Fighting Our Way (Broken Tracks 2)

“We’re here for one last argument from yourself, Mr. Cole. Then the jury will deliver a verdict. Are you ready?”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

He waves his hand. “Then please proceed.”

Clearing my throat, I stand up and address the jury. “We could go back and forth all day over whether my client is guilty or not, but the truth of the matter is my client and the alleged victim were having sexual relations way before the video in question surfaced.” I make eye contact with each person sitting there before saying, “I’d like to call Mr. Savage to the stand.”

Derek stands and gets sworn in before sitting in the witness stand as cool as a cucumber. “Mr. Savage, can you please tell me for how long your ‘fling’ with Miss Williams took place before the day in which your moral compass is being questioned.”

While he says his answer, I walk over and pick up the top piece of paper from the open file in front of where I was sitting, all the while not listening to him because we’ve been over what he should and shouldn’t say many times already. “And there was no force or coercion on your part?”

“Absolutely none,” he states.

“So these accusations are completely false, in your opinion?” He nods and I refrain from rolling my eyes, I’ve talked to him about this, too. “I’m sorry, Mr. Savage, for the record, could you please voice your answer.”

“Yes, every sexual act myself and Miss Williams partook in was consensual.”

I turn toward the jury, holding up the paper so I can see but not enough to hide my face from them. “I’ll be waiting for you in the copy room, Savage. I’m not wearing any panties.”

“Objection!” Jeremy Lions—the prosecution—shouts.

“On what grounds?” Judge Ferguson counters, sounding bored.

“R—relevance,” Jeremy stammers out.

“Overruled, please continue, Mr. Cole. I’d like to hear more.”

“Thank you, Your Honor.” Taking a step forward, I continue. “Mr. Savage, do you recognize this?”

He shrugs as he leans forward, trying to get a better look at what I’m holding up. “I get a lot of messages that sound like that, but yes, I remember that one clearly.”

I want to knock the cocky smirk off his face but instead, I say, “I’m not surprised you do because it was sent to you by none other than Miss Williams herself.” I pause, turning toward the jury again. “Exactly twenty-two minutes before the video in question was taken. I don’t know about you, but to me that doesn’t sound like someone who wasn’t up for partaking in whatever acts conspired that day.” There’s murmurs throughout the gallery and I turn toward Derek on the stand. “But that doesn’t explain you groping Miss Williams and her slapping you in the video, Mr. Savage.”

“Objection!” Jeremy yells again.

“Grounds?” Judge Ferguson asks again.

“Badgering the witness.”

I barely hold in my chuckle as Judge Ferguson says, “It’s his witness, Lions. Sit down.”

I turn toward Derek and nod subtly at him to which he sits up straighter. “I walked into the copy room not long after receiving an email from her on my personal account.” He turns his gaze toward the jury. “We liked to keep things strictly out of the workplace.” He turns back to me. “Until what I guess is the email you have there, but when I got to the copy room she was acting strange.”

“Strange? Can you expand?”

He nods. “She kept turning me around every time I tried to walk behind her, telling me I wasn’t doing it right.” He sighs. “I enjoyed spending time with her but she was starting to get clingy and I don’t do clingy, so I stopped our encounter and told her after that time, we were over.”

“What happened then?”

All smug, he sits back in his chair. “I tried to continue so we could both get off but the bitch slapped me and pulled her shirt over herself before walking out into the office crying.”

“And that’s when she started telling people you forced yourself on her?”

“Yeah, and then the police turned up and I was arrested.”

I nod. “No further questions.”

I try to gauge the jury’s reactions and smile, they look like they’re ready to pounce on all the information.