Julia

Chapter 21: Did You Miss Me?

Don sat in the small office at the courthouse and glanced at his brother yet again, trying to gauge his emotional state. He glanced up, and met Megan's sympathetic eyes. The prosecutor, Pete Jarrell, had called them in for a quick meeting prior to entering the courtroom. That morning, they had managed to get a dress shirt on Charlie by slitting the sleeve that went over his cast. He had his good arm in his suit jacket, and the other side of the jacket was draped over his shoulder and his sling. Not that it mattered; it didn't fit him very well anyway. Don hadn't realized how thin Charlie had gotten until he had helped Alan dress him that morning; his brother's bones protruded from his emaciated frame, and his clothes hung on him. The surgeon had told them that Charlie would drop some weight, but it looked too drastic, to Don.

Now Charlie sat quietly, drowning in his oversized suit, his thin shoulders set; his dark eyes on the prosecutor. Don wrenched his eyes away as Jarrell began to speak.

"I wanted to run over a few things before we go in," Jarrell began. "She's being charged with multiple counts; assault and kidnapping of a federal agent, second degree murder of Jerry Hinkman, the truck driver; and assault, kidnapping, rape and attempted murder of Dr. Eppes."

Don noticed that Charlie blinked at the mention of his name, but he said nothing. It wasn't surprising. His brother wasn't talking much these days. Don had resorted to constantly watching him to try figure out what he was thinking. Most of the time, he had no clue.

Jarrell continued. "The defense is going to attempt to persuade the judge that she is incompetent to stand trial. If they fail, and this goes to trial, Stevens will continue that line; and use insanity as her defense. Be prepared for quite the acting job on her part, and some grandstanding from the defense attorney."

"In our favor are the facts in the case – and the obvious premeditation on her part. The depositions you each made in my office last week have been accepted as sworn testimony, and already reviewed. Plus, there is the physical evidence, especially the cell phones. The judge has already observed the video material on them." At that, Charlie shifted in his seat slightly and hung his head, his eyes now trained on the floor. Don eyed him anxiously as Jarrell went on.

"There is something that you are unaware of. Jessica petitioned for a name change, and Stevens managed to railroad it through before the hearing. She is now legally known as Jessica Eppes."

"What!" Don's eyes shot from Charlie to Jarrell, his face incredulous. "What in the hell is that about?" He looked back at Charlie nervously, who looked stricken, and then glanced at Megan, who was staring at Jarrell in disbelief.

Jarrell paused, and looked back at them. "I'm not sure what it means, but I'm sure it fits into their defense argument. I wanted to tell you in private, so you weren't shocked in the hearing." His eyes rested on Charlie. "You need to be prepared. This could get very ugly. Miles Stevens does not pull punches; he will do anything to gain his objective." He rose from his desk. "We need to get in there. Dr. Eppes, I would like to tell you again that you do not need to be present. You are welcome to wait here if you wish."

Charlie shook his head. "That's okay," he said quietly, and Jarrell breathed a secret sigh of relief. The truth was that the man's appearance could work for them as a sympathy factor; his quiet sadness and frailness were a testament to the devastating ordeal that he had been through. The older brother, however, was another story; he could see tension and anger simmering under the surface, and he could only hope that Agent Eppes would keep himself in check. He eyed Agent Reeves with approval; she would be a welcome presence if the judge had questions.

Charlie could feel his heart beating faster as they walked down the hallway, and by the time they reached the courtroom door, it was hammering painfully in his chest. She was in there, just on the other side of the door. It swung open and they moved in, seemingly in slow motion.

He saw her instantly, her red hair pulled back in a simple low ponytail, wearing a demure dress with a tiny floral print. Her gaze was wandering around the courtroom haphazardly, her eyes glazed, and she rocked a little in the chair. Her eyes eventually traveled their direction, and as they connected with Charlie's he felt a painful jolt run through him. A slight smile crossed her lips; then she resumed her rocking with a dreamy disconnected expression.

"Charlie," whispered Don, and Charlie realized that he had stopped dead, and there were people staring at him. On knees suddenly turned watery, he followed Jarrell, and mechanically took a seat in the row behind him, next to a teary-eyed woman who appeared to be Hinkman's widow. He could feel Don sliding into the seat next to him, and then the comforting pressure of Don's hand on his arm. Jessica was sitting just across from them now, and Charlie's eyes wandered toward her again, in spite of himself.

Jessica hummed lightly as she rocked. That wasn't part of the crazy act; she was actually in a good mood. Her wandering eyes kept finding Charlie's; she couldn't keep them away, because every time they connected, Charlie tensed, as if he were receiving a blow. She had been surprised when she heard he had survived; and she certainly hadn't thought she would ever get a chance to torture him again – especially in front of Don. This was an unexpected, enjoyable surprise, and she couldn't get enough of it. Her eyes found him again, then again, delivering an intangible assault, and she drank in his torment, feeding on it like a parasite.

The judge entered and the bailiff asked the court occupants to rise. Jessica ignored him and sat rocking, until Miles pulled her gently to her feet. She could feel the judge's eyes on her, and fought the urge to look back, instead studying the ceiling, and kept her eyes fixed there as they sat again. As soon as they were settled, she let her eyes roam over the judge, a sour-faced middle aged woman, and then again to Charlie. He looked thin and pale, his eyes dark with pain. She imagined herself sucking the life out of him, like a spider. Her eyes flickered to Don, who was looking at her with barely disguised fury, and she smiled dreamily. Who would have thought that being on trial would be so much fun?

Miles Stevens observed Judge Wilson with a satisfied smile. They couldn't have drawn a better judge in his opinion; she was a bleeding heart liberal who consistently let her emotional brand of politics get in the way of her judgments. Not to mention the fact that she melted like butter every time he spoke to her in private. He had a daunting task in front of him, to be sure, especially when it came to explaining the video evidence, but he had a plan for that.

Judge Wilson banged her gavel, unnecessarily. "This hearing is now in session," she announced, her gaze sweeping the courtroom. It rested on Jessica, and then on the Eppes brothers, for a brief moment. "This is a pre-trial hearing for the purpose of determining the competency of the defendant to stand trial, in response to a motion filed by the defense." She looked at Jarrell. "The prosecution will present the first arguments."

Jarrell rose, and launched into his presentation, smoothly. He covered all of the evidence, including the finding of J-rock and the tub of ketamine gel in the van, along with Charlie's blood. He covered the evidence found in the warehouse, the syringes, the torture devices, and the knife. He went over the cell phone evidence, emphasizing the thought that went into their delivery, and reminding the judge of the horrific content on them, which she had already witnessed. He produced the written statements from Jan Hinkman, the widow, on her last conversation with her husband, from other truck drivers at the scene, and lengthy depositions from Don and Charlie. Finally, he produced evidence gathered by the hospital, including blood work from both of the brothers showing presence of the chemicals in their system, and forensic evidence of the rapes.

Through it all, Don kept his eyes on his brother. Charlie sat quietly, but the tension in his body made it apparent that he was maintaining control only with difficulty. As Jarrell talked through Charlie's statement, and then moved on to the rape evidence, Don could see his brother's chest heaving with suppressed emotion.

Charlie glanced up at that point, and Don saw his eyes connect with Jessica's. All eyes were on Jarrell, who was speaking, and Jessica took advantage of it; Don saw her smile wickedly, and run a tongue over her lower lip. Charlie flinched visibly and tore his eyes away, swaying in his chair. Don grabbed his arm to steady him, and kept it there as Jarrell concluded his presentation with arguments on the premeditation of the acts, all stemming from the issuance of the restraining order months ago.

Miles Stevens began his arguments quietly, focusing on his client's obviously tenuous grasp on reality. Jessica played it to the hilt, rocking, her eyes traversing the room, smiling innocently, vacantly at the judge. He produced statements and examinations from no less than five physicians; all maintaining that she was mentally compromised. As the judge examined them, he went in for the kill. "The fact of the matter is, your honor," he said, pacing in the aisle, his voice rising, "we do not deny Jessica's participation in these events. What we do deny is that she was fully cognitive of what she was doing, especially since she was coerced into it by the Eppes brothers themselves." Don gripped the arms of his chair, trying to keep himself from flying out of it like a projectile. Charlie paled, and stared in shock.

"These two men took advantage of this poor, unstable woman, pulling her into their sick games. Yes, you saw the videos. You saw the shot of Jessica smiling and waving into the camera, and even without the sound, you saw her say, 'Hi, Don.' She thought it was just a game. The fact is he is a sick voyeur, and his younger brother is even more perverted – a masochist that gets off on bondage -- it was obvious on the video that he responded physically to her attention…."

Don heard the breath leave Charlie in a rush, and he jumped to his feet in rage, screaming at the judge. "You saw what was on those videos! How can you think that anyone would enjoy that -- she almost killed him, for God's sake…" he broke off, as Jarrell grabbed his arm and tried to pull him down.

"Order!" shouted Wilson, "silence yourself, or I will find you in contempt." It appeared that she already had; she eyed both Don and Charlie with obvious disgust.

Don sat down, trembling with anger, his eyes still fixed on Stevens, who smiled smugly, then wiped it off and assumed a distraught expression as he faced the judge. He stepped forward and laid some papers in front of her. Don snuck a look at Charlie; his brother's head was bowed, and he was staring at the floor, pain and resignation on his face. His brother was being violated again, thought Don sadly, this time verbally, in public.

"These are technical documents, your honor," said Stevens. "The content is not important, other than you should know that they are patent disclosures for a way of introducing chemicals through gel. If you note the credits at the end, you will see Dr. Eppes' name. He participated in the development of the gel that Jessica used. Both of the Eppes brothers have been involved in this for months, and used her for their own twisted ends."

Charlie's head had come up; he looked ill, and Jarrell turned in his chair, with a hiss of a whisper. "Are those legitimate?"

"I calculated absorption rates for several chemicals for a researcher – it was supposed to be used for medical purposes…" Charlie trailed off, desperation on his face.

Jarrell looked furious. "You need to clue me in on stuff like that," he hissed, and Charlie looked at Don miserably.

Stevens was still talking. "The extent of how much my client looked up to these men is evident. She changed her own name to theirs. Not exactly rational, either, but it shows to what lengths this poor girl would go just to please them." Jessica smiled at the judge vacuously, as if on cue. "This concludes my arguments, your honor. I believe that you cannot find otherwise than that my client was mentally incapable, more than that, she was coerced, and therefore not responsible for her actions."

Judge Wilson addressed the courtroom. "I will call a brief recess while I consider the arguments. All interested parties should remain in the courtroom." The bailiff asked for the occupants of the room to rise, and as Charlie stood, dizziness engulfed him. He felt a strong hand grab his arm, and by the time his vision cleared, the judge had left the room.

"I need air," he said weakly. The truth was, he couldn't stand to hear the judge's decision, either way. If she found in their favor, it meant the trial loomed ahead, and after today, the thought of more of the same seemed unbearable. If she found in Jessica's favor, it confirmed Charlie's feelings about himself – he was sick, and weak, and dirty – this was somehow his fault; and the judge had seen through him, and agreed.

Don looked at him, concerned. "Charlie, if you leave, you might not get back inside in time for the decision."

"I don't care," Charlie whispered; his eyes on the floor.

Don looked at Jarrell, who shook his head. "If you leave, and they start again, I can't guarantee they will let you back in."

"I'll go with him," said Megan quietly. She desperately wanted to stay for the judge's decision, but it was more important that Don be there. She looked encouragingly at Charlie. "Come on. We'll wait for them outside."

They walked out slowly, Megan holding Charlie's arm to steady him. Charlie was shaking, and Megan looked at him a bit anxiously. 'He probably shouldn't have come,' she thought. It was too much – physically and emotionally. There was a bench in the hallway, and Megan guided Charlie to it. "Rest for a second, and we'll walk down to the office," she said gently.

Charlie shook his head. He was breathing heavily, but he was starting to recover. "I'll be okay. I'll just wait here." His face was downcast, and he avoided Megan's eyes.

"Okay," agreed Megan, quietly. She sank onto the bench next to him.

Charlie spoke suddenly, his eyes still on the floor. "Seeing her today, I don't know how she fooled me so – completely." He apparently didn't expect a response, because he sat up suddenly and propped his arm on the side rail of the bench, and turned his face that direction, covering it with his hand.

He sat that way in silence for a long moment, and Megan decided that he needed a bit of privacy. "I'm going to walk down to the water cooler," she said softly. "I'll be right back." The water cooler was at the far end of the hall. She could get them each a cup of water, and give Charlie a little time to himself – but still be in his line of sight.

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Back in the courtroom, Don set his jaw and went to back to his seat, avoiding Jessica's glance. The judge had to see through that act, he thought grimly. The evidence was overwhelming that a cunning mind had been behind all of it. She had to decide in their favor. He couldn't bear the thought that his brother had gone through all of that - hell, he was still going through it - and that Jessica might go unpunished.

They rose as the judge returned, and Wilson sat and banged her gavel. "I have come to a decision. I agree with the defense; the defendant is currently incompetent to stand trial." Jarrell's shoulders slumped, and he shook his head. Don stared, shocked, in disbelief, and Mrs. Hinkman made a soft sound of distress. The judge continued. "This does not mean that there will not be a trial. The date is merely postponed, until such a time as the defendant is mentally fit. She will be put into the care of a guardian, and placed in a suitable mental facility. She will undergo periodic psychiatric evaluations to evaluate her mental fitness. I would ask that she now be escorted from the courtroom. This hearing is adjourned."

Stevens took Jessica's arm and led her through the court. She smiled and her eyes roved as she walked, playing the part for the remaining occupants of the court as she was escorted out. Don stood staring, numbly at first, then with rising anger. He felt Jarrell's hand on his arm; then turned. Jarrell sighed. "Well, on the positive side, Stevens has tipped his hand. We know exactly what his defense will be, and we'll have plenty of time to prepare for it."

They turned and headed for the door, and Don shook his head. It just meant that much more time for this to hang over Charlie's head.

Jessica came through the doorway into the nearly empty hallway followed by Stevens and a court security officer, and as Charlie saw her, he stood, defensively, and backed away from the bench toward the wall, to give them more room to pass. He saw the smiles on her face and Stevens', and he knew without asking what the decision had been.

Jessica saw him alone against the wall, and inspiration hit. She was supposed to be crazy, right? No one would question it. She flung herself at him suddenly, enthusiastically babbling, "Charlie! I missed you so much!" She heard Stevens hiss her name, but she ignored him as she flew into Charlie with calculated force, pinning him against the wall with her cuffed hands against his chest.

The force of the impact sent Charlie's head into the wall with an audible, sickening thud, and the world spun. He stared dazedly at her in shock, trying to push her away with his good arm, and she pushed back, grinding her body into his. The hallway whirled nauseatingly. "Did you miss me, Charlie?" she whispered. He dimly heard shouting, Don's voice above the others, as her lips found his, and his world turned dark.

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End Chapter 21