C hapter 25-
"Like what?" Morelli was curious.
"Help us to understand your relationship with Stephanie Manoso and how close you are. You say you have known her your whole life." Carlson queried.
"Yes we both grew up in the same neighborhood. The Burg. I am two years older than her but I saw her around and at school growing up. We went to the same church." Morelli explained.
"You were her first lover in High School. Did you date for a long time?" Carlson questioned.
Morelli smiled at the memory. "No we never actually dated." Morelli clarified.
"But you slept together. Can you tell me about it? Did that relationship last for a while?" Carlson casted doubt.
Morelli smiled bigger. "She worked at the Tasty Pastry Bakery and I went in one day at closing time and talked her out of her pants. It was the way I was in my youth, I was reckless. I outgrew that when I got out of the Navy and became a cop. I respected Stephanie and was willing to settle down with her. " Morelli looked pleased.
"Is that why you call her cupcake, because you did her in the bakery and she reminds you of a cupcake?" Carlson asked.
"No. It's just always been my name for her. It fits her." Morelli looked happy like he was reliving the incident and I wanted to hit him over the head.
"Is it true you wrote about your little encounter all over town before you left for the Navy?" Carlson inquired.
"It was a stupid move; again I was young and didn't know better." Morelli rationalized.
"So then you started dating." Carlson tried to make clear.
"No two days later I was in the Navy." Morelli declared.
"That's sweet. A long-distance relationship. So did you write to each other and send pictures?" Carlson enquired.
"No I didn't tell her I was leaving, I just left." Morelli stated.
"Okay, so you went in the Navy when did you see her again?" Carlson questioned.
"Two years later when I was on leave." Morelli said.
"And then you started dating?" Carlson probed.
"No she saw me on the sidewalk and ran me over with her father's Buick, broke my leg in two places." He was still smiling. "It was Stephanie at her best, very impulsive."
"So when you got out of the Navy you came back and dated?" Carlson asked.
"Unfortunately I hadn't straightened out enough for a serious relationship and I knew Stephanie was a good girl. I didn't know what I wanted to do when I got out of the Navy so I moved back home with my mother. Worked at different jobs and dated lots of different women." Morelli stated secure in his manhood.
"Your reputation was that you were a drinker and a brawler. Getting into bar fights and sleeping around a lot. I mean you are a handsome guy. What woman wouldn't want to sleep with you?" Carlson justified.
"My crazy youth, I did a lot of stupid things." Morelli shrugged.
"Objection" Mrs. Cox said as she stood. "What does this have to do with the case?"
"Sustained. Mr. Carlson what is the point of this line of questioning." The judge responded.
"On the day in question Mr. Morelli asked Mrs. Manoso to marry him and he claims she said yes. I'm trying to show how close they are and the history of their relationship." Mr. Carlson explained.
"You may continue but keep the questions relevant." The judge said.
Mr. Carlson turned back to Morelli and smiled. "So when did you see Mrs. Manoso again?"
"Well several years ago I was falsely accused of murder. I found the proof to show I was not guilty, but I had to go FTA to get the evidence." Morelli answered.
"What is FTA?" Carlson examined.
"FTA is Failure to Appear. It's when you don't show up to court for your trial and then a bounty hunter tracks you down and brings you back to the police station where you are rebonded and have to have a new court date set." Morelli explained.
"So you went FTA. How was that related to Mrs. Manoso?" Carlson asked.
"She was the bond enforcement agent that came after me." Morelli spoke.
"So she caught you and brought you back in?" Carlson questioned.
"Yes and No. I am very good at my job and there was no way she would ever catch me on her own, she was new to bounty hunting. So we struck a deal. She would help me get the proof I was innocent and I would let her bring me in and collect the bond." Morelli expounded.
"How did that work out?" Carlson examined.
"Well she did help me…" Morelli began. "Once I got all of the proof I needed to show my innocence I let her take me in."
"You let her?" Carlson asked.
"Yes." Joe nodded.
"Isn't it true she locked you in the back of a refrigerator truck with two dead bodies and the murder weapon that proved your innocence?" Carlson asked him.
Morelli glared at the lawyer before he answered. "Yes."
"Wow that seems harsh." Carlson exclaimed.
"Well, she was still mad at me for handcuffing her to her shower rod," Joe smiled really big. "Naked."
"You handcuffed her to her shower rod naked?" Carlson repeated astonished.
What an asshole to tell everybody! I had left that little tid bit out of my personal Joe and Stephanie history lesson with Carlson. Members of the jury shot me a look of shock and viewed Morelli with confusion. I glared at Morelli and he winked at me. I just shook my head and Hector squeezed my hand. I hadn't expected to go through all of this history. As Carlson questioned and Morelli answered pictures flew through my mind showing me the events.
"Well she took my truck and was driving it and took the distributor cap off so when I came to get it, it wouldn't start." Morelli justified.
"I'll bet that pissed you off." Carlson defended.
"Yeah, we weren't exactly on the best terms then. Manoso was giving her advice and apparently telling her to steal my vehicle was his way of showing her the ropes." Morelli shook his head.
"So she trapped you in the back of this truck and turned you in. What happened next?" Carlson inquired.
"Well I had her apartment wired and the next day Jimmy Alpha came. Turned out he knew who killed my informant and that the guy I shot was armed and spilled it all on tape. The police got the evidence and that recording and the charges against me were dropped." Morelli explained.
"So she helped get you off." Carlson said.
"By attracting dangerous people? Yes, that's always been a talent of hers." The corners of his mouth lifted with a slight smile.
"So then you started dating." Carlson asked.
Why did I ever date him? He is obviously a full of himself, self-centered asshole. What could I have been thinking? In all of my memories of him not once did I ever feel truly loved or totally comfortable. I never felt completely relaxed, there was always some little bit of me staying alert.
"Well it took a while and a few false starts but then we started dating." Morelli stated.
"And you have been dating straight through for the past three years." Carlson assumed.
"Well dating on and off." Morelli clarified.
"On and off? What do you mean by that?" Carlson probed.
"Well we get together and date for a few months and then we break it off for a few months. Then we get back together and date for a few months and then we break it off for a few months. We really love each other, but we find it hard to live together." Morelli illuminated.
"Wow how come you two break up so much?" Carlson quizzed.
"Most of our issues revolve around her job. I get it" Morelli held up both hands palms out. "She was married and divorced and her ex left her with nothing. I know she wants to work because she is afraid of having nothing again. Every time we get close to walking down the aisle she runs but never too far for too long. In the meantime her job and the woman I love being in constant danger has me popping antacids while Manoso is thrilled at more chances to get into her pants. He wants her living his dangerous life and I want her at home."
"Barefoot and pregnant?" Carlson asked.
"Yes." Morelli answered quickly and then cringed realizing he had spoken without thinking.
"And that is what she wants; to get married, stay home and have a bunch of kids?" Carlson examined.
"She says she wants to work and she doesn't want to have kids." Morelli answered honestly. "But as I said it's out of fear that I would cheat on her and leave her like her first husband."
"Ok so when did you two lovebirds get engaged?" Carlson queried smiling wide.
"Well the first time we got engaged, my mother had come over early in the morning and asked me if I was going to marry this woman and I told her yes." Morelli justified.
"So you asked Mrs. Manoso to marry you and got her a nice ring?" Carlson replied.
"No I never asked her to marry me and at that time I didn't have the money for a ring. We just started living together." Morelli defended.
"So she moved in and gave up her apartment?" Carlson solicited.
"No she would never give up her apartment as I said she lives in fear of being destitute." Morelli chuckled. "She would never give up her job either. I felt sorry for her because she is no good at being a bounty hunter. I think Manoso solved a lot of her cases and just pulled her around to give her a false sense of confidence. He's hurt her by convincing her she could do that job. Instead she's gotten shot and had stalkers, rolled in garbage and God knows what else." He shook his head.
"So you never actually asked her to marry you and you've never lived together long term, when did you get engaged? In Hawaii you told people you were her fiancée." Carlson questioned.
"Well we've discussed marriage many times and basically knew we were eventually going to get married. We both knew it was inevitable, we were engaged to be engaged. Committed to a future with each other." Morelli described.
"So you've never officially been engaged." Carlson clarified. "Why did you go to Hawaii?"
"Well when she was buying her tickets she asked me to go to Hawaii with her. A guy that was stalking her got her a bunch of American Airlines certificates and she wanted to go on vacation." Morelli stated.
"So you went to Hawaii with her?" Carlson asked.
"Not exactly." Morelli said.
"Well what happened next?" Carlson queried.
"She wanted me to go but I couldn't get away from work. So she said she was going by herself and we had a big fight." Morelli rationalized.
"Mrs. Manoso will have a chance to tell her side later, but in her words you called her a 'lying, cheating slut' and a 'whore' for going without you, said she would sleep around. She broke up with you and you hit her in the face, knocking her down, resulting in a split swollen lip." Carlson interrogated.
"Objection your honor, speculative. We have not heard from Mrs. Manoso." Mrs. Cox interrupted.
Damn I really needed to testify now; I knew this would leave me no choice. I would do it, without question I would do anything to expose Morelli and save my husband.
"Sustained, counselor get your questioning on track." The judge ruled.
"Mr. Morelli when did she leave for Hawaii?" Carlson continued.
"Two days after our argument she left." Morelli answered.
"We would like to log this picture as evidence with the court." Carlson spoke, as the picture was passed to the judge and then handed back to Carlson who handed it to Joe.
"Have you seen this picture?" Carlson asked Morelli.
Morelli shook his head.
"Can you identify who is in that picture?" Carlson asked again.
"That's Stephanie." Morelli stated.
The picture was taken and passed around to the jury.
"Yes, you are right it is Mrs. Manoso. That picture was taken her first day in Hawaii, two days after your fight, it shows her lip swollen with a cut on it and black and blue around the edges indicating a recent injury. Can you tell the court how she got that injury?" Carlson bid.
"Probably some skip; she is always being injured and her clothes getting ruined on the job. It's just another day for her when these things happen. You can ask anyone in the Burg; her constant injuries are very well known." Morelli excused.
"At the time the picture was taken she refused to identify who hit her but she has since identified you as the person who hit her and she has mentioned that she doesn't think it was the first time." Carlson pinned him down.
"Objection your honor, hearsay. Again we have not heard from Mrs. Manoso and her memory is impaired, nothing she allegedly says can be believed." Mrs. Cox said defending.
"Retracted." Mr. Carlson said.
"So, Mr. Morelli you went to Hawaii to see Stephanie Manoso. Can you explain why you went to Hawaii and what happened when you got there?" Carson grilled.
"I went to go see my fiancée; I wanted to spend time with her and make up for the fact that I had to work. She still had a couple of days left of her vacation and I thought I would surprise her." Morelli detailed.
"And what happened when you got there?" Carlson questioned.
"She was with Manoso and they were staying at a couple's only retreat. I badged my way past the reception desk and made them tell me where they were. When I got to their bungalow she answered the door wearing his boxers and t-shirt, when Manoso walked into the room he was clad only in a towel." Morelli spat through gritted teeth.
"I bet that shocked you. What did you do?" Carlson sounded sorry for him.
"I did what any red blooded Italian male would do. I punched him in the face. We went at it until Stephanie, fearing that I would seriously hurt Manoso, stunned us both." Morelli explained.
"So your lunch meeting was not the first time you and Mr. Manoso got into an altercation. You stated you hit him first, correct?" Carlson reminded him.
"I'm Italian. I am a passionate man. How would you feel if the love of your life had this piece of garbage sniffing around her and messing with her mind at every turn just to get in her pants? It wasn't just that I loved Stephanie, I wanted to protect her." Morelli justified.
"Protect her from what?" Carlson looked confused.
"From the pain she would go through when Manoso got sick of her and kicked her to the curb. The pain she would suffer when the entire Burg turned on her for being Manoso's slut." Morelli growled.
He had his head down when he spoke and shook his head. He looked up as he finished the last word. I watched his line of vision and realized his eyes were locked on Cox. She was glaring at him and then lifted both hands, turned them over and made pressing motions aimed towards the floor. She was trying to rein him in, trying to get him to stay calm.
"Do you think Mrs. Manoso is a slut?" Carlson asked.
Morelli hesitated. "She doesn't mean to be."
"So you think she is?" Carlson pushed.
"Objection." Cox jumped to her feet. "Badgering,"
"Overruled, continue Mr. Carlson, just watch your wording." The judge warned.
"How did the fight end?" Carlson asked.
"Well Stephanie left and we got a call from the police that Stephanie had been in an accident." Morelli revealed.
"What happened?" Carlson prodded.
"Well according to the police the brakes in her car went out. When she tried to stop the car it wouldn't and she went off the road into a ditch." Morelli described.
"I would like to admit these photos into court evidence." Mr. Carson said and passed a bunch of photos to the judge. The judge looked through them and then handed them to Morelli.
"These were taken at the scene." Carlson explained.
He waited for Morelli to look through them and then brought them over to the jury. He waited as each member glanced through them before passing them along to another. Some had expressions of shock as one woman gasped. One woman looked as if she was going to be sick and an older man shook his head and then glanced up at me. When they were done Carlson took them back and slowly walked back to the table and set them down.
"Not pretty." Carlson looked at Morelli.
"Yes it was a mess. The car was on its side in a ditch and they had to pry the car open and get her out because she was unconscious. Fortunately, she was wearing her seat belt and wasn't seriously injured." Morelli continued.
"You say she was not seriously injured but she had hit her head, had a serious concussion and had a complication. Can you tell us what that was?" Carlson queried.
"She lost her memory. She had complete memory loss of her entire life. She didn't even remember her own name." Morelli disclosed.
"She couldn't remember anything about her life? You helped her though? You told her you were her fiancée and insisted on staying at the hospital with her." Carlson sounded hopeful and even pleasant.
"It was my last night in Hawaii, she wouldn't come home with me and I was going to spend it with her." Morelli rationalized.
"She didn't come back with you?" Carlson acted surprised.
"No the doctor recommended she stay in Hawaii for five more days to let the swelling in her brain go down." Morelli said morosely.
"But you tried to insist she leave and come home with you even though it could cause serious complications and possibly a fatal brain aneurysm." Carlson demanded.
"I had to come home and I didn't want to leave her with him." He pointed at Ranger. "The doctor only recommended she stay longer, he had no proof that it could cause her any complications. It was merely his suggestion. As soon as the doctor suggested she should stay longer Manoso jumped on the opportunity. He went to the corner of the room because he knew what he was doing was wrong. He extended their reservation. He wanted her in that same bungalow alone with him."
"That's horrible for him to take care of her. Why didn't you stay and take care of her?" Carlson put it to him.
"I couldn't get the time off work and besides it was just a little bump on her head. She should have flown back with me and then I could have taken care of her at home." Morelli said defensively.
"So you would have gone against the doctor's orders and forced her to fly when she was seriously injured and could have caused more brain damage or a brain aneurysm just so you could bring her back home and take care of her?" Carlson mocked Joe.
"Objection badgering the witness." Mrs. Cox interrupted again.
"I am just clarifying the actions of the witness." Carlson justified.
"Sustained, rephrase the question." The judge ordered.
"You wanted to insist she fly home against her doctor's orders?" Carlson restated.
"It wasn't an order. It was a suggestion." Morelli spoke through gritted teeth.
"Still you suggested she leave with you?" Carlson asked.
"Yes." Morelli nodded.
"Are you a doctor?" Carlson asked him.
"You know damn well I'm not." Morelli blew out a breath as he tried to get himself under control. "I knew he would use it to his advantage to tell her bad things about me and worm his way into her pants." Morelli whined.
"So you would endanger her life rather than leave her in the hands of her loving husband who wanted to take care of her?" Carlson clarified.
"Loving husband? Are you kidding me? He'll play the role as long as it suits him, but loving? NO! Lust is more like it." Morelli rationalized.
"What did you do?" Carlson inquired.
"I came home. I had no choice. I was very concerned. The love of my life was across the country under the care of the devil himself. I called her every day; it was all I could do." Morelli sounded defeated.
"How did that go?" Carlson probed.
"Terrible. Most of the time I called she didn't answer. I had to call five and six times a day. Then when I would get through she always seemed to be sleeping, even in the middle of the day. When she was awake she had bad headaches and didn't want to talk to me. It broke my heart." Morelli pronounced.
"So she couldn't remember you? She had a severe brain injury that caused her to have very bad headaches and be tired a lot and you were mad that she wouldn't talk to you." Carlson restated.
"Yeah I mean I take the time to call her, she wouldn't call me and then she couldn't even talk to me." Morelli pouted. "I knew Manoso was behind it. I was going insane with worry knowing he had her ear and could use her weakness to lie about me."
"Then what happened next?" Carlson continued
"Well when she finally came home I went to the airport to meet her with flowers and everything but she wouldn't come home with me." Morelli complained.
"She asked you to pick her up from the airport and told you the time of her flight?" Carlson questioned.
"No she told me she was flying back that night and I called American Airlines and found out the time for the only flight coming in from Hawaii. Then I called her mother and told her. She agreed that Stephanie needed to come home with me. Both her parents and grandmother came to the airport with me to convince her to do the right thing." Morelli supported.
"So you ambushed her at the airport. Did she come home with you?" Carlson examined.
"I didn't ambush her." He rolled his eyes. "She didn't know how much she wanted me there because she wasn't thinking right. I mean she didn't have a memory; she needed someone to force her to do the right thing. She couldn't be left alone, she had a hit out on her and they had already tried to kill her twice. I couldn't have her going to her apartment and getting killed." Morelli rationalized. "You don't know Stephanie. You don't understand how she operates. She constantly needs to be forced to listen to those who know what's best for her. She avoids safe houses and obviously ignores warnings to stay away from dangerous thugs." He looked daggers at Ranger and Hector who was still holding my hand.
"What do you mean she had a hit out on her and they had tried to kill her twice?" Carlson sounded confused.
"First, the brakes on her car didn't just fail, they were cut on purpose. Then a guy broke into the bungalow where she was sleeping and tried to shoot her. I mean the bullet came within inches of her head!" Morelli exclaimed.
"How do you know that?" Carlson seemed surprised.
"I read the police report." Morelli muttered.
"You have contacts in Hawaii?" Carlson dug in deeper.
"Some. Anyway, yeah she was nearly killed twice in Hawaii. Both times she was under his care." He glared at my husband.
"I'll bet that was scary." Carlson sounded concerned.
"Very scary to have my fiancée almost killed a second time." Morelli pronounced.
"She had a hit out on her is that why Mr. Manoso was playing bodyguard and protecting her on the day of your lunch meeting?" Carlson proposed.
"Yes but he didn't need to. I have a gun. I can protect her. No one, not even him, was going to hurt her in my mother's house." Morelli declared.
"So she got back and you wanted to protect her because her life was in danger but she wouldn't go with you. What did you do?" Carlson probed.
"I kept calling her every day, several times a day. When that didn't work I started texting too." Morelli explained. "I was desperate, I just wanted her to listen to me, and it wasn't fair that he got so much alone time with her."
"And she would take all your calls and talk to you?" Carlson questioned.
"No she seemed to be avoiding me, so I had to get creative. I bribed the manager of the bonds office, where she works to call me when she would be there so I could see her without Manoso's interference." Morelli revealed.
"That worked?" Carlson questioned.
"Yeah she called me. The second day Stephanie was back she went out to lunch to Pino's with Connie and Lula, the girls from the office and Connie called me, but I couldn't get there right away so I sent my mother to the restaurant to talk to her until I could get there." Morelli detailed.
Damn I knew those girls betrayed me I just didn't realize it was so deliberate and that they were calling Morelli directly. I just thought it was accidental like they were calling their girlfriends and Morelli was hearing second hand. I'll bet Ranger knew or suspected. I put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed. He covered my hand and squeezed back. I released a sigh and then sat back again and tried to keep my mouth shut and my ears open.
"So she tried to go out with the girls from the office and you ambushed her?" Carlson grilled.
"Objection wording." Cox said.
"Sustained. Counselor I'm allowing this line of questioning but keep it clean." The Judge said.
"So you sent your mother to see her and then joined them for lunch?" Carlson was nicer.
"Well she had ordered lunch with her friends. When I got there my mother was sitting at a private table with Stephanie explaining about Italian passion." Morelli disclosed.
"What about Italian passion?" Carlson queried.
"Italians are passionate people." Morelli stated flatly.
"What does that mean?" Carlson asked for clarification.
"Italian men are very passionate. It's what makes us such great lovers." Morelli avoided the truth.
"Mrs. Manoso is Italian herself. This doesn't sound like something she would need to be told." Carlson pushed.
"But she lost her memory and who knows what she was remembering so she needed to be told to accept all the things that go along with being with a passionate Italian Stallion like myself." Morelli said proudly.
"She needed to be told Italians are passionate people? Or to accept all the things that people do and call it being 'passionate'?" Carlson clarified.
"Both. Manoso is Cuban and they are not passionate people like Italians are and she needed to be reminded of it." Morelli insisted.
"I would like to admit several photographs into evidence." Carlson got three pictures from his desk and passed them to the judge and then handed them to Morelli.
"Who is this in the picture?" Carlson probed.
"Stephanie" Morelli answered.
"What is on Mrs. Manoso's arm?" Carlson tested.
"I can't tell." Morelli squinted.
"Look at the other photographs they are a close-up." Carlson poised.
"Looks like three round bruises in a row. And a forth larger bruise." Morelli answered.
"These were photographed after you met her at lunch where you grabbed her arm and wouldn't let go." Carlson pushed.
"No that's not right I would never grab her that hard." Morelli defended.
"Mr. Morelli we have already seen video and photographic evidence that you do grab her that hard and are not aware of it." Carlson demanded.
"Objection. Rumors, we have no testimony of him grabbing her in Pino's." Mrs. Cox justified.
"Several witnesses can testify that Mr. Morelli grabbed Mrs. Manoso and wouldn't let go even when asked." Carlson insisted.
"Sustained. When these witnesses testify you can reintroduce this line of questioning." The judge declared.
"Mr. Morelli she got these bruises after her lunch with you and her mother. Any speculation on how she got them?" Carlson questioned again.
"Probably some skip. She is always being grabbed and hit in her job." Morelli insisted. "If they were put there by me I don't remember. It had to be the pills."
"She had just gotten back from Hawaii and was not working yet, so it couldn't have been a skip." Carlson explained.
"I don't know. As best as I can remember I didn't touch her. Maybe it was Manoso." Morelli claimed.
"When was the next time you tried to see Mrs. Manoso?" Carlson solicited.
"I can't remember." Morelli dodged.
"She went to New York to visit a friend and you showed up on his doorstep." Carlson reminded.
"Oh yeah, Luca the cop from Brooklyn. She had no reason to be with him yet she was at his house and spent the night." Morelli expounded. "I was trying to protect her virtue. As I said her mind was damaged and weak. It still is. She doesn't comprehend what she is doing or the ramifications. She needs guidance."
"Guidance you'd like to provide?" Carlson asked.
"I am the best man for the job. I actually care about her, unlike others that just want in her bed." Morelli smirked.
"Can you explain in more detail what happened in New York?" Carlson encouraged.
"Yeah, I followed her to New York after she spent the night at this guy's house, but she wouldn't see me." Morelli described.
"Did she call you to come see her? How did you find her there and know she spent the night?" Carlson inquired.
"I had started tracking her cell phone. She wasn't returning my calls so what else could I do?" Morelli defended. "I was worried about her, I feared for her life."
"So you were tracking her cell phone and it showed where she was?" Carlson quizzed.
"Yes and I went to see what she was doing at a residence registered to Luca Romano." Morelli revealed.
"Lieutenant Romano?" Carlson asked.
"Yeah." Morelli rolled his eyes.
"And what was she doing there?" Carlson asked.
"I don't know. She refused to come out and see me." Morelli sounded defeated.
"Did you put your hand on your gun and threaten Lieutenant Romano? Did you try to use your status as a police officer to demand she see you?" Carlson tested.
"Of course not, I would never do anything like that." Morelli declared.
"I would like to introduce into evidence, a New York police report." Mr. Carlson said and handed the document to the judge and then to Morelli.
"Can you identify what this is?" Carlson questioned.
"It is a police report." Morelli said sarcastically.
"Can you read the highlighted text?" Carlson bid.
"This report was written and filed by Lieutenant Luca Romano of the 43rd precinct. I called for backup because I had Detective Joseph Morelli of TPD on my front porch and he was uncooperative when I asked him to leave and vacate my property. Mr. Morelli was waiting on my front porch when Mrs. Manoso, my daughter and I returned home from a day trip. I quickly ushered both females into the house where Stephanie stayed refusing to come out. Mr. Morelli was demanding to see Mrs. Stephanie Manoso. He was highly agitated. His eyes were dilated and there was the scent of alcohol on his breath. He stated that he needed to talk to her for a police investigation and threatened to get a warrant. Then he insisted that she was his fiancée and that she belonged to him and he needed to talk to her. He was becoming more agitated and aggressive with his hand on his service weapon. That's when I called for backup and went back into my house for personal safety. Detective Morelli could be heard ranting and raving on the porch. Finally he left on his own accord. Fifty minutes later Mr. Manoso showed up to take Mrs. Manoso home and a shot was fired into the driver's side window while Mr. Manoso was in the driver's seat and the window was shattered. Mr. Manoso was unharmed because the glass was bulletproof and only splintered but didn't break." Morelli read.
"I would like to introduce into evidence, photographs of the vehicle that was shot." Mr. Carlson handed the pictures to the judge and then Morelli.
"Were you still hanging around Lieutenant Romano's home an hour later and did you happen to see who shot at Mr. Manoso's SUV?" Carlson asked innocently.
"No." Morelli said defensively.
"No you weren't there or no you didn't see anyone?" Carlson pushed.
"No I had left before then." Morelli insisted.
"Was there a reason you drove over an hour to New York to see Stephanie Manoso, without an invitation to do so?" Carlson interviewed.
"I wanted to see her without Manoso interfering and I had been following her cell phone and I saw Manoso in Trenton so I knew he wasn't with her. I just wanted to talk to her." Morelli justified. "Besides, as I said I was worried about her virtue. She has a hero complex. When a man sticks up for her or saves her she feels like she owes him something. I was trying to protect her."
"Don't you think if she wanted to talk to you she would have called you back or answered one of the fifteen times you had called her that week? Or returned one of the dozen texts you had sent?" Carlson detailed.
"I knew that while they were in Hawaii Manoso would turn her against me and tell her bad things about me and I had to get to her to set her straight." Morelli defended. "Can't you understand my pain and humiliation?"
"Okay, so when did you see or talk to her next?" Carlson asked.
"She called me the next day. She said she was sorry for not seeing me. She wasn't in Trenton. I had been tracking her cell phone and it was still in New York. But now it was near the Manhattan Bridge and it wasn't moving. After another day of it not moving I knew she had ditched it." Morelli explained.
"So she called you. What all did you discuss?" Carlson acted interested.
"It was a short phone call. She told me she was having memory flashes but still couldn't remember everything. I asked her to meet me. I had bought a ring and was ready to propose. She agreed to meet at my mother's house for dinner the next day." Morelli enlightened.
"Your mother's house?" Carlson acted confused.
"Yes that way my mother could take pictures and we could celebrate the engagement as a family." Morelli expounded.
"And at this time you still didn't know that Stephanie Manoso was actually married?" Carlson clarified.
"No she still had not told me." Morelli said.
"So she was coming over for dinner the next day. What happened after that?" Carlson asked.
"She called me the next morning to change it to lunch. Then she showed up at the bonds office and Connie and I had an agreement that she would text me if Stephanie showed up. I got a text and I was free so I drove over there and sure enough she was there with Manoso and I reminded her of lunch and went to my mother's house to wait." Morelli claimed.
"Mr. Morelli there are different accounts of what happened at your mother's house. I would like to introduce into evidence this police report." He walked over and handed the judge a couple of pieces of paper that he took several minutes to read then handed them back. Carlson handed the papers to Morelli.
"Mr. Morelli this is the police report filed and signed by Mr. Manoso. His testimony differs slightly from yours will you read the highlighted text." Carlson asked nicely knowing this would be the nail in the coffin.
"Objection your honor, Mr. Carlson will have his opportunity to defend Mr. Manoso when it is the defense's turn. This is not his turn." Mrs. Cox said saucily knowing she was stopping his defense.
"Your honor this testimony is not in defense of Mr. Manoso, it shows possible alternative events and requires a response from Mr. Morelli." Carlson insisted.
"I'm going to deny the objection but the questions need to be relevant." The judge said.
Morelli began to read. "Morelli was kneeling asking Stephanie to marry him. Stephanie stood and dragged him to his feet asking if she could speak privately to him. Angie came back in the room and was moving around snapping pictures of the couple. Morelli wanted her to remove her rings and she told him she couldn't because she was already married to me and had discovered the marriage was not fake. Morelli denied that she was married and Stephanie spent several minutes convincing him the marriage was real. Grandma Bella said she wasn't going to sit through this and put the eye on us all and left the room. Stating "You should all get exactly what you deserve."
Morelli paused obviously shaken at the memory and took a deep breath then continued. "Morelli moved back to his knee and begged Stephanie to marry him. She again stated she could not because she was already married. She told him she remembered what happened before Hawaii. She remembered him hitting her. Joe became despondent and depressed kneeling on both knees now. She sunk down to both knees in front of him as she tried to comfort and encourage him. Suddenly, he had pulled his gun out pressed it to her forehead. Questioning how could she do this to him and demanding she leave me and get a divorce and agree to marry him. This went on for several long moments as I evaluated the situation and analyzed different ways to end the situation safely for everyone involved. Stephanie was pleading with Joe to lower the gun. Reminding him if he shot her he would lose his job. There was other discussion where Angie Morelli interjected and the arguing continued." Morelli paused again and looked like he was close to crying. He handed the paper to Carlson and said he couldn't read any more.
Carlson scanned the page and began reading where Morelli had left off. "Angie came over and put her hand on Morelli's arm and tried to talk some sense into him, telling him when Stephanie got her memories back she would divorce me and marry him. I was almost right behind him when Stephanie denied this saying he had hit her, he had hurt her and she wasn't going back to him. He said "If I can't have her, no one will." I was convinced at this time that he was preparing to shoot my wife. I lunged at him focusing on his right hand where he held the gun. As soon as I had control over his right arm I wrapped my left arm around his throat and dragged him back away from Stephanie. He tried to stand but I kept him down and he swung his right arm around to aim the weapon at Stephanie again and I grabbed his arm with the intention of pinning it behind his back when the gun fired and Angie was hit. It looked like he got her directly in the heart and she stumbled back collapsing into her chair, but I focused on him. After the gun fired, he dropped the gun. I pinned his arm behind his back and he struggled trying to get away and I pulled out his cuffs and cuffed him. Stephanie had picked up his gun and put it on the table to keep it visible and out of his reach. He crawled over to his mother on his knees apologizing to her and crying and telling her it was an accident and not to die. I called 911 even though I already heard sirens so they would know what to expect upon entering the house and to have a bus ready for Angie. Stephanie was using the table napkins to control the bleeding. I wanted to help but I was afraid if I took my eyes off him he may pull a second gun or find his key and get free of the cuffs. He was still out of his mind and saying crazy things to Stephanie like he would forgive her for shooting his mother if she would marry him. Minutes later I opened the door to the first police officers who took over. They secured Morelli and the scene and took everyone outside. Mrs. Morelli was surprisingly still alive, probably in thanks to Stephanie controlling the bleeding. The police interrogated all of us and then arrested us for Mrs. Morelli's attempted murder." By the time Carlson was done reading Joe had his cop face back on.
"What do you think Mr. Morelli about what really happened in that house?" Carlson questioned.
"I think that Mr. Manoso is used to falsifying statements and any other documents he chooses to. He is not very well known for his honesty." Morelli insisted.
"I would like to recall the pictures the people filed." Carlson was calm and collected. He knew this part of the testimony before the forensic specialist's testified was tricky.
He took the pictures and handed them to Morelli.
"Now according to Mr. Manoso, he hit your right arm to get the gun you were holding away from Stephanie's head. Is that what happened?" Carlson asked.
"No" Morelli said flatly.
"Then how was that mark made? You said yourself it took a lot of force, surely a move that would bruise like this one would be memorable." Carlson insisted.
"I said I don't know." Morelli said angrily.
"Then let's look at the photographs of your neck. The marks on your neck are going upward showing that whoever grabbed you did so from behind and above you and used a great deal of force. Like the amount of force it would take to move a hundred and eighty pound man such as yourself, that was perhaps kneeling on the ground backwards and away from Stephanie your intended target." Carlson interviewed.
"Bullshit! You can read all of the statements you want and introduce all of the pictures you have and it won't change anything. I was protecting Stephanie." Morelli exclaimed.
"Mrs. Manoso?" Carlson questioned.
"Stephanie." Morelli argued.
"Your honor?" Carlson looked at the judge.
The judge turned to Morelli. "You will refer to Stephanie Manoso by her entire name or by Mrs. Manoso."
Morelli nodded but didn't speak. Carlson had already explained to both of us that Morelli had to lie about the fight scene. Not for his reputation. But if it was proven he pulled his gun and threatened an unarmed person with it, his job could be on the line and if it was proven he shot his mother trying to shoot me he would go to prison for a long time.
"The marks on your neck seem to help corroborate Mr. Manoso's accounting of the events." Carlson suggested.
"Objection. When did Mr. Carlson become a forensics expert?" Cox jumped to her feet.
"Sustained. You can introduce any experts you want but you cannot play the expert." The judge admonished Carlson.
"Yes your honor." Carlson nodded to the judge.
Carlson took his time walking back to the table as Morelli moved around in the chair uncomfortably. When Carlson reached the table he moved a couple of papers around and then finally turned to look at Morelli and leaned against the table. He brought his hand to his chin and stroked it as he looked off to the side.
"Can you explain it to me again? What exactly happened inside that house before the gun went off from your perspective? I can't get the picture together in my mind."
Morelli sighed and shook his head. "I was down on my knee proposing to Stephanie…Manoso."
"Even though she was already married?" Carlson's eyebrows drew together.
"I had assumed it would be annulled and was just a matter of paperwork." Morelli hands moved with each word.
"But it hasn't been annulled." Carson interrupted.
"Do you want me to tell you or not?" Morelli snipped.
Carlson held up both hands palms out. "By all means please do."
"She nodded her head…" Morelli began.
"Who's she?" Carlson looked confused.
"Stephanie." Morelli nearly growled.
"Who?" Carlson raised an eyebrow.
"Stephanie Manoso." Morelli gritted.
"Oh? She nodded at your proposal?" He asked.
"Yes she did and then Manoso lost it. He lunged at her and I pulled my gun. I held it on him and ordered him to back away from Stephanie…Manoso." He rolled his eyes. "Then he attacked me."
"Then what?" Carlson pushed.
"He had knocked my gun hand away and the way he was pulling me back I was having trouble bringing my arm up and seeing where I was aiming." Morelli insisted.
"What were you trying to aim at?" Carlson provoked.
"Nobody I was just trying to keep my gun away from Manoso." Morelli stated.
"So your hand was swinging wildly and you shot your mother." Carlson solicited.
"No. Once I brought my hand up with the gun in it he grabbed my arm and began swinging it wildly around the room and that's when the gun went off and hit my mother." Morelli described.
"Let me get the picture clear in my head. You were both standing. His left arm was around your neck with his right arm dragging you back. What was he dragging you away from?" Carlson questioned.
"Stephanie. He wanted to get me away from her." Morelli answered without thought.
"Because you were threatening her?" Carlson clarified.
"No because I wanted to marry her and obviously she wanted to marry me as well" Morelli maintained.
"That's right, according to you, you asked her to marry you and she said yes. Did she take off her wedding rings? Did you put your ring on her finger?" Carlson mocked.
"No" Morelli answered.
"No? She was so excited to marry you she didn't take off her wedding rings so she could accept your proposal?" Carlson raised the question.
"No" Morelli said again without clarification.
"No in fact when you were arrested, the engagement ring was in its box in your pocket. How did that happen since supposedly you had it out in your hand proposing to Mrs. Manoso when Mr. Manoso attacked you? At what time did you get the chance to calmly put the ring back in your pocket instead of it being knocked to the floor?" Carlson pushed.
"When he stood up suddenly I knew there was going to be a problem so I put the ring in my pocket." Morelli claimed.
"You didn't give it to your wife to be, the woman who had just accepted your sweet and generous proposal?" Carlson probed.
"No, she didn't want to take her rings off yet." Morelli said.
"She didn't want to take her rings off?" Carlson was astonished.
"She was trying to explain things to me when he attacked me." Morelli kept to his story.
"So Mrs. Manoso didn't want to take her rings off, she was trying to explain something to you and Mr. Manoso suddenly jumped up and attacked you?" Carlson asked.
"She agreed to marry me." Morelli shrugged. "That must have put him over the edge. I told you the medication messes with my memory."
"So then you have a weak mind also?" Carson speculated.
"Objection." Cox jumped to her feet.
"What?" Carlson asked. "Detective Morelli stated that Mrs. Manoso had a weak mind because she was unable to remember everything."
"Overruled." The judge announced.
"Was your mind weak?" Carlson asked Morelli.
"No, just the medication makes it difficult to remember every little detail." He explained.
"Okay, after Mr. Manoso moved towards you what happened?" Carlson asked him.
"Lunged, he lunged at me and I was able to evade him so he turned on Stephanie…" He began.
Carlson interrupted by clearing his throat.
"Stephanie Manoso." Morelli rolled his eyes. "Anyway, when he turned on her I pulled my gun. I was focused on her so Manoso was able to hit my radial nerve which would have caused anyone to drop whatever was in their hands, but I was able to maintain control of my weapon. At least I was until he grabbed that arm. When I brought my arm back up he grabbed for the gun and we wrestled and that's when the gun went off." Morelli detailed.
"Is that when he grabbed your neck?" Carlson asked.
"Yes, he wrapped his forearm around my neck." Morelli explained.
"You sound confused." Carlson offered.
"It's the meds." Morelli offered.
"So, you're not sure?" He questioned.
"Look it's plain and simple. Manoso was pissed that Cupcake chose me so he attacked me. We struggled and the gun went off. Manoso is directly responsible for shooting my mother. I would have had control of the gun and it wouldn't have gone off if he didn't attack me. I had no choice." Morelli explained.
"So the gun was out before he lunged?" Carlson asked.
"Uhm no. I pulled it out after." Morelli bit into his lower lip.
"So why did he lunge at you?" Carlson pushed.
"Jealous! He's always been jealous of me. I had the girl, she may have gone through periods of confusion but she always came back to me in the end, always." Morelli expounded.
"Except not this time?" Carlson asked.
"We'll see." Morelli glared at him.
"Let's give your mind some rest for today on the specifics of what happened during that lunch. Tomorrow we are going to have the forensic specialist from the Trenton PD here and after he testifies. We can revisit everyone's placement, what happened and how it happened." Carlson defended.
"My story is the truth and it's not going to change." Morelli insisted.
"Mr. Morelli were you on duty while going to your mother's house to propose to Mrs. Manoso?" Carlson asked.
"I was on duty that day." Morelli said smugly.
"Were you on the clock or off the clock while at your mother's house?" Carlson specified.
"I clocked out when I left the police station." Morelli answered.
"So you were off-duty and not investigating any crime while you were at your mother's house for lunch." Carlson clarified.
"I guess." Morelli agreed glumly.
Woo hoo! Those answers took one whole charge and ten years off the table.
"I would like to submit these pictures into evidence." Carlson started as he handed a thick stack to the judge.
"Are all of these pictures necessary counselor?" The judge questioned.
"Yes your honor. They are all dated at the top and they show a pattern of behavior we would like the jury to be aware of." Carlson explained.
"Objection." Cox stood and moved towards the judge. "Permission to approach?"
The judge nodded and both lawyers moved to stand before him. I couldn't hear the conversation but both lawyers argued their points. I finally took notice of the judge and really studied him. He was a very ordinary looking man with a forgettable face. He had salt and pepper hair with brown eyes and his face was a contradiction. He had frown lines but also wrinkles near his eyes from smiling. At least I was happy he seemed to be a fair man, at least up until this point. Then I watched as Carlson's shoulders dropped and Cox straightened up. When she turned she had a huge smile spread across her face. When Carlson turned his face was blank, no hint of what he was feeling at all.
"Detective Morelli you may step down." The judge announced as he glanced at Joe.
I gasped. That was it? He didn't explode. He didn't freak out. He didn't sound sure about some details but now he had the meds to blame. Morelli smirked at me as he stood from the seat and made his way back over towards his mother. My head was suddenly swimming and I felt completely out of control as I watched her greet her son with a hug and cheek kiss. He was going to get off; Morelli was going to walk away from all of this scot free. Carlson came back to the table and the bailiff called for everyone to rise.
"We will have a two hour lunch break. Court will resume at 2:30pm." The judge announced before hitting his gavel down twice.
***************************THANK YOU**********************
Than you Jenn for your words and your magic touch that inspired me to kick it back in gear.
Thanks for the reviews and the PM's and just overall making me feel loved and special!