Chapter 5 – Heaven and Hell

"The next witness I'd like to call to the stand is Agent Emily Prentiss of the Behavioural Analysis Unit in the FBI based in Quantico Virginia and Carina's current legal guardian." Emily gave Carina a smile and a nod before she left her seat, walked to the stand, was sworn in like Reid was and took her seat. "Agent Prentiss would you please describe to the court what happened in Seattle?"

"We were called into the case, we located who his next victim was, we arrived at his residence to see that he was there."

"According to the reports you saved Carina's life that day is that true?"

"I am no hero," Emily replied solemnly. "Carina had her legs and hands bound, a gun to her head and she was standing in front of a swimming pool with Zackary Evans on the other end of the gun."

"And what happened?" The prosecution asked.

"Mr Evans pushed her into the pool and pointed the gun in my direction."

"How did you respond?"

"Our backup arrived." Emily replied looking directly to the Defence lawyer's eyes. "I signalled Agent Derrick Morgan to stay hidden. Mr Evans became distracted, looking down to the pool to see if Carina was dead. I took my opportunity." The images began to play in her head. "I ran forwards, we sparred then Agent Morgan took him from the water while I swam to save her."

"And you succeeded," The prosecutor smiled.

"Yes, thankfully."

"Agent Prentiss what I want to ask you today is less about being an FBI agent and more about being her guardian. I am assuming that after she was taken into your care you saw changes."

"I did," Emily sighed. "Carina was broken, she was a wreck. She didn't trust anyone around her because of the rouse that Mr Evans used to get her alone."

"What rouse?"

"Evans pretended to be a University student who was trying to help her out, since her parents had passed away just weeks before."

"What happened, when you took her home for the first time?"

"Your Honour, this is deviating from the cases purpose!" The defence interrupted.

"I am merely trying to discuss Carina's emotional experiences at the hand of Mr Evans your honour."

"Continue," the judge prompted. With a nod toward Emily she began to answer the question.

"Carina didn't get any sleep that night, nor the following three, I received a call from her one day, I came home to see her sitting on the kitchen floor, tears in her eyes and a large kitchen knife in her hand. The door was locked so tightly that I had to push the door open and then squeeze through into the hallway. I found out that what triggered it was that someone named Zack knocked on the front door."

"What else happened?"

"Moments of mental fatigue for both herself and I. I tried everything to help her, asked her to talk, it took a while but she did eventually."

"Any final things you want to add?" Emily thought about it for a moment. She wanted to tell the court what a sick bastard Zackary Evans was but knew it wouldn't help anyone. She knew that the lawyers already had the case in the bag. Four girls, one live victim. She knew the only reason they were going to court was because he was pleading insanity. He thought that he could get put in some nice mental facility to avoid the death penalty. She was not going to let that happen.

"Carina is my daughter," Emily began. "I am her guardian, I know her better than anyone else and I know that she is a strong young woman who helped recover. She is someone who doesn't ask for pity or for attention, she doesn't care about the politics of it all and she really doesn't want to be here." The judge looked down to Emily. "What I do know is that the only reason he is pleading insanity is to try and save himself from the death penalty. To try and save himself from death. I bet that those other victims, the ones who aren't sitting inside this room, breathing anymore. I bet they tried to save themselves from death too. At that hands of the man you have sitting at that table. Zackary Evans is a murderer."

"Objection your Honour! You have to stop this."

"I want to hear where this is going." The judge replied, "sustained."

"What do you think those girls were thinking at the end of their life, I wonder what heaven is like? I wonder if this is hell? I wonder if I will ever see my parents again? I wonder if there will be a light waiting on the other side. One that will bring me to the people who I have loved and lost. I want to tell you something Mr Evans," Zack's smile had faded immediately. "For you, no matter what happens here today, there will be no light to take you to your sister. No light to help you reunite with family and friends, you won't go to heaven, you will never see hell. Because Mr Evans, the only people who asked those questions, saw both heaven and hell at the same time, experienced the feeling of a knife stabbed deep into their body, their vision blurring, those are the people you killed. The women who screamed, who you made trust you. You are not insane, I could have our analyst generate a fake psychotic analysis in thirty seconds or less. You deserve whatever comes your way because no matter what happens, Carina won," Emily smiled slightly before she sat down again.

"Any questions from the defence?" The Judge inquired. The defence attorney shook her head, her mouth gaped. "Then Agent Prentiss you may step down, prosecution call your next witness."

"Our final witness today will be Carina Lloyd," Emily returned to her seat, gave Carina a pat on the shoulder and sat next to Reid. Carina's legs were shaking as she looked to the judge and was sworn in for the first time before she took her seat on the stand, looking over the courtroom. "Carina, how has your life changed since Mr Evans attacked you?"

"It's different," Carina sighed, her voice cracking from nervousness. "I live with someone new, I don't trust people when they talk to me... It's just... kind of hard to explain."

"Why don't you try," the lawyer ushered.

"When I was at university, I had friends, I lived in an apartment on campus, used to go to parties, answer the phone, read emails and meet new people every day. Now I live in a home with someone new, I never go to parties to relax, I haven't been able to step foot inside a campus since the attack, I jump when the phone rings, don't trust anyone I see, worry when we go out shopping that someone will take me by the arm and lead me somewhere. I worry that people are not what they appear to be on the outside."

"Emotionally how did this affect you?"

"I lost sleep, am awoken at night by nightmares of what happened and I relive them almost every day at some point in time. Emotionally I was a wreck."

"I understand that you are helping others on the road to recovery?"

"Yes that's right."

"What do you do exactly?"

"I attend group sessions for those who have suffered a trauma," Carina replied with more strength than before. "Most of the time no one is willing to speak so I break the ice and talk about what happened to me; it helps them to feel more comfortable."

"Who are the kinds of people that talk at the sessions?"

"Everyone," Carina replied. "From an elderly gentleman to a young mother. The people who have survived trauma are those who have had family members taken from the earth by people like him. People who kill. Others are involved in accidents that killed their families, the loss of someone to cancer or those who have cancer coursing through their veins, slowly making them die and they can't do anything about it. The people I see at sessions, the ones who try to talk through their problems, are the strongest people I know."

Zackary looked to Carina, his smirk had been gone ever since Emily wiped it clean from his face with her comment. Emily looked up again and wondered where she was going with this. "Someone who uses what has happened to them as an excuse to hurt others is not a strong person, they are weak. They are spineless."

"Carina one final question," the prosecution began. "Do you believe, that if this didn't happen, your life would be better?"

"It would have in some aspects," Carina replied. "I would have finished my university degree in English, started to work in the field, helped those who didn't have great English skills, educate others, edit novels, have a career. But on the other hand I would not have had the support of my Guardian Emily. She helped me to stay strong and I'm sure that I will be able to live a normal life." She paused. "But we should not forget the others," Carina continued looking over to the four families sitting in the back of the courtroom. "Four other young women did not get the chance to get better, to grow, to graduate, to have children, to live and realise all of life's opportunities. Those four women died for nothing."

"I was helping them!" Zackary yelled standing to his feet, his attorney protesting his actions. "They were overworked, they needed my help to get away from this world and to a new one, one where they would feel no pain!"

"You bastard!" Yelled one of the families fathers from the back of the courtroom. "You caused her pain!"

"Order in the court!" Yelled the Judge making the commotion stop. "Finish your statement"

"But your Honour!" The defence replied.

"Your client has interrupted the proceedings, given a clear motive and purpose for the killings. Someone who was truly insane would not have any recollection about the purpose for a murder. You have no case. Miss Lloyd please finish your statement." Carina nodded happy that it had been something she said to trigger his undoing. "Zackary Evans did ruin my life for a moment but compared to what others have lost I am lucky. I am grateful for all the help that has been given to me to help me recover. But he deserves justice for the deaths of those women so they didn't die in vain."

"You may now step down," the Judge commanded. Carina nodded her head, walked to her space next to Emily and took her seat. Emily smiled slightly making Carina smile slightly too. "We will break for twenty minutes for the Jury to reach their decision."

Those twenty minutes were the longest twenty minutes of Carina's life. But she realised that they had ended quicker than she thought they would. The Judge was introduced making the Court stand to their feet. "Everyone but the Prosecution and the Defence can be seated," he explained as the rest of the court took their seats. "I call upon the jury for their final decision." Carina looked to the Jury as one man stood. "We find in the case of the State of Washington versus Zackary Evans, Mr Evans guilty of all charges including four counts of manslaughter, one count of attempted murder, forgery of evidence and for giving false information to the court about his mental state of being."

The Judge took his gavel into his hand. "I hereby, by the power vested in my by the State of Washington, sentence Zackary Evans to the Pelican Bay State Prison where he will stay under twenty four hour surveillance inside the Maximum Security Section for a period of two weeks before receiving the death penalty. Court dismissed," The Judge finished pounding his gavel on his stand.

The court began to talk, families at the back of the court all hugging each other and smiling. Carina smiled watching them so happy. Emily placed a hand on Carina shoulder. "You did it kiddo," She smiled. "We did it," Carina replied. "Can we go home now?"

"Of course," Emily replied taking her jacket from the chair, thanking the prosecution and beginning to walk to the back door. Zackary looked to Carina and Emily as they walked to the back door before he was taken by two guards and handcuffed. Emily opened the door allowing Carina and Reid through before herself. They were all happy. Reid saying his goodbye before he walked to his car leaving Em and Carina to themselves. Driving home Emily and Carina were happy, talking about what each other said, how awesome their statements were and how happy they were that he got what he deserved. Pulling into the driveway Emily took her jacket from the backseat as Carina scrambled some of her things from the car. Emily closed her door and walked to the front door of the house when she saw that it was open. "Carina," Emily whispered from the door. Carina looked up. "Don't close your door." Carina kept the car door open slightly.

"What's wrong?"

"Someone's inside the house."

AN: Okay now we're getting into the thick of the action. Please leave a review telling me whether you're enjoying the story so far or not and why. Sorry for the slow build up but the best is yet to come.

The next chapter will be up soon.