Mysterious

Chapter 72

Arissa sat next to Jenna the next day, early in the morning in the courtroom. Bruno knew she was nervous. He could tell by the way she sat that she was really nervous. There wasn't anything he could do to make things better for her at that moment. He was nervous though, too. While he thought about all of this his phone buzzed. It was his lawyer.

I'll be there in 10 minutes. I'm parking. What the hell is going on?

I will tell you when you get here. Just calm down, bro.

Fifteen minutes later he felt someone sit down next to him.

"Bruno...what is going on? I got a call from Brandon telling me you needed me, like yesterday." his lawyer Brad said in a hushed tone.

"I had to do it, Brad. I had to say yes."

"Yes to what?"

"Yes to the assault charges. I had to." Bruno continued to say.

"Wait....what?"

"Yeah....."

Jenna walked back to the courtroom where Bruno and Brad were sitting.

"So here's the deal Mr. Reid..." Jenna paused to collect herself as Arissa came up behind her sliding into the seat neat to Bruno. She grabbed his hand to ease his anxieties. "We were going to lose the case...straight up...."

"I punched him a while ago." Bruno interrupted. "He said that if I plead guilty to it that he would plead guilty to this..." Bruno went on to tell his lawyer about the incident.

Brad sighed heavily in reaction to the events. "I guess....okay..."

"The papers will be filed today. I don't know who...if anyone knows. But that's what is going on." Jenna responded. Jenna finished her statement motioning for Arissa to come sit down in the front of the court room.

"Jenna...ABC and FOX are here..." Arissa said quietly sitting down.

"It's okay. We'll figure it out....Oh. She's here..." Jenna said quickly standing up. Arissa glanced at Robert who smiled at her. She rolled her eyes for effect as they all took their seats.

The jury sat down looking very confused.

"Okay, so we have come to an agreement, counselors?" the judge asked.

"Yes you're honor..." the defense attorney stated.

"And that is?" she asked them.

"Mr. Gutierrez will accept the plea deal of 1 year probation, anger management and counseling sessions as well as registering as a sex offender. In return Mr. Hernandez will plead guilty to simple assault charges stemming from a recorded incident on July 12, 2011."

The jury was shocked. There were several audible gasps from the audience sitting in the back of the courtroom.

"And you accept this, Mrs. Hernandez?" the judge asked. She nodded her head.No, no I don't.

"Okay then, we will hear this case...." she looked over at the court reporter who was flipping through a large calendar. He got up whispering in the judge's ear. "October 8, 2012... 4 pm. Everyone have a nice day. Stay dry, I heard it was going to rain today." Arissa didn't move from her chair. She watched the police officer take Robert's hands to place them in handcuffs. Oh my god. He's going to jail. He's going to jail. Oh my god..She felt tears coming down her cheek.

"Arissa?" Jenna asked her. "Are you coming?"

"Oh, yeah. Yeah. I'm coming."

Both of the reporters remained in the room as Jenna gathered her things. She took Arissa by the hand followed by Brad who walked next to Bruno.

"Can I ask you some questions, Ms. Evans?" the first reporter asked. Arissa recognized the reporter. She started to shake.

"There will be no comments." Jenna answered.

"But, what about Mr. Mars?" the other reporter asked. Brad looked at them both dead in the eyes.

"This is a personal matter which will be handled personally. Ms. Evans was correct in saying there will be no comments. " Brad said leading them out the door.

"Riss...hold my hand. You're shaking." Bruno said taking her hand tightly walking out the door. They were in the middle followed by Jenna. Instead of seeing the hustle and bustle of the normal court house, police officers, probation officers, potential jurors...they were welcomed by several TV crews and reporters wanting their questions answered.

Jenna stopped in the middle of them as Brad led Bruno and Arissa out of the shot. There were camera phones recording the event and people gasping because Bruno Mars was in the courthouse. Arissa squeezed his hand tightly as Jenna began to speak. "There will be no comments on the Hernandez-Gutierrez case. This is a personal matter which will be handled personally. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hernandez would appreciate their privacy during this time." Jenna said walking away from the crowd.

"I don't think that will work, Jenna." Arissa leaned over to talk to tell her quietly.

"It's going to have to work." Jenna responded leading them out the door.