The Brooch

Cleaver's Revelation Pt 3

"Yo witness." Mr. Kransten sourly smirked looking Mr. Smarten dead in the eye as he proudly took his seat.

Before, he stood up to cross examine Cleaver, Mama Woods grabbed his arm and whispered something into Mr. Smarten's ear...

"Cleaver," Mr. Smarten said walking up to the stand. "Befoe, Mrs. Crowder discovered that the brooch she had in possession, was indeed a replica, do you recall her eva doin anythang particular with that brooch?"

"Not really..." Cleaver honestly replied. "But I did used hear on occasion, her speakin to me, when she thought my hearin aid was on low or out of commission, that, the brooch was a weapon."

"A weapon?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"In whut way?"

"Well, when Mrs. Crowder caught wind that sweet precious Maple, caught her grandson Tator's eye. And that he naw wuz sweet on her and startin to notice young Maple in a different light, well suh... she did everythang she could to keep Maple away from her grandson. And he away from her for that matter. She wuz desperate to neva see a Lexington in her eyes, bond with a Hastings. Especially that of Maple."

Objection yo honor! Whut does this have ta do with the trial?"

"Quite a lot ! If you let me get my point out!"

"Overruled." Judge Bloomfurd spoke. "'Sides, I wan hear this myself."

Mr. Smarten continued on.

"So when it came to Maple and the brooch, even though Mrs. Crowder, thought for the time bein she actually had the "said" brooch in hand, she still wonted to use that brooch as a weapon towards, and let me this right, young Maple Joelle Woods?"

"Yes?"

"Why?"

"Becuz, Mrs. Crowder, on several occasions said to me, it would not onlay, stick a dagger in Maple's heart, cuz she knew how much that brooch meant to Maple, ever sense Maple struck a nerve on the day Mrs. Crowder visited the Woods and Maple kicked her butt to high tail city for invadin their personal property... But that it would further oppress the Hastings clan for all the years of agony, she felt they endured upon her."

"And how, befoe she discovered the brooch wuz fraudulent, was she gonna do that exactly?"

"Well jest days befoe, Tator barged out them doors to neva return... Well, Mrs. Crowder, sat in that car with me as I drove her to Big Brother Joe's market, she again wuz thankin my ears were low, as she clearly said, rantin out loud, she was gonna finally wear that brooch out in public. Purely out of spite."

"And where was she gone to wear such a beautiful and fragile thang?"

"To none otha than Jeffrey Hastings and Cornelia Pumpkin Lee's future weddin." Cleaver boldly stated. "That way, she could let Maple be tortured that not onlay would she neva get that brooch eva again. But that she would neva, if it wuz the last thang that she woulda eva do, wuz to get her clutches into her beloved grandson, Tator. She was even willin to use Andrew Wellington for that matter."

"Hmm..." Mr. Smarten murmured. "Let's backtrack and take this down a different road, shall we?" Cleaver, on the day of questioning of that July, three years back, you said you left right befoe whut Mrs. Crowder claims was a bombardment of my client, Mrs. Woods and her daughter, that you could see, she was clearly in no danger of my client?"

"Yes suh."

"Whut else did you hear or see that day? Befoe you left that is?"

"Well suh... can't say I heard much of anythang seeing as, I turned off my hearing aid as Mrs. Crowder was still ranting on, threatening my job and all. But when I went to close the gate on my way out, well I looked up and I saw Mrs. Crowder willingly openin her door and lettin Scarlet, and Maple in."

"Did you see anythang else?"

"Nuthin but Mrs. Woods. She looked down at me in a suggestion of thanks as she the mouthed the words, "all will be okay."

"And whut do you thank she meant by that?"

"I thank she meant, no harm would come to Mrs. Crowder."

"And did you believe that?"

"I left didn't I?" Cleaver uttered. "Look, I'm sure all here, knows that Mrs. Crowder can ride my nerves like a cowboy to a bull, but the last thang I would eva do, is let anyone purposely harm her crabby ole butt! And I knew, Mrs. Woods, would neva.. Naw as foe Maple and her sisters__"

"Uh.. uh, Cleaver, I have another question."

"Ask on..."

"You said, and I quote on the very next day... "Mrs. Crowder told you the accounts of whut happened?"

"She did."

"But you clearly said you left of yo own recognition and didn't return till the next day..."

"Mmm-hmm."

"So you neva really witnessed of yo own account with yo very own eye, Not onlay the brooch being returned, but that Mrs. Woods had a tissy?"

"Well no..."

"And you neva heard the words with yo own ears bein said by Mrs. Scarlet Woods, that she would have her vengeance and get the brooch back... no matter the consequences?"

"None..."

"Uh huh." Mr. Smarten said walkin back to his notes. "But you did hear somethin that next day.... Somethin out of the ordinary, while Mrs. Crowder was with you in her livin room just braggin about the day befoe's account. Could you please tell the court whut you did witness with yo own eyes and whut was said that you clearly heard, by a one Mrs. Magnus Crowder?"

Cleaver cleared his throat, he squinted in a slight glimpse Mrs. Crowder's way, then towards the jury and said...

"Mrs. Crowder said naw that the brooch is back in her possession, her vengeance towards Olivia Hastings and clan was almost complete. But she had to teach that bratty Maple Joelle a lesson, for messin with elders."

"So the account that Mrs. Crowder told you of that Mrs. Woods, statin her vengeance, could have clearly in fact, been evidently fabricated! And on top of that apparently, she... bein Mrs. Crowder, kept up that promise to have "her vengeance" on Maple and company... jest three years later. And it appears it is really why we are sittin today in this court..."

"Objection yo honor!"

"No further questions..."

Mr. Smarten walked away from Cleaver, back to Mama Woods. He calmly sat back down as Cleaver was excused. Mr. Darren Smarten, gently held Mama Woods hand and whispered....

"Are you ready?"