SOLITARY WITNESS
Bridger was now sitting beside Lucas as the boy slept. The last few hours had been some of the longest he could
ever recall. He could scarcely remember the feelings he had when he saw Lucas laying unconscious on the bathroom
floor without breaking out in a cold sweat. He looked over and saw at the moment, the boy's face was peaceful and
serene.
Kristen had gone into a fit of rage after Lucas was settled and she managed to take a look at the dishevelled papers
that had lain on the bathroom floor at Lucas's feet. The papers were court summons, requesting that Lucas appear
before a Grand Jury the day after tomorrow to give evidence of what he saw of John Taylor's murder. If the evidence
was strong enough, the jury would recommend that the charges and Mr Jackson be committed for a full trial before
the District Court where Lucas would be expected to repeat his full story again before a bunch of strangers.
Kristen had swore a set of colourful words and had a very hostile telephone call with Inspector Rowlands and the
officers from the District Attorney's office about serving Lucas with legal papers when there was no other person
at home. Rowlands was quick to point out that the procedures used were perfectly legal, seeing as Lucas was
18 years old. By the end of the conversation Kristen had used every argument that she could think of but was
out manoeuvred each time by Rowlands cool and calm replies. Although the methods used may have seemed a
little unorthodox, there was nothing illegal about them and Lucas would be required to appear before the grand
jury just like the summons instructed. Kristen slammed the telephone receiver back on it's hook with a force that
almost broke it in two. She knew Rowlands was only trying to get a conviction against Bruce Jackson for the
murder of John Taylor, but using Lucas as the pawn in the whole operation was unacceptable.
Bridger joined Kristen downstairs for a few minutes to talk about getting legal advice about the subpoena and what
if anything they could do about Lucas having to appear before the Grand Jury.
It was Kristen's shouting at Rowlands that had awoken Lucas at first. He laid there for a few minutes trying to get
his bearings initially. Once he realised that he was in his bedroom, he had to try and remember what he had been
doing before hand. It didn't take long though and the images of the two burly looking officers from the District
Attorney's office together with the ominous figure of Inspector Rowlands appearing at his front door after Kristen
and the Captain had stepped out all came flooding back. He remembered the fear he felt when he was being told
that he would have to attend the court when told and what the consequences would be if he didn't want to participate.
He had been laying on his bed with his eyes closed as he remembered what had happened earlier. He slowly and
carefully now turned his head slightly and opened his eyes a crack so he could see if somebody was watching him.
He could see his Dad sitting in a chair beside the bed with a very worried look on his face. His hearing suddenly
picked up on the sound of someone shouting downstairs and he finally worked it out to be Kristen yelling at somebody
on the telephone. Whoever she was yelling at, boy she was sure ticked off he told himself. He was just in time to
see Nathan get up from the chair and go towards Kristen's angry voice as she slammed the phone back down.
Lucas now had the opportunity to open his eyes and gather his own thoughts without worrying about somebody
hovering over him. He started to become apprehensive again when he thought about having to appear before all of
these people and tell his story. He knew that Bruce Jackson would be there listening to every word he had to say.
The only thing he would get back in return would be a cold hard stare. He could hear Carl Lopez's threats echoing
in his ears about what would happen if he spoke to anybody about what he saw. If he didn't tell them, then he would
be facing a jail term of his own for contempt of court. On the other hand, if he spoke then he was facing serious
danger to his life from Carl Lopez and Bruce Jackson at a later date. He was snookered whichever way the dice rolled.
Nathan now returned to the bedroom and saw Lucas laying awake wrestling with his own thoughts. He could see the
fear written all over the younger man's face. He knew that the boy was scared about having to face court. He didn't
know that part of it was fear from Carl Lopez and his men.
"It's going to be okay Lucas" Bridger started to say calmly. He had tried to put a comforting arm around the struggling
boy. He was unprepared for the violent reaction that he would provoke from the teenager.
"How can you say that?" Lucas now accused his Dad as he pulled angrily away and got up of the bed. He faced the
Captain with anger in his eyes and scolding words on his tongue. "How can you sit there and tell me that everything
is going to be okay? We all know darned well that it is not. So don't patronize my intelligence. I am not a baby.
I know as well as you do what sort of roasting I am going to get once I get in that witness box" he added with contempt
in his voice.
"Lucas, we are only trying to help you" Bridger said with a little sadness in his tone. He knew that they were handling
the boy with kid-gloves and wrapping him up in cotton wool. The only thing that they were getting from it all was an
angry teenager who felt like he was suffocating from all the attention. Lucas was a loner at the best of times and with
something like this happening, it only made the kid build his barricades around him that bit higher.
"I know it is going to be difficult for you, but if you go in there, all you need to do is tell the truth. Kristen and I and the
rest of the crew will be there to back you up all the way. We won't let them get to you." Bridger now replied.
"Truth………" Lucas spat. "The truth is that there are things that are going to come out in that courtroom that you may
not way to hear Dad" Lucas said as he thought about his family and friends hearing about John Taylor's murder.
Lucas didn't wait for his father to respond but rather walked out of the bedroom and headed to the end of the jetty, wanting
to be left alone with his problems. Bridger and Kristen watched from the front door wondering what more this scared
but strong youth had to endure. They would all dread the next few days of the trial.
Lucas's mood only seemed to darken over the next 24 hours before the trial began. The prosecution for the case, a
well educated man by the name of Mr Bill Fletcher came to Bridger's island and spoke in length with Lucas and his
family about what would happen at the trial. He could sense the reluctance of his star witness as soon as he sat
down at the table, but he assured a very worried Bridger and Kristen that it was normal for young people to react this
way to such a horrific crime. He had no doubt that once Lucas was in the witness box, everything would run nice and
smoothly and it would be all over before all of them knew it. Lucas told him on several occasions that he doubted he
could open up as much as the prosecutor would want in the courtroom, but Fletcher told Lucas he would be fine.
He told him that his line of questioning would not be invasive and would be casual enough, just as though they were
having a quiet conversation between two friends. When Bridger asked about cross-examination from the defence's
solicitor, Fletcher said that although he knew Jackson had a hard reputation, the lawyer would not be able to badger
Lucas in the witness box too harshly. The Judge would make sure that strict protocol would be adhered to during
the entire proceedings.
The next time Lucas would see Bill Fletcher, was the following morning just before the trial was ready to commence.
He warned them though that it could be a particularly long day for everybody concerned. Bridger had asked if the
SeaQuest crew could be there in support for Lucas. Fletcher openly agreed that this was an excellent idea to try
and regain the boy's diminishing confidence. He whispered to Bridger to make sure that he and the closest members
were sitting as close to the front of the public gallery as possible so that Lucas would have someone's familiar face
to focus on when he began giving evidence.
****************************************************************************************************************************************
By 9.00am the next morning, Lucas was sitting outside in a cold corridor of the courthouse building trying to think about
what he was going to say.
The majority of the senior SeaQuest crew was already seated in the courtroom so not as to distract Lucas. The only
people with Lucas at the moment was Nathan Bridger, Kristen Westphalen and Ben Krieg and at the moment, they
were standing a far distance from the boy. They were huddled together with the prosecution having a few quiet words
of their own to Fletcher about Lucas's demeanour. They all watched the boy for a few seconds, seated in the middle
of a large uncomfortable pew style chair. The chair was leaning up against a cold gray wall of the hallway and Lucas
was seated in the middle with his knees drawn up with his chest. His eyes were fixated on the opposite plain gray
wall. He looked so scared and alone at the moment.
Lucas briefly looked at the small gathering to his right and could feel their eyes upon him. The more he thought about
them looking at him the more he just wanted to disappear and have the floor swallow him whole. It finally got so that
he could no longer stand the stares he was getting, so he stood up and muttered a few words that he was going to
take a short walk to clear his head and get a drink of water before they began.
"Be sure not to be too longer Lucas" Bill Fletcher gently reminded his client but his words fell upon deaf ears as he
watched the slouched figure of Lucas walk away down the hallway in the opposite direction.
Lucas had ended up walking into a dead-end hallway. There was a water fountain stuck in the corner so he killed some
time by leaning over the tap and sipping slowly at the cold refreshing water. Whilst he was drinking he tried to look
about the hallway without being to obvious about it. He could see a number of doors with names and letters painted
onto the glass. They all seemed to be the offices of solicitors and lawyers from the building. He quickly shrank back
into the shadows however when one of the door's adjacent to him opened up and two men walked outside. From
where Lucas was standing, he was protected from being seen, but that didn't stop the goose-bump feeling from coming
as he felt the cold shiver run up his spine at recognizing who the men were.
Lucas had been introduced to Bruce Jackson's lawyer when they arrived first thing this morning as a formality. He
had not seen Bruce Jackson yet and probably wouldn't yet until the trial started. But that wasn't who he saw emerging
from the enemy camp's door at this very moment.
Bill Fletcher had gone to great lengths the day before when talking to Lucas and his family back on the island about
telling him that the first person to give evidence in the witness box today would be Inspector Daniel Rowlands. He
would give an overview of what he saw at the scene and what the forensic evidence against Bruce Jackson was.
He would give a description of how they had found Lucas at the scene and the statements that had been taken since
that time. Rowlands was supposed to be a witness for the prosecution, but right here and now the Inspector was
coming out of the defence lawyer's office. There was even a chuckle or two from both parties and a strong hand-shake
at the end of things as if some sort of deal had been made.
Lucas had been scared of being spotted, but once he realised that his hiding place was good enough to conceal his
presence, all he saw was red. He could feel the rage building up inside at him that the whole charade of taking evidence
and statements since the murder had been a decoy. Rowlands talked endlessly about needing Lucas's testimony
to get a conviction against Jackson and sending him to jail, but it was all a cruel hoax. All this time he had been
in Jackson's back pocket, probably been paid for whatever information he was providing. Lucas suddenly now knew
the answer to the question about how Carl Lopez knew about Lucas's address the night he came through the bedroom
window.
Lucas waited for the coast to be clear and then headed back towards the prosecutor and his family. They were still
in the same small group that they had been in when he left. He could still see them all looking at him and trying to
gauge his emotional state when he was approaching them. This time however, they were all astonished when he
walked towards them with a more forceful stride.
"You………… in here NOW" he barked at the prosecutor as he headed into the small interview room that they had
occupied earlier. Bill Fletcher followed the riled teenager but stole a look back towards his family and friends briefly
before going in. He got the same unanswered questions on their faces that he had. Bridger and the others were almost
lost for words at the sudden change of mood for the boy. One minute he was sullen and barely spoke a word, now
after his walk, he was now demanding things with power and confidence in his voice that was rarely seen in Lucas.
"What's gotten into him?" Ben Krieg asked once the door to the interview room was closed.
"I don't know, but I hope it's not bad news" Bridger replied still trying to work out the sudden turn around in Lucas.
Lucas and Fletcher emerged from the interview room after about twenty minutes. They now both had the same
determined and confident look on their faces, Fletcher's was just more controlled. He had listened carefully to
what the teenager had to say about Inspector Rowland's visit to the opposing camp. Lucas told Fletcher that he
wanted to make sure that the other camp thought they still had the upper hand in this case. He wanted Fletcher
to put Rowlands in the witness box as before and ask all the normal questions. They would reveal their hand at
the appropriate time.
Bridger and Ben didn't know whether to be happy or worry even more when they saw the prosecutor and Lucas.
Now they were even more curious about what had been said, but neither Lucas or the prosecutor were letting anybody
else know about what they were about to do.
Lucas had left nothing to chance. He had told Fletcher about everything, including his former knowledge about
Carl Lopez and his father's operations. The threats that had been made a few nights ago in his bedroom and the
scar he had to prove it. He told the prosecutor everything he knew about the murder. But right now it seemed as
though the trap were being set for bigger mice. The trial would just be the place to spring it. In front of everybody
and prove to the court just how dirty Rowlands was as a cop. Fletcher had reminded Lucas about the scathing
cross-examination he was going to get from the defence, especially when it came out about his father's former
association with Lopez, but Lucas said that he was prepared to bear that just to hang Rowlands. He was just
unsure about how his dad Bridger and the rest of the crew would handle hearing about such secrets from his past.
"Let's get this show on the road" Lucas now said as he strolled into the court room well ahead of the others, ready
to start the end of Bruce Jackson, Carl Lopez and Inspector Daniel Rowlands.
Bridger and the others followed and took their seat in the pew behind the prosecutor's bar table. Bridger gave
the SeaQuest some information about the change in Lucas's behaviour, but they all promised that they would be
there to help the teenager no matter what came out in the court case.
Shortly after their seating, Bruce Jackson came into the courtroom along with his lawyer Eugene Small. The
man looked more like a weasel that a lawyer. He had a receding hairline and dark beady little eyes with dark
rimmed glasses. He stole a look at the prosecution over the top of his glasses.
Inspector Rowlands walked into the courtroom about five minutes to 10.00am and greeted Lucas and the crew
normally, not knowing about his little secret being found out about. Lucas had to call upon everything he could
muster from stopping himself of standing up and accusing the man right there and then before the trial even started.
"Go get em kid" Rowlands said as he shook Lucas's hand and took his seat at the end of the pew with the crew.
"That's just what I intend to do Inspector" Lucas said calmly and them proceeded to wipe his hands on his pants
to get ride of the feeling he had. He stole a look at Fletcher at his words and received a small smirk of approval
in return. Bridger and Ben could see all of these secret messages between Lucas and the prosecutor and wondered
what the hell was going on. Something was definitely amiss and Lucas and Fletcher seemed to be the only ones
privy to it.
The one noticeable absence that Lucas noted from the courtroom when it was about to start was that of Carl Lopez.
He had expected the man to sit beside his boss Bruce Jackson and gloat secretly to Lucas as he sat in the
witness box. He hadn't shown up though and didn't look as though he was about to make a late entrance.
The lawyer for Jackson had been told all about the threats made to Lucas and about Carl Lopez's absence today.
He had been the one to insist on the man not sitting in the courtroom. They needed to keep a low and humble
profile today, rather than create a fan fair that would blow open their case. Lopez wasn't totally out of the picture
however. He was lurking in the building and was told to remain so until the right time. Small was also aware that
he had a piece of information that would rock the very foundations of Lucas Wolenczak. This was not to be told
until the right time however.
Everyone was now seated in the courtroom. The defence was ready, the prosecution was prepared, the court
reporter was seated at her table under neath the Judge's bench. The Bailiff had just walked in and announced
to everybody to stand for the arrival of the judge.
"The case of The People versus Bruce Jackson will now come to order" the large stout Bailiff said. "All rise,
his Honour Judge Raymond Kline presiding". Everybody in the courtroom stood as the Judge walked in and took
his seat at the Bench. "You may all be seated" the Bailiff now informed them and they did so. The Bailiff now
handed the necessary file and paperwork to the Judge.
Normally speaking, Lucas should not have been present at the opening of the case. Witnesses were not supposed
to hear the testimony of other witnesses or hear any part of the proceedings until they were called upon to give
their own evidence. Once they had done that, they could remain in the courtroom or do as they wished. On this
occasion though, a chamber application had been made to the Judge prior to the trial about the witness Lucas
being reluctant to give any oral evidence before today. The prosecution argued that the only other evidence was that
of Inspector Rowlands, and because most of his was procedural and forensic evidence, it couldn't be cross-examined
on many points anyway. The defence team didn't have any objections to this course of action, not knowing how to
counteract the prosecutions strong argument and therefore Lucas was allowed to be there for the start of the proceedings.
"Okay, may I please have your appearances for the record please gentlemen" the Judge now asked in a very official,
no nonsense voice.
Fletcher stood up "If it pleases the court Your Honour, my name is William Francis Fletcher and I appear for the
prosecution in this case." He then sat down again.
Small stood up "My name is Eugene Ernest Small and I am the defence attorney for the accused Mr Bruce Jackson"
he announced and then sat down again.
"Okay gentlemen, now that we know each other, let's get the rules of this game straight before we start" the Judge
said. Normally he was a reserved type of person, but something about this high profile case told him that he needed
to set the ground rules from the beginning. "Firstly, I know that this case already has had a lot of media attention,
but I warn you now that once I sit upon this chair, I forget everything I have read or heard except in this courtroom.
I will not tolerate this case becoming a circus or I will terminate the public gallery and it will become a matter held
in chambers" he warned "Do I make myself perfectly clear?" Both attorney's nodded their heads in agreement to the
Judge's words.
"Now gentlemen, we will go through the process of selecting a jury panel." the Judge informed them. The process
unfortunately was long and drawn out and at the end of it, two women and ten men sat in the jury chairs across from
the prosecution in the courtroom.
Lucas looked at the people who had been carefully chosen for this important decision. He couldn't help but look at
their faces and think that they didn't want to be here. They all probably had better things to do than sit here and
listen to lawyers argue with each other.
"Mr Prosecutor, you may make you opening statement to the Jury please" Judge Kline now said.
Bill gave Lucas a quick wink and then stood up to face the jury panel. Bridger couldn't think anything else but
more secret signals that he didn't understand. If Lucas weren't trying to look so serious, he could almost burst
out laughing at the confusion clearly evident on the Captain's face.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, you are here to decide upon listening to the statements given and the evidence
produced, that there is sufficient enough reason to commit Mr Bruce Jackson to a Higher Court's jurisdiction to stand
trial for the cold-blood and calculated murder of Mr John Taylor. I am not here today to give you what the possibilities
may have been or what could have happened that day that Mr Taylor died. I am here to give to hard solid, eye-witness
account that Mr Taylor's life was taken prematurely by the defendant Jackson. It doesn't matter what the reasons are
or the excuses about why it might have happened. The fact remains that a man is dead and the defendant is responsible
for that terrible crime and must stand trial to have the appropriate punishment handed down to him."
Lucas gave him a grin of "well done" to Fletcher as he sat down. The first blow had been dealt, they had to be prepared
for the returning punch now. Fletcher had a clerk beside him ready to write down all and any notes that the prosecutor
wanted to make about the defence's argument or questioning.
"Members of the Jury" Small began the defence's case "the prosecution would have you believe here today that they have
an overwhelming case by witnesses and evidence that puts my client at the scene of Mr Taylor's unfortunate death
and they would have you believe that all of it adds up to him being responsible for the crime. I am here today to tell
you that the prosecution has no such evidence of my client committing such a crime. I will even go so far as to say that
the only evidence they have could be called flimsy at best. And the only witness that they are relying on to prove their
case is a witness who cannot even identify my client being at the scene on the day in question" he added and then
gave a quick glance of "I dare you" to Lucas and the prosecution table. Ben was about ready to jump up and punch
the lawyer in the face already, but a firm and strong grip on him by Commander Jonathan Ford prevented him doing
anything but say a few low unpleasant words.
Lucas was a little more brazen with his newly found confidence. He made sure that nobody else but his table could
hear his remark, but as Small made his way past the table to his own, Lucas whispered "pencil neck".
Ben had at first been shocked but then almost wanted to break out laughing at such a show of arrogance by the
normally withdrawn teenager. He didn't know what that prosecutor did to bring Lucas out of his shell so much, but
whatever is was, he was going to order it in by the crate full when they got back to SeaQuest.
Bridger put his hands to his head at the remark and Kristen muttered something about reminding Lucas to be
respectful to other people when they got back home. Like Ben and the rest of the crew however, they couldn't
believe the cockiness that Lucas was openly displaying.
"Call your first witness please prosecutor" the Judge now informed the court, cutting off the smirks and grins that
Lucas was getting from the SeaQuest crew behind him.
"Your Honour, if it pleases you, I call Inspector Daniel Rowlands to the witness stand" Fletcher now informed the
court.
"This should be good" Lucas now said to nobody in a low voice. Bridger couldn't help but wonder why the teenager
had taken such a casual attitude to the man. One week ago, the boy fainted in the man's very presence. He just
didn't get it he told himself.
The Bailiff walked over to Rowlands "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help
you God" he asked.
"I do" Rowlands replied in a voice with no emotion at all. He kept his eyes straight ahead so as not to give his cover
away.
"Yeah right!" Lucas said in a huff at Rowland's promise.
Although Fletcher could understand the young man's sudden dislike for the police officer, he turned a gave a quick shushing
motion to the teenager to silence him. Bridger again found himself wondering where Lucas was going with his sarcastic
attitude. Maybe it was the only way he could deal with the fear and anxiety that had built up inside of him about having to
appear in court. It was the only rational explanation that the Captain could come up with for Lucas's mood.
(Author's notes: The conversation from here in is between Fletcher and Rowlands with a few secret thoughts
of Lucas in between for a while).
"Inspector could you please state your full name, rank and station for the court please."
"My full name is Daniel Ebenezer Rowlands, Inspector at the city police station, registered number 45762."
"Your honour, I have a few exhibits to show the witness at this stage if you will allow. The defence have consented
to these being tendered."
Judge Kline nods his head in approval.
"Inspector the first exhibits that I show you are a number of colour photographs that relate to the actual crime scene."
The photos are handed to Rowlands to have a look at.
"Yes, they are the ones that I had taken of the area after we discovered Mr Taylor's body."
Fletcher now put his brief case onto the top of the desk, prepared to unveil the next exhibit. He had spoken to
Lucas about it coming out and knew about how the teenager had reacted to seeing it last time.
He pulled out a large sealed plastic bag containing the blood stained shirt that Lucas had been wearing the day of the
murder and the one that Rowlands that had shown him back at the island. All concerned noticed Lucas's face pale
significantly. He might have been trying to portray the tough skin on the outside, but this was one thing that they all
knew stripped him of his defences. Lucas somehow managed to keep his composure though and just swallow
whatever he was feeling as the garment and bag were handed to the Inspector on the stand.
Lucas thought he saw a hint of a smirk at his reaction Rowlands but he couldn't be sure.
"Can you tell us what the article is Inspector?"
"This is the shirt that Lucas Wolenczak was wearing at the scene of the crime when he was found with John
Taylor's body."
Lucas and the others could hear a few shocked cries from members of the jury as they could plainly see the
blood spattered fabric. Once again, Lucas felt like shrinking into his seat as he felt all eyes upon him.
The last article to be handed up as an exhibit was a gun in a sealed bag.
"Can you please tell us about the significance of this weapon please Inspector?"
"This is the weapon believed to have been used in the commission of this crime. The bullets from the crime scene
and John Taylor's body have been forensically matched to the barrel of that weapon. It is the gun used to murder
Mr Taylor." Inspector Rowlands explained.
"Now Inspector, can you tell us please, has the cause of death for Mr Taylor been determined?"
"Yes it has, Mr Taylor died as a result of two gun shots to the chest area, one of them striking his heart and one
to his left lung. The one to the heart didn't go right through and that is why it is assumed that Mr Taylor lived for
a short time after being shot"
"Can you accurately tell the court a time of death for Mr Taylor?"
"No, but an autopsy put the time of death somewhere between 2.00pm and 6.00pm on the 25th September of this
year."
"There is no way of being more specific with the time?"
"No, I'm afraid not"
"What led your investigation to the conclusion that Mr Jackson was responsible for the murder?"
"Objection to that question your Honour" Small jumped up and argued. "It hasn't been the determination of
this court yet that Mr Jackson was responsible for the murder."
"I'll rephrase the question your Honour" Fletcher replied before the Judge had a chance to rule on the objection.
"Inspector what information did you receive as to possible suspects in this matter?"
"On the 29th September of this year, I attended the residence of one Lucas Wolenczak for the purposes of taking
a statement. Mr Wolenczak was the one to identify Mr Jackson at the scene of the crime. From this information
formal charges were laid against Mr Bruce Jackson for murder."
Lucas could scarcely sit still on the seat. He squirmed and moved about due to his anger about having to go
through the fake process like they were. He wanted to nail Rowlands and do it now and the fact that he had to
wait until the right time didn't sit well with him.
"I have no further questions for this witness your Honour" Fletcher said as he noticed his star witness getting
fed up with the process. He knew that Lucas didn't want to drag it out any longer than necessary.
Rowlands and Jackson's legal team all looked at Fletcher a little dubiously at this statement. They all expected
the police officer to be in the witness box for quite some time. The didn't know why the prosecutor was happy
with just the bare minimum facts of the investigation. They couldn't stop him from finishing however.
"No questions for this witness your honour" Small said to the court. He didn't want to dwell on Rowlands testimony
too much for fear of the man making a mistake and perjuring himself and blowing their case at the same time.
Rowlands got up from the witness chair and walked to the back of the courtroom to avoid giving his allegiance away.
"Call your next witness Mr Fletcher" the Judge said wondering why the prosecution was cutting short their testimony.
This was clearly going to be a different case from most he had presided over.
"Your Honour, I call Lucas Wolenczak to the stand for the prosecution" he announced and gave a look to Lucas that
told the teenager that everything was going to be okay.
Bridger was already worried about how this trial was going, but now with Lucas getting on the witness stand, his
stomach was already twisting into knots. Kristen was giving reassurance to some of the more emotional crew members,
but inside she was very apprehensive about the whole affair. She had brought her medical bag to court just in case
Lucas didn't handle the questioning well.
"Lucas, may I call you Lucas" the Judge asked before the swearing in began. "I know this may be difficult for you.
Please know that if you need to stop for any reason or need a break, just let me know okay. You don't have to be
afraid and if you need someone to sit with you during this, that can be arranged as well" the Judge said. This was
the speech he often gave to younger witnesses, especially children and people of Lucas's age. He also was aware
that the young man had recently seen a very traumatic event and may break down during some of the questioning.
Lucas just nodded his agreement to using his first name. He hoped he would be able to hold it together enough
not to have someone sit with him. He knew that Dad and the other would be there for him. He just hoped this
could all be over real soon.
"Could you state your full and correct name for the court please" Fletcher asked going through the same motions
"Lucas Wolenczak"
"And how old are you Lucas?"
"18"
"Now, I want you to tell the court in your own words about the events of the 25th September this year. Take your
time, don't rush and most of all, don't leave anything out."
Lucas took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves first. He had this idea about being tough when he walked
in here, but most of that seemed to disappear now that he was facing them all on his own now.
"Where do you want me to start?"
"Right at the beginning Lucas, start from the earliest point you remember for that day"
"Okay here goes. It was about 12.00 when I turned up outside the café to meet my friend Ben" he began
"You mean 12.00 midnight or midday? And who is Ben?" Fletcher asked before Lucas got to much further into
his story.
"Oh sorry, I meant 12.00 as in lunch time. And Ben is Benjamin Krieg my friend from the SeaQuest." Lucas replied
giving Ben a "sorry" for having to give his full name and include him all of this mess.
Ben smiled back at the kid genuinely letting him know it was okay.
"Please continue Lucas"
"Like I said I was supposed to meet my friend Ben at the café but when he didn't turn up after two hours, I started to
walk down the street. I thought I might be able to find a phone and telephone someone to come and get me. Just
as I started walking, it started raining. It started raining very heavily so I started to look about for somewhere to stop
to get out of the rain. It was cold and I didn't want to end up with the flu from walking in the rain" he said and looked
towards Bridger to see how he was doing. Nathan give him a smile that said he was doing just fine.
"After a while walking, I spotted an abandoned warehouse. There was some tin sheeting missing from one side so
I was able to get in through the opening. When I got inside I had to wait until my eyes adjusted to the darkness
before I could see where I was. When it got better to see, I saw lots of crates piled up to the ceiling. Rows and
rows of crates. there were a few single ones too so I sat on top of one and decided to try and wait out the rain.
Don't know how long it was, but I guess I fell asleep at some stage. The thing that woke me up was the sound
of the roller door on the other side of the building opening up. I was scared somebody would find me so I hid
behind a row of the crates so that I was out of view. That's when I heard an argument between Bruce Jackson
and John Taylor. At first I didn't know who it was, I just heard voices. But as I listened a bit longer, I recognized
the voice to be Bruce Jackson.
Mr Small could be seen making copious amounts of notes to this piece of information. Bridger and everybody else
wanted to know how Lucas knew Bruce Jackson. Jackson was a known small time crime boss. How did Lucas
know such a person only by the sound of his voice.
"I could hear them arguing for quite a while. There were other voices in the background as well, but I couldn't tell
you who they were for sure. Then the argument seemed to escalate and get a little more physical with pushing
and shoving going on between Jackson's sidekicks and Mr Taylor. All of a sudden Jackson tell two men to take
Taylor by an arm each. By this time I had peeked out a little to try and see what was going on without being seen.
I heard Taylor tell them that they couldn't operate without them that he would go to the police and tell them about all
the stuff Jackson had been doing lately. That's when I saw Jackson grab a hold of Taylor's shirt and tell him that they
didn't need a two bit sleaze bag like him telling him what to do. He pushed Taylor a little while the other two men were
still holding onto him and then I saw Jackson take a gun from Carl Lopez and shoot him twice in the chest." Lucas
was now looking down at his feet and his voice had lost some of it's volume with his very vivid recollection of the murder.
Bridger and the rest of the crew were just as stunned and shocked as the prosecutor. This was the first time that any
of them, including Fletcher had a full, no details left out account of what Lucas saw. This is what Bridger had tried to
get to tell him without success. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't imagine the range of emotions that Lucas
must have felt all this time since then trying to hold in such a deep dark secret. Even the Judge was surprised by
the description that Lucas was giving to the court. Small and his men tried their best to stay unchanged by what
they heard. They couldn't let the emotional story of a eighteen year old boy get the better of them all and blow their
entire case.
When it seemed okay to go on Fletcher now asked as he tried to gauge Lucas's condition "What happened next
Lucas?" he asked gently knowing that this was a harrowing thing to put the boy through. He now knew why up until
today that the boy had been so reluctant to retell the story. It sent shivers up your spine to think that such things
happened out in this world today.
"I don't know how long it was, but I just stayed hidden behind the boxes until Lopez and Jackson and their men left.
After I thought the coast was clear, I went over to Mr Taylor and tried to see if I could do anything. I didn't know
what I was going to do, but I just couldn't leave him there like that. When I got closer I could see the pool of blood
that was underneath Mr Taylor. The guy looked like he was dead. So much blood. There was so much blood.
I was trying to figure out what to do next when I saw his hand twitch. That's the first time that I realised that he wasn't
dead. I tried to ask him what I should do. I know I could have gone and got the police and ambulance and that, but
I wasn't thinking very straight and everything was jumbled up in my head. He told me that he wanted me to stay with
him. I told him I should go and get him help, but he said that he just wanted me to stay. That's when me and him
started to talk. At first I did it to try and take his mind of the pain, but then I found myself telling him about me when
he asked and he told me all about his own life and family. I could see that the pain was getting worse. There was
more blood and now I was sitting on the floor with his head in my lap as he spoke to me.
"He must have thought by that time that he was dying because he was starting to get all repentant on me. He started
to tell me about all the mistakes he had made in his life and trying to warn me about making similar ones. The last
words he spoke to me before he died were: "Don't turn your back on him Lucas. He'll get you too just like he got me.
Watch yourself, your not safe from him anymore." By the time Lucas finished this statement, there was barely a dry
eye in the public gallery and some of the jury members were discreetly trying to wipe away moisture from their own
eyes without being seen.
There was silence for a number of minutes after this so Fletcher decided to break the ice "Is there anything else
Lucas that you want to add?", not knowing how to regain the boy's confidence after such a story.
"Not really, the next thing I remember is the light of a torch shining in my eyes and me telling them that I didn't
do it. They told me to come with them and I was put into the back of a police vehicle and driven back to the
police station until my Dad came to collect me." he said. He was unable to hide the shimmering tears he was
now shedding after his description of what happened. He hadn't left anything out, like he promised Fletcher he
wouldn't do. He wanted to see Lopez, Jackson and Rowlands put away for the injustice that he felt, but O God
was it difficult to relive those last few hours in that factory. He didn't know whether he would ever forget that day.
"Your Honour may I suggest a quick recess at this stage to allow Mr Wolenczak to regain his composure?"
Fletcher now enquired.
"I think that's an excellent idea Mr Fletcher" Judge Kline said. He was only too happy to oblige after hearing such
heart felt emotion from Lucas. They were all quickly stopped from leaving the room though when Lucas turned
around and spoke frankly to the Judge in private.
"Your honour, please believe me when I thank you for your compassion" Lucas began "But to tell you the honest
truth, I don't know how much longer I sit here and hold it together. Please let us continue until the whole thing
is finished because I can only do this once."
"I admire your courage Lucas, are you sure you will be okay?" he asked with genuine concern. Lucas answered
by nodding his head and giving a half smile that he didn't really feel.
"Ladies and gentlemen, there has been a change of plan" the Judge said and everyone whispered their displeasure.
They all wanted the opportunity to get take in what they just heard. "Mr Wolenczak has assured me that everything
is fine and he wants to keep going rather than stop in the middle. I must admit that I admire his courage and will
allow his request. Please let us continue and we can have a break in due course."
Fletcher gave a look to Lucas that said he couldn't express words for what Lucas had just told the court. He just
hoped that Small's cross-examination wouldn't be rough on the kid. Kristen on the other hand was having trouble
coping with what Lucas had experienced as was the rest of the SeaQuest. Bridger was also upset by the story
he had heard, but he was more concerned about Lucas's mental and physical state after such a description. He
kept his eyes on the boy the whole time and had no intentions of allowing the boy to be left alone in his sorrow
for even a second. He just wanted to hug Lucas and tell him that he loved him. Like Lucas had shouted in his
bedroom that day, how could he tell Lucas that everything was going to be alright after hearing this?
Small knew that he was going to go in heavy handed after such a display. He saw that everybody else was in the
room. It was time to get the kid cranky again. If he let the boy keep going like he had, the jury would be putty in
the prosecution's hand and their case would be lost. Time to switch the advantage back to his own side and the
way to do that was to get the kid off-guard from the first moment.
He stood up and made sure that he took his time adjusting his coat and glasses before he began the cross-examination.
He knew that the kid had already slipped up a few times during his speech when he already by divulging Carl Lopez's
name. It was time to start probing and find out just how much the boy could endure before he cracked all together.
"Mr Wolenczak" Small began already knowing that the eyes of the SeaQuest crew and prosecution table were boring
into his back like read hot pokers. He was already the enemy and he was about to make sure that they knew it.
"That's a very interesting story you just gave" he started. "And that's right isn't it Mr Wolenczak, it's just a story.
A picture in your head that came from what other people told you. A fantasy if you like. It can't possibly have happened
the way you said it did, could it?"
Bridger had to help Commander Ford keep a tight rein on Ben again because the Lieutenant was seeing red and if
they let he go for a second, Ben would be all over the defence attorney before anybody could stop him. There was
no question at all about where Ben's loyalties laid.
"No it's not a fantasy. That's what actually happened" Lucas said a little indignant that somebody would say he made
up a story like that. Could anybody have made a story up like that? He and a few others in the court room doubted it.
Small could already see that his angle of questioning was heading in the right direction. He could see Lucas already
putting up the defences and starting to get riled. He would have to probe just that little bit more.
"Well let's break it down into smaller chunks we can all chew shall we?" Small said as he began the slow and gradual
process of picking Lucas story to pieces.
"You said in your evidence in chief that it was 12 midday am I correct?" he asked. Lucas nodded his head in a 'yes'
answer. "You will have to say yes or no Mr Wolenczak as these proceedings are being recorded" Small reminded
the teenager.
"Yes I said it was 12 midday."
"Were you wearing a watch that day when you left your home Mr Wolenczak?" Small asked.
"No" came the reply.
"Then how can you be sure that it was 12 midday?"
"I can't be" Lucas whispered in a barely audible voice realising that his information had no real basis to it.
He was now looking intently at the floor, embarrassed to face the people in the court room with his answers.
"You'll have to speak up Lucas" Small said in a loud voice.
Lucas now looked up suddenly with anger and hurt in his eyes "I said I couldn't be right about that" he repeated
emphasising the volume in which he spoke.
"Okay we've already found one hole in your story, you can't be certain about the actual time where you say you
were. Let's see how many more we can find. Now you say that it was raining outside? Small asked.
"Yes"
"Was it a sudden thunderstorm or a light morning shower" Small asked. He didn't know how long the Judge would
allow him to keep asking such trivial questions without getting into the meat of the argument.
Fletcher was right on the ball however "Objection your Honour" he said as he sprang from his chair. "I don't see
where this line of questioning is leading. The witness has already given evidence about the weather outside on the
day in question." The SeaQuest crew could praise Fletcher and be glad that somebody was coming to Lucas's
rescue.
"I agree counsellor" the Judge now said "Mr Small, please skip the no-need-to-know questions. We have a long
day in front of us already."
"Yes your Honour" Small said.
"Mr Wolenczak, let's go to where you stepped into the abandoned building as you say. What was the lighting like
inside the building?"
"Like I said, it was dark because my eyes had to adjust to the darkness when I first walked in."
"Okay, when you finally could see enough inside, could you see clearly as in like in this courtroom here today or
was it more like just shadows and outlines of objects?"
"More like just shadows and outlines. It was really dark in there" Lucas had to admit.
"Now you say your recognized some of the men by their voices and other's when you saw them" Small asked.
"Yes, that's what I said."
"Now that's one of the areas I want to spend a fair amount of time on here today Lucas. You see I am curious
about how you could suddenly walk into an abandoned building like you say you did. Five men walk into the
place and you instantly recognize two of them off the top of your head." Small now said as he prepared to ask
the next stream of unending questions.
Lucas knew now that this was where some of the deep dark secrets from his past came out. Things that he
had hidden for a long time from his family and friends. He didn't relish the idea of it all coming out here today
in a court of law, but it didn't look at though Jackson's defence lawyer was going give him any other option.
"Let's go right to the very crux of my questioning first shall we Mr Wolenczak. How long have you known my
client Mr Bruce Jackson. Remember you are under oath."
Lucas's eyes flickered with anger again. As if he needed to be reminded that he was on a witness stand. He
was determined not to let the lawyer get to him though. He intended to answer any and all questions truthfully
as possible, no matter what the consequences from Lopez or anybody else.
"Since I was about ten years old or so" Lucas said straight.
Suddenly there were whispers and comments coming from the jury panel and the public gallery. Bridger's mind
was a whirl with questions. Up until just now, he didn't know that Lucas knew the accused murderer at all. Now
all of a sudden Lucas was telling the court that he had known the man for a number of years.
"So that would be about 8 years or so, is that correct?" Small now continued.
"Yes, that's about right."
"How did you first come to meet Mr Jackson?'
Lucas knew that this answer was going to hit his family and friends hard. "He was a business associate of my
father." he said clearly and concisely.
Bridger wasn't sure he could handle any more truthful answers today. The last two questions had turned his worldly
knowledge of his son upside down in a matter of minutes.
"Your father?" the comment came in the form of a question, wanting Lucas to expand on the answer some more.
"My father is Lawrence Wolenczak. Some time ago before he had anything to do with World Power or the U.E.O.
he was heavily into business overseas. He got so greedy that it became obvious that he could no longer sustain
his business dealings without the help of some generous financial backers. One day that financial backer came
into my father's house in the name of Bruce Jackson and his associate Carl Lopez. I would watch them make
their plans from a secret passageway in my father's office. It got to the stage were my father thought he was
controlling things, but in actual fact it was Jackson and Lopez."
"Seems you have done your fair share of hiding in various places during your life Mr Wolenczak" came the snide
remark.
"More than you'll ever know about" came the quick reply and Lucas remembered back to the days when he lived
in hell in his very own house. Somewhere back in their minds, the members of the jury panel could remember
seeing stories in the media about a Lawrence Wolenczak who had been sent to prison for the abuse of his son
and then escaped. Nobody knew what happened to him after a while, but it appeared that the son of this person
was now in the witness box.
Bridger and the SeaQuest knew what Lucas was talking about and also knew how difficult it was for Lucas to be
talking as openly as he was about his father.
Small now grabbed a document off his table and now walked closer to the witness box. "Mr Wolenczak, that's
all very interesting, but please enlighten me why none of the information you have just given the court under oath
is included in your statement taken with Inspector Rowlands?"
Lucas swallowed hard as he now knew that it was going to come out that he had not given the full story in his
statement to the police officer. "I guess I forgot to put that in"
"Forgot Mr Wolenczak, or deliberately tried to misinform the court as to your true association and prior knowledge
of my client" Small now accused the teenager.
"Didn't want to put it in" came the curt reply from Lucas. The teenager was sick of being bullied by this balding
little man with glasses. He just wanted to end all of this now.
"Didn't want to, Why?"
"Because I was scared" Lucas said a little crankily. He was annoyed that his true feelings were having to be put
to the test in front of everybody.
"Scared of what?" Small kept up the barrage, wanting the boy to crack.
"Scared of Jackson and Lopez. They have been making threats ever since it happened" Lucas said and then looked
to Bridger and Ben as soon as he said the words. His eyes apologized for not having told them sooner.
Bridger and Ben were inwardly kicking themselves for not seeing any of the signs that Lucas had been threatened.
Where? When? How? were the question they now wanted to know from Lucas.
"Threats Mr Wolenczak. Please continue this most interesting of conversations" Small said knowing that the boy
was about to tell all.
"The first time was one day when my friend Ben and I went to the Mall on the mainland" Lucas started "I was sitting
at one of the coffee tables waiting for Ben to bring back our food. I looked over and saw Bill Stubbings sitting at one
of the tables across from me. He wasn't doing anything, but he kept staring at me. Finally I got up from the table
and started to head for the door. Stubbings was gone but his friend was trying to hide behind a magazine from one
of the shops along the aisle."
Ben almost groaned out loud as the missing pieces to the teenager's strange behaviour started to fall into place.
He kicked himself mentally again for not being able to protect the boy from such thugs. He tried not to think about
what might have happened if these men had actually caught up with Lucas.
"Any other occasions?" Small asked in a tone that said he didn't believe the first story. He had known all about the
tailings to the Mall and the attack in the bedroom though.
"The last time was about three days ago at night. Lopez, Stubbings and another fellow by the name of Abbott broke
into my room and threatened me with a knife" Lucas said once again looking at Bridger afterwards and trying to say
he was sorry about not telling them. Bridger somehow knew there was a lot more that he and Kristen needed to
learn about the secretive of people. He shuddered to think about what have happened to Lucas if the threats were
meant to be more persuasive. Lucas could have been seriously injured or even taken away from the house and they
would have not even had a clue as to who had been responsible.
"What did they do when they broke in?" Small asked in an uninterested tone as he shuffled some more papers in his
hands.
"Told me about what would happen if I spoke to anybody about what I had seen that day." Lucas replied "They covered
my mouth with a hand to silence me and threatened to shoot anybody that walked through the door if they heard me
yelling."
"So they kept you quiet, what did supposedly do next Mr Wolenczak?" Small asked.
"Lopez pulled a knife from his boot and knelt on my chest so that I couldn't escape. Then he drew two letters into
my chest with the blade of the knife." Lucas was barely holding it together by this stage but wanted desperately to
get it all out before it drove him insane.
"Two letters, are you able to say which two?" Small enquired.
The letters "C" and "H" meant to stand for his initials. Told me that I needed his own personalised tattoo to help
me remember what would happen if I told anybody" Lucas said and involuntarily put his hand to the area of his
chest where the nicks were made.
Kristen now told Bridger about finding the torn shirt but didn't think anything about it at the time. Bridger told her
that obviously there was a lot that all of them didn't know about.
"Now despite all of these alleged threats and injuries that were made to you Mr Wolenczak. You come here today,
ready to give evidence on oath in open court about your involvement in the whole affair?" Small said trying to draw
the boy out just a little more.
"I told myself that I didn't want to be considered part of Jackson's payroll" Lucas replied and then looked intently
at the lawyer himself and then directly back at Rowlands, letting the man know discreetly that he knew about what
had been going on. Rowlands looked back without even blinking but secretly was now panicking that the kid knew
more than he should.
Small ignored the comment in relation to himself but set about delivering the final blow to this young man's testimony.
"Your Honour," he know addressed the Judge. "In lieu of some of this information given only a few minutes ago, my
client makes application to have these proceedings stayed for a period of a few weeks." he said with confidence.
Fletcher was on his feet immediately, perplexed and wondering just where this application had come from. He had no
personal knowledge about anything that would prevent the trial finishing today as indicated.
Lucas was confused as well and looked back at Fletcher for an answer.
"Very well Mr Small, let's hear your application" Judge Kline said a little interested himself in the sudden change of
course in the trial.
"Your Honour, Mr Wolenczak has just given testimony about his father a Mr Lawrence Wolenczak and his personal
knowledge of his son having met Mr Jackson and his associates before the night of Mr Taylor's death. Up until
very recently Mr Wolenczak Senior has been in a coma due to a motor vehicle accident in hospital.
Lucas could feel the colour drain from his face and the hairs on the back of his neck raise. He was looking back
desperately between Bridger and Fletcher to tell him what the hell was going on. He didn't like where this was
heading at all. All of a sudden, there was way too much talk about his father in the present tense. He had told
himself that he was now free of his father's control and he would never bother him again. What was all of this
leading to?
Bridger could see the anxiousness in Lucas's eyes and expressions at the mention of his father's name. He to
had a foreboding feeling that he couldn't quite put his finger on at the moment.
"I have information and can have documentation in the form of medical certificates if you please that state Mr Lawrence
Wolenczak had awoken from his coma and could be called by the defence to corroborate this young man's account
of events." Small was finished with his application, but didn't need to hear the outcome. He could clearly see that his
little bombshell had the desired effect on the youth.
Lucas could no longer hear anybody else in the courtroom. All of a sudden the room seemed incredibly crowded and
he felt like he was suffocating. He couldn't breath and he started taking gasping breaths just to feed his starving lungs
of oxygen. His legs had turned to jelly and he knew that if he stood, they wouldn't hold his weight even for a second.
"He can't be………. he can't be awake" was the words he kept repeating. After what had happened with Sanderson
and his father, they had told him that there was no way his father could come out of his coma. They told him that
his father would never reawaken. The man had been hooked up to machines that made him breath and eat. He saw
those machines. It was the machines that were keeping him alive. Inside the real Lawrence Wolenczak was dead.
He just had to be right. He couldn't face that all again………… he just couldn't.
Bridger could see the distress that Lucas was now in. He suddenly ignored all court protocol and behaviour and
now approached the witness box and knelt in front of the shaking and trembling teenager. He spoke a few soft
words of comfort but Lucas didn't seem to hear them. He just kept repeating the same words over and over again
that his father's couldn't be awake like they said he was. Bridger knew more than anybody that Lucas could not
handle it if it were indeed true. They had all come to the belief that Lawrence would never bother the youth again.
It just couldn't be true.
"Your Honour, I think we need to take that break now, if you don't mind" Fletcher said as he saw Bridger's attempts
to bring Lucas out of his almost comatose like trance. There was nothing that he could do legally about Small's
little comment. He knew that they had used the one weapon in their arsenal that would shatter the boy's confidence.
"I agree Mr Fletcher. This court will have recess for…………. as long as is necessary" he added as he glanced down
and looked at Lucas with concern of his own. He had heard in his own circles about what tortures and pain this boy
had allegedly undergone at the hands of his father. He doubted the boy would be able to put more than two words
together for the rest of the day.
The judge struck his gavel on the bench and exited to his own chambers for some deep and meaningful thought about
this whole case.
Small and his client left the courtroom building as did everybody in the jury and public gallery that weren't directly
associated with Lucas. The only people left in the room now were Fletcher, Bridger, Kristen and the Senior Crew
and Lucas himself. The boy hadn't moved and seemed to be consumed by his own fear and terror that his father
was again able to reek havoc on his life.
AUTHOR's NOTES:
THE END FOR NOW……………… HEHEHEH – Left it in a good spot don't you think – now for those who haven't
read my earlier stories – you will have to go back and read the trilogy called "Hauntings" that I wrote concerning how
Lawrence came to be in a coma.
The part about Lawrence waking up really doesn't have much affect on this story but I thought it was the perfect place
to bring him back. You see I need him for the next story – not a sequel – but whole new one that involves Lawrence
coming out of his coma (you will have to wait for further details)
Ronica – your question at the end of Hauntings was "Is Lawrence going to wake up?" – well there's your answer girl.
Most of the information concerning courtroom practice comes from first-hand experience because I am a court recorder
and see such cases on a daily basis. This story is based mostly on the Australian system though.
Hope you enjoyed the part that I wrote – be finished this one in about one or two posts.
JULES
