“He, uh, tried to rape my wife.”
Whittaker’s attorney, Al Chase, jumped to his feet. “Objection, Your Honor. There’s no way this witness can get inside my client’s head to determine what he was TRYING to do that night.”
“Sustained.”
ADA Turnbow bit her lip. “Okay, Mr. Coolidge … then, can you please tell the jury what you actually saw Mr. Whittaker do to your wife?”
Ken glanced at the defendant. “Well, he put the knife against her ribs, and kind of pulled her to the ground with him. Then, he … started grabbing her … you know … her breasts.”
Turnbow nodded. “What happened next?”
“Um …” Ken swirled his tongue, trying to work up saliva. “Um, that’s when I heard Officer Parks yell ‘drop it!’ and the next thing I knew, Mr. Whittaker was in handcuffs and everything was over.”
“Thank you, Mr. Coolidge. No further questions.” Turnbow spun on her heel and clicked toward the DA’s table.
“Your witness, Mr. Chase.” Gesturing toward Ken, the judge invited the defense to begin the cross-examination.
Chase leaned on the podium. “Good afternoon, Mr. Coolidge. You say you ate dinner at the Blue Ribbon Diner. That’s in Marysville. You live in Rivertown. Why did you drive all the way to Marysville for a meal? Is the food at the Blue Ribbon Diner that good?”
Ken sat up straight. “Well, I wanted to celebrate Juneteenth by supporting an African American-owned business that wasn’t downtown. You know, support the underprivileged neighborhoods. And I wanted to show my wife that not everyone has it as good as we do, which is why we went for a walk after dinner, so she could see all the blight first-hand. She was kind of an army brat, and her father shielded her from a lot of that stuff, um, before he died.”
Chase jammed his hands in his pants pockets and walked in a tight circle before stopping and rubbing his chin. “Mr. Coolidge. Would you say your wife is a beautiful woman? A sensual woman?”
“Objection, Your Honor!” Turnbow thundered. “This line of questioning is entirely inappropriate.”
“Objection sustained.” Judge Ortiz frowned at the defense attorney. “Watch yourself, Counselor. The court is well-aware of your reputation for antics, and I give you fair warning, sir, that this behavior will not be tolerated.”
“Sorry, Your Honor.” Chase turned and faced the witness. “Mr. Coolidge, what can you tell me about a personal relationship between the alleged victim, Mrs. Coolidge, your wife, and the arresting officer in this case?”
“OBJECTION!” Turnbow bellowed.
“Overruled,” Ortiz nodded at Chase. “You can continue on this line of questioning, counselor, but you better get to where you’re going fast.”
“Thank you, Your Honor.” Chase tilted his head. “Mr. Coolidge? Is there a romantic relationship between your wife, the alleged victim, and Officer Parks, the arresting officer in this case?”
Ken twisted his wedding ring. “Um … I … she … they …” He looked up at the judge. “Um, Your Honor, do I have to answer that?”
“Yes, you do,” Judge Ortiz said. “And I would remind you, sir, that you are under oath.”
Ken searched the courtroom for moral support but there was none. Since Rachel and Parks were still scheduled to testify, they were sequestered in adjacent witness rooms. Jurors who moments earlier had seemed on the verge of falling asleep leaned forward in their seats with pricked ears.
“Answer the question, Mr. Coolidge.” Chase adjusted his glasses. “Is there a sexual relationship between the arresting officer in this case and the alleged victim?”
As addled as he was, Ken thought of the perfect answer: “I … I mean, I’ve never seen them together, so I … I really don’t know anything for sure.”
“Well, did your wife ever TELL you she was having an affair with Mr. Parks?”
Turnbow stood. “Objection. Hearsay.”
“Sustained,” the judge said.
“So …” Chase scratched his ear. “Um … er … you’re trying to tell me, Mr. Coolidge, that you wouldn’t know if your own wife was having an affair?”
Ken shrugged. “I dunno. A lot of guys’ wives have affairs and THEY don’t know about it.”
The courtroom erupted with laughter. The judge slammed his gavel and called for order.
Chase flipped through his notes. “Uh … er … I … no further questions, Your Honor.”
The judge addressed the ADA: “Ms. Turnbow? Redirect?”
“No, nothing, Your Honor,” she said.
Judge Ortiz nodded at Ken. “Okay, sir, thank you for your testimony. You’re dismissed.”
With a hot face, Ken hurried out of courtroom. He figured Trent was going to be similarly blindsided by Whittaker’s lawyer during his scheduled testimony that day. As Ken exited the courthouse and walked to the restaurant where his wife had arranged to pick him up after the hearing, he composed a text to warn her:
“FYI that defense atty was asking if you and Trent were having an affair. I said I didn’t know because I never saw you together so he dropped it and they let me go. He’ll probably ask Trent. Just letting you know. I don’t have Trents number but if theres any way you can warn him you might want to. Then you can figure out what you want to say when you testify Monday. Love you so much. See you at the All Star when you’re out of sequester. xoxox”
Ken’s thumb hovered over the “send” button for a quick tick before pressing it. He feared relaying the message might violate some rule about communicating with fellow witnesses, although in the end his love for Rachel and concern for her well-being won out. After sending the text, he found a booth at the All-Star Café and hunkered down to wait for his wife to come get him after she was released from sequester.
An hour passed. Then two. Six cups of tea with lemon and stevia later, there was still no sign of her.
Ken had been sitting in the restaurant since 2:30. The courthouse closed at 4. It was 4:58 and Rachel wasn’t answering calls or texts. Ken paid the bill and headed back to the Municipal Court building, but after circling the facility three times rattling doors, he gave up. Rachel had driven them to court that morning, so Ken walked to the lot where she’d parked her car. It was gone.
Panicked, Ken took an Uber home. He exhaled with relief when he spotted Rachel’s Honda in the driveway, although a strange F-150 was parked next to it. A sour taste formed in Ken’s mouth. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who the truck belonged to.
When the diminutive husband trudged into the house, Parks’ face twisted with rage. He sprang off the couch, grabbed Ken by the shirt and effortlessly lifted him up with one hand, with his other fist cocked and loaded. Rachel stood nearby, covering her mouth.
Ken dangled there yelping. “Ow, ow, honey, ow, please.”
With his nostrils flared, Parks squeezed Ken’s shirt-collar tighter and lifted him higher. “YOU LITTLE PANSY SONOFABITCH, WHO THE HELL YOU BEEN TALKING TO?”
Tears streamed down Ken’s face. “Ow, I don’t know what you’re talking about, ow, please, honey, please.”
Rachel sidled up her lover and touched his arm. “Come on, Trent. Let him go.”
Parks obliged, releasing his grip and allowing the little cuckold to drop to the carpet with a thud.
Rachel scanned her husband’s face as he lay prone on the floor. “Ken, who have you been talking to about Trent and me?”
“I haven’t been talking to anyone.” Ken pulled himself upright and wiped his leaky eyes. “I swear.”
“Bullshit.” Parks, who was out of uniform and wearing a tight tee-shirt that showed off his muscles, jabbed his finger in Ken’s chest. “That fucking lawyer asked me about it on the goddamn stand today and I had to admit it. Only three people in the whole world knew about us: Rachel, me — and you.”
“I didn’t tell anyone,” Rachel said.
“I damn sure didn’t,” Parks growled. “That leaves you.”
“I didn’t tell anyone.” Ken’s eyes were bloodshot. “I swear. I was surprised when that lawyer asked me about it. That’s why I sent you a text, so you could warn Trent before he went on the stand.”
Rachel and Trent retook their seats on the couch next to each other, leaving Ken standing there.
“I’m probably gonna get suspended over this bullshit and maybe even fired — did you know that when you started running your mouth, you fucking little twerp?” Trent shook his head, his disgust for Ken palpable. “And it might fuck up the case, too. The fucking little prick wants a mistrial; he’s claiming I tainted the case by getting involved with a witness.”
“Do you really think the judge will throw out the case, hon?” Rachel asked her lover. The term of endearment slapped Ken in the face.
“Who knows? Ortiz loves criminals, so it’s possible.”
Rachel glared at her husband. “I can’t believe you were out there flapping your lips, you candy-ass little prick. Who did you tell?”
Ken waved his hands back and forth. “I’m telling you — I didn’t tell anyone.” He started bawling again. “Please. I swear. I never said a word.”
Rachel sighed and touched her lover’s hand. “I don’t know, hon.”
Parks stared at the wimp. “Are you absolutely sure you didn’t maybe accidentally tell someone? Someone you talked to … maybe in a store … a bar?”
“No, no, I swear, please,” Ken blubbered. “Why would I tell anyone? It’s not something I want anyone to know.”
“Maybe you were trying to get me in trouble at my job,” Parks snarled.
“Or maybe you were running around whining about how bad you got it, and how terrible I am.” Rachel chortled. “You sure as hell do enough of that.”
“Rachel, please, I don’t know how to make you believe me! I did NOT tell anyone about this. Who would I tell?” He gazed deep into her soul through the tears in his own eyes. “Come on, Rach. I’m telling the truth. I swear!”
Rachel glanced up at her boyfriend. “I don’t think he’s lying, hon.”
“Well, fuck.” Parks exhaled. “Then someone must’ve followed one of us. Probably me.”
“Why?” Rachel squeezed her boyfriend’s knee. “Who would anyone follow you?”
“You wouldn’t believe what some of these sleazy-ass lawyers will do to win a case,” Parks said. “This guy Chase is out to make a name for himself, and he’s pretty aggressive. Slimy motherfucker will do anything.”
Rachel sniffed. “For a stupid case like this? It’s not exactly the crime of the century. I mean, it was an attempted rape. But nobody even got hurt.”
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