"Your honor, I'd like to call Abigail Colvin to the stand please."
I look behind me to see an older woman, about 50 or 60 with grey hair, being escorted through the courtroom doors and walking to the front. Although she is short and plump with no grace about her, this woman walks with long strides and confidence. She stands beside the witness platform, places her hand on the bible and follows the bailiff's lead.
"Abigail Colvin, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"
For some reason, Abigail's eyes flicker in my direction. Her name doesn't sound familiar but her eyes do.
She answers, "I do", and then sits in the witness chair.
Silver paces in front of her and begins his questioning.
"Can you state your full name for the record please?" He asks.
She smiles in response. "Of course. My full name, as stated on my birth certificate, is Abigail Suzanne Colvin."
"And what do you do for a living Mrs. Colvin?"
"I am a Licensed Masters Social Worker with Child Protection Services and employed by the state of Texas."
"And how long have you been working for the state of Texas Mrs. Colvin?"
"I've been working with them for about thirty-five or thirty-six years now, I'd say."
"And in all of those years of your employment, has the name Lily Calvinson ever been in one of your case files."
"Yes sir, I believe it has."
"Could you please explain to the court the nature of her case please?"
"Well, it was so long ago, but from what I can remember it was a file involving an allegation of abuse. It was investigated and when no proof could be found, it was labeled low risk. We stopped in for a few surprise visits over the next year, but still, we found no reason to suspect child abuse and so we closed the case."
"What exactly was the nature of the allegation Mrs. Colvin? If you could be so kind, I would like for you to give the court the specific details of the case."
"W-well, I mean, like I said, the case was so long ago I couldn't possibly be expected to remember every little detail."
"You're absolutely right Mrs. Colvin. Maybe I have something that can help you."
Silver turns away from Abigail and begins walking towards our table. When I look past him over to her, the confident woman who walked into the court room seems to have vanished. In her place sits a confused woman that looks as white as a ghost. Silver reaches the table, opens up his briefcase, and begins to root through all of his paperwork. He places court documents, notes, charts, and several packets of paper on our table and leafs through them until he finds what he's looking for. Turning back to Abigail, he smiles and looks at her the way a wolf would a sheep; ready to devour.
"Here we are! Your honor, I'd like to approach the witness, please?"
"Go ahead."
"Mrs. Colvin, it just so happens that I have a copy of the case report for you to look over. Could you please turn to the last page and tell me if that's your signature down at the bottom?"
Silver hands the packet of papers over to Julia and for a few moments I almost believed that she wouldn't take them. Wherever Silver was going with his line of questioning, it was obviously starting to bother her. Abigail's face has gone from white to red and she has even started chewing on her lip. Can anyone else see this? I take a peek to my right at Frank and his counsel and see they are both relaxed and smiling.
YOU ARE READING
Wild Thing
Mystery / ThrillerLily Calvinson grew up on a compound that would later be described as "the cult of the century." Followers were taught obedience, that God was their enemy, and any interaction or affiliation with churches, Bibles, or Christians could be punishable b...
