September Wind (47 page)

CHAPTER FIFTY

The next afternoon, Samuel was supposed to testify, but as of yet he hadn’t arrived, so Ryan called Rose to the stand. She was able to tell the court how Emily had looked after two young children, and how much she cared about them. What a wonderful loving sister she was, and how close they had become.

              Then it was the prosecutor’s turn. “And you’ve known your
half-sister
for how long?”

“A-almost a week.”

              “
Do you consider Emily to be a truthful person?”

             
“
Yes, I do.”

The prosecutor thought for a moment. “Well... maybe you can help me with this, because I’m having trouble trying to figure out exactly from what experience you’re drawing your trust in the defendant. Let me ask you this. Did Emily mention in passing that she stabbed Claude with a pitchfork? Or even that he died?”

“Well... n-no.”

             
“
Oh, so Emily didn’t confide in you. But she did confess to her father. Right?”

             
Rose looked to Ryan for help, but he merely nodded.

             
“
Rose?”

             
“
N-no, she didn’t. But she didn’t deny it.”

“The truth is that she was never going to tell anyone. The truth is that she was planning to get away with murder. Isn’t that right?”

              “
Your Honor,” Ryan said.

             
“
Sustained.”

             
The prosecutor dismissed Rose, and then two character witnesses for Claude were brought forward.

             
Emily thought they looked out of place with their greasy hair slicked back, and suits that looked as if they’d been borrowed. They took every opportunity to praise their friend, and if anything, made Claude look like an all-right guy.

“Was there ever a time when you saw Claude act inappropriately toward a woman?” Ryan asked one of them
.

             
“
Oh, there was a little going back and forth once in a while, but Claude loved women.” The man chuckled. “Sometimes he was even a bit shy.”

             
Emily wondered where he’d gotten that idea from, because the only time she ever saw Claude act anything close to
shy
was when Aunt Francine was around, and that sure wasn’t because he loved her.

Court was dismissed for a break, and when they returned the lawyers were gathered at the bench.

Ryan looked pleased as he took stage. “I call Mrs. Melanie Houser to the stand,” he said.

             
Emily noticed that Melanie was the woman she’d seen comfort Rose right after the judge had ordered her to jail. She looked so familiar, but she still couldn’t place her.

The woman took her oath and sat, looking down at her hands, glancing up now and then as she spoke.

              “
Mrs. Houser, did you know the deceased, Mr. Claude Thorn?”

             
“
Yes.”

             
“
Would you please explain the relationship you had with him.”

             
“
There wasn’t exactly a relationship. He was... well. At one time, he was a friend of my father’s. And, uhm, he dated my older sister Audrey. They broke up after a couple of months.”

Finally, Emily knew who she was. Audrey the one woman who might’ve straightened Claude out; that’s if he’d had any sense at all.
What in the world was her sister doing up there?

“From what I hear,” Ryan said, “it wasn’t quite that simple, isn’t that true?”

              Melanie coughed, patted her chest, and pushed back a trundle of red curls behind an ear.

             
Ryan stepped over, keeping his voice low. “Are you okay?”

             
She nodded.

             
“
Take a deep breath, Melanie, and then tell us what you came to say.”

             
She did as he said, still with her head down, except for the periodic glance up. “Once when my sister and I were swimming... down at the creek. She had to leave early... a-a babysitting job…”

             
“
And... after she left, then what?”

             
“
Well. I... I was getting ready to go back to the house when… Claude showed up.”

             
“
So now you’re alone with Claude. Would you please tell the court what happened next?”

             
She squirmed and seemed so uncomfortable it looked as if she might be sick. “What happened was... was that Claude. He...He...” She raised her eyes to Emily, and then turned to Ryan, leaning forward. “Claude-raped-me.” Her voice was barely audible.

             
Ryan moved closer and put a hand on the rail. “Would you repeat what you just said? Louder please.”

             
“
I uhm, I... I said that Claude... raped me.”

             
Gasps spread throughout the courtroom.

             
Ryan reached over and touched her hand. “Thank you, Mrs. Houser, for being so brave.”

             
There was mumbling throughout the courtroom until the judge slammed down the gavel.

             
“
Quiet!”

             
Ryan took a few steps toward the jury, then turned back to face the witness. “How old were you when the rape took place?”

             
“
I was fourteen, sir.”

             
More gasps, mumblings, and another slam of the gavel brought the courtroom to silence

             
Ryan strolled back to the stand. “You’re one in a million, Mrs. Houser.” He reached for her hand again, and then took a seat.

             
“
Mrs. Houser,” the prosecutor began as he stepped forward. “After this alleged rape, did you go home and tell anyone what happened?”

             
“
...No.” Her eyes were focused on her lap.

             
“
So no one else knows this rape took place?”

             
“
No.”

             
“
But... why would you wait until now?”

             
She shook her head. “I-I don’t know.”

             
“
Tell me something. You’re under oath now, so think carefully. Did you ever have a fight at school?”

             
“
Pardon?” She glanced up.

             
“
Just what I said. Were you ever in a fight at school?”

             
“
Su-sure, a couple of times.”

             
“
When you got home that night, did you tell your mother, or your sister, or anyone else about the fight?”

             
“
Probably. But…”

             
“
Uh, uh. Remember? Only what you’re asked?”

             
She was obviously offended and kept her eyes on him now.

             
“
You know what’s got me puzzled, Melanie? I’m just trying to figure out, why when someone rapes you, you decide that it’s not important enough to tell even one person. And yet you show up twenty some years later and say that very same thing in front of a crowd of people. I don’t buy it. There’s something you’re not telling us. Is it notoriety? That’s it. It’s notoriety, isn’t it.” He glowered at her for a moment and then stepped to the bench to have a chat with the judge.

             
A minute later, the judge called Ryan forward.

Ryan looked discourag
ed as he returned to the table.

             
“That’s it for today, Emily. He wants time for discovery, so court will be adjourned until day after tomorrow.”

             
He turned to watch Melanie walk down the aisle. “I don’t know what he thinks he’ll find that makes a difference. What in the world does he think she would gain by making up a story like that?”

* * * *

              When Emily walked in the courtroom two days later, she saw her father sitting next to Rose. Just knowing he was there gave her courage.

             
The prosecutor was up first. “I want to bring Melanie Houser to the stand.”

             
Ryan pulled out his hanky and wiped his forehead as he watched Melanie take her oath, and sit. Her head was bent again.

             
“
You mentioned the other day that your father and Claude Thorn were friends at one time, isn’t that true?”

             
“
Yes.”

             
“
So then will you please tell the court what happened the last time they were together. Didn’t your father pull out a shotgun?”

             
Her eyes shot up, turning from shock, to anger, and then fear. “Well…They… they were…”

             
“
They were in an argument, now, weren’t they?”

             
She nodded. “Yes.”

             
“
It wasn’t about you. So, what was it?”

             
“
I... I don’t know all the details.”

             
“
I understand. It’s been a while so let me refresh your memory. The fact is that Claude convinced your father to put his life savings into some sort of investment and he lost it all? Isn’t that right?”

             
“
Sort of yes, but...”

             
“
Weren’t you all angry at Claude?”

             
“
Yes, but…”

             
“
And even to date, isn’t your father trying to get his money back, claiming since Claude was part of the Rezell clan, that he should be able to extract money from them? Isn’t this all true?”

             
Melanie’s eyes filled with tears, and she dropped her head.

             
“
That will be all.”

             
“
Does the defense care to question the witness?” the judge asked Ryan.

             
“
Yes, I do Your Honor,” Ryan said, stepping to the floor.

             
“
I’d like you to think back very carefully, Melanie, to the time the alleged rape took place.” He moved so that he could rest an elbow on the stand. “What a traumatic time this must’ve been for you. Something like that would be very difficult to go through alone. I realize that it’s been a long while, so I want you to consider whether you might’ve mentioned something. Anything at all? Even that you’d seen Claude down by the water that day? Did you mention even the slightest thing to anyone?”

             
“
No.”

             
“
No one?”

             
She looked at him, for a moment seeming ready with something more, but then she shook her head.

             
Ryan’s shoulders slumped as he turned away. “You’re free to go.”

             
Melanie stepped down, picked up her bag from her seat, and hurried from the courtroom.

* * * *

              After a break, Ryan called Samuel Dimsmoore to the stand.

             
“
Mr. Dimsmoore. What was your relationship with Mr. Thorn?”

             
“
Well, we worked together on Rupert Rezell’s farm. Never really socialized.”

             
“
And how long did you work with the deceased?”

             
“
I’d say, a little over a year.”

             
“
So you must have spent many hours with him.”

             
“
Mostly in the field, sir.”