Is This God's Way of Testing Me?
Chapter 5
A/N: I will be using Flashbacks to tell parts of the story during the trial; those will be in Italics. Also, I am not a lawyer so let's just roll with it and pretend everything is legit.
"All rise," the bailiff called out. "The Honorable Judge Samuel J. Wyatt presiding."
Everyone stood as Judge Wyatt entered the courtroom and took his seat behind the bench.
"Please be seated," the judge said, banging his gavel.
"Here we go," Beca muttered as she and Chloe took their seats.
"Are all parties present?" Judge Wyatt asked.
The ADA stood and announced, "ADA Dianne Madison for the people, your honor."
Chicago's lawyer stood and buttoned his jacket.
"Darren Kearns for the Defense, your honor," he stated and sat down. "The defendant, Mr. Chicago Walp, is also present."
"Thank you. Before we call the first witness," Judge Wyatt said, addressing the court. "I need to take care of one minor formality to put on the record. Mr. Walp, would you please stand?"
Chicago and his lawyer both stand and look at the judge.
"Mr. Walp, I need you to state for the record your desire to have a bench trial and waive your right to a trial by jury," Judge Wyatt said. "Do you fully understand the implications of this decision?"
"Just say what we discussed," Chicago's lawyer muttered to him.
"I waive my rights to a jury trial, your honor," Chicago stated. "And I understand the implications of my decision in doing so."
"Thank you," Judge Wyatt said. "You may be seated."
After Chicago and his lawyer were seated, the judge looked to the ADA.
"Miss Madison, you may call your first witness."
"Thank you, your honor," ADA Madison said, standing and looking behind her. "The people call Chloe Mitchell to the stand."
Beca squeezed Chloe's hand in support. Chloe inhaled deeply and stood. She smoothed down her skirt and made her way to the witness stand.
Chloe kept her eyes on the stand and did not look at Chicago or his lawyer. When she reached the witness box, she remained standing as the Bailiff moved to stand before her and hold up a bible.
"Raise your right hand and place your left hand on the Bible," the Bailiff said.
Chloe did as she was told.
"Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"
"I do."
"You may be seated."
Chloe sat as the Bailiff returned to his original position.
ADA Madison stood and made her way to stand about two feet in front of Chloe.
"Good morning, Mrs. Mitchell," ADA Madison said to Chloe.
"Good morning," Chloe responded.
"Please state your full name for the record," ADA Madison said.
"Chloe Anne Mitchell," Chloe responded.
"Mrs. Mitchell, how do you know the Defendant, Mr. Walp?"
"We met four years ago when my college a capella group did a USO Tour where we performed at US military bases in Europe. He was part of our security detail."
"Did you enter into a romantic relationship with him?"
Beca grimaced and looked down at the ground. She schooled her features and looked back up, focusing her eyes on the back of the ADA's head.
"Yes, I did. After the tour, I stayed in Spain to be with him while all my friends came back home."
"How long did the relationship last?"
"About six months."
"What happened after six months?"
"I found out I was pregnant. When I told Chicago, um, Mr. Walp, he said if I had the baby, he didn't want anything to do with it or me. I couldn't bring myself to have an abortion, so I chose to keep my baby and came back to the United States."
"Where did you go?"
"I came here to L.A. to stay with my best friend, Beca. I knew she would give us a safe place to stay and help take care of us. And she's done that and so much more."
"And, Beca is Beca Mitchell, the woman you are now married to, correct?"
Chloe smiled. "Yes, that is correct."
ADA Madison walked over, picked up a folder from the table, and opened it. She looked at the papers inside and then looked at Chloe.
"Beca Mitchell's name is on your daughter Sophie's birth certificate as Parent, correct?"
"That's correct."
"And Sophie is the child fathered by Mr. Walp?"
"Yes, I've never denied that he is Sophie's biological father."
"Let's fast forward to when Mr. Walp contacted you," ADA Madison said, setting the folder down on the table. "When was that?"
"March 27," Chloe responded.
"Of this year?"
"Yes, it was March 27 of this year."
"Can you tell us how that conversation went?"
"I was-"
"Objection, your honor," the defense attorney called out.
"On what grounds, Mr. Kearns?" Judge Wyatt asked.
"Unless Mrs. Mitchell recorded the conversation, we have no way of establishing the validity of what she said was discussed," Mr. Kearns said.
"You can question the validity of what Mrs. Mitchell testifies to on cross-examination," Judge Wyatt said. "Your objection is overruled. You may continue, Mrs. Mitchell."
"Thank you, your honor," Chloe said. "As I was saying, Chicago called me on March 27. I received a call from an unknown number and answered."
"Hello?" Chloe answered her phone.
"Hi, Chloe," the voice on the other end said.
"Chicago?" Chloe asked, surprised to hear his voice.
"Yeah, it's me," Chicago said. "How have you been?"
"What do you want, Chicago?"
"I've missed you and want to see you."
"Well, I don't want to see you," Chloe said.
"Fine," Chicago said. "We can talk over the phone about how I am going to sue you for custody of my daughter."
"Her name is Sophie, and I promise you that will never happen," Chloe said. "I'll see to it that you never breathe the same air as her. So, it looks like we have nothing to talk about."
"Really?" Chicago said. "Maybe I should have a chat with your wife about it."
"Leave Sophie and Beca alone!" Chloe screamed into the phone.
"You listen to me, you stupid bitch," Chicago said. "I will make your life miserable unless you give me what I want."
Chloe ended the call because she didn't want to hear anything more Chicago had to say.
"So, let me get this straight," ADA Madison said. "Mr. Walp called and threatened to make your 'life miserable if he didn't get what he wanted.' Is that correct?"
"Yes," Chloe said softly.
"What did you do after the call ended?"
"I called my best friend, Aubrey. She's a lawyer, and I thought she could give me some advice on how to handle Chicago if he called again."
"And, what, if any, advice did she give you?"
Chloe looked to Aubrey; Aubrey nodded as if to give her permission to continue.
"She said I should hear him out to find out what he actually wanted. Once we knew that, then we'd figure out what to do," Chloe answered. "She also said she would start the paperwork to have his parental rights revoked to ensure that Sophie would remain with Beca and me."
"When did Mr. Walp call again, and what did he say?"
"He called two days later. He said, um," Chloe stopped.
She cleared her throat and looked at Beca. Beca was staring back at her, so Chloe looked away and focused on the ADA. She knew Beca was still upset to learn about this part of her conversation with Chicago. She had not told Beca about it, and Beca only learned of it during the pretrial meeting they had with the ADA.
"Mrs. Mitchell?" ADA Madison prompted. "What did Mr. Walp say when he called the second time?"
"I'm sorry. He, um, he said that if I wanted to keep my daughter, I would meet him at his hotel and, um, show him much I wanted to keep her."
Beca breathed in through her nose and looked over at Chicago. Aubrey put a hand on Beca's arm, causing her to look over at her.
"Don't react," Aubrey whispered, shaking her head slightly.
Beca nodded and faced forward. She put a small smile on her face and looked at Chloe.
"What did you think he meant by show him?"
"I thought, no, I know he meant that he wanted me to have sex with him."
A few spectators glared at Chicago; Beca kept her eyes on Chloe.
"Did you agree to meet him?"
"I did," Chloe said, quickly adding, "But not for that reason. I told him I would meet him in a public place, not at his hotel, because that was never going to happen. We agreed to meet the next day for lunch at a diner near his hotel."
"What happened next? After you agreed to a meeting time and place."
"I called Aubrey. I told her about my conversation with Chicago and that I was meeting him the next day for lunch," Chloe said. "And I asked her to go with me."
Chloe cleared her throat and put a piece of loose hair behind her ear.
"Aubrey said she would go, and we agreed that she would meet me there," Chloe continued.
"What happened during that meeting?"
"He was a few minutes late," Chloe said. "And he was not happy to see me sitting with Aubrey. He walked over to the table and sat down, glaring at Aubrey and me. I introduced Aubrey as my lawyer, and he got angry. He asked me why the eff did I need a lawyer? I told him that since he was threatening to sue me for custody, I needed a lawyer to look out for Sophie's best interests."
Chloe paused and looked at Aubrey. Aubrey gave her a slight nod, and Chloe cleared her throat.
"He then called me a few names I'd rather not repeat and stormed out of the diner," Chloe said.
"Was that the end of it?"
"No, it wasn't," Chloe said. "He called me several times after that and would start yelling at me and calling me names as soon as I answered the phone. I ended those calls as soon as he started yelling, but he would just call back. I finally turned off my phone, so I didn't have to deal with him."
"Did he call again? And, if he did, how often did he call?"
"Yes, he called again," Chloe said. "He called almost every day for the next month. I would answer, and all he would do was repeat that he was ready to file the custody suit against me. And that I was the only one who could stop it."
"Did he say how you could stop it?"
"He kept saying if I slept with him, he wouldn't file the suit," Chloe replied. "And we could both go on with our lives."
"Let's jump to the night he showed up at your house," ADA Madison said. "Tell us about that."
Chloe saw Beca looking at her and shifted in her seat. Beca gave her a small, comforting smile, and Chloe felt slightly more at ease.
"Beca came home and surprised me with an impromptu date night," Chloe stated. "I had been a bit of a, um, a witch to her since Mr. Walp showed up. I had been cold toward her and accused her of doing things I knew she would never do. I felt bad but couldn't bring myself to tell her what was going on and that there was a possibility we could lose Sophie."
Tears came to Chloe's eyes, and she quickly wiped them away.
"Please continue when you're ready," ADA Madison said, handing Chloe a tissue.
"Thank you," Chloe said, dabbing her eyes. "At dinner, I decided I was going to tell Beca everything. But, unfortunately, some paparazzi interrupted our date, and we decided to go home to talk. On the way home, I got a text from Aubrey, um, saying that Mr. Walp had called her, so he would probably call me, too."
"Did he call you?"
"Yes, when we were on our way home. I was scared and kept the conversation short and tried not to let Beca hear what I was saying because I didn't want to upset her while she was driving."
"What did Mr. Walp say to you?"
"Your honor!" Mr. Kearns called out as he jumped up. "Where is this line of questioning going? We will concede that Mr. Walp 'bothered' Mrs. Mitchell for a couple of months, but the man just wanted to see his daughter. How is that so wrong?"
Chloe scoffed, and ADA Madison looked at her with a gentle shake of her head. Chloe's cheeks reddened, and she looked down at the floor. She tried to school her features and not react as ADA Madison had instructed.
"I just wanted to see my daughter!" Chicago said, jumping to his feet.
Chloe couldn't hold it in any longer. She looked at Chicago and blurted out, "You never once asked to see Sophie. All you did was try to bully me into having sex with you."
"Mrs. Mitchell," Judge Wyatt said, getting Chloe's attention. "I'm going to have to ask you to refrain from addressing the Defendant directly."
"My apologies, your honor," Chloe said, looking at him. "It won't happen again."
"As for you two," Judge Wyatt said, looking at Chicago and his lawyer. "I will not tolerate another outburst from either of you. If you can't control yourselves, I'll have no recourse but to charge you with contempt and remove you from my courtroom. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, your honor," Chicago said, sitting back down.
Mr. Kearns remained standing and looked at the Judge.
"Your honor, I object to the continuation of this witness's testimony. It's all hearsay, and no evidence is being presented."
"Your honor," ADA Madison said. "We're building a foundation that leads to why Mr. Walp was arrested and currently on trial. It all started with the two months of communication between him and the witness."
"How can we trust that your witness is telling the truth about what she and Mr. Walp actually discussed?"
Chloe scoffed and looked at Beca. Beca shrugged and shook her head, causing Chloe to relax.
"The witness swore an oath to tell the truth. If you are going to accuse this witness of perjury, then you had better present some proof immediately," ADA Madison said.
"I'm not accusing her of anything," Mr. Kearns said. "I was just asking a hypothetical."
"Hypothetical?" ADA Madison. "What does that-"
"That's enough," Judge Wyatt said, banging his gavel, causing both lawyers to look over at him. "It's almost noon, and I think this is s a good place to stop for lunch. I will remind everyone here that the gag order is still in place. The court will be in recess until one o'clock."
Judge Wyatt banged his gavel again and left the bench. Once the judge was out of the courtroom, Chloe walked to Beca and grabbed her in a hug. Beca sighed and pulled Chloe tighter to her.
Aubrey looked over and saw Chicago and his lawyer with their heads together, talking.
"Let's grab some lunch," Aubrey said, causing Beca and Chloe to break apart.
"Okay," Beca said. "Where shall we go?"
"I know a place," Aubrey said, walking toward the door. "It's not too far from here."
Aubrey held the door as Beca and Chloe exited the courtroom. She looked back to see Chicago watching them leave. Or, more specifically, watching Chloe leave.
~~ Is This God's Way of Testing Me? ~~
At a nearby diner, a waitress showed the girls to a booth. Aubrey sat, and Beca and Chloe sat across from her.
"I'm sorry for my outburst," Chloe said quietly. "I just couldn't sit there and let Chicago try to play the victim."
Beca put an arm around Chloe and kissed the side of her head.
"It's okay, Chloe," Beca said.
"These things happen sometimes," Aubrey added.
"I know," Chloe said. "But I still feel bad. Miss Madison was adamant about not reacting to the stupid stuff Chicago or his lawyer might say or do."
"You're doing great, Chlo," Beca said, looking around. "But, maybe we shouldn't be talking about this here."
"Beca's right," Aubrey said, looking at the menu. "Let's talk about something else. Sophie's birthday is coming up. I can't believe she's going to be four."
"I know," Chloe said. "I can still remember the day she was born. Beca was a mess."
Beca scoffed as Aubrey and Chloe chuckled.
"Excuse me," a young girl said as she stood at the table looking at Beca. "May I get your autograph, Beca?"
"Of course," Beca said, taking the pen and paper the girl held out toward her. "What's your name, sweetie?"
"Amber."
Beca signed her name. She handed the paper and pen back and asked, "Would you like a picture as well, Amber?"
"Oh, yes, please," Amber squealed, pulling out her phone.
"Aubrey, would you mind?"
"No problem," Aubrey said as Amber handed over her phone.
Beca stood and put her arm around the girl's shoulder. The girl had the biggest smile on her face. Aubrey took a couple of photos and then held the phone out toward Amber.
"Thank you," Amber said, taking her phone from Aubrey. "I can't wait to show all my friends."
Amber pulled Beca into a quick hug before rushing off.
Aubrey chuckled. "I sometimes forget that people know you because you're famous."
"It's always fun to see the looks on their faces when they spot Beca out and about," Chloe said, smiling at Beca.
"So, what are we going to do for Sophie's birthday?" Beca asked, blushing as she picked up her menu.
~~ Is This God's Way of Testing Me? ~~
After lunch, Chloe was back on the witness stand. She stood with everyone else when the judge entered the courtroom.
"Court is now in session," the bailiff called out. "The Honorable Judge Samuel J. Wyatt presiding."
As soon as the judge was seated, the bailiff called out, "Please be seated."
Judge Wyatt looked at Chloe. "Mrs. Mitchell, I must remind you that you are still under oath."
"Yes, your honor," Chloe said.
"Mr. Kearns," Judge Wyatt said, looking over at the man. "Your objection to Mrs. Mitchell continuing as a witness is overruled. Miss Madison, you may continue questioning the witness."
"Thank you, your honor," ADA Madison said. "Now, Mrs. Mitchell, when we adjourned for lunch, you were about to tell the court about the conversation you had with Mr. Walp while on your way home from dinner with your wife. Please tell us what Mr. Walp said to you during that conversation."
"Okay," Chloe said. "I answered, and he said he needed to talk to me about his custody suit regarding my daughter. He still hadn't used her name, and I told him I couldn't talk right then because Beca and I were on our way home. He asked me how long it would be before we got there, and I told him we would be home in about fifteen minutes and that we would have to talk later."
"Did he say anything else?"
"He just said okay, and we ended the call," Chloe responded.
"What happened when you and your wife arrived home?"
Beca knew what was coming. She hated that Chloe had to tell the court what happened once they got home. To tell the court about how Beca wouldn't listen to anything Chloe had to say and kicked her out of the car. But instead, she stopped paying attention to Chloe as her mind played and replayed everything she had done wrong. She was mentally chastising herself. If she and Chloe had just talked about what was going on, they might be in the middle of a long-drawn-out custody battle that they had a good chance of winning. Especially with Aubrey as their lawyer. But then her mind changed course slightly.
"I'm not sorry about getting Chicago to show his true colors and his real intentions," Beca thought to herself. "The funny thing is I would have paid just about anything he asked for."
Beca paused in her self-musings to look over at Chicago. She wished she could wipe that smug look off his face.
"I'd like to have five minutes alone with him," Beca thought. "And let him know how much I don't like anyone messing with my family."
"That's all the questions I have for this witness, your honor," ADA Madison said, returning to her seat.
Hearing what the ADA said, Beca's head snapped up, and she quickly looked around. She caught Chloe looking at her with a concerned look on her face.
Beca softly smiled at Chloe, mouthing, "You're doing great."
Chloe returned the smile. She then turned her gaze to Mr. Kearns, standing in front of her.
"Mrs. Mitchell," Mr. Kearns said, smiling at Chloe.
Chloe didn't say anything; she just sat stone-faced, staring at the man.
"Let's get right to it. Isn't it true that you were the one who offered to have sex with Mr. Walp to stop him from filing the custody lawsuit?" Mr. Kearns asked.
"No, that is not true," Chloe said vehemently. "I would never cheat on Beca with him or anyone else for any reason."
"Isn't it also true that you and your wife concocted this scheme to entrap my client so he would go got jail, and you wouldn't have to worry about him taking his daughter away from you?"
"No, that is not true either," Chloe said.
"And, isn't it also true that your wife initiated the call to Mr. Walp, telling him that she would pay him any amount to leave you and your daughter alone? Isn't all that true!?"
"No, it isn't," Chloe replied. "None of that is true!"
Beca's knuckles were turning white from gripping the bench. This was ridiculous. How can he just keep attacking Chloe like that with no one doing anything about it?
Aubrey gently placed a hand on Beca's knee, causing Beca to look over at her. Aubrey continued to stare straight ahead, which somehow gave Beca the comfort she needed.
Beca's hands relaxed, and she placed them on her lap. Then, she sat up and slid back so her back was flush against the bench.
"Thanks," Beca whispered.
Aubrey gave her a slight nod.
"Mrs. Mitchell," Mr. Kearns voice rang out. "Are you in love with Mr. Walp?"
"No! I'm in love with my wife."
"Is that why you offered yourself to Mr. Walp to get him not to file the custody suit?"
"Objection!" ADA Madison called out, standing to address the judge. "No matter how Mr. Kearns phrases it, that question has been asked and answered."
"I agree, Miss Madison," Judge Wyatt said. "Move on, Mr. Kearns."
"I have no more questions for this…witness," Mr. Kearns said with a dismissive wave of his hand as he walked back to his seat.
"Mrs. Mitchell, you may step down," Judge Wyatt told Chloe.
Chloe left the stand and went back to sit next to Beca. Beca gave her a quick side hug and smiled at Chloe.
"Miss Madison, you may call your next witness."
"The people call Beca Mitchell to the stand."
Beca swallowed and stood. She kissed the top of Chloe's head and made her way to the stand.
Beca stood before the bailiff and swore an oath to tell the truth. Then, she sat, brushing some non-existing lint from her skirt, and crossed her legs. She put on her best "resting bitch face" and waited for ADA Madison to begin.
A/N: Next chapter will be Beca's testimony, where we learn what was said between her and Chicago during their telephone call.
