Chapter 18 Forced Family
The next day was extremely busy. Julie was getting driven to school on her first day. After Ranger and Stephanie dropped her off, it was time to go to the courthouse to attend Stevens' trial. Ranger helped Stephanie into the courtroom, and the two of them sat down, waiting for the hearing to begin.
Everybody rose when the Judge entered the room from his chambers. Stephanie and Ranger looked and saw Helen seated at the defendant's table next to Stevens. Helen turned to look at Stephanie, Ranger, Frank and Edna. She was angry that her mother and husband sat with her traitorous daughter.
After everyone was ready, the trial started. The DA presented evidence, which was the video of Helen talking to Stevens. In it, they heard Helen saying to Stevens that once her daughter was pregnant, Helen would pay Stevens five thousand dollars. The DA called Helen to the stand.
He nodded to Albert, allowing him to question his mother-in-law. Albert stood up and approached the witness stand. "Helen, do you like what Stephanie does for a living?" Albert asked.
"No, Albert, I do not. I don't want or like Stephanie hanging around those thugs," Helen smugly replied.
"Okay. Did you knowingly spread false information regarding your daughter, like saying that she works at a hairdresser or something like that?"
"Yes, Albert, I did. I would tell my neighbour's stories about Stephanie, and I embellished the information that I heard about her. I would tell my neighbours that I loved and respected Stephanie. But I think that I neither love her nor respect her," Helen answered honestly. She got instructed by her lawyer to tell the truth because perjury would land her in jail faster than he could protect her.
"So we watched the video with you and Stevens. Do you deny that was you?" Albert asked her.
"Yes, I do deny it. I have never met that man before. The video was forged, probably by those thugs," she told Albert and the whole courtroom. Stephanie was furious that Helen would lie on the stand.
"I object," Helen's lawyer said. "I ask that her statement regarding the video forgery get stricken from the record."
"Objection overruled. Her statement will remain part of the testimony," the judge stated. Albert smiled internally from the small victory.
"I have a letter from Helen Plum's cellmate indicating that Mrs. Plum was the mastermind behind the kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment," Albert said, pausing long enough to hand the document to the judge. Albert watched anger appear on the judge's face as he read the written statement.
When the judge motioned for Albert to continue, he asked, "According to the statement, you masterminded everything, making you an accessory to Detective Joseph Morelli's death.
"I didn't murder Joseph," Helen replied. She looked at her lawyer, hoping he would get Albert's words stricken from the record. He shook his head because it was time for Helen Plum to answer for her actions.
"Did you wish Stephanie was a boy?" Albert surprised Helen by asking. Stephanie watched her father's face as Helen answered.
"Yes, I do because I already have one daughter who makes me proud. Stephanie was a disappointment since she was born. She is not doing what is expected by the Burg wives. She needs to become a stay-at-home mom. In our neighbourhood, it is the tradition for women to marry and have children. They stay at home to keep the house while their husbands work. Stephanie ignored the tradition, and never respected our ways. Because of her attitude, I did what I needed to do. I forced Stephanie to get pregnant so she could finally continue the Burg way of life," Helen replied.
Frank was furious that Helen went to extreme lengths to get his youngest daughter to toe the line. He was proud of Stephanie's tenacity as she captured her skips.
The judge needed a break from hearing the vile woman's testimony. He couldn't believe the woman actually believed the shit she spewed. "Let's take a break for lunch. Court will reconvene in one hour," he ruled as he banged the gavel.
Everyone exited the courtroom for a lunch break. Ranger, Stephanie, Frank, and Edna all went to a lovely restaurant for lunch. At lunch, everyone talked about the baby and the fact they were naming him Joseph. Frank told everyone that Helen would receive the divorce papers by the end of the day. "Edna, you are welcome to stay with me at the house," Frank added.
"I would love to Frank, and I will try to behave a little bit better," Edna told Frank. She didn't want to cause him more pain than necessary. Edna was disgusted by her daughter. She raised Helen to be a caring and loving woman. After moving to the Burg, Helen changed for the worse.
Ranger paid the bill, and they went back to the courthouse to continue the trial. He saw the video and knew Helen had confessed to her cellmate, but hearing everything put together made him angrier.
During the afternoon session, Stevens got his turn on the stand. The DA got Albert to remain seated as he took the lead. After approaching Stevens on the witness stand, he asked, "Mr. Stevens, whose idea was to kidnap Miss Plum, Mr. Manoso and detective Morelli?"
"It was Mrs. Plum's idea. She told me not to leave any extraneous witnesses. Mrs. Plum wanted me to kill Mr. Manoso. Her idea was to force Detective Morelli to have sex with Miss Plum so they could conceive a baby. I thought that Miss Plum would be better off with Mr. Manoso because Detective Morelli made my younger cousin pregnant. He refused to pay child support to her for their child. I gave detective Morelli a choice. Either I could get Mrs. Plum pregnant, or Mr. Manoso could. In either case, Miss Plum was going to be pregnant. He chose Mr. Manoso as the father of the baby. Even though it would cost detective Morelli his life."
Everyone inside the courtroom was disgusted by Helen Plum's actions. As an upstanding citizen, she broke many laws that would send her to prison for many years. The judge allowed conspiracy for first-degree murder to get added to the list of charges against Mrs. Plum.
If the jury found her guilty, she would spend a lifetime in prison with no eligibility for parole. The judge dismissed the court, asking the jury to deliberate for a verdict against Shawn Stevens and Helen Plum.
Stephanie took Ranger's hand and moved it to the baby, and he felt his son kick. Ranger and Stephanie looked at each other. They waited inside the courthouse for the jury to discuss the case behind closed doors.
The jury was out for one hour when they returned with the verdict, and everyone got called back to the courtroom. The jury foreman said, "We, the jury, find Helen Plum and Shawn Stevens guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy for first-degree murder, kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment."
The judge said, "We will reconvene on Sept 15th for sentencing." He hit his gavel, and the court got adjourned.