“What I don’t get is why your name isn’t mentioned anywhere in the police report.”
“You and I both know that the police report was recently filed, likely when my father and Harvey sat around the poker table, smoking cigars, and plotting the demise of Ajay as soon as they heard he would be passing through town, all for something he did years ago. What I don’t understand is why? Why would they even care at this point? It’s not like Harvey’s house sustained any damage.”
“It’s because of you, that’s why. Your dad must somehow think that this is payback for what Ajay did to you. Fletcher tosses the folder down onto the table. “This case is nothing but a waste of my time. I shouldn’t even be in court right now.”
“Harvey clearly has a vendetta, which I don’t get.”
“I’m going to ask you why you targeted him. Is that something you can answer?”
I nod, even though I don’t want to tell the story of how Harvey tried to coerce my mother into sleeping with him. After I decorated his house with two-ply and the dozen eggs that had been in my truck for a week, she got a raise and he left her alone. I hadn’t expected that outcome but whatever. Message sent and received as far as I was concerned.
“What else will you ask me?”
“Some basic questions, name, age, those types of things.”
“Nothing about Evelyn, okay?”
He looks at me like I just pulled his puppy dog’s tail. “Why would I do that?”
“I don’t know but Ajay doesn’t know about her and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Think he’ll be upset?”
“I’m not sure,” I say, shrugging. I stop and stand at the end of the table. “When I lost…” I pause and take a deep breath. “I just don’t know how he’ll react, and I don’t think he should find out in court.”
Fletcher nods and goes over the night in question. I tell him everything, how it was my idea, how Ajay begged me to leave but I refused,
and how the only thing he’s guilty of is driving the truck away from the scene. What I leave out is what we did afterward even though I can still clearly remember us together that night. The relationship Ajay and I had was explosive, some even called it toxic because I was a rebellious teen. Many blamed him for my bad attitude. When we were in the room together, the sexual tension radiated off us. All we had to do was look at each other, and people would tell us to get a room. A room we rarely had, and I often wondered how we never got caught having sex in public. If anything, we should be on trial for indecent exposure or public fornication, not teepeeing someone’s house.
“We need to go back in. I think under the circumstances; you should be prepared for Ajay’s lawyer to come down on you hard. I’m sure they’re eager to get the heck out of town and back on tour.”
“Then the feeling’s mutual because I’m just as I’m eager for him to get out of town.”
Fletcher opens the door and I follow him out. Ajay is standing in the hall with his girlfriend by his side, and two people who I know aren’t his parents. I try to smile but all he gets from me is a grimace.
Once in the courtroom, I sit directly behind Fletcher. He tells me that as soon as Harvey brings court into session, he’ll call me to the stand. I feel Ajay walk beside me and do everything I can to keep my gaze on Harvey’s black chair even though Ajay’s cologne is overpowering my senses and making me tingle. My body is a traitor, yearning for his touch, when all I want it to do is be repulsed by him.
“He has somebody,” I whisper, hoping my senses can understand that he’s off limits. Not that I would even go there to begin with. My life doesn’t need the complications that one roll in the hay with him would bring.
The bailiff tells us to stand and gives his spiel about Harvey being honored and all that. I roll my eyes and Fletcher glares at me from over his shoulder. I shrug, letting him know that I can’t help it. Harvey is the least honorable judge in our county and needs to retire, but he won’t because he likes the power he has over us “common people”.
“Mr. Oakes, please call your first witness,” Harvey says as he settles into his chair.
Fletcher stands and clears his throat. “The State would like to call Jameson Foster to the stand.”
Being the dramatic one that I am, I stand, straighten my shirt and saunter to the seat. Once I’m in it, I avoid looking at Ajay.
“Raise your right hand and repeat after me,” the bailiff says. I do and that’s when it hits me that if I lie up here, I could end up with a fine or worse… jail time. Right now, I want to take back everything I said to Fletcher; I don’t want to testify. My palms start to sweat as Fletcher comes closer.
“Please state your name for the record.”
“Jameson Foster,” I say into the microphone.
“May I call you Jamie?”
“You may.”
“Jamie, do you know why you’re here?”