Chapter Eighteen Final Arguments 18/21
The attorneys and Elizabeth made it to the courthouse early. Nate was going back through Jarrod's notes with his eagle eye. He could find nothing to add to the chagrin of his competitive nature. The young attorneys checked all the documents for any inconsistencies. There were none. Jarrod had meticulously prepared. Jarrod and Elizabeth went into the private meeting room for the last word.
"Thank you, Jarrod and " was all she could say before he took her in his arms and began kissing her passionately. She returned his ardor and even grazed his backside with her hands as she was so much shorter than him... He shuddered. He returned the favor, fair play and all. Jarrod held his body against her firmly as he took complete control of her, and she was reduced to mewling sounds.
He pulled away finally, "I needed that before I went in there. A reminder of what I am fighting for and what I want once this trial is over and I am not fighting for a mistress."
Elizabeth smiled at him with love and went to fix her hair in the hall tree mirror. He schooled himself to get his body calmed and ready for the trial.
They entered the courtroom and sat at the table. Nick and Heath had managed seats directly behind them. They eyed the reporters sitting there until they moved.
The bailiff came over with a letter for Jarrod. He opened it as the railroad attorneys were beginning their closing statement. Jarrod's eyes lit up and he grinned widely at the rest of the team. He folded the letter and put it in his pocket next to the deed.
He barely listened at that point, "fraud, missing deed, payroll, moral turpitude, good of California, immoral woman, illegitimate child, even kicked out of the church, incompetent and so forth…"
And Jarrod Barkley took the floor...
"Gentlemen of the jury, I want to thank you for your service. Leaving your homes, jobs, ranches, and farms to spend several of your days in this courthouse hearing unspeakable innuendos and slanders against Elizabeth Beaufort. What was her actual crime? Standing up to the railroad just as your neighbors and friends have had to for years. You know their names: Jones, Davidson, Sample… my own Father, Tom Barkley."
The jurors nodded.
"Sacramento, the courts, the Governor… no one has helped you except- the common man or in this case an uncommon woman. Elizabeth Beaufort saw a chance to help this valley and she took it. When she did that, she brought the whole wrath of the Coastal&Western upon her and she didn't flinch. She has been maliciously maligned like no other client I have seen in my entire career. I say a client for my legal discourse but she is much more. For a woman with no ties to this Valley, she sacrificed her life for us. As for our family, we thank her and she deserves our ultimate respect. We made no profit on her land. She provided water to the valley; grazing land for our cattle and trading routes for the small town freight companies that are NOT controlled by the railroad. She did it for you-as he made eye contact with every man on that jury- Lies were told about her; her shipping company was shut down- and her beautiful daughter's parentage was questioned. And still, she persevered"
"I have two pieces of paper in my hand that should clear up all these charges. Judge Johnson, I would like to enter these two pieces of evidence into consideration. The bailiff delivered the first one to me after the session started and the second document comes from the valise of Elizabeth Beaufort I recognize as legally inadmissible but important to my closing."
The judge and railroad attorney looked over the documents and accepted them.
"The first piece of evidence is the deed for the land written on the auction letterhead. It is not notarized of course since the original came up missing before it left the auction house…"
"That doesn't make it legal."
"You are correct sir… but if you check the dates, handwriting, and legal description of the land, it matches perfectly and where would Mrs. Beaufort get the letterhead and signatures of your clerks?"
"But if you don't want to consider that the deed was original, maybe you will consider one of the owners of the auction house signed testimony?"
An audible gasp went across the courtroom; Nick looked at Heath and shook his head confused.
Jarrod held up the paper, "Mr. Scott Breckinridge, a partner in the auction house and land management writes. I apologize to Mrs. Beaufort for the trouble caused by my employees. They have admitted to taking your gold and I have remanded them to the custody of the local authorities. Please accept this fully certified copy of the land deed to the Barkleys with my felicitations.
The newspapermen furiously wrote in their tablets for the evening edition.
The Judge gave his instructions to the jury and within thirty minutes, they came back with a unanimous verdict favoring Elizabeth and the Barkleys.
"Whoop Whoop" yelled Nick and Heath and they started slapping the attorneys on their backs. Nick and Springer were paying for drinks 'on the house' and the crowd spilled out onto the streets. Nick was the loudest reveler of all.
A shot rang out and the crowd silenced and looked around the street.
An insanely, angry Hannibal Jordan had shot at the bronze statue of Thomas Barkley. "A thousand men may have come to your funeral but I am still running the railroad and you are still dead."
Nick rushed toward him. "You fool, you are going to hurt someone."
Hannibal shot at the statue again and it pinged off the metal hitting a building this time.
"Put it down, Jordan," Nick called to the man.
"Hell no, Barkley. You and the bastard aren't going to beat me."
He shot the statue again, it ricocheted off and the bullet pierced the heart of Hannibal Jordan. He fell to the ground, dead before he reached it.
Nick stood over him and the crowd gathered around his body. Jarrod put one arm around his brother and Heath took the other side pulling him away.
"It's over. Finally over."
And they met Elizabeth by the horses. Jarrod took her hand and helped her onto the buggy.