The courtroom went quiet. Ezra's simple comment had the effect of sucking the air from the room. It was all Chris could do to stay seated. Ezra couldn't deny any of the claims made. If he wanted to answer it meant he was either about to throw his career away, or he was going to lie on the stand, and that wasn't going to happen. It had to be the first option, and Chris could think of no way to stop it. He clenched his jaw, willing himself to silence. Vin apparently had the same reaction, as he was as still as a statue. The only words spoken were as a barely audible whisper of "don't do it son" from Josiah.
"You don't need to do that Agent Standish."
"I am fully aware of that. But if I don't, you will have to put an end to this proceeding, and we will simply have to endure the experience again in the future. And, unless we can have Mr. Dunston disbarred for cause between now and then, this moment will repeat as well, trapping us all in a courtroom-based Groundhog Day hell. I see no reason not deal with the matter now."
Walton stared at him from the bench for several seconds before speaking. "Alright. I will allow you to reply, but I won't promise you that it will be enough to stave off a mistrial."
Keller dropped back into his seat, mentally preparing his notes for refiling the case. Maybe with a change of venue this time.
"I understand. Thank you."
Dunston resembled a cartoon shark, a toothy grin taking over his face. "Would you like me to repeat the question for you Agent Standish?"
"That will hardly be necessary. Since you have asked me to speculate on his reason for threatening me, I would have to say that it was because he knew there was no other way to get me to co-operate."
Dunston stepped up to the box. "But I wasn't asking you about his reason. I was asking you why you would expect us to believe he would have to threaten you."
"Yes. I know. And I am attempting to explain, if you will provide the same leeway for me to answer the question as the court as given you to ask it."
Dunston gave a theatrical 'after you' bow to him. "Please. Convince us."
"I spent the first half of my life as a not entirely unwilling pawn in any number of grifts, games and gambits. I was conditioned and trained to do whatever was needed, whenever it was needed, with little if any concern for the consequences of such actions. It was, after all, the family business. And yes, there is a juvenile record to support that. Mostly for petty thefts, confidence scams, illegal gambling and a sordid collection of minor offenses that are a poor reflection on the parenting skills of Maude and Jacob Standish. Not that I was necessarily anxious to change my lifestyle at the time."
He paused, keeping his gaze focused on Dunston while reaching for the glass of water. He didn't need the liquid as much as he needed a moment to prepare the next comments. "Circumstances separated me from Jacob at an early age, although his influence remained. It was late in my teenage years that I left mother to pursue my own agenda. Much to her dismay, I had decided to set off on my own. Not as competition, but as counterpoint. I tired of being on the move constantly. Of seeing the destruction our little ventures left in their wake. I had no clue as to how one went about earning an honest living, and doubted that I could, but I was certain there was something else out there.
I made what I swore would be the final use of my con artistry to finagle my way into a university. It was as the result of some of my interests and activities there that I was eventually recruited into the FBI, much to the shame and horror of my family."
"So," Dunston interrupted. "You were in contact with your family at the time." He said it as if he had made a major discovery.
Ezra smirked. "Yes. Strange as it may seem to you, my mother expressed some interest in the actions of her son, hoping to ensure I made appropriate life choices. Shame your mother didn't show a similar concern." There was some snickering in the crowd, which the judge let pass for just a moment longer than she should before gavelling for quiet. "If I may be permitted to continue?"
"Do you intend to come around to answering the question any time soon?" Dunston's anger was beginning to get harder to hide, and Ezra took quiet satisfaction in the fact.
"Your initial question concerned my background. I am attempting to deal with that portion."
"I think the members of the jury have enough information, unless you were planning to tell them why you were kicked out of the FBI?"
"I resigned from the FBI."
"You ran before you could be charged."
Ezra bristled. He couldn't honestly deny the claim, and he knew he would not be given enough time to try to explain what he was thinking and feeling at the time. He doubted that he could.
"I choose to think of it as running to something, rather than away from anything. I had a better offer."
"And you are asking the court to believe that you are now a man above reproach, despite all of the early influences in your life?"
"Hardly. I have yet to meet any man completely above reproach. It is not the construct of human nature. It is how those baser instincts and inclinations are handled, how they are used or overcome, that makes a man respectable, accepted and fundamentally decent. What I was is not who I am. The six men I work with, who are men of honour and integrity, continue to try to convince me of this every day. It has taken some time, but I am learning to accept that as fact.
Jacob Standish saw it too, which is why he took the steps he did to ensure I was not a hindrance in his plans. It would seem at this point, the only person incapable of seeing it," apart from myself a good deal of the time, he added silently, "would be you, Mr. Dunston."
Dunston glared at him with his back to the jury, before turning to give them a look that clearly stated, 'can you believe that?' One look at them told him they did.
"No further questions." He took his seat, failing at hiding his displeasure with the turn of events.
"Cross examine Mr. Keller?"
"A few questions Your Honour. Agent Standish forgive me, but as the matter of your juvenile record has been raised, can you tell the court when your last arrest was?"
"I do not recall the exact date. I was 16 years old."
"And subsequent to that event, have you ever been placed in custody?"
"Only in matters pertaining to undercover work I have been involved with. Never on a legitimate basis."
"Have you ever broken any laws?"
"Well, I will concede to having a bit of a lead foot when driving on occasion." There was soft laughter in the room, and a notching down of some of the tension that had built up.
"Speeding issues aside," Keller smiled, "have you broken any laws since that time?"
"Again, there have been some infractions committed in the course of fulfilling my role in various undercover assignments both at the FBI and the ATF. All are fully documented. There were a few poker games in university, but beyond that, and in terms of what I believe you are trying to establish, as an individual, no, I have not broken any laws since I was 16 years old."
"And were any charges of wrongful actions, corruption, abuse of authority or any other offenses laid against you by the FBI?"
"They were not."
"Did you seek out employment with the ATF, or did they recruit you?"
"They approached me."
"Why?"
"You would have to ask them."
"Come now Agent Standish. Surely you wondered why the Bureau was so quick to try to bring you into their ranks. Did no one offer an explanation?"
Ezra hazarded a glance toward Chris. The supportive smile he found there came dangerously close to making him lose the composure he had been fighting to maintain since taking the stand. He hesitated again, reaching for the water glass that was now empty. The judge noted the acted and signalled to the bailiff to refill it. "Do you need a moment Agent Standish?" she asked.
"No, thank you. I am simply attempting to recall the explanation that was offered. I believe they indicated that the skills I had demonstrated in my past assignments were an asset the ATF was interested in exploiting."
"So, no mention was made of the numerous commendations and service awards you had received over the years you were with the FBI?"
"There may have been an allusion to them." Ezra couldn't stop from blushing slightly, knowing he was going to have a few words with Chris about sharing that conversation with anyone, let alone Keller.
"How many such notations are there in your file?"
"It is not something I keep track of."
"The Bureau does. Would you like the number?"
He was definitely going to kill Chris when this was done. "No."
"39." Ezra said nothing. "And in barely a third the time with the ATF you have 27 such notations." There was a murmur in the court which the judge silenced. "Wouldn't you suppose, then, that 66 such accolades might well be the reason Jacob Standish felt - knew - that you would have to be coerced or threatened into offering any hint of assistance to him? Wouldn't you suppose that your exemplary record would support your assertions and testimony as to the veracity of the reports on how this arrest occurred?"
"Your honour - Mr. Keller is badgering my witness." Dunston objected.
"I fail to see that singing his praises constitutes badgering Mr. Dunston. Sit down."
"Agent Standish?" Keller prodded.
"It is possible that Jacob would have expected be me to object, thereby creating the need to attempt a more devious approach.
"Agent Standish, did you plant the weapon used to murder Thomas Harvey in the room of Trevor Standish?"
"I did not."
"Did you ask any of your colleagues -?"
"I did not, and even if I had, they would not. Their honesty is not in question here."
"Did you hear Jacob Standish state Trevor had killed the guard?"
"Hearsay Your Honour." Dunston objected.
"Withdrawn." Keller was about to dismiss Ezra when the court doors opened and he was waved over to his desk. "If I could have a minute Your Honour?"
She nodded, and he moved to consult with the young legal aid who was looking uncommonly excited.
Ezra sat calmly on the stand, avoiding eye contact with anyone. The unflappable appearance camouflaged turmoil. He wanted this over. He wanted off the stand and away from here. As far away as possible. Knowing the Chris, Vin and Josiah were going to be waiting outside the courtroom didn't help. For the first time in a very long time, Ezra wanted nothing more than to run and hide from everything and everyone in his world.
"Your Honour. I have just been informed that, based on sworn statements from Michael Standish, which have now been corroborated by others and are supported by forensic evidence, Federal warrants have just been served on William Standish Jr. and David Standish and both men are under arrest for the attempted murder of Ezra Standish, and for their roles in what we now know was the premeditated murder of Security Guard Thomas Harvey. There is also an additional outstanding warrant now in place against William Standish Sr. on the same charges, as well as for ordering the attempts on Agent Standish. We are withdrawing the second- degree charges against Trevor Standish and refiling as first-degree."
"You son of a bitch." Trevor jumped out of his seat toward Ezra. He was restrained by security only a couple of seconds before Vin was behind him, pulling him back. "I shoulda killed you when I had the chance."
"Yes, there are few things more tragic than a squandered opportunity." Trevor lunged again, but Vin's near-death grip kept him under control.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, we thank you for your time, but you are dismissed. I would like to see both attorney's in my chambers immediately. Agent Standish," she smiled at him, "thank you as well. I hope you do not have to continue to relive this experience."
Ezra smiled back but didn't leave his seat as the courtroom cleared. His eyes followed Trevor's every angry step as he was dragged from the room. When he looked back, he knew the others were approaching.
"We can go out a side door if you want. Less exposure."
"I think we are past worrying about exposure at this point. I would hazard a guess that my undercover days are over."
"Nah, you're too much of a chameleon to worry about that. Bit of time, maybe a moustache - nobody will know you." Vin reassured him.
"We can worry about that down the line. You OK Ezra?" Chris didn't like the pallor, or the fact Ezra still remained seated.
"Knowing your family is trying to kill you, and hearing the charges read out in court are two very different sensations. Is it necessary to remain in San Francisco any longer?"
Vin pulled out his phone, showing flight information to his tired friend. "JD made the changes soon as he found out about this. We're outta here in about 4 hours. Just time to get to the hotel and pack up."
Ezra took the hint and stood, hoping he would be able to remain steady. They walked out and down the now quieter corridor. Any media covering the story would have been banished to the outer lobby, or more likely, out of the building. There might be a small gauntlet to face there, but together they could get through anything. They retrieved their weapons from security, left a note for Keller and left the complex.
They all stopped short halfway down the courthouse stairs, surprised to see Buck and Nathan rushing up the sidewalk.
"Don't you guys ever check your messages?" Buck called out as they got closer.
"We've been in court, remember? Phones off." Vin replied, reaching for his automatically.
"How come you're out already?" he asked. "No, never mind. That'll keep." Buck interrupted. "We need to get inside." The tone in his voice was all the encouragement Chris need and he reached out to take Ezra by the arm and was surprised to have him step away.
"What is going on?" he asked, taking a second step back. He had the feeling he knew, and instinctively was trying to put space between himself and the others. They clued in as well and began trying to form a protective circle around him. He turned to object when he saw the car slowing as it pulled closer, window lowered half way. No, this was not happening. The worst of all possible fates could not happen twice.
"Down!" He stretched out one arm to push Vin from the position he had taken in front of him, using the second to pull Chris back from the line of fire as well. He tried to reach for his gun an instant later but felt the burning pain in his chest before he had the chance. He heard more shots firing as he fell, tumbling down the stairs.
His world stopped for those seconds - he had no idea how many. He could hear the shooting, the shouts for everyone to get to cover. There was, he thought, a screech of brakes and a crashing sound. None of it fully registered, fighting as it was against the almost pathological need to ensure nothing happened to the others.
Ezra didn't need to be told who was behind this. It didn't matter to him the identities of the people in the car - he knew why there were here and who had sent them. If any of his team had even a scratch because of this, and assuming he survived to find out, he was going to ignore everything good and decent aspect of his character that they foolishly believed he had developed. He was going to hunt down every member of the Standish clan who had ever even thought about breaking a law and make absolutely certain that they could never again pose a risk to anyone. Consequences didn't matter. Punishment didn't matter. His life had no meaning other than to guarantee that the others were safe from his lineage.
The team scattered, intuitively looking for vantage points to defend themselves, and the others in the street. They had little chance to respond. The first shot from the car had alerted court security, who opened fire with an impressive response time. Seconds after it all started, the venue was quiet again, as the car rolled to a crashing stop against the concrete barricades. Both the driver and shooter were slumped over in their seats, and from where they stood the team could hear them being declared dead. They didn't really care, as attention focused on their own downed colleague.
"We need an ambulance!" Josiah was shouting as he knelt beside Ezra, cradling his head, keeping him from the hard sidewalk. "Take it easy son. You're gonna be just fine." He prayed he wasn't lying.
"Not again - couldn't let it happen again."
"Shh Ez. Don't try to talk." Nathan skidded to his side.
"Couldn't let - is anyone hurt?"
It was all too familiar a moment, and Chris understood Ezra's panicked tone. "Just you, so lie still. Nobody else was hit Ezra. Now do what Nathan is telling you to." He looked around, hoping he'd been right. He knew the team was alright but hadn't checked for bystanders. On first glance, no one else seemed to be down, and he wasn't hearing a lot of shouting, just confusion. Buck was running towards him from where he'd been checking out the wrecked car. He squatted next to Chris, speaking softly. "Was William shooting. And I know the driver from his picture." He switched his focus to Vin. "It was Dylan."
"No."
"Unless he has a twin. Obviously, the bastard was lying to you."
"Family trait."
"Hush Ezra." Vin admonished almost without thought. "I can't believe it. I was sure�"
"We were sure," Nathan corrected. "I bought the act too. Damn, he was so convincing."
Chris knew they were going to have to deal with this later, but there were more pressing concerns right now. "How did you guys know, and is there anyone else coming?"
Nathan went back to checking Ezra, so Buck answered. "David kids started talking - bragging that his old man was going to get Ezra today. Family is dumber than dirt. JD called us at the restaurant when he couldn't reach you. "
"They both dead?"
"Yup?"
"Thank God." Ezra gasped out.
Vin could hear a siren in the distance that he hoped was headed in their direction. He was following Nathan's guidance to hold pressure on the wound, but it was hard to do that with Ezra moaning in pain every time he pressed down. "I'm sorry Ezra, but this is what happens if you are going to keep stepping in front of bullets."
"Only taking what was rightfully mine."
"Stop talking." Nathan ordered. "You're gonna be fine, but you need to stay still. Bullet wasn't enough for you, you had to fall and bust up your arm as well. Swear to you Standish, sometimes I think you are more trouble than the rest of these guys put together." He grinned as he spoke.
"Yes," Ezra agreed with a wry grin of his own, "but you love me anyway." The grin faded as he slowly began drifting into unconsciousness.
Hoping he could still be heard, Josiah reassured him. "That we do son. That we do."
tbc
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