The Innocent Man

Chapter 3

My fingers wrapped around the handle of the ax as I swung it over my shoulder, the wooden handle scraping my ear as it made it's decent into a resting position. I looked down at my feet just in time to see a little fist drag down a streak of blood as it relaxed itself. The blonde hair piled around the little girl's head covered slightly by the blood that surrounded it. I collapsed, the ax falling to my side as I released my grip on it in favor of holding this poor child close. "It should never have been you," I choked through tears, "if there is even a God out there, it should never have been you, Alice."

"But Daddy, I'm right here." A soft voice greeted my ears as I looked up through tear stained eyes, "I'm... Right... Here..."

"Alice," I reached out to her as she stepped back defensively, blood beginning to drip from somewhere beneath her baby doll dress. "It should have never been you."

"Why didn't you protect me, Daddy?" Her voice grew louder as her smile faded, tears streaming down her cheeks. She grasped at her stomach, blood now pouring out of an unseen hole in her torso along with her mouth, as she let out cough after cough.

"I tried, Alice." I sobbed as I abandoned the little girl in my lap, crawling toward my Alice on my knees as I reached toward her crippling frame, "I tried so hard to protect you."

"Why didn't you save me, Daddy?" She shrieked as she backed away from me, doubling over as she succumbed to the coughing.

I jumped to my feet reaching for her in an attempt to pull her into my embrace just once more before she left me, "It should have never been you, Alice." My hands only found the air around me as every trace of my Alice dissipated before my eyes. I blinked away tears as I turned back to the, very much real, little girl slumped in the shed. "He will pay for what he's done to you," I announced to the dead, little girl as I stomped away, ax in hand.

"Thank you, Miss Smith," Donnahue said with a certain humanly kindness I've never seen out of him. "I think that's all I'll need for right now, I am very sorry for making you recount such horrifyingly, painfully-"

"Objection," my lawyer raised his hand, calling out as he made direct eye contact with Donnahue, "Badgering!"

"Gruesome," Donnahue whipped around to face my lawyer, stating each word with the same immature sarcasm and chauvinism that he was known for, "Events." Miss Kate nodded solemnly, her hands coming up to wipe tears from her face as the scars shone on her arm like railroad tracks leading to nowhere. Donnahue let a smirk escape his lips as he smoothed out his greasy hair, hooking one of his thumbs on his suspenders, stretched all too thin across his pot bellied torso.

A sigh resonated from the judge and from my lawyer as Donnahue took his seat smiling triumphantly. My lawyer rose, resting his hands on the desk in front of him as he let out another heavy breath before he began, "Now, Miss Smith, I hate to have to do something like this to a sweet lady like yourself, but is there anything you may have missed about that night?"

Miss Kate looked down at the man before her thoughtfully as she spoke quietly, "Well, Mr. Donnahue cut me off before I could say that I saw a tall shadow crossing my front yard, I can't say who it was for sure but I can say that whoever it was, they were tall and more on the heavy side. I don't think that there was anything else though, I'm sorry if I'm not helpful, Mr. Jones."

"No, Miss Smith, you have been quite helpful." Mr Jones reassured her as he turned to face me, his brows furrowing slightly. "Unfortunately, Miss Smith, I now must play the bad guy, is there any chance at all that your memory may have been clouded by the trauma you experienced or any, outside forces?"

She drew in a sharp breath, placing her hand over her chest as her cheeks reddened slightly, "Mr. Jones, I am deeply offended that you would  accuse me of being under the influence."

My lawyer rubbed his temples as he turned his back to me, "Please, Miss Smith, just give me a simple yes or no."

Miss Kate turned a new shade of red under her makeup as she seemed to mull over the thought for a few moments as she looked down, embarrassed, nodding slowly, "Yes, I suppose it is possible that my mind was-clouded-at the moment of the incident."

"From the trauma?" My lawyer seemed to perk up a bit at her confession.

"Well, Mr. Jones... I suppose... I suppose you could call it trauma that led to my clouded mind... But in all honesty, it was more trauma that led to the-you know-that clouded my mind that night..." She looked down, hiding her face in shame behind her hair as she seemed to hold herself tightly.

"I completely understand, Miss Smith." My lawyer's voice softened as he turned to face her, his shoulders relaxing as his chin tilted up to make eye contact with Miss Kate, who's hand now covered her neck, her fingertips gently tracing the bruises. I shifted my weight in my chair, rethinking my original plan for the trial.