Chapter 42
Monday morning, Dad and I dress in business casual for Jake’s trial. There will be three separate trials for Colette, Joseph, and then Erin. Mr. MacLeod doesn’t expect them to take long, and it should be over by the end of the week. Everyone is meeting us at the courthouse this morning.
Dad drives us over to the federal courthouse after breakfast, and we're the first of our group to arrive besides Jake and Ray.
We find them in a room down the left hallway talking to Mr. MacLeod.
Knocking on the doorframe, I wave hello.
Ray waves us inside as I take a seat beside Jake at the table.
“Hi handsome.” I kiss his cheek. Jake looks hot in his navy suit and black tie over a crisp white shirt.
“Hi Sum.” He smiles and grabs my hand under the table.
Mr. MacLeod continues his prep, explaining no one will need to testify for Colette’s trial as the evidence should speak for itself.
He and a federally approved defense lawyer will present the evidence, and then the judge will rule.
Erin’s husband isn’t an approved lawyer for federal court, so he will act as an assistant of sorts.
Mr. MacLeod is expecting to begin Joseph’s trial this afternoon, and his case is a little more involved because of the drugs.
When we leave the room, the rest of the guys are waiting for us. After hugs and greetings, we follow Mr. MacLeod into the courtroom. I take a seat directly behind Jake, with Ray on one side of me and Dad on the other. There is already a lawyer sitting at the defence table.
Shortly after, a tall, middle-aged man enters in an expensive looking suit and sits at the defense table with Colette.
This must be Erin’s husband. Neither looks our way as he unpacks his briefcase, then they sit quietly waiting for the judge.
Colette is wearing a pink dress with a black blazer over top, her hair up in a chignon with minimal makeup.
We stand when the judge enters. It’s a woman this time, and she looks very stern.
Once we are seated, she goes right into opening statements.
Mr. MacLeod goes first, beginning with Erin’s visit, the cease and desist order, followed by the step siblings visits and the abduction.
He sticks to the facts and leaves nothing for the defense attorney to argue, although he tries.
The defence lawyer takes his turn attempting to explain that Colette was only doing what she thought her mother wanted.
Erin was concerned about Jake’s health and safety and wanted her family whole again.
Erin said I caused the accident that put Jake in a coma and that I was a danger to him.
He says Colette was unaware of the drugs her brother carried.
It’s a brief statement with no real defense.
Judge Crombie asks Colette to take the stand then asks specific questions about that day, prompting her to reveal it was Erin’s idea for them to fly down and get to know Jake with the bonus of them being able to tell her when he was recovered.
Erin’s plan was to bring Jake to New York once he was walking, to live with her and her new family.
She says she didn’t know about the drugs but also didn’t stop Joseph from using them or from threatening Jake.
She loves Erin and wanted her to be happy.
Erin claimed Jake wasn’t safe with me around, as I was the reason he was in a coma in the first place, and that Ray took Jake from her.
Same shit, different day from Erin. The judge asks Jake a few questions about his state of mind during that day before taking a recess to determine her sentence. Jake turns his chair towards us as I reach for his hand. He’s a little clammy, but all in all, is holding up well.
It’s not long until the judge returns. She withholds sentencing until she hears the other two cases to gather a better understanding of the situation, reminding Colette that she is not to leave the city. Joseph Sr. assures her Colette will attend her brother’s trial and her mother’s.
We are free to go until 1pm for the next trial. That didn’t take long at all, as it’s only 10:30am. Mr. MacLeod excuses himself to attend to other work, and we leave to congregate at Alex’s house, which is closest. E prepped lunch for us all in anticipation of today.
We hop into Alex’s SUV and Ray’s vehicle to drive over. Bay and Jake are talking about some engineering thing while I sit behind them with E. Alex and Seb are up front.
Steven is home, so he joins us for lunch in the dining room. Jake seems in good spirits, and everyone is chatting as if it’s a regular day. Alex is sitting beside me and notices how quiet I’m being. “What is on your mind, Summer?” he asks in a low tone.
“Not sure exactly. Jake seems good. Maybe it’s just that we are enduring another trial that's making me uneasy. I have seen the inside of a courtroom far too much for not being in the legal field.”
“That is true,” he smiles. “All I can advise is to separate your past from what is happening now. Jake is well and supported. His situation is far different from the ones you have endured.”
“Thanks, Alex, I’ll try.” I bump my shoulder into his and take a deep breath to try to release this heavy feeling. Tuning back into the conversations around me, I join everyone talking about graduation coming up on Friday.
When we return to the courthouse, we retake the same seats. After the judge comes in, she calls for Joseph to be brought inside. He’s dressed in a suit and gives his dad a quick hug before taking a seat beside him. Colette is sitting behind them and reaches out to squeeze his hand.
This trial goes similarly as she listens to statements from each lawyer, then calls Joseph to the stand.
Both Mr. MacLeod and the defense attorney take turns asking questions before the judge asks a few of her own.
Joseph refuses to tell anyone where he got the drugs, but tells the judge it was all his idea and neither Erin nor Colette knew about it.
He says he offered to go get Jake for Erin and that it was his idea to abduct him.
The judge asks Jake more questions about the abduction from his point of view, including how the drugs felt.
She then goes over the evidence provided by the blood test, witness statements, and the security footage, and she again withholds sentencing until Erin’s trial, which will begin in the morning.
We go our separate ways after Jake reassures me he's fine, and Dad drives us home. I end up calling him after dinner to make sure, and Jake chuckles at my worry. I think I’m still projecting my emotions onto this trial. Seb and Nick land after I hang up to stay the night.
Nick and I go for a run while Seb visits with Dad. The run helps me clear my head despite it being more of a relaxing jog, and I dissipate much of my restless energy before I shower.
We snuggle onto the couch to watch a movie with Dad for the remainder of the evening. Seb and I sleep on the couch while Nick sleeps in the spare room.