

Hellfire's Judgment

Linda L Barton

Copyright 2014©Linda L Barton

DeadlyReads.com

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

To my wonderful, husband, Bob.

You are the driving force

in this writing adventure.

For it's in your creative mind

where our stories are born.

I would also like to thank

Freedigitalphotos.net

Cover Design and Formatting by

Deadly Reads Author Services

Table of Contents

Title Page, Copyright,

Dedication, Book Description

Chapter1, Chapter2, Chapter3,

Chapter4, Chapter5, Chapter6,

Chapter7, Chapter8, Chapter9,

Chapter10, Chapter11, Chapter12,

Chapter13, Chapter14, Chapter15,

Chapter16, Chapter17, Chapter18,

Chapter19, Chapter20, Chapter21,

Chapter22, Chapter 23, Chapter24,

Epilogue
Chapter 1

"Come on, mom! Please let me go. I promise I'll be careful," Sherry said as she stood by the kitchen counter with her hands clasped together, and a pleading look on her face.

Carolyn knew that Sherry was old enough to ride her bike alone to the supermarket, but she just could not seem to bring herself to agree with the idea. "I know you want to go, but I'm not sure..."

Sherry cut her off, "Come on, you let Jason do it at my age. I promise that I will go straight there and then straight back. Besides, this way, you won't have to wake up Amy from her nap. I promise to come straight back with everything you need before you know it." Sherry held her breath, watching her mother reach into the dishwasher, and then put the last of the dishes away in the cabinet.

Carolyn looked at Sherry. You have grown up so quickly; she thought to herself. "Fine, go get my purse."

"Cool!" Sherry cheered as she leaped into the air and then ran out of the kitchen to get her mother's purse.

Carolyn smiled as she watched Sherry run from the room, wondering where the years had gone. "It seems like only yesterday you were taking your first steps, and now you want to go to the store on your own. My little girl is growing into a young woman," she said to herself with a touch of sadness in her voice.

A few moments later, Sherry came bounding back into the kitchen with her mother's purse clutched tightly to her chest. "Here's your purse, mom," she grinned excitedly.

Carolyn took it, reached inside, and pulled out her billfold. "Here's ten dollars. I need you to get a box of butter, a can of tomato sauce, and get some candy for you and your sister. Don't worry about getting any for your brother because he's staying late at Danny's again. I guess they're still trying to get that old truck running." Carolyn chuckled, as the vision of the two boys with their heads stuck under the hood of that old, pickup truck appeared in her mind.

Jason and Danny had been best friends since kindergarten. They had spent every summer riding their bikes all over the town and played Little League together. Therefore, when Danny's grandfather had given him his old, beat-up Chevy pickup truck, the best friends made it their mission to get it running again.

Sherry took the money and put it in her pocket. She then hugged her mother tightly and said, "Thanks, Mom, I promise that I won't be too long."

"You better not because I can't start the meatloaf until you get back with the tomato sauce."

"Don't worry, I'll be back in a little bit besides, I love your meatloaf," Sherry smiled. "I love you, Mom." She turned and walked toward the back door.

"I want you to be careful, and don't forget to watch for cars. People are coming home from work, so look both ways before you cross the street. I also want you to remember to follow the rules and not ride your bike in the street, and..."

"Mom, I know the rules. I'm not a baby anymore," she stood defiantly, with her hand on her hip and rolled her eyes impatiently.

"I know you aren't. It's just hard to admit how quickly you have grown," Carolyn said with tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "Now get out of here and be careful." Carolyn laughed as she watched Sherry skip out the back door, giggling all the way.

Carolyn could not help but smile, as she got the onion and bell pepper to slice up for the meatloaf out of the refrigerator. "You silly, little thing, please be careful," she said to herself.

***

Sherry was the oldest daughter of Ray and Carolyn Jefferies, and at thirteen-years-old, she was growing into a beauty just like her mother. Married for eighteen years, Ray and Carolyn were high school sweethearts, and when Carolyn became pregnant with Jason the night of their senior prom; they quickly married and began their life as a family. Ray's father owned the local feed store, so to support his new family; Ray worked for him in the yard by keeping track of inventory and loading the customers. Then seven years later, his father, Clay Jefferies, had a massive heart attack, and Ray took over running the business to spare his father the daily stress of managing the store.

***

Clay Jefferies was a man who had always believed that one should work hard, be honest when dealing with others, and that family was the most important thing in your life. It was in 1970 while Clay was serving in the Army at Fort Hood in Texas that he met the woman he would marry. Marie Falters had worked at the inbound shipping office when she caught the eye of a young soldier who had just transferred from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

It was the third time that Clay had seen Marie when he finally dared to ask her out on a date. Marie was accustomed to the soldiers flirting with her with the limited number of single women working on the base. She was always friendly to the soldiers while working, but she had no desire to date any of them. However, there was something different about this new one, so she had agreed to go. Clay had taken Marie to see the new John Wayne movie, Chisum, and he was thrilled to learn that Marie was also a John Wayne fan as there was no greater actor than The Duke. As they sat in the theater, watching the movie and sharing a tub of buttered popcorn, they both knew it was the beginning of a long and happy life together.

Clay's unit was due to go to Vietnam in a few weeks, so they had decided to get married before he left. It was a simple ceremony with only family and a few close friends, but as far as Clay and Marie were concerned, it was a perfect day. They drove to Galveston for their honeymoon but were only able to spend the weekend, as Clay was due back on base early Monday morning. They were happy those weeks before he left for Vietnam, and when the day arrived for him to leave, they found themselves filled with tears of both joy and sadness. Marie had recently learned that she was pregnant, which thrilled them both, but they also knew he would not be home for the birth.

"I want you to promise me that you will take good care of my son until I return," Clay said while holding Marie tightly in his arms.

"What makes you think it's a boy?" Marie teased as she laid her head on his chest and breathed in the scent of his cologne.

"Because I'm his father, and we already had ourselves a little talk last night," Clay said in a serious tone.

Marie lifted her head and looked at him, not quite sure what to think of this statement. "What do you mean that you've already had a little talk?"

Clay looked deeply into her eyes and softly said with affection. "Last night, while you were sleeping, I placed my hand on your stomach and told our sweet child how daddy was sorry that he had to leave for a while. I said I was going to a far-off land to fight in a war. I said if I wasn't able to return home, to always know that I was proud to be the daddy of such a precious gift from God. I then had the strangest feeling come over me, that everything would be okay, and when I closed my eyes; I saw the face of a little boy with big, blue eyes just like yours. His smile shone like the sun, and at that moment, I felt complete joy."

Marie stood speechless, never taking her eyes away from his. Clay reached down and gently placed his hand on her stomach. "Take care of your mommy, and I'll be home as soon as I can."

Marie could no longer hold back the tears, "Oh Clay, please be careful, and come home safely to us."

They shared one final kiss, then Clay turned and walked away to join his unit.
Chapter 2

"Where's your sister? Damn, it's been nearly an hour!" Carolyn lifted Amy off the changing table and then walked to the front window to look outside. "Maybe she stopped at Megan's and lost track of time. I'll call and ask if they have seen her." Carolyn sat in the rocking chair next to the window and placed Amy on her lap.

"Your sister is in real trouble," she said to Amy, knowing the child had no idea what she was saying. She picked up her cell phone, dialed the number, and then waited as the phone rang several times with no answer. "Huh, so she's not there. Now I'm getting worried," Carolyn groaned as she dialed Ray at the feed store.

"Jefferies Feed, how may I help you?" Ray said cheerfully.

"Ray, I let Sherry ride her bike to the store, and nearly an hour has passed since she left. I called Megan's house because I figured she probably stopped there and has just lost track of time, but there was no answer," her voice quivered. "Oh, Ray, I'm getting worried. I think I'll drive to the store and see if I can find her." Carolyn stood and carried Amy out to the living room where she grabbed her purse and keys on the small table by the front door.

"Okay, but if you don't find her, call me back." Ray was sure that Carolyn would find her along the way to the store, but he said a silent prayer just in case.

"I will." Carolyn tossed the cell phone inside her purse and rushed out the front door to her car. She quickly put Amy in the car seat and then climbed into the driver's seat. "When I find you, little lady, you are going to be in big trouble!"

When she drove past Megan's house, Carolyn could see that no one was at home, so she continued on to the supermarket. As she got closer to the store, her heart beating with such intensity that she thought it would explode. "I knew that I shouldn't have let her go this far from home alone. Why didn't I trust my instincts?" Carolyn said aloud, with a mixture of anger and fear welling up from deep inside of her.

When she pulled into the supermarket parking lot, Carolyn frantically looked to see if Sherry's bike was by the entrance to the store. However, to her horror, it was not there. "Where are you, Sherry?" Unsure of what to do, Carolyn pulled into a parking space and called Ray.

When the phone rang, Ray quickly grabbed it, "Jefferies Feed."

"Ray, I can't find her anywhere! She wasn't at Megan's house, and she's not at the store. Oh, Ray, where can she be?" Carolyn cried with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I don't know, but you need to go back home, in case she shows up there. Now, if she's not there, call the police department and let them know she's missing. I want you to call and let me know; in case, I need to call Dad, and get a group of men together to search for her." Ray looked out the window and realized it was growing dark outside. "Sweetheart, you need to get back home. Please call and let me know if she is home." They both hung up. Ray looked outside again and said a silent prayer that Sherry would return safely.

Feeling a growing sense of dread, Ray turned to the yard foreman and said, "Frank, I need to leave. Will you close up for me?"

"Sure, is there something wrong?" Frank asked as he joined Ray behind the counter.

"I hope not," were the only words Ray said as he rushed out the door.
Chapter 3

The moon was high in the night sky when Carolyn noticed a small figure walking down the middle of the street. She had been waiting on the front porch, praying that she would come home soon. "Sherry? Oh, my, God, is that you?" Carolyn leaped to her feet and ran toward the lone figure walking in the road. However, what she saw as Sherry came closer caused Carolyn to cry out in agony.

Sherry never said a word, as she slowly walked toward her mother with an empty look in her eyes. Her torn clothes clung to her body, as she was wet from her head to her feet. As Carolyn got closer to her, she could see the right side of her face was swollen and bruised. Carolyn grabbed Sherry and held her tightly, "Where have you been, sweetheart? We have been looking all over for you." Carolyn leaned back and gently cupped Sherry's face in her hands, noticing the look of terror in her eyes.

Sherry stood rigid with tears flowing from her battered eyes and softly said, "He hurt me, Mommy. I tried to fight him, but he was too strong. He laughed and said that I wanted him to..." with those words; Sherry collapsed into her mother's arms.

***

"Mr. and Mrs. Jefferies, will you join me over here?" Dr. Stewart, the Emergency Room Physician, said as he walked out of the examining room. The look on his face told Ray and Carolyn that he did not have pleasant news. "Your daughter has a long recovery ahead of her. She sustained a hairline crack in her cheekbone from a hit to the right side of her face, as well as a broken wrist, which will need surgery to repair and three broken fingers." The doctor had paused a moment before he continued, "She was also brutally raped. She has extensive tearing inside, but I do not believe it will prevent her from having children."

The words hit Ray and Carolyn like a sledgehammer. Carolyn began to cry, but Ray felt rage ignite from deep inside of him. "Is she going to be all right, Doctor?" Ray said while he held a weeping Carolyn in his arms.

"Her broken bones will heal, but she will need a lot of love and support to get through what she experienced. I have to say that she handled the rape examination well and is now resting. You may go in and see her if you would like," the doctor said with a deep sadness in his voice. In all his years of working at the small-town hospital, he had never seen anything so heartbreaking, like the look of Sherry's emotionless face.

Ray reached out and shook the doctor's hand, "Thank you, Doctor. Come on, Carolyn, Sherry needs us."

***

It was a long and tear-filled night for Ray and Carolyn. They had both stayed at Sherry's bedside until morning, watching her struggle to sleep. Carolyn had finally fallen asleep around 3 o'clock on the foldout chair in the corner of the room, but the rage consuming Ray had kept him awake. Why would someone do that to our baby? How will she ever overcome this? The words burned into his mind.

"Good morning, Mr. Jefferies," the nurse said as she walked into the room. "How is she doing this morning?"

"As good as can be expected after what she went through," Ray said sarcastically.

Realizing he was in no mood for idle conversation, the nurse decided to concentrate on the job at hand. "I'm sorry that I have to wake you, but I need to take your temperature, sweetie. I know this is going to hurt a bit, but I need you to open your mouth," the nurse said tenderly.

Sherry looked up at the nurse, shaking her head from side-to-side, and weakly mumbled, "No."

"I know you're sore, but I need to take your temperature," the nurse asked again.

Tears began to stream down Sherry's cheeks. "Can't you see that she's in pain? There has to be another way to check her temperature," Ray growled.

"I'm sorry, sir, but..." the nurse stepped back, nervously.

"Nurse, don't worry about doing that right now. I'll do it myself," the doctor said as he walked into the room. "Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Jefferies. I wanted to drop by and see how she's doing this morning before she goes to surgery," he smiled, hoping to ease the tension in the room. "Has the surgeon been in to see you yet?"

Ray looked down at Sherry and then back to the doctor, "No, he hasn't."

The doctor could see that Ray had something on his mind but could not seem to find the courage to ask. "Mr. Jefferies, I know this has been difficult for you and your family. Therefore, I am not going to stand here and tell you that I understand what you are feeling. However, I am going to say that as time passes, the anger and pain, you all feel now, will lessen, and your family will once again know peace."

Ray looked at the doctor and snickered, "Peace? I won't know peace until the monster that did this to my daughter is caught and punished."

The doctor understood the anger consuming Ray because he was feeling it himself. He looked at Sherry and smiled, "You are a lucky little girl to have such a loving mommy and daddy."

"Thank you, doctor," Carolyn said as she stood and joined them at Sherry's bedside.

"Sherry, do you mind if I take your vital signs? We need to do it so that you can get better and go home," the doctor looked at her and winked.

Sherry looked up and him and nodded then slowly opened her mouth.

"That's a good girl," he said as he gently placed the thermometer inside her mouth.

***

It had been three days since the surgery to repair Sherry's wrist, and she was ready to go home. "Mommy, is it time to leave yet?" Sherry asked as she looked out the window of her hospital room.

"As soon as the nurse comes with the wheelchair, then we'll be able to leave," Carolyn said cheerfully, as she gathered the last of Sherry's things.

"I don't understand why I need a wheelchair. I just want to go home," Sherry protested, holding up her right arm in the cast placed on her after the surgery. "I broke my wrist, not my leg!"

"I know you're anxious to go home, but it's the hospital's rule. Why don't you sit here and wait until it's time to go?" Carolyn pointed to the chair closest to the door. "It won't be long now."

Ray had been standing in the doorway, looking down the hallway toward the elevator. He was tired of being at the hospital, as well. He just wanted to take Sherry home and resume their lives. The investigating officer on her case had come by a couple of times to talk to her, but she had refused to say anything about who had attacked her. "Damn, this is ridiculous, how long does it take to get a wheelchair?" Ray groaned.

Carolyn looked at Ray and saw the anger and frustration on his face. While she understood his feelings, she also knew it was useless to let those emotions control them. "Ray, would you mind calling dad and letting him know that we will be a little later than expected. I know he was planning on us being home in time for lunch, so I don't want him to worry." She hoped this distraction would help ease some of Ray's anger.

Ray looked at Carolyn and forced a grin, "Sure, I'll call." Ray knew the only reason she had asked him to call, was to give him something else to think of, instead of worrying about when the wheelchair would arrive. "I'll step out in the hall, and let you two talk about me behind my back," he winked.

"Your daddy is silly, isn't he?" Carolyn laughed as she watched Ray step out into the hall.

Sherry nodded her head in agreement and then giggled when she saw the shocked look on Ray's face.

"Dang, you two couldn't even wait for me to leave the room before you started talking about me," Ray chuckled as he closed the door behind him.

Carolyn was pleased to see Sherry smile. The swelling on her cheek was beginning to go down, allowing her to talk with more ease. However, the dark bruise still covered her cheek and around her eye.

"Oops, I think we hurt his feelings," she grinned. "We all look forward to having you back home, sweetheart. I know that your sister will be happy to see you, and your brother will be, too."

Sherry looked at her mother with a devilish grin. While she loved her brother, she also loved tormenting him as any younger sibling would. "I'll be happy to see them, too."

Suddenly, the door opened, and in walked the nurse, pushing a wheelchair, and with Ray following closely behind her. "I understand there is a young lady ready to go home," the nurse said playfully.

"I sure am," Sherry, grinned.

"Then let's get you out of here and on your way home." The nurse reached down and locked the wheel on the chair and then held it in place for Sherry. Once seated, she looked around the room one last time. "I can't wait to get home."

***

Clay had stayed at the house with Amy and Jason while Ray and Carolyn stayed at the hospital with Sherry. Therefore, he was relieved when they all finally came home.

"Welcome home, Sweet Pea," Clay chuckled, as he watched her get out of the car and walk up the sidewalk to the front door.

"Hi, Papa," she said.

"I bet you're hungry for some real food. I made your favorite: Chili Pie," he laughed when he saw the excited look on her face.

"Oh, Papa, you're the best," she giggled as she ran up to him, throwing her free arm around his waist. "I love you."

Clay looked down at her and fought back the tears now forming in his eyes. The image of the dark bruise and swelling under her eye from the hairline fracture in her cheekbone was like a painful reminder of the violent attack she had endured. "I love you too, Sweet Pea. Now come on, let's go eat."

Everyone was careful to keep the conversation at the table light and carefree, as no one wanted to mention what lay ahead for Sherry. They each knew this homecoming would be the beginning of a long and painful healing process for her, as well as for the entire family.

Sherry was about to refill her bowl with chili when Jason walked in the back door. "Hey, save some of that for me," he laughed.

"You'd better hurry because she seems to have a healthy appetite today, or maybe she's just happy not to have to eat more of that hospital food," Clay grinned.

"It wasn't that bad," Sherry, smiled, as she sprinkled some grated cheese on top of the chili and chips.

"Don't worry about, not having enough to eat, Jason. Your grandfather made enough to feed an army," Carolyn said.

Jason rubbed his stomach and smacked his lips, "Good because I'm starving. Move over, little sis."

***

Once they had all had their fill, Jason looked at Sherry, "How about we go and continue our video game. I think we should be able to get to the next level if we work together."

Sherry looked at her big brother, "You just know that you can't do it without me."

"Well, someone has to be bait for the monsters to go after," Jason teased.

Sherry smiled and looked over at her mother.

"You two can play while I clean up here, but then she needs to rest. I don't want her to do too much too soon," Carolyn said as she gathered the dirty dishes.

"Mom, I don't want to rest. I don't like to sleep, the dreams scare me," Sherry protested.

"Mind your mother. You just got out of the hospital, so I don't want you to get overtired. You are safe now, so you don't have to worry anymore." Ray's heart broke by the look of fear that briefly appeared on Sherry's face.

Realizing that it was useless to protest, she looked at her brother and said, "Hurry up then, Jason. I want to watch those monsters eat you!"

Jason followed her, but once he reached the doorway to the living room, he turned and looked back at his parents, who were still sitting at the table. A look of sadness appeared in his eyes, but he forced a smile, and then turned to follow Sherry into the living room. "Hey, no cheating like the last time..."

***

Several long and tense moments passed before Clay finally spoke, "So, she still hasn't said who did this to her, and the police said they didn't have any leads, right?"

Ray knew what his father wanted to hear, but he could not lie. "No to both of your questions, Dad."

"I can accept that she may not be ready to talk, but I don't believe for one second that the police have no leads on who attacked her. That is such a load-of-crap!" Clay growled, slamming his fist down on the tabletop. "I don't understand any of this. You hear all the time on the news about how, with DNA evidence, you can solve nearly every case. You can't tell me that bastard was able to rape her without leaving any evidence behind!"

Clay thought back to the day of Sherry's birth. It had been a difficult pregnancy for Carolyn. The doctor had placed her on complete bed rest for the last two months, and the birth was difficult on her, as well. However, once Sherry arrived, and Clay held her for the first time; she firmly clasped his finger with her little hand and had stolen his heart for good.

"Dad, I don't understand it either. The police said they can't do anything until she tells them who attacked her or someone reports that they saw him with her," Ray frowned.

Clay felt the rage burning deep down in his soul. When he had first seen Sherry at the hospital, he could not believe the empty look in her eyes. He had tried to get her to talk to him, but she just lay on the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling as though he was not even there. "Ray, we have to find a way to get her to open up and tell us who did this to her. If we don't find the man who did this to her, she will forever live in fear of him coming after her again."

"I know, and I'm worried about that myself," Ray said while he rubbed the stubble on his face and watched Carolyn put the remaining chili in a plastic container. "The doctor even had to give Carolyn a sedative to help calm her down. Dad, we are both so angry about this. Carolyn has said whoever did this to Sherry, needs to die. To be honest with you, I have to agree with her."

Carolyn turned to look at both men and then wiped the tears from her eyes. "I have never wished anyone dead, but I hope whoever did this to our little girl dies a painful death." She put the container of chili in the refrigerator and then walked back over to the table to gather the last of the dirty dishes. "I know it's wrong to wish someone dead, but I can't help how I feel. However, we need first to learn his identity, then we can make sure he pays for what he did."

Ray reached out and gently touched her arm. "It will happen; I'm sure of it."

"I just don't understand how someone could do that to an innocent child," Carolyn cried. She gathered the rest of the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. "Well, I'm done here. I think I'll go take a nap with Sherry. We both could use some rest."

Clay and Ray watched Carolyn leave the room and wondered if the family would ever know true happiness again.

***

"Dad, I had the strangest feeling come over me that first night while sitting next to Sherry's bed in the hospital. I don't know if I'm just grasping at straws, but I think I know who did this to her." Ray nervously looked at Clay, while taking another sip of his sweet tea. "A couple of weeks ago, Todd Gensen came to the store to pick up an order for his father. I wasn't too thrilled to see him after what he had done to old man Willcott's barbershop last year. Hell, we all know that his family paid off Willcott, not to press charges. Well, I was at my desk going through a few invoices when he strolled up to me and began to ramble on about how he was sick of being an errand boy for his father. I'd done my best to ignore him, but when he commented on what a beautiful, young woman he thought Sherry was; he suddenly had my full attention. He then went on to say how he bet all the boys would be after her soon. Now, I have heard that from several people, but there was something about the tone of his voice and the look in his eyes when he said it. Dad, he had the strangest smile on his face. I don't know; maybe I'm just feeding more into it than was there."

Clay had never liked the Gensen family. They had lived in the area for a long time and had enjoyed the privileges that went along with it. Todd's father, Richard Gensen, was a lawyer and was now the county commissioner. His grandfather was a retired judge. The whole family seemed to consider themselves above the law, and Todd had enjoyed the freedom to do as he wished because of his family name. When he was eleven-years-old, he had vandalized the soda machine outside of McGregor's Gas Station. However, since his grandfather was the judge at the time, he had laughed when Sam McGregor had threatened to call the police.

"Go ahead and call the cops, old man. Do you really think anything will come of it? I can do whatever I want in this town, so you might as well forget what you saw, or I will just have to pay you a visit to your house some night." Todd laughed when he saw the look of fear appear in Sam's eyes.

Todd had learned from an early age that no matter what he did, he would never face punishment for it. When he had turned sixteen, he and a group of his friends would often get drunk and drive up and down the county roads. They would take turns standing in the bed of Todd's pickup truck and hitting mailboxes with a baseball bat as they drove past each house. The people would call the authorities, but nothing ever came of it. It did not matter what crime Todd committed, his family always made sure it went away.

Clay scratched his head, "You might be on to something there, son. A week ago, I was at the gas station, and he pulled up in that new truck his dad bought him and made the same sort of statement about her. He went on about how pretty she was with that blonde streak she added to the front of her hair, and how she had the most beautiful big, blue eyes that he has ever seen. I will never forget the look on his face; like he was waiting for a response out of me, but I just finished what I was doing and left."

"Well, I'm going to check on the girls. I sure am glad that Marjorie agreed to keep Amy today. I don't think she needs to be here right now. I know that Sherry seems to be fine, but I am afraid that she could suddenly break down, and I don't want to frighten Amy. I'll be right back," Ray said as he left the kitchen.

Clay watched Ray leave the room and wondered if it was, in fact, Todd, who had attacked Sherry. Clay would not put it past him, especially after what had happened to the Chaffier's daughter.

Renee Chaffier had dated Todd a couple of years ago. She had just returned from college and was working for Dr. Mallory when she and Todd began to date. He had convinced her that he was no longer the troublemaker as in his youth. Todd had convinced her he was ready to settle down and get married.

Renee was a good Christian girl and had saved herself for marriage. Therefore, when Todd began to go to church with her each Sunday, she believed that they would get married and have an incredible life together. Things had gone along wonderfully for a few weeks until late one night when Todd showed up at her apartment acting rather strangely. She had told him to go home because she had to be up early in the morning for work. She had tried to close the door, but he forced the door open, and what happened next had changed Rene Chaffier forever.

The rumor around town was that he had raped her, but the police apparently found no evidence of force, so they dropped the rape charge. The investigating officer had said it was a simple case of remorse because she had given in to her desires and now felt guilty. However, the look in her eyes told a much different story.

***

"I told him to stop, but he just laughed at me and said that it was my duty as his woman," Rene cried.

"Come on, Miss Chaffier, are you going to sit there and tell me that the man you were going to marry raped you? That makes no sense, now does it?" the officer shot back. "Why don't you just be honest with me? You know that he didn't rape you."

"But he did, he did rape me!" she fought to hold back the tears that were now streaming down her cheeks.

The investigating officer looked at her and lowered his voice as he spoke, "We both know what happened, now don't we? We both also know that no one will ever believe your side of the story. I would suggest that you just let this go and move on with your life."

Rene could not believe what she had just heard. She had heard rumors that Todd's family had control of the town, but to allow something as horrible as rape to go unpunished was unthinkable. "This is not right...," but the officer interrupted her before she could continue.

"Miss Chaffier, I would not want anything else to happen to you, so I would suggest that you let this go," he said flatly.

Rene sat slack-jawed, unable to believe her ears. He just threatened me! She thought to herself. "Yes, sir, I understand."

"That is a smart decision on your part. Why don't you go home and think about what we spoke of here, and I think that you will see that I am right." The officer leaned forward to drive home the point.

Rene felt a new fear growing from deep inside of her, and she knew her life would never be the same. "Yes, sir, I understand... completely."

***

The next few weeks were unbearable for Rene. Whenever she would walk into a room, everyone would suddenly stop talking and stare at her. Some looks were full of compassion, while others dripped with disgust. Sometimes, a person would walk up to her and tell her that it was wrong to lie. They would tell her how she should just admit that she wanted to have sex. They would say how everyone knew that she and Todd were planning to marry, so why would he rape her? She even had a couple of his friends follow her home one evening with the intention of having sex with her since she was now a fallen woman, as they had called her.

It appeared that most of the people in town did not believe her, and if they did, they were too afraid to say anything. Rene knew there was only one thing that she could do to regain her life. Without saying a word to anyone in town, Rene, and her family packed up and left town.

***

"Daddy, make him stop! Please, daddy, please!" Sherry cried out in her sleep.

Carolyn pulled Sherry's quivering body close and softly whispered in her ear, "You're safe, sweetheart. No one can hurt you now."

Ray rushed into the room and sat on the edge of the bed beside Sherry. He reached out his hand and gently stroked her hair, "Daddy's here, baby. No one can hurt you anymore, I promise." Ray's eyes met Carolyn's, and at that moment, they both knew her life would never be the same.
Chapter 4

The next few days were rough on Sherry, as she struggled with a broad range of emotions. She would be okay for a while, laughing, and playing without a care in the world. Then in an instant, she would sit on the couch and stare at the wall without saying a word. However, the nights were unbearable as a faceless man haunted her nightmares. He held her down by pressing his body against hers while whispering cruel and filthy things in her ear.

A few of her friends from school would drop by the house for a visit, but she had refused to acknowledge their presence. She would sit in complete silence and stare at the wall, unwilling to look at them.

"Mrs. Jefferies, will she be all right?" Megan asked as she walked toward the front door to leave.

"She'll be okay. It's just going to take some time," Carolyn said as she opened the door.

"Mrs. Jefferies, I have a confession to make; it's my fault that this happened. I wanted Sherry to stop by and see the new television in my bedroom. It would never have happened if...." Megan looked up at Carolyn through tear-filled eyes.

"You can't blame yourself for this. It's not your fault. An evil man did this to her, and we are going to make sure he's punished, so he can't do it to anyone else." Carolyn was thankful that Megan had come by, but she knew it would take time before Sherry felt comfortable around her friends again. "You better get going; your mother is waiting." Carolyn waved to Megan's mother, who was waiting in the driveway.

"Goodbye, Sherry," Megan said as she turned and walked outside. "Thank you for letting me come over, Mrs. Jefferies."

Carolyn smiled, "Come over anytime, Megan. Sherry is lucky to have a friend like you."

Carolyn closed the door and walked to the couch and sat next to Sherry. "Why didn't you talk to Megan?"

Sherry looked at her mother, with a mixture of sadness and shame in her eyes. "Mom, I can't speak to her, or any of my friends. I feel so, so...dirty," she lowered her eyes, not wanting her mother to see her shame.

"Oh, sweetheart, it's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. He was wrong to do what he did to you. Please never feel ashamed of what happened."

"I can't help it, mom; I'm just so mad," she wiped a tear from her cheek.

Carolyn reached for Sherry's hand, taking it in hers, "I know how you feel because I'm angry too."

"Mom, do you still love me?" Sherry's voice quivered, and the tears now freely flowed down her cheeks.

"Oh, sweetheart, of course, I do. I love you with all of my heart." Carolyn pulled Sherry into her arms, hugging her tightly.

Both of them cried for several minutes when Sherry suddenly pulled away and looked up at her mother, "I'm hungry, when is dinner?"

Carolyn looked into the eyes of her beloved daughter and smiled, "You are? Well, let me go fix our dinner. Are you going to be all right? Do you need me to do anything?"

"No, I'll just watch the rest of the movie I had started before Megan came over. I love you, mom," Sherry smiled.

"I love you too. Well, I better get busy before your dad and brother get home." Carolyn stood and walked to the kitchen.

***

Carolyn was in the kitchen preparing their dinner when she heard a knock at the front door. "Who can that be?" she grabbed the dish towel and wiped off her hands. "Hold on, I'm coming." She rushed past Sherry, who was still sitting on the couch to the front door and then opened it.

Carolyn nearly fainted when she saw the person standing there. It was Todd Gensen, and he had a small bouquet of flowers in his hand.

Carolyn composed herself the best she could, and then said as she slowly reached up and locked the screen door, "What do you want?"

"I heard about what happened to Sherry, and I just wanted to drop by to check on her. I can't imagine what your family must be going through. I thought some pretty flowers might help to cheer her up," he lifted the flowers for Carolyn to see.

Carolyn had never liked Todd, and she was not about to accept anything from him. "That was sweet of you, but she's in no mood for visitors or gifts at this time. I need to get back to my cooking, so thank you, and goodbye."

As Carolyn began to close the door, Todd said, "Tell Sherry that I hope she feels better soon and that I look forward to seeing her beautiful blue eyes and sweet smile again."

"NO...NO...STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Sherry screamed as she leaped from the couch and stood in the middle of the room. Her body shook profusely with her hands clenched at her side, and her face was pale as a ghost.

Stunned by this reaction, Carolyn did not know what to think until she saw the look on Todd's face. "It was YOU, wasn't it?" she growled as she reached for the lock on the screen door.

"You're all crazy. I just came over here to bring Sherry some flowers and wish her well. I can't believe that you would even think I could do something like that," he slowly stepped away from the door.

"MOMMY, MAKE HIM GO AWAY! He...he...," Sherry suddenly felt the room grow dark, as it spun wildly around her until she collapsed to the floor.

"Sherry!" Carolyn rushed over to where Sherry was lying. She knelt down beside her, and then she reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. "You bastard, you are going to pay for what you did to her, I promise you!"

Todd stepped forward, putting his face close to the screen, and said in a calm and threatening tone, "Go ahead and try to pin it on me because you will never succeed. I did nothing wrong, and I am quite sure that whatever happened to her was just as much her idea, as it was his. I'll see you around town, Sherry." With those words, Todd winked, and then walked back to his pickup truck and drove away.

***

"I knew it was him!" Ray yelled as he slammed the receiver down on the telephone cradle. "I need to go to the house. Will you keep an eye on things for me, and then close everything down later?"

"Sure, no problem, it's almost closing time anyway. Is everything okay?" Wanda, the office manager, asked as she put a postage stamp on the last billing invoice to be mailed out in the next day's mail.

"It's Sherry. She has finally said who attacked her," Ray said as he rushed toward to door.

"Oh, my goodness," Wanda cried out, and then she said a silent prayer that Sherry would be all right.

***

When Ray arrived at the house, he was relieved to see his father's pickup truck parked in the driveway, along with two police squad cars. He raced to the house to find Carolyn and Sherry sitting on the couch with a police officer questioning them.

"I have already told you what he said," Carolyn moaned with the exasperation. "Sherry clearly said that he was the one who attacked her, so why are you still here? Why aren't you on your way to arrest him?"

The officer knew that she was upset, but he had no idea what to say to her. "Ma'am, we have already dispatched a car to pick him up for questioning. I know this has been difficult for your family, but..."

Carolyn cut the officer off before he could continue. "Difficult? You have no idea what it's like to have your daughter violated like this, do you? To have her leave your house a bright-eyed and happy young lady, and then return a frightened...," the words caught in her throat as she fought to control her emotions.

"Are you two all right?" Ray said breathlessly, as he moved past the officer and sat on the couch next to Sherry. "I can't believe he would have the nerve to come over here after what he did!" Ray said while he held a distraught Sherry in his arms. "You've arrested him, right?"

"Mr. Jefferies, we have dispatched a car to pick him up and bring him in for questioning." The officer looked down at Sherry, who was crying uncontrollably in her father's arms. "I'm sorry that you're going through this, but we will do everything we can to see that whoever did this to your daughter is found and locked up for a long time."

"We already know who did this, you just need to go and arrest him!" Carolyn cried out.

"Well, I seem to have all the information I need at this time. We will be in touch as soon as we know more." The officer closed his notepad and turned to leave, "I hope you feel better soon." He smiled at Sherry, but as he looked into her tear-filled eyes, he knew that his words went unheard. Of all the damn people to accuse, this is not going to end well; he thought to himself. He looked over at the other officer, "Come on, we have everything we need for now," with that statement, both of them turned and walked out the door.

***

"I am sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Jefferies, but I can't proceed with the case at this time." The prosecutor frowned, and then closed the folder in front of him, placing it in the basket on the corner of his desk. "You see, there just is not any evidence to link him to the assault on your daughter. According to the results of her rape exam, whoever attacked her must have worn a condom, and then thoroughly washed her down. There was no trace of pubic hair, semen, and the only blood found was hers. So, until some additional evidence turns up, or someone else comes forward as a witness; I just can't proceed with a prosecution."

"That is bullshit! Our daughter has unmistakably said Todd Gensen raped her, so he needs to pay! I don't care what your evidence says; my daughter deserves justice for what he did to her!" Ray could not believe what he was hearing. There was no way that he was going to allow Todd Gensen to get away with what he did to Sherry, and he planned to make sure of it.

"You do understand that for me to proceed with this case, Sherry will have to testify, don't you? Do you actually want to put her through that?" the prosecutor asked as he reached for another folder on his desk.

Ray looked at Carolyn, and they instantly knew their answer. "We know it's going to be difficult on Sherry to face him, but we can't allow him to get away with hurting her the way he did. The whole, damn town knows Todd got away with raping Rene Chaffier. He destroyed that young woman with his lies and then forced her to move far away just to escape him. Everyone knows how the authorities twisted the truth of what happened to Rene because she was foolish and dated Todd, but Sherry is an entirely different matter. He will not be able to claim it was consensual as he did with Rene. So, yes, we want to proceed with the prosecution." Ray's voice was firm and unwavering.

The prosecutor looked at Ray for several tense moments before he finally reached for the telephone receiver. "Okay, we'll go for it then. I will be in contact with you."

Ray and Carolyn stood and looked at each other and then walked out of the office door. Neither spoke on the walk to their car, as well as on the drive home. When they pulled up in the driveway, they noticed that Clay was standing on the front porch, and Sherry was sitting on the glider with Amy and Jason.

"Are you sure that we are doing the right thing?" Carolyn said, noticing the empty stare on Sherry's face.

Ray turned off the car and then looked over to Carolyn. "I don't know, but I do know that if we don't do this; Sherry will live the rest of her life in fear of him coming after her again. We can't allow him to feel empowered because we both know that he will do it to some other little girl."

"I know, you're right, I just hate to think of her on that stand with him sitting there staring at her the entire time. Do you think she'll be able to handle it?" Carolyn asked after Ray walked around to her side of the car and opened the door.

Ray took her by the hand and helped her out of the car, "I hope so, but what choice do we have? Come on, let's get this over with." Ray held Carolyn's hand as they walked to the front porch, with each one wondering how they would break the news to Sherry.

"So, what happened? Did they arrest that asshole yet?" Clay asked as Ray and Carolyn walked up to the front porch.

"Dad, we need to talk away from the children." Ray glanced over at Sherry.

Clay did not like the sound of Ray's voice, but he understood. "You're right; it's probably for the best."

"Jason, take your sisters inside of the house and make yourselves a snack. There are some chocolate chip cookies in the pantry and milk in the refrigerator. Now, I want you all to stay in the kitchen at the table until I come in," Carolyn said, fighting back the tears trying to form in the corners of her eyes.

"Come on, let's go have some cookies and milk," Jason forced a smile, as he carried Amy and took Sherry by the hand.

As Sherry walked to the door, she glanced over at Ray, and for a brief moment, he could see the rage burning behind her solemn eyes. "Save some cookies for grandpa and me." Ray forced a smile, but he knew his anger betrayed him.

***

Over the next several minutes, Ray explained to Clay what the prosecutor had said, and how he worried that the lawyer for the defense would make Sherry appear to be a liar on the stand.

"You mean to tell me that he didn't want to proceed with the case? That's a crock-of-shit! Todd Gensen needs to keep away from innocent girls like Sherry! I know it's going to be rough on her, but she has all of us for support. Each night I pray to the Lord that he will send the angels to watch over her during this difficult time. I know this may sound crazy, but at times, I feel your mother here, watching over all of us." Clay smiled and rested his hand on Ray's shoulder.

"I sure wish mom was here. She always knew how to calm Sherry whenever she was upset." Ray wiped a tear from his cheek as he looked over to Carolyn.

"She sure did," Carolyn said. "Dad, did you know that the night mom died Sherry said her grandma came to her and told her goodbye and how she would always be there for her?"

Clay looked at Carolyn with a tear-stained smile on his face. "That sounds like her. She always did say how much she loved her grandchildren, and how she wanted to be around to watch them grow up. I remember the day the doctor told her the cancer had advanced, and that her chances of survival were slim. She looked him in the eyes and told him that it was up to the Lord when she would leave this life. She said if he chose it to be sooner than later, well, then she would just have to watch over them in spirit." He looked at Clay and smiled, "Come on, let's go inside and have some of those cookies before they are all gone."

Clay knew it would be difficult for her to face Todd Gensen. He said a silent prayer that Sherry would have the strength she needed to stand firm and that he would finally pay for what he did to her. "I sure hope they saved some for us," Clay laughed as he held the screen door open for Ray and Carolyn.

***

As the time drew near for the trial, Ray and Carolyn began to wonder if they had made the best decision. Sherry was starting to relax more, but her nights were still full of terrifying dreams. Wanting to keep Sherry busy, Ray bought an above ground swimming pool and put it up in the backyard. He also built a privacy fence around the yard so they could enjoy the pool without prying eyes. Megan and Sherry had spent the afternoon's swimming and playing, which seemed to help to take her mind off things for a while. However, Carolyn knew there was nothing that could ease the dark mood hovering over the house.
Chapter 5

It was a warm and rainy morning on the first day of the trial. Sherry had met with the prosecutor several times and given her statement, so she waited in a back room of the courthouse with her mother until called to testify.

Ray and Clay sat behind the prosecutor's table and were surprised at how many spectators filled the courtroom. Friends and family members were sitting behind Todd, his defense lawyer, as well as several people from the community.

"Look at the smug look on Richard Gensen. The apple didn't fall far from the tree with those two," Ray whispered to Carolyn. Ray also noticed a small group of news reporters gathered at the back of the room, and once the proceedings were about to begin, they all sat in the back-row seats.

"Dad, I don't like this," Ray said while looking at all the gathered reporters.

"I don't either," Clay groaned.

"Damn, look at all the people sitting behind Todd. How can they support him after everything he has done in this town?" Ray felt anger churn up inside of him at the way those gathered behind Todd looked at him and Clay.

"Don't let them get to you, son. They are only here to protect their own asses. No one in this town likes that family. They only fear them and want to spare the wrath of the Gensen family," Clay said loud enough for several of the gathered group of reporters to hear.

Ray looked at the assembled supporters and noticed how several of them were now glaring at Clay. "You are one hundred percent correct, dad," Ray chuckled, seeing a look of defiance on Todd's face as he sat at the table next to his lawyer. "Enjoy your moment, Todd. Once we prove the truth of what you did to Sherry, that smirk will be wiped right off your face."

***

The opening arguments went as expected, with the prosecution stating how Sherry was willing to testify to what had occurred, and how her testimony would prove it was Todd Gensen, who had raped her.

"This is the case of a predator that used the fake story of a lost puppy to trick an innocent, young girl, thus allowing him to kidnap, and then rape her. Miss Jefferies had been riding her bike to the grocery store for her mother when Mr. Gensen pulled up alongside her, asking if she had seen his puppy. He then acted as though he saw the dog and got out of his truck and asked her if she would help him catch the dog. Of course, there was no dog, and once Miss Jefferies turned to look in the direction where Mr. Gensen claimed the dog had gone, he grabbed her and forced her into his truck. Mr. Gensen then took her to a secluded location where he raped and beat her, and once he finished with her, he washed her body to remove any evidence of his attack. Mr. Gensen may feel that he was thorough, but we will prove beyond a preponderance of the evidence that he did, in fact, brutally rape Miss Jefferies. We shall also show that he should face the maximum punishment allowed by law," the prosecutor said in a firm tone.

The defense; however, opened with the fact that there was no physical evidence tying Todd Gensen to the rape. "My client is also a victim, in this case. He does not understand why Miss Jefferies would claim that he attacked her, as he would never commit such a heinous act. He has always held the Jefferies family in the highest regard, so for them to accuse him of harming their daughter is quite painful for him. Mr. Gensen is innocent of these charges, and we will show that any so-called evidence, the prosecution believes they have, will only prove his innocence. My client may have had a wild youth, but he has grown into a responsible member of the community. He comes from a prominent family and plans to continue the family's good name by giving back to the community. My client wants Miss Jefferies to know that he holds no hard feelings for her, and only wants her to remember who truly attacked her." The defense lawyer looked at Ray and Clay, making it clear that the fight was on, and how he planned to do everything within his power to prove his client innocent of all charges.

As the doctors and investigators were brought up to testify of how they found no DNA evidence on Sherry or her clothes, Ray and Clay could see things were not going well for their side. With each testimony, Ray realized the case was crumbling right before their eyes. "Dad, this isn't going well at all," Ray groaned.

"I know. I can't believe they couldn't find any evidence to link him to the attack. Damn, we can't let him get away with this." Clay shook his head as he glanced over to where Todd was speaking with his attorney.

***

"Mom, I'm scared," Sherry looked at Carolyn, wondering if she would be able to face Todd.

"I know you are, but you need to be strong," Carolyn smiled as she wiped a stray tear flowing down Sherry's cheek.

"He told me if I said anything that he would kill me," Sherry lowered her eyes.

"He can't hurt you anymore, and once you tell the truth about what he did to you, he will never be able to hurt anyone again." Carolyn knew that Sherry was scared of facing Todd, but to ensure a verdict of guilty, she needed to testify.

"Mom, why did he..." the words caught in her throat.

"I don't know, sweetheart. There are just cruel people in the world who do horrible things to others for no apparent reason. Todd is one of those evil people, and now he needs to pay for what he did to you. I know you're scared, but you never need to feel alone. We're all here with you," Carolyn gently stroked Sherry's hair, wishing that she did not have to face him again.

"How much longer do we have to wait?" Sherry moaned.

"I don't know," Carolyn said, but then the door to the room where they were waiting opened.

"It's time," the assistant to the prosecution announced.

Sherry looked at Carolyn, and tears began to flow down her cheeks. "Mom, I don't know if I can do this."

"If you don't want to do this, no one will force you." Carolyn wiped the tears from Sherry's cheeks with a tissue.

"What will happen if I don't?" Sherry glanced up at the young man waiting for them at the door.

"He'll walk free, I'm afraid to say," the young man said with a touch of sadness in his voice.

"So, I'm the only one who can make sure that he doesn't hurt anyone else?"

"Yes, you are the only one who can prevent him from walking out of the courthouse and doing it again," the young man frowned.

Sherry looked at Carolyn and forced a smile, "Okay, then I will tell the truth. I don't want him to hurt anyone else."

Carolyn looked at Sherry, and she could see the fear stirring behind her beautiful blue eyes, "Are you sure? You don't have to do this. We can just go home and put this all behind us."

Sherry shook her head. "No, I can't hide for the rest of my life. I need to tell what he did to me. I can't be afraid anymore. I need to make him pay for what he did to me. It was wrong, and I won't let him make me afraid anymore." She squared her shoulders and stood, "Okay, I'm ready."

***

As Sherry entered the courtroom, a low murmuring filled the room. She glanced over to where Ray and Clay were sitting, and saw the look of concern on their faces, as she took her place in the witness chair. A few moments later, she noticed Carolyn enter the room and take her place next to Ray.

"Good afternoon, Miss Jefferies," the judge said. "Do you understand why you are here today?"

"Yes, sir," she responded.

"Do you understand the difference between the truth and a lie," the judge asked.

"Yes, sir," she responded again.

"Good. Today you will need to answer some difficult questions, and you will need to be completely honest. Do you think you can do that?" he said with seriousness in his voice.

"Yes, sir. I'll tell the truth. I want to tell the truth," Sherry cast her gaze directly at Todd.

"Excellent," he motioned to the prosecutor, who stood and walked toward the bench where Sherry sat stone-faced.

The prosecutor approached Sherry and stood silently for a moment before, finally speaking. "How are you doing today, Miss Jefferies?"

"Fine," she answered in a near whisper.

"I know it must be difficult to be here today, but do you understand what it is you need to do?" the prosecutor said with tenderness in his voice.

Sherry swallowed, and then answered, "Yes, sir, I understand."

"Good. Let us go back to that day," he took a couple of steps back and paused before continuing. "Will you please tell the court what you remember from that day?"

Sherry looked over to her parents with a look of fear in her eyes. She wanted to scream and run out of the room, but once she glanced over and saw the arrogant grin on Todd's face; anger replaced her fear. "Yes, sir," she squared her shoulders, as a hush came over the courtroom.

The prosecutor looked at Sherry with a sympathetic expression, "Good. Your mother has testified that she sent you to the store to get some items for her, is that correct?"

"Yes," Sherry answered.

"Will you please tell us what happened on your way to the grocery store?" he stepped back, allowing the jury to see the emotion on her face.

Sherry looked at her parents, who smiled and nodded their encouragement. "It was the first time that my mother had let me go to the store alone. She had always said that I was too young, but I talked her into letting me go since I'm thirteen years old now," she looked at the judge nervously.

The judge returned her stare but showed no emotion.

"Can you tell us how you got to the store?" the prosecutor asked.

"I rode my bike."

"Now, will you tell us when it was that you saw the defendant?" he asked, turning toward Todd, who was glaring at Sherry.

"Objection! There is no evidence that Miss Jefferies saw my client on that day," the defense attorney protested.

"Objection overruled," the judge said, then he motioned for the prosecutor to continue with his questions.

"Please continue, Miss Jefferies," the prosecutor said to Sherry, who was now staring defiantly at Todd.

Sherry had returned her attention to the prosecutor before she spoke again, "I was riding home from the store when he pulled up next to me and asked for help finding his puppy."

"Who pulled up next to you? Is that person in the courtroom today?" the prosecutor asked with a knowing smile.

"Yes, sir," Sherry responded.

"Will you please point to him, Miss Jefferies?" the prosecutor asked.

Sherry lifted her hand and pointed a shaky finger directly at Todd Gensen. "It was him. He is the one."

"That's a lie!" Todd shouted, jumping to his feet.

The sound of the judge's gavel suddenly echoed throughout the room. "You need to keep your client under control in my court," the judge ordered the defense attorney. "The record will reflect that the witness has identified the defendant. Please continue, Miss Jefferies."

Sherry had swallowed before she resumed her testimony, "I had just turned onto Mulberry Street when he pulled up next to me. He told me that his puppy had gotten loose and ran away. He said that he saw it go into the woods behind the park, and then he asked me if I would help him find it. I told him that I was in a hurry, but he said it shouldn't take very long if I helped him. He said that his puppy liked little girls, so it would probably come right to me." Sherry looked over at her parents with tears forming in her eyes.

"So, you decided to help him?" the prosecutor asked.

"Not at first," she held her eyes down.

"What changed your mind?"

Sherry wiped a stray tear now flowing down her cheek. "I don't know. I guess I didn't want something bad to happen to the puppy."

The prosecutor turned and looked directly at Todd, and then spoke slowly with his voice dripping with sarcasm, "But there wasn't a lost puppy, was there?"

"No, sir," Sherry lifted her eyes to meet his.

The prosecutor paused a moment, allowing the murmurs to die down in the room. Then he spoke again, "Mr. Gensen wasn't looking for a lost puppy, was he? He was looking for a young girl to satisfy his needs."

"Objection!" the defense attorney protested.

"Sustained, please restate your question," the judge ordered.

"I'm sorry, Your Honor," he grinned, knowing full well the effect this statement had on those in the courtroom. "Please tell us what happened next."

"He pulled in front of me and parked his truck while I leaned my bike against the light pole. He said the puppy's name was Cubby, so I started to walk toward the back of the park to find his puppy when I heard a strange noise behind me. I turned around and saw him putting my bike in the back of his pickup," she said with a mixture of fear and anger in her voice.

"What did you do when you saw him put your bike in the back of his pickup?" the prosecutor asked.

"I ran back to him and told him to give me back my bike," she answered.

"What happened then?" he asked, turning to look directly at Todd.

Sherry looked at Todd and then to her parents. "He grabbed me and said that I didn't need to be out on the streets alone. He said that a bad person may want to hurt me," she said as tears filled her eyes.

"I know this is painful, but you need to tell us what happened next," the prosecutor said.

"I don't know. He grabbed me and held a damp cloth over my mouth and nose that smelled strange. I fought him, but he was too strong. The last thing I remember him laughing and telling me how pretty I am," she looked down at her hands, as tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

"Can you tell us how you ended up in the barn, Miss Jefferies?" the prosecutor asked.

Sherry lifted her eyes and looked at Todd, "He told me that he brought me there when I woke up." She could see the hate in his eyes, and this gave her the strength to continue.

"Please tell us the first thing you remember once you regained consciousness," the prosecutor asked.

Sherry closed her eyes, searching her memory before she spoke, "My head was hurting really bad when I woke up. I tried to stand up, but I couldn't move. He tied me to something, and I was..."

The prosecutor could see the pain in her eyes, but he pushed onward. "You were what, Miss Jefferies?" he said with tenderness in his voice.

She looked up and noticed anguish in her parent's eyes. She lowered her eyes, and then softly said, "I was naked."

A collective gasp rang out in the courtroom, followed by murmuring.

"Quiet or I'll clear the room," the judge ordered, slamming his gavel down on the desktop.

"So, you are stating that when you regained consciousness, you were nude and tied to something, is this correct?" the prosecutor asked while looking at the members of the jury. "I know this is difficult, but I need you to tell me what happened next."

Sherry took a deep breath, trying to control the fear churning inside of her. "I thought I was alone because I didn't see anyone at first. I yelled for help, but he began to laugh and told me that no one would hear me," she stared at her hands, now tightly clasped on her lap.

"Were you able to see who was speaking to you, Miss Jefferies?"

"Not at first. He stood behind me, until..." her voiced cracked.

"Until what, Miss Jefferies?" the prosecutor asked, pausing long enough to let the anticipation build in the room.

Sherry could not bring herself to look up and face the crowd in the courtroom now waiting on her with bated breath. "I can't..."

The prosecutor stepped closer to the witness box and leaned toward her, "I know this is painful for you, but you need to tell us what happened to you. Take a moment to compose yourself if you'd like."

Sherry sat in silence, trying to decide how to proceed. She knew what she needed to say, but she was too embarrassed to say everything that he did to her in front of all the strangers now staring up at her.

"Miss Jefferies, are you able to continue with your testimony at this time?" the judge asked.

Sherry lifted her head and looked at the judge. Her mind was whirling, and her stomach was in knots, but she knew if she did not tell what happened to her that he would do it to someone else. "Yes, sir, I want to tell you what happened to me."

A strange silence fell over the room as she began. "I tried to get free, but I couldn't. My arms were over my head with something tied around my wrists. I was lying on my back on a board or something, with my head hanging down toward the floor," she paused a moment, trying to gather her thoughts before she continued. "I'm not sure, but something was holding me to the board across my waist."

"Was it tied around your waist?" the prosecutor asked.

"No, it was across my waist. Like a belt or something holding me to the board," she said with tears stinging her eyes.

"So, you were tied by your wrists, and something was holding you down around your waist, is that correct, Miss Jefferies?"

"Yes, sir," she answered in a near whisper.

"Please order the witness to speak up," the defense attorney demanded.

"Please repeat your answer, Miss Jefferies," the judge said.

Sherry lifted her eyes and looked directly at the defense attorney. "Yes, sir," she stated in a loud and clear voice. "My hands were tied over my head, and something was holding down me across my waist."

"Were your legs free, Miss Jefferies?" the prosecutor asked

"No, sir, they were tied too."

"Will you please explain to us how your legs were tied?" He knew this would be difficult for her, but there was no choice. "Please, Miss Jefferies, we need to know how your legs were tied."

Sherry took a deep breath and looked at her parents, "My bottom was up in the air with ropes tied around my knees holding me up. I was so scared; I couldn't move," her voice cracked as she fought the fear building up inside of her.

Carolyn looked at Ray, unsure if this was the best thing to have done. Ray could see the concern in Carolyn's eyes and wondered if maybe they were expecting too much from Sherry.

"Miss Jefferies, I know that this is difficult for you, but you need to tell us everything that happened to you," the prosecutor said, hoping that she would be able to continue.

"I'm sorry, I know I need to do this; it's just hard to say it," Sherry squared her shoulders, trying to gather her courage.

"You were telling us how your legs were lifted into the air," he waited for her response.

"The ropes hurt really bad. They were rubbing on the back of my knees and were cutting into me. I was crying, but he just laughed and told me that I would like what he was going to do to me," she glanced over at Todd, who was smiling at her.

"Miss Jefferies, please tell us what happened next," the prosecutor asked as he positioned himself between Sherry and Todd.

"I couldn't see his face because he was standing in the dark. He told me that he had been waiting for the right time to get me alone and that he planned to have fun with me. I told him that I wanted to go home, but he laughed," her voice cracked as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "He said that he wanted to make me into a woman before some stupid boy had his chance. I told him that I didn't know what he meant, but he said I would soon enough."

The spectators in the courtroom murmured amongst themselves until...SLAM! The sound of the gavel echoed throughout the room, causing instant silence.

"If I have to warn you again to keep quiet in my court, I will clear the room!" the judge growled.

Sherry looked at the prosecutor, who gave her a reassuring nod. "Miss Jefferies, please continue."

Sherry looked at her parents and could see the pain in their eyes. She then glanced at her grandfather and saw the rage burning in his eyes.

Clay's heart broke, as he watched his sweet granddaughter up on the witness stand, forced to relive the attack that stole her innocence. He could see the fear in her eyes, and he knew how difficult this was for her. However, he had to admit that he was proud of her bravery to face Todd and tell what he had done to her. Stay strong, sweetheart. He will pay for what he did to you; Clay thought to himself as he gave Sherry a reassuring wink.

Sherry understood the unspoken message from her grandfather and suddenly felt empowered and unafraid. "He walked over to me and leaned down to look straight into my eyes. There was the strangest smile on his face, and he told me that he had been waiting a long time to have me all to himself. He said that I was growing into a beautiful woman and that he wanted to be the first one to enjoy my gifts. I didn't understand what he meant, and I begged him to let me go, but he laughed and said that I would thank him for what he was about to do."

The prosecutor allowed an uncomfortable silence to fill the room before he spoke again, "Please tell us what happened next, Miss Jefferies."

Sherry looked at the prosecutor, "Do I have to say everything?"

"I know this is difficult, but we need to know what the defendant did next."

Sherry swallowed hard, squared her shoulders again, and began to speak, "He kissed me on the mouth, really hard. He then forced my lips open and stuck his tongue in my mouth. It tasted terrible. I tried to turn away, but I couldn't."

The prosecutor turned to face Todd before he spoke again, "He forcibly kissed you, and what did he do next?"

Todd glared at Sherry, but she ignored him. "He touched me..." the words trailed off, as the memory of what he did next was too painful.

"Please, Miss Jefferies, I know this is painful," the prosecutor pushed on.

Sherry could feel his hands on her again as she closed her eyes. "He touched me down there...between my legs."

The sound of hushed whispers flowed through the courtroom, as Sherry fought to control her emotions. Carolyn, at seeing the pain on Sherry's face, could no longer hold back and jumped to her feet. "Stop it, can't you see what this is doing to her; she's only a child! You're a monster for what you did to my daughter, and you deserve to die!"

The whispering in the courtroom now elevated to a loud roar, as the spectators spoke excitedly amongst themselves.

SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! "Order in the court," the judge yelled. "Remove her from the room!"

Seeing that things were about to get out of control, Ray took Carolyn by the hand and said, "Come on, let's step outside for a little while. Jason, why don't you come with us? I'm sure you don't want to hear this part of her testimony."

Jason looked at his father and nodded. While he wanted to stay and support Sherry, hearing what Todd had done to her made his stomach turn.

Ray then looked down at Clay and asked, "Dad, will you stay here? I don't want Sherry to feel alone."

"Of course, I'll stay here with her. You go take care of Carolyn."

"No, I don't want to go," Carolyn, protested as the officer approached her.

"I'll take her, Officer," Ray said. He wrapped his arm around her and guided her down the aisle toward the door.

"Ray, it's not right that she has to go through this," she whispered.

"I know, but if she doesn't tell what he did to her, he will be free to hurt someone else." He gently kissed her on the cheek as he held her quivering body upright.

Sherry sat and watched her parents and brother walk out the door at the back of the courtroom, and suddenly felt very alone. She then noticed her grandfather seated in the crowd of strangers and was pleased to see his reassuring wink.

The judge watched stone-faced as Carolyn and Ray left the room, and it was not until the door closed behind them that he turned to the prosecutor and said, "You may continue."

The prosecutor glanced over at Clay. He knew it would be harder on Sherry with her parents out of the room, so he was thankful that Clay had stayed behind as moral support. "Miss Jefferies, are you doing all right?"

She glanced over at her grandfather, and then back to the prosecutor, "Yes, sir, I'm okay."

"Good; now, you were saying how he touched you between your legs," he said as he looked directly at Todd, who returned the look with a defiant glare.

"Yes, he did," Sherry looked directly at the prosecutor, careful to avoid the sneer on Todd's face.

"Please take a moment if you need it before you answer the next question. What did he do next?" The prosecutor knew this would be difficult for her to share, but there was no choice.

Sherry had sat silent for several long moments before she spoke. "He stuck his thing in my face."

The jury listened intently to her words, each one trying to hide their emotions. The jury consisted of seven men and five women from different walks-of-life. Three of the men were retired with grandchildren, and two of them were business owners. One was married with children, and the other was divorced, but no children. The last two were single with no children and worked as laborers. The women were a mixture, as well. Two were stay-at-home mothers, one was a retired elementary teacher, and the last two were single with no children.

The prosecutor glanced over at the jury while Sherry spoke, and he could see the look of horror in the eyes of most of them. He was pleased to see this line of questioning was going well.

"What happened next," he asked while looking directly at the jury.

Sherry looked at Clay and tried to speak, but nothing came out of her mouth.

"Take a moment, Miss Jefferies," the judge said.

Sherry knew what she should say, but the words were too painful. She closed her eyes and searched for courage. "He told me to kiss it," she said in a near whisper.

"Your Honor, will you please have the witness speak up," the defense lawyer demanded.

"Please have the witness repeat her last statement so that the court can hear," the judge ordered.

The prosecutor gave Sherry a sympathetic look, letting her know how sorry he was that she was going through this painful experience. "Please repeat what you just said, Miss Jefferies."

Sherry lifted her eyes and looked directly at Todd with pure hate shining in her eyes. "He told me to kiss it, and then he put it in my mouth and told me to suck on it!"

Todd smiled and winked at her. He then leaned over and whispered something to his attorney.

The spectators in the room sat in stunned silence as she continued. "I didn't want to do it. I tried to turn my head away from him, but he just laughed. He said that he would teach me what I needed to know, so the boys would like me," she cried.

Todd had to admit to himself that he enjoyed watching her recount their night together, and he relished the memory of her untouched body. Go ahead and tell them everything because it won't matter, he chuckled silently, glancing toward two of the jurors, who returned the glance with a knowing grin.

"Miss Jefferies, do you need some time?" the judge asked.

"No, sir, I want to tell what he did to me. He is an ugly and mean person, and..."

"Objection! The witness is..." The defense attorney jumped to his feet.

"Sit down," the judge ordered. He then turned to Sherry and said, "Miss Jefferies, you need to stick with just answering the questions. Do you understand?"

Sherry looked at the judge, "Yes, sir, I'm sorry."

"Very well, continue," the judge, said flatly.

The prosecutor turned and looked at the jury and then back to Sherry. "So, Miss Jefferies, you are saying that he forced his penis into your mouth?"

"Objection, he is leading the witness!" The defense shouted as he jumped to his feet.

"The objection is sustained," the judge said. "I am calling a recess. Bailiff, please take Miss Jefferies, and I want the two attorneys to join me in my chambers."

Sherry looked at Clay, who stood and walked toward the door. She wanted to shout out to him, but the bailiff tapped her on the arm and motioned for her to follow him out of the courtroom to a back room.

Once he had closed the door behind them, the Bailiff led Sherry down the hallway to a small room next to the Judge's chambers. "Please take a seat, Miss Jefferies," the bailiff said as he held the door to the room open for her to enter.

She walked to the table and sat in one of the wooden chairs. "Am I in trouble? Did I say something wrong?" Sherry asked.

The bailiff looked into her tear-filled eyes and saw his daughter, who was roughly the same age. He hated to see her going through such a painful situation, and it broke his heart to see the fear in her eyes. "No, you didn't do anything wrong. The judge just wanted to talk with both of the lawyers; that's all," he said.

"Can you stay with me? I don't want to be alone," Sherry asked as she looked around the small room.

"I need to leave, but I'll have the Assistant Prosecutor come and sit with you. Is that all right?" he looked at Sherry and saw the fear in her eyes.

"Yes, please."

"Okay, I'll send them right in. It shouldn't be more than a couple of minutes." The Bailiff turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Once the door closed, Sherry sat in a chair at the small wooden table. She looked around the room again, then she rested her head on the table and cried.
Chapter 6

"Come in, gentlemen," the judge motioned for the two attorneys to sit in the leather chairs placed in front of his massive mahogany desk.

The two men looked at each other, nodded, and then sat without saying a word.

The silence in the room was unnerving as the three men sat and contemplated the situation ahead for them. Each knew they were treading on dangerous ground, but they also knew it was unavoidable in cases such as this.

"Gentlemen, I called you in here because we were about to enter a place where I believe none of us wants to go. We all know that we are dealing with a child. I, for one, have no stomach to continue to put her through what she was experiencing out there earlier," the judge said, as he nervously tapped the tip of a ballpoint pen on his desktop.

"But, Your Honor, she must tell the court what happened to her that night," the prosecutor protested. "Everyone knows that he raped her. We can't let him get away with it like he did..."

The defense attorney interrupted, "You know full well that he was cleared of that charge, so why are you bringing it up now. My client did not rape Miss Jefferies. She is simply a young girl with an over-active imagination!"

"Are you serious? Is your defense that she made it all up? I have ample evidence of rape. That poor girl was so torn up inside that the doctors wondered whether or not she would ever be able to conceive, let alone carry a child to full term. Just how the hell did she make all that up?" The prosecutor's face was flushed red, and his body shook at the thought of what Sherry had experienced that night at the hands of the defendant.

"I've seen your evidence, and NONE of it points a guilty finger at my client. There was nothing with his DNA found on her or her clothing. Just admit it, you have no case, and you know it," the defense attorney smirked.

The prosecutor felt all control leave his body, and he began to stand.

"Sit down," the judge ordered. "Both of you need to calm down. This is exactly why I brought the two of you back to my chambers. I do not want this sort of outbreak happening in my court. Miss Jefferies is a young and fragile child, and I will not have her traumatized any more than is necessary. We have already had testimony from the attending physician, the nurse on duty the night they brought her to the hospital, and Mrs. Jefferies. We all have watched her interviews, and I see no reason to have to go into detail about what she claims happened to her again."

"But, Your Honor..." the defense attorney protested. He knew that the jury had watched the taped interviews with Sherry. The prosecutor knew that it was more poignant for the jury to watch Sherry sit in the witness chair and clearly articulate what she endured at the hands of the defendant.

"Don't worry; you will get your opportunity to cross-examine the witness," the judge said in a harsh tone. "You need to watch the way you handle yourself and the questions you ask. I will not have the media saying that I allowed a thirteen-year-old girl brutalized in my court. Do you both understand?"

Neither attorney spoke. They both merely nodded their agreement.

"Good, I'm glad we've cleared that up," the judge slammed his hand down on the desk; this causing both attorneys to jerk back in their chairs.

The prosecutor and defense attorney sat in silence for a moment, each trying to decide if they should say more. Finally, the prosecutor stood, "Yes, Your Honor." He turned and glanced down at the defense attorney and then began to walk to the door.

The defense attorney looked at the judge and was about to speak when he heard the chamber door open. Realizing that it was best to leave things as they were, he stood and followed the prosecutor out of the door, closing it behind him.

The judge sat and watched as both men left the room. The events of the day weighed heavily on him, and he wished that he could just go home and forget all of this. However, he knew there was no escaping from this nightmare. "Damn," he groaned as he rubbed his temples, trying to release a headache now pounding inside his head. He opened the large drawer on the right side of his desk and pulled out the bottle of Pappy Van Winkle's 23-Year-Old Bourbon that his wife had given him the previous Christmas. His wife had accused him of trying to keep it all to himself by bringing it with him to work, but, to be honest; he had brought it with him for moments such as this. He set the glass tucked away in the drawer next to the bottle and then poured some of the amber liquid into the glass. The sweet smell was inviting as he lifted the glass to his lips. He paused to savor the moment then in one swallow; the glass was empty.

"I needed that," he sighed. He looked at the bottle once more but realized that he needed to return to the courtroom. He grabbed a couple of tissue from the box in the drawer next to where the bottle had sat, wiped the excess liquid from the glass, and then returned the bottle and glass to their place.

He closed the drawer and walked toward the door. Glancing back to his desk, the image of the bottle of the soothing liquid played in his mind. "Until later," he said as he opened the door, and then closed it behind him.

***

The reappearance of the two attorneys from the judge's chambers alerted everyone in the courtroom that the proceedings were about to resume. The sound of hushed whispers filled the air until the door by the judge's bench opened, and the judge appeared. "All rise," the bailiff announced in a loud and clear voice.

Once the judge sat in his chair, he looked out at the spectators in the courtroom and said, "Please be seated. Bailiff, will you go and get Miss Jefferies."

The bailiff nodded his acknowledgment and walked out the side door.

The mood in the courtroom was a mixture of emotions as Sherry walked through the door. When she sat in the witness chair, a collective gasp sounded throughout the courtroom at the look of fear on her face. Many watching the proceeding had found themselves brought to tears while others sat stone-faced with a silent rage burning inside of them as they stared at the back of Todd's head.

On the other hand, Todd sat in his chair with no emotion on his face. You are such a foolish, little girl; he chuckled silently to himself.

The judge looked out among those gathered in the courtroom and could see the raw emotion in the eyes of the spectators. He knew that he must tread carefully with this case with him facing re-election soon. Public opinion was strongly for a conviction; however, with the evidence available, he was convinced that the prosecutor could not prove his case. He glanced over to the jury and tried to gauge their emotions. He knew the two women, who fought back the tears during Sherry's testimony, would more than likely find the defendant guilty, but the others were harder to read. He looked at the prosecutor and said, "You may proceed with your questioning of the witness, Counselor."

The prosecuting attorney stood and walked toward the witness stand, where he stopped and looked directly at Sherry. "Miss Jefferies, earlier you were explaining what Mr. Gensen did to you. Will you please tell the court what happened after Mr. Gensen forced his penis inside your mouth?"

Sherry glanced up and saw that her parents had returned and was now sitting next to her grandfather. She could see the love in their eyes, thus giving her the strength to continue. "He...he walked over and stood by my feet. He had the strangest look in his eyes. He told me that he was glad to be my first. I didn't understand what he meant, but he said that I would always remember him." Sherry reached up and wiped at the tears wetting her cheeks. She knew that she had to tell them what Todd had done to her, but it was such a painful memory.

"Miss Jefferies, do you need a moment?" The prosecutor could see that she was struggling with her feelings, but he needed her testimony for a conviction.

Sherry exhaled slowly and looked up at the prosecutor. "No, sir, I'm okay."

"Okay, please continue with what happened next," he stepped back, allowing the jury to see Sherry.

"I felt him run his hands down my legs until he touched my...my private place," she glanced out at her parents and saw the pained looks on their faces. "I begged him to let me go, but he just laughed and said he always loved untouched pus..." she paused, not wanting to say the word.

"Go on, Miss Jefferies, we understand if you are uncomfortable to use that term," the prosecutor said, and then looked up at the judge, who nodded in agreement.

"I was crying and begging him to stop. He rubbed me down there with his fingers, and then he stuck them in my mouth. He said that I should know how sweet I was..." her voice cracked as the memory of his fingers in her mouth tormented her mind.

The prosecutor was about to speak, but Sherry interrupted him. "I'm okay; I want to tell you what he did to me." She looked up at the judge, who nodded.

"I told him the ropes were hurting the back of my knees, but he said that I was acting like a baby, and stop complaining. He said that he didn't want to have to put me back to sleep because he wanted me to enjoy the fun with him. I was so scared; I hated to learn what he had planned next," she lowered her head, trying to gather her courage to continue. "I closed my eyes, hoping that he would go away, but I was wrong. The pain when he stuck his... his penis inside of me was horrible. It felt like he had ripped me open. I cried out for him to stop, but he just laughed and said that he was going to get everything he could from me. It hurt so bad, but no matter how much I cried, he just kept..." her voice trailed off.

At seeing the difficulty, Sherry was having with this part of her testimony; the prosecutor decided it was time to move on. The jury had already heard the testimony of the attending Emergency Room Physician, as well as the medical records, had without a doubt shown the force used during the attack. "Miss Jefferies, will you please tell the court what happened after the defendant finished? Will you explain what you mean by he washed you," the prosecutor said this statement as he looked at the members of the jury.

Sherry paused for a moment, trying to compose herself before she spoke. The memory of that night was torture, and reliving it made her sick to her stomach. "He said that he didn't want to send me home dirty. He said that I needed to be clean or..." her voice cracked.

"Please take a moment, Miss Jefferies," the prosecutor said.

"He said that he didn't want anyone to know about what we did," she lowered her head, trying to hide her shame. "But I didn't do anything. He did it TO me," she covered her face with her hands and cried uncontrollably.

The defense attorney jumped to his feet, "Objection!"

"Objection sustained, please have the witness refrain from personal opinions," the judge ordered.

"Yes, Your Honor. Miss Jefferies, please just explain to the court what you meant by clean you. What did he do?" The prosecutor was pleased to see the reaction that her last statement had on several of the jurors.

"I was covered with blood and dirt. He untied me, dragged me over to one of those big water tanks like my dad sells for watering cattle, and threw me in it. It was cold, and I hit my head. I begged him to let me go home, but he said that he needed to give me a good bath first." She lowered her eyes, not wanting to see the looks on her parent's distraught faces.

The prosecutor glanced over to the jury and noticed them carefully listening to her every word. Excellent; we have them now; he thought to himself. "Please continue, Miss Jefferies."

Sherry lifted her eyes and looked directly at Todd. "He took a water hose and sprayed me, and then he took some soap like my grandmother used to make. He scrubbed me real hard all over my body, and up inside my..." her voice trailed off. "I told him that it made my skin burn, but he said that he must be sure, not to leave anything behind."

"What happened next, Miss Jefferies?"

He made me get dressed, and then he grabbed me and held a strange smelling rag over my mouth and nose again. I don't remember anything else until I woke up two blocks from my house." She looked at her mother, who sat stone-faced with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Thank you for being so brave, Miss Jefferies. I have no further questions of this witness," the prosecutor said.

"It is getting late, so we will take a one-hour break for lunch before we begin the defense questioning of this witness. Bailiff, please take Miss Jefferies back to the room and wait there with her," he turned and looked at Sherry. "Thank you, Miss Jefferies; you're excused for now. Please follow the bailiff."

Sherry looked back to her parents, who smiled, letting her know that she had done well. She then stood and followed the bailiff out the back door.
Chapter 7

"Ray, I don't know how much more of this she can take," Carolyn cried as she stared down at the food on the plate sitting in front of her. "I can't eat this. My stomach is too upset."

"I know you're upset, but you need to keep up your strength for Sherry. She needs us to stay strong for her." Ray reached across the table and rested his hand on hers, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Clay's heart ached as he sat there, watching the two of them. He knew there was nothing he could do to help end this painful situation for the family. He only prayed that the jury would see through the lies and convict Todd for what he had done to Sherry. However, he also knew the chance that Todd would get away with it was greater than a conviction with the ties his family had in the community. "I am very proud of how she did on the stand earlier. I know it must have been difficult for her sitting up there in front of all of those strangers, but she did a good job, and I couldn't be prouder."

Carolyn looked at Clay and could not help but smile at the look on his face. "You're right, Dad. She did do a good job up there today. It just breaks my heart to think of what that, that..."

Clay leaned forward and looked Carolyn in the eyes. "He will pay for what he did to her. He may have gotten away with hurting people in the past, but he messed with the wrong family this time. That fancy lawyer of his can say anything he wants, but everyone knows the truth. Todd Gensen raped Sherry the same as he did that poor Rene Chaffier. He may have gotten away with what he did to Rene, but he will not walk away from what he did to Sherry."

"Grandpa is right. Sherry is very brave, and I'm so proud of her," Jason said. "We just need to hold on to the belief that justice will prevail."

Ray and Carolyn looked and each other, and then back to Clay and Jason. They both knew it was a long shot for a conviction, but they had no choice. Todd must pay for what he did, and it was up to them to see that he did.

"Come on, let's eat so we can get back there and get seated in time," Ray said as he reached for his fork.

"Mr. Jefferies, do you believe your daughter? Do you believe that Todd Gensen raped her?" A reporter forced a microphone in Ray's face.

Ray pulled his head back and looked at the reporter and cameraman standing next to the table. "Can't you see that we are trying to eat our lunch?" Ray growled.

"I have reports that your daughter has a vivid imagination. Don't you think that she could have made the rape up to cover for something she may not want you to know?" the reporter continued.

Ray jumped to his feet, "How dare you say that about my daughter. She went through a terrible ordeal, and now you are trying to make her out to be a liar! Why don't you do your job, and look up his old fiancé? She will fill you in on just what type of person Todd Gensen truly is!"

The reporter ignored Ray's statement and turned to Carolyn. "Mrs. Jefferies, how did it make you feel to have your daughter on the stand today?"

Carolyn did not know what to say. She never understood how those in the media could be so cold and unfeeling. She was about to respond when Clay stood.

"I think it's best if you just leave us alone. This family has a hard-enough time without dealing with your foolishness. We will answer all of your questions, but not now. Have I made myself clear?" Clay said in a low and menacing tone.

The reporter was about to protest but decided it was best to retreat for the time being. "I'm sorry for interrupting your lunch. Come on, let's leave them alone."

The cameraman looked at the reporter, unsure of what to do but then followed him outside without saying a word.

"Oh my, I can't believe what he said," Carolyn cried. "Do you really think people believe that Sherry made it all up?"

Ray took Carolyn by the hand and kissed it. "Sweetheart, there is no way anyone thinks that she would make all of that up. The whole town knows Todd Gensen for what he is, and how his family has always covered for him. We need to keep faith that justice will prevail because if we fall apart now, it will only hurt Sherry."

"Ray is right. If we show weakness, it will only hurt Sherry. She needs to feel as though we are on her side and that she is not alone in this. You three finish your lunch, and I'll head on over to the courthouse. I have something I need to do," Clay whispered. "I'll see you over there in about twenty minutes." He took a sip of his sweet tea and stood.

"Thank you, Dad. I don't know how we would ever get through this without you," Ray said, with tears in his eyes.

"I will always be here for you. I love you," Clay smiled. He then turned and walked toward the door of the restaurant without looking back. I need to stop that whole family before they can hurt anyone else; Clay said silently to himself, as he stepped outside into the bright Texas sunshine.

***

"Mr. Jefferies, would you mind answering a few questions?" the young reporter asked.

Clay glanced at the young woman, unsure if he wanted to speak with someone from the press, but something about her made him stop. "What type of questions?"

"Well, I..."

"Before we begin, what's your name?" Clay asked, with a hint of distrust in his voice.

"My name is Melissa Collins, from Channel 4 News."

"Okay, Melissa, I'll speak with you, but not right now. I need to get back inside the courtroom, but I will gladly meet with you later today. How about we meet at the restaurant across the street after court today?" He pointed back to the diner where Ray and Carolyn were finishing their lunches.

Melissa looked at Clay, trying to gauge if he was being honest with her, or just attempting to blow her off. "Okay, I'll meet with you after the proceedings today."

"But no cameras, just the two of us. Is that understood?" Clay said flatly.

Melissa hesitated a moment but then realized this might be the only chance she would have to get an exclusive interview with a member of the victim's family. "I understand; I will come alone."

Clay looked at her and winked, "Good, and come hungry because they make a mean slab of ribs." With that statement, he turned and walked toward the stairs leading inside the courthouse.

"Are you actually going without me tonight?" the cameraman asked.

"I sure am. I have a feeling that Mr. Jefferies will be an interesting interview," she smiled. "Come on, everyone is beginning to go back inside."
Chapter 8

Ray, Carolyn, and Jason had joined Clay behind the prosecutor's desk in the courtroom and waited for the proceedings to begin. The spectators were taking their seats and speaking quietly among themselves.

"I wish we could, at least, speak with her," Carolyn whispered. "What if they didn't give her some lunch?"

"I know, but I'm sure they fed her," Ray said, feeling the same despair as Carolyn.

"I just hate all this waiting," Carolyn said, straining to see if anyone was by the door that Sherry went through earlier.

"She's not there," Clay said. "Stop worrying, I'm sure she's okay."

Carolyn looked over at Clay. She was about to protest but stopped. She knew he was right, but she just did not know how much more of this she could handle. "I know you're right. I just hate that she has to go through all of this. It's just not fair," she whispered, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"It's not fair, but we have to keep the faith that everything will work out, and he will pay for what he has done." Clay knew his words were more wishful thinking than fact, but he also knew that without staying strong, they would be no good for Sherry.

"You're right; Dad, but I can't tell you that I don't want to hurt Todd. It takes every ounce of strength I have not to grab him by the throat and choke the life out of him," Ray whispered.

"I feel the same way, son," Clay agreed.

***

"All rise," the bailiff said in a loud and clear voice.

The spectators in the courtroom stood as the judge entered and took his place on the bench. "You may be seated," the judge said in a dismissive tone. "Bailiff, will you please bring in the witness?"

Carolyn's breath caught in her throat as Sherry entered the courtroom and took her place in the witness chair. How will we ever be able to forgive ourselves for putting her through this, she thought to herself.

Once Sherry sat in the chair, the judge looked at her and said, "Miss Jefferies, you do understand that you are still under oath?"

"Yes, I understand," she said, trying to hide the fear building up inside of her again.

"Good, you may proceed, Counselor," the judge motioned toward the defense attorney, who stood and slowly walked toward Sherry.

The defense attorney looked at Sherry, as though he were trying to size her up, this making Sherry feel even more nervous. "Miss Jefferies, did you have a nice lunch?" he said with a light and friendly tone in his voice.

"Yes, sir," she answered, unsure of what he was planning to do next.

"That's good," he said, acting with feigned interest. Miss Jefferies, you do understand why we are here today, correct?"

"Yes, sir," she answered nervously.

"And do you know what a lie is, Miss Jefferies?" The defense attorney turned and looked directly at Sherry, holding eye contact with her as he awaited her answer.

"Your Honor; how is this line of questioning relevant?" the prosecutor asked as he jumped to his feet.

"Overruled, please answer the question, Miss Jefferies," the judge ordered.

"Yes, sir," Sherry replied.

"Miss Jefferies, do you know what happens if you lie to the court?"

"Your Honor..." the prosecutor pleaded as he jumped to his feet again.

"Sustained, please get to the point, Counselor," the judge said firmly.

"Yes, Your Honor, may I ask the court's forgiveness? Miss Jefferies, how long have you known Mr. Gensen?"

Sherry looked at the defense attorney, unsure of how to answer the question.

"Please respond to the question, Miss Jefferies. How long have you known, Mr. Gensen?" He stepped back to allow the jury to see her response.

"I guess I've known him most of my life. I never knew him that good, but I did see him sometimes at my dad's store."

"In all the time that you have known Mr. Gensen, had he ever given you any need to fear him?" The defense attorney looked at the jury while waiting for her to respond.

"No," she said in a near whisper.

"Please speak up, Miss Jefferies. Had Mr. Gensen ever given you any reason to fear him?" He turned and looked directly at Sherry and then waited for her answer.

"No, he didn't." Sherry looked at her parents, who both smiled, giving her the strength to continue.

"So, you are telling the court that in the previous times that you had seen Mr. Gensen, he never acted threateningly. Is that correct, Miss Jefferies?" The defense attorney turned and looked at the jurors as he made this statement.

"No, but..."

"Simply answer the question, Miss Jefferies," he said flatly.

"No, sir, he didn't." Sherry glanced over to the jurors and saw the looks of mixed emotions playing out across their faces.

"Miss Jefferies, would you say that you are popular with the boys in your school?" he said with a smirk on his face.

The prosecutor jumped to his feet. "Objection! Your Honor, what does her popularity at school have to do with this case?"

"Your Honor, if the Court will indulge me a bit, I will show the relevance of this line of questioning," the defense attorney said.

The judge paused a moment, weighing the request before he answered. "Very well, the objection is overruled, but be careful counsel."

"Thank you, Your Honor," the defense attorney grinned as he noticed the prosecutor sit with a scowl on his face.

The spectators in the courtroom focused on Sherry, as they held their breaths for her answer.

After a few tense-filled moments, the defense attorney turned and looked directly at Sherry. "Miss Jefferies, will you please tell the court if you are popular with the boys in your school?"

Sherry felt her body go numb at his stare. "I don't know. I never thought about it."

"That is not entirely honest, is it, Miss Jefferies? Was it not just a few months ago that your fellow classmates voted you the prettiest girl in your class?"

"Well, yeah, but..."

"Is it not true that two of the boys from your class got expelled for fighting over you?" he leaned in closer to Sherry. "You enjoy the attention you get from the boys in your class. In fact, you welcome it, don't you?" he said in an accusatory tone.

"NO...yes...I don't know," she cried, covering her face with her hands.

"Your Honor, please, the council is mischaracterizing the witness' testimony!" the prosecutor said as he jumped to his feet.

"Counselor, don't make me have to warn you again," the judge, pointed toward the defense attorney. "Please clarify your reasoning for this line of questioning."

"I am sorry, Your Honor. If it pleases the court, I can provide evidence that will clearly show how Miss Jefferies not only enjoyed the attention of the boys in her class but has also orchestrated it," he glanced over at the prosecutor and smirked.

"Very well, then, you may continue." The judge then looked at the prosecutor. "Objection overruled. Please take a seat, Counselor."

The prosecutor glared at the defense attorney as he took his seat. He knew this line of questioning would not look good for his case, but he also hoped that the jury would not see it as the silliness of a young girl.

The defense attorney turned and faced Sherry. His face was cold and hard when he asked, "So, tell us, Miss Jefferies, do you know why two boys were fighting over you?"

Sherry lowered her head and gently ran a finger along the cast still on her injured wrist. "They were mad because they wanted to be my boyfriend."

"Why would two boys fight because they wanted to be your boyfriend? There surely must be more to it than that, Miss Jefferies?"

"I.... It's because I..." she tried to speak, but the defense attorney interrupted.

"Could it be because you told them both that you would be their girlfriend? Is that what drove the boys to fight, Miss Jefferies?" he stepped back, allowing the jury to see her face clearly.

"Yes."

"Please repeat your answer, so the court may hear," he said with a sarcastic tone in his voice.

Sherry lifted her face and looked him directly in the eyes. "Yes," she said plainly.

"So, you led those boys on and played with their feelings for you, correct?"

"I... I, ah..." she fought back the tears now forming in the corners of her eyes.

The prosecutor jumped to his feet again at seeing the look on her face. "Objection Your Honor, he is leading the witness!"

"Please get to the point, Counselor," the judge said to the defense attorney.

"Yes, Your Honor," he said as he glanced over at the prosecutor, who sat with a frustrated look on his face. "I understand. You just enjoy the attention from the boys, as any girl your age would, correct?" he did not wait for her to answer. "Have you ever kissed a boy from your class, Miss Jefferies?"

This question caused the room to grow deathly still as everyone held their breath, waiting for the answer.

Sherry looked at her parents, seeing the surprised looks on their faces. "Yes, I have."

The defense attorney smiled and pressed on. "As a matter of fact, you have kissed several of them, haven't you?"

The prosecutor was about to protest, but the look on the judge's faced told him that his objection would be in vain.

"Please answer the question, Miss Jefferies. How many boys have you kissed?" he turned to the jury, giving them a knowing look.

"It was at Megan's Halloween party. Her parents had let us have it in the shed in her backyard. We were all dancing and having a good time when Tommy brought up the idea of playing Spin-the-Bottle," her face grew red, as she looked out at the spectators, hanging on her every word.

"Why did you join in, Miss Jefferies? Could it be because you wanted the attention of the boys? Could it be because you like that type of attention from boys?"

The prosecutor could no longer sit and listen to this line of questioning. "Objection, Your Honor! Counsel is badgering the witness."

The judge turned to the jury and said, "I direct the jury to disregard the last statement. Counsel, please rephrase your question."

The defense attorney knew that he had pushed over the line with the last question, but he could see the effect it had on the mood in the courtroom, as well as on the jurors. "Yes, Your Honor," he said with mocked remorse. He paused, knowing the answers to this next line of questions would be just what he needed to throw doubt on her creditability. "Miss Jefferies, do you remember a particular Saturday afternoon a few months ago when you and your friend, Megan went to the movies at the mall. You had told your parents that you went to watch a movie, but in fact, you wanted to meet boys," he stepped closer to Sherry, looking her in the eyes. "And as luck would have it, you met a group of older boys, did you not?"

A look of both surprise and fear suddenly appeared on her face. Sherry felt like a mouse caught in a trap. She knew her parents had believed that they went to watch a movie at the mall, but in reality, they went to meet with some boys they had met the previous time there.

"Miss Jefferies, did you understand the question?" He waited for her response.

Sherry looked over at her parents, and she could see the tears in her mother's eyes. She knew what she was about to say would destroy their trust in her, and she wished she had listened to her better sense and not gone that day. "Yes, I remember."

"Can you please tell the court whose idea it was to meet up with the older boys that day?" he waited for her response.

Sherry glanced over to the members of the jury, and she could see the look of disappointment on several of their faces. She swallowed and then said, "It was mine."

Murmuring filled the courtroom, causing Sherry to tremble with fear. She knew that she was wrong to have gone. "We only talked...," Sherry said before the attorney interrupted her.

"Miss Jefferies, do you remember a young man by the name of Riley?"

Sherry felt her blood turn to ice. "Yes," she said, looking at her parents, who now had confused looks on their faces.

"Do you remember going outside, alone with him for roughly half an hour?" he said with the smoothness of a snake about to strike.

Sherry looked over at the Prosecutor and waited for him to object, but he merely sat in stunned silence.

"Miss Jefferies, please answer the question. Do you remember joining Riley outside," the defense attorney repeated?

"Yes, but nothing happened!" she blurted out.

"Miss Jefferies, please remember that you are still under oath. Will you please tell the court how old the young man is and how old you were at that time?"

Sherry looked at the attorney, knowing she could no longer hide this from her family. "I was twelve, and he was sixteen," she responded.

"So, you are telling the court that you went outside alone with a boy that you knew your parents would never approve of, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Will you please share with the court what the two of you did while outside?"

Sherry's body shook as she realized the pain this was causing her family. She knew she had done wrong, but she had not let it go too far. Once Riley had tried to unbutton her pants, she had stopped him and then rejoined Megan and the others still inside the mall. "We kissed," she said as she wiped the tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"That is not entirely correct, is it, Miss Jefferies? Isn't it a fact that you allowed the young man to touch your breasts?"

The prosecutor jumped to his feet as a collective gasp echoed throughout the courtroom.

SLAM...SLAM. "I will have silence in my courtroom," the judge ordered as he slammed the gavel down on his desk. "I want both counselors to approach the bench."

Sherry looked over at the prosecutor, wondering how much longer she had to stay on the witness stand. He briefly glanced in her direction but kept his focus on the judge.

As both men stepped up to the judge's bench, a strange calm fell over the courtroom, as the spectators strained to hear what the judge had to say about the current line of questions.

"I thought we understood how this case would be handled, gentlemen? I don't want this to erupt into a case that will be splashed all over the evening news any more than it already is; am I understood?" The judge knew this was just what the media was hungry for because it added a new twist to their reports.

The defense attorney leaned toward the judge's bench and said in a low tone, "Your Honor, my client has the right to have the character of this witness brought into evidence. She is not the innocent child that my colleague here is portraying her to be. She went outside and allowed that young man..."

"That's enough! Even if she did as you say, that still doesn't erase the fact that your client raped her," the prosecutor said, with his face growing redder with each passing moment.

"Come on, we both know that there is no proof..." the defense attorney said, but the judge interrupted him before he could finish his statement.

"If you two don't get control of yourselves, I am going to hold you both in contempt. I will allow this line of questioning for the time being, but I want to remind you to stick with the facts, as you know them to make your point; am I understood?"

Both men nodded in agreement with each being fully aware that they must proceed carefully.

The prosecutor returned to his table and sat without glancing up to Sherry as the defense attorney turned to face her.

"Miss Jefferies, you told the court that you and the young man kissed. Is that correct?" He looked at her with such intensity that she felt as though he could see into her soul. Fear consumed her again, and she realized there was no escape from this uncomfortable situation. "Miss Jefferies, did you understand my question?"

She looked over his shoulder, out to her family. The looks of despair on their faces made her heartbreak. She knew what she needed to say, but the words refused to come to her. "Yes, I understand."

"Please speak up, Miss Jefferies," the defense attorney stated.

She closed her eyes for a moment and drew in a deep breath before she answered. Finally, she looked up into the stone-cold eyes of the defense attorney and said, "Yes, I understand. We kissed and then he..."

"He did what, Miss Jefferies?"

Sherry knew this would change everything, and the thought of her parents learning about what she had done made her sick because they had always trusted her. "I let him touch me," she said as she fought the back tears.

The defense attorney had stepped closer to her before he spoke again, "Please explain to the court just how was it that you allowed him to touch you?"

She reached up and wiped a stray tear that had escaped from the corner of her eye. "I let him touch my breasts." All color flowed from her face as the words left her mouth. She could see the looks of shock on her parent's faces and the look of disappointment in her grandfather's eyes.

The defense attorney turned to face the jury, who sat motionlessly. "Is that your testimony? Your testimony is that nothing else happened between the two of you?"

"Yes, that's all; I swear," Sherri said as she fought to regain control of her emotions.

The silence in the courtroom was deafening, as everyone held their breath, waiting for what would transpire next. Clay looked at the jurors, and he could see the mixture of emotions playing out across their faces. The women seemed uncomfortable as they watched Sherry reach up and wipe the tears from her eyes, but a few of the men sat completely still, showing no emotion at all.

Damn, this isn't good; Clay thought to himself. He was heartbroken to learn what Sherry had done, but he also knew that she was telling the truth that nothing else had happened. However, he knew this could put doubt in the minds of the jurors, so he feared this would sway the verdict in the wrong direction.

The defense attorney looked at Sherry with a mocking smile. "Miss Jefferies, I believe you when you say that nothing more happened. However, I do wonder if you are telling the truth about my client. If you didn't share the truth about your actions at the mall with your family, how can we trust you now? How do we know that you didn't meet another boy, and things got out of hand? How do we know that you didn't make up the story of my client attacking you to cover the fact that you snuck off to meet a boy?" He leaned in close to her, thus causing her to press her back against the chair to put distance between them.

"I didn't make it up, I swear...," she cried.

"Come on, Miss Jefferies, we all know that you have lied," he pressed forward.

"He did do it. He raped me!" she covered her face with her hands and cried uncontrollably.

The defense attorney stepped away from her and said dismissively, "I have no further questions for this witness."

The courtroom erupted with loud chatter from the spectators.

SLAM...SLAM... The sound of the gavel hitting down on the desk caused silence to fill the room.

"I want order...I said ORDER, or I will clear the room!"

"Your Honor, may the jury be instructed to disregard the last remarks from opposing counsel? The prosecutor stood and looked directly at the defense attorney, who shot him an arrogant grin. He knew his request was futile as he looked at the faces of the jurors. "Your Honor, may I approach the bench?"

"Request denied. You're excused, Miss Jefferies. Bailiff, please escort Miss Jefferies to the witness waiting room."

Sherry looked up and realized that the bailiff was standing next to her. "Please follow me."

As she stood, she looked at her parents and could see the look of pain and disappointment in their eyes. She felt ashamed and wanted to disappear until she noticed the look of sheer delight that played out across Todd's face. When their eyes met, he smiled and winked.

Sherry quickly turned her head away from his gaze and followed the bailiff toward the back door, wondering if he would go free to come after her again, just as he had promised. When the door closed behind her, she felt humiliated when she saw her reflection in one of the door windows in the hallway. "I messed everything up, didn't I," she whispered.

"Excuse me," the bailiff said.

"Oh, nothing," she said as they arrived at the door to the waiting room. "Are my parents coming to get me?"

"I'll go get them and bring them here. Now, why don't you just sit at the table and I'll have them here in a few minutes." He knew this must be difficult for her, and he could not imagine what her family must be going through, as well.

Sherry walked over to the table and sat in one of the chairs. "Thank you," she said solemnly, as she tried to gather her strength for this meeting with her parents.
Chapter 9

The closing arguments from both attorneys went as normal. The prosecutor reinforced the image of Todd Gensen as a predator, who attacked a young and innocent girl. He also did his best to dispel the image the defense had painted of Sherry as a young woman who enjoyed the attention of boys. He went on to enforce how she was too ashamed to admit that she had gotten herself into another situation that had spun out of control.

Clay stayed to watch the closing arguments after Ray and Carolyn had taken Sherry home. He cringed as the defense attorney spun the tale of a young woman with an over-active imagination. He then went on about how she had lied to her parents so that she could make-out with a sixteen-year-old boy at the mall. While listening to the defense layout his argument, Clay began to wonder if it were even possible to expect a conviction. Once the attorneys had completed their closing arguments, the judge excused the jury to begin their deliberations. Clay sat in silence, as the others in the courtroom stood and slowing worked their way to the exit. He looked up at the front of the empty courtroom and said a silent prayer that Sherry receives justice for what Todd did to her. He then stood and followed everyone outside into the evening air.

***

"Good evening, Mr. Jefferies; are we still on for dinner?" Melissa Collins asked as she walked up to him.

"Yes, we are. How about we talk over that plate of BBQ?" Clay was not in the mood to eat, but he never could pass up a plate of BBQ ribs.

"Wonderful," she said.

"Do you mind getting us a table? I need to make a quick phone call," Clay said.

"Of course, I'll see you inside." Melissa turned and walked across the street, disappearing inside the restaurant.

Clay took his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed, "I won't be there until later. I have something I need to take care of first."

"What are you up too, Dad?" Ray asked.

"Nothing unusual, I just need to take care of something, and it has to be done now." Clay knew that he should tell Ray what he was planning. However, he also knew that he needed to keep Ray out of his final plans if the verdict went in the wrong direction. "Don't worry, I'll drop by and see her as soon as I finish here. I love you, son, and give everyone a hug for me."

Ray hesitated for a moment, then realizing how his father had always done things his way, decided to let it go for now. "Okay, but don't be too long. I know that Sherry would love to see you, after all, the crap today."

"I will, you tell her that Grandpa loves her and will be there soon," Clay said, trying to convince Ray that everything was fine, and not to worry.

They both hung up, and then Clay tucked his cell phone back inside his jacket pocket. "Okay, time to set things in motion."

***

"There you are. I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty to order for us," Melissa looked up at him with a big grin on her face. "You had mentioned how good the ribs were, so I ordered us each a slab."

"Wow, you must be hungry?" Clay laughed.

"Well, as a matter of fact, I am," she chuckled. "Mr. Jefferies..."

Clay interrupted her, "Now if we are going to sit here and enjoy some lip-smackin' ribs, we need to use our first names. Please call me, Clay."

"Fair enough, and you may call me Melissa," she grinned, as she reached for her notepad.

"Now that we have that out of the way, how about a nice cold beer?" he suggested as he motioned for the waitress.

Melissa looked at the expression on his face and could not help but laugh. "Clay, I believe that you and I are going to get along just fine."

They both kept the conversation light during the meal. Each one was trying to gauge the other, wondering how to broach the topic that had brought them together this evening. Melissa had just finished the last of a BBQ sauce-soaked rib when Clay decided to break the ice.

"You know he's guilty, don't you?" he said without emotion in his voice.

"We don't know that yet. The jury is still out," she frowned.

"You know he's guilty. Everyone knows he's guilty. He is a no good, piece-of-shit. He's done it before, you know." His voice was taut, and a look of pure hate shown in his eyes.

Melissa felt uneasy. She had already heard of Rene Chaffier, but it was not the same thing. "I understand that you are upset..."

"Upset? You have no idea how I feel. How old are you, Miss Collins?" He looked her directly in the eyes and waited for her reply.

Melissa found herself taken aback by this sudden change in his mood. "I'm twenty-eight."

"Do you remember how you felt when you were the same age as my granddaughter? I bet you do because she's not much younger than you are," he reached for his beer mug and then took the last swallow. "You sat in that courtroom and heard the doctor explain how bad Todd tore her up inside," his voice cracked as he fought with his emotions. "You heard how badly bruised she was, and you even saw the cast on her wrist. Now, can you honestly tell me that happened because she snuck out to meet with a boy?"

"I, I don't know what to say," Melissa muttered.

Clay sat still for a moment, looking at Melissa. He could see the torment in her eyes, but he needed to be sure that he could rely on her to do the right thing when the time came. "Melissa, you seem like an honest person to me. You appear to be fair, and the type of person that would want to make sure the truth is told."

She sat a moment, unsure of how to respond. "Clay, I like you too, and I know you that are in a lot of pain over this, but we have to wait for the jury to come back with a verdict. I do hope that you will give me a statement at that time."

Clay leaned back in his chair and rubbed the whiskers on his chin. "That's what I'm hoping for, Melissa. I'm hoping that I can count on you to take my statement once this is over, no matter what the outcome."

"Good, then it's a date," she said playfully, trying to lighten the mood. "How about we have another one of those cold beers?"

Clay looked at her and had to laugh at the grin on her face. "That sounds like an excellent idea."

***

"What took you so long," Ray whispered as Clay walked into the living room.

"I had a little business to take care of first," he said as he walked over to the couch where Sherry was fast asleep with her head on Ray's leg.

"She kept asking for you, Dad," Carolyn said while she rocked in her chair with Amy sleeping in her arms.

Clay glanced down at the peaceful face of his oldest granddaughter and wondered what the future held for her and the family. "It's late, so why don't I head on home. I'll see everyone in the morning." Clay stood and looked down at Sherry again. "How about I stop by the donut shop in the morning and get some of those chocolate sprinkle ones she loves so much?" Clay knew the chocolate frosting with sprinkles donuts were Sherry's favorites. She would always beg him to bring them whenever he picked up Ray for work before he retired.

"As long as you bring a few of those great cinnamon rolls, they make there," Ray snickered.

"Grandpa, is that you?" Sherry groaned, still half asleep.

"Yes, sweetheart, it's me," he reached down and touched her gently on the cheek.

"I tried to wait up for you, but I fell asleep," she looked up at him with blurry eyes.

"Go back to sleep, and grandpa will see you in the morning, okay? I love you," he smiled, and then leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

"I love you, too," she grinned, and then she closed her eyes again.

"I'll see you in the morning, goodnight." Clay turned and walked toward the back door.

"Dad, I want to thank you for being there today. We would never have been able to handle everything without your help," Carolyn said.

"She's right, Dad. Thank you for everything," Ray said.

"I will always be there for you. Ray, this is my family, and I love you with all of my heart. You get some rest, and I will see you in the morning with some good eats. Of course, you know that I expect a hot cup of coffee is waiting for me when I get here," he laughed and then turned and walked outside to his truck.

***

It was a restless night for Sherry. Ray and Carolyn had put her in her room, but when she woke up crying, they brought her to their bedroom for the rest of the night.

"Good morning," Clay said with a bright smile on his face, as he set his cup of coffee on the table. "It's about time you sleepyheads got out of bed."

"Good morning, I'm surprised to see you here so early," Ray, yawned as he reached for a coffee cup out of the dishwasher. "I guess I timed this right."

"Yeah, I thought I was supposed to bring the donuts, and you would make the coffee. I think I got hosed in this deal," Clay laughed as he noticed the sly grin on Ray's face.

Ray filled his cup, walked over to the table, and set his cup down. "True, but this works for me," he laughed at the look of feigned anger on his father's face. "Oh, and I see you got several of the cinnamon rolls I like. Dad, you're the best."

Ray sat in the chair across the table from Clay. He opened the lid on the box and pulled out a cinnamon roll, held it to his nose and took a deep breath. "This smells wonderful, and it's still warm. He took a large bite and then closed his eyes as he savored the warm, delicious treat.

"Thanks for waiting for the rest of us, Dad," Jason laughed, as he walked into the kitchen just as Ray shoved the last bite into his mouth. "Good morning, Grandpa. I sure hope that mom remembered to buy some orange juice." He opened the refrigerator door and looked inside, "Good, there's a new bottle." He set the bottle of orange juice down on the counter, and then reached into the cupboard and pulled out two glasses. "I bet Sherry will want some juice too," he smiled, as he carried the juice bottle and drinking glasses over to the table, and then set them down.

"Good morning, Grandpa," Sherry said as she stood in the doorway.

"Good morning, Sweet Pea. Why don't you come over here and sit by me? I brought your favorite," he smiled tenderly.

Sherry's eyes lit up, and a smile spread across her face. "Do they have the sprinkles on them?"

"They sure do, and I made her pick out some with extra sprinkles, just for you." Clay could not contain the joy he felt at seeing the excited look on her face as she rushed toward him with outstretched arms.

"Oh, Grandpa, you're the best. I love you," she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tightly.

Clay took her in his arms and pulled her close. He knew they had a difficult time ahead of them, but for this brief moment, life was perfect. "I love you too, Sweet Pea."

"Good morning, Dad," Carolyn said as she walked into the room with Amy perched on her hip.

"Good morning, sleepyhead. I don't know about this crowd; sleeping the day away," Clay winked at Carolyn, who laughed, as she put Amy in the highchair.

"I know you're hungry," Carolyn said to Amy, who was fussing and pulling at her bib. "Now stop that, so mommy can get you fed." Carolyn pulled the little hand away and snapped the bib before Amy could get her hand back in the way. "Now sit here like a good little girl, while mommy makes you some oatmeal, and Dad don't give her any..." but no sooner had she said the words than her statement went unheeded. Clay reached over and placed a small piece of chocolate-covered donut up to Amy's lips

"Here you go; sweets for grandpa's sweet little angel," Clay said tenderly. No sooner had the treat touched her lips that she opened her mouth wide and gobbled down the offering. Clay laughed at the look of complete bliss on her face as she reached for the remainder of the donut in his hand. "Does Grandpa's Sweetheart want some more?"

Carolyn turned and looked at the two of them. She smiled and was about to speak when the telephone rang. "Should I get that?" she said with apprehension in her voice.

"I'll get it. You have your hands full," Ray said as he reached for the telephone, hanging on the kitchen wall. "Hello," he said as he placed the receiver firmly against his ear. "Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can." He hung up the telephone and turned to look at the concerned group. "There's a problem at the store," he said with an expression of anger on his face.

"What's wrong, son?" Clay asked.

"Someone broke into the yard last night and had a bit of fun," Ray said as he stood and reached for his jacket.

"Hold on, I'll come with you," Clay said.

"No, I need you to stay here and keep an eye on everyone for me. I'll be home as soon as I can." He walked over to Carolyn and leaned in close to her ear, "Don't let Sherry out of your sight for a second, do you understand?"

"Ray..." but he interrupted her before she could continue.

"I'll explain everything as soon as I can. Please do as I say, and all of you stay away from the windows." He gently touched Carolyn on the cheek, "I love you."

Carolyn wanted to cry, but she knew it would only upset the children. "I will, and I love you too," she said with her voice full of fear.

"Jason, why don't you come with me? I could use the extra help." Ray looked at Jason, who was finishing off his second cinnamon roll.

Jason looked up at his father, and he could tell by the look on his face that something was wrong, "Sure, Dad, whatever you need. Let me change into my boots."

Once Jason had left the room, Ray motioned at Clay to join him on the back porch. After he had closed the door behind them, Ray turned to Clay and said, "Someone vandalized the store last night. They painted all over the storefront, knocked over stacks of fence posts, and destroyed several bags of feed and scattered it all over the parking lot."

"Damn, why in the hell would someone do that?" Clay asked. However, he was sure that he knew the reason. "They left a message, didn't they?"

Ray felt as though his head would explode. He looked at Clay and through clenched teeth said, "They left a warning."

"A warning?" Clay felt the breath catch in his throat. "What type of warning?" Clay prepared himself for the worst.

"It said that if Todd Gensen is found guilty to be ready for it to be our house the next time." Ray looked at Clay with a mixture of anger and fear in his eyes. He knew the sort of people who would do this, and he knew very well that they would follow through on their threat.

"Damn bunch of...." he stopped when he heard the back door open.

"I'm ready, Dad," Jason said as he closed the door behind him.

"Good, let's get going so we can put an end to this. Dad, I'll call you when I learn more." He turned and began to walk down the back stairs when he heard Clay speak again.

"Son, don't worry about Carolyn and the girls. I'll keep them safe."

Ray stopped and turned to face his father. "I know you will. Thanks, Dad." With those last words, Ray and Jason walked out to Ray's truck and then drove away.

***

When Clay walked back into the kitchen, Carolyn and the two girls were still sitting at the table. Carolyn was feeding Amy some oatmeal, and Sherry was sipping on a glass of orange juice. He looked down at Sherry, who had a concerned look on her face, and said, "I hope you saved me one of those sprinkle donuts."

Sherry looked up at Clay and grinned. "I saved you one."

"Well, then I better eat it before you change your mind," Clay laughed when he saw the playful look on Sherry's face, as she licked her lips.
Chapter 10

"Damn," Ray groaned as he pulled into the parking lot at the store.

Jason could not believe the mess left behind by the vandals. "Dad, who would do something like this?"

Ray parked the truck and then turned off the engine. "I'm not sure, but I have a sneakin' idea," he groaned as he opened the door and stepped out.

Frank, the yard foreman, walked up to Ray, who was now standing in front of the store entrance, scratching his head. "They really made a mess, didn't they?"

"They sure did. How much did they damage?" Ray groaned.

"I have a couple of the guys doing a count, but I estimate it at roughly $20,000," Frank said, with anger clearly in his voice.

"Damn, that's horrible," Jason, said, as he joined the two men. "Dad, what do you need me to do?"

"Why don't you go help the guys with the count?" Ray wanted to have a chance to talk to Frank alone, and he knew that it was going to take some time to get the final numbers for the police report.

Ray waited until Jason left before he spoke. "Son-of-a-bitch! You just know that some of Gensen's friends are behind this!"

"Yeah, I thought the same thing. I didn't want to say anything in front of your kid, but come and look at this," Frank motioned to Ray to follow him into the store.

Nothing could have prepared Ray for what awaited him. There in the center of the store, hanging from the overhead sales sign, was a large picture of Sherry with the words written across it saying, Your family will NEVER know peace again.

Ray felt a cold chill move over his body as he stared up at the picture. He fully understood the message, and he knew he could not rely on the local police to protect his family at this time.

"Ray, I don't like this one bit," Frank said nervously. "That family has too much power in this town."

Ray turned and looked Frank directly in the eyes, "If those assholes think that they can scare me, then they are crazier than I thought. That monster beat and raped my daughter, and I hope that he burns in hell for what he did!"

Frank looked into Ray's eyes, and he could see the rage burning deep inside of them. He wished that he knew what to say at a time such as this, but the words escaped him, so he merely nodded his agreement.

"Frank, would you mind taking that down and putting it in my office? I need to go outside, and check how the count is going," Ray said.

"Sure thing, I'll take care of it for you." Frank knew that it took everything that Ray had inside of him not to explode in a fit of rage. Therefore, he had to agree that checking on the other things around the yard would be good for him at this moment.

Ray looked at Frank with a forced smile. "Thank you," were the only words he said as he walked back outside to check all the damage on the yard.

***

"Dad, we counted one hundred and twenty-five bags of corn, eighty-seven bags of chicken feed, two hundred and seven bags of sweet feed, fifty-three bags of barley, and they also destroyed, at least, one hundred and fifty bales of alfalfa. Tommy is counting the fence posts to see if any are missing, and George is counting the rolls of barbwire. Oh yeah, they threw paint all over the delivery truck, too," Jason said solemnly.

"Thank you, why don't you stay out here, and help them clean up, okay?" Ray asked as he looked around at the scattered grain and hay. He knew who was behind this, but he also knew that nothing would come of it because of the powerful hold the Gensen's had in the town. This crap is all going to end; once and for all, Ray thought as he walked back toward his truck to retrieve his cell phone.

Ring...Ring...Ring. "Hello, Ray. How does it look?" Clay was playing a video game with Sherry, but he was relieved that Ray had finally called.

"Not good at all, Dad. We have a lot of lost product and damage. They broke the large front window, painted all over the front of the store, and the yard is worse. We have grain and hay scattered all over the place, toppled stacks of fence posts, and the assholes even wrapped barbwire around several of the pallets." Ray wanted to head straight to the Gensen's house. However, he knew it would not accomplish anything other than making more trouble.

"Son, I know this is upsetting, but we can replace all of it. At least, no one was injured." Clay felt the same rage burning inside of him as Ray, but he also knew there was nothing they could do for the time being. He had to keep the faith that the jury would find Todd guilty and that Sherry would heal eventually from this painful ordeal.

Ray paused a moment, trying to think of the best way to tell his father the other news. "Dad, there's more," he took a deep breath before he continued. "Whoever did this left a message for me to find."

Clay did not like the sound of this development. "A message; what type of message?"

Ray had cleared his mind before he spoke, "Sherry's picture was hanging in the store, and they left a note on it."

Clay felt his body go rigid with fear. "Go on," he whispered.

"It said that our family would never know peace again," Ray's voice trailed off as he fought the anger boiling inside of him.

Clay felt the anger bubbling up inside of him, as well. He pressed his cell phone against his ear. "Those dirty, rotten, sons..." he stopped as he realized that Sherry was looking up at him.

"Grandpa, are you, all right?" she asked, with a worried look on her face.

Realizing what he had done, he quickly replaced his frown with a smile. "Grandpa is fine, Sweet Pea. Why don't you go and get me a Coke out of the refrigerator?"

"Sure, can I have one too?" Sherry grinned.

"Of course, you can," Clay said playfully.

"Yipee!" Sherry squealed as she jumped off the couch and ran to the kitchen.

Once she was out of the room, Clay said in a low voice, "We both know who was behind that, don't we?"

"Dad, it is taking everything I have not to go over there right now, but I don't want to make things worse. Once that bastard is locked up, I plan to see that damn family exposed for the corrupt bastards they all are!"

"I know, son. The Gensens have controlled this town for far too long, and it is time to take them down. However, we need to be smart and not react with raw emotion." Clay understood how Ray felt because he felt the same way, but he also knew how dangerous people such as the Gensens could be if they felt threatened.

Ray knew his father was correct, but a voice inside of him kept screaming for revenge. He ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to steady his nerves.

"Son, are you still there?" Clay asked.

"Yeah, I just feel so helpless," Ray, groaned.

"I know you do, but you are doing everything that you can at this time. Take care of things there, and don't worry about Carolyn and the girls. They are safe. As a matter of fact, your daughter is kicking my butt at this game of hers," Clay laughed when Sherry handed him the can of coke. "Thank you, Sweet Pea."

"Thanks, Dad. I don't know what we would do without you around to keep us grounded. I'll be home in a little while," Ray said with frustration clear in his voice.

"Bye, Daddy. I love you," Sherry giggled.

"I love you, too, sweetheart. I'll talk to you soon." With that, he hung up the telephone and closed his eyes. Dear Lord, please help us get through this difficult time.

***

As the jurors entered the deliberation room, each one wondered how long it was going to take to reach a verdict. The day before, they had been relieved to learn that they would not be sequestered, as none wanted to be locked up in a motel room each night. Being involved in such a complicated case was bad enough.

They each took their places at the large table in the center of the room and sat quietly as the jury instructor went over the rules the judge had told them the day before. He again reminded them of their duty to only consider the evidence before them, and not to discuss the case outside of that room. Once he had thoroughly explained everything they needed to know, he informed them that lunch would be at noon.

***

They all sat in silence for several long and tense moments before, Jack; one of the young men sitting next to the door, finally spoke. "Well, this shouldn't take long. We all know that there wasn't any evidence linking the defendant to the attack," he said flatly.

Of course, this brought an immediate response from Toni and Jenny, the two young single women sitting across the table from him.

"Just what is that supposed to mean? We haven't even examined the notes we all took during questioning," Jenny said defiantly.

"She's right. I, for one, am not ready to pronounce guilt or innocence until we go over every bit of information we have," Toni added. She could not believe the caviler way in which he treated this case, and she for one was not going to allow him to brush it aside without thoroughly going over every detail presented.

"You have got to be kidding me. Please don't tell me you are going to sit there and say that you don't believe the girl is lying? Come on, she has already admitted that she let that kid feel her up at the mall that day. Hell, what more proof do you want? We all know she more than likely snuck off to meet some other boy, got in over her head, and then cried rape to cover her humiliation!" Jack knew this would get a reaction from Toni and Jenny, so he braced himself for what he knew was to come.

Both of the young women sat there unmoving and slack-jawed, neither able to comprehend what he had just said. However, before either could respond to his challenge, Aaron, one of the other jurors, chimed in.

"I have to agree with him. There is no way we can pronounce him guilty without any physical evidence. Hell, there weren't any fingerprints, semen, or anything else tying the defendant to her other than her word." Aaron then looked over at Jack and grinned.

"Yeah, and if I correctly remember, we need to stick to the facts at hand, not the ramblings of a little girl," Jack added, with a sarcastic tone to his voice.

Toni was about to speak when Joe Mathews, one of the retired men, interrupted. "You all need to calm down and stop arguing. We have the foremost responsibility of deciding the fate of two people, and I, for one, would like to do it correctly," he said firmly while holding his gaze directly at Jack. "We are supposed to be impartial and only make our decisions based on the evidence, as well as the testimonies of all those involved. We are not to inject our personal views or feelings. I hope you are clear on those directions the judge gave us when he explained our duty as jury members."

Jack did not enjoy such treatment, but he knew that he needed to be careful, so as, not to cause a mistrial from a hung jury. "You're right; I'm sorry. I'll control my personal feelings and focus on the case."

"Good, I know we all have lives to return to, but we must try to do our civic duty to the best of our abilities," Elsie, the retired elementary school teacher, interjected.

The others nodded their agreement while looking at Jack and Aaron. Knowing they were outnumbered, Jack and Aaron begrudgingly agreed.

"Good, it looks as though we all have come to our first agreement," Joe smiled. "Why don't we begin with introductions and share a little about ourselves? My name is Joe Mathews. I'm a widower and a retired pharmaceutical consultant." He then looked over at the man sitting to the left of him.

"My name is Jeff Klamsky. I'm married with three children and the manager of the local grocery store."

"I guess I'm next," the woman sitting next to Jeff said. "My name is Patty Roberts. I'm married, and a stay-at-home mother of two young boys," she smiled nervously, as she looked at the woman sitting next to her.

"My name is Marie Stellman, and I'm also a stay-at-home mother of one third-grade son and a pre-school daughter. My husband is currently serving in the Gulf." She glanced over at the man sitting next to her, who smiled and nodded his approval before he spoke.

"I'll go next. My name is Jerry Shakley; I'm retired army, and I'm married to the same beautiful woman for the last forty-seven years. Before I say any more, I would like to thank Mrs. Stellman for her support of her husband's service," he smiled, and then gently touched her hand.

"Thank you, Mr. Shakley," she smiled in return, and I would like to thank you for your service, as well." The others sitting at the table chimed in with their gratitude, all except for the two young men sitting across from him, who snickered and scowled.

Jerry briefly looked in their direction, letting them know that he found no amusement in their childish behavior. "Anyway, I served for thirty years in the army, and I saw more than my fair share of violence. Therefore, I know that I will be able to separate my personal feelings from the case at hand. After all, not everyone sitting on this jury has the mentality of a four-year-old child," he grinned, as he looked across the table at Aaron and Jack, who both rolled their eyes.

Sensing the tension building between the three men, the woman sitting on the other side of Jerry spoke up. "I guess it's my turn," the woman said nervously. "My name is Jenny Thompson. I am a student at the University of Houston, where I am majoring in communication. I am single, with no children." Jenny looked at the young woman sitting next to her and smiled, as though to offer an opening to this uncomfortable situation.

The young woman at noticing the look in Jenny's eyes then spoke up. "My name is Toni Sandoval, and I'm a server at one of the local restaurants. I am single with no children." She then glanced at the man sitting next to her and smiled.

"Hello, my name is Mark Pullman. I'm divorced with no children, and the salesman for a siding company out of Houston," he said as he smiled back at Toni, whose cheeks turned a soft shade of red.

"Well, um..." the elderly woman sitting to the left of Mark grinned as she cleared her throat, noticing the lingering glances between Mark and Toni. "My name is Elsie Culver, and I am a retired elementary school teacher. I'm widowed, and I moved here to stay with my sister after my husband passed away seven years ago. I have found this to be a quiet community normally, so I must admit that I am rather surprised to be sitting on a jury for such a violent case." She cleared her throat again, as she nervously picked at a loose thread on the sleeve of her blouse.

The man sitting next to Elsie spoke up, "It's a first for me, as well. I can't imagine what sort of animal would do something like that to a little girl," he said as he looked directly at Jack and Aaron. "Anyway, my name is David Branson. I'm married, the owner of Branson Construction Company, with three grown children and four grandchildren. I normally would do everything needed to get out of serving on a jury, but I felt as though I needed to be here for this one. I have a granddaughter that's the same age as the victim, so I couldn't live with myself if I walked away from my responsibility as a member of this community."

An uneasy silence fell over the room, as everyone turned and faced Jack and Aaron.

Jack sat forward in his chair and stared back at the group defiantly. "My name is Jack Taylor, and I work at the chemical plant. I didn't want to be here either, but I figured it would be a nice break from work," he chuckled and then leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well, I guess that I'm the last one. My name is Aaron Messler, and I work at the mill just outside of town. I'm with Jack, I figured it would be a nice break from work, and besides, they feed and pay you, too," he looked at Jack, and then they both laughed.

"Well, I'm glad you both find this so amusing!" Jerry said in an angry tone. "I do hope this doesn't interfere with your vacation time because I would hate to think that the lives of two people might ruin your time off from work."

Jack and Aaron suddenly realized that they needed to watch what they said, or they could find themselves replaced.

"You're right, I'm just a little nervous that's all," Aaron said.

"Yeah, I didn't mean anything. It's just my mouth overloading my ass again," Jack added.

"Good, now that everything is clear, we need to get down to business," Joe said calmly. "Does anyone have something they would like to begin with?"

"Yes, I would like to see the report from the hospital. I tried to take notes during the E.R. doctor's cross-examination, but he was talking too fast and using too many big words, so I'm sure that I missed several important points. I don't know how the court stenographer keeps up?" Jenny snickered.

"I would like to go over that again as well," Patty said, with Marie nodding in agreement.

"Well, before we order any records, does anyone have anything they would like to discuss?" Joe asked as he looked around the table at each person sitting there.

Jack leaned forward in his chair again and placed his hands on the table. He drew in a deep breath and began slowly tapping his fingertip on the tabletop. "I have already told you how I feel. We all sat in that courtroom and listened to every single testimony, and not ONE pointed a clear finger of guilt toward the defendant. It's a simple case of her word against his, and from what I understand; we can't find him guilty on her testimony alone. You can look at all the reports you want, but it's not going to change the fact that there is no evidence that he did anything to that girl, let alone, raped her."

"Come on, we all know what kind of person he is!" Jeff groaned and then realized his mistake.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jerry asked.

"Nothing, I spoke out of line," Jeff said flatly. Over the years, Jeff had had numerous run-ins with Todd. He had called the authorities on several occasions for vandalism, shoplifting, and bothering the customers in the parking lot of the grocery store. However, with his family members controlling most of the influential positions in town, they never prosecuted him.

"Don't forget that you need to leave any personal feelings you may have out of this," Jack taunted with a gleam in his eyes.

"Of course, I'll do better." Jeff knew he needed to separate his personal feelings from the case at hand. He also knew there was a part of him that wanted to see Todd finally face justice for everything he had done in the past. Besides, there was no doubt in his mind that Todd was guilty. His daughter had mentioned how Todd would try to get her to go for rides with him in his pickup. She had told him of the afternoon when Todd told her that he would show her a good time if she would only give him a chance. She then went on to say how the look in his eyes had made her nervous. She then told him that she needed to hurry and get to work at the store because her dad was expecting her at any minute.

"You have made your thoughts quite clear; however, the rest of us would like to look at the facts at hand, and then come to a verdict. We owe both of those involved at least that," Joe said in a stern voice.

"He is correct. I want to do the best job I can with this case. Therefore, I believe that we need to go over all the details again, and refresh our memories," Elsie added.

The rest of the group looked over at Jack and Aaron, waiting for a response. After several tense moments of silence, Joe spoke again.

"Why don't we go around the group and get a consensus of where everyone is at this time?" He clasped his hands together and rested them on the tabletop, waiting for someone to speak.

"Fine, I'll go first," David spoke up, and then he leaned forward in his chair with his hands placed flat on the top of the table. "I think he did it. I know that the evidence is weak, but I believe the girl."

Jack jumped out of his chair, his face red with anger. "How can you say that? We did hear the same testimonies, didn't we?"

"Yes, we did, but..." David tried to finish his statement, but Jack interrupted him.

"Then how can you possibly believe he is guilty? We were told only to go on the evidence presented, not our personal feelings!" Jack shot back the disgust clearly on his face.

"Jack is right! We can't just go on our feelings; we need to stick to the evidence. You'd need to be a damn fool to think he's guilty!" Aaron snickered.

Jerry leaned forward in his chair and pointed a finger directly at Aaron. "That is the second time that you have laughed about this case. If I'd had you serving under me, I would have gladly taken that smirk right off your damn face," he said in a low and threatening tone.

"Did you just threaten me, old man?" Aaron said defiantly.

Jerry leaned forward even more and looked Aaron in the eyes. "That was no threat, merely a statement," he smiled and then leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms across his chest.

The tension in the room was nearing a dangerous point, so Joe seeing that something needed to happen to break the moment, cleared his throat. "I think we all understand our duty and are willing to do our best. Why don't we continue," he forced a smile and looked at Jenny? "What are your thoughts, dear?"

"I'm not sure yet. While I believe the girl, I worry that there isn't enough evidence to prove his guilt. I would love to go over some of the points again before I make my final decision." Jenny worried that this would be a problem during the trial, but she had promised herself to remain calm and do her duty.

Toni looked across the table at Jack with a defiant look on her face. "I think he did it. We all know that she was wet when her mother found her, and she did say that he washed her up before he dropped her off and the end of the block from her house. I wrote in my notes about all of the injuries she received from the attack, and no way was it from some meeting she had with a boy from her school. What happened to her was an act of violence, not sex."

Jack looked at Toni and smirked, "Damn, for a diner waitress, you sure did follow the testimonies carefully."

Toni looked back at Jack and laughed, "Yeah, not bad for a hash slinger, is it? However, don't always judge people so quickly."

"Okay, I'll bite, what is that supposed to mean," Jack's voice was taut.

"My older brother is a police detective, and once I save enough money, I plan to go back to school for criminal law." She grinned when she saw the surprised look on Jack and Aaron's faces.

"Well, I guess Miss Sandoval has cleared up any misconceptions made about her, hasn't she?" Elsie laughed.

"She didn't need to clear anything as far as I'm concerned," Mark said as he glanced in her direction, with their eyes meeting briefly before they both turned away.

"Fine, we all learned that she is smarter than we thought; big deal," Jack said dismissively.

"There is no reason to speak of her in that way," Mark looked at Jack with anger burning in his eyes. "I guarantee that no one here wonders about your intelligence, Mr. Taylor!"

Jack was about to stand when Joe interrupted, "That's quite enough from both of you. If you aren't careful, they will replace you, and all the time, you have spent on this case, will be a waste."

Both men looked at each other and nodded in agreement. The dislike, they had for each other, was apparent to everyone in the room, and Joe wondered if he would be able to keep them from jumping across the table and fighting like a couple of schoolboys. "So, now that we have that settled, may we continue?"

The others in the group each shared their thoughts on the case, and as expected, a majority wanted to go over the testimonies again. It was getting late in the afternoon when they were finally released for the night. The Jury Officer reminded them once again not to speak with anyone about the case. He also warned them not to watch or read anything regarding the case. He then instructed them to return no later than 9 o'clock the following morning to continue with deliberations. As they left the courthouse, they each wondered how many days they would spend in that small room together, trying to decide the fate of two people.
Chapter 11

Ray had returned from the store, unsure of what he should do next. Seeing the destruction of the property was bad enough, but Sherry's picture with the threatening note attached to it had caused his blood to turn to ice.

When he returned home, he had found Sherry and Jason in the living room, playing a video game while Carolyn was bathing Amy. Clay heard him walk in the front door and asked him to join him for a cup of coffee in the kitchen so that they could talk.

"Dad..." the words stuck in Ray's throat.

"Yes, son, what's on your mind?" Clay reached out and placed his hand on Ray's arm. He was sure that he already knew what Ray wanted to say, but he also knew that Ray needed to talk.

"What if they don't find him guilty? I don't think I could live with him out on the streets. What if he tries to hurt her again?" he held his eyes down, tracing his finger along the rim of the coffee cup, with far too many overwhelming emotions churning inside of him.

Clay understood how he felt because the same questions were stirring around in his mind. "You don't need to worry about that, son. I'm sure that the jury will see past all the smoke his lawyer threw out there and will come back with a clear conviction."

Ray looked up from his cup, with tears forming in his eyes. "Dad, I have prayed for that every moment since this happened. I have also prayed that I have the strength to accept the verdict, no matter what it may be. The only problem is I wonder if I can be strong enough to control myself should he go free. Dad, the rage I feel inside of me, consumes me every moment, and I keep having visions of killing Todd most horrifically. Is it wrong of me to feel that way?" He reached up and wiped a stray tear from his cheek and then took another sip of coffee.

Clay looked his son, who was once a strong and confident man; now reduced to a man full of rage and fear. It broke his heart to see the look on his son's face, and at that moment, he knew what he needed to do.

Clay would have to be the one to protect the family should the verdict not go as they had hoped. He knew the corruption that ran throughout the county because of the control the Gensen family had over all the offices of authority. Clay decided at that moment that he would be the one to make sure his family never worried about Todd Gensen again if the verdict went the wrong way.

***

The sound of the digital alarm clock filled the room. Clay rolled over and looked at the screen, and then slapped his hand down on the cancel button. "Damn, I sure could use a couple more hours of sleep," he groaned, as he pulled himself out of bed and walked to the kitchen to make himself a pot of coffee.

Clay had always been one to get up before the sun, but he did not want to begin the day. He decided to make only a half pot of coffee since he was going to Ray and Carolyn's house after he picked up the donuts.

Realizing they probably had a long day ahead while they waited for a verdict. He knew the chances of the jury being ready were slim, but he also knew that it did not hurt to hope. Regardless, he wanted to be with them when they received the telephone call to come to the courthouse for the reading of the verdict.

While the coffee was brewing, he decided to take a shower and shave. He walked into the bathroom and started the water in the shower while he grabbed a towel and washcloth from the small closet next to the sink. He smiled as he pulled the soft pink towel with little roses along the edges out of the closet and placed it on the edge of the sink. "These were always your favorite, weren't they, sweetheart?" he said to the empty room. He then pulled back the shower curtain and stepped under the hot and soothing water.

Lost in his thoughts, Clay was enjoying the warm water flow over his head when he heard his telephone ring. "Damn it," he groaned.

Clay stepped out of the shower and grabbed the towel, wrapping it around his waist as he rushed to the telephone, sitting on the table next to his bed.

"Hello," he said out of breath.

"I didn't wake you up, did I?" Ray asked with a worried tone in his voice.

"You know better than that," Clay laughed. "No, you caught me daydreaming in the shower."

Ray paused a moment, not sure if he should have called this early.

"What is it, son? Why did you call? Is there something wrong?" Clay now had a sinking feeling come over him.

"No, nothing's wrong. I just couldn't sleep last night, so I was wondering what time you were coming over this morning. I already have a pot of coffee ready for us," Ray tried to act as though everything was fine, but Clay could hear the worry in his voice.

"Let me finish here. Then I'll swing by and get us some of those tasty donuts. I'll be right there," Clay tried to speak in a cheerful tone, but he knew that it would not help to ease the worry Ray felt.

Ray exhaled, and then said in a thick tone, "Thanks, Dad, you're the best."

***

It took nearly twenty minutes for Clay to show up with the donuts. As he walked in the kitchen door, Jason greeted him with a smile.

"Good morning, Grandpa. I see that you brought the breakfast of champions," he laughed as he finished pouring himself a cup of coffee. "Can I get you a cup?"

Clay had always been impressed with how Jason had grown into such a respectable young man. He was responsible, did well in school, and stayed out of the typical trouble that most of the other boys seemed to get into these days. "You know that I can't eat donuts without a cup of coffee," Clay chuckled. "Where's your dad?"

"He's checking on Amy. Mom slept with Sherry last night, and they are still asleep. Dad heard Amy stirring around, so he went to see if she needs her diaper changed," he wrinkled his nose at the thought of changing a dirty diaper.

Clay laughed at the look on Jason's face because he had to admit that he tried to avoid diaper duty himself.

"Good morning, I hope you saved me a couple donuts," Ray said as he walked to the counter and refilled his coffee cup.

"If you had taken much longer, Jason here might have eaten all of them," Clay grinned.

"Me? It looks like you have already helped yourself to one on the way over here," Jason laughed at the empty place in the box. "Man, you ate one of the chocolate ones, too."

"I don't know what you're talking about; that woman must have short-changed me on my donuts this trip. I need to have a little chat with her the next time," Clay looked over at Ray and winked.

"Come on, Dad, we all know that she didn't short-change you. Heck, most of the time, she gives you an extra one for the road, free of charge," Ray grinned.

Jason looked at Clay with a look of surprise on his face. "You old dog, you've been flirting with the donut lady, haven't you?"

Clay tried to feign innocence, but he knew Jason was on to him. "Well, a man has to do what he can to get more of those tasty donuts." With that, they all grabbed one out of the box.

"To donuts, the breakfast of champions," Jason said, and then they all took a big bite of the sweet delight.

***

Everyone groaned as they walked into the deliberation room and took their seats around the large table. No one had slept much the night before, and none looked forward to returning to face the task ahead of them.

"Good morning," Joe said cheerfully, as everyone sat in the same place as the day before. "I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty to request some coffee for us this morning." He then chuckled when he saw the looks of relief on most of their faces.

"Thank you, Joe. I can't tell you how much I need this," Patty grinned as she picked up the cup and took a sip of the hot liquid.

"Could you please slide some of that sugar and creamer over here?" Marie asked. "I don't think that I got an hour's sleep last night."

"Me either," Toni groaned.

"I have to admit that my mind was a rather busy last night as well," David added as he set his cup back down on the table. "Damn, that's some crappy coffee."

"It sure is, but beggars can't be choosers," Jerry laughed. "Hell, you should taste some of the crap I've had to drink over the years. The army doesn't serve up that fancy stuff you see everyone drinking nowadays." With that statement, everyone burst out laughing, except for Jack and Aaron, who merely rolled their eyes.

"I have a question. When do we choose a Jury Foreman?" Mark asked. "I've never served on a jury before, so I'm not sure how that works."

Several of the others nodded in agreement.

"I don't see where there is any question as to who should be the Foreman," Elsie said with conviction in her voice, but before she could continue, Aaron interrupted.

"I vote for Jack. He'll get us out of here in no time flat," Aaron said with a flippant tone in his voice.

Jerry looked over at Aaron and shook his head in disbelief. Damn, he is dumber than I thought. "You know something, Aaron, there's an old saying that I think you need to hear," he paused a moment for effect. "It's best to keep your mouth shut and have people wonder if you're stupid than to open your mouth and remove all doubt," Jerry said with a serious tone.

At hearing this, Toni and Jenny both burst out with laughter, and then quickly covered their mouths and looked away.

Aaron, of course, not appreciating the humor, turned, and looked at Jerry with murder in his eyes.

"What's wrong, kid? Can't handle a little joke?" Jerry smiled, but not once did he blink as he held eye contact with Aaron.

Aaron, at realizing he was in no place to respond, leaned back in his chair and grinned. "Sure, I can take a joke, old man."

"No, I was referring to Mr. Mathews," Elsie said, ignoring the look on Aaron's face. "He has shown himself to be a reasonable man and thinks ahead. If you agree with me that Mr. Mathews should be the Jury Foreman, please raise your hand."

Without a moment of hesitation, each juror raised their hands in agreement, all except for Jack and Aaron, who glared at Joe, clearly showing their disapproval.

"There, we have it. Mr. Mathews is our official Jury Foreman," Elsie smiled while looking at Joe.

Joe looked around the table at the faces of those nodding in agreement and said a silent prayer that he could perform the task. "I want to thank you for your faith in me, and I promise to do my utmost best as your Foremen."

"So, what's first, boss?" David grinned, with a wink.

"I guess the first thing I need to do is see where everyone is standing. Does anyone have a question or statement?" Joe looked around the table, waiting for a response.

Jack leaned forward and grinned with a look of contempt in his eyes. "Yeah, I have a question. I want to know how many of you can believe that we shouldn't just walk back into the courtroom right now, and acquit the defendant? We've already heard the evidence, and not ONE piece of it points to the defendant! Damn, what is wrong with all of you?"

Ignoring Jack's protests, David looked at Joe and smiled." I have something that I'd like to say," he then looked directly at Jack, who stared back defiantly. "I, for one, do not want to go through the rest of my life, wondering if I freed a guilty man, just to allow him to do it again to another innocent girl. We must evaluate everything available to us BEFORE, making our final decision. So, I say that we request every document we need to make that decision because I would like to leave this room knowing that I did my very best." He looked at the group and saw them nodding in agreement, other than Jack and Aaron, who merely smirked.

"I think David is correct. We need to focus on what we're doing here and leave our personal opinions out of it. What we decide will affect the lives of several people, not just those of the accuser, and the defendant," Toni said as she glanced around the room at the others. "We all sat in that courtroom and listened to the testimonies from several different sources. I, for one, would like to take the time to look over everything again before I make my decision."

Jenny nodded her head in agreement. "She's right. There is just too much information to filter through my mind before I'm ready to make a decision."

Jack rolled his eyes and smirked. "This is why women should never serve on a jury. They can't seem to separate their feelings from the facts."

Aaron looked over at Jack and laughed. "That's for damn sure!"

Toni was about to respond when Joe spoke up. "First of all, you both owe the ladies in the room an apology. Secondly, I agree with them entirely. We have the responsibility to examine the evidence laid out before us and come to the educated and well-thought-out decision. I'm sure that most of us will agree that the only ones at the table, who are allowing their personal feelings to hamper their judgment, are you, and your friend there," he held his gaze with Jack.

Jack's face flushed with anger as he leaned forward, placing his hands on the table. "First of all, WHAT EVIDENCE? It seems that we were the only ones who paid attention to the case out there!" He pointed toward the door.

Aaron was about to speak, when Elsie spoke up, "The testimony of the doctor who treated her that night in the hospital. We all heard him explain the extent of her injuries. We all saw the pictures of the rope burns behind her knees and the wood splinters all over her back and buttocks."

Jack looked at Elsie and laughed. "Maybe her little boyfriend was into the rougher stuff?"

David had heard enough from Jack. "You make me sick. She is a thirteen-year-old child. Didn't you see her face while she was testifying? I saw the look of humiliation in her eyes while she told us what he did to her," he looked around the table and saw the nods of agreement from the others. I believe that he raped Sherry Jefferies. I watched him while he sat there, glaring at her. I saw the hate in his eyes, but even worse, I saw the smirk on his lips when she spoke of the actual rape. Todd Gensen is a monster, and I firmly believe that if given the opportunity, he will rape again."

Jack jumped to his feet and shook his fist at David. "You are a damn fool! She just doesn't want to own up to the fact that she snuck off to meet some boy, and things got out of control. You hear about it all the time. Some girl has sex, and when she gets caught, she cries rape."

David was about to take the challenge when Joe cut in. "Gentlemen, we need to remain calm and focus on the job at hand. It is nearly time to break for lunch, so why don't we sit back down, and try not to get ourselves kicked off the jury, all right?"

Jack was about to protest but decided to let things stay as they were for the time being. He glared at David one last time and then sat in the chair next to Aaron without saying another word.

"Splendid; why don't I order the records, and we'll go over them after lunch? I'm sure that everyone is ready for a break?" Joe chuckled as he looked at his watch and realized that it was only a couple of minutes before their lunch break.

"Well, I'll be damned, it is nearly noon," Jeff laughed. "Boy, does time fly when you are having fun," he winked and rubbed his stomach. He was about to say more when the door opened, and in walked the Jury Officer and a young man, each holding a large box in their arms.

"Lunch is served," the officer said as he set his box on the small table along the wall, next to the door. "Okay, I hope everyone here likes hamburgers and fries. These are compliments of the diner across the street."

"Thank you, they'll be okay," Joe smiled, as he helped the young man put his box on the table. "Oh, this one is heavy."

"Yeah, it has the drinks in it, thanks," the young man grinned.

"Is there anything else you need before I leave," the officer asked.

"As a matter of fact, there is. Would you please bring us the items on this list? We would like to go over them after lunch." Joe handed the officer the piece of paper with the list of items they wanted to re-examine written on it.

The officer took the paper and glanced at it, "Sure, not a problem. I'll have these to you by the time you're finished eating. I'll come back to gather the trash."

"Oh yeah, I would appreciate some more coffee," Jerry grinned.

"Sure thing, I'll be back with the paperwork and more coffee. I hope you enjoy your lunch."

Once the two men had left the room, Joe looked at the two boxes, "Well, let's dig in before it gets cold."

Each person stood and retrieved a drink, hamburger, and a bag of French fries from the boxes, and then went back to their place at the table. No one felt like much talking during lunch. They knew there would be plenty of discussions later, so the thought of silence was appealing to them. Once they had finished eating, they all put the trash in the boxes and sat silently, waiting for the Jury Officer to return.

It was nearly 1 o'clock when the door opened and in stepped the officer holding a stack of folders with one hand and a coffee carafe in the other. "Here is everything you requested," he groaned as he set the stack of folders on the table in front of Joe, and then set the coffee carafe next to Jerry. "Is there anything else you need before I go?"

A few moments passed with no response when Joe finally spoke up. "No, thank you, I think this will be okay for now."

The officer smiled, gathered the two boxes, and then walked out the door, closing it behind him.

"Why don't I just spread the folders out on the table, and each of you can choose the one you would like to look over. Then if you find something you believe we need to discuss as a group, just let me know. Is that fair enough?" Joe held his breath as he waited for a reply.

"That sounds like a perfect idea," Jeff said. "I, for one, would love to go over the testimony from that specialist the defense brought in."

Joe dug through the folders until he found the one marked: Witnesses for the Defense. "Here you go," Joe smiled, and then he handed the folder to Jeff.

"Toni and I would like to go over the one from the hospital again," Jenny smiled, and then held out her hand.

Once those who had asked for a folder, were quietly sitting, and carefully reading the contents of their folder, Joe looked over at Jack and Aaron. He could clearly see the look of stone-faced defiance on their faces, but he figured he would, at least, try to get them to look at the testimonies before making their final decision. "Don't you want one? Joe asked.

Jack and Aaron looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

"Is that all you have to say?" Joe asked

"What more is there to say. I have already told you my peace. I don't think that he should be kept locked up for another minute for something that we all know he didn't do."

Aaron then nodded his head in agreement.

Joe knew what he wanted to say, but thought better of it. He decided to stay focused and get through this process without losing his cool. "Very well, Mr. Taylor and Mr. Messler, I will not bother you any longer."

The room was quiet as they all carefully studied the contents of the different folders, sometimes talking amongst themselves. However, Jack and Aaron never spoke a word. They both simply sat with their arms folded across their chests, with only the occasional dissatisfied groan disturbing the silence in the room.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are coming to the end of our day. I thought it would be a good idea to take a vote on where we are at the moment," Joe said, breaking the silence in the room.

"That's a good idea," Mark said as he pushed all the pages back into the folder. "I'd like to go first. My heart thinks that he's guilty, but I still have doubts because of the lack of clear evidence."

"I do, too," Toni added.

Jenny looked at Joe and said, "I hate to admit it, but I feel the same way. I want to say guilty, but I'm not sure."

"Well, I don't have any doubt about his guilt," David chimed in. "I vote guilty."

"I want to go over a few of the facts again before I make my final decision," Elsie said. "What say you, Mr. Shakely?"

Jerry looked at Elsie with a devilish grin. "The man in me wants to string him up and let the buzzards have at him, but I also know that I can't let my personal feelings enter into my decision of guilt or innocence. I would like another night to sleep on it before I say anything else."

Marie looked at Joe and frowned. "I wish that I didn't have to be here and that I could erase the things I've seen in this case. I feel rage burning deep inside of me whenever I think of what that poor child endured. However, I can't in good conscience find him guilty on the evidence I have seen here."

Patty reached over and grasped Marie's hand. "I feel the same way. I just have too many doubts swirling around in my mind to be able to make the decision to convict him."

"I guess I'm next," Jeff said nervously. "It pains me to say this, but I wonder if I can find him guilty beyond a shadow-of-a-doubt. You know, I have watched all the crime shows on television, and they always have some DNA evidence to seal the conviction: however, we have none. There is no DNA, no fingerprints – nothing at all tying him to the attack. How can I find a man guilty on that?" He looked over at Jack and Aaron, who both smirked.

Joe took a moment to think about everything just said before he spoke. He knew that he needed to stay focused on the evidence before him, but his heart told him that Todd Gensen was guilty. "I want to thank everyone for their honesty. I think we all have a lot to sort out in our minds. Why don't we just call it a day, go home and get some rest before tomorrow? Maybe after a good night's sleep, we will be able to make our decision. We want this to be the end of it, no hung jury, or mistrial. We need to come back tomorrow with a clear conscious to either convict or acquit Mr. Gensen, agreed?"

Everyone nodded their heads.

"Good. Then I guess this means we're done for the day, and just in time too," Joe chuckled, as the door opened, and the Jury Officer entered the room.
Chapter 12

Jack had just stepped out of the shower when his telephone began to ring. He quickly wrapped a towel around his waist and rushed to answer it before they hung up. "Hello," he said breathlessly.

"Good evening, Mr. Taylor. I do hope that I didn't interrupt anything important?" the voice said teasingly.

"No, not at all," Jack snickered.

"I called to see how things are progressing with the deliberations."

"Not as well as you would like. Most of them are leaning toward acquittal, but a couple of them are stubborn." Jack knew this was not what he wanted to hear.

"Shall I guess who they are, let's see: Mr. Branson and Mr. Shakely," the voice said flatly.

"You're correct on Mr. Branson, but Mr. Shakely is wavering. He said that he would love to vote guilty, but he says he doesn't think there is enough evidence for a solid conviction."

"So, who do you believe the other one is then?"

Jack took a deep breath and then exhaled before he spoke, "I think it's Mathews. He hasn't come out and said it yet, but I can see it in his eyes."

"Hmmm, that is fascinating indeed," the voice chuckled. "Tell me, have you all chosen a Jury Foreman yet?"

"Yeah, Aaron nominated me, but that stupid school teacher convinced everyone that Mathews should do it," Jack groaned.

"I doubt that it took much convincing," the voice teased. "You just don't seem like the leader type."

Jack hated the way this guy treated him, but the $25,000 payment for making sure, the jury came back with an acquittal, was worth any snarky comments he had to endure. "Yeah, you're right, but I have to say I can't wait to see the smug look wiped off his face when he's forced to vote for acquittal," he laughed.

"I am sure that you are; however, first, we must convince him that a vote of guilt would be a foolish move on his part. Rest well, Jack, for tomorrow you have a busy day."

***

"David, I think I hear something out on the front porch," his wife, Susan whispered as she tugged on his arm.

"What, uh..." he groaned, trying to wake up from the sound sleep he was enjoying. "I don't hear anything."

"Listen," she held her breath and waited until she heard the sound again. "Did you hear it that time?"

"Yes, stay here, and I'll go see what it is." David slowly got out of the bed and slipped on a pair of blue jeans and his house slippers. He heard the noise again. "Shit, what the hell is that?"

"I don't know," Susan said, her eyes wide with fear.

David slowly opened the drawer on the bedside table and pulled out his handgun. "Now, stay here. I'll let you know when it's safe."

Susan nodded her head and watched him leave the room. "Please be safe," she whispered.

The strange noise grew louder, as David got closer to the front door. He tried to imagine what it could be, but nothing could have prepared him for what he found when he opened the door. "What the hell?" he suddenly felt nauseous at the vision before him.

Blood and entrails were scattered all over the front porch, and lying on the welcome mat was the body of their beloved dog, Max. David felt his knees buckle, causing him to fall against the wall. He reached out to brace himself as he fought to regain his senses. "Oh, Max, who did this to you?"

David stood motionless for what seemed like an eternity until he noticed a rolled zip lock bag forced under Max's collar. "What is this?" He reached down and pulled the blood-covered bag from under the collar. His hands shook as he reached for the zipper tab, and then he pulled out the piece of paper. He drew in a deep breath and then exhaled before he read the note.

Good evening, Mr. Branson,

This is a simple warning for you. We killed your dog to let you know not to cross us. If you do not want one of your grandchildren to be the next one left on your front porch, then you had better vote for acquittal tomorrow. Don't be stupid and tell anyone of this either, or you will be the only surviving member of your family. There is nowhere your family can hide; therefore, you need to destroy this note and do what you know you must tomorrow.

"Oh, God, NO!" Susan screamed from behind David. "Who did this to Max?"

David turned to face her in time to stop her from falling to the floor. "I thought I told you to stay in the room." He wanted to be angry with her for, not doing as said, but he was thankful that she was here with him. "I have a good idea."

"We need to call the police," Susan cried as she began to dial on her cell phone.

"No, stop," he grabbed the cell phone out of her hand. "We can't call anyone about this! If we do then something worse will happen," the look of fear in his eyes let her know there was more to this than he was saying.

"David, what are you keeping from me?"

He looked into her eyes and prayed for forgiveness for what he was about to say, "Sweetheart, I can't tell you what this is about, but you must trust me. If we contact the police or tell anyone about this, those, we love, are in grave danger. Can you do that for me?" He reached out and pulled her into his arms.

Susan had never seen him so overcome with fear and emotion in all the years they had been together. She did know that he would never ask anything of her if it were not important, and from the look on his face, she could see this was not the time to do anything differently. "Yes, I promise. I will never speak of this to anyone."

"That's my girl. Why don't you go back to bed, and I'll get this cleaned up?" David kissed her gently on the forehead, and then he lifted her face so that he could look her in the eyes. "I love you, and don't you ever forget that."

Susan looked up and saw the tears glistening in his eyes, "I love you, too." She turned to walk back to the bedroom when she stopped and stood silently for a moment. "What are we going to say happened to Max? You know that the grandkids will want to know where he is," his voice cracked from the sadness filling her entire being.

"We'll say that he got out on the highway, and a car hit him."

"He was such a big boy; wouldn't someone claim damage to their car?"

"Don't put too much into it. I'll say that I found him on the side of the road when I came home from court today," the anger was now bubbling up out of him.

"Wait a minute; does this have anything to do with that trial?" Susan suddenly felt her body grow cold with fear.

"Damn it, Susan, go back to bed!" David shouted. He did not know how he would keep this under wraps, but if he did not want his family destroyed, he needed to do as told.

He closed the front door and followed Susan back to the bedroom.

"What are you going to do?" she asked as she slipped back into the bed and pulled the blanket up around her neck.

"I'm going to bury Max and clean up the mess. Now, go to sleep," David groaned. He walked to the dresser and pulled out a t-shirt and pulled it over his head.

"David, I'm scared," Susan cried softly.

"Don't be afraid, Sweetheart. I'll take care of everything." He bent down, kissed her tenderly on the lips, and walked out of the bedroom door without saying another word.

"I pray that you're right," Susan whispered as he disappeared into the darkness.

***

It was nearly midnight when Joe heard the strange noise on his front porch. He had decided to read for a while before bed, but with everything swirling around in his mind, he had ended up reading longer than planned.

"What is that?" he said aloud, as he heard the sound again. He set his book on the table beside his recliner and then walked to the front door when he heard the sound for the third time.

Joe normally would have no reservations about opening the door, but for some strange reason, tonight was different. He slowly moved the window curtain aside by the front door, and what greeted him caused his blood to turn to ice in his veins. "Oh, my, God."

The sight of the two dead kittens, hanging from the trim on his front porch was something out of a nightmare. Joe opened the curtain a bit more and looked out toward the street.

Finally, deciding that it was safe, Joe opened the door and stepped outside. "Who the hell did this?" he groaned.

Joe was about to reach for one of the kittens when he noticed an envelope sitting on the railing. He picked up the envelope and carefully examined it, but there was no clue as to who had left it. "Well, I guess there is no sense in putting this off," he exhaled, then slowly opened the envelope, and began to read the note.

Mr. Mathews,

We have learned that your fellow jurors have chosen you to be the Jury Foreman. It's quite an honor and one that we know you will do your best to fulfill your duty. However, we have a little job for you. Unless you want to see your sweet granddaughters meet the same fate as these cats, we suggest that you do everything in your power to see that Todd Gensen receives a full acquittal.

Do not think of contacting the police to report this, or tell anyone because if you do, you will find yourself alone. I'm sure your departed wife would love to have your daughter and granddaughters join her in the afterlife.

Therefore, when you return to the deliberations tomorrow, you need to make sure that the other members of the jury see things your way.

Joe felt his body go numb as he read the words on the page. "What am I going to do?" He knew what he should do, but he also knew the price he would pay was too great. He looked at the dead kittens once more and thought of his granddaughters. "I have no choice."

He looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then unhooked the chain holding each kitten. "Come on, you poor little things. Let's get you buried. I have a long day tomorrow, and I need some rest."

***

The sound of the alarm ringing in his ears caused Joe to moan. "I don't want to face today," he said to himself as he climbed out of bed. He knew what he must do, but he also knew it was wrong. "So, you are guilty, and someone is making sure you go free." Joe had heard about the Gensen family and their ties to every level of government in the area. However, he was surprised they would go to such measures to assure he receives an acquittal. He walked to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror, but the face filled with fear and shame looking back of him caused him to look away.

"How can I do this? How will I ever be able to hold my head high for allowing a monster to go free?" He knew what he was about to do was wrong, but he had no choice. If he did not sway the jurors to acquit Todd Gensen, then his sweet, little granddaughters would suffer. "Damn it," he groaned.

Joe turned on the hot water in the bathroom sink and then reached in the cabinet for his razor and shaving cream, placing them on the sink countertop. He then reached for a washcloth and soaked it in hot water, putting it on his face to soften his beard. Joe enjoyed the feeling of the warm, wet washcloth on his face, but as he closed his eyes, the vision of the two dead kittens flowed into his mind. "Damn, I have no choice, do I? How can I go back in there and push for a guilty verdict now?" Joe knew that he had no choice, so he said a silent prayer that he would be able to convince the others to follow him and vote for acquittal.

***

"Good morning," Toni said as she walked into the room, followed by Jenny, Marie, and Patty.

Everyone else was already in the room except for Jack and Aaron.

"Good morning, ladies, I've already ordered our coffee," Jerry said cheerfully. "I was even here before Joe." He looked over at Joe and winked.

"He sure did, I walked into the room to find that he and Elsie were already here and enjoying a cup of coffee.

"Yes, we were and enjoying a nice conversation as well," Elsie winked. "It appears that his wife goes to the same bingo night that I do."

"Well, isn't that special," Jack said with sarcasm, as he walked through the door and took his seat with Aaron right behind him.

"Now that we are all here, we can begin," David said with a look of urgency on his face.

"Hey, what's the rush? I thought we were going to discuss a few more facts." Jeff wanted to get things wound up as much as the other's, but he wanted to be one hundred percent sure before he made his final decision.

"Come on; let's be honest with each other. We all know that there is no evidence tying Todd Gensen to the assault, so it doesn't matter how many more times we go over the testimonies or records. They are never going to change. We just need to do the job we were sworn in to do, and move on with our lives," David's voice was low and taut.

"Are you saying that you now believe that he is innocent?" Mark said with a look of confusion clearly on his face. "That makes no sense. Just yesterday, you said..."

"I know what I said, but I've had the night to think about it. They told us that it was the duty of the State to prove Todd Gensen guilty, not for him to prove his innocence. Therefore, I can't pronounce him guilty of the assault on Sherry Jefferies without any evidence that he committed the crime. Would any of you want to have a jury use their personal feelings if it were you sitting in judgment?" David looked at the faces of each person sitting at that table and waited for a response.

"It's about damn time you came to your senses," Jack laughed.

"Shut up, my change of mind has nothing to do with anything you have said," David shot back defiantly.

"It doesn't matter to me, I just love to be the first one to voice the truth," Jack grinned.

"You know, he does have a point. I can't find him guilty without any definite proof either," Toni added.

Joe sat in silence, as the members of the jury voiced their agreement. He knew what they were about to do was wrong, but he did not know what else he could do to protect his family. He closed his eyes, and the vision of the dead kittens appeared in his mind again. Damn, I have no choice.

"Joe, what do you have to say?" Jerry reached out and touched him on the arm.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Joe opened his eyes and looked at Jerry.

"I said; what do you have to say about the verdict?"

Joe looked around the table at all of the people gathered there to perform an important duty. He knew the majority of them were good and honest people, and they would never want to free a guilty man, allowing him to harm another child. However, things were beyond his control. If he pushed for a guilty verdict, his granddaughters would die. If he pushed for an acquittal, he would live the rest of his life with the knowledge that he had set a monster free on the citizens of the community.

His head was pounding when he heard a voice ask, "Joe, are you, all right?"

He looked at Jerry, who was softly nudging his arm. "Yes, I'm doing fine. I was just mulling things over in my mind one last time, that's all."

"So, what do you say, guilty or innocent?" Jerry waited, anticipating Joe's response.

"You know, I didn't sleep much last night. I tossed the pros and cons around in my mind, and I could only come to one conclusion. I will vote innocent," he nearly choked on the words.

"So, there it is; we all agree," Jack gloated. "Why don't you make it official with a vote, Mr. Foreman?" Jack looked at Joe with a triumphant look on his face. That $25,000 is as good as mine, he thought to himself.

***

"Honey, can you grab the phone? I'm changing Amy," Carolyn shouted from the nursery.

"Sure, I'll get it." Ray had been sitting on the front porch with Clay and Sherry. It was a beautiful morning with the bird's chirping, and the trees swaying in the breeze. "Dad, will you stay out here with Sherry while I get that?"

"Of course," Clay grinned. "We'll be just fine." Clay wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, causing her to giggle.

Ray made it to the telephone on the fourth ring, "Hello. What? Okay, we'll be right there," he hung up the phone and stood silent for a moment, trying to clear his thoughts.

"Who was it?" Carolyn asked as she walked into the living room, holding Amy on her hip.

"It was the prosecutor; the jury has come back with a verdict." Ray knew he had said the words, but his mind was not sure what to make of them.

"So soon, Ray, is this good or bad?" Carolyn fought back the tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

Ray shook his head, "I don't know. The prosecutor said not to read anything into this. We just have to keep the faith that they saw through his lies. Come on, we need to get down there within the hour. Why don't you and Dad drop off Amy at Marjorie's, and I'll have Sherry change her clothes and take her with me. We'll all meet there."

"What about Jason? He's working at the store today." Carolyn reached for her purse and pulled her car keys out of the side pocket.

"I'll swing by the store and pick him up on my way. Now get going," he leaned over and gave her a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Come on, let's drop you off with Marjorie; grandpa and mommy need to go bye-bye," Carolyn said to Amy, as she rushed out the door.

***

After picking up Jason at the store, Ray pulled up in front of the courthouse and saw Carolyn and Clay standing on the front steps. He was looking for an empty parking space when a police officer approached his car.

"Sir, I was told to have you park behind the courthouse. That way, you can enter without the media bothering you."

"Thank you, but do you mind if my wife and father come along?"

"Of course, where are they?" the officer looked in the back seat of the car and only saw Jason sitting there.

"They're right there," Sherry said excitedly.

Ray pointed toward the steps of the courthouse, "They're standing over there."

"Okay, why don't you pull up by them and let them get in the car, and then you can drive to the rear of the courthouse," the officer said.

"Thank you for your help," Ray said, and then he slowly drove to where Carolyn and Clay were waiting.

"Aren't you going to park?" Clay asked.

"Yeah, but they want us to park in the rear of the courthouse, so the media won't be able to bother us. Get in." Ray waited for them to get inside the car.

"That was thoughtful," Carolyn said as she noticed a couple of media trucks pulling up in front of the courthouse.

"Yeah, I'm sure it's going to be a madhouse once they read the verdict," Clay added.

Ray put the car in drive and slowly pulled around to the rear of the courthouse, where he saw one of the Court Officers waiting to take them inside. "Good morning, I will lead you to your seats. We need to hurry because it's about time to bring in the jury. It's nice to see you again," he smiled at Sherry.

"Thank you, and it's nice to see you again, too," she smiled back at him.

They all followed him through the back hallway to the door that led out into the courtroom. Once inside, he pointed to the row of seats behind the prosecutor. "Have a seat there, please."

They all took their place with Sherry sitting between Ray and Carolyn, and Clay and Jason sat directly behind them as additional protection for Sherry.

"Daddy, I'm scared," Sherry looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"There's no need to be afraid. He will never hurt you again," Ray said with the hope of putting her mind at ease.

***

The courtroom began to fill with spectators and media personnel. Ray looked back over his shoulder at Clay, who gave him a reassuring wink. The bailiff then made the announcement of the jury coming into the room, and a hush fell over the room as each member of the jury took their seat in the jury box. Ray tried to read their faces, with the hope of discerning what decision they had made, but they all managed to hide their emotions from everyone in the room, except for Clay.

Clay watched as the jurors walked toward the jury box, and he clearly saw the look of despair on most of their faces. The only ones that looked pleased were the two young, men sitting together in the back row. Damn, this doesn't look good; the words burned into his mind at the thought that Todd may walk away a free man.

Once the jurors took their seats, the bailiff announced the judge, who came in through the door behind his desk. He sat in his chair and then looked over at the jurors. "Has the jury reached a verdict?"

Joe drew in a deep breath and then stood to face the judge. "Yes, we have, Your Honor."

"And will you give the court your verdict?"

Joe handed the paper to the bailiff, who then handed it to the judge. The judge read the verdict and then returned it to Joe.

Joe's hands shook as he took the paper and began to read it aloud.

As each charge was read aloud and the words NOT GUILTY were said, Clay felt rage flare up inside of him again, consuming his entire being. How can this happen? How can he get away with what he did to Sherry? Clay turned to look at Ray, and he could read the same rage on his face. However, when Todd Gensen jumped to his feet and shouted, "I told you I was innocent!" That was when Ray lost all composure.

"You bastard, you know that you did that to her! Your family may have gotten you out of trouble again, but I promise you that I will see you pay for what you did to my daughter!" Ray yelled as he stood and shook his fist at Todd.

"Mr. Jefferies, control yourself, or I'll have you arrested for contempt," the judge said as he banged his gavel on the desk. "Bailiff, please escort Mr. Jefferies out of my court."

Shouts and gasps filled the air, as the judge banged his gavel on the desk, trying to calm the room. "I will have order!" he shouted.

Sherry jerked back in her seat and looked up at Carolyn through tear-filled eyes. "Mom...I don't understand; why didn't the jury believe me? How could they say he's not guilty?" A look of terror flashed across Sherry's face.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, we believe you. We promise to keep you safe," Carolyn pulled her close, hugging her tightly.

Realizing that Ray was facing arrest for contempt, Clay placed his hand on Ray's shoulder, and calmly said, "Come on, son, let's go outside." Ray was about to protest, when Clay said, "Jason, stay here with your mother and sister until some of this crowd clears out." He then looked back to Ray and said, "Everything is going to be fine, son; I promise."
Chapter 13

As Clay and Ray walked out of the courthouse, they noticed Melissa Collins was waiting by their car. "Mr. Jefferies, do you remember me? We spoke a couple of weeks ago. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about the verdict."

Ray turned and looked at her, the rage clearly in his eyes. "What's your name?"

"My name is Melissa Collins, and I'm a reporter from Channel 4 News. I was wondering how you feel about the outcome of the trial, and if you would like to make a statement?"

"Yeah, I'll tell you how I feel about it. That bastard got away with raping my little girl; that's how I feel!" Ray growled, pulling the microphone she held close to his mouth. "There was no justice in that courtroom today! Everyone in this town knows how it works. If you're a Gensen or related to a Gensen, then you can do whatever you damn well please in this town. How many times has that family gotten Todd out of trouble by manipulating the legal system? They said that he left no evidence behind, but how do we know that's true? My daughter would NEVER lie about something like that. She said Todd Gensen raped her! Why was it that every time the prosecutor would try to bring up any past trouble Todd Gensen was in, the judge wouldn't allow the jury to hear it? I'll tell you why, it's because they're all in cahoots with each other, the whole bunch of them! Who's the next girl? He raped Renee Chaffier, and then he raped Sherry, but both times, his family made sure that he got away with it. Well, I'm not afraid of them, and I guarantee that he will pay for what he did to my daughter!" Ray said in a low and threatening voice.

"Mr. Jefferies, are you sure about your accusations? Those are severe charges," Melissa said as she leaned in closer to Ray.

After noticing that Carolyn, Sherry, and Jason were walking toward them, Clay stepped between Ray and the microphone. "Miss Collins, you seem like an honest and professional reporter, and I know you want to get the scoop, but my son is upset and needs time to come to grips with the judgment."

Clay smiled and then said with a pleasant tone of voice. "I'll make a deal with you; once everyone's emotions have calmed down a bit, and we have more information for you, I'll call you myself. Is that fair enough? I need to get my family away from here before that piece-of-shit comes outside. Come on, Ray, let's go home."

Once everyone was in the car, Clay looked back over his shoulder and gave Melissa a knowing grin.

***

"Dad, I don't care what you say; he has to pay for what he did!" Ray said as he slammed his fist down on the tabletop, causing coffee to splash out of his cup.

"You can't let this destroy your family, son. Carolyn and the children need you to be strong and in control for them. I know how angry you are because I feel the same way, but if you do something stupid, then he's won. I promise that he will pay and pay dearly for what he has done. You and I both know that he will make a stupid move now that he thinks he's escaped justice again." Clay said in a calm voice, as he reached across the table and rested his hand on Ray's arm.

"Right now, you and Carolyn need to focus on Sherry. She needs to know that her mommy and daddy believe in her and are going to be here for her. If you go after him, you will take all that away from her, and I won't allow that to happen. You also need to have a talk with Jason. He's very upset, and I don't want him doing something stupid. The kid has our temper, so I wouldn't put it past him to go after Todd."

Ray looked at his father and knew he was right. "I promise I won't do anything for now, and I'll have a talk with Jason. Dad, I don't know if the rage I feel will ever go away as long as he's free to live his worthless life. Maybe I should pack up the family and move far away from here..." However, no sooner had the words left his mouth than he realized moving away would not erase the pain and anger surging through his veins.

Clay drew in a deep breath. "I know that you are not sure what to do, but I promise you that everything will work out in the end. Do you remember how your mother would always tell us to have faith in the Lord, and how he would make things right by showing us the path we must take? Well, we need to do that now. Your path is to take care of your family. You need to be their strength and anchor through this difficult time."

"Dad, what's your path?" Ray said as he looked deep into his father's eyes.

Clay smiled and then stated in a playful tone, "I'll know more after I have a little talk with your mother."

Ray looked at his father, "I sure do miss her."

"Yeah, so do I, but I know that she is always with us. I feel her presence every day," Clay closed his eyes, and then he smiled when the vision of Marie flowed into his mind. "I need to go home and get a few things done. Why don't you find something to keep you busy?"

Ray looked at Clay and realized how grateful he was to have his father in his life. He did not know what would have happened at the courthouse if Clay had not been there to take control of the situation. "Thanks, Dad. I need to mow the yard, so now is as good a time to get it done, and blow off some steam," Ray chuckled.

Clay stood and walked to the back door, "Son, don't worry, these things have a way of working themselves out in the end. We'll talk later." Clay looked at Ray and saw the anguish in his eyes. "I love you, son."

"I love you, too, Dad.'
Chapter 14

"Ray, quick, you need to come to the living room; Todd Gensen is on the news!" Carolyn yelled out the back door to Ray, as he was putting the lawnmower back in the shed.

"I'm coming," he said with dread in his voice. The last thing, he wanted to see, was Todd Gensen.

***

"Mr. Gensen, will you please tell the viewers how you feel now that you've been acquitted of the rape and assault of Sherry Jefferies?" Melissa Collins said as she held the microphone up to his mouth.

"I feel great! I kept telling everyone that she was lying. I don't know why she tried to pin it on me, but now the world knows what a little liar she is," Todd said with a sarcastic tone in his voice.

"Don't you think those are rather harsh words to say about a little girl?" Melissa asked as she tried to steady herself against the constant shoving from the other reporters, wanting to get a statement, as well.

"No, I don't! That spoiled little brat tried to get me convicted of something I didn't do, so I'll call her a liar because it's the truth! I do know one thing for sure; her parents had better watch her because girls like her end up pregnant. I'm sure there are plenty of boys in this town who have their eyes on a pretty little thing like her, as well as on her little sister in a few more years." The smile on his face made a cold chill run down Melissa's back.

Melissa could not believe what she was hearing. Mr. Jefferies is right about one thing; he is an animal! "Well, I'd like to thank you for your statement. I'm sure you must be glad to have this all behind you?"

"Yeah, I'm ready to get back to my life. I just hope the Jefferies will leave me alone. They are strange people, you know? You try to do something nice for them, and they go nuts. I hope whoever did this to her pays for what they did, but all, I can tell you, is that it wasn't me." Todd brushed the hair from his eyes and glanced past her to the other reporters. "I need to answer some more questions," he grinned and then stepped around her to face the next reporter.

***

"So, that's how you want to play?" Rage filled Clay's voice as he turned off the television and then leaned back in his recliner. He knew that he should call and check on Ray and Carolyn, but he needed to stay focused. "Marie, I know you would try to talk me out of this, but I have no choice. If I don't stop him, Amy could be next," he said aloud to the empty room. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm the feelings stirring around in his mind. "Well, I guess I better get busy." He knew that Ray would be looking for him, so he decided to leave a note on the front door.

Son, I needed some time alone to think. Don't worry, I'm okay. Dad

He then grabbed his keys and walked out to his truck. "Well, if I'm going to do this, then I'm going to do it right."

***

"I don't understand why Dad isn't answering the phone," Ray groaned as he held the receiver to his ear. "Damn, why don't you get a cell phone like everyone else?"

Once the television interview with Todd and Melissa was over, Ray had turned the television off and called Clay to find out if he had seen it.

Carolyn was still sitting on the couch, crying, and holding Amy on her lap. "I just don't understand how he could have gone free, and given a chance to do it again to some other little girl," she cried while gently stroking Amy's hair. "He makes me so angry every time I see the smug look on his face!"

"I know, but we can't dwell on what we have no control over. Shit, where the hell are you, Dad?" Realizing that he was not going to get an answer, Ray finally hung up the telephone.

Ray needed to talk with his father so they could figure out what their next step would be. He knew what he wanted to do, but he also knew it would come at great expense to the family. "I'm going to his house and see if he's there. Call me if you hear from him."

"Do you think it's smart to leave us here alone now that Todd Gensen is free?" the look of fear was apparent on her face.

"Sweetheart, I don't know what else to do. Jason is here so he can protect you and the girls. I have faith in our son," Ray reached out and touched Carolyn on the cheek. "I'll come back as soon as I can." He leaned down and gave her a kiss and then walked out to his truck. "Okay, where are you, Dad?"

***

It was nearly midnight when Clay finally returned home. He had gone to a few stores in Houston for the items he needed to prepare his little surprise for Todd Gensen. Clay had to admit he was pleased to have found everything.

Before going home, Clay had driven past Ray and Carolyn's house. He was pleased to see both of their cars parked in the carport, and all the lights were off in the house. "Good, this will give me a chance to prepare everything without any interruptions," Clay said to himself with a new sense of excitement surging through him.

***

The sun barely glowed in the eastern sky when Clay had finally completed his task and returned home for a few hours of rest. He still had a couple of steps left to do, but they would have to wait until later that day. As he laid his head down on the pillow, he wondered what his family would think and feel about him after he had fulfilled his plan. He turned his head toward the picture on the bedside table from his wedding day.

"Please understand why I must do this, my love." He then closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 15

BAM! The front door flew open, and in charged Clay with his Colt .45 revolver aimed right at a surprised Todd Gensen, who was slumped back in a chair, playing a video game. "Don't move asshole, we need to have a little talk." Clay closed the door while keeping the barrel of the gun squarely aimed at Todd's face, which grew paler by the second.

"What the hell are you doing?" Todd demanded as he tried his best to hide the fear growing inside of him. "You'll pay for this old man!"

Clay walked over to the dinette table sitting in the corner of the room and grabbed one of the chairs. He then spun the chair around and sat, straddling it, not once taking his eyes or the gun off Todd. "We're going to have a little talk; you and me. You see, we both know that you raped Sherry, and we both know that you'll probably do it again to someone else's daughter, don't we?"

Todd began to speak, but the look on Clay's face convinced him to keep quiet for the time being.

"You see, what happened yesterday in that courtroom just didn't sit well with me. I thought long and hard about it, but no matter how I looked at things, I knew you just couldn't escape paying for your crimes any longer." He leaned forward, pressing his chest against the back of the chair. "I remember when you were a youngster and all the crap you would do, but you always had your family there to bail your sorry, little ass out of trouble. It didn't matter how many times you stole from the different businesses in town, or how many times you destroyed someone's property. Your family always made sure that you were cleared to protect the family name," Clay paused a moment to see the look of recognition in Todd's eyes. "Everyone in this town knows how corrupt your family is, and how none of your victims ever wanted to take you, or your family on for fear of retribution. Renee Chaffier made that mistake and look what it got her. She loved and trusted you, and for that, you stole her innocence, as well as destroyed her chance for happiness in this town." Clay smirked, as he watched the look of fear on Todd's face, turn to one of defiance and rage.

"You crazy old man, you have no idea what is going to happen to you and your family if you hurt me!" Todd growled. "My grandfather will see that you and that asshole son of yours are out of the way for good. He's ruined better people than your sorry asses before." Todd held Clay's gaze, daring him to do anything. "Hell, how do you think our family made their money? It's very easy to acquire all the land you desire when you're a judge who holds a person's life in his hands. Grandpa and dad own this sorry excuse of a town, and everyone in it," Todd chuckled at seeing the anger on Clay's face. "Do you seriously think that anyone looked into your granddaughter's charges? Besides, any evidence, which may have been found was just as quickly discarded and was never entered into the records," Todd laughed. "Do you want to know a little secret? My dad has had his eye on that lovely daughter-in-law of yours for some time now, so maybe once you and that son of yours are out of the way, he'll have to offer a helping hand to her in her time of grief." Todd laughed as he saw the look on Clay's face change to rage. "What's the matter? Don't you think I would make a good stepbrother for your cute granddaughters? You know, I think Amy may even end up being prettier than Sherry is."

That was all that Clay could take. He stood and slowly walked up to stand in front of Todd, who now was wondering if he had said too much. Clay looked into Todd's eyes, and calmly said, "Do you want to know a little secret? I've wanted to do this for years," and with one hit from the butt of his revolver, he knocked Todd unconscious.

***

"Well, well, I was wondering when you would wake up. I thought I was going to have to dump a bucket of water on you, but then that would have ruined my plans." Clay chuckled, as he looked down at the stunned look on Todd's face. "I'm sorry about the headache you must have. I didn't know how much ether to put on the rag after I hit you. I wanted to make sure you stayed out for at least a couple of hours, so I soaked it pretty good."

"What have you done to me? Todd's head was pounding as he fought to regain his senses. "Where have you taken me?"

"I haven't done anything that you don't deserve. Let's just thank your grandfather for providing us with the perfect place to see that you finally pay for all of your evil deeds," Clay grinned. "I'm sure by now, you probably realize that you're naked and tied spread eagle on the floor." Clay paused a moment to watch the realization of his current situation sink in Todd's mind before he continued. "You see, I did a lot of thinking about what would be the best way for you to pay for what you did to Sherry. At first, I thought about just shooting you in the head, but that would not let you suffer the way she did. Then I thought about tying you to a tree and letting the wild hogs have you for a treat by tearing your body to pieces, but then the perfect idea came to me. You needed to learn there are always consequences for everything we do in life, and sometimes we have to make difficult decisions because of them." Clay smiled, and then he reached down and picked up a hammer and two 1 ½ inch roofing nails from the top of a barrel sitting next to him.

"You bastard, you had better let me go!" Todd yelled the rage he had felt, now turned to fear.

"I may well be a bastard, but I have no intention of letting you go," Clay's voice was calm and controlled, as he walked over and stood at Todd's outstretched feet.

Todd felt the fear churning inside of him to a feverous point. "What are you going to do?"

Clay smiled and squatted down between Todd's feet before he spoke, "I decided to give you a chance to live, but to do so, you will have to make a choice. Today you will discover just how important your life is to you, and how much you are willing to sacrifice to have that life."

"Stay away from me, you crazy old man! I promise you that my father..." Todd yelled. However, before he could finish his statement, he felt a searing pain shoot throughout his body. "SHIT!" he screamed as another pain shot through his body.

Clay stood and walked around to stand behind Todd's head. He then looked down into Todd's tear-filled eyes and said, "Not so tough now, are you?"

Tears streamed from Todd's eyes, as he fought to control the pain surging through his body. Unfortunately, no matter how much he tried, he could not block the searing pain radiating from his groin. "What have you done to me?" he moaned in agony.

"When I was planning this little get-together, I tried to think of the perfect place when it suddenly came to me. You see, I know how your family has a stranglehold on all the law enforcement in our county. I was puzzled as to where we should have this little meeting, then I remembered that your grandfather owned this property, which is just over the county line." Clay chuckled at the look of recognition come into Todd's eyes. "As I told you, you will need to make an important decision tonight. You see, before I brought you to this old barn on your grandfather's place, I rigged it to ignite in flames with the push of a button on a remote control device." Clay watched the look of pain transform into terror on Todd's face. "Now, I promised that I would give you a chance to escape, but I am not sure if you will enjoy what you must do first."

"Please, if you let me go, and I promise that my family won't do anything to you. You can just go on with your life," Todd pleaded as he fought nausea stirring in his stomach.

"So, now you want to negotiate? Sorry, but I'm not feeling very charitable this evening. We need to get on with this because I'm expecting a couple of visitors soon. One is the reporter lady you spoke with yesterday. She is a fine and upstanding person, who I believe will do what is right for the story she will cover tonight. The second one is your father. I thought that he should see the consequences of what happens when you allow your child to hurt people continually and then cover for them," Clay smiled, looking deeply into Todd's fear-filled eyes. "I guess I should tell you the reason you are feeling such pain in your groin," he paused briefly, enjoying the look of anguish on Todd's face. "It's because I have nailed your scrotum to the floor with two roofing nails. Now, I'm sure it must hurt like hell, so I won't waste any more time. What is going to happen next is I am going to take this rusty old knife I found in my shed and stick it in the floor right about here."

Clay forced the point of the knife into the wooden floor an inch away from Todd's outstretched hand. "Now, I'm not sure how sharp it is, but hell, with a little effort, it should do the trick."

Todd felt his heart pounding in his chest as his mind was finally able to comprehend fully what was about to happen to him. "Please, don't do this," he pleaded.

Clay felt excitement surge through his body at the vision playing out before him. "All the begging in the world isn't going to stop what will happen to you tonight. You didn't care what you did to others, or how much pain you caused them to endure. You have no one but yourself to blame for the current situation you find yourself in, and I only wish that someone had stopped you years ago. So, cry and beg all you want for tonight you will finally pay for what you did to my granddaughter."

Clay was pleased that he had decided to set up everything earlier. He had come to the barn after returning from Houston to set up the equipment needed for this special occasion.

It was quite ingenious what Clay had planned. First, he had mounted a camera high inside the center of the barn that would record and transmit a signal to a recorder/monitor set up in the bed of his pickup truck parked outside. Next, he ran wires attached to small igniters throughout the hayloft. Following that, he filled balloons with gasoline that he secured along a long piece of twine, suspended above the hay in the loft. He then drove a long, sharp nail up through the loft floor beneath each balloon. Once he had everything in place, he carefully connected the wire to the igniters and the end of the twine holding the balloons to a control box. This way, he could activate them from both inside and outside of the barn with the remote.

Once he was sure that everything was properly in its place, Clay prepared the area for Todd. First, he drove eye screws into the floor to put the rope through, which would hold Todd's wrists and ankles firmly on the floor. This would stretch his limbs out as far as possible away from his body. Then he used a chain with a pulley that was hanging from a rafter in the barn. Once that was in place, he tied a loop in the bottom of the rope and fed two shorter ropes through the loop with the four ends of the short ropes hanging down toward the floor.

These four ends of the rope are what Clay fed through the eye screws on the floor, and then tied to Todd's wrists and ankles. Clay then pulled the other end of the rope until Todd's arms and legs stretched outward, firmly holding him to the floor. Once assured that Todd could not move, he secured the end of the rope, holding him in place.

***

Clay stepped back and surveyed the scene playing out before him. He knew his life was over after tonight, but he had to protect his family, no matter what happened to him. He had lived a long and happy life, but he knew with his heart problems, his time coming to an end.

"I want you to look up at the camera and tell the world how you raped Sherry, and that your father and grandfather used their influence to corrupt the investigation." Clay smiled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small remote control device.

"Fine, I did it! I raped her, and my dad made sure they kept any evidence out of the case file! There I said it, now let me go!" Todd cried while tugging on the ropes tied around his wrists and ankles.

"Now, that wasn't so hard, was it? Next, I want you to confess that you raped Rene Chaffier and drove her and her family out of town."

"Yes, yes, I raped Rene. I did everything that little bitch wanted, and still, she refused me," Todd cried out.

"That's better. Now you can meet your Maker with a clear conscience. Well, I need to get outside because it's almost time for the next step in this little endeavor, but first, I need to give you a fighting chance to survive, as I promised." Clay reached up and cut the rope that was holding Todd's wrists and ankles; however, the nails through his scrotum still held him firmly to the floor. "Now, you have a decision to make...cut them off, or burn." Clay calmly pushed the first button on the remote and then walked to the barn door.

"You can't leave me like this! Let me go!" Todd screamed with the smell of gasoline fumes filling his nostrils. "Please, don't do this!" Todd struggled against the rope still fed through the eyehooks on the floor until his hands and feet were free, with the pain in his groin growing more intense by the moment. Once his hands were free, he carefully sat up and looked down at the horror before his eyes when he heard the pop of the flames. "Oh, God, I have to get out of here!"

***

Clay walked outside into the crisp night air, caressing the last button on the remote control, which activated the fire igniters before he put it in his shirt pocket. He then pulled out the disposable cell phone he had purchased the night before. Clay was talking on the phone when a news van pulled up beside his truck and stopped.

Melissa Collins climbed out of the passenger seat and looked around with a confused look on her face. "What's going on, Mr. Jefferies. You said to be here at 10 o'clock for a major story, so here we are."

Clay waited until the cameraman had walked around to join them before he reached into his shirt pocket and pressed the final button on the remote control. "You'll know in a moment." Clay reached over and turned the power on for the monitor sitting in the bed of his truck, and then stepped back. "Take a look for yourself, Miss Collins."

The picture that appeared on the screen was like something out of a horror movie. There in the center of the screen was a naked and terrified Todd Gensen. Melissa leaned closer to get a better look when she noticed the smell of smoke coming from the direction of the barn. "Oh, my, God, the barn's on fire!"

The screams of fear began to punch through the smoke, along with the crackling sound of dry burning wood and hay. Clay never said a word, he just watched as Melissa and her cameraman stared at the screen, realizing that the image playing out before their eyes would forever haunt their dreams.

Todd struggled to reach the knife, but the nails through his scrotum held him fast to the floor, causing the pain to be unbearable. He knew what he must do to free himself, but wondered if he had the strength or will to go through with it.

Todd reached again for the knife, this time causing agonizing screams to fill the barn, and with one last push, he managed to grab the knife handle. He brought the knife closer to his face and looked at the rusty and dull edge of the blade. He then cursed Clay for, not lying about the condition of the knife. "Can I do this?" he said to himself. His body grew numb, as he lowered the knife and held the blade above his groin area. "Shit, I can't do this!" Flaming hay rained down around him while the barn moaned and strained under pressure, as Todd contemplated what he should do.

"Why are you doing this?" Melissa yelled above the sound of screams coming from inside the barn, as the cameraman turned his camera toward the nightmare playing out before them.

"I'm doing this because it's all going to end tonight. This town has been run by that bunch of crooks for too long, and I need you to make sure that it ends." He handed her a DVD from one of the recorders he had set up in the back of the truck bed, and then he reached into his pocket and gave her another one. "This will expose them for what they are. I know you won't let it end here. I saw it in your eyes the first time we spoke. I have faith that you are an honest and brave young woman. Please don't let anyone know that you have these until the proper time." Clay looked deeply into her eyes and smiled when he suddenly heard a car headed their direction. "Ah, our other guest has arrived."

***

A silver Mercedes came barreling toward the barn, throwing dirt and gravel in the air and stopped just short of hitting Clay's pickup truck. Richard Gensen jumped out of the car and stared at the flames now shooting from the roof of the barn. "What the hell is going on here?"

Clay stepped forward, looked Richard directly into the eyes, and calmly said, "You have no one to blame, but yourself for what has happened tonight. You allowed your son to destroy people's lives, just as you and your father have done for many years. Well, I'm pleased to say that I am ending all of that tonight, and do you know what the best part is?" Clay did not wait for an answer. "It is all happening on a piece of property that your father stole from some honest, hard-working family many years ago." Clay laughed and then stepped away from the monitor to give Richard a clear view of the events transpiring inside the now blazing barn. "I also wanted to make sure that you had a front-row seat to all the action, which is why I had you come here tonight."

"NO...NOT TODD!" he cried out at the vision of the lifeless body of his son lying on the floor with the knife clenched in his hand. "You bastard, what have you done? You've killed my son!" Richard ran toward the barn door, but the intense heat from the flames forced him to back away. He stood for a moment, trying to decide what he should do.

Richard then reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He called the fire department, and then the Sherriff's office.

"You will pay for this! You will pay for killing my son!" he yelled as he helplessly watched the fire ultimately consume the barn.

Clay smiled, "I didn't kill your son. He had the chance to survive, but his pride allowed him to die. I gave him a knife to free himself. All, he had to do, was cut himself free. Apparently, his balls were more important to him than his life."

Melissa turned toward the barn and then back to Clay. "I don't understand. Are you saying that he could have saved himself?"

Clay looked at her and smiled. "Yes, he only had to choose what was more important to him. I left a knife for him to free himself, but he didn't dare to choose life."

Melissa looked back toward the barn and gasped when she finally understood what Clay meant. "Are you saying that he would have to cut off his..." the thought was so unbelievable that she could not even finish her question.

Clay looked at her, "Yep, you see, we have a little saying in Texas. If a stallion has too much pride, we cut him."

Richard turned and charged at Clay with murder in his eyes. "I'll kill you..."

Melissa immediately placed herself between the two men, preventing Richard from striking Clay.

"Richard," Clay grinned. "I don't fear what will happen to me; however, I'm sure that you will not feel the same way. You see, this barn is not in our county, where your puppets on the police and sheriff's departments do your bidding. I would prepare myself for a rude awakening, Richard, for tomorrow is a new day."

***

Sirens and lights filled the night air, as several sheriff cars and fire trucks stormed up the dirt road leading to the now completely engulfed barn. Richard rushed up to the first car and waited as the Sheriff stepped out. "Herald, I want Clay Jefferies arrested for murdering my son!"

"What the hell happened here, Richard?" Herald said as he watched the firefighters take their places, trying to control the now raging fire.

"I said that I want you to arrest Clay Jefferies for murdering my son. Todd is inside that barn, and Clay left him there!" Richard cried as he watched the remainder of the barn collapse to the ground.

"Damn it, Herald, you're the sheriff, arrest him, NOW!" Richard reached out and grabbed for Herald's gun, trying to pull it from the holster hanging on his belt.

Herald smacked Richard's hand away and then looked over at Clay, who was standing quietly by his pickup truck. "What happened here, Clay?"

"Just a little justice, that's all," Clay grinned. "I had a little score to settle with Todd."

Herald looked toward the barn again and realized what had happened. He pulled his gun, pointing it toward Clay. "Clay, I'm going to have to arrest you. Now, don't give me any problems, okay?"

Clay looked at Herald and laughed. "Sorry, Sheriff, but you don't have any jurisdiction here."

"Don't listen to him. I want him arrested and in MY county jail, NOW!" Richard shouted.

Herald stepped closer to Clay, aiming his gun squarely at Clay's chest. "Clay, don't make this difficult..."

Suddenly a deep voice sounded from behind them. "Just what do you think you're doing in my county, Herald? If there is going to be any arresting going on around here, I'll be the one doing it."

Herald turned around to face the Sheriff from the county they were in, "Damn it, JR, stay out of this. This man murdered Todd Gensen, and I plan to put him in my jail and charge him with murder." Herald paused a moment, unsure as to what to do. He knew that JR was right, but he also knew that Richard could make his life difficult if he didn't do as told.

Herald turned back toward Clay and took another step when he heard JR say in a calm, yet firm voice. "Herald, unless you want to find your ass in my jail, along with Mr. Gensen, I would suggest that you holster that sidearm and step away."

"Don't listen to him," Richard yelled as he grabbed for Herald's gun.

The response from JR and his deputies was immediate, as they pulled their firearms and aimed them directly at Richard and Herald. "I really don't want a gunfight tonight, do you?" JR said without blinking.

Realizing that he was out-gunned, Herald holstered his sidearm and stepped away from Clay. "Come on, Richard; let's get out of here before something happens that we don't want."

"I'll have your badge for this, JR! I'll make sure that you are not re-elected!" Richard screamed, pointing an accusing finger at JR.

"Listen, you son-of-a-bitch; you may have gotten this piece-of-shit elected as the sheriff of your county, and he may dance like a scalded cat at your every beck and call. But I'm going to let you know that we do things differently on this side of the county line. The voters are the ones who elected me, and I answer only to them. So, if you don't want to spend some time in MY jail, I would recommend that you get in that fancy car of yours and go home," JR pointed toward Richard's car.

Richard was about to protest when JR lifted his gun and aimed it directly at him. "Don't test me, Mr. Gensen," JR grinned.

Seeing that any further conversation was fruitless, Herald took Richard by the arm. "Come on, Richard. Let's get out of here before someone gets shot."

Richard looked at JR, who held his gaze. "This isn't over," he said as he walked toward his car.

***

Once Richard and Herald had driven away, JR turned to Clay and said, "So, what is your side to the story, Mr. Jefferies? This doesn't have to do anything with Mr. Gensen's acquittal of raping your granddaughter, does it?"

Melissa had stood back during the confrontation between the two law enforcement officers, and once things had calmed down, she stepped forward and introduced herself. "Hello, my name is Melissa Collins from Channel..."

"I know who you are, Miss Collins," JR offered his hand.

Melissa accepted the handshake and returned the greeting. "I wanted to let you know that my cameraman filmed the entire conversation between you, Mr. Gensen, and Sheriff Thompson. I hope you don't mind. If you want to view the tape, I will gladly make it available to you before I go public with it."

"Thank you, Miss Collins, but I didn't say anything on there that I didn't mean. Herald and Richard are two of the most corrupt people in southeast Texas. I would love to have Richard sit in my jail for a spell, but I would have to fumigate it once he left," JR chuckled.

Melissa tried not to laugh, but she could not help herself. "You are a good man, Sheriff. The citizens of your county are lucky to have you."

JR looked at the barn again, "So, is Todd Gensen really in there?" He then turned and looked at Clay.

Clay looked toward the barn and grinned, "Yep."

"Do I want to know how you got him to stay in there?" JR chuckled.

"Let's just say that he feared to lose his balls, more than the flames," Clay winked.
Chapter 16

"Okay, we're live in three, two, one..." the voice, said in Melissa Collins' earpiece, as she straightened herself in the chair at the anchor desk.

"Good evening, my name is Melissa Collins, and welcome to the 6 o'clock News. This evening I have breaking news about small-town politics, corruption, and justice for a little girl. Yesterday, I interviewed Todd Gensen and got his reaction to the verdict of Not Guilty. I am sure that you all remember how pleased Mr. Gensen was with the outcome. Unfortunately, someone else did not feel the same. The victim's grandfather, Clay Jefferies believed that Mr. Gensen had escaped justice for the kidnapping and violent rape of his thirteen-year-old granddaughter, so he decided to take matters into his own hands. I want to warn the viewers that this recording contains graphic images, so please take special care if children are in the room." Melissa calmly waited for the recording to play Todd's confession of how he had escaped prosecution for Sherry's rape, and for all the other evils committed by him and his family. Next, she played the video of Todd trapped in the burning barn as it crashed down around him.

Once the recordings were finished playing, the camera focused in on her again. "As you can see by his confession, Todd Gensen was, in fact, guilty of the rape of Sherry Jefferies, as well as other numerous crimes. I am also pleased to report that I have sent a copy of the confession to the State Attorney General. Upon review, they have begun a complete investigation of Retired Judge Clifton Gensen and Mr. Richard Gensen, Attorney at Law and County Commissioner. They are facing numerous counts involving the investigation into the rape of Sherry Jefferies, as well as other potential crimes mentioned in the recording. This event has shaken the small rural community to its foundation and has the residents wondering if they would have done the same thing had this happened to their child. Was it Murder or Justice? Please stay tuned because, after the commercial break, I have an exclusive interview recorded by Mr. Clay Jefferies," Melissa clasped her hands together on the desktop and waited for the camera light to turn red.

"Damn, that was a great report," the producer grinned. "This should go national."

Melissa knew this would be a big story, but she also worried about what would happen to Clay. She knew what he had done wrong; however, there was a part of her that was glad. The world would be a much better place without the likes of Todd Gensen.

***

"I'd like to welcome you back to our report of Murder or Justice in a small town," Melissa smiled at the camera. "As I stated before the commercial break, I have an exclusive interview recorded by Mr. Clay Jefferies, the accused murderer of Todd Gensen, who just a day before was acquitted of the rape of Sherry Jefferies. I had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Jefferies at the beginning of the trial, and then outside of the courthouse after the jury came back with the judgment of not guilty. I have to admit that I would never have expected Mr. Jefferies to be the sort of man to take justice into his hands, but sometimes no one knows how a person will react in those circumstances. I will leave it up to you; the viewers, to decide if Mr. Jefferies stepped over the line, or if he did what any of us would do in his place. Roll tape, please."

Melissa smiled as the screen faded, and then focused in on Clay sitting at his kitchen table. He cleared his throat and looked directly at the camera before he spoke, "My name is Clay Jefferies, and I want to tell you why I'm going to kill Todd Gensen. I have never been a violent man, but the terrible act done to my granddaughter has forced me to choose a different path. You see, I can no longer stand by and watch Todd Gensen once again not be made to pay for his crimes. For years, he has enjoyed the protection of his family name, as well as the privilege that money and power can obtain. I remember when he was just a youngster how he would vandalize the different businesses in town, and because his grandfather was the judge, nothing ever came of it. He has stolen cars to take for joy rides on back roads, and arrested for drunk driving numerous times. He did all that without even serving a single night in jail. Then he destroyed a beautiful, young woman who had trusted him and thought someday they would marry. Unfortunately, for him, he chose the wrong girl when he wanted my granddaughter to be his next victim. Then to add insult, he was even foolish enough to come to her house to bring her flowers after he had attacked her," the look on Clay's face was cold and stern.

"I knew deep in my heart that Todd's family would make sure jury acquitted him, but I held out hope that justice would prevail. My son has every right to want Todd Gensen dead for what he has done, but I can't allow his family torn apart like that. Sherry has lost too much already, and I can't let her lose her daddy, too. Therefore, I know what I must do. I freely admit that I plan to kill Todd Gensen, and for that, I have no regret. He has always been a piece-of-shit, and the world will be a better place without him in it. I love my family, and I would never do anything to dishonor them, but sometimes a man must do the unthinkable to protect those he loves. I have lived a long life, and I know my time is limited, so it was an easy decision to make. To protect my family and give Sherry the peace of knowing that Todd Gensen can no longer hurt her; I will execute Todd Gensen tonight in his grandfather's old barn on County Road 1543. I look forward to watching his face as he realizes his fate, and I'm sure that he will be the coward I have always believed him to be. I'm also sure he will turn on his family to save himself because that is what a coward would do. I know what I'm about to do is murder in the eyes of the law. But for me, it's justice for a little girl who had her innocence stolen from her in the most violent way. I'm not sorry for what I'm about to do, and I do not ask for forgiveness." He reached forward and turned off the camera.

The picture changed to show Melissa Collins calmly seated at the anchor desk with tears streaming down her cheeks. She had cleared her throat before she spoke, "Mr. Jefferies is currently awaiting arraignment in the county jail. He is refusing counsel and is refusing to talk with investigators. I, for one, will pray for Mr. Jefferies. You see, I have to agree with him on one important point. Sometimes a person must do whatever they can to protect their family when the law turns a blind eye. Mr. Jefferies did what he felt he must do. He delivered Hellfire's Judgment upon Todd Gensen for destroying the innocence of his beloved granddaughter in the only way he knew how," she reached up, and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Next, we will have the report of an attempted robbery at the National Bank on Fifth Street." The screen then switched to a commercial for one of the local car dealerships.

"What do you think is going to happen to him?" Randy, the cameraman, asked.

"I have no idea, but it doesn't look good for him. I didn't want to play the confession, but..." Melissa tried to hide the sorrow building inside of her. "Damn, this is one time I wish that I hadn't gotten involved."

"I'm glad you did, Melissa. We were able to scoop the Houston stations, which is a huge feather in our caps. Who knows, this just might be the one to take you to the next level in your career." Randy knew she was upset, but a story such as this did not come along every day. "Now, pull yourself together; you're back on in three, two, one..."
Chapter 17

"What do you mean he's refusing to talk to an attorney?" Ray could not believe that his father was in jail and facing charges of first-degree murder. "I want to speak to him."

The officer understood that Ray was upset, and, to be honest, he thoroughly understood. "I'm sorry, but you'll need to wait for the judge to set bail."

Just the sound of that statement made Ray's body go numb. "Fine, so how long will that be?"

"I don't have that information, I'm sorry," the officer said.

Ray fought back the urge to say more, so he just said, "Thank you for your help, Officer."

"You're welcome," the officer said while glancing around to see if anyone was near. He then leaned in close to Ray. "I shouldn't say this, but I believe your dad did the right thing to that creep. A monster like that doesn't need to be out on the streets," he looked at Ray, and then stepped back.

"Thank you, that means a lot to me," Ray said, with a tone of sadness in his voice.

"Don't worry about your dad. We will take good care of him, I promise," the officer whispered.

"Oh yeah, he is on medicine for his heart and blood pressure. How do we make sure that he gets what he needs?" The look of concern on Ray's face let the officer know it was serious.

"Bring in any of his prescriptions, and we will make sure that he gets what he needs."

"Thank you again." Ray knew it was not necessary to hand around the jail, so he decided to find an attorney to take the case, regardless of what his father wanted.

***

"Mr. Weller can see you now," the sharp-dressed receptionist said to Ray.

Ray had spent most of the afternoon trying to find an attorney who would speak with him, and he was about to give up when Mr. Douglas Weller agreed to meet with him. "Thank you," Ray said as he followed her down the hall to the office with a large oak desk, and the two overstuffed chairs sitting in front of it.

"Please take a seat. Mr. Weller will be right in." The woman then closed the door behind her as she left.

Ray waited in the office for a few minutes when the door suddenly opened, and in walked a man in his mid-fifties, well built, and slightly graying hair at the temples. Ray immediately noticed that his suit was not your off-the-rack variety, and he wondered if maybe this lawyer was out of his price range. Oh well, dad is worth whatever this guy charges; Ray thought to himself, as he watched the man walk around the desk, and then sit in the large, leather chair.

"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, Mr. Jefferies, but my last meeting took a little longer than expected," Douglas sat in the chair, and then grabbed his notepad and pen.

"That's no problem. I have only been waiting a couple of minutes, besides I was admiring your desk. It's a hell of a beauty," Ray replied, trying to calm his nerves.

"Thank you. It was a gift from my wife. She said that she was tired of my old worn-out desk, so she bought it for our anniversary last year. I would hate to think of what it cost me," he chuckled, at the surprised look on Ray's face. "What can I help you with today, Mr. Jefferies?"

"It's my father; he's in jail facing murder charges," just saying the words made Ray feel nauseous.

"I see, is your father by chance the one who burned the young man who raped..." he caught himself before he continued.

"Yes, the animal who raped my little girl," the words tore at Ray's heart.

"Mr. Jefferies..."

Ray interrupted, "Please call me, Ray."

"Of course, but only if you call me Douglas," he smiled. "Ray, your father has confessed to a heinous crime against a member of an influential family in this area. Generally, I would stay clear of a case such as this because it's a lost cause from the beginning. However, I watched the confession your father did on the news report last night, and I have to tell you that I saw something in his eyes. Your father did what he felt was necessary to protect his family. I'm ashamed to admit, but I did some research on your father last night and learned that he served in Vietnam, where he was exposed to Agent Orange." Douglas stopped when he saw the surprised look on Ray's face.

"I never knew...," Ray felt horrible, not to have known more about his father's service in Vietnam. "I knew that when he returned that he had some heart issues, but he never mentioned the exposure to Agent Orange."

"That's not surprising. Many of the soldiers never speak of what happened to them over there. It's really quite sad, isn't it?" Douglas looked at Ray and saw the confusion in his eyes. "Is your father looking for representation?"

Ray looked down, unsure if he wanted to answer the question. "As of now, he's refusing, but I can get him to change his mind."

"I understand. I can't do anything for him without his permission. However, I will tell you this, I believe that I can get your father cleared of this. If you can convince him to allow me to help, I would be honored to represent him."

Ray sat dumbfounded, unable to believe what he had just heard. "Okay, I'll make sure that he changes his mind, thank you. How much do I need to retain your services once I convince dad?"

"Don't worry about that for now. I have a debt to repay, and to help your father will allow me to do it finally," Douglas commented quietly, lost in his thoughts.

Ray looked at Douglas and shook his head in disbelief, "Okay, I'll let you know as soon as Dad agrees." Ray stood and offered his hand across the desk.

Douglas accepted the offered hand and shook it vigorously. "I will await your call."

***

Ray had just started his truck, when his cell phone rang, "Hello, Carolyn, what is it?"

"Sweetheart, you need to go to the jail and pick up Dad. The judge has decided to release him on his own recognizance, as long as he stays with the family," she said excitedly.

"You're kidding?" Ray could not believe this turn of events.

"Yes, I'm serious. They said the judge did not believe that Dad would be a flight risk, but they said he must stay with us during all of this. Ray, I can't tell you how happy this makes me. I hated the idea of him locked up in that jail."

It was the second bit of good news that Ray had received. "I'm headed there right now." He jumped into his truck and turned the ignition key with a new sense of hope in his heart.

***

"Grandpa, Grandpa, you're here!" Sherry ran up to Clay as he walked in the front door, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Hey there, how is my girl doing?" he took her in his arms and held her tightly.

"I'm doing much better now that you are here," she grinned.

"Dad, you must be exhausted. I brought some of your things from your house and put them in the guest room. Why don't you go clean up and rest until dinner is ready?" Carolyn could see the exhaustion on his face by the ordeal, and she prayed his health would hold up under all the pressure.

"Thank you, I think that's a good idea." He bent down and kissed Sherry on the top of the head, and then slowly walked toward the hallway.

"I love you, grandpa," Sherry cried out.

"I love you, too, Sweet Pea," he waved his hand over his shoulder and then disappeared down the hall.

***

The mood in the house that evening was a mixture of fear and concern. Clay had stayed in his room and rested until Carolyn sent Sherry to get him.

"Come on, Grandpa, if we don't hurry, Jason will eat all the mashed potatoes," she giggled while tugging on his arm.

"Hold on there, I need to put on my shoes," Clay laughed. "You must be hungry, Sweet Pea."

"I am, so hurry up," she giggled as she pulled on his arm, leading him to the kitchen.

"Good evening, Dad. Did you rest well?" Carolyn asked while setting the gravy boat on the table next to the bowl of mashed potatoes.

"See Grandpa, I told you we have mashed potatoes!" Sherry's eyes gleamed with delight.

About that time, Jason walked in the back door. "Hey Gramps, it's good to see you."

"Gramps, since when do you call me Gramps?" Clay laughed.

"I don't know, it just seems to fit you," Jason grinned.

"Huh, well, I guess I'm Gramps, then. Your sister here says that you tend to eat all the mashed potatoes. Is that true?" Clay looked at Sherry and winked.

Jason glanced over at Sherry, who was now acting like the most innocent person ever to have lived. "Everyone knows that she's the one who eats all of them. If you want any, you need to get your share before she grabs the bowl," he gave her a gentle punch on the shoulder.

"Me? I don't do that...," she giggled, but then Carolyn interrupted.

"Come on, let's eat. Where's your father, Jason?" Carolyn looked toward the back door.

"He's coming, he just wanted to be sure he'd locked the garage," Jason glanced at Clay, and then quickly to his mother.

Clay knew what Ray was worried about, and it made him sick to think that he may have put his family in danger from someone who wanted revenge for what he had done to Todd. "Carolyn, I'm sorry..."

"You're sorry for what, Dad?" Ray asked as he walked in the back door. "I'm not doing anything that I don't normally do every evening. So, put any of those thoughts out of your mind. We are thrilled to have you here with us, so don't you for one second believe that you being here is a burden on us."

Clay looked around the table at the faces of the people he loved more than life itself, and at that moment, he knew that he was where he was supposed to be. "Thank you all for loving me. I was worried about what you all might think of me after I..." his voice trailed off, as the emotions he felt overtook him.

"Dad, you did what I wanted to do. I can't begin to tell you of the people who have come out in support of what you did. People are sick and tired of those like Todd, and the things they do to the innocent. Dad, don't hang your head in shame because you have nothing to be ashamed of," Ray's eyes glistened with tears.

"He's right, you know. In the eyes of the people that I have spoken to, you are a hero. I believe the best thing I have heard so far, was from a man who said what you did was no different than putting down a rabid dog. Todd Gensen was a selfish and cruel, excuse of a man, and the world is a much better place without him in it," Jason's eyes lit up with pride.

"Grandpa, you will always be my hero," Sherry smiled. "Okay, so can we eat, I'm starving!"

"Hand me those mashed potatoes. I want some before a little girl gets a hold of them," Clay laughed, and then he grabbed the bowl and scooped out a large spoon full and put it on his plate.

"Hey, save some for me," Sherry teased.

***

Clay tossed and turned in bed for at least two hours, but he just could not seem to fall asleep. He felt guilty for, not sitting in jail, and facing the punishment he knew that he deserved.

Clay had no regret for killing Todd, but he did worry that he had not set a good example for Jason and Sherry on how to handle a difficult situation. When Clay returned from the war in Vietnam, he had sworn that he would never again take a life, but sometimes life has plans of its own. Todd, you gave me no other choice, he groaned.

Realizing that he was not going to be able to sleep, he decided to go to the kitchen and see what Carolyn had leftover in the refrigerator.

***

"Hello, dad, can't sleep either?" Ray said. "There's some coffee in the pot if you want some."

"Yeah, I guess that nap this afternoon messed with my sleep," Clay grinned, and then walked to the cupboard and pulled out a coffee cup. "This smells good," he took a deep breath, as he filled his cup.

"I'm glad you're awake because we need to have a little talk." Ray took a sip of his coffee and waited as Clay sat at the table.

Oh really; what about?" a concerned look crossed Clay's face.

"I found a lawyer that will take your case," Ray said flatly.

"You know that I don't want a lawyer. Hell, I already confessed to killing Todd."

"I know you did, but you need a lawyer, Dad. You could be facing the death penalty," the fear was apparent in Ray's eyes.

Clay sat in silence for a few moments, unsure of how to respond. He could see that Ray was afraid for him, but he had already made his peace with God. "Son, what I did was a sin. I killed a man in cold blood, with no more feeling than one would have in killing a copperhead snake. What happens to me is of no concern. I only wanted to be sure that Todd Gensen would not be free to harm anyone again."

"Dad, you did nothing wrong. If Todd Gensen was no better than a copperhead snake, then killing him was the right thing to do. You need to stand up for yourself, for us. How do you think Sherry is going to feel for the rest of her life knowing the grandfather, she loves, was executed for protecting her?"

Clay took a sip of his coffee and looked at Ray. He had not thought of how it would affect Sherry. "Do you think that she will grow to hate me for what I did?" Tears began to stream down Clay's cheeks. "I did murder a man in cold blood."

"Dad, she would never hate you. We were all so angry after they released him, and then he went on the television and said all that crap. Dad, if you hadn't done something, I probably would have, or even worse, Jason."

Clay looked at Ray and realized that he was correct. "I'm still not sorry for what I did, and I never will be."

"I'm not sorry that you did it either, Dad. I just wish that I could have been there to help you. I would have given anything to see the terror in that asshole's eyes when you lit that barn on fire," Ray grinned.

"He did look pitiful, lying there buck naked and spread eagle with his balls nailed to the floor," Clay chuckled.

"Damn, Dad, where did that idea ever come from?" Ray shook his head in disbelief.

"Oh, from a story I heard several years ago. Apparently, a man was molesting the children in a small town. It had gone on for quite a while until the parents learned who was doing it and decided to take the law into their own hands. Rumor has it that he suffered the same fate. However, no one has ever seen or heard from him again, so no one ever knew if he survived or not. I'm sure if he did, the front of his pants was baggier than before," Clay winked, and grinned.

Ray burst out laughing. "Yeah, I'm sure you are right on that one, Dad."

"I need a refill, are you ready for some more?" Clay stood and walked to the counter.

"No, I'm good for now." Ray waited as Clay sat back down before he continued, "Dad, I want to take you to talk to that attorney tomorrow. Will you do that for me?"

Clay knew what he wanted to say, but the look on Ray's face convinced him to agree. "Yeah, I'll go meet with him."

"Thank you, Dad. You won't be disappointed, I promise."

"Is there any of that peach cobbler left over?" Clay licked his lips in anticipation.

Ray stood and walked to the refrigerator, "As a matter of fact, I think I saw her put the rest of it in here earlier." He opened the door and pulled out a pan. "Here is it and just enough left for two."

"Don't forget the cream," Clay said playfully.

"Do you want me to heat it in the microwave first?" Ray asked as he pulled two bowls from the cabinet.

"Nope, just grab two spoons and put those bowls back." Clay grabbed the pan with the cobbler away from Ray and set it on the table between them. He then poured some cream on the cobbler. "Come on, let's dig in."
Chapter 18

The sounds of laughter coming from the kitchen pulled Clay from a dark, fit-filled sleep. He and Ray had finally gone to bed around 2 o'clock, so he was not ready to face the day.

"Good morning, Dad, you're up early," Carolyn smiled while she strapped Amy into the highchair. "You are just in time for some breakfast."

"I'm not hungry yet, but I will take a cup of coffee," he yawned and stretched, before pulling a clean coffee cup from the cupboard. "Is Ray up yet?"

"No, he's still sleeping like a baby. I don't think he slept too well last night." She placed the bowl of oatmeal for Amy on the highchair tray. "Hold on there, Mommy needs to give you a spoon."

Clay watched as Amy grabbed the baby spoon away from Carolyn, took a big scoop of the oatmeal, and put it in her mouth. "Look at you, Amy. You can feed yourself now," Clay said with pride, as he watched her smear oatmeal all over her face. "Yep, you eat just like your daddy did; more on you than in you."

"Good morning, gramps," Jason smiled while he walked in from the backyard.

"What have you been up to so early this morning?" Clay watched Jason walk over to the counter and pour himself a cup of coffee.

"I went to the store. I wanted to make sure everything was going smoothly. With Dad so busy lately, I thought I'd check on things for him." Jason knew this was a difficult time for his father, so he wanted to help in all he could. "Everyone at the store sends their love, Gramps."

Clay did not know what to say. "They did? That's mighty nice of them."

"Dad, everyone that knows you have nothing but love and respect for you. Please don't feel as though you are not accepted by those in the community anymore," Carolyn looked at Clay with tears in her eyes.

"She's right, Gramps. I was talking to a couple of our regular customers, and they said as far as everyone's concerned, you did the right thing. Everyone was angry when he walked free, and we all knew that given a chance, he would do it again to some other little girl. Gramps, you don't need to worry that people are going to think badly of you, and any that do, don't matter."

Clay did not know what to say. He took a drink of his coffee and then stood. "I think I'll go get cleaned up. Ray wants to take me to meet some fancy lawyer today, so I need to look my best." He set his cup in the sink and walked back to his room.

***

"Good afternoon, Mr. Jefferies," Douglas offered his hand.

"Hello, but I would prefer you call me Clay if you don't mind," Clay returned the offered handshake.

"Fair enough, Clay, but only if you call me, Douglas." He motioned for Ray and Clay to sit in the overstuffed chairs across from him, and then he closed the door. "Are you gentlemen, thirsty? Would you like some coffee or water?"

"No, thank you; we're fine," Ray said.

"So, tell me, how is everything going for you, Clay?"

"Things have been better, but I guess I shouldn't complain," he leaned back in the chair and enjoyed the softness of the leather to his touch. "This is a nice chair."

"Thank you, I've always thought they were comfortable," Douglas grinned. "Clay, why don't we get down to business? First, I would like to thank you for allowing me to represent you. As you know, we have a difficult road ahead of us, but I feel that we have a good chance to get the charges reduced, or even thrown out."

Ray and Clay looked at each other, unsure if that had heard correctly.

"I'm sorry, but how is that possible? I gave a full confession," Clay looked at Douglas, not sure of what to think.

"I know you did, and that is going to make my job a little more difficult, but we do have one thing on our side."

"Okay, I'll bite," Clay wondered what this guy had up his sleeve.

"You served in Vietnam, correct?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with this?" Clay was now thoroughly confused.

"You were exposed to Agent Orange, were you not?" Douglas said this more as a statement than a question.

"Yes..." Clay was even more confused now. He was receiving benefits from the military for it, but he wondered how it could have anything to do with his case?

"You do know that there are several side effects related to exposure to Agent Orange, do you not? One of them is psychological disorders, which include severe depression, irritability, violent tendencies, extreme psychosis, and anger outbursts. These are all symptoms related to Agent Orange toxicity."

"What are you trying to go for, the insanity defense?" Clay groaned.

"No, not at all, I am; however, looking for what might have turned an ordinary man, into someone who would do what you did. Clay, I am going to honest with you. I do not want to see you spend the rest of your life locked up, or worse. We both know that Texas proudly practices capital punishment, so unless we use everything at our disposal, I'm afraid that you may not do so well."

"Dad, listen to what he has to say. We all only want the best for you," Ray pleaded.

Clay closed his eyes and let everything sink into his mind. He had made peace with the idea of spending the rest of his life locked up, and he had even contemplated the possibility of receiving the death penalty. He had never run from anything in his life, and he did not want to begin now. "I don't know; can I sleep on it?"

"Dad, please..."

Douglas looked at Clay, and he could see the struggle he was having. "Sure, but don't wait too long because we need all the time we can get to prepare your defense."

"Thank you, I'll have an answer for you tomorrow," Clay stood, and stuck out his hand.

Douglas grasped Clay's hand, returning the handshake. "I look forward to hearing from you then. Take care, Clay, and we will talk tomorrow."

***

On the way out of the law office, Ray turned to Clay and said, "Dad, what are you thinking? How can you just give up without a fight? Don't you realize what it will do to this family if you are locked up or..." he could not bring himself to say the word.

"Son, I told Douglas that I needed to think about it for a bit, so please respect my wishes." Clay turned and walked toward the truck without saying another word.

***

Neither of them spoke on the drive back to the house. Ray would glance over at Clay from time to time, but Clay kept his eyes squarely on the road ahead. When they pulled into the driveway, Clay got out of the truck and walked inside the house without saying a word.

Ray pulled the truck into the garage and sat there for several long minutes until he finally decided to go inside the house.

"Ray, what is wrong with Dad? He didn't say a word; he just walked straight to his room. Didn't the appointment with the lawyer go well?" Carolyn put the last of the clean dishes away in the cupboard while Amy sipped on a juice box in her highchair.

Ray was tired. All, he wanted to do, was relax in his recliner and close his eyes for a while. "Yeah, it was going great until Dad decided that he needed to think about things for the night. Carolyn, I'm worried that Dad isn't going to fight. I am concerned that he is going to go before that judge and plead guilty, and then throw himself on the mercy of the court."

This new development surprised Carolyn. "But I thought you said that this lawyer could help keep him out of jail?"

"He can, but Dad has to let him." Ray shook his head, still unable to believe everything that had transpired in the last few days.

"I don't understand what you mean. Why wouldn't Dad let him help?" Carolyn reached out and gently touched Ray on the arm.

Ray pulled Carolyn into his arms and held her close. "I'm scared; I can't lose him."

Carolyn placed her hands on the sides of his face and looked him in the eyes. "You are not going to lose him; none of us are. We just need to convince him that we still need and want him. I need to put Amy down for her nap, and Sherry is with Jason at the store. She hasn't been anywhere other than the courthouse for weeks, so Jason invited her to go spend the afternoon with him. Why don't you go relax in your chair for a while, and let me take care of something, all right?"

"What are you going to do?" Ray looked at her, curious about what she was planning.

"Come on, sweetie, it's time for your nap." Carolyn picked up Amy and then walked toward the nursery. "Ray, I want you to do as I say, and get some rest. I'll be back as soon as possible."

He knew there no sense in arguing with her, and, to be honest; he was relieved to have the quiet time to think of what to do next. "Okay, I'll do as told," he chuckled.

***

"Ray, you need to wake up," Carolyn whispered in his ear.

"Huh, what..." he opened his eyes to see her standing over him with a bright smile on her face.

"I want you to go get Dad. There is something that he needs to see."

"Okay, but can you tell me what is going on?" he stood and stretched, trying to get the kink out of his back.

"Just go get Dad," she tugged on his arm.

Ray looked at Carolyn, who gave him an impatient look. "Okay, I'll go get him." He stood and walked to Clay's room, and then knocked softly on the door, "Dad, are you awake? May I come in?"

"Yeah, come in."

Ray opened the door and saw Clay sitting on the edge of the bed, reading the Bible. "Dad, Carolyn said she has something that she wants you to see."

"She does? Do you know what it is?" Clay turned the page and went back to reading.

"No, but it must be significant," Ray was not sure what more he could say to convince his father to come with him. Then it came to him, "You know if you don't go with me, she'll just come in here and get you herself." Ray forced a smile when he noticed Clay look up from his reading.

"Well, I guess that's as good a reason as any," Clay grinned. "I don't want to go up against her when she has made up her mind, now do I?" He placed the Bible on the bed and followed Ray back out to the living room.

"Okay, I got him here, so what is so important?" Ray asked.

"Dad, there is something that I want you to see." She took Clay by the hand and led him to the front door. "I know you feel as though no one will accept you anymore for what you did, but the opposite is true. There are more people than you realize that agree with what you did. They know that it is wrong to murder, but murder is killing the innocent. Todd Gensen was guilty. He was an evil soul, and you were an avenging angel in the eyes of those who are tired of evil people controlling the rest of us." She opened the front door, and what Clay saw, brought tears to his eyes.

Nearly two hundred people stood in the front yard, on the sidewalk, in the neighbor's front yards, or in the street. They were smiling and holding up signs saying things such as We love and support you, Clay or You are a hero, Clay.

"How did you do this?" Clay looked at Carolyn with tears in his eyes.

"I told them that you needed their love and support, so they came without question. Dad, you have always been loved and respected by the people of this town, and no one believes you to be a murderer. I can't begin to tell you how many people said that they would have done the same thing. Also, they were thankful for no longer having to worry about Todd harming their daughters or granddaughters. Everyone wants you to fight because if you give up then, Todd has won," she grabbed Clay and hugged him, causing cheers to erupt from the crowd.

Suddenly a chant rang out from the crowd, "Clay, Clay, Clay."

"See, Dad, that's for you," Carolyn cried with joy.

Ray stood in awe at the wave of people standing shoulder to shoulder in support of his father. He had always known that Clay had the respect of those in the community, but this was beyond anything he could ever have imagined. He leaned close to Carolyn and whispered in her ear, "You did a good thing, Sweetheart."

A voice from the crowd yelled, "Speech!" Then one by one more joined in. The chanting grew louder until Clay finally stepped forward. "I can't begin to tell you how this makes me feel. I will always remember this outpouring of affection, no matter what the future brings. I only wish that Marie was here to see this..." his words floated on the air.

"She is here, Clay," a man shouted from the crowd.

"Yeah, and you are not alone, Clay," a woman shouted from the crowd, as well.

"We are all here for you," a man stepped forward and held out his hand to Clay.

What transpired next completely surprised Ray, and Carolyn. One by one, the people in the crowd stepped forward and shook Clay's hand, promising their support during this difficult time.

Ray watched as his father shook the hand of each person as they stepped forward. He could see the tears of joy streaming down their cheeks. Ray had always believed in miracles, but today he was witness to one.

***

"Good morning, Clay, I'm so glad to hear from you." Douglas was pleased when his receptionist announced there was a call holding from Mr. Jefferies. He had spent the night wondering if Clay would change his mind, and accept his offer to defend him.

"I have decided to do as you suggested. I had it pointed out to me that if I were to give up then, Todd and his family have won." Clay knew it was going to be difficult, so he was trying to gather his strength for the battle ahead.

"Superb, can you come to my office and sign the necessary paperwork? Is 10 o'clock okay for you?"

"Sure, I'll be there at 10 o'clock, goodbye." Clay hung up the telephone and turned to Ray. "He wants me there at 10 o'clock to sign some paperwork."

"Well, then we had better get ready." Ray slapped Clay on the shoulder and laughed, "You could use a shave, Dad."

Clay rubbed the whiskers on his chin. "I was thinking about growing a beard. Don't you think I would look good with one?" Clay winked when he saw the surprised look on Ray's face. "I guess I could use a shave." He walked to the bathroom next to his bedroom and closed the door behind him.

Ray laughed at the silly grin on his father's face and thought of what a difference in his mood from the day before. "Carolyn; Dad, and I are going to the lawyer's office so Dad can sign some paperwork."

"That's wonderful, Ray. I may not be here when you get back. I have to take Sherry to the store to get some new shoes, and I will probably look for some new ones for Jason, as well. I can't believe what a growing spell they've both had the last few weeks. With school beginning in a few weeks, both of them will need all new clothes. At least, Amy doesn't need any new ones," Carolyn laughed as she picked Amy out of the bathtub and wrapped her in a towel.

"No problem, we can fend for ourselves." Ray walked over to the end table and picked up his cell phone then put it in his pocket. "I'll call you when we get home."

"Okay. Hey, I think I'll just swing by and pick up some pizza for dinner. I'm sure after dragging the girls through the mall, I won't be in any mood to cook," Carolyn groaned playfully.

"Or I can stop and get something to grill? How about I cook some hamburgers, and we can have some chips and dip? I can handle dinner so that you don't have to worry about it."

"Oh, Ray, that would be wonderful," Carolyn exclaimed. "You're the best."

"Good, besides, I would rather have a big, juicy hamburger over a pizza any day," Ray chided.

"Did I hear someone mention grilled hamburgers?" Clay laughed as he walked into the living room. "There, do I look better now?"

Ray reached up and touched Clay on the cheek. "Yep, smooth as Amy's butt."

"And it smells better, too," Clay chuckled.

"That it does," Ray agreed. "Carolyn, we're leaving. Have fun, and we'll see you later."

***

"Good morning, gentlemen, Mr. Weller, is waiting for you in his office," the attractive receptionist smiled and then led them down the hallway.

"Come in," Douglas motioned for Clay and Ray to sit in the chairs across from him.

"I have drawn up the usual forms for you to sign. Why don't you take your time, and look them over?" Douglas slid the stack of forms across the desk to Clay. "If you have any questions, now is the time to have them answered."

It took Clay nearly ten minutes to look through the forms and sign them all. He looked through the stack one more time but was confused. "Where is the one that says how much I owe? I'll need that one too."

"I know; I wanted to save that for last so that we could discuss it," Douglas said.

Clay suddenly felt an uneasy feeling come over him. "I want you to know that I am not a wealthy man..."

"Oh, please don't worry about that, Clay. I do not intend to charge you a cent for my services. You see, I have had dealings with several people destroyed by the Gensen's over the years. I have a dear friend who made the mistake of trusting Richard Gensen, only to lose everything his family had worked hard to build for over three generations. There are more people than you realize who would love to see the Gensen's taken down, and you have opened the door to their destruction."

"I don't want to do anything illegal," Clay said suspiciously.

"No, I'm not planning to do anything illegal. I only want to use the law to crush the hold they have on so many people's lives. When you made those recordings where Todd spilled the beans on his family, you pulled the curtain back, protecting the Gensen family. I have friends in Austin, who are thrilled for something on that family, and I can assure you that they are anxious to drive the final nail in their coffin. For far too many years to count, they have evaded the law because they had control of every level of government in your county. Then if anyone tried to go against them, they squashed them like a bug under their boots. I only need you to sign this form stating that I am handling your case, Pro bono." Douglas held out the paper for Clay.

"I can live with that." Clay took the document and then signed it.

"So, what happens now?" Ray asked.

"Now, I get to work. I will begin with obtaining your military records and your medical files."

"I'm guessing that you already know that I am receiving VA benefits for Agent Orange," Clay commented.

"Yes, and that will make my job much easier. I want to let you know that you made a smart decision when you chose the place to perform your, shall I say, deed. I have several supportive friends in this county at the courthouse, so that will be a great benefit to us."

"I didn't want to give them any power over me, so I chose that barn because it was over the county line," Clay said.

"That was a smart thing to do. I'm sure they are squirming in their designer shorts because they have no control over what is about to head their way," Douglas laughed. "They have twisted the law in their favor for long enough. Now it is the time that they felt the full force of the law, and I, for one, have waited to see this day finally arrive."

Clay felt a sense of relief as he watched Douglas, and he had to admit that he was pleased to have him on his side. As Clay glanced around the finely decorated office, he knew that this man would not stop until the Gensens met their destruction.

"Do you have any more questions?" Doulas said as he put the signed paper inside the file sitting on his desk.

"Yeah, I have a question," Ray asked. "What are my father's chances of an acquittal?"

Douglas did not answer right away. He leaned back in his large, leather chair and looked directly at Clay. "I'm not going to tell you that we don't have a difficult time ahead for us. You gave a confession, and that is going to make my job more difficult. I'm not going to tell you that there isn't a chance that they'll find you guilty because most juries frown on a recounted confession. However, we have a card up our sleeve. You see, we have Todd's confession, as well, and when the jury learns what he did to your granddaughter, as well as to Miss Chaffier; that changes everything." Douglas leaned forward and placed his hands on the desk, "No decent person on that jury will want to find you guilty of murder after they hear that recording."

Ray looked at Clay and then to Douglas. "I don't understand. What are you saying?"

Clay looked at Ray, and then reached over and placed his hand on Ray's arm. "He's going to make the jury believe that I went crazy and killed him."

Ray could not believe what he was hearing. "What? Is that what you're going to do?"

Douglas looked at the two of them and smiled. He knew that this would be difficult for Clay, but it was the only way to save him from death row. "In a matter of words, yes, that is just what I plan to do."

Ray felt his body go numb. "Is that the only way?"

Douglas was about to answer when Clay interrupted, "Son, I have faith in this man. I don't believe he will do anything that isn't needed to be done. If it means to paint me as a crazy loon, then so be it. I want to stop them from hurting anyone else, and if it means that everyone thinks I've gone mad and killed Todd for hurting our Sherry, I can live with that."

Tears streamed down Clay's cheeks as he looked into his son's eyes, and at that moment, Ray realized the depth of love and respect he had for his father. He knew that he needed to hold strong to the love they shared as a family, and no matter what was to come; they would stand firm together. "You're right, Dad. We need to stop them from destroying any more lives."

"I'm glad that we are all on the same page, gentlemen," Douglas smiled. "Clay, you need to remember to stay at Ray's house, and you are not to leave the area. I will be in touch after I get all of your records. We have a battle ahead of us, but I believe that we will win." Douglas stood and offered his hand to each of the men, who stood, as well, and returned the handshake.

Clay held the handshake for a few moments, as he looked Douglas directly in the eyes. "I want to thank you again for taking my case."

Douglas grinned, "It's my honor, Clay."

The three men said their goodbyes, and then Ray and Clay walked back outside to their truck. They both got in and sat in silence for a few moments before Ray finally started the truck and backed out of the parking space.
Chapter 19

The weeks seemed to last an eternity until the first day of the trial finally arrived. Clay had met with Douglas a few more times to discuss their plan of action, and he had to admit that he was impressed with what Douglas had prepared for his defense: a plea of Diminished Capacity.

When Douglas had first told Clay of his intention to have his plea Diminished Capacity, he was not sure if he liked it. However, once he had thoroughly explained to him, Clay had to agree that it was a brilliant idea.

Douglas had explained it as meaning that although his sanity was not in question; his exposure to Agent Orange had possibly caused his inability to handle extreme emotional distress. He went on to explain that at the time, Clay could not fully comprehend the nature of the criminal act he's accused of committing. He said the defense commonly used this plea in the attempt to remove the element of premeditation or criminal intent. Thus, obtain a conviction for a lesser crime, such as manslaughter instead of murder. Douglas had reinforced that he would not settle for even manslaughter, but he would push for a conviction of misdemeanor assault. This generally carried a penalty of up to six months in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000. He went on to say how first offenses usually only involved a fine, probation, and a mandatory diversion program, such as an anger management course. Then once successfully completing probation and diversion sentence, one can sometimes get the conviction erased from their record. Douglas had said the fact that Clay was receiving VA benefits for Agent Orange would make this sentence a definite possibility.

***

Clay had gotten out of bed, showered, and dressed before the sun had risen in the eastern sky. He appreciated Ray for allowing him to stay in the guest room all these weeks, but he was ready to go home.

He had just pushed the start button on the coffee pot when Jason walked into the kitchen. "Good morning, Gramps. I heard you taking a shower, so I thought I'd join you for some coffee before mom and dad get out of bed." He walked over to the cupboard and pulled out two cups, and then set them on the counter next to the coffee pot. "Man, I'm hungry. I wonder what mom has planned for breakfast?"

"I know what I would like," Clay grinned and winked.

Jason knew that look, and he had to agree. "I'll grab my keys and be right back."

Clay had to laugh as he watched Jason leave the kitchen, and then return in a few moments with a broad smile on his face. "I sure hope they still have some apple fritters. I love them when they're still warm."

Clay laughed as he watched Jason rush toward the back door, "And don't forget to get plenty of chocolate sprinkle donuts. I don't want to have to fight Sherry for them."

"Don't worry, Gramps. I promise to get plenty."

"Where's he off to so early?" Ray said as he walked into the kitchen.

"He's going to get us some breakfast so that Carolyn won't have to worry about it." Clay laughed when he saw the grin appear on Ray's face.

"I guess we raised him right, didn't we, dad?" Ray pulled a cup out of the cupboard and sat it next to the others. "It looks like the coffee is made. I sure can use some this morning." Ray poured them each a cup, and then carried both cups to the table and set them down. "Dad, I'd like to have a little talk before the others wake up, okay?"

Clay sat in one of the chairs and pulled a cup to him. He could see the concern on Ray's face and wondered what was on his mind. With the first day of the trial upon them, he had to admit that he was nervous, as well. "Sure, son, what's on your mind?"

Ray reached for his cup of coffee and took a sip, and then he closed his eyes a moment to gather his thoughts.

"What's on your mind, son? There isn't anything you can say that will change how I feel about you." Clay felt the anguish consuming Ray, and it broke his heart to put his son through all of this.

"No, Dad, it's nothing like that. I just..." the words caught in his throat.

"What, son?"

"It should have been me, Dad. I should have been the one to kill Todd, not you. I can't tell you that I didn't dream of doing it, but I just couldn't..." Ray's eyes filled with tears, and his voice grew raspy with each word. "I am so thankful to you, Dad. You have spared more girls from having that animal getting the chance to hurt them. You are my hero, and I will forever be grateful to you." Ray wiped the tears from his eyes and did his best to regain control of his emotions.

Clay did not know how to respond. He had wondered how Ray actually felt about what he had done, so he was pleased to learn he did not think of him like some crazed murderer.

"Thank you, son, but I did what needed to be done. You need to be here for the family, so if this thing doesn't go our way, I don't want you to feel sorry. Do you understand?" Clay smiled at Ray and then winked playfully.

Ray sighed, "I understand."

They reached for their cups and took another drink, and then sat in silence until everyone else joined them.

***

No one said a word on the drive to the courthouse. When they pulled into the parking space at the back entrance, Douglas was waiting there for them. "Good morning, Clay. You need to follow me, and the rest of you will need to go to the front entrance."

Clay looked at Ray and smiled, and then he turned to Sherry and winked. "Don't y'all worry about me; I'm in good hands with Douglas here." He opened the door and stepped out.

Ray wanted to be strong, but the emotions, he felt, were too powerful. "Dad... I love you," he said with tears streaming down his cheeks.

Clay leaned down and looked at Ray through the window, "I know, and I love you, too." He then turned to face Douglas, "Come on, let's get this damn thing over with."

***

Ray and Carolyn were surprised at how quickly the courtroom filled up with spectators and media crews from local and national outlets. "Damn, this is going to be a circus," Ray groaned.

Carolyn looked at Sherry, who was sitting silently next to her. "Maybe we should have left her with Marjorie, as well," she whispered to Ray.

"No, I want to be here for Grandpa," Sherry said in a firm voice.

Ray looked at the determined look on her face and shook his head. While he knew she did not need to be subject to the court proceeding, he also knew that she would never forgive him or herself for not being there. "She'll be just fine. She's a strong girl."

Carolyn wanted to argue, but she understood how Sherry felt.

Jason leaned over and whispered in Carolyn's ear, "Mom, don't worry about her. She needs to be here. She has enough painful memories to carry with her in her life without adding the guilt of not being here for Gramps."

Carolyn reached up and touched Jason's cheek, "How did you grow up into such a wise, young man?"

Jason smiled and then reached over and wiped a tear from her cheek. "I had three great teachers," he smiled.

***

The court proceedings began as normal, with each attorney laying out their case. The prosecutor had clearly explained out how the state would prove first-degree murder due to the confession. Douglas, on the other hand, had said that in spite of the confession, Clay was not responsible for his actions. He said that he could prove it was due to his exposure to Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam.

Ray sat and watched the jurors while each attorney gave their opening statements, and he wondered how affected they would be by the testimony of how Todd died. He knew the media had spoken at length of the cruel way that in which Todd had died, but he also knew some people believed he had gotten what he deserved. Would this jury see past the confession and understand his fear for his granddaughters? Would they understand the rage that consumed his soul and accept his plea of Diminished Capacity, or would they find him guilty of premeditated murder and give him the death penalty? He searched their faces trying to find an answer to his questions, but he was unable to, as they held their emotions well.

Ray was surprised when the judge announced that it was time to break for lunch, as the morning seemed to fly by in the wink of an eye. "Let's wait for the courtroom to clear a bit before we leave." He looked at Carolyn, who nodded her agreement.

"Daddy, I think the jury people are going to say that Grandpa is innocent," Sherry whispered.

Ray looked down at her, surprised by this statement. "Why do you say that, sweetheart?"

"I just know,' she said with a matter-of-fact tone in her voice.

Ray looked at Carolyn, who shrugged her shoulders, and then he said a silent prayer that his daughter was correct.

"It seems to be finally clearing out, so why don't we go eat some lunch; I'm starving," Jason grinned, as he stood and waited.

Ray looked up at Jason and shook his head. "Son, you are going to break us with your appetite."

"Hey, I did feed everyone breakfast this morning," he laughed.

Ray could not help but laugh at the look on Jason's face. "Yes, you did, son. Well, we better get going because an hour will pass before we realize it."

***

"Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Jefferies, I saved you a table over here." The young waitress grabbed the menus and walked toward the window in the back corner of the diner.

Ray, Carolyn, Sherry, and Jason followed the waitress through the restaurant with everyone in the place watching them as they passed.

Damn, is this the way it's going to be from now on? Ray had hoped for a quiet, relaxing lunch, but he sensed by the looks on the other patron's faces it was going to be anything but that. Ray could feel their eyes on him, and he braced himself for what he assumed was to come. He waited for Carolyn and the children to take their seats and was about to sit himself when a tall man approached him. Ray looked at the man and waited for him to speak.

The tall man cleared his throat and said in a clear and firm voice, "Mr. Jefferies, I would like to tell you that we support what your father did to that piece-of-shit that attacked your daughter. I have two young daughters myself, and I can say that I would do the same thing if someone harmed them the way he did your daughter. I live in San Antonio, and I wanted to come here in support of your father. I didn't mean to interrupt your lunch, but I wanted to let you know that there are people who are thankful for your dad. He did the right thing, you know. Todd Gensen needed to be stopped before he hurt more young girls." The man then held out his hand and smiled, "It would be an honor to shake your hand."

Ray looked into the eyes of this stranger and saw a look of genuine respect staring back at him. He knew that the people of the town supported his father, but to have a complete stranger from so far away come for the trial to show support, brought tears to his eyes. Ray took the man's offered hand and returned the handshake. "Thank you, this means so much to us to know that people understand what drove dad to take such a drastic measure. May I have your name so that I can tell my father about you?"

"Just tell him that a fellow veteran is proud to call him a brother," he winked.

Ray smiled, "I will tell him; I promise."

When the man turned to leave, several of the other patrons stood and applauded.

Carolyn looked down at Sherry, who was smiling and giggling. "See, Mommy, I told you that Grandpa wouldn't go to jail."

Carolyn looked at Sherry and was worried that she did not understand the severity of the situation. "Sherry, you do know that it's wrong to kill someone, don't you, and if the jury thinks your grandpa is guilty of murder, then he will go to jail."

Sherry sat silently for a moment and then squared her shoulders before she spoke. "Mommy, if Grandpa didn't stop Todd, he was going to hurt someone else. He told me that he liked to play grown-up games with little girls, so he was going to do it again. He was an evil man, and what Grandpa did was to protect other little girls from him. I'm proud of Grandpa, and I know that the people in the jury will not send him to jail because Grandpa is one of the good guys."

Carolyn realized that she could not argue with that logic. Clay was a good man, and he had stopped Todd Gensen from hurting anyone else. "May I ask how did you get so grown up, little lady?"

Sherry rolled her eyes and laughed, "Mom, I'm not a baby anymore."

"No, you certainly aren't," Carolyn smiled.

***

The waitress had just brought their meals when Melissa Collins approached the table. "Good afternoon, Mr. Jefferies. I don't know if you remember me, but I've spoken to your father on a couple of occasions."

Ray looked at Carolyn and then back to Melissa. "Yes, Miss Collins, I remember you."

Melissa looked at Ray, and she could see the mistrust in his eyes. "I won't keep you, but I wanted to let you know that I have a special report scheduled for tonight about your father. I have been doing some digging into his claims of the Gensen family and the perverse way they have done business in your county, and I must say that I have learned some interesting facts."

Ray was not sure what to say. He wanted to believe her, but he also knew that reporters often added their own twist to a story to suit themselves and their desire for ratings. "Okay, so what do you want from me?" Ray looked at her trying to read if she was deceiving him.

Melissa could see his distrust, and she had to admit that she did not blame him. She looked around the small diner and noticed that most of the other patrons were watching their conversation, waiting to see what would happen. "I understand your distrust of people in the media, and I don't blame you. However, I have the utmost respect for your father, and I hope with all my heart that he receives an acquittal. You see, I understand the pain you and your family are going through, but most importantly, I know the pain Sherry has lived through at the hands of Todd Gensen." She looked at Sherry, giving her a knowing smile. "I only wish that I had had a grandfather who stopped the man who attacked me before he went on to hurt so many other girls in my neighborhood throughout twenty years."

Carolyn could see the pain in Melissa's eyes. "I'm so sorry to hear that you had to endure such pain, Miss Collins."

"Thank you, Mrs. Jefferies. It was difficult because I lived in constant fear that he would harm my family if I said anything, and it wasn't until the police arrested him that I finally knew peace."

As Ray watched Melissa speak, he could see that she was honest with them. It appears that Dad was right about her. "Tell me, Miss Collins, why are you telling us this? Just what is it that you want?"

Carolyn gasped and looked at Ray with disbelief. "Ray, how could you..." but Melissa cut her off before she could finish her protest.

"No, it's all right. I understand his question, and I promise that I don't want anything from you. All, I want is to help get the truth out about your father and the Gensens. You see, I grew up in a small town as well, where those from an affluent family were able to twist the legal system for their own benefit."

"I'm sorry, Miss Collins, it's just this whole thing has me on edge." Ray could see the sadness in her eyes, and he wondered how she was able to pull herself up and go on after experiencing something so horrific.

"Well, I won't keep you from your meal any longer. I left my cameraman outside in the van while I came inside to pick up our food order, so I'm sure he's wondering what is taking me so long." She turned to leave, but suddenly stopped and turned to face Sherry. "I want to tell you how brave you were during the trial, and I was heartbroken to watch the way the defense attorney treated you. I want to let you know if you ever need someone to talk to, I'll be there."

Sherry looked into Melissa's tear-filled eyes and smiled, "Thank you, I would like that very much."

Melissa was about to speak when her cell phone began to ring, "Dang it, that's him," she chuckled, as she pushed the answer button and put the cell phone to her ear. "Yes, I'm coming. Stop complaining, I'll be right out!" she said as she waved her goodbye, and then walked over to the register to pay for her order.

Sherry looked at Ray with a hopeful reflection shining in her eyes, "I like her Daddy. Maybe I'll be a reporter like her someday."

"You would be a good one because you never take no for an answer," Jason chimed in. "But I don't think that you will be as good lookin' as she is."

Sherry glared at him and was about to say something when he wrapped his arm around her and whispered in her ear, "You know I'm only teasing you, sis. You are going to be the prettiest and the smartest reporter on TV, and I will be your number one fan."

Sherry looked at Jason and could see the love they shared, looking back at her in his eyes. "Thank you, and I love you, too."

"Okay, you two, let's eat before this food gets cold," Ray laughed when he saw the embarrassed looks on their faces. "There is nothing better than a big ol' cheeseburger and fries."

The rest of them laughed as Ray picked up his hamburger and took an enormous bite, then rolled his eyes with a look of pure ecstasy on his face.
Chapter 20

The rest of the afternoon went along as expected, with each side bringing in their expert witnesses to testify. The prosecution tried his best to discredit the claim that Agent Orange could have had been a factor that led to Clay making the decision to kill Todd, but Douglas came prepared with his own expert witness clearly to state the cases of other veterans who suffered from violent outbursts.

Ray had wished that they would have the opportunity to speak with Clay before the judge called the court to order. Unfortunately, Douglas had kept him facing forward so as, not to invite any unwanted comments from the spectators in the courtroom. It was unfortunate enough to have Richard Gensen sitting behind the prosecutor, glaring at Clay the entire time.

As each expert witness was cross-examined, Ray had carefully watched the reaction of each juror. There were moments when he believed that one or two of them seemed to question the statement while others seemed completely engulfed in the testimony.

Clay wondered what was going through their minds, as the expert witness for the defense explained the scientific explanation of the effect that Agent Orange had on the men exposed to it during the war. A couple of times, Clay was sure that he had seen the sympathy in their eyes, but then he realized it was probably only wishful thinking on his part.

When the judge finally announced that they would adjourn for the day, and had instructed the jury, Ray breathed a sigh of relief. "Come on; let's go get the car so that we can meet Dad out back. I'm sure he is ready to go home for the night."

Carolyn looked at him and frowned, "I know that I am. That prosecutor is tough."

"Yeah, but Gramps' lawyer is the bomb," Jason grinned. "Did you see the look on the prosecutor when he shot down his witness? That was awesome. Maybe I should think about being a lawyer."

Ray glanced over at Jason, "I thought you wanted to work in the store, and then take over someday?"

Jason did not say anything for a few tense moments until Ray finally spoke up, "I was only joking, son. If you choose to be a lawyer, we will stand behind you one hundred percent. All, we have ever wanted, was for you and your sisters to be happy, so if being a lawyer is what you want to do, then so be it." Ray wrapped his arm around Jason's shoulders, "Come on, let's go home."

***

"Hurry up, Carolyn, she's coming on after this commercial," Ray shouted from the living room.

Silence filled the car on the drive home from the courthouse. When Ray drove around to the back of the courthouse to pick up Clay, Douglas had informed them that they were not to discuss any of the proceedings of the trial. "Clay needs to stay clear-headed for his turn to testify, so I need you all just to be there as a comfort to him, do you all understand?"

Ray understood the necessity for the jurors, not to talk about the trial, but he didn't get why it pertained to his father. He assured Douglas that no one would ask Clay any questions and would not speak of anything relating to the trial. The last thing that Ray wanted was to jeopardize the case.

After dinner, Clay had excused himself to his room for the night, leaving everyone worried that the stress of everything was taking its toll on him.

"Why didn't Grandpa stay up and watch TV with us?" Sherry had always loved the nights when Clay would stay late and watch a movie with them.

"He's just tired from the long day." Carolyn knew that Sherry did not understand, but sometimes a person just needed to be alone to think.

"Quiet you two; she's coming on in a minute." Ray had looked forward to Melissa's report on the evening news, as he was curious about what she had to say about the trial.

They all sat on the couch and waited for the commercial to end when Melissa finally appeared on the screen. "Good evening. My name is Melissa Collins, and welcome back to the Channel 4 evening news. Tonight, I will be sharing the story with you of Murder or Justice in a small town." She went on to explain the unfortunate acquittal of Todd Gensen for the brutal assault of an innocent thirteen-year-old girl. Then she told how the victim's grandfather, Mr. Clay Jefferies had forced a confession from Todd Gensen. Lastly, she said that Mr. Jefferies made sure that Todd Gensen would never be able to harm an innocent girl again.

Ray was pleased with how she presented the case and how she was careful not to sensationalize it. She merely laid out the facts at hand and allowed the viewer to make their own decision as to guilt or innocence.

She then closed her report with a statement that caught Ray by complete surprise. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have presented the case before you to decide for yourselves, but I have a question that I want you to think long and hard about tonight. What would you do if it were your daughter, granddaughter, or any woman in your life? Was Mr. Jefferies right to rid his community of a dangerous man, or should he have remained silent? We all need to think about those who can't protect themselves from a predator who preys on the weak and helpless. If we do not stop those who would do such harm, then we are just as guilty as a society." She then clasped her hands together and rested them on the table in front of her. "I ask all of you to say a prayer for Mr. Jefferies tonight. He is a good man who made a difficult decision. Tonight, look at your daughters and granddaughters and ask yourself this simple question: Would I do the same? This is Melissa Collins reporting, goodnight."

The television broke away to a commercial, leaving everyone sitting in silence.

Carolyn was the first to speak, "She stayed true to her word, didn't she?"

"Yes, she did, and now I understand why Dad trusted her." Ray turned the television off and then walked to the shelf holding the dvds. "What movie would you like to watch tonight, Sherry?"

Jason reached over and gave Sherry a light punch on the shoulder, "Hey, you got to pick the movie last time."

Sherry giggled and then leaned against Jason's arm. "Yeah, but I'm cuter than you are, so that's why I get to pick again!"

Jason knew there was no winning, so he just leaned back and watched her jump up and run over to the shelf to pick a movie.

***

Clay could hear the laughter coming from the living room, and he smiled as he thought about how much he loved his family. "Marie, I wish you were here. I sure could use some of your words of wisdom at this time."

Clay did not know if he could face the idea of testifying. Aware of what he was supposed to say, Clay also knew what he wanted to say. He did not have a bit of remorse for what he had done, and, in fact, he would gladly do it again.

"What type of person would do what I did and not feel guilty?" he wondered aloud. He knew the answer, but he did not know if the jury would understand the rage he felt at what Todd had done to Sherry. He closed his eyes, and the vision of Todd begging for his life brought a smile to his lips. "Damn, you weren't so tough, were you, Todd?" he chuckled to himself.

He glanced over at the picture of Marie sitting on the bedside table. "You don't feel bad about me, do you, sweetheart? I had no choice, or he would have come after Amy next once she'd grown."

He reached over and touched the picture when a feeling of peace flowed over him, and at that moment, he knew that Marie had forgiven him. "Thank you, now I have the strength to carry on." He picked up the picture and lay down on the bed, hugging it to his chest. "I'm tired, what about we get some rest." He placed the picture on the pillow next to him, closed his eyes, and in no time; he was fast asleep.
Chapter 21

The courtroom was abuzz with spectators and media crews filling the seats. Ray and Carolyn had arrived early and were sitting behind the defense table, trying to ignore the commotion behind them. They had decided to leave Jason and Sherry at home today, much to their dismay, as they did not feel that it was best to have either of them there during their grandfather's cross-examination.

***

"Dad, it's not fair! Grandpa needs all of us there with him," Sherry had protested.

Ray knew how much she wanted to be there, but he worried that she would not be able to control herself when the prosecutor began his cross-examination. "I know you want to be there, but you need to stay home this time. Jason, I need you to take care of the girls today and make sure that Sherry remains inside the house. Do you understand?"

While Jason did not agree with leaving them at home, he respected his father's decision. "Don't worry; I'll handle everything until you get home."

Ray looked at Jason, and he could see the concern in his eyes. "Everything will be okay, son. We need to have faith that everything will end well."

"I know; I just can't imagine Gramps sitting in prison. I know that it's wrong to commit murder, but in my mind, what Gramps did wasn't murder. He merely made Todd Gensen face justice for what he did to Sherry."

Ray did not know how to respond to that comment because, to be honest, he had to agree. Todd Gensen had escaped paying for his cruelty for far too long, and Ray was glad to know that he would not be around to hurt anyone again.

***

"Ray, what are you thinking about?" Carolyn could see his mind was wandering.

"Just about what Jason said this morning; about how what Dad did wasn't truly murder. I just hope the jury believes the same thing." Ray looked at Carolyn, where he saw a look of concern on her face, as well.

"I do, too. I can't imagine life without your father, and I know it would devastate the children, not to have him around, as well."

Their eyes met in a moment of understanding. Ray reached out and took her hand in his. "We just need to pray that it's God's will that Dad is found not guilty," he grinned, and then they both closed their eyes and said a silent prayer.

***

Clay sat at the small table, waiting as Douglas finished with a telephone call. He looked around the sparsely furnished room, noticing the small cracks in the walls, and peeling paint on the window seal. How many others have waited to face the twelve people who would decide their future?

Douglas sensing Clay's discomfort smiled and nodded, trying to assure him that things were going to be fine while he continued with his telephone conversation.

Clay returned the gesture, but he knew this could go badly for him should the jury choose to go with his initial confession. He looked at his wristwatch and noticed it was nearly time to go, and he wondered if he could go through with it. "You deserved what you got," he whispered, with a feeling of renewed strength surging through his body.

"Yes, he did." Douglas gently rested his hand on Clay's shoulder. "Come on, it's time to go."

***

The sound of hushed whispers filled the courtroom when Douglas and Clay took their seats at the defense table. As they walked into the room, Clay noticed how the crowd seemed to be larger than it was the day before, and he suddenly felt his stomach tighten with dread.

"Just relax, everything will be just fine," Douglas whispered as he positioned his notes on the table.

Clay did not respond but merely nodded his understanding with the feeling that every eye in the courtroom was burning a hole into his back.

The court bailiff made the official announcements, and the judge took a few moments to remind the jury of their responsibilities before they called Clay to the witness box to testify.

Clay's mind was spinning as the bailiff swore him in, and he was not even sure of what he said as his hand rested on the old, worn-out Bible. "I will," Clay said, and when he sat in the chair, he looked out over the room of spectators and suddenly felt his body grow numb.

A collective hush came over the courtroom when the prosecutor stood and walked toward Clay, and then paused a few tense moments before he finally spoke, "Good morning, Mr. Jefferies. I hope you feel well today?"

"I feel fine," Clay answered, unsure of what to think of the question.

The prosecutor smiled and then took a step closer to Clay. "I'm glad to hear that, Mr. Jefferies. How long had you known Todd Gensen?"

Clay leaned forward and calmly said, "Since he was a child."

"Had Todd Gensen ever upset you in the past, Mr. Jefferies?" The prosecutor asked while glancing over at the jury.

Clay did not answer but looked at Douglas.

"Mr. Jefferies, I asked you if Todd Gensen had ever upset you in the past." His voice was sharp and demanding.

Clay looked at Douglas again, who merely nodded that he should answer the question.

"Yes, but no more than most residents of our town," Clay said plainly.

"Please just stick to answering the question, Mr. Jefferies," the prosecutor said. He then turned toward the jury before he continued, "Mr. Jefferies, would you say that you have a temper?"

Clay looked at the prosecutor, and he could see the accusatory look on his face. "No more than anyone else, I guess."

"Is that so," the prosecutor grinned.

Clay suddenly felt uncomfortable, as he noticed the jurors watching the prosecutor. Damn, he's playing that jury like a violin! The words screamed in his mind. He watched their faces, as the prosecutor reminded them of how Clay had nailed Todd's scrotum to the dirty barn floor with two 1 ½ inch roofing nails. Next, the prosecutor went on to explain again how Clay had stuck a dull, rusty knife in the wooden floor, offering Todd's only escape from a fiery death. "Mr. Jefferies, you took your time planning what you did that night, did you not?" he paused, waiting for an answer. "Mr. Jefferies, did you hear what I said?"

Drawn back from the unknown place his mind had wandered, Clay lifted his head and looked directly at the prosecutor. "Yes, I did." Those three simple words caused a collective gasp to sound throughout the courtroom.

"And tell us, Mr. Jefferies, if you had the opportunity to do it again, would you?" The prosecutor leaned forward and held his gaze with Clay.

Silence fell over the courtroom, as everyone held their breath and waited for the answer. Clay, while trying to gather his thoughts, casually glanced over the shoulder of the prosecutor and noticed how the second hand on the large clock on the back wall appeared frozen in place. He closed his eyes and said silently, Marie, I know that you understand why I had to do it.

"Mr. Jefferies, did you hear me?" The prosecutor grew anxious to listen to the words that he knew would guarantee a conviction.

Clay opened his eyes and stared at the smug expression on the face of the prosecutor. Of course, he would do it again, but should he admit it to the jury? Clay glanced over to the jury box and tried to read their faces.

"Mr. Jefferies, will you please answer the question," the prosecutor's voice clearly showed his impatience.

Clay held his gaze with the jurors and said in a loud and clear voice. "If it were to protect another child from the brutal attack at the hands of a monster such as Todd Gensen, then yes, I would do it again without a thought."

The courtroom erupted in shocked murmurings from the spectators. Clay glanced over to the surprised looks on the jurors and wondered if he had just sealed his fate.

"Order, I will have order!" the judge howled then slammed his gavel on the desk, causing an immediate silence to fill the room. "You may continue with your questioning," the judge motioned.

The prosecutor stepped back from the witness box, and then said in a self-aggrandizing way, "I have no further questions for the witness."

Clay sat stone-faced and watched the prosecutor stroll back to his table and sit in the chair next to the assistant prosecuting attorney. The two men leaned in closely and whispered something while glancing back over to Clay.

Clay felt the blood in his veins turn to ice when the prosecutor glanced at him and smiled. What an arrogant piece-of-shit! The words screamed in his mind, but he hid his emotions well.

Clay's mind was spinning when he heard the judge announce that it was time for Douglas to cross-examine him. He looked over at the defense table and watched as Douglas stood and approached the witness box.

"Good morning, Mr. Jefferies," Douglas said in a cheerful tone.

"Good morning." Clay looked at Douglas and wondered how he could be so chipper after the beating he had just taken at the hands of the prosecutor.

Douglas walked toward the jury box, then stopped and turned to face Clay. "Mr. Jefferies, do you remember the testimony the specialist gave about the effects of exposure to Agent Orange?" He paused a moment, allowing the jurors to grasp the question entirely.

Clay was not sure what he was supposed to say. He looked at the jury and then to Douglas. "Well, I...uh..."

Douglas smiled. "Why don't we just focus on one of them today?" He turned and looked at the jury, now focused intently on Clay. "Mr. Jefferies, you served in Vietnam, where you were exposed to the dangerous chemical Agent Orange. Is that correct?"

"Yes," Clay said flatly.

"Now, we have all heard the experts argue over whether or not exposure to that substance causes any lasting medical problems." He paused a moment, allowing the jurors time to remember the testimony from the two experts who had testified earlier in the trial.

"Mr. Jefferies, will you please tell the court how you felt when you learned that Todd Gensen had raped your granddaughter?" Douglas turned and looked at Clay.

The prosecutor jumped to his feet. "Objection! Mr. Gensen was found innocent of all charges."

"Overruled, I feel that Mr. Jefferies' emotional state at that time is relevant to this case," the judge said flatly.

The prosecutor was about to object again, but the look on the judge's face let him know that it was of no use. "Please answer the question, Mr. Jefferies."

Clay looked out over the sea of faces in the courtroom, waiting with bated breath for his next words. "How is one supposed to feel when they learn that their sweet and innocent young granddaughter was taken to an old barn far out in the country, and then brutally raped? I was angry, but I also had faith that once the monster was caught, who had done that to her would pay." His eyes glistened with tears as he remembered that horrible night and the empty look in Sherry's eyes.

Douglas watched the jurors carefully, as Clay spoke. He could see the pained looks on their faces, convincing him that he was on the right path. Good, this is going our way. "Mr. Jefferies, will you please share with the Court how it was that you learned it was Todd Gensen who had attacked your granddaughter?"

The prosecutor jumped to his feet again. "Objection!"

"Overruled," the judge, said dismissively. "Please answer the question, Mr. Jefferies."

Clay had cleared his throat before he spoke, "The bastard came to my son's house one afternoon with flowers for Sherry."

"With flowers, how did that turn out?" Douglas stepped closer to the jury box and turned to face Clay, waiting for his answer.

Clay felt the anger welling up inside of him at the arrogance Todd had displayed by coming to their house that day. He cleared his throat again to calm his nerves and then spoke in a clear and firm tone. "Not well at all. You see, up until that point, Sherry hadn't told anyone who attacked her. Most people were saying it was because she had blocked the whole ordeal out of her mind, but I knew the truth. He had threatened her family if she talked, pure and simple. He destroyed his fiancé's life in our town after she reported that he had raped her. Sherry is a very brave little girl. She would never take the chance of something horrible happening to those she loves," his voiced cracked. "Todd Gensen came over to her house that day to make sure that she knew he was watching her, and that she had better remain silent. He never counted on her blurting out that he was the one who had attacked her. If the damn fool hadn't come over that day, who knows..." Clay's voice trailed off.

The prosecutor jumped to his feet again. "Your Honor, everything the defendant just said, is merely hearsay."

The judge looked over at Clay and then to Douglas. "Please continue with your questioning, but tread carefully."

"Yes, Your Honor," Douglas smiled. He then looked over at the jury, Superb, all is going as planned. Douglas could see the expressions of understanding on their faces, which let him know this line of questioning was going in Clay's favor. However, he knew that from here on out, he needed to be very careful as to not jeopardize everything he had done up to this point.

Ray and Carolyn watched the proceedings with a sickening feeling building up inside of them. When the prosecutor had questioned Clay, they had both kept a close eye on the reactions of the jurors. Ray had noticed that most of them seemed sympathetic to Clay's answers. However, a couple of them appeared to lean toward the prosecution.

Every so often, Ray had felt Richard Gensen watching them with a look of pure hate burning in his eyes. Ray figured that Richard was upset not to have had the trial held in their county where he could sway the verdict. He was also positive that Richard was still upset about his little run-in with the other Sheriff that night at the barn. Ray would have given anything to see the expression on his smug face when told to go home.

Lost in his thoughts, Ray looked over at Carolyn and took her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. Carolyn turned and looked up at him, and when their eyes met, they shared a silent prayer that after all of this, Clay would be coming home.

The sound of the gavel slamming down on the judge's desk brought Ray and Carolyn back to awareness. "I will have silence, is that understood? If I have to warn you again, you will be spending some time in our jail. If you feel the need to report what is going on in my courtroom, then I suggest that you go outside first." The judge pointed an angry finger at two of the media personnel gathered at the back of the room. "Please continue, Mr. Weller."

"Thank you, Your Honor." Douglas turned back to face Clay. "Mr. Jefferies, you have shared with us what happened the day that Todd Gensen came to your son's house. Can you please tell the court what happened the day of Todd Gensen's acquittal of the brutal rape of your granddaughter? Will you please explain to the court what happened next to make you decide to take the law into your own hands?"

Clay glanced over at the jury and then back to Douglas. He could feel the fury churning up from deep inside of him again as he remembered that day. "I can't say that I was utterly shocked when the jury came back with the verdict. Hell, the Gensen's have always controlled the court in our county," he exhaled as he tried to clear his mind. "I knew that he would do it again, so I had to stop him. The damn fool thought he was above the law, and to be honest with you; in our county, he was. Todd had made it quite clear that he had enjoyed what he did to my granddaughter. Then he made the mistake of telling me about his plans for her baby sister. As far as I'm concerned, I did what was needed to protect my family."

Clay calmly leaned back in the chair and glanced over to where Ray and Carolyn sat, watching the proceedings. He had hoped that they would have stayed home, but they both made it clear they would be there for him, no matter what happened. Clay had to admit that a part of him was glad to see them sitting there. However, he also knew how painful it must be for them.

Ray saw the pain in his father's eyes, and it took all of his strength, not to stand, and yell at the top of his lungs the injustice of it all. Todd Gensen had raped Sherry and gotten away with it because of his family. Ray had often wondered how the jury was able to come to the verdict of not guilty. Knowing that family, they probably paid off some of the jurors!

Carolyn, realizing the battle raging inside of Ray, gave his hand a gentle squeeze. They looked into each other's eyes and knew once this trial was over; their lives would never be the same again.

***

Clay spent nearly an hour on the witness stand, answering each question to the best of his ability. Occasionally, he would glance over at the jury, wondering if he were helping, or hurting his case. I confessed to killing Todd. How can a jury not find me guilty? Clay had to admit he was relieved when Douglas announced that he had no more questions for him.

Suddenly noticing the time, the Judge announced they would break for lunch, and then come back for closing arguments.

Clay was glad to get out of the witness box, and away from the prying eyes of those seated in the courtroom. As he followed Douglas out the rear door, he heard several of the media personnel sitting in the back of the room, stand, and rush outside.

"They want to be the first ones to give a report on your testimony today," Douglas winked.

"Yeah, I'm sure they will have a great time painting me as some crazed killer," Clay snickered.

"Don't worry about them. Come on; let's go and enjoy our lunch. I hope you don't mind, but I went ahead and had something delivered." Douglas opened the door to the small room with the smell of BBQ ribs filling the air. "I heard that you enjoy a great slab of ribs."

Clay could not help but smile. "As a matter of fact, I do." Clay walked over to the table and sat in front of one of the Styrofoam plates. "Thank you, you know this could be the last time I get to enjoy these."

Douglas closed the door and then joined Clay at the table. "Don't even talk that way. I have a good feeling about this jury. They are honest and hardworking folk. Besides, you've watched their faces. You can't tell me that you haven't seen it in their eyes."

Clay looked at Douglas, unsure of what he meant. "I don't understand."

"Yes, you do. I've watched you, and I know that you have seen the same look in their eyes."

Clay looked at Douglas, still unsure of what he meant.

"Understanding: the people in that jury understand your decision."

Clay sat in silence for a moment, trying to understand what Douglas meant. Then it suddenly came to him. "They wonder if they would do the same thing if it were them!"

Douglas opened his container and bent down to breathe in the aroma. "Exactly! Okay, let's eat these delicious looking ribs." Douglas pulled a rib out of the container and held it up as though he were making a toast, "Here's to good food and friendship."

"Yes; here's to good food, friendship, and a jury that will see fit to vote for an acquittal," Clay laughed.

"I'll eat to that," Douglas laughed.
Chapter 22

"I wish that dad could have joined us for lunch." Carolyn glanced out of the window of the diner toward the courthouse across the street.

"I know, but I'm sure that Douglas is taking good care of him. Have you decided what you want yet?" When the Judge had excused everyone for lunch, Ray had hoped that he could have had a moment with his father. He knew that Douglas had everything under control, but he felt so helpless.

"I'm not hungry. I think I'll just have one of those half-serving chef salads." Carolyn took a sip of her sweet tea and then set the glass back down on the table in front of her.

Ray knew how she felt. He was not hungry himself, but he knew that he should eat something.

"Are you ready to order?" the young waitress asked.

"Yes, my wife will have your chef salad, and I'll have the BLT with fries." Ray handed her their menus.

"Ma'am, do you want the half or full size?" The waitress took the menus from Ray and tucked them under her arm.

"I would like the half size, and I want my Ranch dressing on the side, please."

"I'll have that right out to you." The waitress turned and walked toward the kitchen.

Carolyn sat absentmindedly twirling the straw in her glass of sweet tea, causing the ice to make a clinking sound as it hit the inside of the glass. Without looking up, she asked, "Ray, what are we going to do if they convict Dad?"

Ray wanted to tell her it would never happen, but he also knew that his father's chance of going to prison was greater than he wanted to admit. "I don't know, Sweetheart. I've been watching the jury, and I can't get a clear idea of what they're thinking." He could see the concerned look in Carolyn's eyes. Unfortunately, he knew there was nothing he could do. He just had to consign himself that his father's life was in the hands of twelve strangers.

Several stress-filled minutes passed by the time the waitress brought their meals. "A chef salad with the dressing on the side for the lady and a BLT with fries for the gentleman," she smiled, while placing the plates down on the table. "Is there anything else I can get you?"

"We would love some more tea," Ray looked over to Carolyn, who nodded.

"I'll be right back with that," the waitress smiled and then headed back toward the kitchen.

Ray looked over at Carolyn's plate and laughed. "Damn, it sure is a good thing you ordered the half serving. That thing is huge," he laughed.

Carolyn was about to respond when the waitress returned with their drinks and sat them on the table in front of them. She hesitated a moment, before finally speaking in a hushed tone, "Mr. and Mrs. Jefferies, I just wanted to tell you that I hope your father is found innocent. I don't think what he did was wrong at all. In fact, everyone who works here thinks of him as a hero."

Taken aback by the heartfelt statement, Ray smiled. "Thank you..." He turned his head so that he could read her name badge, "Tammy."

"I just wanted you to know that we keep your father in our prayers every day, and we want you to know that your lunches are on the house."

Ray looked up at the young woman, and he could see tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "Thank you, Tammy. That's very kind of you. We appreciate the support more than you know."

"You're very welcome. Well, I will leave you alone to enjoy your meal." Tammy turned and walked away.

Carolyn looked at Ray and smiled, "That was sweet of them to buy our lunches."

Ray watched Tammy as she walked back toward the kitchen. "Yes, it was."

***

Clay looked up at the clock hanging on the wall in the small room. Once they had finished their lunches, Douglas excused himself to go handle an important matter.

"Damn, it's only ten minutes until we have to go back," Clay whispered to the empty room. As he waited for Douglas, he wondered what the jury was thinking at this time. Did they believe that he suffered from the effects of Agent Orange, as Douglas had explained to them, or was he simply a crazed murderer? His mind was swirling when the door opened, and Douglas walked in with a big smile on his face. "What are you grinning about?" Clay asked.

Douglas walked over to the table and stood next to Clay. "Let's just say that I have a good feeling about things, that's all. Come on, it's time to get back out there."

Clay stood and followed Douglas, unsure of what he meant by the statement.

***

The courtroom was full of spectators and media personnel when Douglas and Clay took their places at the defense table. While walking into the room, Clay had noticed Ray and Carolyn sitting behind the defense table, and by the looks on their faces, they seemed almost happy. What is going on? He wondered to himself.

Once everyone was in their places, the bailiff announced the judge. The judge instructed the jury again of their responsibilities, and then he told the prosecutor that he could begin his closing arguments.

Clay sat in stone-faced silence, as the prosecutor painted him as a cold-blooded murderer and explained again how Clay had planned the murder of Todd Gensen down to the slightest detail. The prosecuting attorney went over how Clay had laid Todd on the floor of that old barn, secured his arms and legs with rope, and nailed his scrotum to the floor with roofing nails. He took his time to explain how Clay had rigged the barn to ignite into flames with the push of a button on a remote-control device. Then to add the final touch to his plans; he had stuck a knife into the floor to give Todd the choice of dying in flames or castrating himself to escape.

Damn, I'd convict me if I were sitting on that jury!" Clay thought while he listened to the prosecutor, recap the events of that fateful night.

Once the prosecutor had completed his closing arguments, Douglas stood and walked around to stand in front of the table for the defense. He paused for a few tense moments, looking at each of the jurors, one by one before he finally spoke, "You have all heard from the prosecution of how Mr. Todd Gensen died. Yes, it was quite gruesome, and yes, my client, Mr. Jefferies, has confessed to doing it. However, we all know that there is more to the story than what my esteemed colleague just shared with us. You see, Mr. Jefferies has always been an honorable man. He served this country in the military, he has been a valued member of his community and has always sacrificed for the love of his family. Mr. Jefferies has never denied what he did. In fact, he was ready to take whatever punishment the law saw fit, but that isn't what should happen to a man of his caliber. You have listened to the specialists, and how someone exposed to Agent Orange can have outbursts of anger while experiencing intense stress. Now, I'm sure that there isn't anyone in this room that wouldn't want to protect their loved ones from a monster like Todd Gensen. In fact, I'm sure that most of us would fantasize about doing just as Mr. Jefferies; if the same thing happened to someone, we loved. Therefore, your job is to decide if Mr. Jefferies is guilty of premeditated, cold-blooded murder, or if he lost all reason because of the pain in knowing that his granddaughter was violated in the worst way imaginable, and then reacted to that pain. I ask you to search your hearts as to whether Mr. Jefferies deserves punishment for merely protecting his granddaughters and any other girls that Mr. Gensen may have set his sights on next. I leave this honorable man's life is in your hands." Douglas stepped back to the table and sat beside Clay without saying another word.

Clay watched the judge instruct the jury as to their duty and then excuse them to go decide his fate. "Thank you for everything," he whispered to Douglas.

"It was my honor," Douglas smiled. "Come on, it's time for us to leave."

***

The room seemed unusually quiet and dark, as Clay lay on the bed. Ray and Carolyn had wanted him to stay up and talk after dinner, but he was tired and wanted to be alone with his thoughts. Realizing that he was not going to get any sleep, he sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the picture sitting on the bedside table. "Well, Marie, what do you think? Am I going to prison, or not?" He chuckled to himself, knowing that she would tell him there was no sense in worrying about something that was out of his control.

He decided to go to the kitchen and see if there was any more of the coconut cream pie left in the refrigerator. It had always been one of his favorites, and Marie used to make it for him as a special treat whenever something was bothering him.

He reached for the light switch on the kitchen wall when he heard a voice coming from over by the table. "What's the matter? You can't sleep either?"

"Shit, Ray, you damn near scared the crap out of me!" Clay laughed.

"If you're looking for the pie, I saved you a big piece. I knew that you'd be out here for some sooner or later," Ray snickered.

Clay retrieved the pie from the refrigerator and joined Ray at the table. "Why are you sitting here in the dark, son?"

"I didn't want to wake Carolyn or the kids. Besides, the security light is shining through the window, so it's not completely dark," he said playfully.

Clay looked out the window at the bright light, filling the entire backyard, and laughed. "Yeah, I always did say that thing would keep the thieves away, but also draw every flying insect for a forty-mile radius of your yard."

Ray looked out the window and then shook his head in agreement. "I guess you're right, but it also makes for a nice nightlight."

Both men looked at each other with the realization this could be the last time they might share a moment such as this. Clay could see the sadness in Ray's eyes, and it tore at his heart.

"Son, I want you to make me a promise."

"Sure, Dad, anything," Ray held his breath and waited for what he feared would come.

"If they find me guilty, and I'm given the death penalty, I want you to promise me that you will accept the verdict, and not fight."

The light shining through the window cast a shadow across Ray's face, hiding the tears forming in his eyes. He knew what he wanted to say. However, he also knew it would only cause additional pain for his father. "Of course, Dad, anything you say."

Clay exhaled content in the knowledge that Ray would do as he had requested. "Would you like some of this pie? There's plenty here for both of us," Clay grinned. "Why don't you grab each of us a glass of milk, and another fork?"

"Okay, dad, that sounds like a great idea."
Chapter 23

It had been a long night for the jurors. Being cut-off from the outside world, while sequestered in one of the local motels, made for a dreary evening.

The jury consisted of seven men and five women. Curtis, Gary, Randy, and Steve were all retired; Bill worked as a general laborer at the paper mill, Chad was a supervisor at the chemical plant, and Mike was unemployed. As to the women, Patricia, Dawn, and Clarisse were retired; Carri Ann worked as a cashier at the local pharmacy, and Barbara was the office manager at the local Real Estate office.

Clay had once asked Douglas if this jury would understand why he had reacted the way he did, and Douglas had merely smiled and said, "They are good and honest folk. I'm sure they will make the right decision."

***

The deliberation room seemed small; once everyone had taken their place at the table. Each of the jurors took a moment to look around the room, wondering what the day's events would bring. Each wanted to have this over with as soon as possible and get back to their lives. However, they also understood their responsibility as jurors, and that the fate of a man rested in their hands.

An eerie silence hung over the room until Chad finally spoke. "I know that we are supposed to examine everything we heard during the trial, and only go by the evidence submitted. I also know that in the eyes of the law, what he did was wrong," he rested his hands on the table before he continued. "The thing is, after listening to everything presented in that courtroom, I just can't say that I believe he's guilty of cold-blooded murder." He looked around the room and noticed the rest of the jurors nodding their heads in agreement.

"I have to admit that I agree with him," Curtis added. "How many of us would have reacted the same way had that happened to one of our daughters or granddaughters?"

Each of the jurors looked around the table and nodded their agreement again.

"So, what does this mean?" Clarisse asked. "We can't go out there this soon, and say that we've already come to a verdict."

Everyone chuckled in unison. Each of them knew they could never bring themselves to convict Clay Jefferies of murder. However, they also knew they needed to give the appearance of deliberating the details of the case before telling the court of their final decision.

"Okay, so we are all in agreement?" Gary stated while looking around the table at each of the other jurors.

"Okay, so how much time do we need to give it then?" Mike asked. "I know that we get paid for this, but I heard they are hiring at the refinery, and I need a job."

No one spoke for several moments, as each weighed the consequence of their decision. Was it wrong to find a man, not guilty, when he had apparently confessed? More to the point, was it wrong to send a man to prison for only protecting his family when the law had failed? Each one gathered around the table knew they would have to live with their decision for the rest of their lives. Therefore, they wanted to choose wisely as there would be no turning back once they had announced their decision to the court.

Carri Ann finally spoke, breaking the silence. "I think we should request to see some of the evidence to make it look as though we are still deliberating."

"I agree," Bill said. "We need to make this look good."

No one moved as each waited for each other to stand. "I think that Carri Ann should do it. It was her idea," Mike chuckled. "Let's take a vote by a show of hands. Who thinks that Carri Ann should be the one to ask?" He raised his hand in the air, and then laughed when the rest of the group did the same. "You win by unanimous vote!"

Carri Ann felt her body go numb. She looked around the table at the others and realized that she had no choice. "Fine, I'll do it." She walked to the door and lightly knocked, and then stepped back, allowing the officer to open the door.

"Yes, ma'am, may I help you?" the officer asked.

"Yeah. We need the testimonies of the two Agent Orange specialists, please," the words caught in her throat.

"I'll get those for you now. Is there anything else you need?"

Carri Ann glanced back at the group, still sitting at the table. "Ah, no thank you. Not at this time."

"Okay, I'll be back with those in a few minutes." The officer closed the door and then walked away.

"Good job, Carri Ann," Chad teased.

She quickly sat in her chair, trying to calm her nerves. "I was so nervous; I've never done anything like this before. I sure hope that we don't get in trouble."

"How are we going to get in trouble if we all feel the same way? It's not as if anyone is being forced to vote a certain way, so we are only doing as instructed. The judge told us to listen to all of the testimonies, examine the evidence, and then make a clear-minded decision. Well, I, for one believe beyond any doubt that Clay Jefferies is NOT guilty of murder. What he did was a desperate act to save his family. We've all watched Todd Gensen's confession, and we all know he would have come after the younger sister, as soon as she was older."

"I have to agree," Randy said. "When I saw the smug look on his face during the interview after his acquittal, I knew that he was a worthless piece-of-shit."

A knock on the door alerted everyone that the Court Officer had returned with the requested testimonies. He walked over to the table and set the folders down. "Let me know if there is anything else you need," he said as he stepped away from the table.

"We will, thank you," Carri Ann replied nervously.

The officer smiled, and then left the room, closing the door firmly behind him.

"Damn, we need to be more careful," Randy chuckled.

"Yes, we do," Curtis chimed in nervously.

Dawn, who had sat quietly, finally spoke up, "You know, I was nervous about what would happen when I was chosen to serve on this jury. I had watched the news reports of the first trial on the evening news, and I fought with emotions that I had deeply buried many years ago." She reached up and wiped a stray tear as it flowed down her cheek.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Patricia asked with a surprised expression on her face as she reached over and grasped Dawn's hand. "I know how you feel. I never told anyone either. You just didn't talk about such things back then."

"I know that I should have said something during the jury selection process, but I had always been ashamed of what happened." Dawn bit her lower lip, fighting the anger surging up from deep inside of her. "I thought it was my fault, but I don't any longer. Sherry Jefferies is the same age that I was when..." Her voice faded away, but then she suddenly exclaimed, "Todd Gensen got what he deserved! I only wish that someone would have done the same thing to the man who hurt me!"

Silence filled the room, as everyone looked at Dawn, unsure as to what to say. Each knew how too often a predator would violate a child, and nothing would ever come of it. Todd Gensen was a cruel and evil soul, and the world was better off without him.

"I know the rage that Mr. Jefferies felt," Gary said with sadness in his voice. "My sister was molested by one of our neighbors when she was only ten-years-old. Of course, no one wanted to believe her, let alone do anything about it. I remember how she would wake up crying at night, and then run to my room and crawl into bed with me. I was only twelve-years-old at the time. I didn't understand what had happened to her, but I did know that she was scared to be alone. Mom and Dad never wanted to talk about it, and whenever she would try to bring it up, they would tell her to stop making up stories. I watched my beautiful sister, who was once full of life, withdraw and seem to fade away. I remember when we were teenagers, and how she would sneak out of the house at night and run the streets. She began to do drugs and sleep around, until one day she was found in her bedroom, unconscious and near death from a drug overdose." He reached up and wiped a stray tear now flowing down his cheek. "I didn't know if she would survive, but by the grace of God, she pulled through and is now happily married with three children."

Clarisse reached over and lightly rubbed Gary on the shoulder. "I'm sure that we all have a story of someone special in our lives that was abused, as it happens far more often than most people realize. I believe that we have been given the opportunity to right a wrong," she sat up straight and squared her shoulders before continuing. "Clay Jefferies is an honorable man. He served his country with honor, raised a family, and has been a valued member of his community. I, for one, do not intend to allow him to rot in prison. We have far too few people living today of his caliber, so if I can be a part of ensuring that justice is finally served, then I will proudly do my part."

"I'm with you, Clarisse," Steve said enthusiastically. If we don't stand up for what is right, then those who do, harm will win. I'm tired of watching the evening news with all the reports of people who have no respect for others, continue to get away with their crimes. If they can use the law to get away with hurting people, we can use the law to protect a good man."

Everyone nodded their heads, and each one felt a renewed sense of strength that what they were about to do was the right thing.

Randy looked up at the old clock hanging on the back wall of the room and realized it was nearly noon. "How about we have our lunch and alert the court that we have made a decision around 3 o'clock? That way, they will believe that we, at least, discussed the case," he snickered.

"That sounds like a good idea. Besides, I wouldn't mind some more of that good food from the diner across the street," Curtis laughed as he rubbed his stomach.

"I'm looking forward to a long bath and sleeping in my own bed," Patricia sighed.

"Oh, that sounds lovely," Barbara agreed cheerfully.

"Well, you ladies can enjoy your bubble bath. I look forward to stretching out in my recliner," Steve grinned, and then laughed when he noticed Gary nodding his head in agreement with a cheesy grin on his face.

Knock...knock...knock.

"Speak of the devil, our lunch has arrived," Randy chuckled.

***

The morning seemed to drag on forever for Clay. He knew there was nothing he could do other than wait, but he wondered if his nerves could take it. "Damn, how long is it going to take them?"

"Come on, Dad. Douglas said it would probably take at least a couple of days before they decide on a verdict. You need to relax. The last thing you need is to end up in the hospital from all the stress." Ray knew his words were empty. Hell, he was on pins and needles himself. He looked over at Carolyn, who was holding Amy on her lap and saw the concern on her face, as well.

Clay knew that Ray was right, but he just wanted to get the whole mess behind him. He was tired of being a burden on the family, and not knowing what his future held for him. "You're right; I'm sorry for being so moody. Your mother always knew how to put me in my place..." his voice trailed off, as the loneliness, he had felt since her death consumed him.

Ray could see the sadness in his father's eyes. "Dad, I know that Mom would not want you to end up in the hospital. She would tell you to hold up your chin, and stop fretting about things you can't change." Ray smiled as he remembered how his mother always had a way of pulling them out of the darkest moods.

Clay looked over at Ray and suddenly felt a calming sensation wash over him. "I see her in your eyes," he smiled with the knowledge that she was always with him.

"Why don't I make us some lunch?" Carolyn stood and walked toward the kitchen. "Ray, would you tell Sherry that we're going to eat. She's in her bedroom."

Clay stood and looked at Ray, "I'll get her if you don't mind."

"Sure, that would be okay. I'll see you in the kitchen." Ray watched Clay walk toward the hallway and said a silent prayer that the jury would see into his father's heart and, realizes that he is a good man. "Dad, I love you."

Clay turned and looked at Ray, "I love you, too, son. I sure hope that Carolyn plans to serve that taco salad I saw in the refrigerator. It sure looked tasty." Clay grinned and then walked down the hall toward Sherry's room.

***

Clay knocked on Sherry's bedroom door and waited for her to answer.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"It's your grandpa. Your mom sent me to fetch you for lunch," he slowly opened the door and peeked in her room.

"Come in, I need to talk to you alone about something," she looked at him with a serious look in her eyes.

"Am I in trouble?" Clay teased.

"No, silly, I just have something I've wanted to tell you that's all," she took him by the hand and led him over to her desk. "Here sit in my chair."

Clay looked at her, wondering what was on her mind. He sat in the offered chair and folded his hands in his lap. "I'm all yours. What's on your mind?"

Sherry sat on the edge of her bed and looked over at Clay with the strangest look in her eyes. Clay was about to speak when she held up her hand to silence him.

"Grandpa, I want to thank you for what you did. I know the law says it's wrong, but you're a hero." Clay began to speak, but she held up her hand again.

"I don't have the nightmares anymore," she said flatly.

"You don't?" Clay found himself surprised by this statement. "When did they stop?"

Sherry sat up straight and pushed a stray strand of hair from her eyes. "When I heard that he was dead."

Taken aback by her words, Clay shook his head. "I don't know what to say."

"Grandpa, that night when he had me in the barn, he did the ugliest things to me. He was a cruel man, and he would have kept doing stuff like he did to me to other girls." Sherry wanted to tell him everything that happened to her that night, but she could not seem to form the words.

"What's wrong, Sweet Pea," Clay asked, seeing the emotions playing across her face.

"I'm scared for you," she wiped the tears now wetting her cheeks.

"You don't need to fear for me. I'll be just fine," Clay wanted to tell her that he would not be going to jail, but he knew his chances were better than not.

"I know that you did it for me, and I will always be grateful. I have been praying that the jury will see you like the good man that I know you are. I love you, Grandpa." She leaped to her feet and ran over to him, throwing her arms around his neck.

"I love you, too, Sweet Pea," he held her tightly. "Okay, enough of the mushy stuff. Your mother has a Taco Salad that is calling my name."
Chapter 24

"Damn, that was some good food," Chad groaned, pushing himself away from the table. "If I keep eating like this, I'm gonna have to go on a diet."

Clarisse laughed as she watched the other men groan, as well. "I do have to say their pecan pie is quite delicious."

"Well, since we all agreed to wait until 3 o'clock before we alert the judge of our verdict, what shall we do for the next hour and a half?" Steve leaned back in his seat, trying to relieve the pressure on his stomach. "Damn, I knew I shouldn't have eaten that second piece of pie," he looked over at Barbara and grinned.

Barbara looked at him and shook her head, "Well, there was no sense of it going to waste since I can't have sweets."

"You're right, I'll just blame you for my stomach-ache," Steve winked.

Barbara was about to protest when the rest of the group burst out laughing. "You're right, I'll take the blame," she snickered.

Once the laughter had ceased, Carri Ann spoke up with seriousness in her voice. "You know that none of us have even looked at the issue paper given to each of us at the conclusion of the trial. I was just glancing at it, and it sunk in what we all have decided to do."

"Have you changed your mind?" Gary asked, unsure if he wanted to know the answer.

"No, I just know that we will be breaking the law ourselves. We are all taking a great leap of faith that one of us won't decide to tell the media, and then we'll all be in trouble." She looked around the table into the faces of each person, trying to read their mood at the prospect of facing prosecution themselves for, not performing their due diligence to come up with an honest verdict.

Curtis looked at Carri Ann and realized that she was correct. Had they just gotten themselves caught up in the moment, or were they going to stand firm and do the right thing? "She's right. We need to be sure that each of us fully understands that once we do this, there is no going back. Why don't we take a blind vote just to be sure?"

Everyone looked around the table and nodded in agreement.

"Curtis, since you're the foreman why don't you count the votes," Steve said while handing everyone a piece of paper and a small pencil.

Curtis felt a knot form in his stomach. He knew this time would eventually come, but he wondered if everyone would be able to live with the decision made this day for the rest of their lives. "Okay. Well, I guess we just need to write Guilty or Not Guilty, and then everyone hands me their papers, and I'll do the count."

No one said a word as each wrote their verdict on the small slip of paper; each hovering over it as though protecting a precious treasure. Once completed, they each carefully folded the slip of paper and handed it to Curtis. He looked at the small pile of folded paper lying in front of him on the table, drew in a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled, "Well, there's no turning back now." He reached for the first slip of paper and slowly unfolded it.

***

"Dad, Douglas is on the telephone. He said the jury has come back with a verdict!" Carolyn said breathlessly, as she held the cordless receiver out for him.

"Damn," he groaned. "Hello. Yes, I'll be right there."

"I need to meet him at the courthouse within the hour." Clay handed the receiver back to Carolyn and then turned toward the hall leading to the bedrooms. "I need to change my shirt."

"I'll call Ray, and let him know that we'll pick him up there. He went to the store earlier to check on things." She turned to Jason, who had just entered the room, "Jason, I need you and Sherry to get ready to go to the courthouse. We'll swing by the store and pick up your dad, and then drop Amy off at Marjorie's on our way to the courthouse." Carolyn could see how upset Clay was, and, to be honest, she was too. It seemed rather sudden for the jury to return with a verdict. I sure hope they have good news.

***

Clay was amazed at how quickly the word had gotten out of the verdict, as media crews and curious spectators were already lining the street in front of the courthouse.

"Damn it, move out of the way," Ray growled as he tried to maneuver through the crowd to the driveway leading behind the courthouse where Douglas was waiting.

Ray pulled up to the curb, next to where Douglas was standing. "Good afternoon, Clay," Douglas said as he reached out and opened the car door.

Clay looked up at Douglas as he climbed out of the car, but he did not respond.

Douglas could see the concern on Clay's face. He understood Clay's misgivings, as he had felt the same way when he had received the call. "Come on, Clay, let's get you inside. Ray, why don't you park back here, and then follow us inside. I'll show you how to get to your seats. There is no sense in having to fight your way through that crowd again."

"Thank you, Douglas. You're right; I have no desire to face them again," Ray sighed.

"Carolyn, why don't you go ahead and get out with the kids. I'll get parked, and join you in a minute." Ray waited for them to get out of the car, and once everyone was clear, he pulled forward and turned into the parking space next to Douglas' car.

***

Once Douglas had shown everyone to their seats, Clay, and he took their place at the table for the defense. The room was abuzz with the chatter of spectators and media crews, each having their theory as to what brought about this quick verdict.

Clay sat motionless, as Douglas explained what would happen next. He heard the words, but his mind was unable to comprehend what Douglas was saying.

"Clay, did you understand what I just said?" Douglas asked.

"Ah, sure, I understand." Clay had no idea what Douglas had just said, and, to be honest; he did not care. He was in no mood to hear anything now, other than the verdict that would decide his fate.

Clay turned to see the jury being ushered in the room, and take their places in the jury box. He tried to make eye contact with a few of them, but they all kept their eyes turned away from him. "Damn, that can't be good," he whispered under his breath.

"Did you say something?" Douglas leaned over close, keeping his voice low.

"No, I just..., never mind." Clay folded his hands together and rested them on the table in front of him. His face felt flush, and he wondered if anyone noticed how nervous he was.

Once the jury had taken their places, the bailiff made the announcement for the judge.

***

Clay's mind spun as he heard the words: Will, the defendant rise. He then fought to regain his senses when he heard the judge ask the jury if they had reached a verdict. Clay stood motionless next to Douglas and awaited his fate. He glanced over at the Jury Foreman, as he read the verdict for each charge: NOT GUILTY.

The courtroom erupted in cheers and shouts of disbelief. Clay stood in place, unsure if he had heard correctly.

Ray and Carolyn sat in stunned silence, overcome with relief. However, Sherry and Jason, each cheered loudly.

Richard Gensen stood and stormed out of the courtroom, cursing and promising retribution.

"Order, I'll have ORDER!" the judge shouted while banging his gavel on his desk. "Mr. Jefferies, you have been found Not Guilty by a jury of your peers. While I am sure that some people will question this verdict, it is the way of our judicial system. You have received a gift, Mr. Jefferies; please do not waste it. You are free to go."

"Thank you, Your Honor." Clay turned and looked at Douglas, who was gathering his paperwork to put in his briefcase. "Thank you, Douglas; I owe you more than you will ever know."

"It was my honor, Clay. Now let's get you out of here."

***

"Melissa, you're on in 3, 2, 1...," the cameraman announced.

"Good evening, my name is Melissa Collins, and tonight we are going to share the story of how justice prevailed over evil. I'll be sharing the story of Mr. Clay Jefferies, and a jury that decided to do the right thing. Accused of murdering the man that violently raped his granddaughter, Mr. Jefferies faced a conviction for murder, and possibly the death penalty. Now, I'm sure that you remember the trial of Todd Gensen, and how his family used their wealth and power to ensure his acquittal in the assault and rape of thirteen-year-old, Sherry Jefferies. However, Todd Gensen's family never expected that Clay Jefferies had a plan of his own. You see, those tapes Mr. Jefferies made of Todd Gensen confessing what he and his family had done is in possession of the State Attorney General. Therefore, Mr. Richard Gensen and Retired Judge Clifton Gensen are facing criminal charges themselves for fraud, jury tampering, extortion, and corruption at every level. Clay Jefferies took a stand against corruption and brought an evil and powerful family down. No longer will the people of his community fear to lose their homes or livelihoods. The people of the small town are free from a family of tyrants, who treated them as subjects, to use and treat unfairly. I have had the privilege to talk with Mr. Jefferies, and I can tell you that he is a good and decent man. I hope to have the opportunity to visit with him again sometime in the future and see how he is doing after this grueling ordeal. I am proud to see the people are pushing back against those who desire to rule over them. In my opinion, Mr. Jefferies has shown us that if we do not stand up against tyranny and those who would do harm, then we are doomed to all be victims." She smiled and then folded her hands together, resting them on the desk in front of her. "After this message, we will have the weather forecast from our meteorologist, Samuel Mavens." The screen faded.
Epilogue

Six Months Later

"Dad, hurry up, or we'll be late!" Carolyn shouted as she scooped Amy up in her arms and ran to the door.

"I'm coming; heck, they can't start without me," Clay chuckled.

"Come on, Gramps. You don't want to leave your fans waiting," Jason laughed at the look on Sherry's face as she tugged on her grandfather's arm.

"He's right, Grandpa. Everyone is waiting for you to give your speech." Sherry was so excited this day had finally arrived. She was wearing her new dress and her first pair of heeled dress shoes.

"You sure look pretty in your new dress," Clay smiled. "You are as lovely as your mother and grandmother."

"Do you remember your speech?" Sherry had helped him memorize his speech, but she wondered if he would remember it correctly.

Clay laughed, "Of course I remember my speech. We only practiced it every free moment for the last couple of days."

"Come on, you two. Ray is trying to keep everyone entertained, but he isn't having much success. As a matter of fact, they are getting rather impatient for you to make your appearance," Carolyn teased as she watched Clay and Sherry walk toward the door hand-in-hand.

"Will you stand next to me so that I don't get scared?" Clay asked, and then squeezed Sherry's hand in his.

"You don't get scared, do you?" Sherry looked up at him and grinned.

"I have from time to time, but as long as I have you by my side, I'll be okay. So, will you stay up there with me?"

"Of course, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Now hurry up, you have an acceptance speech to make, Grandpa...I mean, Sheriff."

~~~

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