Calleigh and Jimmy were outside the courtroom, waiting for the bailiff to call her in to testify. Jimmy sat quietly on a bench, pretending to read a magazine, although his watchful eyes never left the petite blond who was pacing frantically back and forth in front of him, murmuring to herself.
"Miss Calleigh, you have got to calm down," he said finally. "You're going to work yourself into a lather otherwise, and on top of that, you're making me dizzy."
Calleigh slung herself down on a nearby bench and glared at Jimmy as if to say, "See? I'm sitting now. Are you happy?" Jimmy smiled at her, amused, and returned to his magazine. Calleigh sighed and began to drum her fingernails briskly on the wooden bench. Just when Jimmy was about to beg her to stop that as well, the bailiff poked his head through the door and nodded at Calleigh.
Calleigh stood up, squared her shoulders, and held her head high as she walked through the doors. The feeling of nearly one hundred eyes settling upon her was a bit unnerving, and she almost faltered. Jimmy, however, was right behind her, right there to put his oversized hand on her lower back and give her a gentle nudge forward.
As she walked towards the judge, Calleigh reflected that walking into a packed courthouse such as this was not all that dissimilar from getting married. She was, after all, walking down an aisle of sorts, and everyone's eyes were upon her. And although she might not have been what everyone had been waiting for, at that moment, she could have sworn that everyone in the courtroom was holding his or her breath with eager anticipation.
The two tables seating the lawyers and their clients could have been the bridal parties. The defendants, three brooding mob-types with their equally suspicious looking lawyers, could have been the groomsmen, and the DA, Erin, along with her top ADAs, Nicole and Jill, all of whom were wearing conservative grey suits, made an excellent set of bridesmaids. The judge, somber and frowning in his flowing black robes, made for an excellent minister. All that was missing now, she realized, was the groom.
The comparison of her court appearance to that of a wedding ceased to amuse Calleigh after that thought. A wedding wasn't a wedding without a groom, and without Tim, she was just another witness, who had little to offer to the case.
As she reached the front of the courtroom, Jimmy squeezed her arm and said, "Go get 'em, girl." And then, like a father handing off his daughter-bride, he left Calleigh's side and sat down in the front row.
After being sworn in, Calleigh stepped into the witness box. She straightened her back, crossed her feet at the ankles, and clasped her hands firmly in her lap. The DA rose from her table, buttoned her jacket and smiled at Calleigh.
"Miss Duquesne," she began. Calleigh smiled back at her, looking braver than she felt. Although she had testified in court dozen of times during her stint as a CSI, she had never before been so nervous. Of course, she had never before had such damning evidence to hide, had never before had a reason to hope that the defense didn't have any questions for her. "Please state your full name and title for the court."
Calleigh answered, and she and the DA waltzed through their rehearsed moves flawlessly. Calleigh relaxed slightly, although the knot in between her shoulder blades never completely dissipated. The curve ball in this entire routine was the cross-examination. Although she and Erin had planned for every possible question, Calleigh knew that there was no way to rule out the possibility that the defense attorney had a spare ace up his sleeve. Erin didn't know about Calleigh and Tim, and Calleigh's deepest fear was that someway, somehow, what had happened between them would become public record. Calleigh knew that if it came down to it, that she wouldn't – she couldn't – deny what had happened between her and Tim, even though the admission would likely cost her her job, and possibly the case as well. These repercussions had been the last thing on her mind when she'd kissed Tim, but they were real enough now. Calleigh felt a thin film a sweat break out on her forehead. She crossed one hand over the other and discretely checked her pulse. It was racing, not that she'd needed to check her pulse to know that. Her heart was thumping wildly in her chest, threatening to crack a few ribs in its franticness.
Erin thanked Calleigh and sat down. The defense attorney wasted no time in rising from his seat. He asked her the usual battery of questions that Calleigh had been expecting – if she was sure she had seen his clients, if there were any other explanations other than what the prosecution had offered up - while making sure to steer away from any hard evidence. Calleigh's interactions with defense attorneys were usually brief, and this one was proving to be no exception. Just when Calleigh thought that she was out of the woods, that her secret would remain just that, the defense attorney threw one final hurdle at her.
"Miss Duquesne, would you say that it's fair that the integrity of a criminalist for the Miami-Dade Police Department should be above reproach?"
Calleigh answered with a succinct, "Yes," refusing to elaborate despite her desire to do so. She knew better than to offer up any extra information, as that was exactly what the defense attorney was hoping for – hoping that she'd slip up and reveal more than she should, giving him an opening to tear the case to shreds. And unfortunately, Calleigh knew exactly what he was after.
"And why is that?"
"Because the evidence we collect is used to prosecute alleged criminals. If our behavior is questionable, so is the evidence." Erin had warned Calleigh that the defense attorney would try to make the evidence questionable by attacking her character, but Erin had assumed that Calleigh had nothing to hide, and Calleigh hadn't been able to tell her otherwise. She resisted the urge to squirm in her seat. She'd made her bed. It was time to lay in it.
The attorney smiled at her like a cat grinning at its next meal, and Calleigh knew in that instant that he knew about her and Tim. It was all she could do to stay seated. She shot Erin a pleading look, begging her to object, petition for a recess, do anything to get her out of this damned witness box. Erin, however, was involved in a tete a tete with her ADAs, and missed Calleigh's look completely.
The defense attorney pursed his lips, and Calleigh's entire body froze. It was time to face the firing squad. Calleigh kept her eyes focused on him. If she was going to go down, it would be with her head held high.
To her surprise, the defense attorney broke her stare and nodded at the judge. "I have no further questions for this witness."
Calleigh managed, but only barely, to keep the stunned look off her face. She'd dodged two bullets in the last two weeks, and had come out standing both times. She decided to get off the witness stand and out of the courtroom before her fantastic luck ran out.
Calleigh stepped down, intent of leaving the courtroom, when the defense attorney announced, "The defense calls as a rebuttal witness Special Agent Timothy Speedle."
Calleigh's heart and feet stopped simultaneously, and she stared, along with the rest of the courtroom, towards the entrance. The doors opened, and Tim stepped through them, his gait as easy and unhurried as ever. Calleigh stepped to the side, intent on staying out of Tim's line of sight, when his dark eyes lighted on her. Instantly they lit up, the joy of seeing her unmistakable, even though his facial expression remained unchanged.
Her groom had arrived. Late indeed he was, but he was finally here, and there was no doubting that he was pleased to see her. Calleigh bristled. Tim had been called by the defense as a rebuttal witness, which only meant one thing – he was here for the sole purpose of discrediting her. And the only way he could discredit her was by admitting to the court that he had been in her bed – at her insistence. The mystery of how the defense knew was a mystery no longer.
The anger poured out of Calleigh so rapidly that she had to clench her hands into fists to keep from coming undone. Why was he doing this to her? Was it because she'd left him? There was no way that could be the reason; after all, he had been emphatic from the beginning that things between them were temporary at best. All she'd done by walking out first was save him the trouble of breaking things off with her. Calleigh was furious, but more than that, she felt utterly betrayed. She'd given Tim full, unfettered access to every part of her body, mind and soul, and now he was going to use that against her. She'd told him that she loved him. Worse than that, she still did love him, a fact that hadn't changed despite the circumstances. Never in her darkest nightmares had she imagined that things between them would end up like this.
What she couldn't figure out was why Tim seemed so pleased to see her. He had to know that what he was about to do would destroy not only her reputation, but also her career. He was completely crazy if he thought that his testimony would endear himself to her.
Calleigh averted her eyes as Tim walked by. Turning, she tapped Jimmy on the shoulder, who obliged her by scooting over and making room for her at the end of the aisle.
"What's going on, Miss Calleigh?" Jimmy asked quietly.
"I'm not sure yet," Calleigh whispered back.
Tim was sworn in and took his seat. He was completely relaxed, as if unaware or uncaring that he was about to destroy Calleigh and her career. Calleigh shivered, then reached out and clasped Jimmy's hand, who allowed her to take it without question.
The defense attorney could barely contain his glee as he rose out of his seat. "Mr. Speedle, please state your name and position for the record."
"Former Special Agent Timothy Speedle, FBI."
The defense attorney stopped in mid-stride, his mouth agape. "Former?" he asked, quickly regaining his composure.
Calleigh's composure, on the other hand, was fading away by the second. That Tim had left the FBI was a shock. His as yet untold reason was likely to be even more surprising.
Tim nodded. "I turned in my letter of resignation this morning."
The defense attorney looked at the judge. "I need a fifteen minute recess to confer with my witness."
The judge looked irritated, but as it was close to lunchtime, granted the defense their wish and recessed court early. Calleigh saw Tim step off the stand and speak briefly with the attorney, shrugging his shoulders as the attorney's ears, neck, and eventually his entire face reddened with anger. Tim shrugged one final time and threw his hands up, then headed for the exit.
"I've got to go," Calleigh told Jimmy. "It's been a pleasure." She was up and moving towards the exit, following Tim's trail before Jimmy had a chance to respond. Calleigh pushed through a side door and stepped out into the hallway. She was positive that she'd seen Tim head this way, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Her phone vibrated on her hip, and Calleigh reluctantly turned her attention to it. She didn't even glance at the caller idea before answering with a sharp "Duquesne" as her eyes continued to roam the corridor.
"Meet me outside," Tim said. "I'm in the black pickup at the end of the block."
He hung up before Calleigh could respond. Attempting to look casual, Calleigh strolled outside, shielding her eyes against the bright Miami sun. She could just make out the black truck at the end of the block. Calleigh walked towards it, feeling sicker and sicker the closer she got to it, but unable to turn away. When she put her hand on the door handle, she paused, the need to vomit so strong that she had to close her eyes and take several deep breaths.
The windows were tinted so dark that she couldn't even tell if there was anyone in the truck. Calleigh took one last deep breath and pulled open the door.
Tim was sitting in the driver's seat, his face turned expectantly towards her. "Are you going to get in?" he asked when she hesitated.
"Should I?"
"Depends on if you want an explanation or not."
"I could have done without the last explanation you gave me."
Tim smiled ruefully. "This one's better, I promise."
Calleigh sighed, but climbed in the truck and shut the door. Her curiosity was getting the better of her. "This better be good," she told him.
"I'm sorry about what happened at the hospital," Tim began.
"You were only telling the truth."
"Perhaps, but I shouldn't have let you walk out of that room."
"You didn't owe me anything, Tim. You don't owe me anything now. It was a temporary arrangement – you said so yourself. It was convenience and physical attraction – nothing more." Little of what she'd just uttered was true, but Calleigh wasn't about to admit her true feelings now.
"Why are you acting like this?" Tim asked, anger flaring in his eyes.
"Acting like what?"
"Like you don't care. Like you're made of steel and iron. Like you didn't tell me that you loved me."
Calleigh glared at him, but didn't respond. She'd been half-hoping that he would forget that she'd said that, half-hoping that he wouldn't.
"I know you meant it, Calleigh. And I know you don't believe me, but I meant it too."
"Tim, we had sex. Yes, it was good, and yes, I enjoyed it, but we never made it out to be anything more."
Tim chuckled softly. "Fine, Calleigh. Have it your way. It was just sex. And because it was just sex, I quite my job at the FBI so the defense wouldn't have anything to blackmail me with and coerce me into admitting that we were sleeping together when you shot those guys." His voice was bitter, but there was a trace of hurt as well.
Calleigh could only stare at him. "The defense was blackmailing you?"
Tim nodded. "I don't know how, but they knew what was going on between us. And they promised me that they would make sure that I wouldn't lose my job if I testified that we were sleeping together."
"I thought you were the one who told them in the first place."
It was Tim's turn to glare. "I can't believe you think that I would do something like that."
"You wanted to keep your job, didn't you?"
"Yes."
She shrugged, as if indicating that he'd just proved her point.
"Why didn't you tell the prosecution that the defense was blackmailing you?" she asked. "You could have done that. The judge would have likely recused their attorneys…and you could have kept your job."
"Because I would have had to admit what they were blackmailing me with, and our just sex affair would have been made public. The only way that I could protect you was by quitting. With no job to hang over my head, they couldn't make me admit to it. And if they did, then they knew I would go to the prosecution with the blackmailing scheme. Besides, Calleigh, you know that telling the prosecution would only result in a mistrial. We'd just have to start over from the beginning, and you'd be another six months in protective custody…which I know you don't want."
Calleigh shrugged. "I happen to enjoy Jimmy's company."
"You enjoyed mine too," Tim pointed out, giving her a conspiratorial look.
Calleigh turned up her nose and looked out the window. She knew he hadn't meant his comment the way her anger wanted her to interpret it, and chose to change the subject instead. "I still can't believe you just up and quit your job."
"It wasn't an easy decision to make, believe me. I lost a lot of sleep, endlessly debating the pros and cons. But in the end, I realized that I love you, and it wasn't worth it to me to keep my job by destroying you. Maybe to you it was just sex, but it meant more than that to me. We may be through, Calleigh, but that doesn't mean I don't still care about you." He was angry, although whether it was her he was angry with or the circumstances, Calleigh couldn't be sure.
"I don't know what to say, Tim. This is a lot to take in."
"You don't have to say anything. I wasn't expecting this revelation to send you falling back into my arms…although you're more than welcome to." He smiled sadly. "I know that there are other things that I can't justify or explain, and that it was those things that made you walk out of my hospital room. I just wanted you to know why I did what I did today."
Calleigh remained silent and continued to stare out the window.
Tim drew her attention back to him as he touched her arm. "Calleigh?"
She met his eyes, unable to mistake the love in them for anything other than what it was.
"There's something else I should have told you in that hospital room, something I should have said, should have clarified before you walked out."
"Tim, I can't take any more of your revelations." Calleigh's voice was tired and weary.
Tim ignored her, caressing her arm gently as he said, "You have always been, and will always be, my only Princess."
Calleigh's eyes widened, and she pulled her arm out of Tim's grasp. "I can't do this," she said, clawing at the door handle, her fingers slipping a few times before finding their target. She threw open the door and stumbled out of the truck, breathing in the thick, humid Miami air. Calleigh slammed the door shut and walked briskly back towards the courthouse, never once looking behind her.
It wasn't until later that day that she remembered that Tim had once said that he wasn't about to quit his job for anyone, and she wondered what that said about his feelings towards her if he had quit because of her.
TBC…
Thank you Deb for your help with this chapter.