Haunting Memories

Larry

"Good morning," Julia says, rolling on her side. I feel her hot naked body press against me as she drapes her long leg around mine.

"Good morning, Angel," I reply, gazing hungrily into her soft blue eyes.

"My, my, I think my little mister has a problem."

I see an ornery smile creep across her face as her fingers travel down my body. My stomach quivers from her soft touch.

"A big problem," she says, gently stroking my hardened appendage.

"Keep that up, and we'll both have a problem."

"Is that a threat, counselor?" she asks, nibbling on my ear.

"That's a promise," I say, flipping her on her back.

~~~

I've got to get her out of my head, I think, pushing through the chamber doors.

The judge glances at his watch. "You're right on time, Mr. Wilson."

"Yes, Your Honor."

"You're claiming the evidence was Illegally obtained?"

"Yes, Your Honor." I glance at the DA then continue. "The officers didn't have a warrant at the time of discovery, making the clothes inadmissible and the rest of the evidence fruit of the poisonous tree."

"The officers were on official police business when they saw the clothes in the trash. The first discovery gave them probable cause to search the apartment."

"What official business are you referring to, counselor?"

"The officers were trying to locate a possible suspect. His assumption of guilt is based on a video the police found of the victim and suspect leaving together minutes before the crime occurred."

"I'd like to question the authenticity of the tape."

"The tape is time-stamped, and the officers followed the chain of command."

"The evidence is circumstantial at best, sir."

"It's enough for an interrogation."

"It doesn't look like you've proven your claim, Mr. Wilson. I find that the evidence and tape are admissible. The court will resume in one hour, don't be late."

"Thank you, Your Honor," the DA says, rushing towards the door.

"I'd like to speak to you a moment, counselor."

Expecting a lecture, I hesitantly turn around.

"A second-year law student knows better than to try and pull the little smokescreen you did today."

"Yes, Your Honor." I thought about mentioning the threat on my family's lives but stopped when I considered the outcome.

"I won't tolerate any more of your half-baked shenanigans, understand?"

"It won't happen again."

"Good, I'll see you in my courtroom in one hour, and don't be late."

"Yes, sir."

***

Julia

I'm wandering around the house, trying to find something to pass the time. I've already cleaned the place from top to bottom. I figure it's the least I can do after everything he's done for me. I'm looking for another project when I see a sedan parked in front of the house. I then notice the faded decal painted on the side. He found me. My abductor found me. I was looking for a job when a large man grabs me and drags me to their van. After weeks of being tortured, I escaped. The horrid memories are replaying in my mind when a deep voice says:

"I know you're in there, so you better open this door before I break it down."

I have to get out of here. I step into the kitchen to find a group of thugs on the back porch. What am I going to do now? I scan my surroundings, hoping to come up with a plan. Something slams against the front door. I turn to find the thin frame vibrating from the impact. That won't hold him for long. I suddenly recall the revolver Larry has stashed in his desk.

Running into the room, I yank the drawer open. Items clank together from the jolt. Grabbing the gun and box of shells, I toss them on the desk. "You can do this, Julia," I say, trying to recall what Larry had shown me. I try to load the gun, but my hands are trembling so badly that I'm having trouble getting the bullets into the chambers. Taking a deep breath, I try again. The grandfather clock ticks behind me as I attempt to slide the ammunition into place.

I hear a loud crash and then a set of footsteps stomping through the house. I have to hurry. I grab another bullet and shove it into the hole. I'm almost there. The heavy footsteps get closer. I then hear him say,

"You're going to pay for what you did to my bro."

Clicking the cartridge in place, I raise the gun arm's length away.

Larry's voice echoes in my head. "Aim and shoot,."

Aim and shoot," I repeat, racking the gun.

A burly figure steps through the door.

"Aim and shoot." I pull the trigger.

***

Larry

I'm sitting in the courtroom, nervously planning out a new strategy. I hope this works, I think, reviewing all my scribbles. I've won numerous cases in my career, but with all the evidence they have against him I'm not sure how I'm going to pull this one off.

"You look a little tense there, pal," Marty whispers.

"I didn't get much sleep last night." After convincing Julia the kids are safer out of the city, we pulled an all-nighter working on Vinnie's case.

"I can understand why with that little bombshell you have at home."

"I've got this," I say, hoping to convince myself and him.

"I hope so, for Lilly's sake."

He hands me a picture of him sitting in my in-law's recliner, holding Lilly on his lap. The idea of him even touching my daughter makes my skin crawl. Someday you're going to regret every threat you've made, I think clinching my pencil. I squeeze it so hard that the object snaps in half.

"You need to calm down before you give yourself a coronary," Marty laughs.

I give him an evil stare.

"Would you care to cross-examine, counselor?"

"Yes, Your Honor," Grabbing my notes, I walk over to the witness stand.

"You claim you saw my client pull a handgun out of his pocket and shoot the victim, correct?"

"Yes."

"Which pocket was it?"

"It was his right one, I think."

"An assumption based on him being right-handed, correct?"

The witness shrugs, "Most people are."

"My client is one of the ten percent that aren't."

"Maybe it was his left pocket. Everything happened so fast I can't be sure."

"Was it that it happened so fast or that you'd been drinking all afternoon?"

"I only had a couple of beers," he says, shifting in his seat.

"Do you do this every afternoon?" I ask, stepping closer.

The DA rises to his feet. "I object, Your Honor, Mr. Connor's drinking habits aren't on trial here."

I turn towards the judge. "I plan to show the court that he was inebriated at the time of the shooting."

"Get on with it then."

"Are you sure it was only a couple of beers?"

"Yes, I had them with my lunch."

"Isn't it also true that you were arrested ten minutes later for public intoxication?"

He looks towards the DA.

"Isn't it true, Sir?" I demand.

The witness glances at the judge.

"You need to answer the question."

"Yes, but I had three more beers after I saw the shooting."

"Three beers in ten minutes. You must have guzzled those puppies down." Laughter spreads across the courtroom.

Aggravated by the outburst, the judge bangs his gavel. "Order in the court. Order in the court." The room grows still.

"So, if you had two beers before and three after, that's five beers, correct?"

"If you say so."

"Simple math, Mr. Kersley, three plus two is five," I say, holding up my fingers.

The spectators laugh again.

"He's badgering the witness, Your Honor," the DA protests over the commotion.

"Order in the court. Order in the court," the judge says, smacking his gavel again.

"I have a point, Your Honor."

"Then make it."

"Yes, sir. So if you only had five beers, why did the police find twelve empties on the floorboard of your car?"

"They were from another night."

"The product code is identical on all twelve cans, which means that they came from the same case. A case you bought earlier that day." I hold up a picture of him leaving the liquor store. "Defense exhibit one." I hand the photo to the jury. "Isn't it also true, this is your third DWI?"

"He isn't on trial, Your Honor."

"Move along, counselor."

"Yes, Your Honor. So, if you were intoxicated at the time of the shooting, wouldn't it be safe to assume that you couldn't see the shooter clearly?"

The witness fidgets in his seat. "I saw him just fine."

"Is that why you mistakenly thought the arresting officer was your brother?"

"It was so foggy; I couldn't make out his face."

"My point exactly. I have no further questions for this witness."

***

An eerie silence falls heavily across the house. I stand frozen behind the desk to scared to move or to breath. Horrid images of Andy and I's last encounter suddenly comes to mind. I picture him gasping for air on the cold hard ground blood pooling around him. I then recall him telling me to watch my back. Andy warned me that this day would come.

A deep, gritty voice brings me back to the present. "You missed."

I look over the desk to find the man getting to his feet. "I won't this time. I pull the trigger the gun clicks in response.

"Game over, Julia. You loose," he says, closing the gap.