Screaming in the Silence (21 page)

"Yes."

"Do you know why he did this?"

"He wanted to ransom me."

"Well, I do believe we just established that money wasn't Mr. Prideaux's motivation."

"Perhaps not. But it's the reason Ray didn't kill me."

The lawyer looked at me with feigned disappointment. "Ms. Winters, can you please describe the weather conditions on the night you were taken?"

I paused to think about it. "There was a storm coming in. It was windy."

"Was visibility impaired?"

"No."

"No? It was dark and windy, certainly you couldn't see as well as you could in the daytime."

I shrugged.

"Let's move on," Krieger said and continued without pause. "You were hit by a car and survived when your friend did not. Did you sustain any injuries?"

"Yes. A few of my ribs were broken."

"Anything else?"

"Cuts and bruises mostly."

"Did you hit your head?"

"Yes."

"Were you disoriented or nauseous when you first woke up?"

"Of course."

"And you never spoke or moved on your own until you reached the house?"

"No," I stuttered.

"I see. Tell me, how can you be sure you were one hundred percent coherent?"

"I'm sure I wasn't. I had been hit by a car, after all."

"So you were nauseous, confused and scared for your life, it was dark and windy and, forgive me for asking but it has yet to be stated, you are completely deaf, are you not?"

I glared at him again. "Completely."

The lawyer's lips didn't smile and his eyes seemed to mock me. "The defense rests, Your Honor."

I glared at his back until I realized I hadn't been breathing. I inhaled sharply, the oxygen stinging my lungs and throat. Evan's handkerchief was clutched in my hand and I slowly released my grip, smoothing it out on my lap before looking up at the judge.

"The prosecution will make his rebuttal."

I looked back to Evans who was already approaching the stand. He didn't speak until he was only a foot from where I was seated.

"Ms. Winters, can you understand what I am saying?"

"Yes."

"How long have you been able to read lips?"

"I started learning at the age of six."

"Does my speech look different from say that of Mr. Krieger?"

I smiled. "Yes. Your accent is much more western. Mr. Krieger has a pretty thick drawl."

Krieger frowned from his seat and pressed his lips together. Evans nodded in approval and took a few steps back.

"Can you understand what I'm saying now?"

"Yes."

He took a few more steps. "Could you please tell the court your favorite color?"

I smiled at him. "My favorite color is green."

He walked to the other side of the railing which separated the audience from the lawyers. "Could you please tell the court your favorite movie?"

Krieger stood up and objected, clearly making an effort to annunciate his words. "These questions could have easily been rehearsed."

The judge nodded. "Mr. Evans, I believe you have made your point. The court is well aware of Ms. Winter's ability to read lips."

Evans smiled. "No further questions, your honor."

"The witness is excused," she said. I couldn't read her face and I had to remind myself that I wasn't the one on trial. I wasn't the one being judged. It was Ray. The fate of his life rested with this judge and jury, not mine.

I stood up quickly and felt dizzy. Steadying myself on the railing, I took a few slow steps to regain my bearings and then quickly crossed the courtroom floor. I didn't have to look around to know that the entire courtroom was silent. Eyes followed me down the courtroom and I sat between Samantha and my father, my head held high yet my thoughts swimming with confusion and doubt. I stared straight ahead and then felt my father's arm wrap around my shoulder and pull me into his side. I turned my head to look at him and his eyes were reassuring.

"I love you, Dad." He smiled and kissed my forehead.

"I love you too, Darling."

Marshal was called to the stand next. As I saw him being escorted through the courtroom, his hands cuffed behind his back, his face scared and his body nearly shaking, it took nearly all of my remaining energy to stay in my seat. I longed to comfort him, to tell him that I never wished any of this for him, to tell him that his actions had redeemed his misjudgments.

His hands were released from behind his back and he rubbed his wrists before placing his hand on the Bible and swearing his oath. He sat with his head down. He hadn't looked at me or his brother and I wondered if this was the first time the brothers had seen each other since the day of their arrest. Ray clenched his jaw and glared at the courtroom. My heart broke for Marshal.

I watched the interpreter and waited for Evans to begin his questioning. Marshal kept his head down through his entire retelling of the night of September 2. He cried when he told the jury that he had been prepared to kill me if Ray had commanded it. He explained how he had thrown Julie's body over the cliff and into the ocean. He smiled once when he told the court about the food he had brought me and about how I had taught him sign language. He started shaking when he was asked about how Ray had hurt me by holding a knife to my neck and hitting me with enough force to knock me off my feet.

At first, Marshal only looked at the lawyers and the judge. He kept his gaze locked until Evan's asked if Ray had ever mentioned killing me. Marshal's gaze quickly wandered the audience until he found me. My eyes filled with tears.

"My brother said on multiple occasions that he wanted to kill her, or that he would kill her if we didn't get the money."

"Do you remember the exact circumstances?"

Marshal sighed, still holding my gaze. "Once was on the drive to Virginia when we were mailing the letter. The second time was when we came back and found out who her father was."

"Do you believe that he was capable of killing her?"

"I didn't want to believe it," Marshal said, his gaze returning to Evans and then flickering to Ray's table. "But he had changed so much. He wasn't the brother I had grown up with. It was like he was a different person all together."

Mr. Evans gave Marshal a minute to regain his composure before proceeding. "Mr. Birch, let's take a minute to talk about Carla Lindstrom."

"All right."

"Now, what happened the night Ray found out about Ms. Winter's father?"

"Well, Ray left and took the car. He was angry at me and Kaden for not agreeing to his plan to kill Raleigh. He came back a few hours later with this girl…"

"Carla Lindstrom?"

"Yes."

Evans gestured for him to continue. I could see new tears falling from his lids.

"Ray brought her home and they started drinking. I didn't know why he had brought her there because he had been telling me that no one could know Raleigh was with us. But then she came downstairs and the two girls met and Ray didn't seem to mind. Kaden was angry but Ray took Carla upstairs anyway."

"Were you able to hear any noises coming from Ray's room?"

"Yes," Marshal answered. His lips quivered.

"Can you please describe them?"

"Things were breaking. Carla was screaming and laughing and yelling at Ray. I couldn't really tell what she was saying."

"Did it sound like she was in trouble?"

"Kind of. Sometimes."

"But you and Mr. Prideaux did nothing to help her?"

"No. She never cried for help."

"When did these noises finally stop?"

"Around twelve-thirty, I guess."

"And when did you learn that Ms. Lindstrom was dead?"

"Not until the next day when we were in the police station."

"What did you think had happened to her?"

"I thought she had passed out. She was pretty drunk."

"I see. Mr. Birch, did Ray ever threaten you during the time Ms. Winter's was being held in your basement?"

Marshal looked at Ray but he refused to acknowledge his younger brother. "Yes. The first night, I told him that we should just turn ourselves in but he warned me that if I told anyone, he would kill me and her. At work, he made sure we were always together so I couldn't talk to anyone else about it."

"Did you ever think Ray would actually hurt you or Ms. Winters?"

"Raleigh, yes. But I knew that if I kept my mouth shut, he wouldn't hurt me."

"Thank you, Mr. Birch. I have no further questions."

Mr. Evans returned to his seat and I looked over at Ray's lawyer. Mr. Krieger sat back in his chair and stared at Marshal. Ray still refused to look at the witness stand.

"Mr. Birch," the lawyer finally started. "How did you feel when you learned that Kaden had been hiding the truth about Ms. Winters and her father?"

"I don't know. I guess I wasn't really angry or anything. Just confused."

"Confused why?"

"Well, a couple reasons, really. If her father was a senator, it seemed like we should have been able to get a lot more money for her. But it was also scary because, you know, he's a senator."

I smiled.

"A man of power?" The lawyer prompted.

"Exactly."

"Do you think Kaden was scared of her father's power?"

Evans stood up to object but Ray's lawyer rephrased his question.

"Did Mr. Prideaux ever tell you that her father's connections scared or intimidated him?"

"No."

"Did he tell you how long he had known who her father was?"

"He told us he had known from almost the first day."

"I have no further questions," Krieger said with a smile.

I barely slept that night. I tossed and turned. I knew I was keeping Samantha awake. Kaden would be called to testify tomorrow and I suddenly started second guessing my desire to see him. What if I didn't get the answers I needed? I wasn't the one asking the questions. The lawyers could twist our experience into practically anything they wanted.

I stared out the window at the sunrise, my eyes heavy, my body reprimanding me for not sleeping. Samantha watched me carefully as I dressed and did my hair, knowing I was worried about something but not ready to talk about it. Would she figure it out? I didn't know if I could keep my feelings to myself once I had seen him.

The crowd inside the courtroom seemed to have grown since yesterday and the looks they gave me were worse than ever. There was really no need for me to be there. I had testified, given my performance and there was nothing left I could do.

I took the same seat as the day before and waited while my father spoke with Mr. Evans. I didn't care to know about their conversation and I sat next to Samantha without saying a word.

Ray didn't look at me as he entered the courtroom this time. But I stared at him. He seemed to have changed overnight. The confidence was gone and he looked at the ground. He still didn't appear remorseful. Not that I would have ever expected him to feel that way.

Everyone stood as the judge entered the courtroom. Her face scanned the audience, resting momentarily on Samantha and me, and then she motioned for everyone to take their seats. Once seated, Evans called his first witness. I watched the interpreter spell Kaden's full name and held my breath until I saw the side door open.

A guard appeared from the dark hallway and a dark head of hair and piercing green eyes following him out.

Kaden.

Kaden's face was just as I remembered it, but his eyes were surrounded by a deep purple shadow and his cheeks looked slightly sunken. Yet he held his head high, his shoulders pulled back, and he walked with a jaunt in his step. Was it an act? I couldn't tell. I could only look at his face, his beautiful and perfect face.

The guard un-cuffed Kaden's hands and he twisted his wrists to regain the lost feeling. He looked at the clerk of the court while he swore his oath. It wasn't until he started to take his seat that I felt Samantha's hand cover mine. I looked down and realized I had been gripping her arm tight enough for it to turn bright red. I glanced at my friend and gave her an apologetic smile which she returned with a skeptical frown.

I'm fine,
I signed, not knowing if my voice would even work at this moment.

We can leave,
she reminded me.

I shook my head and took her hand, careful not to squeeze too tight. But as I turned my attention back to the witness, I knew my grip must have felt like a vise. Kaden stared right at me. I blinked, just once, mostly out of pure shock, and then felt my body relax. Even though we were surrounded by people, even though we were being judged by hundreds of eyes, and even though we both knew it was wrong, we allowed this short moment to pass between us. I knew he could read my face like a neon billboard sign, and my feelings for him poured from my eyes and flew from my lips as I released a small sigh.

He looked relieved to see me. His eyes appeared gentle, his lips stuck in a crooked smile. I wanted to speak to him more than anything. I didn't care who was watching, who was listening. And, if his gaze hadn't been so calming, I would have had to use every last bit of my willpower to keep myself from climbing over Evans' desk and running into his arms. I smiled back as his lips started to move. I secretly wished he was talking just to me and not the lawyer.

"Yes," he said clearly and I realized I hadn't seen the question.

"And can you confirm that it was Raymond Birch who was driving the car on the night of September 2?"

"Yes," he answered again, his eyes still on me.

I looked at the interpreter again. "Can you please tell the court about the conversation that took place after Mr. Birch hit the two victims with the car?"

Finally, Kaden's eyes turned to Evans. "Marshal and I wanted to go straight to the police. Ray had different ideas and we argued for a few minutes. Marshal gave in before I did but we decided to move them farther from town before we dumped them in the ocean."

"Why did you give in?"

"I knew Ray would go to jail, prison maybe, because of his past offenses. Marshal hadn't gotten into any trouble before this. I didn't want him to have a record as well."