Chapter Twelve

Trial by Fire

She was getting better.

The platonic night she had spent with Woody showed her she was capable of being touched again without freaking out. Nights were still hard…she continued to have trouble sleeping. Her life was slowly beginning to get back to normal since the rapist had been imprisoned.

Her only real, tangible fear now was the upcoming trial. The rapist had procured one of the best defense lawyers in town, Daniel Norwood. As Rene' prepared Jordan to testify, she also warned the young ME that Daniel Norwood would grill her relentlessly on the stand about why she didn't come forward earlier.

Jordan wasn't looking forward to the trial, even if it meant putting her attacker away for the rest of his natural life.

Woody knew this. As lead detective on the case, he knew he would also have to testify. He wasn't looking forward to it anymore than Jordan was. But he worried more about what the trial would do to Jordan…would it allow her to close the book on this awful chapter of her life, or would it re-open wounds that were, as far as he could tell, just beginning to heal.

He had kept close tabs on her now…since she spent the night in his apartment. She seemed to be more comfortable around him, even if she had no idea about his true feelings towards her. He tried to keep his relationship with her on a friendship level, and he could tell sometimes this confused her. In her mind, he had totally rejected her…even as a friend. So he could tell that often his attention to her puzzled her.

But at least she wasn't backing away when he took her arm to help her around a crime scene, or put his hand on the small of her back to guide her across the street. He longed to slide his arm completely around her waist and pull her to him…and well…take her home with him so that she would feel safe and secure and be able to get another night's rest.

That would be moving too soon, too fast and would do more harm than good right now. So Woody waited out the time until the trial. After that, he would see if she was ready to move on with her life or needed some more time to pull herself together.

It was deceptively cold the day of the trial. While the sun shone brightly in a brilliantly blue Boston sky, the temperatures hovered near the ten degree mark. Woody was in the courtroom, sitting right behind Rene'. Jordan was in the witness room. He didn't see her until she was called.

She looked so tiny when she was sworn in. She was dressed in a black suit…modest skirt, that hung several inches below her knees…white blouse, buttoned up nearly to her neck…black jacket. She still couldn't bring herself to dressing the way she used to…the way that Woody had always admired. Her hair was pulled back in a bun…emphasizing the wideness of her eyes and to Woody, the fragility of face. He silently swore to himself that if Daniel Norwood was hard on Jordan, Woody would be hard on him after the trial.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?" the bailiff asked, as she swore in Jordan.

"I do."

"For the record, state your entire name and occupation," Rene' told her, standing to make her way to the witness box.

"Dr. Jordan Marie Cavanaugh, medical examiner for the state of Massachusetts."

And with that, Rene' began to gently lead Jordan through the events of that night, and the reasons why she was so reluctant to come forward. Despite the fact that Jordan was facing her attacker, she remained composed and gave her testimony in great detail…sometimes needing to pause and swallow hard to keep from breaking down. At the beginning, she would maintain eye contact with Woody, as if to draw strength from him. But as Rene' began to draw out the detail of the attack from her, Jordan dropped her eyes or looked at Rene'. Even though Jordan was more than sure Woody knew all the details of her attack, knowing he was hearing them again from her was not easy.

"Your witness," Rene' finally said to Daniel Norwood. The attorney stood and buttoned his coat.

"Dr. Cavanaugh…you stated that you did not see your attacker's face."

"That's right."

"But you remember his eyes?"

"They were gray."

"I see. So the only thing really linking you to this man," Daniel continued, pointing to his client, "is a few fibers…there was no DNA at all."

"Objection," Rene said, getting to her feet. "Mr. Norwood is treating Dr. Cavanaugh differently from the other witnesses, using her knowledge as a ME against her."

"Sustained," the judge ruled.

Daniel smiled at Jordan. She could feel her stomach turn inside out…it was like she was being attacked all over again.

"Very well…..Ms. Cavanaugh. It is Ms, isn't it?"

"Yes. I'm not married."

"Engaged?"

"N…no."

"Dating?"

"Objection, your Honor….what has this line of questioning got to do with these attacks?" Rene' said, rising to her feet again.

"Your Honor, I'll fit this all together in a moment…if you will indulge me," Daniel pleaded.

The judge was silent for a moment. "I'll over rule the objection at this time, but make your point quickly, counselor."

"Dating?" the attorney asked Jordan again.

"No."

"I see….may I remind you that you're under oath?"

Jordan nodded. "I know…and I'm telling the truth."

"So if you're not dating…can you tell the court why you waited really waited so long to come forward about your attack…and why Detective Hoyt figured in so prominently in that decision…."

"Detective Hoyt had nothing to do with me not coming forward."

"That's not true, Ms. Cavanaugh. Isn't it a fact that you and Detective Hoyt were very close before the attack…and that you two had an argument…and that was the reason you didn't hear whoever attacked you in the parking deck…you were too preoccupied with your thoughts of your relationship with him to be aware of your surroundings – these were your own words in your statement – and that your attacker could have really been anyone…you're just trying to close this chapter in your life so you can maybe salvage your relationship with the detective?"

"No.."

"Objection!" Rene shouted. "Dr. Cavanaugh's relationships with anyone has nothing to do with the fact that she was maliciously hunted down, attacked, and left for dead by the alleged attacker in the parking deck of her apartment."

"Sustained. Be very careful, counselor," the judge warned Daniel.

The attorney smiled at Jordan again. She felt her stomach heave.

"Isn't it true you've been attacked before, Ms. Cavanaugh…and you didn't press charges at that time?'

Jordan's head began to swim. She had told Rene about the attack inside her apartment months ago, when the burglar had made her undress, but not Woody. "I…my….apartment was broken into." She was having a difficult time breathing.

"But that wasn't all."

Jordan remained silent.

"Isn't it true that the man who broke into you apartment also sexually attacked you and you did nothing about it?"

"Objection…what does one attack have to do with the other, your Honor? It was two different men, two different attacks," Rene said.

"It shows state of mind, your Honor," Daniel replied.

"I will allow this line of questioning now, but be aware you are on very thin ice, Mr. Norwood."

"Isn't it true that the man who broke into you apartment also sexually attacked you and you did nothing about it?" Daniel repeated his question to Jordan.

"I reported the robbery…to Detective Hoyt…I knew that if the robber was caught, so was my attacker."

"But he wasn't?'

"Not to my knowledge…"

"Then don't you think, Ms. Cavanaugh, that given your propensity to repress memories of your attacks….and your procrastination in reporting them until cornered, you might just be blaming anyone for them in order to avoid someone being made aware about them that you don't feel comfortable knowing…that you're so anxious to put them in the past, your inclined to blame anyone the Boston PD tells you is the attacker."

"No…this man has been lined forensically to me…it's not my opinion or anything else…"

"Objection!" Rene shouted. "The victim is just that…a victim, despite who she knows or what she does for a living. And Dr. Cavanaugh is behaving like a victim of a violent, malicious, crime…"

"I withdraw my last statements," Daniel said smoothly, knowing the harm was already done and the jury had already heard him. "I'm through with the witness."

"You may step down, Dr. Cavanaugh," the judge said.

Jordan stepped away from the witness box, casting a quick glance at Woody, who was looking down at his hands. She had never told him about her first attack…things had happened so quickly after that…then the next thing she knew she had been refusing his friendship ring and he was shot. Sighing, she turned away and walked out the door behind the judge's bench.

What would he think of her now? How was he going to handle her not telling him about the first attack?

She had never lied to Woody….but this time, she hadn't told him the whole truth, either.