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“Yes your honor,” Cream said with a nod.
“Do you take issue with the parents of the minor coming in camera?”
“No, your honor.”
Cream gathered her briefcase and tapped his shoulder before turning to Turbo and his mother. “We’ll be back, I’m sorry I can’t have you there, but I will brief you both after.”
“What camera are you talking about?” Turbo asked.
“In camera simply means in chambers. Basically I told her as a friend of the court I need to present evidence in her chambers. Since there are discovery issues from how it was obtained I need to give the chain of custody that was taken and verification of proper procedures. I don’t want Sassy getting away on a technicality. And if this get thrown out in Bugs’ trial that could happen.”
Judge Yang leaned forward with her forearms, the long sleeves of her black robe flipped in a way her clasped hands were exposed. The nerves running through Mike’s body made him wish that Turbo could be there. Rotating his fingers on his wrists to remind him of the control he needed being so close to Sassy. Cream didn’t have that power over him. The last thing he needed would be to completely fall apart and snap on the woman who’d destroyed his innocent girl.
“Alright, let’s get this over with,” Judge Yang said. “I’m not one to be lenient when it comes to the welfare of a child.”
“Your Honor, if the defendant wants to give us the location and we can verify her well being, the State is more than ready to put her safety as a higher priority over our need for prosecution.”
“I highly doubt that,” Cream said, cutting her eyes to the man in the wingback chair opposite her. He was seated in a more conventional one behind Cream with Sassy being consoled by Mr. McMasters in another. The trembling and tears on the line of believable.
She’d lost a husband, her security and her daughter in the flash of an eye. Yet, there was no sympathy left in him when it came to her. All of that disappeared when Doc told him it wasn’t a bad dream. Every nightmare he could have thought of pale in comparison to what happened to his baby girl.
“Mr. Hanover admits to keeping the minor child, Sydney Hanover, for about a week at this point past his allotted custody agreement,” Cream said. “But when he picked up the minor child a text exchange happened on Mr. Everett’s phone which caused him to leave.”
“Kill him, you killed him. I know you did,” Sassy spat.
“Ms. Everett,” the Judge warned. “My chambers or my court they are one in the same.”
“At this point I’ve seen a bit of the evidence presented by the District Attorney’s office concerning the death of Mr. Everett and see nothing compelling to implicate my client, Grand Jury decision aside,” she continued. “We are simply discussing the reason Mr. Hanover has not returned the minor child.”
Cream pulled out a stack of printed paper along with her laptop and a sealed evidence bag with Mitch’s phone inside. Mike’s heart thundered to the point his ears were muting out words and he needed to settle himself to focus and not miss a word. Stomach turning he twisted the skin on his wrists slightly, jarring him back to the moment and Cream’s voice.
“At this time we would like to bring to ADA Anderson’s attention multiple text messages between Mr. and Mrs. Everett where they are discussing sexual acts the minor child was to perform.”
“Lies, he could have typed anything,” Sassy called and Judge Yang held up a finger.
“That will be two hundred dollars, Ms. Everett, Mr. McMasters you are here as a courtesy. Please control your client.”
“Yes your honor,” he replied. The consolation gone from his face for a moment before he quickly recovered. “How do we know the provenance of this evidence.”
“Ms. Castle?” Judge Yang questioned. “How did your client come into possession of the deceased’s phone?”
“He took it right before leaving the home with his daughter,” she said. “While it was wrong to steal personal property he feared the man erasing the messages and destroying the evidence.”
“And so, he what? Took it and his daughter leaving Mr. Everett how?” Judge Yang turned her lazar sharp focus on Mike.
“Alive,” he said swallowing back the truth as much as he could for fear of it leaking from his lips.
“According to the medical examiner the method in which he was killed wasn’t something a normal person could do,” Mr. Anderson said. “You’re a Navy SEAL, that comes with the ability to kill in a variety of ways.”
The judge began flipping through the print out and shaking her head. “I’m not sure we can admit this.”
“I understand the chain of custody is shaky, but Mr. Hanover brought it directly to a friend who works regularly with a sheriff’s office helping obtain computer data,” Cream said passing a sheet to the woman with embossed seals.
“Am I to believe that this is where the minor child is?” she said holding the sheet up. “Because Ms. Castle, if so we officially have a kidnapping charge to add.”
“Your honor,” Mike pleaded. “They were raping her.”
“Or, they were playing a sick twisted sex fantasy,” she replied, “you had no right to keep the minor child past Sunday at five P.M. additionally, if she is in Montana you have bigger issues.”
