Judge Marshall was not happy as Dixie left the stand.

"Mr McCoy I must warn you if you intend to turn this hearing into a circus I will not be pleased. So far you have asked questions with no point or purpose as far as I can tell."

"It will all become clear your honour."

"For your client's sake I hope so." said the judge as he shuffled his papers.

He was beginning to regret pushing to go ahead with this hearing. The storm was raging outside the courtroom and he'd heard rumours of flooding. It had seemed such a straightforward case on paper. The defense should have made the point that it was a two sided fight, then as the judge he could have threatened both parties of arrested for wasting the courts time and sent them home with rapped knuckles. Instead it had gotten 'complicated' and if there was one thing Judge Marshall hated was when things got 'complicated'.

It seemed after the doctors testimony that it was a clear cut case of assault, which could possibly even be classed as a hate crime. And then that Dixie woman took to the stand with her mother's eye view – never a very productive viewpoint. Jackson was now busy trying to prove it was attempted murder whilst McCoy seemed to be going for the reduced accountability due to alcohol consumption. Neither were making a good case. And then on top of all that there was this business with the Chandler Mansion shooting; everything seemed to go back to that. Both the prosecution and the defence were doing an appalling job of giving him all the facts. Judge Marshall found his patience wearing thin with both sides. It was going to be a long day.

Judge Marshall turned back to Jackson.

"The prosecution may call their next witness. I'm looking for facts remember; you don't get points for razzle-dazzle."

"Sir, as you are aware my key witness is not present. I am continuing this hearing despite my reservations. But you agreed to take into account that I am lacking the direct testimony needed to present you with the full facts."

"Yes, yes." said the judge looking down at his notes, "Bianca Montgomery, the alleged victim; held up by this damnable weather. What about the other woman, this Marissa. She seems to be the one in the centre of all this."

"Your honour, as Dixie mentioned she was shot… in the head… during the mansion shootings. She has amnesia; she was in a coma for several months and she has no memory prior to the night she was injured."

"Amnesia, you say." said the judge making a note. That added even more complications, just what he needed.

A young woman chose that moment to leap to her feet; she was the same one who had called out earlier during Dixie's testimony.

"I will testify." she cried, "Just ask. I'll be more than happy to tell you how JR lied to me and tried to manipulate me from the moment I was out of hospital."

The Judge looked over his spectacles at her. He could see what the fuss was about now. She was a pretty little thing with a cute fluff of red hair. He could see why two people would come to blows over her.

"Young lady… I take it you are Marissa." He asked quietly making a note

"I am, yes."

"I think you should sit back down or I could find you in contempt." said the judge, although he only half meant it. "We can't be having outburst like that. This is an official hearing, even if there are people in this courtroom who view this whole proceeding as some three ring circus."

He looked pointedly at McCoy at that point, that lawyer was seriously rubbing him up the wrong way.

"It's alright Marissa." said Jackson kindly, gesturing for her to retake her seat, "But thank you for your offer. The prosecution would like to call Kendall Hart-Slater to the stand."

…