AUTHORS NOTE: First of two uploads today as I just kept writing and it became a bit too long, so I made it into two chapters. I want to make it clear I have no idea how a court process works, and as such I may have let my imagination run riot and I may also have wandered into the realms of melodrama with what happens in the following chapters. Remember it is fiction and enjoy.
CHAPTER 158
I am pulled from my memories of today by someone speaking my name. I look up and see everyone is looking in my direction.
"Sorry, what did you say?" I ask as I feel myself flush with embarrassment.
Uncle Christian smiles kindly at me, "I said, are you ok as you seem very quiet this evening Jared?"
I nod, "Yeah, sorry I was just going over today, what I said and trying to figure out if I could've done anything differently" I say with a shrug.
Dad shakes his head, and I hear a chorus of no's from around the table.
Uncle Christian leans forward, "Listen to me Jared, you did everything right. You told your story and you didn't let that defence lawyer get any opening with you. You saw where he was going with his questioning and you shut him down. I was incredibly impressed with how you handled everything".
"Thanks" I say slightly embarrassed but also relieved that as far as my family are concerned, I did my bit well and didn't let anyone down.
After I had given my evidence, the security guys went up and gave theirs. They were calm, concise and accurate to an almost anal degree. I think they all must have military backgrounds the way they handled themselves. Geoff Welch was interesting when he took the stand. Not only did he give evidence of the night in question but he also offered insight into the evidence we had gathered against Uncle Phil. Then when Jerry Barnett gave his evidence and confirmed everything that the security guys and Geoff Welch said and detailed his conversations with Uncle Phil, which confirmed all the text messages which Arash had shown to the jury, those were once again shown just to hammer the message home in case anyone had any reasonable doubt. Jerry Barnett had also reiterated his regret at killing my dad and said that was a complete accident and he had never meant to do it, and he told how after that had happened how Uncle Phil became almost obsessed with the idea of killing me when he realised, he wasn't named in dad's will. When questioned by the defence and they tried to cast doubt on his reliability as a witness and that he was just basically saying what he was saying to get himself off the hook he had smiled and shook his head, and said 'well considering I've admitted my part in all this and I have been convicted of my part in everything that I did I'd hardly call that getting myself off the hook'.
After that, the judge had adjourned the trial and tomorrow the first person up is Aunty Bev. I am looking forward to hearing her testimony as hers isn't cut and dried as everyone else's, mine was purely from a victim standpoint the security guys was more objective and stating the facts of Uncle Phil's guilt. The part she played was more like Jerry Barnett but was also more complex and as such could prove to be the most damning for Uncle Phil.
oooOOOooo
The next day…
Ok here we go again. Once more I am sitting in the courtroom, dad is one side of me and mom is the other. Uncle Christian, Uncle Elliot and Aunty Ana are once again directly behind me and it feels familiar… like deja vous… groundhog day. I watch as Uncle Phil and his lawyer appear and I look at him. He glares back at me trying to intimidate me, trying to regain his control over me but I am no longer scared of him and so I just glare right back. I just want him to get what he deserves and get justice for my aunt and uncle who needlessly died because of his greed. I watch as he averts his eyes first and I smile. There seems to be something different about him today, he looks on edge and it hits me why. I nudge dad and he leans down towards me.
"Look at Uncle Phil he looks strung out" I whisper. Dad looks in that direction and nods.
"He does, this could be interesting if he is on edge" he says quietly.
We all stand up as the judge appears and the trial resumes, the DA stands and calls his next witness.
"I'd like to call Beverley Martin to the stand" the DA says with a level of smug confidence. I look across at Uncle Phil as he says this and I see the anger in his eyes. He balls his hands into fists and I watch as he tries to intimidate Aunty Bev. She stoically ignores him as she takes the stand and the oath. The jury watch her curiously and I notice they too are watching Uncle Phil's reaction towards her.
"If you could state your full name and your relationship to the accused" the DA says.
Aunty Bev nods, "My name is Beverley Anne Martin and I am Philip Martin's wife… ex-wife now".
"At the time of the murder of Peter Martin and Suzanne Martin, you were legally married to Philip Martin?" the DA asks and Aunty Bev nods.
"Yes, I still am… unfortunately, but I'm in the process of divorcing that monster after everything he has put me through" she states bitterly.
"You are not so innocent" Uncle Phil shouts and his lawyer immediately puts his hand on Uncle Phil's arm and whispers furiously in his ear.
"Silence" the judge commands and glares at Uncle Phil. He turns to Aunty Bev, "Please continue" he says, before also looking at the DA who just nods.
"Hmm, he really is on edge" dad whispers in my ear and I nod.
"Mrs Martin, in your own words can you describe the timeline and how events unfolded from when William and Angela Martin were murdered to where we are now".
"Objection not relevant" the defence lawyer cries.
The judge hesitates and looks at the DA, "What are your reasons and relevance for taking things back to the deaths of William and Angela Martin?" he asks calmly.
The DA nods, "To give the jury all the facts of how the deaths were linked. It is imperative that it is shown how the series of events escalated to the point they did" he states calmly.
The judge nods, "I'll allow it but make it brief" he says.
The DA nods and looks expectantly at Aunty Bev.
"Yes sir" Aunty Bev stammers as she glances from the judge to the DA. She takes a deep breath and clears her throat.
"Phil… he has a problem with drugs. I tried to help him, Bill… William Martin tried to help him but he kept relapsing. He spent all the disposable income on his habit and he started taking money from his company to fund his habit. When things got bad he would go to Bill and beg for a handout, claiming business was poor. Bill being his brother tried to help him many times. Until he discovered what he really wanted the money for".
"How did William Martin find out about Philip's drug problem?" the DA asks.
Aunty Bev swallows hard, "I told Angie, I couldn't deal with it anymore and I told Angie because I knew she would tell Bill and I was hoping he would help Phil and get him to see sense… like an intervention or something".
"What happened?" the DA asks.
Aunty Bev sighs, "Bill showed up and basically told Phil he was cutting him off if he didn't go to rehab and get clean. He demanded to know the extent of his problem and how much he owed and who he owed it to. Phil gave him his phone… the one he kept for his dealings with Jerry Barnett. Bill called Jerry and asked how much was owed. He told Jerry he would clear Phil's debt on the condition that he never sold drugs to him again and that he never contacted him or took a call from Phil again. Jerry agreed… he just wanted his money. Phil wasn't happy, he didn't like the way Bill came in and as he saw it took over. He was a very controlling man and he liked everything his way. He certainly didn't like being told what to do. So, he refused to go to rehab and so Bill stuck to his word and cut him off. He kept using and to be fair, Jerry refused to sell him drugs to begin with and tried to distance himself from Phil but eventually he started dealing with him again. It wasn't long before Phil was in a large amount of debt once more. That was when he came up with an idea of kidnapping Jared to get the money out of Bill because he knew he wouldn't bail him out again… he was also pissed off at Bill for what he saw as interfering and also for cutting him off. He called Bill and said he was ready to go to rehab and he was sorry and could he meet and sit down for lunch to discuss how it was going to pan out. Bill being a good brother immediately agreed. Phil suggested bringing Angie and Jared and that after lunch he and Bill could discuss what was going to happen. I tried to talk him out of doing what he was planning, but he threatened me… he held a gun to my head and said if I tipped off Bill or Angie and ruined this for him he would kill me. I was scared so I reluctantly went along with the plan".
"Can you outline the events of that day as you recall them?" the DA asks.
Aunty Bev nods and I see tears forming in her eyes. "He… we, we arranged to meet Bill, Angie and Jared. We waited, and we saw them walking towards us. I spotted Jerry Barnett following them in his car. I wanted to warn them but Phil had brought his gun and I knew he wouldn't be afraid to use it. He had changed, he was desperate all he could see was getting this money. As they reached us and Bill was telling Phil how proud he was of him to be admitting his problem and taking the first step to getting clean a gunshot rang out. I don't know what happened but it sounded weird like it had hit something. That was supposed to cause a distraction and it did, but Angie and Bill immediately panicked and tried to protect Jared. There was no way Jerry could snatch Jared because Angie had grabbed him towards her so he fired again to try but Bill was also desperately trying to protect his family and got in the line of fire… and he got hit in the head, he was dead before he hit the ground. I saw the look on Jerry Barnett's face and he was cursing… he said that wasn't meant to happen, he said 'I didn't mean to do that', and he glared at Phil and told him he was out he said this wasn't part of the plan and he ran off got in his car and drove off. Phil was beside himself now, he knew that Angie would've heard all that and he pulled his gun from his belt. I was begging him to think about this and not to do what he was obviously planning… he told me to shut up or I would end up dead right along with them. He yanked his brother away who was obviously dead and Angie looked up at him the look on her face told me she'd heard everything and as she opened her mouth to speak he just shot her. He looked down and saw Jared was unconscious and he thought for a moment before handing me the gun and telling me to get rid of it. I did as I was told as I was too terrified to do any other".
"So, you are saying he spared Jared?" the DA asks and Aunty Bev nods.
"Yes sir, although I think if Jared had been conscious he would've killed him too, but that was when he realised that if he played the correct game then he still might end up winning and getting the money he wanted".
"Objection the witness has no idea what Mr Martin was thinking" the defence lawyer says.
Aunty Bev turns towards him and nods "Yes I do, because he said it. He said well at least he doesn't have to die yet".
I feel as though a bucket of cold water has just been poured over me at that, so he was going to kill me right then. I could've been killed before I even made the decision to find out the truth about my dad. I unconsciously reach for dad's hand and he doesn't hesitate and grips my hand tightly. I feel a hand on my shoulder and I turn to see it is Uncle Christian offering me his silent support. Mom wraps her arm around me and slowly the shock of what I have just heard wears off as I feel the unconditional love and support of my family around me.
The defence lawyer sits down without another word.
"What was his plan? Are you aware of what his game was?" the DA asks calmly.
"I came back from hiding the gun and then the police arrived… and paramedics, he played the part of grieving brother and concerned uncle to Jared. He said he had no idea what had happened and that we were meeting up and then he heard shots and the next thing he knew his brother and sister-in-law were dead. Paramedics worked on Jared and he came round and Phil played the part of concerned uncle… he played it a little too well and he was given guardianship of Jared. He called Jerry and I heard him planning, he said that he hadn't ratted him out and that he would be able to pay back Jerry as soon as Bill's will was read. That didn't go as planned though. When it became apparent that Bill had left everything to Jared in trust that was when things turned really dark. He called Jerry and asked for some drugs, Jerry refused on the grounds he owed him too much already. Phil told him he had kept quiet about his involvement in Bill's death so he owed him, that was when he said he was going to kill Jared and claim his inheritance and that would clear his debt".
"So, to be clear he planned to kill Jared for his inheritance?" the DA asks and Bev nods.
"Yes sir, he was going to feed him drugs and overdose him, and then play the part of distraught uncle whose nephew had turned to drugs after the loss of his parents. Things changed though when Jared then decided he wanted to find out about his biological family… we knew the story, we always thought something wasn't right and we wondered if Gideon Cross was really Jared's father the way everything was done in the adoption. But that set Phil's mind thinking, he thought that if he helped Jared do this and Gideon Cross was his father then he could extort money from him one way or another… if the story was true and Gideon Cross did wash his hands of his son then he would blackmail him by threatening to go to the media or if he took an interest in Jared, he would encourage that try and offload Jared on to him and then implement the kidnap plan once more. He believed he had it all worked out. Also he figured that if Gideon Cross had nothing to do with Jared then he would resort back to his original plan of overdosing Jared… he had had it all worked out and as far as he could see it was a win, win situation and one way or another he was going to get some money somehow. However, things changed when Jared met Gideon. He wasn't prepared for the fact that Christian Grey was involved as well and I think from what Phil said Jared warned them that Phil was going to try and blackmail Gideon Cross and he was persuaded that if he did it wasn't going to end well for him. Jared met Gideon and he told him about the abuse he had suffered… and Gideon got him away from us. That was when he got Peter and Suzanne involved, they had come to try and take Jared before but the authorities felt Jared should stay in Chicago rather than be sent to Seattle. When Gideon Cross got everything in place for Jared to go with Peter and Suzanne Phil was so angry… he had ruined his plans. He wasn't thinking clearly at that point and he called me as the police were holding him on the child abuse charges. I was supposed to stop Jared from collecting his belongings, to stop him going. That failed and Phil just lost the plot completely after that… he called Jerry and told him the kidnap plan was back on, but he wanted no fuck ups this time or he would go to the police and tell them that he was responsible for Bill's death. He told him that Pete and Suzy had to be got rid of as he didn't want anyone else in the frame to inherit Jared's money from Bill. He said Jerry was to take Jared and when Gideon Cross paid up the ransom he was to kill Jared. But the plan failed… but not before Jerry murdered Peter and Suzanne but every part of what happened that night was all Phil's idea".
You can hear a pin drop in the courtroom, but then suddenly that is broken by Uncle Phil. "You fucking bitch!" he hollers.
"Silence, control your client or I will be forced to hold him in contempt" the judge shouts.
The defence lawyer is talking to Uncle Phil trying to calm him down. But he shakes his head.
"I'm not listening to you… you told me pleading guilty to all that other shit with Bill would get me a lighter sentence, I'm going to prison for the rest of my fucking life because of you. I want to get my control back over that fucking brat, he has ruined my fucking life. I wanted to make that fucking brat squirm, make him relive everything and I wanted to fucking break him with those memories as he relived them. All you had to do was break him down on that stand, make him fucking suffer and you failed to do it. A thirteen-year-old kid outwitted you and look at him he is sitting there with his fucking billionaire family with his fucking inheritance from my brother which should've been mine. He wasn't even a real fucking Martin. Bill wasn't his father, that rich bastard is. I was Bill's blood and he gave all his money to that fucking brat who had no right to it. I had to sit in the fucking court in Chicago and hear that brat mouth off at me telling me I wasn't the real Martin. Well, fuck you! Fuck you all I did it and it would've fucking worked if I wasn't working with fucking incompetence all the way. I should've taken my gun and fucking shot that brat myself that day in Chicago and saved myself all this".
Police drag Uncle Phil still screaming from the courtroom. The defence lawyer stands and asks to approach the bench. He does so and the judge asks the DA to approach as well. We watch as they talk and the DA grins as he makes his way back to us.
"They've thrown in the towel. He refuses to defend him any longer after that outburst where he basically admitted everything he did" he says with satisfaction.
"So, what happens now?" I ask as I try and process everything that I've just heard.
The DA shrugs and lets out a sigh, "That's up to the judge, he could call a mistrial and we may have to go through this again. I am doing all I can to argue against that and for looking to use Phil's outburst against him right now. Should another trial be held we can use that as further evidence of his guilt, plus there is the fact his defence refuses to represent him now so it would mean Phil either representing himself or getting himself a new lawyer. Right now, I am pushing for the defence to use that outburst and his admission as a change in plea to guilty. They are onboard with that, the judge has the final say though. For now, though we are adjourning until tomorrow, letting the judge sleep on it and hopefully giving Phil chance to calm down".
"So… dad and Uncle Christian won't have to testify now?" I ask.
"I honestly don't know Jared, we will have to see what happens tomorrow and what the judge decides to do" he says.
"Dad, what do you think is going to happen tomorrow?" I ask.
Dad just looks at me and shakes his head.
"I don't know, but whatever happens I think Philip Martin has completely destroyed any chance of coming out of this well" he says.
oooOOOooo
The next day…
We arrive at the court and I am filled with trepidation. I have no idea what is going to happen, we walk in once more and once again I feel like it is Groundhog Day. We are following the same pattern as the past two days we take our seats and wait. The DA joins us and leans down to speak.
"So, the idiot has decided to represent himself, thankfully that means he is probably going to mess things up even more. He sees it as taking back control. Not sure what is going to happen now but Philip Martin seems to be convinced he can pull this around and win".
Dad snorts, "Well then I think we should disabuse him of that notion" he says.
The DA grins, "Quite" he says, then he looks at me sympathetically, "Are you ok with this… farce continuing Jared? It is clear now that the only thing on Philip Martin's mind is trying to destroy you completely and that is why he is drawing this out… now the judge will ask for my input before he makes his decision. I need to know what you want as there is the chance he could put an end to it and call a mistrial".
I look up at the DA, "I don't want that, I don't want to go through this again. Especially if in a new trial Uncle Phil represents himself which is more than a possibility. I couldn't handle being questioned by him. No, I want this to continue as is, until the end if he won't change his plea".
The DA nods, "Then that is what I'll call for. There is only Christian and Gideon left to testify and those are the emotional perspectives to the story. I think this will work in our favour as Philip will be cross examining you and hopefully I will be able to pull apart his questioning".
"Who does he have… who is speaking for the defence?" I ask suddenly as I realise that if this continues that the defence will need to call their witnesses.
The DA grins, "Just him" he says.
"So, he can't question himself so what will happen?" I ask in confusion.
The DA grins, "Exactly, I get to cross examine him from the get go and pull apart his own defence as he tries to give it" he says.
I look up as the judge appears and the DA moves to take his place.
The judge glares at Uncle Phil, "After the appalling spectacle in my courtroom yesterday I am severely tempted to put an end to this, if the prosecution would approach the bench" he says.
The DA walks up and puts what we want to happen to the judge. He listens and glances across at me and then nods. He looks at Uncle Phil.
"If the defence would approach the bench" he says coldly.
Uncle Phil stands up, "I'm representing myself now, and I apologise for my outburst yesterday" he says confidently, but makes no move to approach the bench. I roll my eyes, he is still trying to maintain control, but ignoring what the judge says isn't going to do him any favours.
"If the defence would approach the bench" the judge says a little more sharply.
Uncle Phil nods and shuffles over to the bench, he is still shackled and he looks a pathetic sight.
"Well if that right there doesn't scream his guilt nothing does" I whisper to dad who just nods.
I watch as Uncle Phil apologises once more and the judge speaks to him before dismissing him back to his seat.
He thinks for a moment, "This is highly irregular, but both parties want to reach a conclusion in the case without having to start over. I am prepared to accept those requests on the condition that scenes the like of yesterday do not repeat themselves".
Uncle Phil grins triumphantly and nods his head, while the DA just smirks right back.
"I think that giving him enough rope to hang himself with is the right way to go" Uncle Christian whispers in my ear and presses his hand on my shoulder.
The DA stands, "I would like to call Christian Grey to the stand" he says. I hear Uncle Christian stand up and I look round at him and meeting his gaze he gives me a little wink before fastening his jacket and walking confidently to the stand. He takes the oath and as his impassive CEO mask falls into place he waits.
"If you could state your full name" the DA says.
"My name is Christian Trevellyan Grey" he says simply.
"Mr Grey, can you explain how you came to be involved in the death's of Peter and Suzanne Martin?" the DA asks.
Uncle Christian nods, "I can, on the night in question I was getting ready to leave the office for the evening when Jared called me. He called me because he was frightened, he had seen Jerry Barnett in Seattle a number of times that day and he said it appeared to him that the man was following him through the day. At that point the man was parked up outside his home. He was frightened because he knew this man had previously visited his uncle in Chicago and that he had no reason to be in Seattle. I agreed with him and raised the alarm".
"Why would Jared be afraid of this man? Couldn't it be simply a case of his Uncle reaching out?" the DA asks.
Uncle Christian shakes his head, "No, Jared had previously witnessed this man in Philip Martin's home. The man had in Jared's words freaked out when Jared had seen him, resulting in Philip Martin threatening Jared with a gun. Jared had witnessed Jerry Barnett and his uncle involved in what Jared described as a drugs deal".
"I see, so when Jared saw this man in Seattle he called you?" the DA asks.
Uncle Christian nods, "He did" he replies simply.
"Why?" the DA asks. "Why would he call you? It has been established that Gideon Cross is Jared's biological father, so why would he call you?"
Uncle Christian looks directly at the DA, "Because, we told him to. Gideon lives in New York, which is over 2,000 miles away. I however, lived a couple of miles down the road and work even closer to where Jared was living. I was able to raise the alarm and physically get to Jared quicker than Gideon could" he says.
"Why would you do that Mr Grey?" the DA asks.
Uncle Christian stares at the DA with an intensity which actually makes me shiver. "Because Jared is my nephew, he is as much my family as Gideon's. I take care of my family. It is public record that my wife is the biological sister of Eva Cross, Gideon's wife which makes Gideon my brother-in-law. Jared is Gideon's son ergo I am his uncle" he states firmly.
The DA nods, "So you raised the alarm and went to Jared's aid, can you in your own words take us through the events of that evening".
Uncle Christian nods, "I can, Jared called me, I could hear the fear in his voice and he was also worried he kept trying to justify why he had called me. I reassured him he had done the right thing. I asked him where he was, and when he told me he was in his bedroom doing his homework I told him to stay there. I told him I was raising the alarm and I was coming to get him. I also told him that if he felt threatened or if the situation escalated before I was able to reach him to find somewhere to hide and to stay safe. I told him I was hanging up on him so that I could raise the alarm but that I was coming to get him" he says.
I smile as I remember that night and how he kept reassuring me that he was coming for me.
"My personal security and I left and made our way to Jared's aunt and uncles home. I realised I needed to call Gideon and bring him up to speed on what was happening. I was assured by Jason Taylor that by now Gideon would be aware that there was an issue after he had raised the alarm. I called Gideon and he was clearly frantic and demanded to know what was going on. I told him what I knew, and assured him that I was on route to Jared. He told me he was in the process of flying out and begged me to keep his son safe, I assured him I would. He told me he was going to ring Jared himself and assure him he was coming to Seattle. We ended the call and a few minutes later Jared called me in a panic saying he had heard gunshots. I asked him if he was hiding as I told him to and he assured me he was. He was incredibly frightened and I stayed on the phone with him to reassure him that I was coming. He told me he had spoken to Gideon and that Gideon had promised him he was also coming. I had arrived at the house and I was, by that point in time, aware that Jared's aunt and uncle were dead. I told Jared to stay where he was and I would come and get him. I said that because I didn't want him to see his dead aunt and uncle. He told me he could hear voices and I told him that was my security and that we had caught the man who had broken into his home. I entered the house and was taken to the scene. I didn't approach any further than the doorway so to not contaminate the scene and I asked Jared where he was and he led me to his room by giving me directions. I entered his room and told him he was safe to come out. He emerged from the space in the dry wall in his closet. I helped him out and we talked, he was clearly frightened and in shock and I told him he was coming with me to my home. He mentioned his aunt and uncle and I had to inform him they were dead. He went into shock and I tried to offer him what comfort I could. I packed a bag for him, and we also made contact with Gideon so that he could be reassured Jared was safe".
"Can you tell me what happened after you removed Jared from his aunt and uncle's home?" the DA asks.
I nod, "I was on auto pilot, I knew I had to take care of Jared and I had to protect him from what was happening downstairs. I got him out and Jason Taylor told me that the police wanted to question Jared. I told him that he was in no fit state tonight and that they could wait. Jason Taylor told me that he had already advised the police of that and the police were agreeable to it as Jared hadn't actually visually witnessed anything. I was anxious to get Jared to safety and to get him some help to process the events of the evening. On the car journey home I spoke to my wife and outlined what had happened, I told her that Gideon was flying in and asked her to get Caroline – my therapist to be there at the house for when we arrived. Jared wanted Gideon and so I text him to find out if he could call. He did and video called Jared from his plane. Jared maintained physical contact with me throughout the journey whilst talking to Gideon on his phone".
"Maintained physical contact with you?" the DA asks.
Uncle Christian nods, "He kept his hand on my arm and when we left the car, he held my hand. He kept hold of my hand for most of the night, and also kept talking to Gideon. He never broke that physical contact with me all night".
"Can you explain how you became aware of the fact that Philip Martin was allegedly involved in the deaths of Peter and Suzanne Martin?"
Uncle Christian nods, "I became aware of that fact very quickly. My security informed me that Jerry Barnett was talking. He had been caught at the scene and as such was talking to them, telling them of Philip Martin's plan. Obviously, we were sceptical at first of this information as we believed his claims could be purely to shift the blame. But as my security have already testified, we gathered information and evidence which proved Jerry Barnett's claims. We gained even more confidence in his claims after we visited Chicago, and saw the CCTV footage of the murder of William and Angela Martin and the visual footage we saw corroborated Jerry Barnett's story completely; therefore we had no reason to question his story and we accepted that he was telling the truth now about Philip Martin's involvement in the deaths of Peter and Suzanne Martin".
"Thank you Mr Grey, no further questions" the DA says and sits down.
I look at Uncle Phil and he sits there, it is clear he has no idea what to do, he can't refute anything Uncle Christian has said because he admitted to it in his outburst yesterday.
He stands up, "Mr Grey, you threatened me when we first met in Chicago" he says.
The DA stands up "Objection irelevent" he calls.
The judge nods, "Sustained".
Uncle Phil looks angry and points at Uncle Christian, "It is not irelevent, he threatened me, he said that if I did anything he would destroy me".
The judge looks at Uncle Phil, "I am incredibly close to losing my patience with you Mr Martin. Either direct a relevant question to the witness or sit down".
Uncle Phil stares at the judge and his jaw is ticking, he is angry because he is being told what to do and he doesn't like it. To my surprise the DA stands up.
"If Mr Martin feels this is pertinent to his defence and is able to phrase his claims as a question I am interested to hear how it links with this case" he says.
Uncle Christian glances at the DA and nods, "I'm happy to answer" he says simply and I can almost see the cogs turning in Uncle Christian's mind.
Uncle Phil hesitates a moment and then stands up, "On the day we first met you all in Chicago isn't it true you threatened me?" he asks.
Uncle Christian just calmly nods, "Indeed it is, we were at the Finding Family offices awaiting the arrival of Jared so that my brother-in-law Gideon Cross could meet his son for the first time. A member of the Finding Family team came in and advised us of that arrival. We were also advised that Philip Martin had accompanied his nephew and was at that point in time trying to bully Jared into attending the initial meeting with Gideon, as he didn't want him meeting Gideon alone. Jared wanted to meet his biological father alone without anyone else present. We had already been advised by the Finding Family representative that the uncle had previously raised what they called 'red flags' by comments he had made during their interaction. I acted as an intermediary that day and met Jared first and I witnessed first hand Philip Martin's unacceptable behaviour, towards his nephew. I took Jared to meet his father, as I did so Jared warned me that Philip Martin was planning to try and capitalise on the link between himself and Gideon Cross. He didn't know at that point what Martin was planning but he was worried that Philip Martin would in his words, cause trouble for us. I reassured him and took him to meet his father. I left them and returned to Philip Martin and told him that Jared had told me some interesting things about him. He became agitated by that remark and I told him what Jared had said, and warned him that I would not allow that to happen".
"You said you would destroy me" Uncle Phil shouts.
Uncle Christian stares at him impassively, "I did, I admit those were the words I used. It was a turn of phrase; a metaphor and I used them in the context of financial and reputational destruction. I am a globally recognisable figure and as such I don't go around murdering people, which is what I assume you are now implying" he says arrogantly. Uncle Phil opens his mouth and closes it again, but Uncle Christian continues, and I grin as I realise he is going to 'destroy' him right now.
"So, now we have the context of my words confirmed I will explain to you the meaning and my intention. If you decided to try and blackmail or threaten my brother-in-law with his relationship with Jared, which is what we all were assuming you would do – Jared included. I would stand next to my brother-in-law and fight to discredit you – to destroy you. It has since been established in the testimony from your wife that was indeed one of the plans you had, you wanted to extort money from my brother-in-law in some way. However, at that point, the levels you were planning to stoop to were unknown to us. That is why you were desperate to accompany Jared into the meeting with Gideon as you didn't want him warning us. However, he had already warned me when I accompanied him to meet his father and then he went on to tell Gideon of your abusive behaviour towards him. Behaviour which you have since been convicted of in Chicago. Behaviour which I am certain you did not want Jared to divulge that day, which brings us back to where we started with this line of questioning which is your behaviour that day, when you were desperate to accompany Jared into the initial meeting with his father. You did not want Jared to be free to tell us anything which could derail your plans, you wanted to be there to control what he said and did. Control which you freely admitted yesterday in your tirade that you felt had slipped away from you and you were desperate to regain".
Uncle Phil is staring at Uncle Christian his mouth opening and shutting but nothing is coming out.
The DA stands up, "Do you have any further questions for the witness?" he asks.
Uncle Phil shakes his head, "No" he says quietly.
The judge looks at Uncle Christian, "You are free to step down" he says.
Uncle Christian steps down his impassive mask firmly in place but as he reaches me he grins and winks at me.