Chapter 5

 

Ten months later

Charlotte took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. Vince and Mel were standing on the sidewalk waiting for her, and they quickly formed a shield around her as the throng of reporters crowded up to her.

Without speaking, the three of them moved quickly up the courthouse steps and into the large building. Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief when the doors closed behind them, shutting out the reporters and their shouted questions.

“Are you ready, sweetie?” Vince asked.

“Yes.” Her legs were trembling and she could feel sweat forming on her upper lip.

“Are you sure?” Mel asked softly.

“Yes. I’m ready to have this over with. I’m the prosecutor’s last witness. After today, I don’t ever have to think about those assholes again.” Charlotte said firmly.

A hand touched her shoulder. “Hello, Charlotte.”

She smiled at the crown prosecutor. “Hi, Michael.”

“You look good.”

She flushed a little under his gaze and his own cheeks reddened in response. “I mean, you look very uh – formal. It’s good for a court appearance.”

“Thanks.”

He nodded briefly at Vince and Mel before putting his hand in the small of Charlotte’s back and ushering her forward. “We’ve got a few minutes. I’d like to go over your testimony once more if you’re okay with that?”

She nodded and gave him a nervous look. He smiled down at her, his dark brown eyes traveling over her face. “You’ll be fine. Remember to keep your answers short and don’t let him fluster you. Just like we’ve been practicing, okay?”

She took another deep breath as he led her down the hall. “Okay.”

As they disappeared into a small room just off the courtroom Mel turned to Vince, her blue eyes strained and worried looking. “You should have told her, Vince. What do you think she’ll say when she finds out you lied to her?”

“I didn’t have a choice. You know that, Mel.” Vince said softly. “C’mon, let’s go get a seat.”

“Are you nervous?” Michael asked gently.

Charlotte nodded. “Yeah.”

“That’s normal. I’ll be questioning you first and there won’t be any surprises. It’ll be all the questions we rehearsed together. Then it’ll be the defense attorney’s turn. Just remember to stay calm and don’t let him trip you up. The key is to keep your answers as short as possible. Don’t do any elaborating, okay?”

“Yup. I’ve got this.” Charlotte gave him a weak smile and he reached across the table and squeezed her hands.

“I know you do.”

“Thanks.” There was an awkward moment before he released her hands and they both stood.

“Listen, Charlotte, after this is over I was wondering if you might like to get a drink with me?.” Michael suddenly said.

She blinked at him in surprise. “Oh, um, yeah I guess I could do that.”

He smiled boyishly at her. “Great! That’s really great!”

He walked to the door and opened it. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

* * *

 

“Ms. Montgomery, I’d like to talk about what happened in the back room of the salon.” The defense attorney gave her a shark-like smile.

Charlotte tensed and then made herself take a deep breath. She had known he would bring it up. Michael had skipped over it but he had warned her that the defense attorney would not. Her gaze fell on Jasper and Steve sitting at the defense table. They were both dressed in suits and Steve’s long hair was tied back neatly. Jasper only stared sullenly at her but Steve gave her a wide grin before making a kissing motion.

She looked away as the defense attorney approached her. “Ms. Montgomery?”

“Yes?”

“We’ve heard testimony from the other witnesses – your coworkers and police officer Vince Shallen - that my client insisted you play a game with one of his friends, a Renfrew Flynn?”

“Yes.” Charlotte replied.

“Can you tell the court what that game was?”

She took another deep breath. “Your client told Ren that if he didn’t have sex with me, he would kill both Vince and me.”

“I see. And what happened then?”

“Ren refused. Steve was about to kill Vince and I shouted at him to stop, that I would play the game.” Charlotte answered.

“And then?” The defense attorney prompted.

She took a quick look at Michael who nodded reassuringly to her.

“Ren took me to the back room of the salon and we had sex.”

“You mean he raped you.”

She shook her head. “No. It wasn’t rape.”

“Not rape?” The defense attorney cocked his head at her. “You mean you willingly had sex with Mr. Flynn?”

“Yes.”

“Ms. Montgomery, you’ll have to forgive me but I’m a little confused. This man was part of a well-known gang of drug dealers and murderers and had been holding you hostage for five hours but you, a woman who’s never even gotten a parking ticket, willingly had sex with him.”

“Yes.” Charlotte could feel the bright blush heating up her skin and she had an almost undeniable urge to try and explain her actions to the man standing in front of her, as well as the rest of the people sitting in the large courtroom. She bit the inside of her cheek and suppressed the urge fiercely.

“Were you frightened, Ms. Montgomery?”

“Yes.”

“But not frightened enough to keep you from having sex with one of the men holding you hostage?”

“I didn’t have a choice. They were going to kill Vince.”

“Tell me what happened after you went into the back room with Mr. Flynn.”

“He told me he couldn’t have sex with me, that he – he couldn’t force himself on me. I told him that he didn’t have a choice and that I wasn’t going to let Vince die.”

“What happened then?”

“I started kissing and touching him.”

“And Mr. Flynn responded to your advances?”

“Yes.”

“And then what?”

Suddenly impatient with his stupid questions, she rolled her eyes. “I already told you, we had sex.”

“You’re a widow, are you not?” The defense attorney asked softly.

She stiffened. “Yes.”

“And how long had you husband been deceased before you had sex with Mr. Flynn?”

“Three months.” She muttered.

“So, let me see if I understand this. You had sex with the person holding you hostage and threatening your life, three months after your husband died?”

“Objection, your honour!” Michael stood up. “What does her husband’s death have to do with anything?”

“Sustained.” The judge replied. He turned to the defense attorney. “Get to the point, Mr. Wall.”

“Yes, your honour.” He turned back to Charlotte and smiled genially at her. “Just a few more questions, Ms. Montgomery.”

She nodded as he paced back and forth in front of her for a moment.

“Did you have an orgasm during sex with Mr. Flynn?” He asked abruptly.

“Objection!” Michael was on his feet as Charlotte blushed brightly.

“Your honour, Ms. Montgomery has already admitted to having consensual sex with one of the gang members. Why does the defense need her to go into such detail?”

“Your honour, three of Ms. Montgomery’s coworkers testified that they were terrified for their lives. Ms. Montgomery herself testified earlier that she was frightened. They all indicated that my clients, Mr. Terrence and Mr. Logan, had threatened and tormented them into a state of gut-wrenching fear. Yet Ms. Montgomery, despite her overwhelming fear, has admitted to having sex with one of the men who was holding them hostage. I’m trying to establish just how much of a threat my clients actually presented if one of the hostages willingly had sex with one of them.”

“It’s already been established that she did it because they threatened to kill someone she cared for deeply.” Michael protested hotly.

The judge held up his hand. “I’ll allow the question.” He turned to Charlotte. “Answer the question, Ms. Montgomery.”

Charlotte swallowed. “Yes, I had an orgasm.”

The defense attorney stared at her shrewdly for a moment. “Tell me, Ms. Montgomery, did you know that Mr. Flynn was an undercover detective?”

Charlotte’s mouth dropped open and she stared wordlessly at the man before her gaze fell on Vince and Mel sitting in the front row just behind Michael.

“Ms. Montgomery?” The defense attorney prompted.

Charlotte stared at him. Her head was ringing and she thought for one horrifying moment that she was going to faint. Michael was staring worriedly at her as the judge leaned closer.

“Ms. Montgomery, answer the question please.”

“No.” She whispered. “I didn’t know that.”

“Huh. So at no point during your rendezvous with him in the back room, did Detective Flynn mention he was an undercover detective?”

“No.” She whispered again.

“But you still had sex with him? Even though you believed that he was a gang member.”

“Yes.” She replied hoarsely.

“Interesting. Since you had no problem with having intercourse with one of the men holding you hostage and in fact, were brought to orgasm by him, I wonder if perhaps my clients did not instill quite the amount of fear in you that you claim.”

“Objection!” Michael barked immediately.

“Sustained.” The judge said. “The jury will disregard the last statement made by the defense.”

As Michael sat back down, the defense attorney smiled at Charlotte. “No further questions, your honour. Thank you, Ms. Montgomery. You’ve been very helpful.”

The judge turned to Michael. “Would you like to cross examine your witness, Mr. Winters?”

Michael nodded and jumped up. “Ms. Montgomery, were you frightened of Detective Flynn?”

“At first, but not once we were in the back room.”

“Why not?”

“Because he was very, um, gentle and made it clear that he wouldn’t hurt me.”

“Thank you. And did Mr. Terrence make it clear that he wouldn’t hurt you?” Michael asked.

“No. After we finished, Steve came into the back room. He made some comments about taking his turn and Ren told him to get out. Steve reminded Ren that he needed to be careful, that he was the one with the guns. After he left, Ren took a gun that he had hidden around his calf and strapped it to my thigh. He told me that if Steve took me into the back room and tried to hurt me, I was to shoot him.”

“Did you find that strange?”

“Yes. I – I asked him who he was and he said he was no one. He said he was just an asshole who got involved with the wrong crowd.”

“Did you believe that Detective Flynn would harm you?”

“No.”

“Did you believe that Mr. Terrence would harm you?”

“Yes. And I was right – he shot me.”

“Thank you, Ms. Montgomery. I have no further questions, your honour.” Michael nodded to her and she stood and walked shakily past him. She hesitated and then sat down next to Vince in the front row.

“Charlotte – “

“Did you know, Vince? You did, didn’t you?” She accused in a low voice.

“Yes.” He replied quietly. When she didn’t respond he placed a gentle hand on her arm, wincing when she jerked away from him.

“Charlotte, I’m so sorry, I – “

“Be quiet, Vince.” She stared down at her tightly clasped hands. “I can’t talk to you right now.”

“Charlotte – “

“Leave her alone, honey.” Mel said gently.

Charlotte closed her eyes. Her heart was beating so fast and so loud that she could barely hear the judge telling Michael to call his next witness. She frowned, she was the last witness.

Michael cleared his throat. “The prosecution calls Detective Renfrew Flynn.”

There was a collective gasp throughout the courtroom and Charlotte, her hands clammy and her stomach suddenly in her feet, turned to look behind her, the tendons in her neck creaking like old boards.

The door to the courtroom opened and Ren walked through. Charlotte stared silently at him as he walked down the aisle separating the rows of seating. He was dressed in a dark grey suit with a burgundy tie. His hair had been cut short and the thick beard was gone. There was a thin scar running across his chin and another just under the left side of his jaw.

He walked past without looking at her and she turned back in her seat. The buzzing was back in her head and the courtroom suddenly seemed too warm. She tried to gulp in air like a fish but her lungs had stopped working. This time she knew for sure she was going to faint.

Mel was suddenly sitting next to her. She put a cool hand on the back of Charlotte’s neck and in a sharp voice said, “Put your head between your knees, sweetie.”

She pushed Charlotte down and bent next to her. “Take deep breaths. C’mon, sweetie – in through the nose, out through the mouth. Nice and slow.”

As Ren was sworn in, Charlotte listened to Mel’s soft voice and concentrated on drawing air in and out of her beleaguered lungs.

* * *

 

Charlotte stared numbly at Ren. He had been questioned by Michael about his involvement with Steve’s gang, and she had been surprised to learn that he had been deep undercover for over a year. Michael had kept his questioning brief, asking questions that revealed the gang’s drug activity for the last year and the events that led up to Vince being shot.

Despite her shock at both Ren being an undercover cop and alive, Charlotte had been impressed by Michael’s ability in the courtroom. With only a few simple questions, he had established just how dangerous and out of control Steve had been in the salon.

For the last fifteen minutes she had watched Ren be grilled by the defense. The attorney had barely mentioned the salon. Instead, he had been questioning him on incidents that had happened over the course of his career, both as a cop and an undercover detective.

She leaned towards Mel and whispered into her ear. “Why are they asking him all of these questions? It has nothing to do with the salon.”

Mel put her arm around her and bent her mouth to Charlotte’s ear. “He’s trying to discredit Ren in front of the jury by questioning all of the decisions he’s made in his career. It’s the same technique he used on you, only yours was on a more personal level.”

She hesitated. “As awful as it is, it’s a good sign. The defense is grasping at straws, looking for anything that will make his clients look less terrible in the eyes of the jury.”

“Detective Flynn, we’ve heard testimony today that my client forced you to take Ms. Montgomery into the back room of the salon and have sex with her. Is this correct?”

“Yes.” For the first time since he had entered the courtroom, Ren’s eyes landed on Charlotte. His grey eyes stared into hers and she could feel herself starting to shake. Mel squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.

“You had sex with her because Mr. Terrence allegedly threatened to kill both Officer Shallen and Ms. Montgomery if you didn’t. Is this correct?”

“Yes.”

“Is it true that you knew Officer Shallen before the incident in the salon?”

Ren nodded. “Yes.”

“And how long have you known him for?” The defense attorney asked.

“Twenty years, give or take.”

“Would you consider him a friend?”

“Yes.”

“And yet when my client allegedly threatened Officer Shallen’s life, you said, and I quote, ‘What the hell do I care about the life of some cop? Go ahead and kill him.’ Is this correct?”

“Yes.” Ren said quietly.

The defense attorney smoothed his tie. “Just one last question, Detective Flynn. Is it true that two days after the incident at the salon, Officer Shallen reported to your supervisors that you had raped Ms. Montgomery, and subsequently, you were charged with rape?”

There was another collective gasp through the courtroom. Charlotte leaned forward, looking past Mel, and stared horrified at Vince. He was staring down at the floor between his feet, his face pale and sick looking.

Ren cleared his throat. “Yes, but – “

“And is it true that two of the three salon employees, a Miss Darlene Smith and a Mrs. Rita Tanden, both supported Officer Shallen’s accusation of rape?”

“Yes, but they weren’t in the back room with us. They made an assumption and – “

“Thank you, Detective Flynn. I have no further questions.” The defense attorney returned to his seat as the judge looked to Michael.

“Cross examine, Mr. Winters?”

“Yes, thank you, your honour.”

“Detective Flynn, would you have let Mr. Terrence kill Officer Shallen?”

“No.”

“Even if it had blown your cover?”

“I wouldn’t have let Vince die. I was bluffing. If Char – if Ms. Montgomery hadn’t stepped forward and said she would play his game, I would have figured out a way to stop Steve from killing Vince.” Ren said firmly.

“The rape charges against you were dropped only a day later, is this correct?” Michael asked.

“Yes. Ms. Montgomery woke from her surgery and after being questioned by Vince, confirmed that the sex between us was consensual. Vince immediately phoned my supervisors and told them of his mistake. They then questioned Ms. Montgomery themselves, and she also told them that the sex had been consensual. They dropped the charges after that.”

Charlotte cupped her elbows and sighed harshly. The day after she had woken, the day after she had told Vince that Ren hadn’t raped her, two plain-clothes detectives had shown up in her hospital room and questioned her about the events in the salon. They had asked her bluntly if she had been raped by Ren and, although she had been utterly mortified, she had told them the truth. At the time she hadn’t thought much about their questioning, and had just assumed they were involved in the investigation of the salon.

“Ms. Montgomery testified that after you had intercourse with her, you gave her your gun as protection against Mr. Terrence. Is this true?”

Ren nodded. “Yes.”

“Why didn’t you just use the gun to kill Mr. Terrence?”

“Because my orders were to bring Steve in alive. My supervisors were very specific about that. It’s why I shot him in the side instead of the head.” There was more than a hint of disgust in Ren’s voice.

“And yet, you gave Ms. Montgomery your gun and told her to shoot Mr. Terrence if he tried to harm her.” Michael said quietly. “Why?”

Ren frowned. “Because Steve was high on coke. He was acting irrational and crazy, and he had already indicated that he wanted Ms. Montgomery. I had lived with the man and his gang for nearly a year. I knew exactly what he was capable of. I didn’t care what my supervisors wanted, I wasn’t about to let an innocent woman be raped or killed.”

“Thank you, Detective Flynn. I have no further questions.” Michael returned to his seat as Ren nodded and left the witness box. He walked through the gate that separated the viewing area from the rest of the courtroom. He sat down in the row behind Charlotte and she fancied she could almost feel his eyes burning into her skull.

She stared at the floor, concentrating once more on her breathing, and barely hearing the rest of the conversation between the judge and the lawyers. She clenched her hands together and listened desperately for the judge to dismiss them. After nearly ten minutes he did and she shot to her feet and broke for the door, refusing to look at Ren as she passed him.

“Charlotte, wait!” Vince called her name but she ignored him. She fled the courthouse, pushing past the waiting reporters and running for her car. She climbed in and drove off, her heart beating frantically in her chest and her breath coming in harsh, hot gasps.