by Jillian Neal
“Yes, sir, several times,” she answered readily.
“And why did you choose not to go and stay at the Haydenshires?”
Lucas studied her closely. He seemed to want the answer to that question as well.
“Well, I didn’t want to be in the way or any trouble, and I always worried about what might happen to my mother if I wasn’t there. I did all of the grocery shopping, and paid the bills, like you said. Sometimes she would take too much or drink too much, and I would take her to the hospital or take care of her if she was sick.”
Jack glanced at the jury, their faces now appropriately aghast. Logan felt that stupid hope start to form again. He shut it down this time.
“Adeline, your mother was a prostitute for most of your childhood and adolescence, is that correct?”
“Yes sir,” Adeline shrank further down in her seat, trying to disappear. Jack offered her another kind smile.
“I’m sorry to make you go over this, but I need for you to explain to the jury what you did when you were growing up when your mother had clients at your apartment.”
Adeline nodded though each question seemed to physically exhaust her. “After Logan and I started dating, I would always ask either he or Rainer to come and get me, and I would stay at the farm until they were gone.”
“And before you and Mr. Haydenshire began dating?”
Logan felt his stomach seize. Rainer offered him a sorrowful glance. He knew the answer, but it always made him physically ill to hear his wife discuss it.
“Sometimes I would go over to Ms. Bingham’s. She was an older lady that lived in the same apartment building. She would make me dinner, and give me my bath, and let me stay in her guest bedroom. It was nice there,” she pointed out hopefully.
Then, drawing on deep resolve, she willed herself to go on. “If Ms. Bingham wasn’t home, or if her grandchildren were over, then I usually sat in the hallway of our building and read or slept until they left.”
Fury lit Governor Haydenshire’s face as horrified silence drown the room.
“And how many times a week, Adeline, would you say you slept in the hallway of the apartment building that you lived in, a building in which I will point out the hallways are not heated and have concrete floors.”
“At least two or three nights a week, probably.” Adeline focused on Jack. She seemed to will everyone else out of her line of sight.
“I would add to that,” Jack moved back to the table and held up another file folder, “I have Adeline’s permanent files from the elementary and middle school that she attended where, though she always made excellent grades, numerous teachers throughout the years were extremely concerned about Adeline being so tired she would fall asleep in class several times a week, and of her showing signs of malnutrition.” Jack handed the files to the judge.
“You can sit back down, Adeline,” Jack took her hand and helped her off of the stand. He guided her back to her seat.
Snyder stood with defeat settled in his eyes. “The prosecution calls Logan Haydenshire to the stands.”
Fact and Fiction
Standing and straightening his jacket, Logan slid down the line of his family and friends as he progressed towards the stands. He gave Adeline an adoring gaze as he walked by her.
“I love you,” he whispered as he went. Adeline smiled through her tears as she nodded her acceptance. Logan vowed to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth as he seated himself.
“Mr. Haydenshire, could you explain to the court a little bit more about Adeline’s recent hospitalization?”
Surprised by the first question, Logan nodded. “Sure, she had an ovarian cyst, like you heard. I took her to the emergency room, and she was taken into surgery immediately. I stayed at Georgetown the entire time she was there. It was my understanding that the both the cyst and the surgery were fairly routine.”
Snyder nodded with a sneering grin. “Yes, I have several reports that you were overly demanding of the staff of Georgetown, and that at one point in the night you demanded pain medication for Adeline. Is this true?”
“Yes, that’s true,” Logan felt no remorse for his behavior.
Snyder seemed shocked by his ready admittance. “Care to tell us why you were demanding painkillers in the middle of the night, Mr. Haydenshire?”
Feeling fury and irritation sear through him, Logan narrowed his eyes. “Ever been married, Mr. Snyder?”
With an arrogant chuckle, Snyder turned to the jury. “No, I’m a lawyer; I know better.”
Logan didn’t laugh. He didn’t find the joke humorous in the least. “Okay, ever been in love then?”
“I believe I’m the one asking the questions, Mr. Haydenshire.”
“Fine,” Logan agreed. “Let me tell you how my world works, Mr. Snyder. If my wife, who’s just had surgery, wakes up in the middle of the night crying and writhing in pain, it tends to upset me. She needed medication so that she would no longer be in pain and could rest and recover. As it is my job to take care of whatever she needs, then that is precisely what I went to find.”
The extreme pride on his father’s face as he nodded his deep approval to Logan gave him the resolve to continue.
“Has Adeline ever written a prescription for yourself or anyone in your family, Logan?”
“My wife is an obstetrician, Mr. Snyder. I have seven brothers,” Logan rolled his eyes. “Adeline did care for my mother who was hospitalized several months ago, but to my knowledge she did not prescribe any medications at that time. Adeline is still being mentored, as this is her first year in practice. Any prescriptions she writes have to be approved by another doctor, so if she were writing prescriptions for my family, Georgetown would have already put a stop to that.”
“Seems Mr. Stariff has prepared you well.”
“I don’t need Mr. Stariff to tell me what my wife does for a living,” Logan shot back before Jack could object.
“And you are a police officer, Mr. Haydenshire, is that correct?”
“I’m with an elite special forces division of the CIA.” Logan remembered what Iodex actually was to the Non-Gifted Realm. Given the recent reports out about the real CIA, he wasn’t certain he wanted to be associated with them, however.
“And were you involved in Ms. Parker’s arrest?”
“No, I was not. My priorities that evening were Adeline’s safety and making certain her wounds were taken care of.”
“But your brother, Garrett, was involved in the arrest?”
“Yes, he was.”
“But you don’t feel that your family’s involvement in almost every aspect of Candy Parker’s arrest and in Adeline’s life could be seen as manipulative?”
“No, I don’t. Candy is and was a prostitute. She was also using drugs, and both of those things are illegal in the state of Virginia. Not to mention her abusive and neglectful ways with her daughter, my wife. She was arrested for breaking the law, not because I don’t like her.”
“Logan, could you please tell the court the sleeping arrangements on the nights that Adeline stayed on your family’s farm?”
“Objection, irrelevant,” spewed from Jack’s mouth.
Turning to the judge, Snyder shook his head. “We all know, your honor, that young ladies can be very impressionable. I still don’t believe that the Haydenshires were a good influence on Adeline. We have photographic evidence of that fact. Being involved in a physical relationship with Logan could have tarnished her thinking about her mother. He’s just admitted to not liking my client.”
“I’ll allow the question,” the judge decreed.
Logan’s stomach twisted uncomfortably. Every fiber of his body sought escape. His shield tensed disconcertingly. His father and Vindico shared a concerned glance.
“Uh, most of the time Adeline slept in my sister Emily’s room, and I stayed in my room.” He damned the obvious hole in his factual statement.
“But not every time?” Snyder pointed out pompously.
“No, not every time.” Logan refused to meet anyone’s eyes. How had this gotten so fucked up? He ran his hands through his hair and prayed for some kind of reprieve from the insanity.
Snyder slithered back to his table. “Your witness,” he sneered to Jack.
Standing, Jack gave Snyder a polite nod. “Logan, could you briefly describe Adeline’s injuries on the night of her mother’s arrest, the night you graduated from Venton Academy?”
Deciding to accept that being done with Snyder was the only reprieve he was going to get, Logan drew a deep breath and forced himself to remember that horrifying night. It seemed years had gone by, not months. So much had happened. So much had changed.
“Ad had a badly broken wrist and several bruises and gashes on her face. She was also understandably terrified and emotional for the next several days.”
“From the time you began dating Adeline, how often would you say you saw her, even for a brief period of time?”
“Most every day at school, and she stayed at the farm most weekends. If she didn’t stay over, then I went to see her make certain she was all right.” The current knot in his stomach served as a vivid reminder of the terror he felt every time he drove to the apartment to make certain she was okay.
“Logan, I’m going to leave this up to you. Would you care to address the last question that Mr. Snyder asked you? I will be happy to ask you some follow up questions,” Jack offered kindly.
As he considered that, Logan met Adeline’s gaze, trying to discern how she wanted him to handle this particular turn of events. Very slowly, she nodded.
“Okay.” Logan braced for incoming questions about his and Adeline’s physical relationship in front of not only his entire family, but her father and dozens of complete strangers. His shield sealed in his muscles and was visible to every Gifted person in the room. Even Vindico offered him a sympathetic gaze.
“You don’t have to respond. Simply tell me, and I’ll withdraw the question.”
The judge looked wary but allowed him to continue.
“How long had you and Adeline been dating when you began your physical relationship?” Jack did look truly sorrowful to be asking.
Drawing another measured breath and taking in the extremely sympathetic gazes he was receiving, Logan nodded. “Almost five years, and it wasn’t until after we’d graduated.”
Giving him a smile, Jack looked relieved. “Do you feel that your physical relationship in any way influenced Adeline’s views or opinions of her mother?”
“No.” His body began to ache from the solidification of his shield in his muscles. He wondered what Jack might ask next.
“Ever try to influence Adeline to do anything she wasn’t certain she wanted to do?” Jack kept his back to both Mr. Nguyen and Governor Haydenshire.
“No, never,” Logan pled adamantly.
“Ever try to get Adeline to stay over at your home, to participate in a physical relationship?” was Jack’s next harrowing question.
“No. I tried on a regular basis to get Adeline to move to the farm, but never for that. I was terrified for her safety, and rightfully so.” He threw his hand out towards her mother.
Candy met his glare with a sneering scowl.
“Have you ever witnessed Adeline using legal or illegal drugs recreationally, Logan?”
“No, never.” Logan wondered what Adeline’s father was hearing in the answers to his questions; certainly more than he wanted to know.
Jack smiled, “You can take your seat, Logan.”
Relief lifted his body for him. He stepped off of the stands. As he moved forward, Jack extended his hand. “Can I shake your hand, Logan?”
Furrowing his brow, Logan instinctively grasped Jack’s hand. “I think you may be one of the finest young men I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing, Officer Haydenshire.”
“Uh… thanks.” Logan felt his face glow hot once again. But as he made his way back to his seat he saw Lucas nod adamantly, and then his father stood, slapping him on the back as did Vindico.
Rainer offered him their customary smirk, the one they’d shared for almost two decades. As he reseated himself, Rainer offered him his hand as well, which Logan shook.
Judge Sanderson seemed speculative for a moment before turning back to Snyder. “Any further witnesses?”
“The prosecution rests your honor,” Snyder didn’t sound quite as self-assured as he had when those pictures had been presented.
“Mr. Stariff,” Sanderson nodded.
“The prosecution calls Mr. Daniel Vindico to the stands.”
Vindico stood and glided smoothly to the stand carrying a file folder of his own. He was sworn in and then seated himself. Logan glanced Fionna’s direction and noted her trying to hide her pride filled beam.
“Officer Vindico, could you tell the courts what you do for a living?”
“I’m the chief officer of the same elite special forces unit of the CIA that Logan and Garrett Haydenshire are a part of. Garrett is second in command. For any of you that have any doubt of his character, let me assure you that he is an outstanding officer and a gentleman.”
“Did you arrest Miss Parker on June second of last year?”
Vindico shook his head. “I was not the arresting officer. I was called in after they arrived and apprehended Miss Parker due to the nature of Adeline’s attack and the quantity of illegal drugs found in the apartment.”
“But you were involved in the chase of one of Adeline’s would-be attackers?”
“I was,” Vindico agreed. “We were actually after both of the men. One pulled a pistol and fired at one of my officers. We returned fire. He was killed at the scene. The other man, a Mr. Gary Elderand, was apprehended and is currently serving time.” Vindico looked up the name in the folder he’d carried.
“So these men that Miss Parker had in her and Adeline’s home were armed. Would you would consider them violent?”
“Absolutely. It terrifies me to think about what might’ve happened if Adeline had returned home earlier or hadn’t been able to outrun her attackers.” A shudder of very real disdain gave credence to his words.
“When you arrived back at the Haydenshires’ farm, can you tell us more about Adeline’s reactions to everything that had happened?”
“Objection, narrative,” Snyder quarreled.
“Overruled, continue Officer Vindico,” Sanderson commanded.
Vindico glanced Logan’s way. “Once I was certain that Adeline’s injuries had been taken care of,” he allowed instead of using the word healed, “and that Adeline had not sustained any form of sexual assault, Logan requested that I leave her alone. She was in a state of shocked trauma. He seemed to be the only person that she wanted near her in those first few hours, which I completely understood. I returned the next morning to take her statement. She was still quite jumpy, again, understandably so.”
“Thank you, Officer Vindico.” Jack smiled and offered Snyder the questioning.
“Officer Vindico, did you perform a urine or blood sample drug test when you arrived at the Haydenshire’s?” Snyder demanded with a vicious grin.
“No, I did not, as that is not protocol for dealing with the victim of assault and battery. She was and is the victim, Mr. Snyder, not the criminal.”
With a huff, Snyder spun back into his seat. “No further questions your honor.”
“The defense calls Fergus Sherman to the stands.”
Logan’s heart went from sluggish beats of hope to a panicked cadence of defeat. He fought not to groan. This was going to be a disaster. Everything involving Fergus always was. How could this possibly be any different?
An audible intake of air sounded in the room when Fergus lost his balance and caught himself on the bailiff, who almost dropped the Bible.
Rainer ran his hands over his face. Logan whimpered quietly.
When he’d righted himself and had had been sworn in, Fergus took the seat.
“Mr. Sherman, can you tell the jury how y
ou know Adeline and Logan?”
To Logan’s shock, Fergus didn’t mumble or mince words. He spoke clearly and with a great deal of sincerity. “I’ve known Logan since elementary school. I also attended Venton with him. I met Adeline there.”
“Can you tell us a little bit about the party that you threw after graduation, Fergus? The party that Adeline and Logan attended?”
“Yes, sir,” Fergus nodded, and Logan braced for impact. What was Jack trying to pull? “My family has a house near Virginia Beach. The Haydenshires also have a house there, only their house is on the water and ours isn’t because my parents didn’t want to spend the money.” Jack shook his head minutely. “Sorry, uh, anyway, I threw a party a week after graduation, and I invited Logan and Adeline. I had also been unknowingly given a kind of Ecstasy. I was told to take some every day to help me loosen up. It was an incredibly stupid thing to do, but its effects weren’t as powerful as the more common kinds of Ecstasy usually taken before… well you know.” Fergus turned bright red and Logan rolled his eyes.
“A sexual encounter?” Jack provided.
“Yeah, but it made me really stupid. I put some of it in Adeline’s drink. She suspected that I’d added it, and she refused to drink it. She asked Logan to take her home. She wouldn’t even stay at the party, and I was the only person there with any kind of drugs. I didn’t even know what I had. Logan immediately took her home. They don’t mess around with stuff like that. They know better. I’m not sure what happened in those pictures you have,” Fergus gestured to the pictures of the Angels party, “they may have had a few drinks, or maybe a few drinks too many, but they would never do drugs, ever.”
“So you essentially offered Adeline one of the many drugs we found in her mother’s apartment and her answer was not only to tell you no, but to leave the party?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Logan stared at Fergus Sherman. He seemed just a little taller, a little older, and a little more responsible at that moment. He’d pulled some idiotic stunts in his day. They all had, but when you needed a friend, he was there.