The Queen Of Spades

Chapter 7, Continued, Again

The beginning of the trial that day was the same as it was every day before then until I was called to the stand. It started the same as the last time I was called as a witness but once the defense attorney started asking questions, there was a complete shift in the case.
"Miss Everhart, what were your siblings' names?" He asked me.
"Aiden, Nova, Jade, and Luke. How is this relevant?"
"And what were their ages?"
"Seventeen, fifteen, six, four. Wait no, Nova’s birthday was in January, so we’re sixteen now. And Luke is five now. It’s his birthday today.” He never even made it to kindergarten. He should have at least made it to kindergarten. “Again, how is this relevant?"
"How did they die?"
"They were murdered." I answered coldly.
"As you've said, but how did they die?"
"Are you talking about the method of murder? You already know what happened."
"Why are you so reluctant to answer the question?"
"I'm so sorry for not wanting to recount how my family was brutally tortured and killed. But fine, you want to know? I'll tell you, you sadistic prick! They held a plastic bag on Luke's head for fifteen minutes, until he stopped screaming, until his head fell limp at an angle that shouldn’t be possible. I watched him pour bleach down Jade's throat until she was foaming at the mouth, dead." I pointed at the defendant. "Nova had pieces carved out of her until she bled to death and Aiden died when he tried to escape. He was shot dead. Are you satisfied now? Do you get off on making people relive the worst days of their lives?"
"Please calm down. I simply asked a question."
"No, you did not simply ask a question. Now ask the next one or say you're done so that I can go back to school."
"Did they try to kill you? Like they did with the others? Why were you left alive as a witness when they were killed?"
"I wasn't left alive. I woke up chained to the bottom of a glass box rapidly filling with water. I drowned while the rest of the warehouse was on fire." Idiot! I thought to myself. How can he be this stupid and arrogant?
"Yes, so it seems. One question though, why were you just left to chance with your attempted murder while they took measures to make sure the others were dead?"
"I. Don't. Know." He just wasn't getting it. "I'm not in their brains. I can study people relatively well but I'm not friggin Sherlock Holmes, I don't know what they're thinking when they try to kill me. I'll tell you this though, a queen doesn't go down without a fight and I'm just getting started."
"Queen?"
"Yes."
"Could you expand on that please."
I rolled my eyes. "I like playing cards, and I like throwing stars. For my tenth birthday, Aiden got me throwing stars that looked like playing cards. I used them as my main weapon when I went undercover and earned the shadow name "The Queen of Spades" because I always used the queen of spades card to kill the leader and left it as my calling card. And unlike him, I don’t like killing people. I hate killing. It’s wrong. But I do it well."
"I see."
"Oh, do you? I'm so glad."
"That will be all your Honor."
"Yeah, I'm sure he's realized that I can't be pinned for this so he's running back with his tail between his legs to try and find another angle in the next five minutes. Can I go now?" I got down and went to sit back down without waiting for permission. Caleb put his hand on my shoulder as he moved out of his seat to let me pass and I shrugged it off, cringing at the touch. The rest of the trial passed by until it came time for the jury to reach a verdict. I held my breath as the juror stood. "On the counts of kidnapping, four murders in the first degree, arson, and treason, the jury finds the defendant, Richard West, not guilty." My breath caught in my throat. Did I hear that correctly? I looked to Nada and Oliver to confirm. How could they say not guilty? Some of them had to be paid off, right? That was the only logical explanation. They led the defendant towards the doors but stopped when he got to where I was sitting. "I'm so sorry for everything that's happened to you." He said to me, then he put his elbow to his face and pretended to cough while saying "du bist tot." (You’re dead.)
"You stay the Hell away from me. If you ever come near me again I will rip your arms off with my bare hands. Get him the Hell away from me." I seethed. After a few minutes of sitting there in disbelief, I stood and stormed out of the courtroom to the car with Oliver, Caleb and Nada following. I slammed the car door shut and glared daggers at the back of the seat in front of me, trying not to scream in anger, until we got to school. Caleb and I got out and went inside to go to eighth period—which we were going to be late for—where we had a test that I aced without even trying.