Redress of Grievances Read online

  "Because the burden of proof in this case falls on the shoulders of the defense, I don't have to do a thing. I can sit over there in that chair and listen to the testimony the same way you will and still draw my salary. However, I represent the interests of the people of the State of Texas, and I must challenge the evidence the defense will present. I plan to do that vigorously so that Sharon Taggart will not be able to look at any of you through the scope of a high-powered rifle and snuff out your life or anyone else's as though it wouldn't matter to anyone.

  "The State will call witnesses to challenge the claim of mental disease or defect, as will the defense. However, I believe the State's witnesses will convince you that Mrs. Taggart is, in fact, not insane. She is simply guilty. She has confessed that she committed the offenses she is charged with, and the State will show that she had the ability to form the requisite intent to commit those crimes. By claiming that she was insane at the time, she is hoping that you will say her actions were okay. That the lives of her victims didn't matter."

  Smiling at the jurors, Lassiter shook his head slightly. "You know, the interesting thing about a plea of not guilty by reason of mental defect is that if you, the jury, reject that plea, if Ms. Markham fails to satisfy her burden, it means that Sharon Taggart is guilty of the crimes she stands accused of and will be punished accordingly. If, however, you believe Ms. Markham's rendition of the facts, Sharon Taggart will still be punished by being incarcerated in a mental facility for an indeterminate length of time. Either way, Sharon Taggart will be punished. Which institution Sharon Taggart will be sent to depends on your decision. Thank you."

  Taking a deep breath, and smiling briefly at Sharon, Harriett rose from her chair and approached the jury box, pulling her glasses off as she walked toward them.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Harriett Markham, and I represent the defendant in this case, Sharon Collins Taggart," Harriett began, indicating who Sharon was. Following Harriett's instructions, Sharon looked at the jury with little emotion on her face.

  "The decision before you during these proceedings will be to determine whether Sharon Collins Taggart is not guilty of the crimes she's charged with committing due to a mental disease or defect. In essence, your job will be to decide whether Sharon meets the requirements put forth by the State of Texas for insanity or not. The decision will be yours alone. My job is to prove to you, beyond a reasonable doubt, that my client is not responsible for her crimes because she has a mental defect or disease that rendered her incapable of knowing the difference between right and wrong, and therefore, incapable of understanding the nature or consequences of her actions. In order for my client to prevail, you must believe there is more evidence supporting her claim of insanity than there is to disprove it.

  "Mr. Lassiter, who represents the interests of the State of Texas, has been relieved of his burden, and his job is to question the evidence I present for your consideration. The defense will prove that Sharon Taggart suffers from a mental defect severe enough to prevent her from forming the requisite intent for the crimes she is accused of committing, thereby make her not legally responsible for her actions. I will present expert witnesses who will testify to Mrs. Taggart's mental condition. The State will also call expert witnesses to the stand who will deny that my client, in fact, has any such mental defect. Unfortunately, when we deal with experts in any field, there will be differing opinions. In part, this is because we are only dealing with opinions about an intangible when we deal with matters of the mind. We can't touch, feel, smell, or taste mental illness. And yet we have all seen people who have behaved in a manner that seemed insane to us. A person who deliberately walks into the path of an on-coming vehicle might seem to be performing an insane action until we examine the reason he took that action. Perhaps he was depressed. Perhaps he was drunk. Perhaps he was blind or got something in his eye. Perhaps he thought he could get across the road before the truck reached him because of a depth perception problem. Once he is dead, medical tests would tell us, without question, whether he was drunk or blind. But how would we know if he was depressed, had a cinder in his eye, or had a depth perception problem? We wouldn't know and would have to rely on the opinions of experts as to what led him into the path of the vehicle. If we dug into the person's past, we might indeed discover a problem we couldn't have known from merely looking at him. Only then would we understand what led to his death."

  Glancing toward Sharon for effect, Harriett saw Paige Dunne slip quietly into the courtroom and make her way to an open seat halfway down the gallery area. She wished the young woman hadn't decided to watch the proceedings and lowered her head to gather herself before continuing. "Sharon Taggart appears to be what most of us would consider normal. She appears to lead an average normal life. She has parents, a brother, a husband, and two children. She holds a responsible job that brings her into daily contact with hundreds of young people who have been entrusted to her. She grew up in what appears to be a stable, affluent home. But appearances can be deceiving. The realities of Sharon Taggart's life cannot be seen by looking at her because they are locked away in her mind. Through a series of witnesses, I will reveal the realities of her life to you and feel compelled to warn you in advance that the testimony you will hear will not be pleasant. It will be graphic and disturbing, but it will provide you with the evidence you will need to determine, with a clear conscience, that Sharon Taggart, a victim of incest at the hands of her brother and abuse at the hands of her husband, is not guilty by reason of mental defect and as a result was incapable of forming intent or determining the rightness or wrongness of her actions."

  Harriett paused for a moment, maintaining eye contact with the jurors while she waited for the ripple of whispers among the observers in the courtroom to fade away before resuming her remarks.

  "What the witnesses will reveal will certainly be challenged by Mr. Lassiter. That is his job. But no matter how well Mr. Lassiter does his job, there can be only one verdict in this case. The prosecutor will take his job seriously. I will take my job seriously. Once this case is turned over to you, Sharon Taggart has the right to expect you to perform your job seriously as well. Thank you."

  Stealing a glance at Paige Dunne as she returned to the defense table, Harriett felt profoundly sorry for the young woman and the part the case had forced her to play in hurting her. Judge Landers called for a fifteen-minute recess to allow the jury to prepare for a full day of testimony. As soon as Landers left the bench, Harriett conferred briefly with Nick to get his opinion on the reactions of the jurors to the opening statements.

  "I thought they looked fairly open to hearing the testimony. Lassiter gave a good opening, so I'm glad yours was what they heard last," Nick said.

  "I'm seeing Landers in chambers before we leave today. The courtroom will need to be cleared of spectators before Parker's high school friends take the stand Monday."

  "Personally, I can't believe Wayne found one, let alone two men willing to testify about molesting Sharon."

  "I didn't ask him how he got them to agree, and frankly, I don't want to know," Harriett said.

  "Lassiter will object to clearing the courtroom," Nick said.

  Harriett shrugged, "Let him."

  Turning to leave the courtroom, Harriett saw Sean Lassiter still sitting at the prosecution table looking over a sheaf of papers. On her way past the bar, she stopped momentarily at his table.

  "Can I help you?" he asked without looking up from his paperwork.

  "That was an excellent opening statement," she said, walking away before he could respond.

  On her way out of the courtroom, Harriett saw Alex and Paige standing in the hallway with Senator Collins. Paige jerked away from Collins when he tried to wrap his arm around her, and he and Alex appeared to be involved in a heated discussion. As Harriett took a drink from a nearby water fountain, Alex walked up next to her.

  "Are Sharon's incest allegations true?" she asked quietly.

  "You know I can't tel
l you anything about the case, Alex," Harriett answered, wiping sprinkles of water from her mouth. "But I am asking Judge Landers to clear the courtroom for some of the testimony."

  "Paige is extremely upset."

  "I'm sorry she had to hear my remarks, Alex. It wasn't my intention to hurt her. You might want to keep her away from the trial as much as possible. A great deal of the testimony would certainly upset her even more than she already is."

  "Are you talking about my testimony?"

  "As well as that of the other witnesses," Harriett nodded.

  "I'm not worried about your questions, Harriett."

  "I'll fend Lassiter off as much as I can, Alex. I'm sorry. I wish things could have turned out differently."

  "Me, too. Great memories, though," Alex smiled.

  "The best," Harriett said, touching Alex's arm gently before walking away from her for the last time.

  Jess leaned against a wall watching as Harriett and Alex talked. There seemed to be a familiarity in the way they looked at one other, and their body language spoke volumes. They made an attractive couple, and it was obvious to her that the two women had once possibly been lovers for an extended period of time.

  "Harriett," Jess said as Harriett walked toward her, obviously distracted by her own thoughts.

  "Oh, Jess," Harriett said, "I'm sorry. I didn't see you."

  "Complex case you're dealing with," Jess observed. "I caught a part of it before the recess."

  "Very complex," Harriett smiled.

  "Has anything else unusual happened to either you or Lacey?"

  "I've had a couple of hang-up phone calls, but that could have been anything."

  "It's not exactly kosher, but I have someone keeping an eye on Senator Collins."

  Harriett reached out and placed her hand on Jess's shoulder. "I appreciate that very much. I'm really more concerned about Lacey than I am about myself."

  "I understand," Jess nodded.

  "Why don't you come over tonight?" Harriett asked with a smile. "Lacey and her boyfriend will be there and maybe Nick. We're considering Chinese."

  "Sound great," Jess smiled.

  "It's a date." Harriett lightly squeezed Jess's arm before she turned to leave.

  WELL, ISN'T THAT sweet, he thought as he watched the two women. Harriett has found a new lover. Glancing back toward Alex, he smiled. Perfect. Walking away from one lover and into the arms of a new one at virtually the same moment. He couldn't believe his good fortune. He could have reached out and touched Harriett when she moved past him. It would have been so easy. Too easy. Would she have recognized me? he wondered. He didn't think she would have, but was certain she would have recognized his voice. He had called her house a few times hoping Lacey would answer, but had only heard Harriett's low and sultry voice telling him to leave a message. All he had left was the sound of his own breathing before he hung up. He wondered if he would find Lacey's voice as inviting as her aunt's. Bending over for a drink of water, he watched Harriett disappear into the courtroom. He didn't know how much longer he could wait. Not much longer, he thought as he walked down the hall away from the courtroom. Not much longer.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  JESS PULLED TO the curb in front of Harriett's townhouse. It would be dark within thirty minutes. Checking her hair in the rearview mirror, she stepped from the Durango. As she started up the steps, the front door opened and she was nearly run over by Lacey. Grabbing her to keep from falling, Jess asked, "Whoa, what's the rush?"

  Lacey laughed. "I'm sorry, Ms. Raines. We're on our way to pick up dinner."

  "Please, just Jess," she smiled. "I don't want to feel any older than I already am."

  "Jess, this is my boyfriend, Devon Shore. Devon, this is Aunt Harriett's date, Jess Raines."

  As she shook Devon's hand, she decided that he and Lacey made a nice looking young couple. Devon had an open face and a genuine smile.

  "Go on in," Lacey said as she took Devon's hand. "We won't be gone long."

  She watched as the two teenagers climbed into Harriett's truck and backed out of the drive. When she turned back to the front door, Harriett was smiling at her. Jess walked up the steps and greeted her with a light kiss. "Cute couple," she said.

  "Them or us?" Harriett asked.

  Laughing, Jess answered, "They're cute. We're fabulous."

  Harriett wrapped her arm around her waist and escorted her into the living room. "Jess, you remember Nick?" Harriett asked as Jess nodded. "And we have a surprise guest as well." Jess saw a bear of a man who appeared to be in his late fifties or early sixties hoist his body from the sofa. "This is Wayne Graham, my investigator."

  She took a step toward Wayne and shook his hand firmly. "A pleasure, Mr. Graham."

  "Not many people say that to me. You a cop?" he asked.

  "I'm not on the streets anymore," Jess nodded.

  "Jess is a special investigator with the Attorney General's office," Harriett added.

  AS THE ADULTS got acquainted, Lacey drove the big blue pickup through Austin streets toward Harriett's favorite Chinese restaurant.

  "How long did they say it would be before the order was ready," Devon asked.

  "About an hour, but it could be sooner," Lacey smiled at him across the truck.

  "Or maybe longer," Devon smiled back. "Makes me glad your aunt's favorite Chinese place is on the other side of town."

  Lacey switched lanes and guided the truck into traffic on the interstate highway. Devon knew immediately where she was going. Three cars behind them a dark car entered the highway. That big truck was so easy to follow, he thought. Might as well have a fuckin' neon sign on it. There wasn't any reason to stay behind them since they didn't have a clue he was following them. Speeding up, he passed a couple of cars and fell in directly behind the truck, driving much too closely.

  "What's that idiot doing?" Lacey asked. "If I stop, he'll run into me."

  Devon glanced back, but couldn't see who was driving the vehicle behind them. "Take the next exit, and let the jerk have the road," he frowned.

  Lacey turned off while the car stayed on the highway and sped past them. A few turns later Lacey brought the truck to a stop on a grassy area overlooking Town Lake and turned off the ignition. Without a word, she moved closer to Devon and kissed him. Pulling her closer, he kissed her deeply, allowing his hands to wander.

  With its headlights off, the black car eased to a stop. Through the trees he could see the silhouette of the truck. Ah, young love, he thought. Groping and gasping their way through a quickie in the cramped cab of a pickup truck. Slowly he made his way through the trees toward the truck. The windows were already beginning to fog.

  Devon shifted himself on the seat and lowered Lacey onto the seat, his hands pushing her sweater up over her breasts. "You're beautiful, Lacey," he whispered as his mouth took in one of her breasts. Her breathing became heavier as her hands pulled his mouth harder against her breast.

  Crawling to the truck, he could hear laughter and panting sounds from inside. As he slowly raised himself nearer the driver's window, the window was almost completely fogged over except near the bottom. Through the rapidly closing slit he watched as Lacey's half-naked body moved beneath the boy's mouth. Yes, she would be very hot, he thought, as he felt his own body react to what he saw. Lacey's hand flew up to the window, momentarily startling him into ducking down again. The sounds of increasing teenage passion had aroused him quickly to the point of painfulness. Unzipping his pants, he reached inside and coordinated his hand movement with the sounds from inside the truck.

  When he could bear it no longer, he came and was barely able to suppress his own groans of satisfaction.

  "Devon," Lacey said breathlessly, "Please stop. Please."

  He heard shifting inside the vehicle and thought, Don't stop now, kid. Nail that little cunt. Glancing up at the window, he saw blonde hair against the glass.

  "I'm sorry, Devon," she said softly.

  "It's okay, Lace. Besides, if we wait
much longer to pick up dinner, your aunt will get suspicious."

  Lacey glanced at the dashboard clock and sat completely up, "Shit! We better get going."

  The man moved quickly away from the truck and back to his vehicle. Lighting a cigarette, he waited until the truck passed before starting his engine. Fifteen minutes later, Lacey and Devon left the Beijing Dragon Restaurant and backed out of the parking lot. As they entered the interstate heading back to Harriett's townhouse, he fell in behind them again. Sporadically he moved closer and then fell back, finally turning his headlights on bright and remaining at a distance he knew would shine the lights into Lacey's rearview mirror.

  "What is this?" Lacey said. "Night of the moron! I can't see a thing." Devon reached up and flipped the switch on the rearview mirror to deflect the headlights behind them, but the headlights in the side mirrors were just as intense. Lacey signaled to turn off the highway, and the car followed her. Making several more turns, she was unable to shake the vehicle behind her. Finally, she slowed and pulled over to the curb. The car stopped behind her, but the driver didn't get out.

  Pulling away from the curb, Lacey reached down and picked up Harriett's mobile phone, punching in numbers as she watched the car continuing to follow her. Harriett picked up the phone at home and heard Lacey's shaking voice say, "Aunt Harriett, someone is following us, and I can't lose them. I'm afraid to come home."

  "Hang on," Harriett said.

  A moment later, after a fast explanation, Jess was on the line. "Where are you, Lacey?"

  "Uh...I'm not sure. Devon, what's the next street?"

  Jess could barely hear Devon in the background. "We're on Woodland and just passing Briar Hill," Lacey relayed.

  "Okay," Jess said calmly as she quickly wrote street names on a pad near the phone. "Don't stop, Lacey. Harriett will be giving you directions to follow. I'll intercept you and the mystery car in a few minutes, okay?"