3

Walking Tall

Chris looked to his lawyer and said two words, that shocked the man more than anyone could belive.

"You're fired."

Chris stood up; he could feel the eyes of many on him as he did so.

"Your Honor," Chris said in a strong voice. "I would like to plea my own case."

Suddenly, astonished whispers erupted from the crowd who sat behind him.

"Order," Commanded the judge, a firm man, who pounded on the pulpit once.

"Mr. Vaughn," Spoke the judge. "You know that if you have no one to represent you, you cannot claim a mistrial on that basis."

Chris winced at this, but nodded. He knew there was no going back now.

"Carry on." Said the judge.

Chris stepped from behind the table he sat at with his former lawyer. He took a deep breath and took several steps to the where the jury sat.

"I don't deny anything that was said here today," Chris told them.

Best tobe honest from the start, He thought.

"Does that mean your changing you plea to guilty?" Asked the judge.

Chris pointed to the judge and turned to the jury.

"I'm not guilty of anything," He said in a strong voice. "Except for standing up for myself when the law wouldn't."

Chris emphasized that last word by pointing to the county Sheriff who sat in the front row behind the opposing lawyer..

"Objection," cried the opposing lawyer. "He's trying to introduce prior events, your honor."

"Sustained," Answered the judge. He turned to Chris.

"Mr. Vaughn, stay on point."

The room was quiet. Chris turned to the jury. And took a deep breath.

"I grew up in this town," He said quietly, at first, then his voice grew with the power from his words. " People used to walk tall in this town. They wouldn't traded the mill for a crooked casino!"

"Mr. Vaughn," Groaned the judge. "We are not here to listen to civic speech-"

But Chris paid this no mind.

"And they wouldn't of sat around while drugs where being sold to kids!"

"Objection!" Cried the opposing lawyer.

"Sustained," nodded the judge. "Mr. Vaughn you close to being held in content."

Chris looked to the jury. Somehow he had the feeling that he was barely getting through to them.

"Look," He said. "I was justified in what I did. And if you unequipped me of these charges then I'm gonna run for sheriff-"

Suddenly, whispers from the crowd in the seats behind the place where the defense desk and the opposing desk erupted once again, and spread like wildfire.

"And, if elected, I'm gonna fix this town!"

"Order!" Yelled the judge to the audience. "Order!"

The judge then turned his wrath onto Chris.

"Mr. Vaughn, you are now being charged with content!" he growled.

But Chris ignored him, unbuttoning his pale blue, dress shirt.

"And I will make sure that this …"

Chris exposed his chest to the jury. They gasped at what they saw. The sheer cruelty of it would make any man gape in horror.

"Won't happen again, without punishing those who did it!"

"Members of the jury!" the judge yelled. "I command you to ignore what you just saw!"

But they couldn't. Who could ignore somethingas sickeningas that.

The audience wondered, what had made the jury gasp in horror? They didn't have to wait long to get their answer. When Chris turn to sit back down, his words now spoken, they saw that his chest was covered in a massive tangle of angry red scars. Each scar was jagged like it had been cut by a crude knife, and looked as if it had just been healed when it, in fact, had been healed for a week or so. They too, gasped at the gruesome sight.

And Chris just sat in his chair, his family looking on.

Knowing that whatever the jury decided, may affect his fate, but knowing that it was beyond his control.

---

After a long court recess Chris found himself sitting in the defendant's chair. He was taking deep breaths, both scared and confident in himself. As he had decided in his cell during the recess, he had no control over what the jury decided, he had at least made it known what Jay and his boys really did at their damned casino.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?" asked the judge, a lot calmer than the last session of court.

"We have, your honor," spoke the jury chairman.

The judge nodded, and turned to Chris.

"Would the, defendant, Chris Vaughn, please rise."

Chris sighed as he stood before the court thinking, whatever they decide, you at least, had your voice be heard.

Chris and his family waited on bated breath as the Chairman said, "We the jury find the defendant, Chris Vaughn…" There was a slight pause as the chairman glanced to Chris with a look of…

Could it be possible? But there was no denying, his eyes shone with tremendous respect.

"Not guilty!"

Chris and his family sighed in relief. But it was barely heard over the explosion of applause and cheering of the town behind him.

In not time at all, family and friends surrounded Chris, slapping him on the back, showering him with congratulations.

In the midst of the celebration Chris spotted Jay. For a second Chris's deep brown eyes locked with Jay's icy blue. And he knew that he had his work cut out for him. Bringing Jay down would be hard, but, thanks to his training in the special forces, he knew he could do it.

He went to the evidence table, ad grabbed his piece of cedar plywood. He ripped off the evidence tag on it, looking up to the judge and saying

"This is mine."

The judge, gave a slight smile, and just shook his head.

---

Chris walked tall out of the courthouse, the crowd crying out the words

"Sheriff Chris Vaughn! Sheriff Chris Vaughn!"

He didn't know what challenges would happen in the days to come, but he knew that, thanks to the fact the people where on his side, he knew he would overcome them.

And, little did heknow,his 'walking tall'would, one day, make history.