Chapter Thirty-Two – The Trial – Part Two
The Trial - Part Two
A quiet murmur runs through the jury box.
The DA continues. “But unlike Johane Larsen... you didn’t have anyone to protect you, did you? No one in that yard could stop them the way they stopped Luc.”
“Objection,” Renner says sharply, already rising. “Improper argument. It’s speculation and inflammatory.”
“Sustained,” Judge Conway says without hesitation. “Jury will disregard that last statement.”
The DA lifts his hands slightly and takes a step back. “Thank you, Ms. Silvester. No further questions.”
He returns to his table.
Judge Conway looks to the defense. “Mr. Renner?”
Renner rises again.
“Ms. Silvester,” he says evenly, “how much had your boyfriend had to drink that night?”
She straightens slightly. “A few beers.”
“The toxicology report showed a blood alcohol content of 0.22. That’s nearly three times the legal limit.”
She stiffens. “He didn’t drive.”
“That wasn’t the question. You’re aware the same toxicology report came back positive for cocaine, correct?”
Kacy’s hands twist together in her lap. “Yes. He has struggled with that before. He slipped up.”
Renner’s tone stays mild. “And you were with him at the hospital when they found a bag of cocaine in his clothing?”
She nods, voice quiet. “I was.”
“So just to be clear, when you say Luc was confused that night, that confusion was alcohol and cocaine, not just ‘a few beers.’”
Kacy hesitates, then lifts her chin slightly. “He was drinking and using, yes. But he’s been trying to get clean. He’s working on it.”
Renner lets that hang. “When Shane Larsen asked you to leave, did Luc comply?”
“We were leaving,” she insists. “But then they all overreacted.”
“Did Mr. Knolson make any sexually explicit remarks about Doctor Larsen?”
She frowns. “Not... seriously. It was a joke. Maybe in poor taste, but nothing justified what happened.”
Renner tilts his head. “According to the witnesses, Mr. Knolson said, ‘They don’t feel shame like we do; they are more like dogs.’ Are those the words of a joke, in your opinion?”
Her jaw tightens. “He was drunk. He didn’t mean it.”
“But he said it.”
She doesn’t respond.
Renner steps slightly closer. “Did he re-enter the yard after being asked to leave?”
“Yes.”
“Did he approach Doctor Larsen?”
She hesitates. “I... guess. But it wasn’t threatening. He wasn’t going to hurt her.”
Renner’s voice lowers. “And you’re certain of that, despite the fact that he had already made multiple sexual comments, was visibly intoxicated, had been told to leave, and was physically moving toward your friend?”
“Yes. Luc can be an idiot, but he wouldn’t hurt her.”
Renner steps even closer. “Ms. Silvester, earlier you said you felt threatened by the Larsen pack. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“In the same way Doctor Larsen felt threatened by your boyfriend?”
Kacy hesitates. “Yes. I suppose so.”
Renner nods, as if confirming a fact. “So let’s draw a parallel, then. Did any of the Larsens ever make any type of sexual comments about you?”
Kacy’s brow tightens. “No.”
“Did they ever make any commentary about your body, or your biology?”
“No.”
“Were they intoxicated in any way?”
She shakes her head. “Not that I saw.”
“Did any of them ever move toward you?”
“No.”
He lets the silence sit. A juror blinks hard.
“And Luc?” Renner asks, quietly now. “Did he do those things?”
Kacy shifts. “He was drunk.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
She swallows. “Yes. He made comments.”
“Loud, sexual comments about another woman.”
“Yes.”
“And after being asked to leave, he came back. Walked directly toward that woman.”
“…Yes.”
“Thank you.” Renner pauses. “No further questions. ”
He turns and walks back to the table.
“You may step down, Ms. Silvester,” Judge Conway says.
Kacy rises stiffly, shoulders high, eyes forward.
The Judge glances at the clock, then toward the defense table. “Mr. Renner. Next witness?”
“The defense calls Officer Daniel Fontes.”
Fontes walks in through the side door in full uniform, badge gleaming.
He swears in, then takes the stand.
Renner steps forward. “Officer Fontes, please state your full name and occupation.”
“Daniel Antonio Fontes. Police officer, Great Sky Police Department, High-Risk Operations Unit.”
“Can you describe the events you witnessed on the night of May eleventh?”
Fontes folds his hands. “It was a casual gathering. I was off-duty, there with my wife. I witnessed the man identified as Luc Knolson display signs of significant intoxication. He was loud. Disrespectful.”
“Did you personally hear the comments he made about Doctor Larsen?”
Fontes nods once. “I did.”
“Can you repeat them for the jury?”
He exhales. “He made a sexual comment about nyras. Specifically, asking the Larsens how it feels when she goes into heat, then something to the effect of ‘nyra pussy juice.’ He said he would like some.”
There’s a rustle in the gallery. Someone murmurs. Judge Conway bangs the gavel once.
“Silence.”
Renner nods. “What happened next?”
“After the first comments, the Larsens told him to leave. Shane gave the order clearly.”
“Did he comply?”
“Not immediately. His girlfriend, Kacy Silvester, tried to get him out. They moved toward the front of the house.”
“And then?”
Fontes’s jaw flexes. “He said loudly that if his girlfriend didn’t intervene, he believed the Larsens would give him what he wanted, because they’re like dogs and don’t feel shame. After that, he came back. Walked right back into the yard, toward Johane Larsen.”
“Did she look frightened?”
“Yes, I believe she was frightened.”
Renner waits. “What did the Larsen pack do?”
Fontes glances at us, then back at the jury. “Jayson Larsen stepped forward and neutralized him with a punch.”
“Did you believe the action was justified? ”
“I did.”
“Why?”
“Because in my opinion, both as a police officer and as a human, the threat to Johane Larsen was escalating, and there was no time to de-escalate further. Jay Larsen ended it in one strike and then stood down. No retaliation and no overreach.”
“No further questions.”
He steps back.
The DA stands. “Officer Fontes, do you consider yourself an unbiased witness?”
Fontes doesn’t flinch. “Yes.”
“But you serve in the same unit as the defendants.”
“I did, yes. They were reassigned to Special Operations.”
“Let’s say you arrive on the scene of a disturbance,” the DA says. “You see one man injured, unconscious, his face broken like the photos we’ve shown, and you see three much larger men standing over him. But these three men aren’t your fellow cops. Would you consider that use of force justified?”
Fontes doesn’t hesitate. “I don’t make calls based on size or numbers; I make calls based on behavior. I wouldn’t judge a situation by bruises.”
The DA doesn’t give up. “Officer Fontes, are you trained in restraint techniques? Techniques designed to stop a person from advancing without harming them?”
“Yes.”
“And if the Larsens had used one of those techniques, they could have protected their wife without harming Mr. Knolson?”
This time, Fontes hesitates for a beat before answering. “Yes.”
The DA presses his lips together. “No further questions.”
Judge Conway looks up. “Thank you, Officer. You may step down.”
Fontes nods and leaves the stand. I glance at him as he passes. We owe him more than we can say.
Judge Conway nods once. “Defense, next witness?”
Renner rises. “The defense calls Doctor Johane Larsen.”
I tense. Shane exhales through his nose, and Jay is so still he could have been made of stone.
One of the side doors opens, and Jo enters the courtroom with quiet resolve. The bailiff steps forward and swears her in.
Renner steps in front of her. “Doctor Larsen, can you state your occupation for the record?”
“I’m a medical resident,” she says.
He nods. “And your relationship to the defendants?”
“They’re my mates,” Jo says calmly. “They bit me on March twenty-second.”
“On the night of May eleventh, did you feel in any way threatened by Mr. Knolson?” Renner asks.
“Yes.”
“Can you describe how?”
She nods. “He spoke about me in a degrading way, like I wasn’t even there. Asked my mates how it was when I go into heat. Asked for some of what he called ‘pussy juice.’ Said to Kacy that if he gained our trust, we’d give it to him. Then he came at me right after saying all those things.”
“Why didn’t you run from him or ask for help?”
“I was embarrassed. Humiliated. I froze. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t feel threatened.”
“Why do you think your mate, Jayson, punched Mr. Knolson?”
“Because Jay thought he would touch me. Hurt me. He reacted and stopped Luc on the spot.”
“Did Jayson use excessive force?”
“No, he was actually very controlled. Jay is extremely strong. If he’d wanted to really hurt Luc, Luc wouldn’t have been out of the hospital three days later. Jay just stopped him.”
“Do you believe you were in real danger?”
“I believe a drunk man who had already made degrading sexual comments, who had been told to leave my house and returned anyway, was stumbling in my direction. Yes, I was in danger. I didn’t want to be touched by a man who had just talked about ‘getting some of my juice.’ I don’t think any woman would. ”
“No further questions,” Renner says, and walks back to the table.
The DA stands and steps forward. “Doctor Larsen,” he says, “do you acknowledge that you were never physically touched?”
“I do.”
“And that you did not verbally request help?”
“Yes.”
“So your mates acted without cause?”
“Objection,” Renner says. “Mischaracterization.”
“Sustained.”
The DA blinks. Then recovers. “You’re a medical resident. Surely, you’re capable of assessing an actual physical threat.”
She nods. “Which is exactly what I did.”
He steps closer. “But again, he never laid a hand on you.”
Jo doesn’t hesitate. “He didn’t, because my mate stopped him before that. Should Jay have waited until the man did whatever he wanted to do to me, and then reacted afterward, as revenge, instead of preventing the attack before it happened?”