After Before and After

Phase 4: Chapter 69

March 26, 1993. 3:11 PM.

Jack Merridew was relieved that he could see the end of the finish line. The first two weeks of testimony against Roger was a race; and a slow one at that. It took two weeks just to get through a handful of authority figures and a small percentage of Roger Conroy's former victims and their parents. Jack, among the rest of Courtroom 4, spent two weeks listening to gruelling stories from people who were still traumatized by their interactions with Roger in years past. Children took the stand to speak of wedgies so painful they left burn lines, threats so violent they didn't leave their dorm rooms for days, and fear so intense they soiled their pants. In other cases, parents told the stories of sons who were too afraid to take the stand. Teachers and coaches talked of breaking up violent fights Roger either started or intended to finish, of having to stop their games or classes or activities to separate a young Roger from the other children, and of being too afraid of him to walk him to the office alone.

It was always hard not to look at the other boys when their names were spoken into open court, but it was especially challenging for Jack now that his former best friend was the center of attention. Although, Jack didn't have to look at Roger to know what his face looked like; hollow as an empty vase as it always was. He would surely be the best of them all at staying composed and not reacting to the testimony as they heard it. Barnes could play a video of Roger murdering Piggy in cold blood and the boy still wouldn't react. But even knowing all this didn't make it any easier for Jack to face forward.

Currently, Barnes was questioning one of the training instructors at the academy who lead Unit 8. The man, like the other witnesses before him, had clear and unforgettable memories of Roger Conroy. His name was one that was hard to forget. He was at the center of the majority of the violent incidents that occurred within Unit 8, within Roger's grade, and within the academy's hallways and locker rooms. There wasn't a single witness who took the stand in the last few weeks that didn't have a horror story to tell about Roger. There were many more than Jack ever heard before now, and he was certain there were just as many that would remain untold.

The last week was troubling for Jeremy Reynolds, who Jack could see was having a difficult time trying to convince the court that Roger wasn't what he seemed to be. There were so many witnesses, so many stories, so many incident reports, so much evidence against him. It wasn't possible that they could all be untrue. Reynolds had a very weak leg to stand on with Roger, and Jack could see that he was in no way enjoying how easy it was for Barnes.

Following the very short cross-examination of the academy's squadron training officer, Barnes called her last witness for the day. Jack recognized the name immediately. Not every boy in this room would, he knew, but as Roger's co-conspirator for most of their delinquent crimes at the academy, Jack knew exactly how the last forty-five minutes of the day were about to go.

"Please state your name for the record" Barnes requested of her witness after he was sworn in.

"My name is William Moore" he answered.

"And what is it you do for a living?" Barnes asked.

"I am a child psychiatrist based out of Bainbridge, Georgia" he told her.

"And what is your connection to this case, Dr. Moore?" Barnes prompted the witness.

"I was called in to Bainbridge Military Academy at the request of Principal Kenneth Stone in November of 1986 to do an assessment of a few select students enrolled at the military school" he explained.

"How many students were you asked to assess?"

"Eight, I believe it was" the doctor said.

"Are any of those students here in the courtroom today?" Barnes asked knowingly.