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Landmine
Chapter 20
Nancy barely made it out of the courtroom before she whirled on the Hardys and Ned. "What the hell was that in there?" she demanded.
The three boys stared at her, not daring to give her an answer.
"He put on a good act, I'll give him that," Joe commented.
"And that's exactly what it was! The jury was in there practically eating every word of it up!" she exclaimed, exasperated. Several people were starting to watch her, but she didn't care She was upset and she wanted everyone to know it.
"Nancy, you need—"
"Frank Hardy, if you are about to tell me that I need to calm down, I will not hesitate to knock the crap out of you," Nancy said, eyes flashing angrily.
Frank held up his hands in surrender and took a step back.
"He's going to get away with this," Nancy said more to herself.
"Nancy, you don't know that," Ned said quietly.
"Call it intuition," Nancy said. "And that's rarely let me down before, has it?"
Ned opened his mouth to say something else, but quickly shut it. There was no point in arguing with Nancy when she was fired up like this.
"I've got to get out of here," she said.
The three boys watched her retreating figure, not even thinking about following her.
Finally, Frank couldn't stand it any longer. "Should someone go after her?" he asked, softly.
"What? Are you volunteering?" Ned asked.
"I didn't mean anything by it, Ned," Frank said, annoyed.
Ned ignored him. "Just leave her alone," he said. "It's what she wants."
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"MS. Lawson, we will begin with your closing argument," Judge Kent said when court finally resumed.
"Thank you, you Honor," Gwen said. She smoothed her skirt as she stood up and approached the jury.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we have heard a lot of compelling and heart-wrenching testimony these past few days. The defendant, Dominic Shepard, has terrorized the town of River Heights for far too long. His actions have caused a lot of people so much grief and what he has stolen from these victims and their families cannot be remedied with an apology.
"Dominic Shepard knew exactly what he was doing when he savagely murdered those women and attempted to murder other innocent victims. He may pin the blame on a fictional book character, but keep in mind it's a fictional book character. This is someone who is not even real, but he is doing this because he has nothing else to lose. He is looking for any way out of the hole he has dug for himself, and he will go by any means necessary to achieve this.
"He deserves to be punished for the crimes he has committed. You have heard irrefutable testimony from his victims and the police. The defense has tried to convince you to doubt the witnesses and the integrity of our police force. Do not be fooled by this trickery—he is looking for any way to sway you in his favor."
Gwen took a deep breath. "Do not let your sympathies go towards Mr. Shepard; let it got to the victims and their families. Show them that there is still justice in this world. Help them finally get the closure they so desperately seek and find Dominic Shepard guilty of the crimes that face him."
She glanced at each member of the jury, maintaining eye contact with every single one. She then walked back to her seat, congratulating herself on a job well-done.
Carson waited a few seconds before he rose from his seat. He buttoned his blazer and then walked slowly towards the jury.
"Ms. Lawson certainly gives a strong argument, but she is wrong about Mr. Shepard. He is a man that is simply misunderstood. Much of the testimony cannot be trusted because there is so much emotion behind it. The witnesses are all distraught and they are simply looking for someone to shoulder the blame.
"Mr. Shepard has testified that he would never hurt anyone, much less take a life. You have heard about his troubled childhood and the suffering he had to endure growing up. All he ever wanted was a chance, but no one would ever give it to him. And he is now asking you—begging you—for that chance.
"He is simply a victim of circumstance. Yes, he was at the book signing, but is that the reason he should be charged with the crimes? Many people were at that book signing, but did the police ever bring any of them in for questioning? No. The singled in on Mr. Shepard, and they were not going to rest until they had him.
"The prosecution wants you to believe that this is an open-and-shut case, but it isn't. It goes much deeper than that. As you are deliberating, I ask you to weigh all of the evidence and talk it out. There is too much conflicting testimony for you to figure out. Give Dominic Shepard a chance and find him innocent of all charges."
Carson looked at every juror, nodding at them. He held their gaze for a few long moments before returning to his seat.
Everyone remained seated as Judge Kent gave the jurors their instructions. After they left the room to deliberate, he adjourned the court.
"Now, comes the hard part," Frank commented as they stood up.
"Yep—waiting," Nancy agreed.
"Do you think it will take long?" Joe asked.
"I don't know," Nancy said. "I kind of hope not."
"After those arguments, I don't see how the jury can't sway with Gwen," Ned said. "Gwen practically wiped the floor with Carson."
"We may think so, but, unfortunately, it's not for us to decide," Nancy said, glumly.
"So what do we do now?" Joe asked.
Nancy sighed. "We go home and wait."
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The wait was over the next morning. Nancy was just getting out of the shower when the phone rang.
"The jury reached a verdict," Gwen said breathlessly.
"Is that good that it was that fast?" Nancy asked, surprised. The jury had barely been in deliberations.
Gwen's voice got a little worried. "I'm not really sure. Just be at the courthouse in an hour."
Nancy hung up with her and quickly called Ned and the Hardys. She told the, what Gwen had told her while she dressed. Within thirty minutes, she was entering the courtroom where she was met with a flurry of activity.
The Hardys arrived ten minutes after she did and Ned five minutes after them. No one said a word as the room continued to fill with reporters and spectators. Finally, at nine-fifteen, Judge Kent walked in and the room got eerily quiet.
After the jury had been seated, Judge Kent cleared his throat. The bailiff took a sheet of paper from the jury foreman and handed it to the judge, who had now put on his reading glasses. Judge Kent's face remained neutral as he read over it. He then handed the paper back to the bailiff who, in turn, returned it to the foreman.
"The defendant will please rise," Judge Kent said, taking off his reading glasses.
Carson and Dom stood in perfect unison, eyes focused solely on the jury.
"Mr. Foreman…has the jury reached a verdict?" Judge Kent asked.
A short, balding man in khakis and a bright polo shirt stood up. "Yes, we have, your Honor."
"What say you?"
The foreman cleared his throat and looked at the sheet of paper in his slight trembling hands.
"We, the jury, find the defendant, Dominic Shepard…"
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Author's Note: Cruel? Very possibly. But you had to know I couldn't come right out and tell you what it was! Just stick around and you will find out in the next chapter...Oh, and the final chapter will be posted within the next few days!