Notes: Ok, dear readers, this is the next to last chapter. I have 1 more planned to wrap up a few things and then sadly this Disclosure series will be at an end. Never fear, if you've been enjoying this series and haven't yet read my Shadows series, chronologically it follows Disclosure so I hope it will serve as a little time filler while I work on a post-shadows piece, which will continue to explore Maura and Jane's relationship that I've created in this Revelations-Disclosure-Shadows universe. Thanks as always for reading and reviewing.
CH 25: Lux et Veritas*
Jane and Maura made their way to the ADA's office early the next day. Jeff Schilling smiled as they entered; he was reviewing his notes and questions for the witnesses he planned to call that day: Captain Franklin and Burt Donaldson the head of BPD's Internal Affairs being the last two main testimonies for the prosecution.
"Ladies," Jeff motioned for them to take a seat, "Yesterday went very well. Maura you did a great job on the stand and I don't think anything the defense tried in terms of calling into question your attire or past dating history was at all effective. I feel very confident as I have been from the start that we have a lock on a guilty verdict, the sentencing phase will probably be more up in the air."
Maura squeezed Jane's hand, "Do you think everything will be wrapped up today?"
Shuffling through his papers, Jeff looked at the testimony list for the day, "I think so, I only have two more to call and the defense is scheduled to call three to the stand including Kearns and Sgt. Wilcox. We'll see if they stick to putting Kearns on. I almost hope they do, I actually think that will benefit us in the sentencing phase. Kearns is smug and delusional, there's no way his testimony will incur sympathy from the jury or the judge."
By the time Jeff Schilling was done with Captain Franklin and Burt Donaldson from he had expertly presented the court with a character sketch of Lloyd T. Kearns that Kearns' own mother would have cringed to hear. Captain Franklin had detailed her many issues with the Dive Unit and Donaldson had been called to detail the four sexual harassment complaints that had previously been filed against Kearns though all four had ultimately been dropped or dismissed by the department.
The court recessed for lunch after which the defense would present their case.
"If he testifies, what could he possibly say? I mean, we all saw what happened," Jane asked as she and Maura ate the deli sandwiches Jeff had ordered in so they didn't have to try and navigate the media during the lunch recess.
"I expect he'll say the only thing he can say. He'll try to play it up as rough consensual. He'll say Maura's lying about screaming and saying no and the defense will try to play the attempted rape charge off as a result of the consensual act being walked in on." Jeff looked at Maura, "It won't work. I'm confident in the case and I feel good about the jury we selected. But, you should prepare yourself for his testimony as I'm sure it's likely to be upsetting."
Maura nodded as Jane put her arm around her shoulders and rubbed her back, "He's going to go to jail Maur, when all this is over you'll never have to see that scumbag again. I promise."
The defense tried exactly what Jeff Schilling thought they would. Wilcox offered a picture of Lloyd Kearns as a model officer; Kearns' old C.O. from the Navy was called to do the same, try and counter the prosecution's damaging vision of a homophobic, chauvinistic cocky asshole that has no qualms with taking what he wants when he wants from women.
Finally, Kearns took the stand.
The defense attorney was young, in fact the youngest on staff for the police officers' union. No one wanted the case. Kearns had a bad history with the IA charges and his previous encounters with Maura and an even more unsympathetic attitude. Maura Isles was highly respected in the field and at BPD and Jane Rizzoli was riding the Medal of Valor tide. It was a lost cause most of the attorneys had said, but someone had to do it, and the someone that drew the short stick was Chris Caulfield. He had tried to get Kearns to plead out; as a perfect demonstration of his own narcissism, Kearns had refused, convinced he would get out of this just as he had the four harassment complaints before.
"She's a tease, I thought she was flirting with me," he began. Kearns detailed how Maura had walked by him in the robber and smiled and winked on her way to the bathroom. He said she had asked him to lock the door, that she wanted it rough and that she'd never screamed or said no. Kearns tried to play Maura's injuries off, saying he didn't realize he was getting too rough.
"But, she was into it, she never said to stop…so I didn't. I was getting a little rough with her under her clothes but I don't remember doing anything to cause the dislocated shoulder. Certainly don't recall hitting her in the face. Like I said though, she said she liked it that way. If she'd have stop, I would have." he said.
Maura cringed, closing her eyes, fighting back rage-tinged tears. Jane pulled her in close, winding her fingers in Maura's hair as she kissed her softly on the temple, "It's ok baby," she whispered, "everyone knows he's lying. Hang in there, it's going to be over soon."
By the time the closing arguments were made it was late in the day. The judge instructed the jury to return in the morning for their deliberations. Jeff advised Jane and Maura to be near the courthouse at the start of business the next day; he didn't expect the deliberations to take long.
Maura downed the last sip of her wine and passed the glass to Jane to set aside.
"How can someone lie like that?" She asked, less as a question and more as a musing as she stared straight ahead until Jane kissed her shoulder. Maura smiled and let her cheek rest on Jane's head.
"No one believed him, they couldn't," Jane reassured her.
"Jane…you know I'd never cheat on you, right?"
Jane lifted her head and furrowed her eyebrows, "Why would you…" She stopped and cupped Maura's face and turned her head to look in her girlfriend's eyes. "That is not something you ever have to assure me of, and I hope it's not something I'd ever have to assure you of either."
Maura smiled, embarrassed by her bout of insecurity, "Why are you so wonderful?"
"Heh, just my natural awesomeness I guess," Jane said with a wink, "I love you, Maura. I've never been happier than with you, I don't need or want anyone else."
Maura reached up to stroke Jane's wrists where her hands were still lovingly supporting her face, "I love you too, more than anything. Jane…do you think we'll ever just get to be a normal couple, without all this noise in our lives?"
"Maybe this is normal for us," Jane joked as she leaned forward letting her tongue trail lightly across Maura's wine-stained lips before covering them in a delicate kiss. "But, yes," she whispered between kisses, "I think we'll be other people normal some day, maybe not until we're like 70…and retired." Jane laughed as Maura's lips parted allowing her tongue entry. The kiss deepened for a few moments until Maura slowly forced their lips to separate.
"You think about us being together when we're 70?" She whispered back as she softly traded Eskimo kisses and light breaths with Jane before stealing a kiss and lightly nipping her on the lower lip.
"Mmmhmmm, I had a dream about it once."
Maura giggled, "Oh? What are we like when we're 70?" She let her lips graze across Jane's cheek before she began kissing under Jane's strong jaw line.
A small moan escaped Jane's throat as Maura moved to her neck, "Well, you're still gorgeous of course, a closet full of designer mu-mus…"
Maura laughed looking up at Jane, "Mu-mus Jane? Really?"
"Hey, it was in the dream!"
"Ok, keep going, I'm a gorgeous mu-mu wearing 70 year old and you are?"
Jane pushed Maura down on the sofa and stretched out along side her as she ran her finger over Maura's collarbone, her voice unusually low and provocative, "Well, I'm still a total badass of course…"
Maura nodded with arched eyebrows, "Yes, of course," she smirked.
"And I was wearing some kind of jogging suit with a gun belt…"
The image brought on an intense laughing fit between the two of them, Maura caught her breath, "I thought you were retired?"
Jane placed some searing kisses on Maura's neck before nibbling at her earlobe, "Apparently 70 year old Jane likes to mall-walk with her piece."
"Well, 70 year old Jane definitely still sounds like a badass…I am a little concerned with 70 year old Maura's fashion sense though." Maura smiled, letting her finger reach up to tuck an errant section of hair behind Jane's ear as she stared lovingly into the deep brown eyes that looked back at her.
"Don't worry," Jane said, shifting herself on top of Maura as she claimed her lips in another sultry battle of tongues and teeth, "I won't really let you wear a mu-mu when we're 70…that shit'll seriously damage my street cred with the other mall walkers."
Jane, Maura, The Rizzolis and the Isles were all in the coffee shop across the street from the courthouse the next morning when Maura's phone rang.
Maura took a deep breath, "The jury's back with a verdict."
"That fast!" Angela exclaimed, "Janie is that good?"
Jane stood, reaching for Maura's hand to help her out of the booth, "I'm not a lawyer Ma, but that bastard's guilty, there's no way the jury didn't see that."
Judith Isles wrapped her arm around Maura's waist as they headed back to the courthouse, "It's going to be ok," she said to her daughter as she gave her a squeeze, "I just know it."
Frankie managed to get to the courthouse just before the jury was brought back in, "Sorry," he whispered to Jane as he slid onto the bench next to her, "Didn't expect it would come that fast." He looked down to see Jane's leg tapping nervously. "Don't worry sis," he said, placing his hand on her knee, "he's guilty."
The judge looked over at the jury, "Mister foreman, has the jury reached a verdict?"
A middle-aged and dapperly dressed African-American man stood, "We have your honor," he announced as he handed the verdict to the officer of the court.
The judge looked over the form, and then adjusted his glasses, "In the case of the State of Massachusetts vs. Lloyd T. Kearns on the charge of assault with attempt to rape, how does the jury find?"
"We find the defendant guilty."
Maura sighed with relief as she wrapped her arms around Jane, burying her face in her neck.
The judge turned the pages of the form, "With regards to the prosecution's charge that a guilty verdict be considered under the Massachusetts hate crimes statute, what does the jury recommend?"
The foreman looked into the audience where Jane was still holding Maura, "The jury recommends the assault be considered a hate crime."
Jane nodded to the foreman, tears streaking down her face. Thank you, she thought, thank you.
"Lloyd Thomas Kearns," the judge said addressing the defendant, "you have been found guilty of assault with attempt to rape by a jury of your peers, sentencing will be scheduled two weeks from today."
Chris Caulfield rose, "Defense requests bail…"
Jeff Schilling shot to his feet, "Your honor, the District Attorney's Office objects, this was a violent crime of a particularly egregious…"
"Save your breath, counselor, request for bail is denied. Mr. Kearns is remanded to custody until sentencing is carried out."
"How have you been?" Cherise Franklin asked as Maura slid into the booth across the table from her as Jane followed behind with their salads.
"Good…I'm glad it's all over finally. I feel like we can really work to put it behind us now. I didn't think the trial would bring it all back so vividly…"
"Have you…and if this is none of my business feel free to tell me so, have you seen anyone, professionally?"
Maura nodded as she took a bite of her salad.
"We've seen the therapist the department sent me to after the shooting a couple of times, once right before the trial and a couple of times since," Jane added.
"Gloria Stevens? I've heard really good things about her," Cherise smiled, "10 years is a good sentence," she added.
"So everyone says," Maura replied with a hint of disappointment in her voice, "He'll be released some day though…"
"Hey," Jane said, putting her arm around Maura, "He's going to be locked up for a long time Maur, he's never going to get near you ever again, do you hear me? Ever again. I won't let that happen."
"Sgt. Wilcox has been suspended pending an IA investigation into the running of the Dive Unit," Cherise offered, changing the subject.
"Seriously?" Jane remarked with disbelief.
"Yep, long overdue if you ask me. I suspect at the very least Wilcox will be censured. I'm hopeful that the Commissioner will take a stronger stand though depending on the outcome of the investigation. I'd like nothing more than to see that asshole driving a desk for the rest of his career." Cherise smiled.
Maura stood in the window of her bedroom, looking out at the barely moonlit yard. The deep chill from the late February air radiated off the glass and caused a wave of goosebumps to roll up her arms.
"What are you looking at?" Jane asked walking up behind her as she wrapped one of her long arms around Maura's midsection.
"The snow…it's really coming down heavy now. I think we should have stayed at your apartment tonight, we'd have been closer to work in the morning."
"But…I don't have a fireplace." Jane laced her fingers through Maura's and led her to the living room where she had stoked a toasty fire in front of which she had set up a cozy palate of blankets and pillows, a bottle of wine and some fruit and cheese. The lights were dimmed and a smokey jazz track played softly in the background.
"What's all this for?" Maura asked as she admired the inviting scene.
"Just because," Jane responded nonchalantly as she pulled Maura down onto the blankets in front of the crackling fire.
Maura paused and stared into the flames, closing her eyes as the relaxing warmth lapped over her body, "Jane Rizzoli, did anyone ever tell you you're a romantic at heart."
Jane leaned over Maura's shoulder and pulled the front of her silk camisole down just far enough to kiss the point of her collarbone. Maura reached for the bottom hem of her camisole and pulled it up and over her head. As she lay back resting her head on one of the pillows on the floor she reached for Jane's shirt and tugged it off pulling the lanky brunette down on top of her.
Maura threaded her fingers through Jane's hair as she met her in a deep kiss, "Make love to me," she said as she writhed beneath Jane's searing lips, which were working slowly down her neck to her chest.
Jane took hold of Maura's pajama pants at her hips and eased them off slowly as she watched Maura's chest rise and fall heavily with anticipation.
"Take yours off too," Maura instructed eyeing Jane's taught form hungrily.
Jane stalked back on top of Maura and lost herself in the heat of her girlfriend's lips as she felt Maura's fingers stroking reverently over the scars on the front of her abdomen, then trailing over her side to draw circles around the scars on her back. As Maura's legs wrapped around Jane to pull their centers into contact Jane paused to swim in the hazel eyes that glistened back at her in the soft dim glow of the crackling fire. Smiling, she began to grind out a slow steady rhythm against Maura's core. The hazel eyes that looked up at her fluttered shut as Maura arched her back while her hands roamed over Jane's flushed skin.
"Faster," Maura pleaded as she dug her nails into Jane's back, pulling her down further so she could suck on the salty skin of Jane's sweat dampened neck.
"Jesus…" Jane moaned as she felt the first initial shivers of her impending orgasm.
"Jane…yes…" Maura panted as the shockwaves of pleasure that started in Jane's body rolled through her as well. As Jane continued to rock against Maura another orgasm shook them. Jane eased down next to her and placed her cheek over Maura's heart; she smiled as she listened to its excited drumming for a moment before letting her hand take her cheek's place. Propped up on her elbow she leaned over to place a soft kiss on Maura's lips.
"Amor vincit omnia," Maura whispered into Jane's lips, "Love conquers all."
*Lux et Veritas, Light and Truth