* * * *
Natalie sat up straight on the witness stand two weeks later, fifteen minutes after Stephanie O'Brien had stepped down. Mike, Rey and Lennie had found the three missing women and with each testimony the evidence against Jordan Harper and Janet Cooke mounted.
Jack McCoy had run her through possible questions the defence may ask many times over and she was confident that she was ready for anything. Giving her testimony to McCoy had been easy, all he wanted to know was when she had had her abortion, who the father had been, where it had been performed and what had happened the night the detectives had tried to catch Jordan Harper.
The defence lawyer, Rickman, she thought his name was, had been pacing in front of her for some time already and Natalie was getting tired of watching him.
"Are you going to ask me any questions or just wear a path in the floor?" she asked suddenly.
The judge rapped his gavel on the table quickly, but a quiet laugh rippled through the court. Natalie caught Mike's eye and he smiled, discreetly giving her a thumbs up sign.
"Ms. Hargraves, isn't it true that you did not tell Michael Logan when you were pregnant?"
She nodded. "Yes, that's true."
"Did you ever tell your parents?"
Natalie frowned. "About six months ago."
"So, how do you suppose that Ms. Cooke had the kind of information that your boyfriend and parents never had?" Rickman asked.
Natalie smiled at him and shook her head slowly. "First, Mike isn't my boyfriend. Second, I went to the school nurse before deciding to have an abortion. The fact that I was pregnant would be in my records and when I returned to school without an enormous stomach, I'm sure Ms. Cooke came to her own conclusions."
"But that's just your assumption, correct?" Rickman asked.
"Correct," Natalie said. "But Detective Rey Curtis pulled records of how many times my file had been accessed, as you recall. It's right there in the evidence pile, number twenty three. My medical file was accessed six times by Ms. Cooke."
Rickman looked flustered for a moment, then stepped away. "No further questions."
"You may step down Ms. Hargraves. The jury is dismissed for deliberation," the judge said, then hammered his gavel once more. "We're adjourned until a conclusion is reached."
Natalie caught up with Rey, Mike and Lennie outside, quickly squeezing Rey's hand in her own. He looked at her in surprise, but she just smiled and whispered, "We'll talk later."
"Well, it was a hell of a case to investigate, but seems like McCoy's having a pretty easy time prosecuting," Lennie said.
"That's because we have three eye witnesses, thanks to you three," Natalie said. "You saved some lives this past week."
Lennie smiled. "We did, didn't we? Who's up for a celebratory lunch?"
"I wouldn't celebrate just yet Mr. Briscoe," Rickman growled.
"Detective Briscoe," Lennie corrected, an eyebrow raised. "And why not? Your clients are as good as gone."
"Maybe Jordan Harper is, but I don't think you collected quite enough evidence against Janet Cooke," he hissed. "It was a nice try though."
Natalie grinned as he walked away. "Where does he get off being so confident?"
"Forget about him," Mike said. "Let's go get lunch."
* * * *
The judge glared sternly at the jury over his glasses and asked, "Has the jury reached a verdict?"
"We have, your honour," the foreman said and stood.
"Janet Cooke, Jordan Harper, would you please rise," the judge requested. "The defendant Mr. Harper is facing two counts of murder in the second degree, four counts of attempted murder, five counts of rape, five counts of kidnapping and one count of assault. How do you find on the first charge?"
The foreman stared at the judge. "We find Mr. Harper guilty on all charges."
A low murmur ran through the courtroom as the judge nodded.
"Ms. Cooke is facing six counts of conspiracy to commit murder in the second degree. How does the jury find?"
"We found Ms. Cooke guilty on all charges," the foreman said.
The judge nodded to the courtroom officers who led away the strangely silent defendants. Natalie stood, satisfied that they had done the best they could, knowing Rey, Mike and Lennie had saved three lives and that Jack McCoy had protected countless others.
"Feels good to be right," Jack said, winking at Natalie as he walked by.
She laughed and followed the other detectives out into the sunlight. As Lennie and Mike walked toward their car, Rey pulled Natalie aside and studied her carefully.
"Can we talk?" he asked finally.
She smiled and shook her head. "No. But I was wondering if you'd like to go out for dinner tonight."
Rey stared at her, unsure of what to say. Finally he mumbled, "Are you asking me out on a date?"
Natalie's smile grew wider. "I think I am. So, how about it Detective? Think we should start this thing off right?"
Rey laughed and nodded. "Yeah, dinner sounds great."
"Good," Natalie said. "Pick me up at six," she told him, then walked toward Mike and Lennie.
"He said yes?" Mike asked as she neared them.
"Oh come on Mike," Lennie said, punching his partner's arm. "What else could he say?"
Natalie grinned and went around to the driver's side door, pushing Mike out of her way. "I feel like driving," she said. "I'm in a damn good mood."
Mike grinned back and handed her the keys. "Do up your seat belt tight Lennie," he warned. "This girl is scary behind the wheel."
Natalie slid into the car, still smiling. She couldn't recall a time when life had been any better.
The End
Notes: I know the trial is weak, but I think in the end I got bored with the story and just wanted it to end. Also, the story was based more on emotions that the crime and the trial itself. Hope you enjoyed it ... except for this last chapter, which I think it awful. :)
Natalie sat up straight on the witness stand two weeks later, fifteen minutes after Stephanie O'Brien had stepped down. Mike, Rey and Lennie had found the three missing women and with each testimony the evidence against Jordan Harper and Janet Cooke mounted.
Jack McCoy had run her through possible questions the defence may ask many times over and she was confident that she was ready for anything. Giving her testimony to McCoy had been easy, all he wanted to know was when she had had her abortion, who the father had been, where it had been performed and what had happened the night the detectives had tried to catch Jordan Harper.
The defence lawyer, Rickman, she thought his name was, had been pacing in front of her for some time already and Natalie was getting tired of watching him.
"Are you going to ask me any questions or just wear a path in the floor?" she asked suddenly.
The judge rapped his gavel on the table quickly, but a quiet laugh rippled through the court. Natalie caught Mike's eye and he smiled, discreetly giving her a thumbs up sign.
"Ms. Hargraves, isn't it true that you did not tell Michael Logan when you were pregnant?"
She nodded. "Yes, that's true."
"Did you ever tell your parents?"
Natalie frowned. "About six months ago."
"So, how do you suppose that Ms. Cooke had the kind of information that your boyfriend and parents never had?" Rickman asked.
Natalie smiled at him and shook her head slowly. "First, Mike isn't my boyfriend. Second, I went to the school nurse before deciding to have an abortion. The fact that I was pregnant would be in my records and when I returned to school without an enormous stomach, I'm sure Ms. Cooke came to her own conclusions."
"But that's just your assumption, correct?" Rickman asked.
"Correct," Natalie said. "But Detective Rey Curtis pulled records of how many times my file had been accessed, as you recall. It's right there in the evidence pile, number twenty three. My medical file was accessed six times by Ms. Cooke."
Rickman looked flustered for a moment, then stepped away. "No further questions."
"You may step down Ms. Hargraves. The jury is dismissed for deliberation," the judge said, then hammered his gavel once more. "We're adjourned until a conclusion is reached."
Natalie caught up with Rey, Mike and Lennie outside, quickly squeezing Rey's hand in her own. He looked at her in surprise, but she just smiled and whispered, "We'll talk later."
"Well, it was a hell of a case to investigate, but seems like McCoy's having a pretty easy time prosecuting," Lennie said.
"That's because we have three eye witnesses, thanks to you three," Natalie said. "You saved some lives this past week."
Lennie smiled. "We did, didn't we? Who's up for a celebratory lunch?"
"I wouldn't celebrate just yet Mr. Briscoe," Rickman growled.
"Detective Briscoe," Lennie corrected, an eyebrow raised. "And why not? Your clients are as good as gone."
"Maybe Jordan Harper is, but I don't think you collected quite enough evidence against Janet Cooke," he hissed. "It was a nice try though."
Natalie grinned as he walked away. "Where does he get off being so confident?"
"Forget about him," Mike said. "Let's go get lunch."
* * * *
The judge glared sternly at the jury over his glasses and asked, "Has the jury reached a verdict?"
"We have, your honour," the foreman said and stood.
"Janet Cooke, Jordan Harper, would you please rise," the judge requested. "The defendant Mr. Harper is facing two counts of murder in the second degree, four counts of attempted murder, five counts of rape, five counts of kidnapping and one count of assault. How do you find on the first charge?"
The foreman stared at the judge. "We find Mr. Harper guilty on all charges."
A low murmur ran through the courtroom as the judge nodded.
"Ms. Cooke is facing six counts of conspiracy to commit murder in the second degree. How does the jury find?"
"We found Ms. Cooke guilty on all charges," the foreman said.
The judge nodded to the courtroom officers who led away the strangely silent defendants. Natalie stood, satisfied that they had done the best they could, knowing Rey, Mike and Lennie had saved three lives and that Jack McCoy had protected countless others.
"Feels good to be right," Jack said, winking at Natalie as he walked by.
She laughed and followed the other detectives out into the sunlight. As Lennie and Mike walked toward their car, Rey pulled Natalie aside and studied her carefully.
"Can we talk?" he asked finally.
She smiled and shook her head. "No. But I was wondering if you'd like to go out for dinner tonight."
Rey stared at her, unsure of what to say. Finally he mumbled, "Are you asking me out on a date?"
Natalie's smile grew wider. "I think I am. So, how about it Detective? Think we should start this thing off right?"
Rey laughed and nodded. "Yeah, dinner sounds great."
"Good," Natalie said. "Pick me up at six," she told him, then walked toward Mike and Lennie.
"He said yes?" Mike asked as she neared them.
"Oh come on Mike," Lennie said, punching his partner's arm. "What else could he say?"
Natalie grinned and went around to the driver's side door, pushing Mike out of her way. "I feel like driving," she said. "I'm in a damn good mood."
Mike grinned back and handed her the keys. "Do up your seat belt tight Lennie," he warned. "This girl is scary behind the wheel."
Natalie slid into the car, still smiling. She couldn't recall a time when life had been any better.
The End
Notes: I know the trial is weak, but I think in the end I got bored with the story and just wanted it to end. Also, the story was based more on emotions that the crime and the trial itself. Hope you enjoyed it ... except for this last chapter, which I think it awful. :)