"You can't!" Chief Collig cried out. "That would be worse than pleading insanity."
"He's right," Felix concurred, his forehead heavily creased with worry lines. This was not going over well. "Joe, we have Dr. Neaves' evaluation of your mental state. I think you can get off with a few months in a state hospital. There's no need for you to go to prison."
"Joe, do you have any idea what is going to happen to you if you go to prison? You, Frank and your dad have sent a lot of people there. You might not get out alive," Chief Collig told him, his voice laced with concern, the doctor's words about Joe's psychosis weighing heavily on his mind.
"I want to go back to my cell now," Joe said, refusing to acknowledge what was being said. He already knew what a guilty plea would mean, but it didn't matter anymore. His family who had known him all his life believed him guilty. Would proving him crazy help him now? No. It would only make his life worse and he had had enough. Ever since Iola's death only bad things seemed to happen to him. He supposed he deserved it, if he hadn't been flirting with that girl at the mall Iola never would have snatched his keys and gone to the convertible alone. He would have gone to get the papers. He would have been the one to die. And that was what it all boiled down too. He had cheated death by giving it someone else and now it was time to set things right.
"Joe, please," Felix started, but Joe turned away from him and strode to the door, standing there with his cuffs on, waiting to be escorted back to his cell.
Collig threw the lawyer a look of despair and nodded to the officer at the door. After Joe had left, Collig turned to Felix. "You aren't going to enter a guilty plea at the arraignment, are you?" he demanded.
"I have to do as the client wishes," the lawyer said. "But my real client is Fenton Hardy. Joe is a minor. I'm going to go and talk with the Hardys about this. Maybe they can talk some sense into him."
Felix drove straight to the Hardy residence from the police station. "What's wrong?" Fenton demanded when he opened the door and saw the lawyer's distraught face.
"You had better sit down, first," Felix told him.
His face white and drawn, Fenton led the way into the living room where Laura was sitting, staring absently at the television. "Frank!" Fenton shouted up the stairs as he passed by. "Get down here."
Frank came crashing down the steps, stopping when he saw his father and Felix standing by the sofa in the living room. "What is it? Has something happened to Joe?"
"Joe has asked me to change his plea," Felix began.
"That's wonderful!" Laura said, springing to her feet. Fenton and Frank held back, realizing something was terribly wrong.
"He wants to change his plea to guilty," Felix informed them.
Laura's mouth fell open and her eyes closed as she sank back onto the sofa. "Wh...why?" she asked, tears falling down her cheeks. "Doesn't he know what will happen to him if he goes to prison?"
"He knows," Felix told her. "Chief Collig made sure he knew, but Joe refused to listen."
"We have to make him listen to us," Frank said.
"He won't listen to you today," Felix cautioned them. "He ignored Chief Collig and me after he told us."
"Dr. Neaves," Frank said. "Doesn't he know what Dr. Neaves said? If Joe pleads guilty, his opinion won't matter."
"He wouldn't listen," Felix told them. "Maybe he will be more ready to listen to you tomorrow but..."
"But?" Frank pushed.
"But I think there is more to Joe's change of mind than this so called self-destructive psychosis that Dr. Neaves mentioned."
***
The next day Joe was taken once again to the interrogation room. Chief Collig had forgone routine and allowed this special meeting. He wasn't sure if Joe was guilty or not but he was convinced that Joe had not decided to change his plea because of any guilt he felt. The opposite was more apt, as a matter of fact. Joe seemed to have shut himself off. He no longer talked to anyone, even Con had not been able to get Joe to talk to him yesterday afternoon.
Joe entered the interrogation room, the cuffs chaffing his wrists, and stopped when he saw his family there. They looked angry. He did an about face. "Take me back to my cell," Joe ordered the officer who had accompanied him.
"Joe, they're your family," Officer Richmond said softly.
"Now," Joe said.
"You're the prisoner here," the cop reminded him.
"Shall I act like a prisoner then?" Joe inquired in a calm tone, quirking an eyebrow at him.
The guard looked Joe in the eyes then leaned around him to look at the Hardys. "I'm sorry," he apologized, taking Joe's arm and escorting him back to his cell.
"Dad, what are we going to do?" Frank asked in a hoarse voice.
"What we planned," Fenton told him. "I told Felix to go ahead and enter the insanity plea."
"Fenton, do you think maybe that doctor was right? Maybe Joe decided to plead guilty because he thinks he deserves to be punished?" Laura asked in a soft voice.
Fenton shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "But I do know Joe would never plead guilty to a crime he hadn't committed unless there was something seriously wrong."
Two days later, Fenton, Laura, and Frank were waiting in the courtroom for Joe's arraignment to come up. The had tried to see Joe twice more but with the same results. They hated forcing Joe to take the insanity plea but he seemed to not know what was best for himself.
Soon, Joe was in the courtroom with Felix by his side. He kept his eyes straight ahead, ignoring the whispered, "It's going to be okay, Baby Brother," that came his way. How could it be okay when his own family thought he could try to kill someone?
The words came a few minutes later. "And how does your client plea?" the judge inquired.
"Innocent by reason of temporary insanity," Felix said.
"I object!" Joe shouted, standing up.
"Mr. Hardy, you cannot object. Only your lawyer can do that," the judge told him sternly.
"I'm sorry, Your Honor," Joe apologized. "But I am to be tried as an adult. I believe I should be allowed to enter the plea I choose."
"Agreed," the judge stated. "And what is your plea?"
"Don't do it. Don't do it," Frank whispered harshly, his brown eyes wide with fright.
"Guilty," Joe replied.
"You do understand that by entering a guilty plea you are giving up your right to a trial by your peers?" Joe was reminded.
"Yes, Sir," Joe replied, his eyes never faltering from the judge's face.
"In that case, you are hereby sentenced to twenty-five years at the state penitentiary; your sentence to begin immediately." The gavel dropped and Joe was led from the courtroom.
"He's right," Felix concurred, his forehead heavily creased with worry lines. This was not going over well. "Joe, we have Dr. Neaves' evaluation of your mental state. I think you can get off with a few months in a state hospital. There's no need for you to go to prison."
"Joe, do you have any idea what is going to happen to you if you go to prison? You, Frank and your dad have sent a lot of people there. You might not get out alive," Chief Collig told him, his voice laced with concern, the doctor's words about Joe's psychosis weighing heavily on his mind.
"I want to go back to my cell now," Joe said, refusing to acknowledge what was being said. He already knew what a guilty plea would mean, but it didn't matter anymore. His family who had known him all his life believed him guilty. Would proving him crazy help him now? No. It would only make his life worse and he had had enough. Ever since Iola's death only bad things seemed to happen to him. He supposed he deserved it, if he hadn't been flirting with that girl at the mall Iola never would have snatched his keys and gone to the convertible alone. He would have gone to get the papers. He would have been the one to die. And that was what it all boiled down too. He had cheated death by giving it someone else and now it was time to set things right.
"Joe, please," Felix started, but Joe turned away from him and strode to the door, standing there with his cuffs on, waiting to be escorted back to his cell.
Collig threw the lawyer a look of despair and nodded to the officer at the door. After Joe had left, Collig turned to Felix. "You aren't going to enter a guilty plea at the arraignment, are you?" he demanded.
"I have to do as the client wishes," the lawyer said. "But my real client is Fenton Hardy. Joe is a minor. I'm going to go and talk with the Hardys about this. Maybe they can talk some sense into him."
Felix drove straight to the Hardy residence from the police station. "What's wrong?" Fenton demanded when he opened the door and saw the lawyer's distraught face.
"You had better sit down, first," Felix told him.
His face white and drawn, Fenton led the way into the living room where Laura was sitting, staring absently at the television. "Frank!" Fenton shouted up the stairs as he passed by. "Get down here."
Frank came crashing down the steps, stopping when he saw his father and Felix standing by the sofa in the living room. "What is it? Has something happened to Joe?"
"Joe has asked me to change his plea," Felix began.
"That's wonderful!" Laura said, springing to her feet. Fenton and Frank held back, realizing something was terribly wrong.
"He wants to change his plea to guilty," Felix informed them.
Laura's mouth fell open and her eyes closed as she sank back onto the sofa. "Wh...why?" she asked, tears falling down her cheeks. "Doesn't he know what will happen to him if he goes to prison?"
"He knows," Felix told her. "Chief Collig made sure he knew, but Joe refused to listen."
"We have to make him listen to us," Frank said.
"He won't listen to you today," Felix cautioned them. "He ignored Chief Collig and me after he told us."
"Dr. Neaves," Frank said. "Doesn't he know what Dr. Neaves said? If Joe pleads guilty, his opinion won't matter."
"He wouldn't listen," Felix told them. "Maybe he will be more ready to listen to you tomorrow but..."
"But?" Frank pushed.
"But I think there is more to Joe's change of mind than this so called self-destructive psychosis that Dr. Neaves mentioned."
***
The next day Joe was taken once again to the interrogation room. Chief Collig had forgone routine and allowed this special meeting. He wasn't sure if Joe was guilty or not but he was convinced that Joe had not decided to change his plea because of any guilt he felt. The opposite was more apt, as a matter of fact. Joe seemed to have shut himself off. He no longer talked to anyone, even Con had not been able to get Joe to talk to him yesterday afternoon.
Joe entered the interrogation room, the cuffs chaffing his wrists, and stopped when he saw his family there. They looked angry. He did an about face. "Take me back to my cell," Joe ordered the officer who had accompanied him.
"Joe, they're your family," Officer Richmond said softly.
"Now," Joe said.
"You're the prisoner here," the cop reminded him.
"Shall I act like a prisoner then?" Joe inquired in a calm tone, quirking an eyebrow at him.
The guard looked Joe in the eyes then leaned around him to look at the Hardys. "I'm sorry," he apologized, taking Joe's arm and escorting him back to his cell.
"Dad, what are we going to do?" Frank asked in a hoarse voice.
"What we planned," Fenton told him. "I told Felix to go ahead and enter the insanity plea."
"Fenton, do you think maybe that doctor was right? Maybe Joe decided to plead guilty because he thinks he deserves to be punished?" Laura asked in a soft voice.
Fenton shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "But I do know Joe would never plead guilty to a crime he hadn't committed unless there was something seriously wrong."
Two days later, Fenton, Laura, and Frank were waiting in the courtroom for Joe's arraignment to come up. The had tried to see Joe twice more but with the same results. They hated forcing Joe to take the insanity plea but he seemed to not know what was best for himself.
Soon, Joe was in the courtroom with Felix by his side. He kept his eyes straight ahead, ignoring the whispered, "It's going to be okay, Baby Brother," that came his way. How could it be okay when his own family thought he could try to kill someone?
The words came a few minutes later. "And how does your client plea?" the judge inquired.
"Innocent by reason of temporary insanity," Felix said.
"I object!" Joe shouted, standing up.
"Mr. Hardy, you cannot object. Only your lawyer can do that," the judge told him sternly.
"I'm sorry, Your Honor," Joe apologized. "But I am to be tried as an adult. I believe I should be allowed to enter the plea I choose."
"Agreed," the judge stated. "And what is your plea?"
"Don't do it. Don't do it," Frank whispered harshly, his brown eyes wide with fright.
"Guilty," Joe replied.
"You do understand that by entering a guilty plea you are giving up your right to a trial by your peers?" Joe was reminded.
"Yes, Sir," Joe replied, his eyes never faltering from the judge's face.
"In that case, you are hereby sentenced to twenty-five years at the state penitentiary; your sentence to begin immediately." The gavel dropped and Joe was led from the courtroom.