Munch ushered his niece into the court room, refusing to even glance at his brother. Danielle kept her eyes on the floor, her heart pounding in her ears. The case was introduced, then Danielle was asked to step into the witness stand.
"What happened the night that you were found in the alley way, Miss Munch?"
Danielle told her story for what she hoped to be the last time. Her voice shook and did everything not to look at her father. When she did look up, her glance went to her uncle. He tried to look encouraging, but was doing everything in his power not to bound across the room and beat his brother to a pulp.
"I came out of it with two fractured ribs and a broken wrist. He hadn't fed me for a day or so, which is why I passed out. I've been having nightmares every night ever since, waking up crying hysterically…" Danielle paused, trying to swallow down the massive lump in her throat.
"That's all," the DA said, taking her seat.
The other lawyer rose, slowly sauntering over to the witness stand.
"What was your relationship like with your father prior to that night?"
"Until my mom died, it was a normal family relationship. After, he had become a little less stable. He got really strict about when I came home from school. He wouldn't let me contact anyone, and basically put me under house arrest. It wasn't until recently that the abuse stared."
"You seem to be an intelligent girl. Why didn't you try to contact anyone while you were at school, or talk to one of your teachers?"
Danielle was very sick of this question. "Would you talk very freely if a gun was waved in your face every night, promising a bullet to the head if I told anyone he was beating me up at night?"
"There was no gun found at the apartment. Were you aware of this?"
"No, I wasn't. That doesn't mean anything."
Munch shifted in his seat, glancing over to his partner.
"She's going to have a mental breakdown," Fin whispered. Munch didn't reply.
Before that could happen, Danielle was allowed to step down. After a short recess, the jury came back to give their verdict: guilty on all charges. Bernard was ushered away, the only time that Danielle glanced over to her father. He was staring right at her, a crazy look in his eyes, not taking his eyes off her daughter as the security guards dragged him out of the court room.
The DA shook Danielle's hand, then followed her to greet her uncle and partner. Munch took her around the shoulders, leading her out of the court room. He pulled a folded piece of paper out his suit pocket, then handed it to his niece. She unfolded it, read the heading, looked up at her uncle, and smiled.
That's it, guys. I've written some other material with Munch and Danielle. I'm going to try and put some more stories with them together. Thank for reading!