"What new evidence? What witness?" Liam questioned as he threw a smile at Callie, as if he were saying You have nothing.
His lawyer too smiled sheepishly at Mr. Davis before he turned to the judge, "Your honor. Last time I checked, I was informed that there was no rape-kit or a—"
Mr. Davis straightened his tie, "We're not talking about DNA evidence," he interrupted, "There has been entirely new evidence brought to my attention, videotape evidence to be exact, which will prove to the court as well as everyone in here, that Liam, in fact, is a dangerous threat to Miss. Jacob and to others. There are also eye-witnesses that have signed affidavits that are claiming to have heard the encounter between—"
"What encounter? What witnesses" Liam asked angrily. He was suddenly worried that someone had recorded him, when he approached Callie at school.
"The encounter between Mr. Harass's client and another victim."
"Mr. Davis, you do know that all evidence had to be submitted before, Thursday. Correct?" the judge asked him.
"I am aware of that, your honor. But this evidence was just discovered last night, and under the dire circumstances, I'm hoping that you would take it under consideration."
"What other victim? Sarah?" Liam asked as he turned around to look at his parents, who also had worried looks on their faces.
The judge glared at him, "Mr. Harass, control your client! That is, unless he wants to be put in contempt."
"We are sorry, your Honor," his attorney apologized.
The judge looked back over at Mr. Davis, "I would like to see both of you in my chambers now," he ordered as he stood up and all three of them followed him into another room.
Christina's POV
Pick up, mom! Pick up! is the only thing I'm thinking as I'm sitting outside the courtroom, using the payphone to call my mother. I needed to tell her that they were probably going to move me again. I would usually call her every time this happened. I knew that I wasn't really calling for her. It was more for me, I guess. I could at least pretend that she cared, right?
"Hello?" a voice comes on the other line.
"Mommy. Hi, it's me Christina."
"Yes. I know. Where have you been? Why haven't you been calling me lately?" she asks in an accusing tone.
"I'm at the…" I pause when I realize I shouldn't really mention being at a courthouse. I didn't want her to think I was in some sort of trouble. Not like she would care, but she would definitely make me feel worse about myself. That I knew for sure. "I think I'm getting moved again... I just wanted to call and let you know."
"What'd you do this time, Christina?" she asks followed by a deep sigh.
"No… nothing."
"Yeah. Sure. You're always doing something. You see? That's why no one ever wants to stay with you. All you do is cause problems. But at least someone else besides me has to put up with you for once—"
"Okay, mom," I quickly interrupt; not wanting to hear her continue to tell me what a disaster of a daughter I was, and all of the problems I had caused her. I hated that she always blamed me as if she was the victim. Like everything she had done to me didn't even matter. "I just thought you'd want to know. Sorry…"
"All right. Fine, Christina. Just call me when you get there."
"Yeah, bye," I answer abruptly before I slam the phone back into the receiver. Our conversations were always pointless. I shouldn't have even called her. It was like I was waiting for everything to turn back to the way things were. The way things were when she used to actually care.
But she said I was the one that messed it all up. And as hard as I try to pretend that I don't care about her or anything else in this world, my body always disagrees with me.
"Christina, you're up next," Stef says from a few feet down the hallway. I glance away from her and wipe the two or three tears that managed to escape my eyes. Now wasn't the time to get emotional. "Hey, are you okay?" she asks worriedly when I turn around.
I guess that wiping my tears away doesn't really take the redness from my eyes. "I'm fine," I snap. "I already told you that in the car."
"Well you don't look fine," she answers sternly. "Who were you just talking to?" she asks the second that she stares at the payphone.
"What? No one. Look, can we just get this over with?" I ask in an annoyed voice. It was none of her business and she was beginning to piss me off with her pestering questions. What the hell did she care? Today would probably be the last time I ever saw any of these people, so they didn't need to know my business.
She looks at me for a long time as if she was studying my expression, but I remained as cold and unaffected as I could possibly be. If she thought that I could be easily read, then she had another thing coming. "Okay," she nods. "That's fine."
As soon as both Stef and I enter the courtroom, we could all see the fear in Liam's face take over. His complexion immediately went pale and drops of sweat began to fall down his face.
"Your Honor, I was being compelled to do that video," Liam argued as he pointed to the camcorder in Mr. Davis' hand.
"I could tell," the Judge answered sarcastically.
"Your Honor, can I have a few minutes to confirm with my client?" Liam's lawyer asked.
"I don't see why you would need it. Your client has already chosen to deny the plea-agreement and has vehemently lied to my face inside of my own courtroom. In addition, he just admitted that he is in fact, the man in this video… No break," he said sternly.
The judge turned to face Mr. Davis, "Where is this witness?"
"She's right here," he said as he ushered me toward the witness stand.
"State your name, please?" the judge asked me before I got a chance to sit down down.
"Christina Infante."
"Alright Christina. Lift your right hand please."
I did as I was asked.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"
"Uhuh," I answer, but everyone in the courtroom gave me a disapproving look, the judge included. After a while I realized what I did wrong, "…I mean, yes…
They still stared at me before I continued, "…your honor."
"Mr. Davis, you may proceed," the judge waved him forward.
Davis stood up and made his way over to the witness stand, "Miss Infante, may I ask when the video in question was taken?"
"Last night."
"And do you see the man in the video inside of this courtroom today?"
"Yes."
"Can you point him out for me please?" I pointed in Liam's direction. This seems easy so far, I think to myself. "Let the record show that Miss Infante has indeed pointed to Liam Olmstead…Miss Infante, how do you know Mr. Olmstead?"
"I met him at a party."
"Is this the same party that you went to with Callie?"
"Yes," I answer.
"So this is the same party, in which Liam Olmstead threatened Callie the first time."
"Make that a question, Mr. Davis," the judge warns.
"I apologize, your honor. Miss. Infante, is the party in which you met Liam Olmstead, the same party in which Callie was first threatened by him?"
"Yes."
"Alright, Christina. Now that we know where you have met Liam Olmstead, can you tell us how this video came about?"
"Um…" I stared around the courtroom finally feeling my nerves kicking in. What if I say the wrong thing? I hadn't even thought about that. "Well, uh…when I found out what Liam had done to Callie, I felt sick about it… I felt sick because I had been communicating with him via text after the party. I didn't know about it until a couple of weeks after I met him. So, I thought that if I could get him to… to show that side of him on camera, it could help Callie get the justice that she deserved."
"So. Are you telling me that you believed Callie?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Why did I believe her?" I ask in confusion.
"Yes."
"Because she didn't have a reason to lie about it. Why would she lie after she already moved out of his residence? That just doesn't make any sense to me."
"So, she wouldn't do this for attention. Would she?"
"Callie's not that type of girl. She was just trying to help Sarah, the Olmstead's new foster-daughter, get out of a bad situation. She knew what was going to happen and she tried to prevent it."
"So, Callie Jacob was only trying to help someone else. Is that correct, Miss. Infante?"
"Yes."
"And so were you, when you decided to go through with this plan to get footage of Mr. Olmstead?"
"Yes."
"Was any of this footage altered in anyway?"
"No."
"Was Mr. Olmstead compelled to behave a certain way throughout the video?"
"Not at all."
"Did you ask him to attack you?
"No."
"Did you ask him to pull you by your hair?"
"No."
"How about asking him to choke you?"
"No."
"So, Mr. Olmstead did all of those things, without being compelled, without being asked to do any of them, and on his own volition."
"Make that a question, Mr. Davis."
"I'm sorry, your honor… I think I'm done with this witness," Mr. Davis finished, as he walked back over to the table where Callie was sitting.
The judge turned his attention to Liam and his lawyer, "Does the defense have any questions for this witness?"
"Yes, we do, " Mr. Harass answered as he walked over to the witness stand, "Miss. Infante, you've stated that you met my client at the same party that he "allegedly" threatened Callie, is that correct?"
"Yes."
"Did you witness the encounter between Miss. Jacob and Mr. Olmstead?"
"…No," I answer with an annoyed voice. What the hell was his deal?
"So, you don't know that it actually took place?"
"I'm not certain, but—"
"You're not certain?" Mr. Harass asks. "When do you think this encounter took place? My client is claiming that he was with you the entire time."
"That's not true. He left to get me another drink. And he was gone for at least 10 minutes or more."
"Was this an alcoholic drink?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" I ask.
The judge spoke next, "Yes, Mr. Harass. What does that have to do with anything?"
"Goes to the credibility of the witness. If she was intoxicated during the night in question, I think that's pertinent information."
The judge nods his head, "Alright Miss. Infante. Please answer the question, and I will remind you that you are under oath."
"Um…it was a beer. But I wasn't drunk."
"You were drinking, but you weren't drunk," Mr. Harass states sarcastically.
"Was that a question?" I retort with an attitude.
"No, Miss. Infante. I apologize… So are you telling the court that you didn't witness the altercation, but you knew what happened? So, you're psychic?"
"No, but—'
Mr. Harass doesn't allow me to finish, "May I ask you how you met Callie Jacob?"
"She's my foster-sister."
"Your foster-sister. So you two are close?"
"Not that close, to imply that I would do this for some stupid plot of revenge."
"I didn't say that, Miss. Infante."
"But you're insinuating it," I snap. "You're saying that we forced Liam to participate in this video. But that's not what happened."
"No… What about your foster-parents?" Mr. Harass asks as he looked over to Stef and Lena, who were both looking at him in confusion.
"What about them?" I ask in a flat tone.
"Did they convince you to do this? I mean, one of your foster mother's is a police officer correct? She could've used her authoritative position as both your foster-parent and her position as a police officer to compel you to do this. Is that what happened, Christina?"
"No! That's not what happened, you idiot!" I yell as I glare at Liam's lawyer. "She yelled at me after I told her about it, so stop pulling stuff at our your ass!"
"Miss. Infante, I'm going to need you to calm down," the judge cautions sternly.
"But he's pissing me off," I complain to him.
"I'm not going to ask you again," the judge orders.
I take in a deep breath and turn my attention back to Mr. Harass, "Are you finished with your dumbass questions?"
Mr. Harass smirks, "Miss. Infante, who else was there with you the night the video was taken?"
"My other foster sister, Mariana. My friends, Tasha and Shanelle. And my friend Jasper."
"So all people of whom you're friends with, correct?"
"Yes."
"Was Jasper the guy that pointed the gun at my client?"
Stef, Lena, and Callie all straightened in their seats.
"What?"
"The guy that held a gun to my client's head. Who was it?"
"Jasper didn't do anything. And there was no gun. I don't know what you're talking about."
"Maybe not once the tape was rolling, because it was cut-off immediately for a reason, wasn't it? Someone pointed a gun to the back of my client's head. Was it Jasper?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"May I remind you that you are under oath, Miss. Infante."
"Uhuh."
"Did someone point a gun to the back of my client's head, to compel him to participate in this video!?" he yells.
"Objection. Badgering the witness," Mr. Davis complains. Finally, the bastard said something.
"No," I answer. "Your client did everything on his own free will. There was no gun. And Jasper did not threaten his life with this "supposed weapon" that you're talking about."
"YOU LYING BITCH!" Liam yells as he stood up from his seat and pointed his finger at me.
"Mr. Harass, control your client before I put him in contempt… Is Mariana in the courtroom?"
Stef and Lena watched worriedly as Mariana raised her hand and stood up, "Mariana. Was there a gun involved?" the judge asked.
Mariana answered sternly, "No, your honor. There wasn't."
To be continued…