----- ----- -----
Chapter 12: The Cross-Examination
----- ----- -----
If there was one thing Grissom knew about Marjory Wescott, it was that she did not start with the simple questions. She dove right in with the big guns. He was not disappointed.
"What tipped you off that this was not just some random victim, but indeed your coworker, Ms. Sidle?"
Coworker? he thought. God, is there any way to truly describe our relationship? …
"At first, I was more focused on the scene, but when Mrs. Willows started making comments on the body, I turned and saw her hair. We rolled her over, and-"
"Her hair?" she interrupted. "How could you possibly know that it was her simply by her hair?"
O, shit. Catherine closed her eyes in an attempt to hold back the blind hatred she felt for the woman. This was not going to be pretty.
But Grissom handled it with more ease than she expected.
"I've known Ms. Sidle for eleven years, and she's been a coworker and employee of mine for the last six of those eleven." And so much more for so much longer.
"I see. Tell us again, Mr. Grissom, why it is that you took yourself off the case?"
"Ms. Sidle is a coworker and an employee on my shift. It was inappropriate for me to stay on the case."
"But Mrs. Willows and the rest of the team on this case were also coworkers with Ms. Sidle, and yet they stayed on the case," Marjory persisted. "Could it be because Ms. Sidle is more than just a coworker?"
Catherine's face fell as she watched Marjory pile on the pressure. Fuck it all! She had to bite her tongue to keep from saying it aloud, thinking of Sara simply sitting outside trying to catch her breath and her nerve.
Finally, Ferguson stood his ground. "Objection, Your Honor! She is badgering the witness and twisting his words!"
"Sustained. Watch your step, Council," the judge warned.
"Point taken, Your Honor. So, Mr. Grissom, after you officially passed the case to your colleagues, did you have anything else to do with this case unofficially?"
"Objection!" cried Ferguson.
"Sustained. Mrs. Wescott, what exactly are you getting at here, because if this has a point, you better make it, and fast."
"Your Honor, I'm simply trying to establish whether Mr. Grissom has any bias against my client because of contact with Ms. Sidle."
"Well, wrap it up."
"Of course. Now, Dr. Grissom, what happened when Ms. Sidle was let go from the hospital?"
"She was put in a wheelchair and released."
"Doesn't she live in a 2nd level apartment?"
"Yes. What's your point?"
"Well, if she was in a wheelchair, then she couldn't possibly stay in her apartment for the duration of her injuries. A scientist of your caliber should be able to figure that out, Mr. Grissom. She would've needed a place to stay. Where did she stay?"
He swallowed. "She stayed with me."
"Objection!" Ferguson called. "Relevance?"
Marjory smiled with feigned innocence. "Goes to the character of the witness, Your Honor… No further questions."
"I was helping a friend!" Grissom called to her back.
Judge Kettinger hit her gavel. "You may step down, Dr. Grissom."
----- ----- -----
"SHIT!"
That one word seemed to contain Grissom's entire vocabulary. Pacing outside the courthouse, he kicked a trashcan so hard that it knocked over and rolled several yards into the harsh desert sunlight. He immediately regretted this action, the throbbing in his foot now battling for a place in the forefront of his mind.
The trashcan stopped rolling at Sara's feet. She sat on a bench about ten yards away, not having moved since exiting the bathroom. Picking it up, she simply set the black can at the end of the bench, deciding against kicking it away as her nausea had not yet subsided. Glancing his way, she said,
"I'm guessing cross didn't go well."
He looked up, not having noticed her until now. Sighing, he nodded and slowly made his way to the bench to sit beside her.
"They've got Catherine on the stand now," he said, running a hand through his silver curls. He turned to look at her. "Are you alright?"
She shrugged.
An awkward silence stretched between them for what seemed like an eternity.
Finally, he sighed. "She was leaning pretty hard on you during cross. Questions out of left field…"
"That bitch can say whatever the hell she wants to say!" Sara growled. "She wasn't there."
"She may be a bitch, but she's a damn good lawyer," he replied. "Thank God you're not expected to go on the stand today. I don't think you could handle it."
Her head jerked in his direction as her eyes darted to lock with his. "Don't you dare tell me what I can or cannot handle… I handled that bastard's punk ass in high school, and I handled just fine after the warehouse. After that, I can most certainly handle Marjory Wescott!"
She could feel the bile rising again, and hated herself for being so weak. She fought it down with everything she had, determined to win the battle against her emotions. She could overcome this… She had to.
"Sara," he began. "I didn't mean-"
At that moment, the courthouse door opened, and a bailiff stepped out. "All those involved in the case of The People vs. Todd Owen, please return to the courtroom."
Grissom sighed. Standing, he held out a hand to help her up, but she refused it and brushed past him, leaning heavily on her cane as she made her way inside.
----- ----- -----
"I have heard the evidence brought forth by the prosecution, and it makes a strong case. However, I have to say that cross-examination has called into question quite a bit of what has been presented, including the ethics of the case. Unless the prosecution has more to present, I will have to let the accused walk."
Ferguson slammed his fist against the prosecution table. "Your Honor, how can you let a confirmed rapist back out on the streets when all the evidence in this case points to him brutalizing a fellow member of the justice system!"
"Calm down, Council!" Judge Kettinger warned. "Does the prosecution have anything else to present to this court?"
Ferguson caught a glimpse of Marjory Wescott's triumphant smirk as he sighed and gathered his papers. "The prosecution has one more witness to call to the stand, Your Honor."
"And who would that be?"
"The victim, Sara Sidle."
Heads turned to see her sitting directly behind the DA, a look of steely determination set on her face.
"Your Honor," Marjory called out. "After her display in the courtroom today, how could Ms. Sidle possibly testify? Are you sure she's up to such a daunting task?"
The judge looked to Sara. "Ms. Sidle?"
Though Sara could feel the eyes of the defense - and especially Todd Owen - upon her, she refused to look at them. She simply stared straight forward and nodded resolutely.
"Very well. Ms. Sidle will be sworn in to give her testimony when this court reconvenes. I think we've heard enough for today. Court will reconvene at nine a.m. sharp. " Hitting her gavel, she got up from her seat and left the chamber.
Organized chaos seemed to ensue as people left the courtroom and both sides gathered their papers and what was left of their wits. Ferguson simply turned to Sara with a grave stare.
"This case rests on you, Ms. Sidle."
----- ----- -----
A/N: OK, I'm back! College finals are coming up and professors are really starting to cram, so updating has been hard, but I finally finished the chapter. This chapter was so hard to write... I couldn't get the mood right, and I fear that it's still not where it needs to be, but I'll leave the feedback to you! Please review...
Teaser: "Ms. Sidle, please answer the question."
She stared ahead and gave a sad chuckle. "You'd think a trained CSI would be a great witness..." she murmurred.
"Are you saying that you can't remember where you were?"
She looked to the lawyer with a dead look in her eyes. "I was slightly more concerned about what he was going to do to me..."
The color in her voice raised a red flag in the back of Grissom's mind. Was there something more to her story than she had originally suggested? ...