The Final Verdict.

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

"All rise for his honourable Judge Lucas," the officer standing by the door to the Judge's chambers called out over the room. Elizabeth noticed that this was a new man in the law system that she was looking at. Tall, scrawny and almost young enough to be due to hit puberty at any minute. His green uniform was loose and his blonde hair still thick and luscious. Young, innocent and so very naive about what the big bad world truly is.

Elizabeth shakily stood to her feet along with the rest of the courtroom and watched as the same burly male Judge with his wig and black robes made his way into the silent room and across to his chair overlooking the audience.

When Judge Lucas had sat down in his chair and called that the court was now re-adjourned, the jury filed into their seats one by one from the jury room. Each man and woman that walked through from the room looked exhausted and in much need of a decent night's sleep. They took their individual seats upon their bench.

The courts man passed a small piece of folded paper from the head juror to Judge Lucas after they were all seated.

Looking over each and every one of the jury members after reading the writing on the piece of paper, the Judge instructed his officer to take the paper back to the jurors. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you reached your verdict?" His voice boomed across the court room like a fog horn.

The young lady with brown hair perfectly swept back off her face that was seated on the end closest to him stood to her feet wearily. "Yes your honour, we have reached our verdict."

A shiver ran down Elizabeth's spine with such deadly force that it threatened to leave her shaking uncontrollably on the floor yet again. The scene of her last trial replayed over in her mind. Then the vision of her holding her dying son came flooding back in her memory and tears began to break their banks and they silently tumbled down her cheeks.

"Before we continue, I would like to thank all the witnesses who travelled from Florida to speak at this hearing. Your testimonies have not gone unheard. I would also like to thank each and every juror on the bench. Your dedication to ensuring our American court system is fair and just is admirable. This was not an easy case to trial and everyone in this court room has handled the weight with the respect it deserves."

A murmur of appreciation flew around the court room at these words so seldom spoken by a Judge and the watchers prepared themselves for the verdict.

"Will the defense please rise."

Elizabeth placed her hands on the wooden table in front of her and shakily stood to her feet. Her head was still spinning from the faint in the corridor and she didn't know how she would be able to keep herself standing. With a deep breath she stemmed the flow of tears and held herself together as the two men beside her also rose up out of their own wooden chairs.

Judge Lucas looked back to the lady that was speaking on behalf of the other eleven jurors. "How do you find the defendant?"

Swallowing down what must have been the most nerve-wracking saliva that had ever filled her mouth, the lady looked up at the Judge and replied, "on one count of attempted murder, we the jury find the defendant Ms. Elizabeth Oldin, guilty."

The word 'guilty' rang like a gunshot echoing around the silent room.

Elizabeth stopped a scream from escaping her mouth by biting her bottom lip hard and prayed to every single God that she could think of that she would never again hear that damning word.

Judge Lucas nodded his head pensively almost as if he was agreeing with the guilty verdict then prompted for the woman to continue.

"On two counts of murder in the first degree, we the jury find the defendant Ms. Elizabeth Oldin," pausing for a moment the young lady looked up at Elizabeth. From across the room her brown eyes met the bright green tear filled eyes that suddenly made everything different. Her hands began to shake and tears welled in her eyes as she held the piece of paper telling her what to say. A great darkness was pulling violently at her lungs and heart, dragging her down into a sticky black puddle of false accusations and violence. Her voice was suddenly lost in the torrent of emotions coursing through her body.

"How do you find the defendant?" the Judge prompted, his deep voice shaking the woman back to the reality of the courtroom.

Blinking tears out of her eyes the young woman looked down at the piece of paper that had caught several of her tears and continued. Her voice now straining to reach the ears of the Judge let alone the rest of the attendants of the hearing. "We the jury find the defendant Ms. Elizabeth Oldin..." a great wave of remorse rushed over the woman's body in a torrent of goose bumps and her voice dropped to little more than a whisper, "guilty."

As the word touched her ears Elizabeth's knees buckled underneath her, thankfully Warden McNeill managed to catch the dark angel as she fell before she could hit anything too hard and helped her back into her seat.

Whispers raced around the court room and many people left in a hurry to inform their media sources of the verdict. Quiet chaos erupted around Elizabeth.

"Thank you for your time ladies and gentlemen of the jury. You may now leave," the Judge stated as they looked on in shock at the reaction this verdict had taken upon the young woman they had just condemned. Each of them felt a deep sorrow for what had just taken place and couldn't help but wonder if they had indeed done the right thing.

As they walked past the defense table on their way out the door Elizabeth heard the young woman that had read the verdict out say quietly to another juror, "she didn't do it. You should have looked in her eyes when I read it out, there's no way she did it. We should have fought harder."

Elizabeth sat quietly in her seat tasting blood in her mouth and not comprehending anything that was happening around her. Numbness of confusion and fear had taken over her body.

McNeill squeezed Elizabeth's hand but she didn't feel it and she couldn't hear the words of reassurance he was quietly whispering to her.

"Ms. Elizabeth Oldin."

After a few short seconds that felt to her like hours, Elizabeth realized her name had been spoken and her gaze slowly moved to where the voice had come from. She looked up at Judge Lucas sitting in his throne like chair, still biting down hard on her bottom lip.

"You have been found guilty on one count of attempted murder and two counts of murder in the first degree on this day the fifth of April by a fair American court. You are thereby required by law to finish your sentence in the Federal Penitentiary Alcatraz for a minimum of five years. Following this and dependent on behavior and understanding of corrections systems, you may be transferred to a mainland prison to serve out another 20 years to life."

Elizabeth blinked once and tried to figure out what the man sitting before her was saying as the words still didn't register in her numb brain. The word 'guilty' still rung in her ears and the image of Simon in her arms swam in the forefront of her mind. The dark angel turned away and soon she felt the shock of today's events beginning to take over her body. She was going back to Alcatraz.

"This case is over." Judge Lucas slammed his gavel down upon its base as he stood to his feet and walked out of the courtroom, his robes billowing ceremoniously behind him.

"Sorry Elizabeth," Nigel whispered quietly as he too sat back in his seat, his elbows on the table and his head in his hands waiting for the shock to slowly pass by.

"No," the dark angel replied softly with a slight shake of her head and a smile of indifference, finally able to comprehend what was actually happening and her sweet, soft voice returning to her. "It's not your fault Nigel. You tried your best. You worked admirably to try and save me from this fate. You did nothing wrong. Now will you please take my advice and go and find another case that you can have half a chance of winning?"

Nigel cocked his eyebrow in slight amusement with a touch of confusion at the comment. He was expecting Elizabeth to either be furious because they didn't win the case or not able to speak from shock, but it was like something else was on her mind and none of this really mattered. He remembered the fieriness she had hit him with after the loss of the last trial and wondered if she really had been broken through her time in Alcatraz. His heart mourned silently for the dark angel sitting beside him.

"Better get out of here then," McNeill quietly said as he stood to his feet. The word 'guilty' still ringing through his ears like the deep and soulful beats of an ominous drum. His drastic plan needed to be shifted into action soon.

Elizabeth silently stood to her heavy feet that didn't quite want to move. Her head still spun with dizziness. Her heart beat was slow and her breathing was shallow. The gaze of her bright green eyes drifting through everything they touched upon and continuing on into nothingness. She reached out with both of her shackled hands and held onto the arm of Warden McNeill for support.

"Can I at least offer you a ride?" Nigel asked as they began walking through the hallways towards what they thought was the exit, all three of them numb with shock of the verdict. The young and once hopeful attorney seemed to be more upset than both Elizabeth and Warden McNeill that they didn't win the case.

"Thanks but no thanks." With a wry smile McNeill avoided eye contact with Nigel and fished for the most likely excuse. "I need to get back with Elizabeth."

"Okay, sure." Still consumed by the shock that he was not prepared for, Nigel nodded his head without really hearing anything that had been said. He was so sure they had it in the bag this time, if it wasn't for the unexpected 'relationship' fiasco in the court room he was sure this would have been a day of celebration for himself and Elizabeth. "You don't want a ride or anything?" he asked lamely.

"No, we'll be fine."

Looking at the Warden as they walked along the final long corridor to the exit where they knew countless press representatives would be waiting for them, Nigel could tell by the firm glare in his eyes and the sureness of his steps that McNeill had something else planned for when he and Elizabeth left the courthouse. Knowing that he should do or say something to ensure their compliance with the law he decided instead to leave the conversation ended there before someone lost an eye. He had done enough to unintentionally destroy Elizabeth, he just hoped that maybe McNeill could do something to build her back up again.

Walking through the doors the three of them were bombarded by camera flashes, a scream of questions flying at them from all different directions and microphones being held in their faces. With Nigel in front calling out, "no questions please," they pushed their way through the crowd and down to the street where Elizabeth and McNeill hailed the yellow taxi that passed by.

A single photographer captured an image that would again be remembered through the years as The Dark Angel, 1 Year On. Elizabeth with her gaunt looking face, skinny arms with shackled wrists, cheeks wet from tears and Alcatraz labelled clothing being dragged down the steps of the San Francisco court house by the stern and fierce looking Warden of Alcatraz prison.

While saying a quick goodbye Nigel wrapped his arms around Elizabeth in a tighter hug than normal and apologized once more for not getting her out of there. Elizabeth and McNeill climbed into the back of the yellow taxi and Nigel hailed the next one.

"Where to Warden? Harbour I presume?" the driver sitting casually in the front seat was of Indonesian or at least Malaysian descent and spoke with a slight slur of his words as they rolled off his tongue.

"No, middle of Smith Street," McNeill replied firmly. Looking out the window at the members of the press who were still badgering Nigel for some information he found a few picket signs reading 'free the angel' here and there throughout the thick crowd. McNeill smiled to himself as he began his attempt to do just that.

With his dark brown eyes the driver squinted at the Warden and Elizabeth in his rear-view mirror like they were nothing more than a nasty old chunk of gum on the bottom of his shoe. "Smith Street is a bad place."

McNeill's gaze immediately shot towards the driver and his blue-gray eyes narrowed into the menacing icy cold glare that he carried all too well. His words became venomously deadly. "Just shut up and take me there."

"You're the boss man." Not challenging the Warden and his order to be taken through to the 'bad side' of town the driver started down the street without looking back at them again.

"What's the plan?" Elizabeth quietly whispered to McNeill as they turned down a street, her small and bony hand squeezing his tightly as the shock still pumped through her body.

Rubbing her arm gently, the Warden leant over so that the driver couldn't hear their conversation and quietly whispered into Elizabeth's ear, "you'll catch on soon enough. Please just trust me."

The streets were getting worse and worse as they traveled deeper and deeper into the out skirted suburbs of San Francisco. They were definitely in the 'bad' side of town as the driver had called it, and if they weren't there yet, they were definitely getting close.

When the driver stopped the taxi beside a rubbish covered street curb McNeill handed him a rather large wad of cash notes. "If anyone asks, and I mean anyone, you tell them that you picked up a blonde haired actress on her way to an audition, understand?" he handed the driver another green note.

"Of course ma'am." The driver nodded his head in understanding as his words slurred out in his ethnic accent. "I wish you much luck with your audition today, hope you get the part."

"Don't get cocky with me," McNeill warned with a cold drawl before stepping out of the yellow taxi onto the sidewalk and helping Elizabeth out of the car, her handcuffs still restricting her movements.

McNeill waited a few moments for the taxi to drive off down the road and round a corner before he pulled the large set of keys out from his pocket and looked down at Elizabeth again. "Are you okay?"

Still haunted by her memories and the damning verdict from the jury Elizabeth couldn't find the strength to speak. Not really knowing what to say anyway, Elizabeth just nodded her head yes and continued to look down at the pavement between them.

"Don't worry, everything's going to be fine." With a quiet click the Warden undid her thick metal handcuffs that even when loose were wearing into her flesh and put them away in his coat pocket. Cautiously he looked around the streets again to make sure no one was watching them. He knew how dangerous this endeavor was.

"Is it cold or is it just me?" Elizabeth asked as a shiver ran up her spine and the wind whipped her once again long dark hair around her face. Looking up at McNeill with her big green eyes she rubbed her chaffed wrists. The weather was definitely not as warm as predicted and Elizabeth was regretting the choice of a short sleeved shirt.

With a nod of understanding and an idea popping to mind McNeill quickly took his thick gray coat off and put it around the dark angel. "Don't take it off, it'll be safer this way."

Elizabeth wrapped the warmth of the coat tightly around her body. It was so big it could almost wrap around her twice. Holding it around herself Elizabeth followed McNeill down the street for a few minutes then up a concrete set of stairs.

When they reached a weathered wooden door with the number 8 nailed to it they stopped, again McNeill cautiously looked around to make sure there was no one watching before knocking only once.

Nervously the Warden continued to glance around as they waited for a reply. He looked down at Elizabeth who seemed almost to be a small and innocent child wrapped up in his thick overcoat.

"Who is it?" asked a faint female voice from the other side of the door a few moments later after some shuffling and rummaging.

"You know exactly who this is," McNeill replied quietly as he leant close to the door. "You owe me a favour, remember?"

Elizabeth heard voices quietly talking to one another on the other side of the closed door and a separate door in the back of the unit open with a creak and shut again with a click.

"Peak?" McNeill asked through the door, wondering whether the woman was still there on the other side.

"How do you know that name?" The question that came from the female voice was cold and harsh, spoken with fearless conviction.

With a smile McNeill rolled his eyes at the insecurity that name brought forth in the woman's voice. "Just open the damn door and see who it is will you. What do you have nothing to lose."

With the metal chain lock still in place, the woman unlocked and opened the door the few inches the chain allowed it. As she looked outside through the crack of the door at the two people standing on the landing a smile spread across her face. "Executioner McNeill," she said nodding in approval. "Good to finally see you here on my doorstep once again."

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net