Flight of Fancy: Cora's Daughters (55 page)

Standing as character witnesses for her were Ms. Della Anderson and her father - Mrs. Golden Hope O’Brien, Mrs. Josephine Meyer, one of her teachers, Mrs. Rosie Clark, another of her teachers - some who were boarders came as well as other fancies from Clover Grove - Millie, Nettie, Ruth and Ivy.

Last, the bounty hunter who first tracked her, captured her and then brought her north, Mr. Broc –(Wolf)- Whelan. He played his part, sitting back among the others as if the defendant meant nothing more to him than his good deed for the day. All gathered on her side of the room to offer their full support.

Once Judge O’Denkirk entered and took his seat, they could all tell he wasn’t in a good mood and would rather be elsewhere. However, he was a man who believed in the law of the land and would do all in his power to judge fairly in upholding that law. He was tall, wiry with curmudgeonly expressions that had cut deep brackets around his mouth and in between his brows. His eyebrows were those of old men, grown long, wild, stiff and white – standing above his wire spectacles. He peered from beneath his brows and over the top of the glasses at everyone gathered in the room.

Asiza automatically felt her heart sink. He looked like an angry old white man that would be the first to strike the match to burn her at the stake. Fear immediately set in. Now, she started doubting her decision to go through  with this hearing.

In a commanding voice with which he used great restraint, he warned, “Listen here one and all, I’ve had a bad week, I don’t want no nonsense,” He put all on alert, and then looking to Nathanial Beck, “Let’s hear it.” He groused, right to the point.

Nathanial stood clearing his throat, “Yes, your honor – I
strongly
request that-…”

“
Strongly
request?” The judge interrupted. It was clear that already Mr. Beck struck a nerve, “Wanna rephrase that?”

“My apologies your honor, I’ve come a long way-…”

“So have I! Rephrase that and get to the point.”

“I ask that the Negro prisoner, escaped slave and fancy be released to me and my witness for the murder of my father, a banker Nathaniel Beck the third – the mayor of Bustoberti, Mitchell Claire and one of our leading plantation owners, Mr. Gilbert Huish – all brutally murdered by
that
…” he leaned forward turning to jab his finger in Asiza’s direction, “…wench – sitting there!” It was apparent that he was barely able to control himself. His face was red, his body puffed up and hostile – clearly resenting having to go thru all the legal formalities to deal with her once and for all.

The entire set up was wrecking his calm – as far as he was concerned, she was nothing more than a Negro slave who should be dead already.

If those he’d hired had done their job properly, he would not be subjected to this indignity, yet there he was having to endure such nonsense.

The judge was already struggling with Mr. Beck’s demeanor and worked to constantly remind himself that in order to judge without prejudice - he had to endure hearing all to give a just decision. Turning from the plaintiff and peering over his spectacles – he set his eyes on Asiza. However, unable to make her out clearly he directed her to stand.

She did, right away, eyes to the floor.

“Come closer young lady-…”

Nathaniel cut him off standing to announce, “I assure you your honor – that is no lady. She is nothing more than property belonging to the late Mayor Claire – and like a snake the viper turned on him, my father and Mr. Huish – I feel-…”

“Mr. Beck the sound of your voice is crawling right up my back! I heard you the first time, take that seat and wait ‘til I’m ready to hear you again and let me warn you as well, not to presume to correct me concerning how I choose to address the defendant.” Visibly sighing, he turned back to Asiza, “Step forward – I need to get a good look at you.”

Nodding, quick, not about to push this judge, Asiza moved forward, keeping her head down, docile and humble – scared to death.

The judge watched her move towards him as submissive as he knew them to be from the south. Her fingers flexed, gripped and squeezed her skirts while she stood with her eyes glued to her feet. His eyes went up her body to her face, she was stunning, incredibly so – in fact, one of the most beautiful Negro women he’d ever seen. He knew that she was a boarder at Ms. Della’s and was aware that all who stayed there were required to get an education. They learned all the important things of life as well proper etiquette in order to start a clean new life there in the north. He personally felt it was an excellent filter of passage into their polite society – teaching the Negroes how to merge in with them with a standard of class, dignity and honor.

“Your name young lady?”

Clearly and without hesitation she answered, “Asiza your honor.”

“Don’t look at the floor, look up at me Asiza.”

Her glance up was brief, soft, with a slight sad smile and back down. Sober to what she faced, Asiza did all in her power not to start quaking where she stood. Chilling fear raced up her arms and over her body so that she couldn’t fight the occasional shiver that passed over her. She faced the exact moment in time that would mean being free, or dying – and her unborn child would die with her. She closed her eyes and began praying, it was all that she had left. If she stood and lied, would her Father abandon her? She envisioned herself down on her knees, prostrate before HIS lofty throne, sobbing and pleading that HE please give her a way if she was forced to speak of the event. She begged that HE not abandon her now, not after coming so far. Moisture seeped amid her lashes as she prayed, her lips quivered and moved ever so slightly as she poured out her soul before her Father, her Creator.

The judge sat staring up into her face, spellbound by what he saw and the sheer loveliness of her. Drawing in a deep breath, his eyes went to the two men standing against her.

“Tell me once more Mr. Beck, who is it that she has murdered.”

“Three upstanding figures, men who worked hard to-…”

“Three men? How? At once or individually? How did she accomplish this?” The judge was already showing signs of doubting his charge against her.

Nathaniel turned red once more, “They are not on trial your honor, she is – I don’t know how, but she did!”

“You mean to stand there telling me, this little thing, killed not one but three men at one time?!”

“Don’t let her appearance fool you, she’s a witch! A demon – she no doubt cast a spell on them.”

The judge sat a moment staring in complete disbelief. Almost growling, the judge ordered him, “Sit down.” And asked Asiza, “Where have you come from Asiza?”

Immediately she paused in her prayer, “The south your honor. I was a slave – bred to be a fancy.” She answered softly, returning to her supplicant position before her Father in her mind.

“And a murderer!!” Nathaniel blazed worried about the way the judge was looking at her. Her looks had a way of tripping men up, it was those looks that got his father killed, he decided, “You not talkin’ to a human-being – she a slave, no rights, just an animal!”

Broc knew if he stood from where he sat, walked over to Nathaniel Beck to disembowel him, they might very well lose this case, but he kept his fantasy well in mind, savoring it for that night, because neither of those men would see the light of another day once this was over.

Resolved in their eventual end, he kept his position and his eyes ahead, but his mind was most certainly on the dark of night and how he would do it – where he would take their bodies.

The judge having heard enough of Nathaniel’s interruptions gave him one last warning as his eyes pierced him thru, “You will silence yourself or I promise you, I will dismiss this case without hearing another word.”

Nathaniel’s nostril’s flared and blew as if a dragon, but he sat until it was his time to speak again.

Back to the young woman standing before him, the judge then asked, “Asiza – how did you come to be here?”

“I ran away your honor – to be free of what they purposed to use me for.”

Nathaniel couldn’t quite squelch the grunting growl that was about to erupt from him.

“I see,” the judge murmured and once again, sat in thought pondering her words, and after a moment asked, “Are you fully aware of Mr. Beck’s charge against you?”

“Yes sir your honor, I am.”

“As you heard, he claims that you murdered
three
men.”

Asiza immediately knew how she would answer, “I have not murdered
three
men your honor and I ran for my life because I knew what they would do to me with them lying there dead. It was horrible!” She choked up.

“There there, calm down.” The judge could just imagine.

Mr. Burdock chose then to stand, “Your honor, if you will permit me sir, due to the delicate nature of this case, I ask that I be allowed to represent this young woman.”

“She has been thru a horrific ordeal, once you hear of it in its entirety, you will understand all.”

Asiza stood with tears rolling – real tears, shaking because it was all there before her, coming down around her in waves. So much pressure squeezed at her heart, so much fear for her child, she thought for certain, once again, she might faint.

Broc froze himself still, he wanted to charge forward and grab his wife, but he dare not. The longer he sat forced to endure watching her suffer, the more intense was his determination to make
them
suffer.

The judge agreed to let her return to her seat, he didn’t want her to lose control and drop right before him. He nodded to her attorney who stepped forward on her behalf.

Taking her seat, sitting forward – Asiza felt as if her head would explode. Not until she was free and out of that court room, would she believe that she might be free. After all, what if she lost? What if one wrong word or action meant that
they
would win?

She appeared to be swaying and unsteady even seated – the room was spinning around her.

“Are you going to be able to continue young lady?” The judge called out to her.

She wanted this over and done with, no matter which way it went, she could not endure anymore. Swallowing back the urge to vomit, Asiza nodded that she would endure it. She kept thinking over her words to the judge, answering his question. She hadn’t lied, it was true that she hadn’t killed three men, in her escape from the south, she’d killed more – of the number she could not be certain, but three most definitely was not the correct number. Again, she prayed for forgiveness and knew that her Father was a just God, she must have faith in HIM. However, it was man that she faced to be judged by.

She sat through her attorney giving Della’s version of the story. Once more, it was Mr. Beck’s turn to speak, arguing his side, then Mr. Burdock asked the various teachers about Asiza, the type of young woman she was. All of them loved Asiza, and could not help but sing her praises. That Mrs. Meyer was white and of the polite society in wealth and prestige, her standing for Asiza carried a great deal of weight.

After various ones spoke for her, Mr. Burdock went on to state, “Now your honor, we could argue that women will be women and have been known to stand together, however – this particular case goes deeper than that. Willing to stand in her behalf, we have a bounty hunter, who was paid to bring her back – if you will allow it, I’d like you to hear why – his conscience outweighed the money purse they gave him.”

The judge nodded that he would hear him out.

Burning mad, Nathaniel could not sit still on this one, “You bastard!” He spat toward Broc and turned to the judge.

“Your honor,” Nathaniel pointed at Broc, “…we paid this man half of the price on her head to find her, promising the other half with the return of it!”

Those on Asiza’s side gasped out loud, a few women crying out at the thought.

The judge shuddered, “Her head? How barbaric!” and to Broc, “Is this true, they pay you to find her?”

“They did – and I did, fin’ the lass that is.” Broc stood and spoke deep and clear.

The judge cracked the first grin that day looking at Broc, and turning to Nathaniel, “Well – he earned half, he found the lass, no argument there.”

Nathaniel’s eyes almost popped from their sockets, “We demand that pay back!” He raged as if he could force the refund.

“No doin’, I will’nah give a shilling, they put the money in m’hand to fin’er and I fulfill that part.”

“He was to bring back her head!”

“For the second part – I did’nah come for it, did I?” Broc returned calmly.

“Order here – I say order!” The judge hammered away with his gavel. “Lucky for you, I want to hear this through now, my curiosity has been tapped – I want to know what made a bounty hunter grow a conscience.”

“What of the money he owes me?!” Nathaniel demanded.

“I sir, owe you nothin’!” Broc returned, having only one type of payback in mind for him and his crew.

“I said order here! The job and matter of pay is not the case at hand! I wish to hear no more about it, it does not concern me – I will hear only what pertains to this young woman, nothing more.”