- - -
Chapter 9 - Court and a verdict
Amy was there waiting well before Della turned up, she hadn't slept at all that night, something was bugging her, she was dreading the verdict and the case hadn't even begun, also it wasn't even her case to be worried about, it was Della's, and then she was expecting the review board decision at any moment. She was pacing up and down the corridor when Casey arrived; she was surprised at how nervous Amy was.
"You ok?" Casey asked.
"Just nervous for Della, that and I never like going to court. What about you?" Amy replied.
"Same, I just hope the jury sees things our way."
"You have the DNA evidence, burden of proof all that sort of stuff you lawyers need. Hopefully it'll be a slam dunk." Amy answered with a cough followed by a sneeze.
"Hopefully, I hear you did a good job last night."
"She just needed somebody to talk to, she got a bit nervous, expected I suppose."
- - -
Casey was briefing Della when Olivia arrived, the first thing she noticed was how nervous Amy was, and she also picked up on Amy's developing cough.
"How did she seem?" Olivia asked Amy.
"Better than last night, she's in with Casey now." Amy replied coughing.
"Too long in the cold and wet last night, you should take it easy for a few days."
"Don't worry, I will. I should hear from the review board today, I'm terrified; it kept me up all night, I don't know what I'll do if I loose my job. Being a cop is my life, I don't know anything else." Amy said.
"Have you told Casey this?"
"I told her I was nervous about the case, which I am, but I know Della's going to be fine, last night was just her way of coming to terms with it, in a way it was my liquor cabinet. Only she had someone who knew what to say that found her, I was able to tell her that I knew exactly how she felt; nobody could say that to me could they? No, all I had was a family of people who thought they knew what I was going through, who thought that they knew what was best for me. Who thought that we could eventually brush the whole thing under the carpet and forget about it, this case has shown otherwise." Amy said putting her head onto her knees, as much as she hated to admit it she felt drained, but she knew she had to be strong for Della, Della needed her, and Amy never broke a promise.
- - -
"Ready?" Amy asked as Della was about to go into the courtroom.
"Yes." Della nodded.
"Remember if it gets too much don't worry, just do your best. I'll be here when you come out." Amy said.
"Ok." Della nodded.
"Della Reeves." The court clerk shouted. Amy nodded and Della made her way into the courtroom.
- - -
"Della, can you describe what happened the night you were raped?" Casey asked.
"I was on my way own from the mall that night, the car pulled up at the side of me but I kept on walking because I didn't recognise the car but it went faster and got ahead of me. Then he got out, told me that I shouldn't be out so late on my own and said he'd drop me off as it was on his way. We drove past the house, he said he had to pick up something from the store, he stopped at his house, he made me go into his house, and then," Della paused, "then he raped me."
"When you say he who do you mean?"
"Him, Eddie Cavanaugh." Della said pointing at Eddie.
"Let the record note that the witness pointed at and named the defendant. Della just one more question, did you say no when Mr Cavanaugh forced himself on you?"
Casey asked sensing that Della was beginning to struggle.
"I kept on saying no."
"No further questions." Casey replied sitting down as the defence attorney stood up.
"It was pretty late to be walking home on your own wasn't it? Some may say a little careless." He said.
"Objection." Casey stood up.
"Don't answer Miss Reeves, you said that he forced you into having sex with him, isn't it true that you had a crush on the defendant?"
"Yes." Della sobbed, "But that was all, I never asked him to rape me." This was all she needed to break down.
"Your honour may I request a recess?" Casey asked standing up.
"Granted, we'll re-adjourn after lunch."
- - -
"Della you're doing great." Amy said as the girl emerged from the courtroom with Casey.
"Really?" Della asked wiping her eyes.
"Really." Casey nodded. At that point Amy felt her cell phone start to vibrate, looking at the caller display she saw it was her Captain from vice who was calling.
"Excuse me for a moment; I really have to take this call." Amy said dashing off outside, Casey looked at Olivia questioningly, Olivia responded by shrugging her shoulders. Amy was gone for the entire lunch break, she only returned moments before Della went back into court, she looked a bit flustered and it was obvious that she'd ran back from wherever she'd been.
"Everything ok?" Casey asked worriedly.
"Fine." Amy replied coughing and checking her watch, "Della you just go in and do your best, you'll do fine." Casey was dying to ask her what was up and where she'd been, however there wasn't enough time, they were literally called back into court as she was about to ask.
- - -
"You ok?" Olivia asked Amy when they were on their own.
"Fine, everything's just peachy. Della's doing well don't you think?" Amy asked changing the subject and avoiding eye contact with her companion.
"Yeah, you did a fantastic job last night with her, but she's not the one I'm worried about at the moment, Amy you don't look too good." Olivia put a hand on Amy's forehead and felt that she was burning up, but she knew that it wasn't just a temperature and cough that was making her the way she was.
"Just a cold coming on that's all. Look I'm going to get some fresh air and some aspirin; can you call me when they come out? I shouldn't be too far away." Amy replied standing up.
"Sure, you want some company?"
"No I'm fine." Amy lied walking off and leaving Olivia sat on the bench, once Amy had disappeared out of sight Olivia decided to call Elliot.
"Stabler?"
"It's Liv, something's wrong with Amy, I think she's heard from the review board and I don't think it was good, can you do some digging and try and find out how it went. I know I shouldn't ask but I think forewarned is best in this case so we can figure out how to deal with her."
"Sure, I'll call you when I find something, I was going to try and find out anyway."
- - -
"Where's Amy gone?" Della asked as she and Casey emerged from the courtroom two hours later.
"Just popped out for some air, she wasn't feeling too well. I was just about to call her back." Olivia replied, Amy hadn't been back since she left, and Elliot hadn't called her back either.
"I hope she's ok, I bet it's from last night, we were stood in the rain for ages, and she gave me her coat because I was cold." Della told Casey as Olivia called Amy, a few minutes later she returned and she looked no better than she had done previously. After briefing Della on what was to happen the next day she left with her parents, this gave Casey and Olivia the perfect opportunity to question Amy.
"How'd it go?" Amy asked hopefully.
"Brilliant, Della was fantastic, how are you?" Casey asked her sister slightly concerned by the lack of colour in her cheeks.
"Just got a bug on the way, should learn to not play out in the rain with no coat on, especially at my age now." Amy replied with a sneeze.
"I don't want you here tomorrow." Casey stated matter-of –factly.
"What?" Amy asked shocked.
"You're sick, anyone can see that, and you sitting round here all day won't make you any better. Don't you agree Olivia?" Casey asked the other detective who was trying to stay out of the row that was emerging.
"I think Amy should go home and get some rest; maybe she'll be better in the morning."
"I promised Della I'd be here and I will, but I will take your advice and get some rest." Amy replied leaving.
"Any ideas?" Casey asked Olivia hopefully.
"Leave her to tell you what's the matter, I wouldn't push it."
"What makes you say that?"
"Let's just call it my gut instinct."
- - -
The trail proceeded in pretty much the same way it started, Amy would show up and spend the day sat with Della not really saying much and looking ill, then she'd go without saying so much as a goodbye, Casey was worried and Elliot hadn't turned up anything from the review board, he'd tried every way he could think of, he wasn't even sure the decision had been reached. They'd each tried calling round at her apartment in the hope of being able to speak to her but she was never in, Jack too said he was worried, she wasn't eating and he'd heard her screaming in the night, when he'd spoken to her about it she'd just told him to mind his own business and she left slamming the door in his face each time. But then came the final day of the trial, Amy joined Della, Olivia and Elliot in court to hear Casey's closing argument.
- - -
"They say it was her own fault because she had a crush on him, teenage girls have crushes on guys all the time, I did, all the girls in my class had crushes. Della Reeves did not ask to be raped, she repeatedly said no. You saw how she was on the stand, she was terrified because of what Edward Cavanaugh has done to her, he's stolen something from her that she will never get back, he's taken her childhood. You may think that I'm just some lawyer preaching her case but in this instance I'm more than that, I've been unfortunate enough in my life to see the effects of rape on a young girl first hand, I know how hard it is for them to deal with what's happened, I've seen the terror in their eyes when they've had to give their statements, pick him out of a parade. They don't do anything to incite what happened to them; they say no, Della Reeves said no. In the eyes of the law however grown up she thinks she is she's still a minor, what Mr Cavanaugh did was horrific and he shows no remorse, instead he places the blame on her shoulders, a 14 year old girl. Consent or no consent what he did was wrong, he had sex with a minor, he can't deny that, the DNA evidence proves what he did." Casey said coolly to the jury before turning round to look her sister in the eye, only Amy wasn't there, she'd excused herself and gone outside.
- - -
Elliot found Amy sat on the courthouse steps staring into space, he saw a broken woman sat before him. The first time he'd laid eyes on Amy he's pegged her for a strong woman who never let anything get to her, she seemed to have a cool outlook on life despite everything she'd been through, now he saw a woman who was somewhat in pieces, and he didn't have a clue what to say.
"Amy?" Elliot asked gently.
"Wh, what?" Amy asked rubbing her eyes.
"Everyone's looking for you, you just rushed off back in there during the closing, is everything ok?" Elliot asked sitting down on the steps next to her.
"I'm fine, just got a touch of the flu that's all."
"Sure, that's why you're sat out here in the cold freezing your ass off on this step, I can see the sense."
"Elliot is there a reason for you coming to annoy me or should I just walk away now?" Amy asked standing up.
"Still waiting for the verdict, Della was wondering where you were, I can see that you're ok so I'll leave you to sit here and sulk." Elliot stood up and looked her in the eye, they were severely bloodshot and the bags under her eyes were huge.
"I'm done now anyway. I'm done with it all." Amy sighed walking past him back into the courthouse.
- - -
"Jury's back in." Casey announced walking up to Della and Amy two hours later.
"Is it normal for them to be back so soon?" Della asked.
"Sometimes, you ready?"
"Yeah." Della stood up and walked alongside Casey. "Is Amy alright? She hasn't looked very good the last few days."
"I hope so, I think she's coming down with something, don't worry about her, that's my job ok?" Casey replied.
"Ok." Della nodded.
- - -
Amy followed Olivia into the courtroom and sat between her an Elliot, her heart was pounding from the moment the jury took their seats, she watched how nervous everyone was, all she wanted to do was run out but she couldn't, Della looked at her nervously Amy responded with a smile. The moment of truth was approaching; the piece of paper with the verdict had been given back to the jury forewoman.
"Will the defendant please rise." The judge said, Cavanaugh rose then the forewoman was instructed to read out the verdict.
"On the charge of statutory rape of a minor we find the defendant Edward Cavanaugh guilty." She replied. A sigh escaped from Casey, Della hugged her mother pleased that things were over, Amy simply wanted to cry, the relief she felt was indescribable.