Chapter 10: The Trial

Sandy let herself into Stacy’s house. She found her sister sitting in the kitchen staring blankly at an empty space on the wall without moving.

“Hey, sis, you ready?” she asked gently.

Stacy did not move. Sandy maneuvered behind Stacy’s chair and put her hand on her shoulder. She rubbed her shoulders for a moment, then just stood silently with her hands on Stacy’s shoulders for a minute.

“Come on, the trial starts in about an hour. We need to get you to the courthouse.”

Stacy let herself be led outside and into the passenger seat of Sandy’s car. She didn’t say anything in the thirty minute commute to the courthouse. Sandy pulled into an unloading zone near the front of the building.

“Are you OK here? I’ll park and meet you in a few minutes.”

Stacy unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door. She spoke for the first time. “Thanks. I’ll be OK. You do not have to come in if you don’t want to.”

“Don’t be silly. I’ll only be a few minutes. See you inside.”

Stacy turned and trudged into the building. She went through the metal detector and grunted at the irony. At the hospital Nikki walked in with a gun unabated. It ultimately cost her husband his life. Not that hospitals should have guards and metal detectors, but she still felt the irony.

Stacy found the DA, Mrs. Emerson, on the fourth floor just like she was instructed.

“Stacy,” she said. “Good to see you. Are you doing OK?”

“All things considered. You know, ‘Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?’”

“I’m sorry. This will be over soon. Follow me and we’ll get you settled until you are needed in the courtroom.”

Mrs. Emerson led Stacy down the hall to a small room with a comfortable couch, a pitcher of water, and a carafe of coffee.

“Sit here. I’ll call you first so you should be out of here in a couple of hours.”

Stacy nodded her head and sat on the couch.

“I understand. Thank you.”

Mrs. Emerson asked, “Can I get you a water or coffee before I go?”

Stacy shook her head. “No, thank you. I’m fine.”

“OK, sit tight. Won’t be but twenty minutes or so.”

Mrs. Emerson left Stacy sitting in the small room with her own thoughts. It had been almost three months since Nikki executed her husband in his hospital room after knee surgery. The loss she felt at losing her husband was amplified ten-fold by the searing pain of betrayal by her best friend.

Stacy did not cry. Her tears had dried long ago. Her defense was to crawl into herself and shut down to the outside world. She was sitting in a comatose state when her sister entered the room. She saw Stacy and knew that she had retreated into her own mind.

Sandy poured a cup of water and a cup of coffee. She carried them both to Stacy.

“Here, take one. I know you probably told Mrs. Emerson you were OK, but you really should drink something.”

Stacy looked up at Sandy and slowly nodded her assent. She reached for the coffee and took a sip. Sandy took a drink of water and sat beside her sister. Their legs and shoulders touched.

“When you are called, I’ll come and sit in the courtroom.”

“I know,” said Stacy. She sat quietly, but then added, “And I know I haven’t said it enough, but thank you. I couldn’t do this without you. Or the past three months.”

Sandy put her arm around Stacy’s shoulder and said, “What are big sisters for?”

They sat in quiet until a guard knocked on the door. “You are being called.”

Stacy was led to the witness stand and sworn in. She saw Nikki sitting at the defense table in a prim business suit and subtle makeup. It was the first time she had seen her since the hospital. She looked great. Stacy was again shook by the irony. Nikki looked good because of the hiking regimen that Eric and Stacy started almost a year previous.

The DA asked Stacy about the start of their hiking adventures. She then had Stacy recount their trip to The Wrangler, focusing on what she observed between Dalton and Nikki. She had Stacy conclude her testimony with questions about what happened in the hospital.

“No further questions,” Mrs. Emerson said.

The cross-examination by Nikki’s attorney was brief. He did not push Stacy. Facts were facts. Nikki entered Eric’s room and shot him. There was video evidence.

After Stacy was dismissed, Sandy led her out of the courthouse and pointed to a parking garage.

“I’m parked there, the third floor.”

As they walked Sandy asked, “You OK? Feel any relief?”

“I’m OK I guess. It was just as Mrs. Emerson said. And no, no relief. No closure.”

“If it continues like Mrs. Emerson predicted, then they should be done by tonight or tomorrow.”

Stacy nodded.

“Why don’t you come to my house this afternoon? Or even stay the night. Until we hear from Mrs. Emerson.”

Stacy nodded again. “Sure.”

They got into Sandy’s car. She started it but did not engage the transmission. Instead, she pulled out her phone and clicked several times before putting it aside and driving out of the garage.

Answering Stacy’s unasked question Sandy said, “I ordered a late lunch. We’ll pick it up on the way home. We should have enough time to eat before the kids get out of school.”

“OK, sure.”

Sandy drove to a local Tex-Mex restaurant that was near her house. She pulled alongside the curb and left the motor running with Stacy in the car. She entered to retrieve their food.

Sandy returned to the car and placed a large bag in the back seat. She handed Stacy two large cups.

“Margaritas,” she said with a wink.

When they arrived at Sandy’s house they settled in the kitchen and ate mostly in silence. They had just slurped the final drips of their drinks when the front door clanged open and shut.

Allison and Tommy found their mom and aunt at the kitchen table.

“Hi, mom. Hi, Aunt Stacy,” they called out.

“Hey kiddos,” Sandy said. “Here,” she said as she pushed a second order of chips and salsa across the table. “Snack on this. Should hold you over until dinner.”

The two dove into the snack as Sandy cleaned up what was left from lunch. When they were done Sandy told them, “OK, go get started on your homework so we can watch a movie tonight.”

The two kids ran off to their room without a fight and, presumably, started on their homework.

Sandy and her sister retired to the living room. The margarita helped loosen Stacy’s tongue and they talked about how the trial and when they would expect a verdict.

“It went just as expected,” said Stacy. “I hope Mrs. Emerson is right about what’s next. From what she said it should be a cut-and-dried case. But, she also said there is always the unexpected.”