Becoming Anne Again

Chapter Sixty-Seven

A/N Hello my loves! Thank you so much for sticking with me through this journey with Anne! We're not quite at the end yet, making this by far my longest writing venture yet. Thank you for everyone who has stuck with me and encouraged me through this! I love you all!

The newspapers were all fascinated with the trial of Andrew Phillips, and with each new development there was a front-page story. The day after his arrest, Mr. Phillips plead not guilty, which enraged many residents of Massachusetts, and even the greater United States. The story had spread like wildfire, and national news stations were picking up on the tragedy of Prissy Andrews. It shocked the nation, but it didn't shock Anne. Neither was she surprised when Mr. Phillips didn't plead guilty. She had never expected him to.

What it did mean was that she was going to have to testify in court, which, while she had done it before, nonetheless made her stomach queasy.

The attorney's office was meticulously organized, or at least so it appeared from where Anne was sitting in a posh, leather chair opposite his desk. The desktop was mostly empty except for a laptop that was placed to the side, a neat metal file holder to the right, and directly in front a placard that simply read Anthony Jorgen, J.D. Behind the desk, there was a bookshelf inlaid into the wall, stocked with titles like Landmark Cases and Institutes. On the walls there were framed accolades and his law degree, bestowed by the Boston University School of Law.

The lawyer himself was an assuming man, tall and fit with a full head of silver hair and minimal wrinkling around his mouth and eyes. Anne thought that he was the kind of man who would be intimidating in court, and having been to court, she felt that she had a pretty good authority on the issue.

Mr. Jorgen smiled slightly at Anne, clearly trying to put her at ease, but it didn't stop the jitters in her stomach. "Well, the good news is, Mr. Phillips has pretty much nailed himself to the wall. We've got testimonies from the officers, as well as the fact that Mrs. Andrews has admitted compliance. It's a pretty tight case. All we need from you is a testimony. To be honest, I'm not even sure this is actually going to end up going to trial. He might plead guilty to try for a lesser sentence. There isn't going to be a jury member in their right mind who isn't going to walk in and want the guy dead."

"Do you think he'll die?" Anne said, suddenly sitting erect.

"I'm sorry?"

"Can he get the death penalty?" She pressed, her fingers clutching the chair tightly. She remembered her first trial, and she remembered the verdict given to the O'Keafe's. They were both sentenced to death, where they even then waited for the punishment to be administered. She didn't know if she was supposed to be ashamed that the sentencing had made her happy. It wasn't enough, but no small part reveled in knowing it would be the end for them.

She wanted it to be the end for Mr. Phillips too.

"It's highly unlikely," he replied gently. "Massachusetts law dictates punishment of up to life in this scenario, but capital punishment is probably not on the table."

"Oh." Anne's cheeks colored slightly, and for a moment, her heart beat a little faster. What could Samantha think of her?

But she needn't have worried. Samantha grabbed her hand and squeezed—she wanted the man dead just as much as Anne did. She wanted him to suffer. But apparently that was why mothers didn't become the judges in these cases.

"So how is this all going to go down for Anne?" Samantha asked, hand still tightly clutching Anne's.

"Well, it should be pretty simple. All you need to do is tell the truth. Nothing to worry about."