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Courtroom scenes are not our forte and while we tried our best to research how the system worked in the era, we figure that being in the wild west we had some room to play to make it less complicated to follow. Nevertheless, we hope you will still enjoy what we have to offer.


The next witness Holloway called to the stand was Griff. After being sworn in, the nervous young man sat in the witness seat beside the judge's bench.

As Holloway proceeded to question the boy, Griff's anxiety levels increased when he was asked about his relationship with the defendant. "And you're saying this is the first time you came into contact with Mr. Warren since you were released on parole?"

"Yes, Sir," Griff shakily replied.

"I see. Can you tell me what you saw when Sam Turner was shot dead?" Holloway pressed.

"I didn't see anything. I was…. Well, I don't remember…" He swallowed nervously. "I don't know where I was."

Holloway could see Griff's discomfort, but he continued to question the boy. "You must've heard the shot and the shouting?"

"No," Griff maintained. "I don't recall hearing anything, Sir."

"Alright," Holloway shrugged, having to accept what Griff said as the truth. "I have no further questions."

Griff's relief was short lived when Reisner stood up and addressed him. "So you heard no shots, no threatening voices?" he asked, clearly doubting the teenager. "You do, however claim that Mr. Warren is guilty of kidnapping for ransom and for causing the injury to Mr. Adam Cartwright's leg. But once again, you didn't see the shooter. As for the kidnapping business, my theory is that you were the mastermind behind the whole deal. Mr. Warren had probably felt a certain level of protectiveness over you after serving time together and he initially agreed to help you kidnap Adam."

Griff was taken by surprise that such accusations are pitted against him. "No, that's not true. I never said-"

Reisner cut the youth off. "I'm not finished yet, Mr. King."

"Objection," Holloway called out from behind his desk. "Your Honor. Mr. Reisner's theory is irrelevant to the murder of Sam Turner. He is also influencing the witness."

"Sustained," upheld Judge Matthews. "Mr. Reisner, please ask your questions and refrain from influencing the witness."

Meanwhile, Candy whispered in Harry's ear, "What is Reisner doing?"

"He's getting desperate and is trying to use Griff as an excuse for Issac's actions," Harry recognized. "It's a completely legal trick."

"Is it possible that Reisner is trying to manipulate the attention to Griff?" Adam interjected.

Harry nodded. "He wants to place our young friend on the stand. If I were Issac I'd be concerned that his lawyer is not concentrating on his case but he doesn't seem too worried," the lawyer noted. "Strange."

"Seems a little fishy to me…" Candy judged.

"And detrimental to our case tomorrow," added Harry. "The last thing that boy needs is a biased jury."

Reisner continued to pace back and forth in front of Griff. "Mr. King, isn't it true that during the time of Adam Cartwright's abduction, you disclosed some confidential pieces of information revolving the Ponderosa's finances to Mr. Warren?"

"I… Well, yes..." Griff loosened his necktie. "But I lied!" This time, he looked over at Ben, Adam, Candy and Joe. "They were all lies."

"So you habitually lie," Reisner summed up. "Is that what you're telling us?"

"No!" Griff desperately wanted to get his point across and tell the court and more importantly, the Cartwrights, the whole story. "Please, just let me explain! I told Issac all that to buy some time for me and Adam. When I lied, I mean, I didn't really li-"

"Thank you, Mr. King. You have answered that question," Reisner silenced.

"How much longer is this gonna go on?" Adam whispered to Ben as Reisner continued to skillfully skew Griff's testimony. "The kid can't take much more."

"I don't like it any more than you do, but Griff can handle this," Ben affirmed. "He has to."

"You're right, you're right," Adam sighed. "But this is barely related to Issac's case anyway."

"Objection!" Holloway called again. Ben wondered if he must have been reading Adam's thoughts. "Your honor, Mr. King has repeatedly expressed his lack of recollection during this event. Badgering him about events that neither prove nor disprove Issac's alleged kidnapping and murder is a waste of everyone's time."

Candy kept his eye on Griff, hoping for some eye contact to keep the boy attached to the present. Griff gave him a small, unconvincing smile and Candy returned the gesture as Holloway and the judge shared a brief exchange. "Isn't there any way Griff can say his side of the story without that lawyer filtering it all?" Candy said under his breath, clearly frustrated.

"Not as a witness," Harry reported. "Tomorrow, though, he will. I'll guarantee it."

"I'm establishing the connection between Griff and Issac, Your Honor," Reisner defended. "Which is a major element to my case."

After careful consideration, Matthews looked over at the sweating teenager on the stand. "I'll allow it, but get to the point, Mr. Reisner. Quickly."

"Mr. King," Reisner resumed. "Did Mr. Warren at any time say to you or made any comments in reference to the shooting of Sam Turner?"

"No." Griff wiped the perspiration from his brow with his sleeve. "No, but he threatened…"

"Oh, he threatened Mr. Turner, did he?" Reisner confronted. "And when did this occur?"

"He didn't threaten Sam," Griff corrected when he heard his words getting misinterpreted. "But he did…"

"Which is it, Mr. King? Either Mr. Warren used threats toward the deceased or he didn't!" Reisner aggressively declared, getting into Griff's face.

"Objection, Your Honor!" Holloway interrupted.

"No need," Reisner withdrew, knowing that sometimes a jury would catch his drift and not even need a verbal answer before drawing their own conclusions. "I have no further questions." He walked back to his seat.

Ed Holloway stood and approached the stand. "Mr. King, what happened when riders were heard approaching the shack?"

Griff cleared his throat and cast a quick glance Candy's way. The foreman nodded in a gesture of support. "Issac – Mr. Warren – told Cutter to shut me up. They said they were going to throw me in the hell-box with Adam. I remember panicking, then not much else."

"Mr. King, need I remind you, you're under oath," Holloway warned. "So I suggest you tell the court exactly what happened. Why did only wanted you to be kept quiet and not Mr. Cartwright? And what is this hell-box you speak of?"

Griff dropped his eyes down and lowered his voice. "The hell-box was…was a small…small store room. It was what we called them cramped little rooms for solitary confinement in prison. I don't like being locked away in confined spaces. They…er …were gonna lock me in that room again, so I struggled. Next thing I know, though I barely remember, were his fists slamming into me."

"Then what happened?" Holloway prompted.

"I must've passed out," Griff recalled. "Cause next time I woke up, I was lying on the ground in that room."

"These 'blackouts' you keep claiming you had during the time of Adam Cartwright's kidnapping and Sam Turner's murder, do you have then often?" Holloway wondered.

Try as he might, Griff could not stop himself from flying off the handle at the lawyer. "Only when I'm being restrained, beaten, and held hostage! Listen, Mr. Holloway, I don't know what you're getting at but my blackouts were thanks to Mr. Warren and his friends. I'm not crazy and I'm not lyin'. They knocked me out a few times when they worked me over. There's not much I do remember when I was conscious."

Holloway raised an eyebrow. "I see."

"Objection!" Reisner claimed, jumping on the opportunity. "Mr. King has just established that he is, at best, an unreliable witness. I move his testimony be thrown out and disregarded."

"Overruled, Mr. Reisner," Judge Matthews declared. "This witness has repeatedly stated that his recollection of the events in question were hazy. He wasn't lying about that and I see no cause to think he is now."

"Thank you for your time, Mr. King," Holloway dismissed. "I have no more questions for you."

Candy breathed a sigh of relief as Griff shakily stepped down from the stand. He slowly made his way back to the Cartwrights, who immediately helped steady Griff as he sat down.

"The court will now take a recess for the jury to deliberate," Matthews announced. He banged his gavel to signify the recess. "We will reconvene at the sound of the school-bell."