Worship You

Chapter Sixteen - Murder Trial

Murder.  

There's only one word more powerful and that's cancer. You never think you're going to hear them applied to you. But when the District Attorney made his opening statement to the jury (twelve citizens with nothing better to do), he promised to prove that Cassie Cioukowsky and Lloyd David Harper were guilty of the murder of Stan Cioukowsky. In the first degree, which means you thought about it before the fact and planned to do it. He would show that I beat Stan Cioukowsky to death with a fireplace poker, that my clothing was stained with the victim's blood. (Stained. A couple of spots, but never mind.) He would show that Cassie and I had planned the murder "in order that these two reckless young persons could be together" once Stan Cioukowsky was "no longer an obstacle to their love." The state would also show that Cassie had ensnared "another of her fellow students" into a terrorist "Columbine-like plot against the students and teachers of their high school." (I guess this was supposed to show that Cassie was always homicidal and it's just crazy. I asked One-way Goff, "Did he say what I think he said? Terrorists?" Goff told me to be quiet.)  

The Prosecutor finished up by saying that "based on evidence, you will be satisfied beyond all doubt that these two wild teenagers are guilty of the premeditated and willful murder of Stan Cioukowsky." At that the whole court room buzzed like they thought they were on a TV crime show. They were surprised? What did they think we were all here for anyway?  

Then he called the cop, Detective Dick to the stand. Dick testified about finding the evidence that was entered into the record: photos of dead Stan, photos of bloodstains on the walls, sample of DNA. That kind of stuff. He said that police had found a thirty-eight caliber revolver in a drawer in the living room.  

He told the jury about what he called our "suspicious behavior" at the crime scene. That Cassie seemed to be controlling me.  

(Later, the shrink testified that Cassie was controlling my actions in some weird long-distance way ever since we had been arrested. Both our lawyers objected but I thought the jury and the crowd loved the idea. I was, he said, "Her slave. There's no other word for it." Cue buzzing spectators, fade out, break for commercial.)  

Actually One-way was pretty good on cross examination. 

He had the court reporter read back Detective Dick's testimony.  

"Q: Did Lloyd David Harper look at the body?  

A: He looked once when they came into the room. Then he kept his eyes on the girl. He was taking his cues from the girl." 

See, they had no blood evidence on Cassie so they needed to establish a conspiracy to murder, that she was the mastermind behind the whole thing and accomplished this by the mind control she was supposedly practicing on me. The DA thought the best story he had for the jury was Cassie as the femme fatale spider woman who was the brains behind the whole thing. And me her mindless, violent instrument of death. 

The problem was the further they trotted out this theory the stupider it started to look. 

"What exactly did the defendant do?" One-way asked.  

Detective Dick said, "I'm sorry?"  

"Was Ms. Cioukowsky winking? Waving her hands? Making noises?" 

"I don't..." 

"You said my client was taking cues. What cues?" 

"It's a turn of phrase." 

"Yes. It's inaccurate though, isn't it?" 

"I don't think -" 

"What was Ms. Cioukowsky doing, in fact, Detective?"