TRIALS OF THE HEART - PART SEVEN

PREVIOUSLY

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."

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The sharp rap of Judge Fitzwater's gavel hitting the table made Tea jump. She looked around guiltily to see if anyone noticed she had been close to nodding off during the boring testimony of the last witness. Apparently the dry delivery of the prosecution's chief forensic expert had also failed to fascinate the judge, because she called a ten minute recess before the start of the cross-examination. The young lawyer quickly got to her feet, and took a few sips of water from a cup after the judge had left the room.

"I thought you were going to snore there for a minute, Delgado," murmured Todd in her right ear. She smiled sheepishly.

The trial was now into its fourth day, and things were winding down for the three-day Independence Day weekend. The testimony to date had been confined to a series of experts and medical examiners verifying the physical evidence in the case. True to his word, Todd had been relatively well behaved, and even seemed upset during some of the more gruesome details. Now, he gave her a wink and turned to speak to his sister Viki. Tea excused herself to use the lady's room.

"Todd, I wanted to tell you that Jessie and I won't be in Llanview over the holiday," began Viki in her clipped, matter-of-fact voice. "We're heading down to my house in Tidewater. Is there anything we can get you before we leave tonight?"

Todd scowled. "Gee, Viki, I wouldn't want you to miss one minute of your vacation just because I'm locked in a cage."

Sam Rappaport had overheard the remark. "Look, Boomer, Viki's been here for you since you were arrested, and she deserves a break."

Viki interrupted. "Sam, it's all right. Todd really wants us to have a good time, but it's not in his nature to let us get away without reminding us that he's miserable."

"Oh, we're analyzing me again, huh Viki?" countered Todd.

Sam looked a little guilty as he said, "I'm not going to be around during the weekend either."

"What? You've got to stick around and work on my case, Sam. You don't have time to go anywhere!" Todd was starting to sound a little desperate.

"Well, I'm going away for a little working weekend, Pal. Don't worry, though, I'll be ready to go on your case bright and early Monday morning." Sam cleared his throat and traded a knowing glance with Blair, who had walked up behind them. Todd noticed and quickly looked from one to the other.

"No!" he said, shaking his head. "You two aren't…I mean you're not going to…no, don't tell me this!"

Blair smiled sweetly. "Get over it, Todd. Sam and I are going to spend the weekend in Chicago. He has some research to do and he invited me along."

"You can't shack up with my lawyer! You've got Starr to think about," said Todd with hostility. "And don't think you're leaving her with that witch of an aunt of yours. I won't stand for that! I'll…I'll…."

"And just what are you going to do about it, huh Todd?" spat back Blair.

"Starr will be with me, Todd. It's all been arranged for days, so you don't have to worry," soothed Viki. She knew Todd well enough to know that the separation from his child was killing him, so she wasn't surprised to see pain in his eyes when he turned to her.

"But Tidewater is by the ocean, right? Starr doesn't swim that well. A big wave could knock her down, and…No, she can't go!" insisted Todd, letting himself get even more upset.

"You have my word we won't let Starr out of our sights. Joey is coming along, and you know what a great swimmer he is. He's a lifeguard, remember?" Viki reached across the courtroom barrier and put her hand on his forearm. "Starr will have a marvelous time, and she'll be safe, Todd." She sighed. "Now if I could just say the same thing about you."

Todd looked down at the floor, clearly dejected. "What's the use? I'm her father and I can't be with her for 4th of July. Just take care of her, Viki." He turned to Blair. "I bet I can guess what you'll be doing when the fireworks start to fly," he said sarcastically. Blair glared at him, but Sam seemed confused.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked.

"I'm interested in that myself," said Tea as she came up behind them.

Todd smirked at Blair. "There's just nothing Blair likes more than a big bang on the 4th of July."

"Todd!" exclaimed Viki. Sam cleared his throat and pretended to cough to hide the chuckle he felt coming, but Tea looked from Blair to Todd with an absolutely stricken look on her face. Blair was scowling at Todd, but when she caught sight of Tea's face, she decided to take advantage of the moment to have a little fun with her. She softened her stance and moved a little closer to Todd.

"Well, Todd. Things didn't work out between us, but we did have a few good times in our marriage, didn't we? And I seem to recall you like fireworks, too." Blair glanced over at Tea with a little triumphant smirk. Tea looked mortified and turned around to fiddle with the papers on the table, but she kept listening to the conversation behind her.

"That was a lifetime ago, Blair," said Todd. "Literally." The bailiff called for everyone to take his or her seats. Tea turned around in time to see Todd and Blair staring at each other, obviously lost in the same memory. She curtly told Blair to sit down and reminded Todd brusquely to behave during the testimony. He looked at her in surprise, but resumed his place without a word. Tea glanced back at Blair once more as the judge came in and caught her grinning. The two women stared at each other, and Todd looked back and forth between them, feeling the chill.

Sam's cross-examination of the forensic expert lasted less than a half hour, and the judge called a recess for the long weekend, rather than start with a new witness so late in the day. Sam quickly said goodbye and left the courtroom arm in arm with Blair. Todd and Tea sat facing each other at the defense table as the courtroom slowly emptied.

"So, what are you doing for the holiday, Delgado?" asked Todd nonchalantly.

"I'm leaving tonight for New York," she answered. "I promised Abuelita I'd spend the holiday with her and there are some friends I'd like to see." Tea noticed the look on his face. "You'll be OK, right? Is there something you need?"

Todd swallowed hard, and gave her a little grin. "Nah! Go on, have a good time." A short, fat policeman came up to the table and abruptly ordered Todd to his feet. Tea asked politely if he could give her a couple more minutes with her client before taking him.

"No way, Lady," answered the guard. "You know the rules. He goes back now. You want to talk to him, you come down to the jail in a few minutes. C'mon, let's go," he said again to Todd.

"Look, Officer," said Tea, getting more forceful, "I only need a minute or two. Surely that isn't too much to ask."

"You're not listening," said the guard grabbing Todd's right arm and tugging. "He's going now. I don't get paid enough to wait around while you run up your over-priced bill."

Todd looked at the man with open hostility, but he stood up, prepared to obey. "It's OK, Delgado," he said. "He's late for his coffee break, and that makes him cranky."

Tea got purposefully to her feet and walked to the front of the table. She placed herself between the guard and her husband. "Excuse me, but it's not OK. Now Officer, I asked you nicely for a little indulgence, and you've responded with open animosity," she said firmly, but still under control. "I don't recall anything I've done that would justify your anger, and I really need to tell my client something before I leave for the weekend." She turned toward Todd, but before she could say anything, the guard stepped around her and jerked her husband roughly away, twisting his arm behind his back painfully.

"All you fancy lawyers are the same, coddling these low-lifes and treating the police like we're scum," he shouted. "Now out of my way!"

Suddenly, something in Tea snapped. She rushed the man and tried to pull his arm off Todd. "Listen, you goon!" she spat. "You obviously get your jollies ordering people around, but you just messed with the wrong woman. I'll tell you when I'm good and ready to have you take my client, and until then, you can just back off!"

"You little…" growled the policeman, letting go of Todd and grabbing for Tea menacingly. Alarmed, Todd quickly slipped between them.

"That would be a real bad idea, Porky," he said through clenched teeth. He managed to keep himself between Tea, who was now screaming at the guard in Spanish, and the red-faced officer, who looked like he wanted to strangle her. By now, everyone still in the courtroom had noticed the altercation and several cops moved closer. Bo Buchanan and Hank Gannon quickly intervened.

"Is there a problem?" asked the commissioner.

The sweating guard turned to his boss, red in the face. "Manning is resisting going back to jail, and this fancy, dirty-mouthed lawyer is helping him!"

"You liar!" shouted Tea and lunged for the man with her fingernails poised to scratch. Hank Gannon quickly grabbed her around the waist and pulled her away.

"Tea, what's this about?" asked the confused DA. Cops now surrounded Todd. He looked as surprised as everyone else did by the argument.

"This Neanderthal manhandled Todd for no reason! I asked nicely for a couple of minutes more, and he started to verbally abuse both of us!" Tea was breathing hard and she stared at the guard with fire flashing in her eyes.

Bo looked back and forth between the two. "Tea, you know that you're supposed to confer with your client in the jail, or one of the courthouse conference rooms. But Bergstrom, it looks like you handled the situation with your usual lack of finesse. Everyone's nerves are on edge, and we don't need someone setting a match to a powder keg. Do I make myself clear?"

The guard nodded, still looking daggers at Tea.

Bo turned to the attorney, who had been tentatively released by Hank. "You're starting to pick up your husband's nastier habits. What is so important it can't wait?"

Tea was close to shedding tears of frustration. She moved close to Todd, who looked at her with a question in his eyes. Suddenly, she reached out and embraced him tightly around the middle, crushing her head to his chest. Todd was caught completely off guard, but slowly put his arms around her back and patted. "Look at me," he whispered in her ear. He glared at the hostile audience. "Tea, look at me," he prompted again. She looked in his eyes, the tears starting to spill from her own. "Look, I'm going to be fine," Todd said softly, "and so are you." He brought up one hand and wiped away one of her tears. "Now go to New York and have a good time. You need a break." A tender little grin and he pulled away from her, moving directly in front of the antagonistic guard. Holding his fists out in front of him, he coldly asked, "Well, are you taking me to jail, or are you going to insult my wife some more?" Everyone breathed a little easier as the guard snapped on the handcuffs. Catching Tea's eye as he was led away, Todd asked the guard, "So was anyone hurt in the explosion?" The man looked confused. "You know, the donut factory explosion," continued Todd conversationally. "Obviously you were on the clean up detail." Tea laughed through her tears and Todd gave her a little wink as the guard angrily pushed him through the door at the front of the courtroom.

Bo Buchanan looked after him, slowly shaking his head.

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"OK, let's go!" shouted Officer Bergstrom, dangling the handcuffs. "And don't give me none of your crap this time, Manning." Todd slowly closed the locker containing his dress clothes, and reached down to do up a couple of buttons on the shirt of his jail uniform. He tried to think of a smart-mouthed comeback, but he felt too worn out and depressed to even bother. Docilely, he held out his hands for the cuffs. True to form, the boorish guard tightened them down hard, so they were digging painfully into Todd's flesh. He yanked the prisoner toward the door of the locker room, purposely banging his knee into the bench on the way out. As he was shoved into the police station hallway, Todd practically ran into Kevin Buchanan, a reporter for the Banner who also happened to be his nephew. Inwardly, he wondered if this day could get any worse. The only thing more unpleasant than being dragged off to jail in chains was being dragged off to jail in chains with Kevin Buchanan watching.

Kevin eyed him up and down and a big grin broke out on his thin lips. "Uncle Todd," he said in mock friendship. "Just the man I was waiting to see." Todd looked down at his guard.

"Hey. Doughboy. You're supposed to be locking me up, right? So get me out of here." The man folded his arms and leaned back against the wall.

"I'm in no hurry," he said lazily. Todd looked quickly from the policeman to Kevin and back.

"So that's the way it is," he thought. " I'm trapped." He mimicked Kevin's faux friendliness. "Well, Kev. I would have thought you'd have something better to do on the eve of a holiday weekend than hang out in the police station."

"Oh, I do, Todd," answered Kevin brandishing his reporter's notebook. "I just have to file my story and then I'll be enjoying myself with friends and family, knocking back a few cold ones and chowing down on some home cooking. You can help me out with that. I need a quote to bring it all together." He flipped through a few pages, looking over his notes. "Let's see. I tried to talk to Tea, but she was rushing to catch a train for New York. And Rappaport was headed out of town, too, with your ex-wife in tow, I might add. And I know Mom left to Tidewater, and she took your daughter Starr with her. So I guess what I'd like to know is what is it about your case that is chasing them all away? Has some new information surfaced that is causing all the rats to desert the sinking ship?"

Todd barely held it together, but managed to hide his anger from his tormentor. He smiled coldly. "Now, Kevin. You know I can't comment about the legal case. My lawyers wouldn't approve. And what would Mommy say if she knew you called her a rat?" Todd decided to go on the offensive. "How is Nurse Barbara doing these days? You two having any cozy rendezvous in the wine cellar lately?"

Abruptly, Kevin dropped the friendly act. "You shut up about Barbara! It's none of your business."

Todd zeroed in on the weak spot. "You know, is Cassie OK? Whenever I see her in the courtroom, it looks like you're trying to keep me away from her. I think I might give her a call and offer her an exclusive interview. I have a little tidbit she'd probably be interested in."

With an angry shout, Kevin shoved Todd up against the wall and held his forearm to his throat. "You b@stard!" he shouted. "You stay away from Cassie! I won't let you hurt her!" Todd looked down on the much shorter Kevin and didn't blink. Suddenly, Commissioner Buchanan was pulling Kevin away. He pushed him to the other side of the hallway and held him there with a palm pressed to his chest.

"Kevin, what are you doing?" he asked. "I told you to stay away from him."

Todd took some small satisfaction in causing the other man to lose his temper. He drew himself up and wiggled his fingers, which were starting to go numb from the tight handcuffs.

"Look, Commissioner, I know I'm a prisoner, but I have some rights. You keep the press away from me, especially your nutcase nephew." He held up his bound hands to display the manacles. "And Kevin, if you're out to make my life miserable, someone beat you to it." Todd turned to the heavy-set guard and glanced at his belly. "Aren't you in withdrawal from pink frosting and sprinkles yet? Let's go." He walked resolutely down the hall toward the stairs leading to the jail.

Kevin jerked away from Bo and called after Todd. "So what about your wife, huh Todd? Is she in New York heating up the sheets with a Latin lover? Too bad the Banner doesn't sink as low as the Sun. It would make great copy: Mrs. Heats Up NY; Hubby On Ice."

"Kevin!" cried Bo, surprise and disappointment in his voice. Todd continued one or two steps down the hall, then stopped dead in his tracks. He hesitated a moment, then in a sudden rush he turned around and headed straight for Kevin, despite the guard dragging on his left arm. Bo quickly stepped in front of the reporter and held out his hands to stop his would-be assailant. "Don't make things worse for yourself, Manning," he warned. "He was trying to bait you. Just let it go."

Between them, the guard and Bo managed to stop Todd's forward motion. He struggled a moment, then subsided. He flicked a glance full of hatred at the Commissioner, then locked his eyes on Kevin, who was grinning spitefully. "Now listen up good, moron. Print any lie you want about me. No one reads your boring old rag anyway. But you leave Delgado out of it. And watch your nasty mouth when you're talking about her."

"And what are you going to do if I don't, Todd? Write me a mean note from Statesville?" taunted Kevin.

Bo pushed Todd back as he again lunged for Kevin. "It's a reasonable request, Kevin," he said.

"Get this straight, Kevvie. If my wife gets hurt by one of your misguided attempts to stick it to me, there isn't a dungeon deep enough or a cell strong enough to keep me away from you. I will kill you. Is that clear?" said Todd in a calm, cold voice.

"All right, that's enough," sighed Bo in frustration. "Get him out of here." The guard pulled Todd away.

"The same goes for Cassie, Todd. You keep your mouth shut around her!" yelled Kevin at Todd's back. Todd turned and looked at Kevin over his shoulder. He had given up any pretense of keeping control.

"Leave Tea alone." Todd's voice broke on the last word. He let the guard drag him down the hall, swallowing to control his rage and frustration. They went down two flights of stairs and through two locked gates before they stood in front of his all too familiar cell. The officer shoved him roughly through the door and slammed it behind him. Todd flinched at the noise and stared at the floor in front of him, trying without much success to get himself under control.

"Well?" prompted the guard impatiently. "You want out of the cuffs or not? Makes no difference to me." Todd turned around and held his hands through the bars as the guard unlocked the restraints. The man snorted and went back out the gate into the corridor, locking it behind him. Todd's wrists had major weals where the cuffs had bit deeply into his flesh. His eyes fell on the steel chair that sat by the doorway. He picked it up, held it over his head and sent it crashing across the cell. Next he tore the mattress and all the bedding off the top bunk, viciously stomping and jumping on it. He picked up the dented chair and smashed it down on the torn mattress again and again. Finally, he stopped in mid strike and tossed the chair against the bars across the cell. Trembling, he slowly sank to his knees and covered his face with his hands.

TO BE CONTINUED