Chapter 11 #2
“I’d like to reserve the right to question the witness later,” Glen said.
“You may do so.” The judge picked up a sheet of paper and stared at it. “The court calls FrankGalloway to the stand.”
To Blue’s disgust, the troll ambled through the courtroom doorway and up to the front. He took his seat, the judge swore him in, and Cindy’s attorney started. “State your full name for the court, please.”
“FrancisNathanial Galloway,” he said, and Blue could hear the edge of sarcasm already seeping into his voice.
“And what is your relationship to those here today?”
“That man over there is my neighbor. Wallace,” he said, his voice raspy.
“How long has he lived next door to you?”
“About eight years,” Galloway said.
“And in that time, what kind of neighbor has he been?”
“Horrible!” Galloway yelled. “Grass waist high, beer cans everywhere, loud music, whores wandering in and out―”
“Objection, YourHonor!” Glen yelled. “He has no idea who those women are!”
“Sustained. You’ll refrain from calling anyone a prostitute unless you’ve paid them personally.” Galloway seemed to deflate a little at that.
“So women were coming in and out,” Mr.Casey reinforced.
“Yes, they were.”
“A lot?”
“All the damn time,” Galloway answered.
“And did he keep regular hours?”
“He was in and out all hours of the day and night, making all kinds of noise and disturbing the peace.”
Mr.Casey nodded. “And in all that time, did you ever see him with a child?”
“Not until the day I saw that baby in that basket on his porch. I knew that was a mistake.”
“Objection, your honor,” Glen called out.
“Sustained. Please refrain from personal opinion, Mr.Galloway.”
The old man snorted. Mr.Casey asked, “And since the baby’s been there?”
“He came over and threatened me one day,” Galloway said. “Said he’d kick my ass.” Blue figured Glen would object to that too, but he said nothing.
“Other than that, do you have any contact with him on a regular basis?” Mr.Casey asked.
Galloway snickered. “Not if I can help it.”
“Thank you.” Casey sat down and the judge pointed to Glen.
“Mr.Galloway, have you ever been inside Mr.Wallace’s home?” Glen asked as he stood and meandered toward the witness box.
“No.”
“Do you know where he works?”
“No.”
“Have you held a conversation with him before?”
“No.” Galloway seemed a little uncomfortable, and Blue wondered what Glen was up to.
“So, in reality, you know pretty much nothing about Mr.Wallace, is that correct?”
“I know he didn’t keep his place up.”
“But you just said you’d never been inside it.”
Galloway rolled his eyes. “No. Didn’t have to. The outside looked horrible.”
“Is this the house?” Glen picked up a picture and held it up. It was Blue’s house, the grass neatly mowed and the yard clean.
“Yeah, that’s it,” Galloway said with a nod.
“Let the record show that Mr.Galloway indicated this is a picture of Mr.Wallace’s home,” Glen said. “But it looks to me like the grass is mowed and the yard is very tidy. I thought you said it was a mess.”
“Well, it was,” Galloway said, his voice uncertain.
“And when was it that you noticed the yard and the outside of the house being so neatly maintained?”
“Um, well, it, uh―”
“Was it after the baby came to live with him?”
Blue wanted to cheer when Galloway’s face went red. “Yeah, it was.”
“So after the baby came to live with him, Mr.Wallace became a better neighbor and homeowner.”
“No! He threatened me,” Galloway said, and Blue’s heart sank.
“And why did he threaten you?” Glen asked.
“Because one of them brats what lives next to him threw a paper cup in my yard!” Galloway bellowed.
“So you saw them throw it?”
“No.”
“And when Mr. Wallace threatened you, what were you doing?”
“I was yelling at that girl to pick up her mess!” Galloway shouted.
“Didn’t Mr.Wallace tell you that he probably accidentally ran over the cup with the mower, that he was sorry, and he’d pick it up?
” Galloway opened his mouth to speak, but Glen said, “And didn’t you tell him no, that you’d have him charged with trespassing if he picked it up?
” When Galloway tried again, Glen asked, “And didn’t you threaten the child? ”
“Objection, YourHonor. Leading the witness,” Casey called out.
Galloway was so furious that everyone in the courtroom could see him trembling. “The hell you say! He ain’t leading me nowhere. I told that kid if she ever threw anything else in my yard, I’d whup her. And Wallace told me he’d kick my ass if I ever talked to her like that again!” Galloway said.
Blue could’ve sworn he heard the judge snicker.
“Thank you. That’s all,” Glen said and sat down.
“You may go, Mr.Galloway,” JudgeHargrove told the old man, and he climbed down out of the witness box and stormed out of the courtroom. As he disappeared out the doorway, the judge said, “The court calls DavidTurner.”
Blue almost groaned out load. As Turdbucket passed him, the man leered at Blue.
Once he was sworn in, Casey started his questions.
He had Turner state his name, how he knew Blue, and how long Blue had worked for him.
Turner answered his questions and told them Blue had been a horrible employee, had wanted off all the time, and was totally unreliable before he was fired.
Then it was Glen’s turn to question him. “So if I understand correctly, you fired Mr.Wallace because he had to meet with a social worker.”
“Yeah. Shouldn’t have been involved with raising a kid anyway. He knows nothing about kids.”
“Most new parents don’t either the first time around. And wasn’t there a day when you made him take an entire day off without pay when you could’ve just let him leave early to take the baby to the pediatrician?”
“Yeah. What of it?”
“How much was Mr.Wallace making at the time of his release?”
“Nine dollars an hour.” Hearing that announced out loud humiliated Blue.
“And no vacation days or sick days, am I correct?”
“No. I don’t have the luxury of letting people do nothing and paying them for it.”
“Insurance?” When Turner gave him a quizzical look, Glen said, “You didn’t provide insurance for him, did you?”
“No. I can’t afford that either.”
“Just wanted to be clear on that. No more questions, YourHonor.”
“Thank you, Mr.Turner. You may leave.” Turner didn’t even look at Blue as he walked past the table where the younger man sat. The judge looked at the sheet of paper he had in front of him and said, “The court calls VeronicaStanley.”
A young woman Blue had never seen before sashayed up the aisle and into the witness box.
She testified that Cindy was a wonderful person, loved her baby, and had never done anything she wasn’t supposed to.
When Casey was finished, the judge looked at Glen.
He just shrugged and said, “I have no questions for Ms.Stanley, your honor.” When Blue glanced at him, Glen leaned in and whispered, “Her testimony did nothing. Don’t worry about it,” so Blue nodded and sat there, waiting.
The judge looked at the sheet he held and said, “Okay. Fifteen-minute break. And I’d like to see the attorneys in chambers for the first five.”
Blue turned to Glen, but the attorney just shrugged and whispered, “Stay away from her. Don’t talk to her. Go in the men’s room and wait until I come for you.”
“Okay.” Blue couldn’t imagine what was up.
The restroom in the courthouse had a small lounge area with a bench, so Blue sat and thought.
He knew Anne was out front, and he desperately wanted to go out and sit with her, hold her hand, and have her tell him everything would be okay, but that wasn’t allowed.
He’d been sitting there, trying to keep from shaking, when Glen stepped in.
Blue looked up in curiosity as the lawyer sat down beside him.
“JudgeHargrove was worried about you. He said he thought there were a couple of times in there when you weren’t breathing. You’ve got to try to calm down.”
“Calm down?” Blue whispered hoarsely. “There are people in there who don’t know me or Indigo, and they’re deciding her fate! And I’m supposed to calm down? I wouldn’t know how to even begin to do that.”
“Just take some deep breaths and have faith. I actually think this is going pretty well. It’ll go even better when I get you on the stand and they find out who you are and what you’ve done with your life.”
“Well, okay. I guess that makes me feel a little better,” Blue muttered. He was afraid his legs would give out when he stood, but he got to his feet when Glen rose and they headed back to the courtroom.
The first witness was the pediatrician. She stated that Indigo hadn’t received her routine immunizations, even though Cindy had been counseled on the importance of them, but they were caught up, thanks to Blue.
That definitely helped his case. When Mr.Casey asked for the records, they were denied him except for the few they’d entered into evidence.
Devon came in next, and Blue wondered what they’d ask him. Mr.Casey passed initially, so Glen started first with, “How long have you known Mr.Wallace?”
“Five years, give or take a few months. He plays in a band with me and a few other guys,” Devon said and smiled.
“And what kind of guy is he?”
“He’s a good guy. He used to have a lot of problems, but he’s really gotten his act together.”
Glen asked the question Blue had been sure Casey would ask. “Problems? What kind of problems?”
Devon was cool as an iceberg. “I think he had it rough growing up. He used to be really abrasive, kind of a smart ass,” he said, then looked to the judge. “Oh, sorry, YourHonor.”
“You’re fine. Continue.”
“Yeah, kind of a smart aleck,” Devon said, grinning. “But lately he’s been real mellow. And he’s an awesome singer and songwriter. Plus he plays a mean bass.”
“Does he get paid for playing with this band?”
Devon nodded. “Yep. We don’t make a lot, but we enjoy it, and he’s gotten to showcase some of his songs there. You know, he’s―”