Cold State Line

Alvin had somehow managed to get us into court quickly. He had promised me that this would be swift and that I wouldn't have to see Clay except for the day that I took the stand. I was shocked by how quickly the court system had taken on this case. It was actually relieving that I would no longer have to worry about Clay.

"All rise," the bailiff said and waited for us to stand. The judge, Judge Dayna Henderson, walked in and told us to be seated.

"We're here for the case regarding Haylee Lewis versus Clay Anderson. Today we will hear opening arguments and adjourn. The defense for Ms. Lewis has asked that Mr. Anderson not be present during most of these proceedings. I have denied the motion. However, given the circumstances of this case, I have allowed there to be a barrier between the two. Should Mr. Anderson even look Ms. Lewis' way, he will be restrained and taken to jail."

Both attorneys nodded. My eyes widened a little to see that Clay's father was going to be his lawyer. I knew that that man knew what his son had done, but he didn't want his own reputation muddied. Suddenly, I was nervous. Matt assured me Alvin was an amazing attorney, but he had never seen Judge Anderson in action.

"Mr. Alvin, why don't you begin." The judge nodded.

Alvin stood up, buttoning his suit jacket and walked in front of the jury. I was more nervous than ever because these people knew Clay and me. The first time I had taken what Clay had done to me in the public light, I was the one lynched essentially. They said Clay was the golden boy, but I had hopes that the evidence collected by myself and the police would sway the jury.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we are here today to discuss some very serious points. For starters, Mr. Clay Anderson has not been held accountable for many horrible deeds he has done. Mr. Anderson has hurt and caused physical harm to Ms. Lewis.

"He sits accused of crimes of rape, sexual assault, attempted murder, and breaking and entering. Before we get into the evidence, I implore you all to ignore that his father is a judge in this county and that he is a rodeo champion. Those two factors should play no role in deciding what punishment he should receive for his actions against Ms. Lewis.

"Throughout our defense, we will present triggering and obscene evidence of what Mr. Anderson has done to Ms. Lewis. Many of the things we have here will be shocking and I would like to remind you all of the physical, emotional, and psychological toll Mr. Anderson has done to Ms. Lewis. Thank you."

Alvin sat down. I looked at him, fear clear in my eyes. Though I knew he was a good lawyer, it was clear he had no idea how to talk to a southern court. He treated them like objective players, but they weren't. In our town, they knew everything that happened. And they had already formed their opinions many years ago.

"I'm sure Mr. Alvin is trying to sway your emotions, but I would like to remind you all that Ms. Lewis has a history of fabrication. Years ago, she told everyone around town that Mr. Anderson had raped her with a piece of glass. We all know how those allegations panned out. They showed that Ms. Lewis has a history of lying. As I told Judge Henderson in jury panels, we should have thrown out the case. Alas, here we are.

"Ladies and gentleman, our defense is that Ms. Lewis is clinically insane and we will be proving that with several pieces of evidence."

My mouth dropped open. I knew Judge Anderson was just as evil as his son, but I had no idea he was going to slander me in the process. Did he really have evidence of my supposed insanity? What was he going to show? Me hysterically crying after being raped. I don't think the old man knew that the police had retrieved that piece of glass... the one with his son's fingerprints.

I sighed. I could only hope Alvin would somehow be able to pull this back and get us into the territory of putting Clay away.

Notes

Update, update, update. This is about to get weird.