After Before and After

Phase 4: Chapter 35

December 18, 1992. 10:14 AM.

On the eighth day that Evan Merridew wasn't in court, Jack knew that it was the eighth day that Evan wasn't in court. The only good thing about the eighth day that Evan wasn't in court was that it was a Friday. Paige and Jack would have meetings with Brett and Jeremy Reynolds most of the day on Saturday, and Sunday would be theirs to catch up on homework (if you're Jack), and do some last minute Christmas shopping (if you're Paige).

Jack was so close to surviving the last full week of court before the Christmas break that would allow all court employees, witnesses, defendants and their families to return home for a whole twelve days. The coming and final week of the calendar year was only a three-day week, starting on Monday the 21st and ending on Wednesday the 23rd. Court would then be out of session until after the new year, when they'd all be back here at nine o'clock on the dot on the morning of Monday, January 4th.

Presently, Jack was just trying to survive this Friday morning before the weekend. The first witness that took the stand earlier that morning was a staff member at Bainbridge Military Academy who worked directly under Officer Bailey in putting together the International Military School Training Program. Jack didn't know the man very well as he didn't work with the students directly. The blond boy recalled seeing him in passing during his time at the academy, but not even his voice was familiar to him.

It wasn't until the second witness was called in by Dana Barnes that Jack's heart skipped a beat stressfully the way it did yesterday when Head Officer Bailey was called.

"The State of Georgia calls Kenneth Stone to the stand" Barnes announced to the court.

Jack felt his stomach knot up as he watched his former principal take his seat at the witness stand before being sworn in by the bailiff.

After asking Principal Stone for some background including his educational history, his career as an educator, and his time as principal of the academy thus far, Barnes revealed her true motivation behind calling this witness. And it wasn't, as Jack had initially thought, to talk about the logistics of the international program.

"Mr. Stone, how well do you know former Bainbridge Military Academy student, Larry Evans?" Barnes asked him.

Jack felt the knot in his stomach tighten intensely with a threat to send him doubling over. This was it; the moment the focus of the trial in the hands of Dana Barnes was shifting from Captain Benson's heroism to making Larry out to be a child murderer. Jack could only imagine how the now seventh grader was feeling as he became the center of the conversation as if he wasn't even in the room. It took everything in Jack to not look over to Larry now. It was one of the many things Brett had prepped him for when court was to be in session. He wasn't to react, which included not whipping his head around to make faces at the other boys as they were being discussed. During the pre-trial preparations, Jack shrugged the rule off assuming it would be easy. Now, he was beginning to understand why Brett drilled him so hard. It was already proving to be much easier said than done.

"I knew Larry relatively well, I'd say" Kenneth Stone answered, "back in his early years at Bainbridge Military Academy."

"And what years were those, Mr. Stone?"

"Larry started at the academy in second grade. He attended until the start of his fifth grade year" the principal confirmed.

"When exactly did Larry start his fifth grade year?" Dana questioned.

"The last week of August, in 1990. Our academic year begins around that time every year."

"Was Larry one of the Unit 8 squadron members enlisted in your international training program through the Royal Air Force that fall?"