The Cabin (COMPLETED)

Court is in Session Pt. 2

2nd Session:

"Court is now back in session. Are you... alright Mrs. Momoa?" Judge Geisman awkwardly cleared his throat as he glanced at Bernadette who was still being fanned by someone in the gallery. After my counter argument on Eddie, it seemed like she caught Casper the Friendly ghost and turned whiter than she already was.

"I'll survive after being slaughtered by those heinous accusations" she dramatically placed an ice pack on her forehead as she leaned back in her chair. I rolled my eyes at this stupid ass display.

Hell, even her own husband wasn't paying her any damn mind. He was probably more upset at how sloppy his wife was with covering up her wrongdoing at the moment than her wellbeing. He couldn't even look in her direction. His old face just wrinkled more in frustration and he tapped his cane with urgency.

"Really?" I mouthed to Khelani who also shook her head in utter annoyance.

"Okay then, moving right along. Your next witness, Ms. Lawson?" Judge Geisman asked me.

"Yes. The defense calls Dr. Derrick Blanch to the stand," I announced. The cameramen were ready to snap this moment. This was what everyone was waiting for; to see if Jason wasn't a murder. They were now on the edge of their seats because a coroner's report was discovered on the day of question.

I turned to see Mo' give him a quick kiss and wished him luck. Derrick fixed his coat, walked up from the gallery and took the stand.

"Welcome, Dr. Blanch. I'm very thankful that you were able to fly out in such short notice. Let the court know that Dr. Derrick Blanch is an excellent board certified Pathologist specializing in Forensic Pathology. Earned his M.D. at Howard University, took his residency AND fellowship years at John Hopkins University, and went back to school for his MBA at Louisiana State University. So, it was a no-brainer to bring him on to this important case, your Honor," I bragged a bit with a curt smile. Derrick shook his head a bit and smiled at my coyishly ways.

"Let the court know that he is also her brother-in-law, your Honor," Chris butted in with a roll of his eyes.

"All in all, he is a well-decorated Physician with ample expertise to assist for today. Now, enough of reading this young man's resume. Chop, chop," Geisman snapped his fingers.

"Will do. Dr. Blanch, here I have a copy of the coroner's report of Dominic Sanchez; the man who was found dead on the scene after the fire had ensued. Could you care to read this report out to the court?" I placed my copy of the report in front of him and made sure to turn on the TV screen for the whole court to view the report.

"Yeah, sure thing Counsellor. The body was found in poor condition postmortem. Of course, he was found with third degree burns all over his body. Details consists of laceration to the right thigh, bruising on both wrists due to ties. He was probably hog-tied against his will. He was found with stimulants and heavy alcohol use in his system. His nasal cavities were inflamed (probably due to snorting) and both of his wrists were littered in puncture wounds. Miscellaneous things that showed the signs of his drug abuse were constriction of his blood vessels, scabs due to scratching, and eye redness. If the burns hadn't killed Mr. Sanchez, then the drugs and alcohol were bound to," Derrick explained to the court.

I caught a glimpse of Lili in the back of the room hidden with a shawl and a pair of sunglasses. She wiped a tear that seemed to escape from her eyes. I knew her hearing this for the first time was rough. Hopefully this would fuel her desire to get whoever done this locked up with her testimony.

"So, was Mr. Sanchez a regular user?" I asked Derrick for clarification.

"Yes, he was according to this report."