The State versus Reed and Reed
“Your Honor, the state calls Tammy Starks.”
Diamond looked up from the pad she had been drawing circles on. When she heard Tammy’s name called, all kinds of thoughts went through her mind. She never thought the state would question Tammy. She hadn’t considered it, because Tammy was her friend, or so she’d thought.
She turned around to see if it was really Tammy they’d called. Sure enough, an officer opened the court doors in the back of the courtroom, and Tammy came rolling in. Diamond rolled her eyes and sighed.
Kyle looked over at Diamond when he heard the sigh and saw a distraught look on her face. He leaned over to her. “Are you OK?”
She simply nodded. She couldn’t believe Tammy was there to testify against her. After the night Diamond called her a cripple, their friendship hadn’t been the same. She still went down and sat with Tammy, but not as often. Diamond apologized to her for calling her that name, but they were never again as close as they used to be.
Diamond saw Tammy even less once she bought the house and moved out of the complex. The last time she saw Tammy was a year earlier, but she still couldn’t understand why Tammy would be there to testify against her, especially since she’d given Tammy money on several occasions.
“By the look on your face, I’m guessing that this witness could be trouble. You didn’t tell me about her, Diamond. Who is she?” Kyle asked.
Diamond huffed and rolled her eyes. “She’s supposed to be my friend.”
“Is she gonna be a problem?”
“I don’t know.” Diamond rolled her eyes again.
Tammy had finally reached the front of the courtroom and rolled right past the defense table without making any eye contact with Diamond or Dante. Modern-day courtroom accessibility allowed Tammy to be able to sit in the witness stand. With the aid of the bailiff, Tammy was wheeled into the box. She was then sworn in, and Prosecutor Swartz proceeded to question her.
“How are you today, Ms. Starks?” Prosecutor Swartz asked from behind the table.
“I’m fine.” Tammy leaned forward and spoke into the microphone, making her voice sound very loud.
“How do you know the defendant, Diamond Reed?”
“She used to live in the same building I live in.”
“Would you consider the two of you good friends?”
“I wouldn’t say good friends. I would say we were neighbors. We spoke to each other because we lived in the same building.”
Diamond’s eyes grew large. She couldn’t believe Tammy was sitting in the witness stand lying. Diamond really had considered Tammy a friend. In fact, Tammy was the only person who had gotten that close to her as a friend. Diamond wasn’t exactly the friend of the month. She couldn’t keep friends because of her selfish and arrogant ways, not to mention her horrible disposition and angry temper. So if Diamond did manage to make a friend, they would always stop messing with her because of the way she treated them. Tammy was the only person she felt comfortable opening up to. So hearing Tammy say they weren’t friends hurt her to the core. After all, she’d helped Tammy out when she needed it, and Diamond told Tammy all of her secrets. So, of course, Diamond began to get angry and began to handle her hurt the only way she knew how—by trying to hurt the o
ther person. Diamond knew that Tammy was gonna be a problem.
“Cripple bitch,” she said under her breath.
Kyle heard. “What’s wrong?” He looked alarmed. No witness had gotten under Diamond’s skin this way yet.
Diamond whispered to him, “She’s gonna be a problem.”
Kyle’s frowned and then leaned over and whispered the news to his brother. Kendall leaned forward and looked over at Diamond with an ice grill. Diamond just rolled her eyes at the brothers and sat back in her chair while she ice-grilled Tammy.
Tammy had yet to make eye contact with Diamond, and the way Diamond saw it, Tammy was doing her damnedest to avoid her.
“OK, so you’re cordial to each other,” Prosecutor Swartz said. “Tell the court what you know about the defendant Diamond Reed.”
Prosecutor Swartz sat down in her chair, a smirk of confidence on her face. She knew exactly what Tammy knew, and considered her the star witness. She could tell Tammy was ready and willing to testify against Diamond, and wouldn’t back down. The other two witnesses were dead ends, but she felt relieved that Tammy hadn’t turned on her. This meant Diamond either didn’t have a chance to get to her, or she never thought Tammy would testify against her.
“What is she gonna tell them?” Kyle whispered to Diamond.
“Probably something you don’t want them to know,” Diamond responded, referring to the jury.
Kyle stood before Tammy could begin to speak. “Your Honor!”