Law of Love

44

The trial was in full swing and it was slowly killing both of the Buckinghams. Lily, Terra, and Madelyn all found themselves skipping school to sit in on the trial and while they were waiting Lindsey found himself glancing back at them periodically giving them different expressions. As for Stevie, she was struggling but it was cathartic in a lot of ways. They had ended up having dinner with Lori, Christopher, and Jessie. Pictures and stories were shared, as well as a few tears and Lindsey was shocked to see them walk into the courtroom. 

"Steph." Lindsey points.

"Oh God, Lindsey I can't prosecute him." She lowers her voice.

"Just do your job, I'll take care of it. I'll make sure there are no hard feelings and I'll undo everything you do. It'll just be normal." Lindsey assures.

"That doesn't help me." She sighs waving to her brother and red-headed sister-in-law.

***

"Uh.  Mr. Freds, how long have you been foreman out at the Clint Ranch?" Lindsey asks the witness.

"Three, three and a half years." 

"And where did you work before then?" 

"Double Decker Farm in Tennessee." 

"How many years?"

"Two or three." 

"Okay, before that?" 

"I don't know, I've worked in many places." 

"Yeah, you have. In fact, you've worked more jobs in the past ten years then most people do in a lifetime. Didn't you." 

"Objection, relevancy calls for speculation." 

"Sustained."

"Yes sir, why did you move around so much?" 

"It was just the way things were." 

"Uh-huh, Mr. Freds, You like to do a little drinking while you're working don't you." 

"Not anymore, I'm clean and sober." 

"Well now, Pamela Tristan and Donovan Taylor work with you every day. I don't expect that they would agree that you quit drinking." 

"Well ah." 

"I'm sure that Maleena either knew it or suspected it. You had an argument with her about it didn't you." 

"I did not." 

"Who are these guys here, Norm Strauss, Eugene Butler, and Tex Raftman?"

"They're all foreman." 

"Top of the line Foreman, and you knew Maleena had called all of them and offered your job to them," 

"No, I didn't." 

"She was going to fire you, it was just a matter of time. And you dared not lose this job because if you lose this job, chances are you'd never get another one." 

"She wasn't going to fire me." 

"You went to her. You plead with her to give you one more chance, and when she refused you took Tommy's knife put on your old work gloves and you killed her." 

"No." 

"And who better to frame than this poor innocent boy, but you continued to provoke him until he ran away and made himself look even more guilty." 

"No. When she told me she was going to fire me, I was plenty mad alright. I went to the bar that night and I started drinking and I didn't stop until I passed out in the middle of the floor, ask the bartender. It's true, I did start drinking again, but I didn't kill Maleena."