How Could This Be Real?

85. The Trial- Part 2

Don't say I didn't warn you ;)

✧✦☆★✧✦☆★

The judge shuffled through a few papers and the bailiff (the man in uniform who would swear us all in) stood next to the witness stand. "So, it seems we have a rather unusual case here," she said and laced her fingers together on the desk in front of her. Her honey colored eyes drifted to David's table and it took everything I had not to follow her gaze. "Mr. Spencer was arrested for statutory rape on the call of a Ms. Gilbert," she glanced at me, "but neither party is saying that it was rape at all." She leaned back and looked at her hands, "However, we're here today because the law states that if a person four or more years older than someone younger than 16 has sexual intercourse with them, it is automatically rape. Since Miss Cosgrove is now 16 but was 15 at the time of the accused crime, we are hearing all sides to try and determine if this was in fact rape, or simply a harmless act of human affection."

Well, she seems pretty cool with all this at least. I guess I don't have to worry about a biased ruling.

She looked to my lawyer, "It's my understanding that you have a witness?"

He glanced at me through the corner of his eye and muttered under his breath, "Unfortunately." I covered up a chuckle with a cough and he stood, nodding. "Yes, we would like to call Ms. Gilbert to the stand."

She walked up to the witness stand and stood there, looking straight forward.

"State your name," the bailiff said.

"Gertrude Gilbert."

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

"I do."

"Please be seated." She did so and the bailiff went back to being a statue, just standing there and waiting for his time do something.

My lawyer walked up to his place in front of the judge and witness and gave them both a professional smile before turning his gaze to Gertrude. "So, Mrs. Gilbert-"

"Ms." she interrupted him. "I prefer Ms. Gilbert, thank you."

"Alright then, Ms. Gilbert, you were staying in the hotel room next to Mr. Spencer and Miss Cosgrove last weekend, is that correct?"

"Yessir," she replied.

"You called the police on the night of January 28th concerning the two of them, is that right also?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Can you please sum up the conversation you had with the police for us?"

She eyed him up suspiciously but did as he asked. "I told them I had reason to believe that there was a young girl being raped in the hotel that I was staying at and I asked them to come investigate. They wondered what proof I had of this claim and I told them I could hear moaning and shrieking in the room next to mine, which I knew a young girl was staying in. They said they wouldn't be able to come until the morning and I tried everything I could think of to get them to come that night, but they said it was impossible."

He nodded and clasped his hands behind his back, "You said that you knew there was a girl staying that room. Did you know that anyone was staying with her?"

"Yes."

"How did you know that?"

"I saw them go in and come out together."

"When exactly?"

She stared at the railing as she thought, "Well, the first time was late that Friday night. Then they came out the next morning and went back in around 8:00 PM, which was the night I called the police."