TRIALS OF THE HEART - PART SIX

PREVIOUSLY

Smiling one last time at her husband, Tea followed the guard out. Todd looked after her with a little smile of his own. He walked back to the bunk, sank to the floor in front of it and leaned his back against the hard mattress. For the first time in a long time, he didn't notice the heat.

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It was her third time flipping through the channels and Tea was forced to conclude that the Psychic Friends Network was the best program on at 2:37 AM. She killed the power on the TV and flung the remote across the room, uttering a string of Spanish epithets. Grabbing her glass of wine from the coffee table, she moved to the large plate glass window overlooking downtown Llanview. Her hands tightened the sash of her shiny champagne-colored silk robe as she took a sip of wine. She stared again at the Llanview Civic Center, especially the municipal courthouse.

Tomorrow would mark the start of the trial that would determine Todd's future, and she knew that her own fate would be decided as well. A year ago, she had entered into a marriage of convenience, only to find that nothing about Todd Manning was convenient. Now she was standing here, forcing herself to contemplate living the rest of her life without him, and the tears began to flow. Tea gulped the wine. "No! No!" she told herself. "I'm not going to even consider that he'll be convicted. A few weeks, Sam will present his case, and Todd will be acquitted." She wiped away a tear and walked to the bar. With a refill in hand, she moved to the desk and looked over her notes for the umpteenth time that night.

There was no denying that huge parts of Todd's life were nothing but a mystery to Tea, but there were few memories he held tighter to himself than his time in prison. Whenever she had even mentioned it in passing, he would clamp shut. The look in his eyes told her all she needed to know. There was no question in her mind that Todd meant it when he said he would rather die than go back, and it frightened her terribly to contemplate that his very life might depend on her abilities. Seeing Sam Rappaport's name on the letterhead of a document calmed her a little bit. Sam was among the best attorneys in the country, and he genuinely cared for Todd.

Tea moved again to the window and let her eyes drift to the jumble of buildings that included the police station. It was frightening to think of Todd convicted and shut away from her forever. But in some ways, it was equally scary to think of their future marriage if he were set free. They had been getting along pretty well the last weeks as they prepared for his trial, even sharing a few close moments. But Tea had been through too much with Todd to find that of much comfort. He was perfectly capable of pulling away into his shell at a moment's notice, and she didn't think she was able to deal with that again, whether he was free or locked up. Tea remembered telling Todd that they'd concentrate on the trial first and their marriage later. It was hard to take her own advice. Somewhere down there was the man she loved, no doubt pacing the floor in the throes of insomnia. Her eyes roamed over the empty penthouse. Well, maybe insomnia was contagious, because she hadn't had a good night's sleep in weeks. Sighing deeply, she sank down on the bottom step of the spiral staircase and let the tears come.

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Flinging himself off the top bunk, Todd rushed to the cell door and pressed himself up against the bars, letting the air from the fan in the corridor cool his sweating body. He slowly sank to his knees and tried to control his ragged breathing. Shaking his head, he thought, "Well, at least it wasn't the dream with my old man again." His eyes squeezed shut. "Never thought I'd be wishing for that one." Images of his latest nightmare flashed before him. Being stuffed in the trunk of a car, the car careening off a cliff, the horrible sensation as his lungs filled…breaking free, only to discover he was trapped in a cage….the terror as he realized there was no way out…trying to scream as he realized he was going to die there….

Todd sat on the floor and rested his back against the bars. His breathing had almost returned to normal. The lights were off in the cellblock, leaving only the lamp from the guard's station in the corridor to cast a slight glow. Faintly, he could hear some music coming from a radio. It was a salsa dance tune, and it brought back the memory of Tea dancing with Antonio Vega last New Year's Eve. Todd focused on the pleasant images the recollection evoked, using thoughts of his wife to chase away the horrors of Statesville still flashing through his mind. He smiled softly to himself, thinking that Delgado was probably sacked out in that big bed in the penthouse, sleeping like a baby. Many times he had sneaked into her room, taking pleasure in just watching her slumber. Sometimes it frightened him, realizing how much he cared for his wife. When they married, he thought he was getting an attorney and a caretaker for his daughter, Starr. But Delgado had wanted more, and somehow trying to please her had become the most important thing in his life. She was his good side, the one who forced him to look at his darkness and try to change. With all her pushing and prodding, Tea was darned hard to live with. Todd chuckled. "Maybe prison would be easier," he mused. He stood up and leaned forward, listening intently to the music.

"Manning? You OK?" It was the night guard, Officer Rodriguez, at the barred door to the corridor. Of all the men assigned to guard him, Rodriguez was the only one who treated him like a human. On Todd's first night in the jail, the policeman had confided that he, too, suffered from insomnia and offered a game of cards as a way to pass the long, lonely hours of the night. Of course, Todd had thrown his offer back in his face with an angry stream of words. Since then, the prisoner had come to regret the refusal, but his pride wouldn't let him be the one to break the stalemate. Rodriguez hadn't seemed to be bothered by the insult, and Todd had come to appreciate the nightly break from the taunting and harassment he received from the other guards. The policeman was holding up a frosty plastic bottle of water. "Thirsty?"

"Yeah, sure." Todd reached through the bars and took the bottle from the guard's outstretched hand. He cracked open the top and drank deeply, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Thanks." The prisoner didn't seem any more talkative than normal, so Rodriguez was surprised when Todd asked him to wait. "What is the name of that song?" he asked.

The officer looked confused. "The song?" He turned around and looked at the radio on his desk. "It's just a dance song…I can't remember the name. Is it bothering you? I can turn it off…."

"No!" shouted Todd, a little too loudly. "I mean…it's fine. My wife…oh, never mind." He turned away from the bars.

Rodriguez stared at his back. "That's right. Your wife is a Latina, Counselor Delgado. She's a very beautiful lady." Todd whipped around, bracing himself for another taunt questioning why Tea would be married to a low-life like him, but the guard was just staring into space, apparently lost in his own world. A look of pain flickered across his face. Shaking himself, Rodriguez said, "So, tomorrow the big trial starts. I have orders to take you up to the locker room in the morning for a shower and a change of clothes." Noticing the change in Manning's expression, the guard continued. "What are you worried for? You've got the best attorney money can buy." Todd continued to stare at him, obviously not willing to share any confidences. Turning away, the policeman asked if he wanted the light on or off.

Looking at the barred window high in the opposite wall, Todd answered, "Off. I do better in the dark." He called after the guard, "Hey! Do you think you can turn up the music a bit?" The man nodded and Todd leaned against the bars, listening to the beat and letting his mind drift to the penthouse and the woman he loved.

………………………………………………………………………………………………................................................................................................................................................................... Tea came out of the kitchen with a glass of warm milk in her hand and flipped on the stereo. She fiddled with the knobs until a soft Latin beat filled the air. Slowly, she moved around the room, turning off the lights one by one. When the room was dark, she lay on the couch and slowly sipped the milk. Spreading the throw blanket over herself, she settled comfortably into the downy cushions. "Oh Todd," she thought. "Let me be there for you. Let me help you." Listening to the music, she drew her knees up to her chest and turned to her side, silently staring into the dark.

………………………………………………………………………………………………..................................................................................................................................................................... The next morning, dressed in an expensive navy blue suit she had picked up on her last trip to New York, Tea joined Sam at the defense table in the courtroom. Noticing the dark circles under her eyes and the tight look to her lips, the silver-haired attorney softly placed his hand under her chin and forced her to look him in the eye. "Hey," he said with a twinkle in his blue eyes, "Relax, Tea. This is going to be a long trial and I need you at the top of your game. Did you get any sleep at all last night?" Tea pulled away from her mentor.

"Sleep? What's that?" She looked into the kind face with desperation. "It's starting, Sam, and we're no closer to finding the driver of that black Porsche than we were two weeks ago. Are you sure your investigator has tried everything?"

"He's still looking, Tea, but we don't really need that to build our case. Now remember, I'm counting on you to keep Todd calm. The last thing we need is a temper tantrum or one of his outbursts. Judge Fitzwater will flatten him, and it won't help our case one bit."

"But Sam, I've told you I can't control Todd…" Tea felt the all too familiar tears start to prick her eyes.

"Shhhhhhh." Sam took her in his arms to stop the shaking. "It's just stagefright, Honey. In a few minutes, we'll be selecting a jury and you'll be yourself again." He pulled back and Tea caught the look on Blair's face as she entered the courtroom and saw her in Sam's embrace. A huge smile lit Tea's face and she reached up a hand to caress Rappaport's cheek.

"Thanks, Sam," said Tea, taking his offered handkerchief and dabbing at her eyes. She shot a look to see if steam was coming from Blair's ears yet. "I guess I just needed a friendly shoulder to cry on," she continued, laying a hand on his forearm. Sam reached over and covered her hand with his own as Blair plopped down in the seat behind them, glaring at Tea with a clenched jaw and a rock hard green stare. She continued to shoot daggers at Tea as Sam noticed her and leaned over the rail for a peck on the cheek. Viki Carpenter and her daughter Jessica slid into the other two spaces behind the defense table, and greeted the others. Soon, Max Holden slipped into a seat behind Blair, which caused her to bristle, and Mel Hayes sat behind Viki, after greeting his boss.

The seating behind the prosecution was really starting to fill up as well, and the spectators on that side were largely Buchanans. Commissioner Bo sat immediately behind DA Hank Gannon. Asa, Clint and Kevin Buchanan were also present. As he turned around to smile at Blair again, Sam was taken aback to see Nora Buchanan leaning against the back wall, a strained look on her face and her arms tightly crossed over her plum-colored suit. He made an inquiring gesture, but she shook her head. Bo noticed the exchange and turned his head to share a long, silent stare with his wife.

Sam turned his attention back to Tea, asking if she was feeling better. Giving him her most winning smile, Tea assured him that she was. Noticing her glance back at Blair, Sam looked in confusion from one woman to the other. He noticed a tension between them, but hadn't a clue what it was about. Suddenly, Tea turned all her attention to the front of the courtroom, and the soft look in her eyes made Sam turn around too.

Todd Manning was being led into the courtroom. In spite of the manacles at his wrists, he had his head up and his shoulders back. Tea felt a little catch in her throat as she realized how good it was to see her husband dressed up again. She had spent considerable effort choosing his suit for today. It was her favorite-a charcoal gray silk Italian suit that buttoned high on his chest, with a slightly darker gray shirt underneath. Tea had spent hours perusing accessories at Logan's the week before, choosing the perfect tie and cufflinks to complete the outfit. She breathed a little sigh of relief as Todd joined them at the table with only a perfunctory glare in the direction of the Buchanans. When the guard removed the handcuffs, Todd punched Tea playfully on the upper arm by way of greeting, then winked at Viki and Jessica. He even managed a small grin for Blair before plopping down in the seat between his attorneys.

Sam leaned over and hugged Todd around the shoulders. "You ready, Boomer?" Todd didn't have time to reply, as the bailiff ordered everyone to rise and Judge Fitzwater took the bench. She took her time sitting down and glared in disapproval at the defense table.

"Mr. Manning," began the judge. "I can't begin to tell you how disappointed I am to find you yet again in my courtroom wasting the taxpayer's money." She moved her narrow eyes to Sam. "If you think that I'll put up with your outrageous behavior just because the price of your attorney has gone up, think again. One outburst…no, make that one audible remark out of turn, and you'll be watching your trial on closed circuit TV from your cell. Do I make myself clear?"

Todd climbed to his feet. Sam had a hand in the small of his back and Tea was hanging on his left sleeve. "I understand, Your honor," he said in a clear voice. "I won't cause trouble." He sat back down to a surprised murmur from the crowd. Sam patted his shoulder in approval. Todd looked deceptively calm, but Tea started when he reached under the table and grabbed her hand. For a minute, she thought he might crush every bone in her fingers.

Judge Fitzwater didn't look impressed. "All right, everybody. This is going to be a long trial, so let's get started. I want to have a jury seated by noon." As the first group of potential jurors was led in, Todd turned to Tea and relaxed his grip on her hand. Looking deeply into her brown eyes, he leaned forward so his mouth was right up against her ear.

"You wanted trust, Tea, you got it," he whispered as his wife felt a thrill all the way to the soles of her expensive shoes. "I love you. No matter what happens, remember that."

TO BE CONTINUED