Chapter Forty-Three
Hayes
“If I stand up again, I’m going down for sure,” Liv utters as I pack away the papers on the table.
I could see her energy waning, but I didn’t realize how bad she was feeling. “What can I do?”
“Sit here with me and pretend that everything is fine. Let the room clear.” She grips my forearm as I sit next to her, shielding her from the remaining people in the gallery.
“You need to drink some water and eat.”
“I know.”
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
Liv nearly jumps over me to see the person who asked that. Thea is leaning over the bar, looking concerned.
“I didn’t know you were here.”
“I snuck in the back. I wanted to be here to support.”
Liv’s face relaxes like having Thea in her proximity brings her great relief. “I feel like I’m going to faint.”
“Do you need gum?”
“I already tried that,” I tell her.
“Here.” Thea pulls a fruit bar and an applesauce pouch from her gigantic purse. Clearly, snacks meant for Kate. “Get your blood sugar going.”
“Thanks.” Liv takes a bite of the bar but ultimately guzzles down the applesauce instead. Only finishing the bar once she’s got something on her stomach.
“Any better? I also have pretzels, and…” Thea looks at Liv quickly. “Saltines.”
Liv goes still, staring at her friend. “You’re pregnant?”
“What?” Did I miss something? We just went from A to Z so fast.
“I’m sorry, I meant to tell you in a much cuter way. I just found out, so I’m only like four weeks… The saltines are just a precaution right now.”
“No, don’t apologize. I’m so happy for you!” She leaps up to hug her friend, and my hands go wide, preparing to catch her if she falls. “Another baby,” she exclaims gently.
“I’m terrified,” Thea laughs.
“It’ll be great. You just made my whole day.”
“Well, come on. I’m eating for two, and you need to fuel up for your afternoon. Hayes, take us to lunch,” Thea instructs, and I nod, happy to oblige.
* * *
Trial resumes after lunch, and the gallery seems to fill up significantly. It’s time for Liv’s victim statements, and she has quite a few of them.
Curtis is outside with his nurse, Sienna.
Jesse joined us at lunch and followed us back to the courthouse to help support Curtis.
Jo and Lochlan are here because Jo has to take the stand this afternoon, so Callie came to support her new friend.
Which means Nathan is here too, because where Callie goes, he goes.
Natalie and Jackson are here with half of the Rollins County police force because so many of them were affected by the Porter family’s crimes. Jeremiah also has quite a few people here in his corner, though they look more like his mother’s associates, and not his.
If Liv is feeling the pressure, she isn’t showing it. She swears that lunch fixed her up, and she doesn’t feel faint anymore, but I’m on high alert regardless.
Jeremiah is going to prison. It’s just a matter of how much Liv can prove that will affect the severity of his consequences.
Curtis is the star witness. The gravity of his injuries will put Jeremiah behind bars for a long time if she can prove it was attempted murder.
“I’d like to call my first witness to the stand. JoAnna Dane, formerly JoAnna Montgomery,” Liv tells the judge, and she waits calmly as Jo takes the oath.
“JoAnna, can you tell us about the night you were kidnapped?”
“Yes, of course.” She begins recounting the night of her postgrad graduation party when Emory went missing, and then Jeremiah took her against her will.
She gets to the part about being chained inside the bear enclosures, but I’m hardly listening. My body is angled, keeping Lochlan in my peripheral vision.
His jaw is set tight, and I know he is imagining serving his own kind of justice. His eyes are on Jo, but his anger is penetrating Jeremiah’s back.
“JoAnna, at any point, did you believe that Jeremiah meant to harm you?”
“Yes.”
“He claims that he was only going to chain you up and leave. Is that accurate?”
“Yes, but he told me that he wanted to let the bears handle me.”
“As far as you know, the bears at Second Chance Sanctuary are not tame. Correct?”
“Correct.”
“Jeremiah knew that leaving you at the mercy of adult black bears could result in your death,” Liv responds to Jo, but is speaking towards the jury. “His actions were not merciful. Even if he did not wish to harm you with his own hands, he had ill intent.”
“Objection!” Jeremiah’s lawyer stands. “Speculation. She can’t prove that my client knew anything about the bears’ mental state.”
“Move on, Miss Greenwood.”
“Of course, your honor. JoAnna, did you witness Jeremiah’s attack on Curtis?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think that Jeremiah intended to kill, Curtis?”
“I don’t know.”
“At any point, did you believe that Curtis was going to die?”
Jo clears her throat. “Yes.”
“Tell me about that point.”
“Jeremiah picked up a thick branch and hit Curtis on the back of the head. It knocked him to the ground, and he stopped moving. I couldn’t tell if he was breathing,” her voice breaks.
“I thought he was dead, and I was chained up. I couldn’t help him,” she cries, and I sense the room collectively feeling her sadness.
Except, Lochlan. My focus is still on him and the way his knuckles are turning white in his lap. Don’t cause a scene, buddy. Don’t cause a scene.
“I can only imagine how difficult that was for you. But I am happy that we have Curtis here today to tell his story. My next witness, your honor. Curtis Debaugh.”
Thank God. I can finally breathe again once Jo is in her seat next to Lochlan, and he visibly relaxes. I did not want to fight that battle today.
Curtis’s testimony can make or break the severity of Jeremiah’s punishment today. Liv also has to prove that Jeremiah is not just a victim of his brother’s bidding.
Curtis is summoned from the hallway because he asked not to be forced to watch the trial from the gallery. It was too much, hearing all the details all over again.
He walks down the main aisle between all the spectators, hobbling slightly and visibly in pain as he uses a cane to assist him. He’s wearing a knit hat to cover the scars on his head, and Sienna walks closely behind him, ready to help him if needed.
She looks different outside of her nurse scrubs. Smaller and more fragile. Her hair is tied back in a ponytail, and her glasses make her look young, though I think she’s a few years older than Curtis.
She sits in the pew closest to the swinging gate after holding it open, letting Curtis make the final steps to the stand by himself. Natalie is sitting behind her and leans forward to squeeze her shoulder.
“Curtis, thank you for being here,” Liv tells him after he takes his oath to tell the truth.
He nods but doesn’t respond. His hands twitch nervously.
“Can you tell us about the night you were injured?”
“Yeah, um… I was looking for a little girl. Lochlan, I mean, Mr. Dane’s niece. I was looking for her, and it was late. When I saw…” He clears his throat. “When I saw him.”
“Him, who?”
“Him.” Curtis points to Jeremiah, but his other fingers are crooked slightly, splayed outwardly when they should be tucked against his palm.
“Let the record show that Mr. Debaugh is pointing to the defendant, Jeremiah Porter.” She pauses, letting that settle. “What is the first thing you noticed?”
“He was a firefighter. Or, he looked like one. The barns were on fire. There were a lot of firefighters on the property.”
“When did you realize that something was wrong?”
“I heard my name. Jo, err, JoAnna, screamed my name. She yelled that she was trapped and that Jer– He had trapped her.” Curtis is struggling to speak, and he keeps refusing to say Jeremiah’s name.
“What happened next, Curtis?”
Curtis rubs at his head, but he doesn’t speak.
“Curtis?”
“I’m sorry,” he mumbles, fidgeting in his seat.
“That’s okay. I know this is difficult. Let’s move on; we can circle back later. Okay?”
He nods in agreement, but continues shifting in his seat uncomfortably.
“Can you tell us about the injuries you sustained that night?”
“Um, spinal fracture. Burns… Uh, I’m sorry.” He presses his palm to his forehead. “Sienna can tell you. My nurse. She can tell you, I’m sorry.” He rocks back and forth in his seat, as everyone in the room watches on, visibly worried.
“Your honor, I’d like to stop and give Curtis a break. Can we hear from his nurse? She’s in the gallery today.”
“Go ahead, but medical diagnosis only.”
“Yes, your honor. Sienna?” Liv strolls over to her, throwing her a look of apology as she puts the timid nurse on the spot in this packed courtroom. “Can you state your full name and title for the court?”
She stands stiffly, tucking non-existent stray hair behind her ears. “Uh. Yes. Sienna Teller, BSN, RN, CCRN.”
“Can you tell us what those credentials mean for the record, please?”
“Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Registered Nurse. Critical Care Registered Nurse.”
“Thank you, Nurse Teller. Can you tell us about Curtis’s injuries?”
“Curtis came into the Emergency Department with Second-Degree burns on more than half his body. He was diagnosed with a spinal fracture to his C7 and T1 vertebrae. This resulted in nerve damage to his arms and legs. He was also diagnosed with a severe Traumatic Brain Injury.”
“How did the TBI affect his health?” Liv asks.
“He lost consciousness at impact, and as a result, he was not responsive when he arrived at the ED. The medical team decided to induce a coma to help him heal from his injuries. Severe swelling and bleeding in his brain made his condition unstable for weeks. He was in the ICU for weeks. He has memory loss, confusion, dizziness, and ongoing headaches. His burns are healing, but he’ll be left with significant scarring. ”
“Thank you, Sienna. Is there anything else the jury should know about Curtis’s medical condition?”
“I don’t want to speak out of line, Miss Greenwood, but I think the court should know that Curtis should not be here today.
The doctors in the emergency room did not think he would make it the night he came in, and they also weren’t sure they could wake him from his coma.
His injuries were severe enough that we spent weeks searching for a next of kin in case he died.
Luckily, he did wake up, but that led him on a path of more surgeries.
12 before he could leave the ICU. He has been in the rehabilitation center for months.
He’s supposed to be in a wheelchair. The doctors couldn’t believe his strength to not only survive, but to persevere. ”
“Thank you for sharing that, Sienna. Curtis is lucky to have a medical team that cares about him so much.” She smiles gently and nods her thanks as she turns back to the judge.
“Your honor, I’d like to take a short recess. To give Curtis a break.”
“I’ll grant you a recess, but only to get your next witness in line. Mr. Debaugh is not fit to testify. I sympathize with his condition, I do, but I don’t want to see the boy suffer in my courtroom. We’ll pick things up first thing tomorrow morning.” He hits his gavel, giving no room for argument.
Liv just lost her star witness.