Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
BANNER
I wasn’t sure she would come. Even as we approached the courtroom, I reminded her that there was no pressure for her to be here. It wasn’t about me or my parents—it was about what’s best for Sorrow.
She insisted on braving it out today, knowing this was the last day.
Even so, my parents were taking the stand today, and they’d do whatever it took to discredit Sorrow.
It didn’t matter what came out yesterday.
Plus, I think the chief is taking the stand, yet again, so the prosecution can ask him a few more questions.
It was going to take its toll, but all of us were ready and waiting to get her out of here if she needed us to.
I was sitting in the middle of Katy and Sorrow today, offering each of them a hand for support. Katy seemed extra fidgety, but I guess that’s to be expected. Her whole life had been thrown a curveball.
My mother is up first. She has a tissue in her hand and her crocodile tears ready to go. Fredrick questions her first, giving her a chance to appeal to the jury.
“Explain what your relationship was like with Miss Wells.”
“She was quiet, and it was obvious she had struggles. I knew who her mother was, of course, but I didn’t hold it against the child. In fact, I welcomed her into our family.”
“You fed Miss Wells, correct?”
“Oh yes, many times, or she wouldn’t eat. John helped her with her homework, and we both made sure she got home safely in the evenings.”
“And this went on for a while?”
“Oh yes, years.”
“When did things change?”
“It’s hard to pinpoint when things began to change exactly. It was a gradual thing, but it was when she and Alec became a couple that things became more noticeable.”
“How so?”
“Little things, really. She would be happy one minute, then snappy and standoffish the next. She was very focused on herself, which I understand. Her home life wasn’t great, but she started making Alec feel bad for having a loving family.
In the end, she began isolating him from us.
She started causing fights, manipulating situations to make us seem like the bad guys, and putting Alec in a position that left him feeling torn between the girl he loved and his family.
I think it was those actions that had him reevaluating things. ”
“How was he reevaluating things?”
“He was talking about moving farther away for college, making a clean break from Sorrow. He felt obligated to make sure she was okay, but he knew it wasn’t the right reason to stay.”
“What happened the night of the crash?”
She wipes her fake tears as I stare at her in disgust. The way she lies so effortlessly makes my skin crawl. It has me questioning everything that ever came out of her mouth.
“They fought.”
“Sorrow and Alec?”
She nods. “He went to spend time with his friends, and she called him, started an argument, and told him she was going to kill herself if he didn’t meet her.”
“How do you know this?”
“He called me on the way over to her. I tried to calm him down and told him I’d call the police to check on her, but he was so worried he wouldn’t listen to reason. Next thing I know, the police are on my doorstep, and I just knew.” She starts sobbing then, these tears more genuine than the others.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Bannerman, it’s never easy losing a child. Are you able to carry on?”
She dabs her eyes but nods. “Yes.”
“Alright, what happened after the police left?”
“We went to the hospital. We had to identify him. He was hard to recognize.”
I feel my stomach churn. I might hate my brother for what he’s done, but it’s hard to forget about the little boy who used to be so happy and carefree.
“We heard from the police what happened. I didn’t go visit Sorrow. I was so angry that this had all happened. I had no idea she was pregnant. I don’t think Alec did either. Hell, I’m not sure it was even his, or a way to trap him into staying.”
“Objection,” Mr. Knowles calls out. “Miss Wells isn’t on trial here and has been victimized enough.”
“I’m sorry,” Mom sobs as the judge reminds her to stick to facts, not opinions.
“Why did you push so hard for Miss Wells to be charged as an adult? She was seventeen at the time and had already been through a lot.”
“My son was dead because of her cruel and reckless behavior. She made adult decisions, and they come with adult consequences.”
“Nothing further, your honor.”
Mr. Knowles taps his fingers on his table before starting. “Let’s back this up for a minute, shall we? You took Sorrow into your home?”
“Yes. We welcomed her with open arms.”
“You fed her?”
“That’s correct.”
“You clothed her?”
“Well, no.”
“Took her on vacation?”
“That wouldn’t have been our place—”
“You sent her home with food or to school with snacks.”
“We were not her parents.”
“No, you weren’t. You were doing your bit for charity.” Before she can protest, he moves on. “Did you report her mother to CPS?”
“No.”
“Why not? You knew Sorrow was living with an alcoholic. She was always hungry and needed help with her homework, so why not report it?”
“I…I’m not sure. You hear so many horror stories about foster care.”
“And she wasn’t your child. Got it. Alright, let’s move on to when she was dating Alec. You said she changed. After listening to the doctor’s report, do you agree that a change in Miss Wells’s behavior might be down to the abuse she was receiving?”
“My son never touched her,” she snaps, letting her facade crack for a moment.
“I was referring to her home life, but it’s interesting that’s where your thoughts went. The doctor testified that Sorrow’s injuries the night of the crash were consistent with being beaten, not from being in a car accident.”
“Well, it’s no secret her mother hit her.”
“But again, you didn’t call CPS. You said Alec went out with friends that night,” he continues before she can get her bearings.
“Yes,” she grunts.
“And he was drinking. His friends attested to that.”
“He was at a party, and he was stressed over his relationship. All teenagers drink.”
“And then he drove over to Miss Wells’s residence. Imagine if he had hit someone and killed them. All teenagers drink, right? Only Alec was eighteen, so he definitely would have been tried as an adult.”
“He’s dead. It doesn’t matter now.”
“Actually, it does.” He pulls out a file and holds it up for the judge to see.
“See exhibit 16, already entered into evidence. This is Miss Wells’s medical file for that night, as you saw yesterday. The list of injuries was vast, and as you can see, this states that no alcohol was detected in Miss Wells’s bloodstream. Turn to the next page, marked 17, please.”
I tip up Sorrow’s head so I can see her face and get a read on her. “You okay?” I mutter just loud enough for her to hear.
She nods before resting her head on my shoulder. I turn back to the front of the court as Mr. Knowles continues.
“This is the copy of the medical report for the night of the accident that was used in Miss Wells’s trial.
As you can see, the blood sample result differs, showing that she was well over the limit.
It’s also worth noting that the words miscarriage and baby have been removed from this report, as have the types of bruising that would have raised red flags.
Can you tell me why this report is different? ”
“No. I’m not a doctor or a police officer. I’m guessing a second doctor wasn’t happy with the findings of the first report.”
“No. The signature at the bottom is Dr. Gray’s. It’s a forgery, and not a very good one. We had Dr. Gray confirm it.”
“I know nothing about that.”
“No? So, you didn’t make a sizable donation to the hospital the next day?”
“I was thanking them for the care they gave my son.”
“Interesting, because Nicolette Haslet received a ‘donation’ too, for the sum of $500,000 that same day. She was not a nurse who looked after your son, but she was a nurse who tended to Miss Wells. I checked.”
“I don’t remember which of the nursing staff looked after my son that night. It was all a blur.”
“I’m sure it was. Still, it’s interesting to note that the second report mentions blood type AB negative. Interesting because Miss Wells is A positive. Your son, however, was AB negative, wasn’t he?”
“Well, fuck,” Arlo curses behind me, I couldn’t have put it better myself..
My father was called after the break. Though his answers mostly matched my mother’s, it became clear that there was a disconnect between what he was saying and what he was thinking.
After some prodding, he cracked and admitted that he wasn’t home that often and was largely repeating my mom’s observations of events.
When he left the stand, he looked defeated, but I knew he wouldn’t back down or change his answers.
He had a reputation to uphold, and that meant everything to him.
It had already taken a hit when the prosecutor alluded to affairs my father had over the years.
He also implied that the nurse who took the bribe might have been one of his mistresses.
I felt fucking dirty just being in the same room with them. The biggest shock was still to come, though, when Katy was called to take the stand.
“What’s going on?”
“I didn’t want to say anything. I didn’t want you to talk me out of it.”
“You’re seventeen. You shouldn’t have to do this.”
“I’m doing it because I’m seventeen. I’m a reminder of how old Sorrow was when they screwed her over. I want the jury to see that when they make their decision.”
“I hate this, but I’m so fucking proud of you.”
She squeezes my hand and walks over to take the stand. I look down at Sorrow, who frowns. “Did you know she was going to do this?”
She shakes her head. “I’m not surprised, though. She’s far stronger than I was at her age.”
“You went through horrific trauma. You should have been healing. Instead, you were criminalized for someone else’s actions.”
“I know.” She blows out a shaky breath as Katy places her hand on the Bible and says her part.