Chapter 12
The day of the hearing arrived. Unfortunately, the judge didn't drop the charges against me. He wanted me to present the evidence we collected. I knew the allegations were false, and so did the judge. When I sat on the defence bench and looked at the judge, I thought he winked at me. He looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place a name with the face.
We were more than prepared to make Morelli pay for his crimes. My lawyer was confident with my defence for the bogus countersuit. Joe and mom refused to drop the charges. I was surprised the judge handled the countersuit before dealing with Morelli's case. As we presented our evidence, the judge made ample notes to use against Morelli. All evidence got turned over to the district attorney to use as proof of Morelli's corruption.
"I would like to call Mrs. Helen Plum to the stand," Karl stated. My mom's face paled as she approached the bench.
The bailiff swore her in. "I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. So help me, God," Mom swore.
"Mrs. Plum, how are you related to the defendant?" he asked.
"Ms. Stephanie Plum is my youngest daughter," she answered as she straightened in her seat.
"If Ms. Plum is your daughter, why are you suing her for funds spent on a wedding she wasn't aware of?" Karl asked.
"She was engaged to Mr. Morelli. I arranged to spend thousands securing the venue, flowers and caterer," she replied.
"Do you have copies of the receipts, Mrs. Plum?"
"Of course not," she answered truthfully.
"Do you have proof to support your claim? Remember, you are under oath," Karl stated.
"Well, I didn't make the arrangements myself. My friend, Angie Morelli, secured the deposits," she stated.
"Did you or did you not personally spend thousands towards the wedding plans?" he asked again.
Mom thought long and hard before lowering her head slightly. "No, I did not," she confessed. "Angie Morelli paid the security deposits. I agreed to reimburse her on the day of the wedding."
"Was there an exchange of cash between you and Mrs. Morelli?" Karl asked.
"No," Mom replied.
"Thank you. I have no further questions," Karl stated before taking a seat beside me.
Morelli's lawyer attempted to redirect mom to no avail. He couldn't substantiate her claim. The lawyer had no choice but to withdraw the lawsuit.
Joe looked angry. His control over his emotions was slightly crumbling. I wonder what would happen when the second part of the case gets litigated. We waited as the court recorder marked the file as dismissed.
The judge called a recess for an hour. It was nearly lunchtime, but I couldn't eat. My stomach was queasy. I wanted this case to be over.
When we entered the courtroom for the second time, ten men and women were sitting in the jury box. Morelli's defence lawyer presented their evidence and called witnesses. My mom got removed from the list of character witnesses.
The prosecutor presented their case with all the evidence they collected through their investigation. We proved all my claims of Morelli's wrongdoing. Every piece of evidence the defence used was quickly countered and dispelled. It came down to Morelli's word against mine. Lucky for me, I had Eddie, Robin, Carl and Big Dog to confirm his uninvited presence in my apartment.
Morelli's witnesses got caught lying. The prosecutor had a lot of witnesses confirming Joe's abusive behaviour towards me. They even had evidence Joe used me to solve his murder cases. I stifled a laugh when the district attorney used the result of the countersuit against Joe.
It only took the jury an hour to determine Joseph Morelli was guilty. He would spend five years in prison for his activities. "I hear by request Mr. Joseph Anthony Morelli gets remanded into custody. His sentence of five years minus time served begins immediately," the judge stated before slamming down his gavel.
When the court emptied, Judge Wilkins wanted to have a private word with me. He led me into his chambers and asked me to take a seat. "Do you know why I asked you here today?" he asked.
"No, your honour," I replied.
"I have been following your activities for the past few years. You are a remarkable woman. In all my years on the bench, I have never seen a woman endure everything you have and still hold her head up high. You care about the FTAs you return to court. If they are not guilty of the crime, you help prove their innocence, often to your detriment," he stated.
"Thank you, your honour. You look familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?" I asked.
"I believe you know my grandson Halton Evans. He works at Rangeman Trenton," he replied.
"I'm sorry for stunning him to escape Rangeman a few years ago," I gushed.
He laughed before saying, "He's a good kid. You stopped his boss from taking him to the mats. I'm glad Hal has a friend like you."
"Hal's a good friend of mine. I haven't tased him since that incident. He's been helping me renovate my home," I stated. "Your grandson is a kind and generous man."
"Take care of yourself, Ms. Plum. I expect you to visit with Hal soon," he said as he dismissed me.
"Thank you," I said before leaving.
Karl Manning was waiting for me outside of the courthouse. He wanted to make sure I was alright. Manning waited until we were in the car before asking, "What did Justice Wilkins want?"
"Oh, he's Hal's grandfather," I replied.
His head tilted to the side before asking, "How did I miss that?"
"Same way as I did. He looked vaguely familiar. I realized in his chambers that his eyes and nose are the same as Hal," I answered.
"I can see that," he stated.
We discussed the day, and both of us were pleased with the results. I wondered what my dad was going to do about mom. "My mom prevented herself from getting a perjury charge," I observed. She carefully worded her responses to avoid outright lying.
"The judge was lenient because she told the truth," he reminded me.
"She skirted the truth at first, but she got there in the end. Is that why you kept reminding her she was under oath?" I wondered.
"Yes. I was allowing Helen to tell the truth," Karl replied.
The men decided to throw a party for me at Rangeman. They know how to make a girl feel special. I changed from my dress clothes into yoga pants and Diesel's shirt. His scent of cinnamon and Christmas cookies filled my senses. He would be proud of our achievements today. I could almost feel him hug me.
Ranger knocked on my Rangeman apartment door. "Babe, is Diesel here?" he asked.
Before I could reply, I felt his lips press against mine. "I miss you," I whispered as his scent disappeared. This time, he left my bra in place. "Nope," I answered when I pulled the door open. "If he was, then I didn't see him. Does Batman have a headache?"
"Babe," he groaned. I grabbed ibuprofen and water. Ranger accepted the items with a tiny nod. He placed the empty glass on the kitchen counter and offered his hand. I entwined our fingers together and let him lead me to the party.
We entered the third-floor conference room. Lester lifted me into his arms and swung me around. "We did it. Morelli's in jail for five years," Lester singsonged.
"Five years minus time already served," Karl Manning corrected. I had a feeling he was there for life. His temper will get him into more trouble than he can handle.
My cellphone rang. "Quiet!" I shouted. "It's Helen. I'm putting the call on speaker." Everyone stopped talking to listen. "Hi, mom," I answered sweetly.
"Did Joseph Morelli really yell at you when you got hurt?" she asked. Mom slurred her words slightly. She must be tippling again.
"Yes. Joe never asked if I was okay," I replied, remembering that day from two years ago. I had a long gash down my arm from an FTA taking a swing at me while holding a knife. Mooner found me and wrapped my arm in a towel. He drove me to the hospital, where Joe started yelling at me.
She started defending him before she changed her mind. "Why does my daughter have to get hurt catching criminals? Why me?" Mom started ranting.
"Mom!" I shouted to grab her attention. "All of that is in the past. It doesn't happen anymore. I should be asking why my mother took my abusive ex-boyfriend's side instead of mine. Until you can prove your loyalty lies with me, your daughter, I don't want to talk to you or see you again. Do you understand?"
I heard a liquid pouring from a bottle into a glass. Mom took a few loud gulps before answering, "Yes." The call disconnected.
"I'll give her two weeks," I mumbled. We partied for a few hours before I called it a night.
That night, I dreamed I birthed a little girl with dark hair and eyes. I could tell her eyes were going to turn blue in a few weeks. Her head swayed side to side against my chest, searching for food. I sniffed her hair. Mmm, roasted pecans, honey and cinnamon. "We can name her Pecan," Diesel suggested.
"No. Cara or Kyla. I don't know which one to choose," I confessed.
"We have a few weeks to decide. For now, we'll call the baby Pecan," he stated.
I started nursing her until I decided to use bottles instead. She threw up on me as she burped. Diesel took the baby to allow me to change my shirt. When I returned to my baby, I noticed we were in a food court. Helen was working at a burger joint. She saw the baby in the stroller and asked, "What's her name?"
"She doesn't have a name yet," I replied. Helen surprised me by jumping over the counter to grab my daughter. As she started to run away, I woke up.
Instinctively, I touched my abdomen and sighed. No baby. Thank goodness. That's the last time I go to bed on a full stomach.
Today, I have the day off. I went home to keep an eye on the construction team. The exterior of the extension was complete. They were finishing the interior details. I laughed when the men reported to dad as tasks got completed. Dad would cross the item off the list. "I'm impressed," I said as I looked at dad's clipboard.
"The men work faster when they have a plan," he stated.
"Isn't that the project manager's job?" I asked.
"His plan was too broad," Dad answered. "I used the plan and broke it into manageable parts."
Dad gave me the clipboard to read the jobs left for the construction team to finish. Painting and cleaning were the only tasks left. Dad had the list broken down by room. "Another few days?" I asked.
"Give or take. By this time next week, your addition would be move-in ready," Dad replied.
"How's mom?" I wondered.
"In rehab. If Helen wants to remain married to me, she needs to detox from drinking. It's time she faced her demons and acquired the psychiatric help she should have received years ago," he stated. Dad waited until we were out of earshot before adding, "Your mother was engaged to Anthony Morelli SR before he got Angie pregnant. She was devastated when Angie's parents forced her to marry Morelli."
"Isn't Angie and mom best friends?" I was shocked. Dad and I sat at the kitchen table to eat breakfast.
"Yes, but Anthony SR raped Angie. Your mother helped her through all the bad days. She thought Joe was different and hoped you would become a Morelli to fulfil her dreams of having a Morelli child," Dad replied.
"That's ridiculous. Joe proved he was a chip off the old block when he lured me into his garage when I was six," I snapped.
"I know, Pumpkin. She still believes you were responsible for that incident," he gently stated. "I should have left her years ago, but it wasn't easy for a soldier to receive full custody of their children. The courts, more often than not, sided with the mothers. I couldn't risk losing you."
"People shouldn't stay in a toxic marriage because of their children," I shared as I poured him another cup of coffee.
"Yet it happens all the time," he wisely said before returning to his previous position. I watched him leave my kitchen and realized I was more like my dad than I thought.