Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 08:24:55 EDT From: Bwstories8@aol.com Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 7, chapters 19 - 20 The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 7 - by BW Copyright 2009by billwstories Chapter 19-- The Star Witness. **Author's Note:** Please read the disclaimer in Chapter 00 before you read this. When court resumed after lunch, the prosecution called its next witness. It was one of the others that had attended the party David Hubbard was at. In fact, the next several witnesses had all attended that get together and merely testified about the party and how everyone had a good time. The only thing they established was that everyone who attended was in a good mood, there were no fights or arguments prior to the assault and no one had shown any hostility toward the victim. I think this was done to shift suspicion away from those who were there, by showing everyone was getting along. Their testimony was so innocuous that our lawyer barely asked them any questions; since he concluded nothing they said did any damage to his defense strategy. However, when the prosecution called another of these people to the stand, Mr. Gouldin voiced his objection. "Your Honor, we have heard several witness repeat the same story," he stated, "so unless one of them has something new to add, I think we get the picture. I ask you stop the prosecution from calling others to repeat the information already on the record and move on to something new." "I agree," the judge concurred, "so Mr. Osgood, I recommend you call a witness that possesses different information." "Your Honor," since I felt we had several more witnesses to call first, I did not tell him to be here today." "Then I suggest you have him here first thing in the morning," the judge announced, "and we'll call a recess until then." Mr. Osgood nodded and the judge slammed down his gavel, ending the day's proceedings. The boys had calmed down after hearing Hubbard's testimony, because those that followed merely talked about the party and their comments were fairly inane. I took the accused home in the van and Jake took the others in the Suburban. Once we started to drive away from the Courthouse, they began to make their feelings known. "David Hubbard is the same lying shack of shit he was when our problems with him first started!" Danny exclaimed. "Did he really think he would get away with saying I came on to him, or one of his friends, again?" Shannon followed. "Is he dumb enough to believe we couldn't prove he was lying, after we proved it never happened in the first place?" "I swear if someone hadn't already beaten the crap out of him," Pat followed, "I would have done it myself. I think he's even more despicable and pathetic now, than he was back then." "I hope he only looks pathetic and not sympathetic," Brandon observed. "I think before he started spitting out his hatred against gays, some of the jurors might have believed him and were even feeling sorry for him." "Good point," I announced. "You can learn a lesson from him. If you get called to testify, it is important to keep your cool and not lose your temper. I think you saw what outbursts can do to make you less believable." "Yeah, we know what you mean," Danny replied. "Hubbard was actually doing good, until he started ranting against gays." "Hell, seeing him in that wheelchair," Pat added, "I almost began to feel sorry for him too, until he began to speak." "How does anyone like him make friends?" Brandon wondered. "A few of the people who were there to testify about the party aren't like him. In fact, I even get along with some of them." "I can see him and Tim Wood being buddies," Shannon concluded, "and a few of the others too, but some of those people are generally nice. So why in the hell would the hang around Hubbard and Wood?" No one had an answer to that question, so no one responded, and it wasn't long before I parked in front of the house. We got out, went inside and the boys were immediately barraged by their brothers. They not only wanted to show their support and make comments about what they heard, but they also offered suggestions about parts of the testimony they thought could be challenged. Once we went over their ideas, I jotted them down and told the boys I'd give them to Mr. Gouldin, to see if he thought he could use any of it. The rest of the night was pretty quiet and the boys facing charges were very lethargic. I think they were already fearing the worst and imagining what their life would be like in prison. I tried to break them out of their funk and get them thinking more optimistically, but they were too afraid of what was to come. Tim Wood would be up next and his testimony could prove to be the most damning of all. I'm not sure if any of them got any sleep that night, but I know I only dozed from time to time. I think Jake endured a very restless night too, because I heard him get up several times and leave our room. I certainly hope the trial doesn't drag on for very long or we'll all be zombies by the time a verdict is rendered. The next morning we choked down a small breakfast and drove to court. Once we were seated inside, the judge entered and the trial resumed, with Mr. Osgood calling his big gun witness to the stand. This was the person who claimed to have seen the boys in the area just prior to the attack, so it was important for Mr. Gouldin to shake his testimony. "The state calls Timothy Wood," the acting D.A. announced. The doors at the back of the courtroom opened and he came striding forward. He looked confident, and almost cocky, as he stepped up to the witness stand to be sworn in. Once that was completed, the prosecutor began. "State your name in full," he was directed. "Timothy Evan Wood," he responded. Mr. Osgood began by questioning Wood about his association with Hubbard. He asked how they knew each other, how long they had known each other, what their relationship was like and other such questions, before moving on. "Mr. Wood, could you tell us what you did on Thursday, July tenth of this year?" Mr. Osgood asked. "Yeah, I went to kind of a party with my friend, David Hubbard," Wood announced, while pointing back at Hubbard, who was seated in his wheelchair, at the rear of the courtroom. "Will you please tell us what happened that day?" the D.A. continued. "Yeah, we had a really good time, until I found David later," Wood explained. "So there were no problems at any time during this party?" the D.A. asked, hoping to totally eliminate the possibility that someone had a problem at the party and it was that person who later beat Hubbard. "Nope. None," Wood stated, with a sneer. Mr. Osgood then took a considerable amount of time to question Wood about events before the party, since he and Hubbard were together then too, even though they drove separately. Once that had been covered, the D.A. also questioned him about what happened at the party and what he did after he left the party, to further establish nothing had happened that would implicate anyone else. Most of this had little impact, except for eliminating the possibility that someone at the party might have done this, so Mr. Osgood pressed on. "I understand you were the one who found Mr. Hubbard later, after the attack." Mr. Osgood continued. "Objection, your Honor," Mr. Gouldin interrupted. "The prosecution is leading the witness and not asking a question." "Objection sustained," the judge quickly ruled. "Excuse me, your Honor, and let me rephrase," the D.A. apologized. "Who discovered Mr. Hubbard's battered body later?" I could tell Mr. Gouldin wanted to object to Mr. Osgood's use of words, but since it had already been established that Hubbard was badly beaten, he knew he would be overruled. He didn't want to let the prosecution use it to emphasize Hubbard's condition any more than it was. "That was me," Wood boasted. "Can you tell us how you happened to locate him?" Mr. Osgood asked next. "Sure. It was just after ten or so when David's father called and wanted to know if David was with me," Wood stated. "When I told him he wasn't, David's father told me he never came home, so I told his dad he might have had car problems and I'd go look for him. He thanked me and I told my parents what I was going to do and left. When I went back to where we held our party, I found him lying on the ground. He'd been beaten and was unconscious." "What did you do then?" Mr. Osgood asked. "I grabbed my cell phone out of the car and dialed 911," Wood explained. "The person on the other end told me not to move him and said she'd send a squad car and ambulance immediately, after I told her where we were." "Did you see anyone else around that evening?" the D.A. continued, directing him toward the questionable portion of his testimony. "Not then, but earlier, when I was leaving the party and heading home," Wood answered. "That's when I saw those four on the highway, less than a half mile from where the party was." He pointed at the four boys at the defense table as he said this, which added emphasis to his words. "And you are positive it was them?" Mr. Osgood asked, while raising his eyebrows for effect. "Absolutely," Wood assured the lawyer. "Danny was driving, with Brandon sitting in the front passenger seat, and I saw Shannon in the seat behind Danny, with Pat on the other side of him." "So there's no doubt in your mind it was the defendants?" the D.A. persisted, to make his testimony even stronger. "None whatsoever," Wood stated, confidently. "Thank you, Mr. Wood," Mr. Osgood told him. "I have no further questions for this witness, your honor." As Mr. Osgood was sitting down, Mr. Gouldin rose, buttoned his suit coat and moved forward to question the witness. He was scrutinizing him closely, as he approached. "So, Mr. Wood, you claim to have seen the defendants that same evening, in the vicinity of the party?" our lawyer began. "I don't claim it, I did see them," Wood challenged. "So you say," Mr. Gouldin repeated, showing his skepticism. "And where were you when you saw them?" "In my car," Wood responded. "And was your car parked at the time or were you driving?" Mr. Gouldin followed. "I was driving at the time," Wood replied. "And was their car parked or were they moving at the time?" our attorney continued. "Danny was driving in the other direction," Wood answered. "Oh, and how fast were you traveling?" Mr. Gouldin wanted to know. "I dunno, probably the speed limit," Wood informed him. "And what would that have been?" our lawyer asked. "About fifty-five," Wood responded. "Okay, and how fast do you think the defendants were traveling?" Mr. Gouldin wanted to know. "Probably about the same," Wood told him. "Oh, so I see," Mr. Gouldin stated, in a tone that emphasized his surprise and doubt. "So, tell me, how long did it take for you to pass by them?" "I dunno. Maybe a couple of seconds," Wood guessed. "Ah, so at fifty-five miles-per-hour, and for a couple of seconds, you were able to see and recognize all four boys in their vehicle?" our lawyer asked, while raising his left eyebrow. He did this to indicate he didn't believe that was possible. "Yes, I told you I did," Wood reiterated. My lawyer now flashed a look of disbelief, as he planned how he would push this idea further. "And was there anything else that made you believe it was them?" Mr. Gouldin persisted. "Yes, it was their car," Wood stated, feeling smug. "Well, I know they have several vehicles, so which vehicle would that have been?" Mr. Gouldin asked. "Their Grand Am," Wood announced, without hesitation. "And you're absolutely positive it was their Grand Am, with them in it, and it couldn't have been someone else?" our attorney challenged. "I'm positive it was them and not someone else," Wood replied, confidently. "And what time of day was this?" Mr. Gouldin asked next. "Somewhere around 9:00," Wood stated. "And what was the visibility at that time?" Mr. Gouldin continued. "Was the sun bright or was it cloudy?" "It was getting dark," Wood replied, but this time looking a little less confident. "Did you have your headlights on at the time?" our lawyer asked. "Yeah," Wood answered, succinctly. "So it was dark enough to turn your headlights on?" Mr. Gouldin challenged. "Yeah, I guess so," Wood answered. "And did they also have their headlights on?" our lawyer wanted to know. "I think they did," Wood replied, a little less certain. "So it was dark enough for headlights to be used, you were both traveling at approximately fifty-five miles per hour and passed each other in a second or two, yet you have no doubts it was these four boys?" Mr. Gouldin continued, raising his eyebrows again. "That's what I said," Wood answered, defiantly, while our lawyer gave him another questioning stare. Mr. Gouldin hesitated a few seconds before he continued. "You have been friends with Mr. Hubbard for quiet some time, correct?" he asked. "Yep, we have," Wood responded, boastfully. Mr. Gouldin now asked Wood if he knew of any other fights Hubbard had been in, if Hubbard had any other enemies or if Hubbard was involved in anything that might have led to him getting beat so badly. Wood wasn't happy with this question and the D.A. objected to it. However, he was overruled, but Wood didn't say anything that would lead to another suspect. "Please refresh my memory," Mr. Gouldin continued. "Were you part of the group that was involved in the fight with these boys a few years ago and weren't you also one of the boys suspended for those actions? Is this correct?" "Yeah, I guess it is," Wood responded. "And you share the same basic feeling about the alleged sexual orientation of these boys?" Mr. Gouldin challenged, as a way of discrediting his testimony. "I guess so," Wood confirmed, hesitantly. "You guess, so?" Mr. Gouldin pressed. "Okay, I don't like queers either," Wood finally admitted. "And you were in the fight with the defendants to protect your friend, Mr. Hubbard?" our lawyer asked next. "Hell, yeah. He's my best bud," Wood stated, with added emphasis. "I'd protect him no matter what." "And you'd lie to protect or help him too, is that also correct?" Mr. Gouldin challenged, having lured him into his trap. " Objection, your honor…" shouted the D.A. "Never mind, your honor," Mr. Gouldin replied, before Mr. Osgood could finish his objection or the judge had time to render his decision. "I withdraw my question. Mr. Gouldin walked confidently back to his seat, while the witness was excused. Then the judge ordered an hour recess for lunch. Once we were out in the hallway, the boys came up to me, rambling excitedly. They were eager to point out something they had picked up on in Tim Wood's testimony -- something that would mean his statement couldn't possibly be true. I quickly listened to what they had to say and considered their argument, before I realized they were correct. After reaching this conclusion, I excused myself and left the courthouse. There were a few things I would need to do before the trial resumed. I asked Jake to take the O'Haras and the boys out to eat, while I ran my errands, which he readily agreed to. I arrived back at court just before the trial was scheduled to restart and filled Mr. Gouldin in about what we had learned and what I had done. I was convinced he could use it. Now, we all took our places and waited for court to be called back into session. Soon the judge entered the courtroom and took his place. Once he was seated, he addressed the prosecutor again. "Mr. Osgood, will you please call your next witness," he told him. The acting D.A. chatted quickly with his assistant before he rose from his seat and looked toward the judge. "The prosecution rests, your honor," he stated meekly, which startled us and caused a series of audible gasps from the other spectators in the courtroom. This actually surprised us too, because we felt the prosecutor would explore and draw out the testimony of those who knew about the animosity between my boys and Hubbard. He might possibly even elicit more testimony about how we had pushed to get the boys suspended. We were confident he'd also question why we went after the Boy Scouts next and want to know if it was because Mr. Hubbard was a scoutmaster and both David and Tim were members of his scout troop. However, I guess Mr. Osgood either felt he'd presented enough of that information or Hubbard's outburst had made him decide not to press the gay issue further. Either way, he ended on what he thought was his strongest witness to tie my boys to the crime. "Mr. Gouldin," the judge continued, after realizing the prosecution was done, "would you please call your first witness to the stand." "Yes, your Honor," our lawyer replied. "The defense calls Mark Williams to the stand." Even though I had just picked Mark up from work, it was only so he could explain to Mr. Gouldin what I had told him earlier. There was never any definite plan to call him as a witness today. Even though everyone in the house had been included on the witness list, since we didn't know who might remember something important before it came time to testify, we still weren't certain anyone would be called. It was our good fortune we had done this, because now Mark's testimony was needed. Looking shy, Mark walked from the waiting area outside the courtroom and stepped forward. He was sworn in and then Mr. Gouldin began to ask his questions. "Please state your name in full," he told Mark. "Mark Edward Williams," he replied. "And how do you know the Currie family," Mr. Gouldin asked next. "They are very good friends," Mark stated, "and I've lived with them for a while. I also work for the foundation the Curries started and handle some of Mr. Currie's investments." "Very good," Mr. Gouldin responded. "Would you please tell us what you were doing the week of the July tenth incident." "Yes, sir," Mark agreed. "I was attending a conference for work, in the Catskills." "How did you get to this conference?" Mr. Gouldin followed. "I drove," Mark replied. "And did you drive your own vehicle?" Mr. Gouldin continued. "No, sir," Mark answered. "I had to borrow one of the Currie's cars, because mine wouldn't start the morning I was to leave." "I see," Mr. Gouldin stated. "So, which of their vehicles did you borrow?" "Mr. Currie let me take the Grand Am," Mark replied. Mr. Gouldin let a smile spread across his lips, and then he turned to look at the jury, before he turned to look at the prosecutor's table. It was plain to see that Mr. Osgood was not pleased about this surprise. "And when did you leave and return?" Mr. Gouldin followed, looking very smug and confident at this point. "I left on Sunday, July sixth, and returned on Friday, July eleventh," Mark stated, confidently. Mr. Gouldin nodded and grinned again. "And do you have any way to prove that information is correct?" Mr. Gouldin continued. "Yes, I have the parking receipt from the resort," Mark announced. "Do you have it with you?" Mr. Gouldin countered. "Yes, sir. I do," Mark assured him, as he pulled some paperwork out of his shirt pocket and began to unfold it. We had gone home to retrieve those receipts, as he had kept the originals and turned in copies of them for reimbursement from work. "Would you please show those documents to the court and read the information on it." Mark held the papers out for the judge to see, and then he flashed them out toward the D.A, before finally holding them out for the jury. He then began to read the information. "These papers give my name, the room number I stayed in at the hotel," Mark stated, "the year and description of the Grand Am and the license plate number." "Does it have any other information, such as dates?" Mr. Gouldin followed "Yes, sir," Mark readily agreed. "It says it's a parking receipt for July 6 -- 11 of this year." "Your honor, I'd now like to put this receipt into evidence," Mr. Gouldin stated, as he took the piece of paper from Mark and handed it to the judge. The judge looked it over briefly, before he responded. "So ordered," he announced. "This will be entered as defense exhibit A." Now, Mr. Gouldin turned back to Mark to ask him one further question. "So, seeing you had the car during this period of time," Mr. Gouldin continued, "would you agree there would have been no way Mr. Wood could have seen the Grand Am with the defendants in it on July tenth?" "That would have been impossible, sir," Mark replied. "The car was with me, hundreds of miles away from here." "Thank you, Mr. Williams. I have no further questions for you." Mr. Gouldin glanced at the prosecutor, before he turned and winked at us. I had been watching the prosecutor during the testimony and could tell he was very flustered by this surprise. It made his star witness look like an unmitigated liar. Now, he scrambled to save his case. "So, Mr. Williams," Mr. Osgood began, "would you please tell us again why you had the Currie's vehicle?" "Yes, sir. When I went to leave on Sunday, my car wouldn't start," Mark explained, "so Mr. Currie let me borrow the Grand Am, so I wouldn't miss going. I left my car with him and he had it repaired while I was gone." Thinking he might have found an opening, Mr. Osgood followed up with his next question. "What type of vehicle do you normally drive?" "I have an older Saturn, sir," Mark explained and Mr. Osgood looked crestfallen, after hearing his response. I think he was hoping Mark also drove a Grand Am. "And you are certain of the dates you were gone?" Mr. Osgood asked, hopefully. "Absolutely," Mark stated. "Besides, they are written on the receipt that was just entered into evidence." "So they were," the D.A. conceded, not knowing where else to go with his questioning. "I have no further questions for this witness, your honor." As Mark left the witness chair, Mr. Gouldin turned and motioned me to come forward. The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 7 - by BW Copyright 2009 by billwstories Chapter 20 -- The Verdicts. As I moved toward Mr. Gouldin, the judge addressed him. "Mr. Gouldin, would you please call your next witness." "May I please have a moment, your honor?" he asked. "Make it brief," the judge responded and Mr. Gouldin turned back to speak to me. "I think we should rest here," he explained. "We've just destroyed their connection between the boys and where the incident took place, and even though we can prove where some of the boys were during the nine to ten time span, it still puts them out of the house at the time. I think it would be best if we just rested now. I believe this new evidence will give the jury enough to think about and supply them with sufficient doubt to find your sons not guilty." "Are you sure about that?" I wanted to know. Even though I though Mark had destroyed Wood's testimony, we hadn't done very much to defend the boys. "It's a close call, but I want this information fresh in the jury's mind when they deliberate," Mr. Gouldin explained. "No other witness we call will be unable to add more damaging testimony than Mark did, so I think it would be to our advantage to rest now." I looked at the boys, who were listening in on our discussion, and could tell by the expressions on their faces that they were concerned about this suggestion. I wish I could take a few minutes to talk this over with Brandon's parents and Jake, but at that moment the judge interrupted our deliberations. "Mr. Gouldin, are you about ready to proceed," he asked. Hearing the judge, I finally gave Mr. Gouldin my answer. "If you think that's best," I advised him, "then do it. You know much more about criminal defense than any of us and that's why we hired you in the first place." "Then I say we end this now," he confirmed. I merely nodded and he turned to face the judge. "Your honor, the defense rests," he announced. There was an audible and collective gasp from the others in the courtroom. The prosecutor merely looked over at the defense table and stared, as if he were trying to size them up. However, there was nothing for him to see. "In that case," the judge responded, "we shall take another recess, so you can prepare your closing arguments and I can prepare my charge to the jury. Court will reconvene in one hour." With that said, the judge slammed down his gavel, stood up and went back to his chambers. However, most of the people in the courtroom stayed where they were, except for the jurors. They were led back to the jury room, where they would wait until the judge returned. We sat and talked among ourselves. We attempted to weigh the information as it had been presented and then speculated about whether there was sufficient for the jury to find the boys guilty. While we were talking, Mr. Gouldin and the District Attorney left the courtroom, to prepare their closing remarks. After the judge and the lawyers left, the courtroom finally began to clear, so we decided to take a walk. We felt it would be best if we got away from there, even if it were only for a few minutes. Of course, the fact that the Hubbards and Tim Wood were glaring at us from the rear of the chamber helped to motivate our decision. We wandered around the Courthouse Park for about a half hour, just enjoying the temperate day. It did help us relax more than if we'd stayed put, but thinking the hour was almost up, we wandered back to take our seats. We were still talking about how we thought the jury would decide when the judge reentered. Quickly, the chamber grew quiet again. Once the jury had returned as well, the judge spoke. "Mr. Osgood, would you please make your closing remarks." "Yes, your honor," he began, while standing up. Then, he strode over and stood in front of the jury box. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury," he began. "This case is fairly simple. It has been shown there was a past history of animosity between these boys, because of an incident at school, and when the four defendants finally got their opportunity for revenge, they took it. They were seen in the area just before the attack occurred, have no alibis for that time period and have plenty of motive for wanting to hurt the victim. If you agree with these facts, you have to return a verdict of guilty." Having finished his brief remarks, the D.A. returned to his table and took his seat. I thought his closing was more than a little weak, probably because his star witness had been discredited and his victim showed he was a liar and a bigot, but now we all watched Mr. Gouldin, as he made his address to the jurors. "For one of the few times during this trial," he stated, while holding his body very erect and looking very professional, "I agree with the District Attorney. This case is very simple. The biggest piece of evidence the prosecutor had to tie my clients to this crime was an eyewitness, who claimed he passed their car after dark, while both vehicles were doing approximately 55 m.p.h. However, after he testified, we discovered he could not have seen what he claimed, since the vehicle he said he saw wasn't even in town at the time. If that's not reasonable doubt, then I don't know what is. You have no choice but to come back and return a verdict of not guilty." Mr. Gouldin gave the jury one final scan, to read their expressions, and then moved back to his seat. There was a brief lull in the proceedings, while the murmuring in the courtroom died down, and then the judge turned to face the jury, so he could give them his charge. "Members of the jury, there are two charges involved with this crime," he began, "however before we delve into those, I must remind you that you must find the evidence sufficient to place the defendants at the scene of the crime when it was committed. You must also find, beyond a reasonable doubt, they in fact perpetrated this crime. "Now, concerning the specific charges," he went on. "If you find beyond a reasonable doubt the defendants attempted to intentionally, knowingly or recklessly cause injury to David Hubbard, or that they negligently caused bodily injury to David Hubbard with a deadly weapon, then you must find them guilty of simple assault. "If you find beyond a reasonable doubt the defendants attempted to cause serious bodily injury to David Hubbard," the judge continued, "or caused such injury intentionally, knowingly or recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life, then you must find them guilty of aggravated assault. Do any of you have questions concerning my directions?" None of the jury members responded, so the judge continued. "Bailiff, will you please take the members of the jury to the jury room and sequester them, until they reach a verdict," he ordered. The bailiff did as he was directed and led the jury out. As they were leaving, I turned to look at my accused sons and still noted some very concerned looks on their faces. They were aware their continued freedom and a possible criminal record rested solely with the twelve men and women who just left and that was not a reassuring thought for them. Once the jury was gone, we met with Mr. Gouldin. He told us we did what we had to do to exonerate the boys and felt confident the verdicts should come back not guilty. I told him I hoped he was right, as we prepared to exit out of the back of the courtroom. We planned to wait in the hallway until the verdicts were announced, but before we left, Mr. Gouldin told us he believed it wouldn't take the jury long to reach a decision. This was due to the fact the trial turned out to be much shorter trial than anticipated and very little evidence was presented that the jury would have to wade through. Therefore, we took up our vigil in the wide corridor outside the courtroom. As I looked around, I could see Mr. Hubbard, his son, David, and Tim Wood sitting at the opposite end of the corridor. They looked just as worried about what the jury would decide as we were. Every few minutes, they would turn in our direction and give us their patented glare, so it was obvious their animosity toward us only grew with time. I became involved with one of these eye-to-eye stare downs with David and his father and was determined to outlast them. However, our little contest ended prematurely, when the bailiff came into the hall and announced the jury was back. We reentered the courtroom curious about what they had decided. Even though Mr. Gouldin had told us the verdict would be probably be reached quickly, we thought it might take a little longer than this. I even glanced at my watch, to calculate how long it had taken, and was shocked to discover the jury had only been out for twenty minutes or less. This made me wonder if it weighed in our favor or against us. On the way back in, I asked Mr. Gouldin what he thought. Although he said he felt confident the jury had seen through the lies and would find them guilty, I think he still feared it could go either way. We walked in, took our seats and nervously awaited the outcome. Shortly thereafter, the judge entered and took his place, so we had to stand again. Once he called the court back into session, the jury was led into the jury box, and I noticed they didn't look at either the prosecution or defense tables on the way in. Instead, the members of the jury seemed to prefer to look toward the floor or study their hands, for the most part. Once they were seated, the judge addressed them. "Madam foreperson, has the jury reached its verdicts?" he asked. "Yes, your honor," the matronly looking woman replied. "We have." "For the defendant Daniel Currie, on the most serious charge of aggravated assault, how do you find?" I think we all held our breath at this point. "Not guilty," came the reply. We were somewhat relieved, but dared not cheer just yet. "For the same defendant, on the lesser charge of simple assault, how do you find?" the judge asked. "Not guilty, your honor." I think some of the weight began to lift and I glanced quickly at the rear of the courtroom, where I saw David, his father and Tim Wood all looking as if they had just swallowed a whole lemon. It was quite obvious they were not happy with the verdicts and didn't consider the matter closed, at least not yet. We sat in controlled silence, while the same verdicts were read for Pat, Brandon and Shannon, and then the judge thanked the jury and told the boys they were free to leave. I kept everyone with me in the courtroom for a few more minutes, since I wished to give the Hubbards and their friends time to leave first. I wanted to avoid any possible confrontations in the hallway or parking lot, which could lead to more charges. The boys were eager to get away from there, but I made them wait about fifteen minutes before we left, and I also made sure to warn them to stay together until we reached home. As I suspected, the Hubbards and their supporters were still in the parking lot when we got there. I think they might have been planning to do something to our vehicles, but had to wait until everyone else cleared out first. Once they felt they had their opportunity, we showed up and ruined things, before they had the chance to carry out their plan. When they saw us, and how many there were, they all turned, got into their own vehicles and left. Once they were gone, we did the same and drove home. Once we were away from the courthouse, a series of excited comments and cheers began to break the silence, as my relieved crew felt they could finally begin to celebrate their vindication. When we got to the house, the euphoria continued, however the discussion now changed. Instead of talking excitedly about how everything worked out to clear them, they began to wonder what would have happened if Mark's car hadn't refused to start on the Sunday before he left for his conference. In fact, I think we all found that a very scary thought. "You know," Danny stated simply, "I can't wait to thank Mark when he gets home from work, for helping us out of that mess, but maybe we should be thanking his car for breaking down instead." There were a few scattered chuckles from some of the younger boys, because they didn't immediately get his implication. Once this brief moment of giggles ended, the room became somber again. "I really hate to think what might have happened if his car hadn't broken down," Brandon agreed. "We could have been convicted just because of what Wood said. I'm sure glad Mark had those receipts to prove he had the Grand Am at the conference during that week." "I wouldn't go that far," Jake countered. "I'm sure we would have come up with other things to clear you." "Possibly, but we can't really say that for sure," I added, not quite as confident. "I'm really glad someone caught on to the fact about the car, because it hadn't registered with me at all." "Yeah, even we didn't catch it," Pat added. "We were focusing on how Wood said he had seen us and didn't catch his mistake about the car." "By the way, who DID catch that?" Shannon asked. "It was Cole," Dion boasted, while patting Cole on the back. "How did you pick up on that?" Ricky asked, while looking more than a bit impressed at his brother. Cole, for the most part, had always just seemed to blend into the background, but now he stood out. "Yeah, what made you think of that?" Sammy asked Cole. "Well, it's because I always like to take the Grand Am when I need to go somewhere," Cole began, "and that week I couldn't do it. I guess it just made me remember it had been gone all week." He looked slightly embarrassed by all the attention, but you could tell he was pleased he had been the one to help the most. "Cole," Brandon began, "I think I can speak for the others too, when I say thank you for catching Wood's mistake about the car." This time, Cole was blushing. "We all owe you big time," Brandon continued, "so if you ever need anything -- anything at all, just ask. And I mean that." Cole was still blushing and it took him a few seconds before he was able to respond, but it wasn't until the other three had concurred with Brandon's statement. "If I hadn't picked up on it, someone else would have figured it out eventually," Cole suggested, although I wasn't sure anyone else agreed with him. "Maybe not then, but once we got home and started talking about it, someone would have remembered." "Possibly, someone else might have figured it out" Jake told him, "but it might have been too late for it to be used in court. By catching it so quickly, the lawyer was able to make it his whole defense and I really believe that's what made the difference here." "He's right," I added, supporting Jake's position. "If you hadn't caught it when you did, the lawyer would have called a bunch of you to the stand to testify as to what you were doing before we left for vacation. By the time one of us had caught the mistake about the car, the jury may have been too confused, having to wade through all the other information, so they wouldn't see that fact as clearly. Whether you are willing to admit it or not, Cole, it was your observation that helped the others to be found not guilty. "And Brandon's right," Pat added. "We owe you big time. Whatever you want or need, just ask. I don't think any of us could refuse you anything, since you kept us from going to prison." "No, you guys don't owe me a thing," Cole insisted. "I just did it to help my brothers. Besides, you've always been there for me too. You and Dad, that is." The boys told him they still wanted to repay him in some way, but for now settled on giving him a hug, slap on the back or some other gesture to show him how they felt. Each of the four boys who had been accused of the crime also made sure to thank Cole personally for his astuteness, although Cole still seemed embarrassed by the attention. No matter how he acted, I think Cole was proud of himself too, and this was a feeling he seldom got to enjoy. Due to his early life, learning difficulties and problems in school, Cole had seldom enjoyed opportunities to feel good about himself. That was one of the reasons I gave in to him about the old car he wanted to fix up, hoping he could take some pride in the fact he was refurbishing it entirely by himself, both the body and the engine. Now, I just sat back reveling in the realization that his current recognition for was for something other than his automotive prowess. During the rest of the evening, things began to quiet down and get back to normal, and by morning, the boys were beginning to talk about other things, besides the trial. We let the four college boys stay home for the rest of the week however, just to unwind and put what they'd been through behind them. I did this for their mental well-being, but it wasn't a vacation. I also insisted they keep up with their studies while they were here, and although they mildly objected to my demand, they did as I asked. Brandon's parents stayed until Saturday, when they caught their flight home. There was a tearful parting between them and their son, yet it was also filled with relief. There was no doubt we were all happy this was behind us. The O'Haras promised they would come back to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with us too, which pleased Brandon immensely. It meant he wouldn't have to fly there for either of those holidays, but would still celebrate both occasions with his parents. It wasn't because he didn't want to go to Texas to see them, but he didn't want to miss being with the other boys either. This way, he could be with everyone at the same time. After we saw the O'Haras off, Jake and I took the college boys back to their campuses, to resume their normal life, as students. I think by that point they were all eager to return to school and we parted with hardly any emotional displays when we dropped them off. Jake and I arrived home late Sunday afternoon and talked about how we had managed to dodge a bullet. We also wondered how many other scary incidents like this we might still have to face. E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other 'constructive' comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com - but please put the story title in the subject line, so it doesn't get deleted as junk mail.