“Did you know about this?” I asked Hudson under my breath.
He shook his head. “I didn’t even know about this hearing.”
I pat his arm as tears glistened in his eyes while he watched the scene unfolding before him.
His parents looked over at him and reached out to offer some comfort while we stood for the judge to enter and take the bench.
“You may all be seated,” the bailiff said, and Rayna and her parents sat down so the court session could begin. “Ms. Markson, it is my understanding that you have new evidence in hopes of overturning Hudson Moore’s conviction?”
I nodded. “Yes, Your Honor. I do.”
Judge Harris waved her hand. “All right, you may begin.”
“Thank you, Your Honor.” I drew in a quick breath and went to work, systematically laying out each piece of evidence in the case and showcasing the new evidence I’d dug up. Hudson had doubled back to Harvest House to retrieve his backpack, so he couldn’t have been where the assault took place within the time limit.
A tense quiet fell over the courtroom as I concluded my presentation and went back to the table beside Hudson. “As you can see, Your Honor, the timeline that was originally put together by the prosecutor doesn’t work. Mr. Moore couldn’t have been there. I don’t think the defense attorney even gave him a shot at finding him innocent.”
The judge gestured for me to sit down, and I took my seat, smoothing my skirt down as I sat. Hudson caught my eye and placed his hand on top of mine for a quick moment, just long enough to convey his thanks without drawing too much attention.
“Ms. Markson,” the judge began, still considering the still photos in front of her. “Normally, these hearings are to determine whether an appeal trial is even necessary. However, in this case, given the new evidence presented and the statement from the victim that they are no longer sure that their original identification was correct, I am not going to grant an appeal, but rather, I am going to overturn the conviction and put this case back into law enforcement’s hands to find the man who is responsible for this crime.”
My eyes went wide, and I scrambled to my feet. “Thank you. Thank you, Your Honor.”
“Mr. Moore, you have the courts sincerest apologies. You are now released from custody.” She nodded and banged her gavel. The proclamation final.
I could barely stay on my feet as my legs trembled. We’d done it! After all these years, all the digging and questioning, it had all paid off. Hudson would be free, and from the looks of it, restored to his family to mend the bonds that had been ripped apart over the entire ugly affair.
Hudson wrapped me tightly in his arms, freely sobbing against my shoulder. “Thank you, Shelbs. Thank you for never giving up on me.”
I couldn’t find any words, so I just nodded and clung tightly to him for as long as he would let me. Hudson wasn’t the hugging kind of guy, so when he wrapped his arms around me, I knew the action was coming from real emotion.
Eventually, Rayna ripped me away from him and crushed me in her own bear hug. When she finally released me and clung to her brother, I moved over to shake hands with their parents. They thanked me and asked how they could repay me, and I told them to just be there for Rayna and Hudson, to which they tearfully agreed.
Hudson was taken away to be released from custody, and Rayna walked out with her parents. As I watched them go, I shed a few of my own tears and breathed a deep sigh. It was finally over. Hudson would be home by the end of the day and would finally be free of the nightmare he’d endured. It was a struggle to keep my feet on the floor as I gathered my belongings.
“Excuse me, Ms. Markson,” a honey-smooth voice drawled.
A laugh slipped from between my lips as I popped up from packing my briefcase and found Ross standing there, hands in the back pockets of his well-worn jeans. He gave me a lazy smile. “Aren’t you supposed to be on a plane right now?”
“I’m playing hooky,” he replied, grinning at me. “I couldn’t get here to watch the whole thing, but I’ll cop to sneaking in on you. Looks like you did one hell of a job.”
I nodded, still beaming at the thought of Hudson and Rayna reunited. “He’ll be home soon. They just have to do paperwork. Then, I’m filing for false imprisonment, so they can get back on their feet and help Rayna get herself out of debt so she can stop killing herself with her sixty-plus hour weeks.”
Ross circled my waist with his hands. “You did it, Shelby. You made all of that possible.”