's hands as they walked out of the courtroom. Chris and the rest of the gang would soon bee tried and found guilty. He could feel her pulse pounding through her veins. As they stood on the court steps and everyone walked past them, Gauge looked down at Lola. He could feel her confused emotions stirring in her chest.
"They will prosecute him for your mother's murder," Gauge said. "He will serve no less than a life sentence."
"I can't believe it's finally over," Lola said. "I can't believe it finally came out that he killed my mom."
Gauge wrapped his arm around her shoulders, carefully helping her down the court steps and into his truck that he had parked in a nearby lot. They'd already packed up their things in the truck and he immediately got on the highway and started to drive.
"I'm really free," she whispered through free flowing tears. "And I'm finally going home."
Chapter 18
The news of Justin’s conviction spread quickly through Fate Mountain. The humans who had been his customers began flooding the Fate Mountain hospital, needing help with their withdrawals.
Many humans still blamed shifters for their problems, but for the most part, the community had come to a consensus that the introduction of crystal into the area had been bad for everyone. Humans and shifters alike. Justin’s promises that buying his drugs would fund a human revolution had been empty. Everyone saw that now.
Gauge couldn’t be happier to see Lola thriving. The summer was coming to a close and the locals were preparing for the last days of the summer celebration.
He and Lola had received an official invitation to the Fate Mountain Lodge’s end of summer celebration, and Gauge couldn’t wait to see all the Fate Mountain bears again.
They gathered their things and climbed into the truck, Lola telling Gauge that she wanted to go swimming during the BBQ. She’d worn her swimsuit under her dress, and he couldn’t wait to see her show off her healthy new curves. They drove across town to the Lodge and parked out front in the packed parking lot.
Gauge could feel the excitement in the air as they walked down the path around the side of the Lodge to the back yard where the patio and BBQ pits were located.
He could smell the scent of BBQ ribs and hamburgers filling the air. Famous bear chef Shane Keenan was at the grill, his adoring fans standing back to give the wild bear chef plenty of space.
Gauge squeezed Lola’s hand and smiled into her bright brown eyes. He adored her beyond anything he could have ever imagined and wanted to share his life in the community of shifters with his beloved mate.
Everyone on the Bear Patrol already knew Lola, but he hadn’t introduced her to the Rescue Bears and their mates yet.
Lola had been talking about going back to school and Gauge had a favor to ask Corey Bright of the Bright Institute for shifters. Lola wasn’t a shifter, but she still needed help. Maybe more than the average shifter nowadays. Gauge knew the Bright Institute was one of the best educational opportunities in the country.
Gauge saw Commander Bear Rollo and his jaguar mate Zoe Bright sitting at a picnic table in the sunshine. Zoe wore stylish sunglasses and deep red lipstick.
She smiled and waved Gauge and Lola over to their table. Zoe stood and kissed Lola on both cheeks like a European. Zoe had spent a long time overseas. He’d even heard Zoe and Zach’s mate Maisie speaking French on a few occasions.
“It’s so good to see you!” Zoe said, inviting the couple to join her and her mate Rollo. “You look amazing, Lola.”
It was true. Lola was wearing a brightly colored maxi dress that skimmed the manicured grass. She had her toenails painted pink to match her fingernails and a strappy pair of sandals. Her naturally curly hair was arranged in tight ringlets that hung around her toned, chocolate colored shoulders.
“I can see the new diet is working,” Zoe teased.
Everyone had been helping Lola put on the weight she’d lost while living as a captive in her stepbrother’s compound.
“I know Gauge likes it,” she said, giggling.
That couldn’t be more true. Gauge loved Lola no matter what she weighed, but he loved seeing her fill out into a healthy roundness that made her glow.
“I have my swimsuit on under my dress. Do you want to go swimming?” Lola asked Zoe.
“I’d love to. Maybe we can convince the guys to go swimming too,” she said.
“I thought cats hated water,” Gauge teased, trying to get out of going swimming.
As a polar bear, he loved the water. But he didn’t want to be the only guy on his crew swimming with the women and children.
“I love water, and so does Rollo,” Zoe said, grinning at her mate.
“I promised her I’d go swimming. So I guess we’re all going.”
“Let’s go!” Zoe said, stripping off her own maxi dress.
Lola giggled and sprang up from her seat, following her new friend toward the shore.
“Those two have become fast friends,” Rollo observed.
“Lola needs people,” Gauge said. “This picnic is perfect for her right now.”
“Your mate has been through a lot. The shifter community is more than happy to help.”
“That reminds me. I need to talk to Corey Bright.”
“He and his mate Willow are down by the water,” Rollo said, slipping out of his shirt. He was left bear chested in his board shorts.
Gauge ripped off his own shirt. He and Rollo sauntered down to the water. Gauge found Willow in her swimsuit, sitting in a deck chair on the beach.
“Hi Willow,” Gauge said. “Where’s your mate?”
“He’s out there,” the pretty author said. She had a headband tied around her kinky black hair and smiled up at him from behind her sunglasses.
Gauge didn’t know much about it, but he understood that Willow was a famous romance author that most of the women of Fate Mountain adored.
She pointed out into the water at Corey who was throwing Shane Keenan’s nine-year-old son Theo into the water. The little bear shifter was known for his crazy antics and clearly it was a well-earned reputation.
Theo flew into the air, twisting and flipping head over heels until he dove back in head first.
“Do it again,” Lily Keenan, his mother, yelled.
“I need to ask him a favor,” Gauge said to Willow.
“Oh, what is it?”
Gauge watched Lola and Zoe dive into the lake in their sexy two piece swimsuits. The sight of his mate’s curves momentarily distracted him from his conversation with Willow Bright. He also noticed Zoe’s tiny baby bump rounding out her tummy.
“I wanted to ask him about the Bright Institute.”
“I’m cofounder. I also make decisions for the Institute so you can ask me.”
“Okay,” Gauge said, sitting next to Willow in the warm sand.
“My mate missed out on a lot of her education because of her crazy stepfather and stepbrother. She really wants to get herself together and go back to school. I know the Bright Institute is one of the best educational opportunities in the country.”
“And you wanted us to allow your human mate to go to school there,” Willow said.
Gauge gulped, hoping he wasn’t being presumptuous. He wasn’t going to turn Lola into a shifter, or get her pregnant, any time soon. The woman had been through too much and just needed to be taken care of before she had any more changes like that.
“Yes,” he said, feeling slightly embarrassed.
“You know what, Corey and I have been talking about the very same thing. I’m still human. If you didn’t know.”
“I can sce
nt it.”
“And with what just happened with Justin Lockheart’s influence on Fate Mountain, we’ve been talking a lot about opening enrollment to humans. Especially locals.”
“Won’t your school be flooded with applicants?”
“Probably, but we expect our students to be shifter allies. And as a mate of one of the Bear Patrol, Lola definitely qualifies as an ally.”
“Really?”
“Really. Just have her come down to the Institute and we’ll get her enrolled.”
“Thank you!” Gauge said, with a huge grin on his face.
He stood and barreled off down the beach, jumping in the water to dive to his mate. He swam up next to her and grabbed her in the water where she stood beside Zoe. Lola screamed with delight as he wrapped his wet arms around her.
“I have good news,” Gauge said.
“What is it?”
“Willow Bright just said you could go to the Bright institute. They’re opening enrollment to shifter allies.”
“Are you kidding?”
“It’s true,” Zoe said, splashing Rollo. Rollo splashed her back and tickled her until they were both thrashing and laughing in the water.
When she finally caught her breath and stopped laughing she continued. “I’ve been talking to Corey about it.”
“Talking to Corey about what?” Zoe’s brother Corey asked.
“About opening the Institute to humans. Lola will be your first human student,” Zoe informed her brother.
“Willow just gave us the go ahead,” Gauge explained.
“Well, welcome aboard. You’ll be an excellent addition to our student body, Lola Lockheart.”
“I’m not going to go by Lockheart anymore. That’s my stepfather’s name. It isn’t even legally my name. I’m still Lola Jackson.”
Gauge wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her on the cheek with his wet mouth.
“I love you, Lola Jackson.”
Everyone giggled and congratulated her just before Shane Keenan announced that the BBQ was ready to eat. The friends all climbed out of the water and dried off on the beach before slipping their clothes back on and standing in line for food.
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