Forgiven (25 page)

“She hasn’t won yet. There’s a whole other
side that the judge hasn’t heard yet. Just wait, our turn is
coming,” JT said confidently.

“You say that like you’ve got a trick up your
sleeve.” Bishop said.

JT looked back and saw Cassandra sitting with
her mother in the family room. He turned back to Bishop and said,
“I do, but I don’t want to say anything right now. I don’t want
Cassandra to overhear and then get excited, just in case things
don’t go the way I expect them to.”

“All right, son,” Bishop said as he patted JT
on the shoulder and stood. “I’ll see you tomorrow in court, but
right now I need to go talk to Mattie.”

JT stood up. “Are you sure you want to do
that? I mean, yeah, she’s been a lot easier to deal with since the
stroke, but I’m not sure if she’s mellowed any towards you.”

“I’m tired of hiding from it, JT. I owe
Mattie an apology that’s thirty-six years late in coming,” Bishop
said and then left JT and Lamont in the kitchen as he went into the
family room.

JT turned to Lamont and said, “I need you to
be on time tomorrow.”

“I got this,” Lamont said while slapping his
chest. “Don’t worry about a thing.”

JT then turned toward the family room and
watched Bishop say something to Cassandra. Cassandra then left the
room and came into the kitchen with him.

“What’s going on?” she asked JT.

JT couldn’t take his eyes off Mattie and
Bishop Turner. “He said he’s going to apologize.”

“What? I’ve got to see this.” Cassandra
turned toward the family room and invaded her parents’ privacy.

“What’s the big deal? I apologize to people
all the time,” Lamont said.

“Yeah, but you never got on Mattie Daniels’s
bad side,” JT said.

They were all gawking into the family room
now. They each watched in amazement as Mattie sat up and stretched
out her hand to Bishop. He shook it and a truce between the two of
them, although almost forty years late, had finally been
forged.

JT turned to Cassandra and said, “Did you see
that?”

“I see it. I just don’t believe what I’m
seeing,” she replied.

“Just think, Sanni. If God can bring a truce
between those two, imagine what He can do for us.”

The next day in the courtroom, JT and
Cassandra witnessed a bit of what God could do for them. Their
attorney, Tom quickly cross-examined Bishop Turner and then let him
get off the stand without any more damage to his reputation.

Then Diane took the stand, she raised her
right hand and swore to tell the truth. She then sat down, and the
judge, her lawyer and anyone else listening heard that she and her
husband had a happy marriage before JT seduced her.

When it was Tom’s turn to cross-examine her,
he reviewed his notes as if he hadn’t already read the information
numerous times. He then turned to Diane and said, “Now, Mrs.
Benson, you stated that if it hadn’t been for JT, you and your
husband would have a perfect marriage. Is that correct?”

“Well, yes, I love my husband and would never
have cheated on him if JT hadn’t manipulated me into the whole
affair,” Diane said in her poor-me-I’m-an-innocent-pawn voice.

“You also stated that JT is the only man
you’ve ever cheated on your husband with. Is that correct?”

“Didn’t I already say that?” Diane was
becoming defiant now.

Tom turned his back to Diane and faced the
outer court as he said, “Mr. Johnson, would you please stand
up?”

Brian Johnson stood up and waved at
Diane.

Tom turned back to his witness and asked, “Do
you recognize Mr. Johnson?”

Diane glared at Tom.

“Can you answer the question, Mrs. Benson?
And please remember that you swore to tell the truth.”

“Of course I know Brian. He used to work for
my husband.”

“When you left your husband last year, didn’t
you leave with Mr. Johnson?” Tom asked.

“Objection!” Luke said as he jumped from his
seat. “Your honor, he’s trying to villainize the victim.”

“The witness opened the door when she claimed
that she had only cheated on her husband with Mr. Thomas. I should,
therefore, be allowed to cross on her sworn testimony.”

“Overruled, the witness may answer,” Judge
Landon declared.

Diane rolled her eyes as she said, “I most
certainly did not leave town with the likes of Brian Johnson.”
Diane’s voice elevated to the point where it was obvious to
everyone that she was irritated by the line of questioning.

Tom walked back to his table, opened a file
folder, pulled out a document and walked back over to Diane. He
held the document in front of her. “What is this document?”

Diane reviewed the document and then
answered, “It’s a lease agreement.”

“And can you tell us the names of the tenants
on the lease agreement?” Tom asked.

Rolling her eyes again, she leaned back in
her seat and said, “Diane Benson and Brian Johnson.”

Oohs and aahs could be heard throughout the
courtroom. Judge Landon banged his gavel. “Quiet in the
courtroom.”

Tom then asked, “If you didn’t leave town
with Mr. Johnson, how did your names get on the rental agreement
just four days after you left Cleveland?”

Her eyes were focused on the ceiling. With
tight lips she said, “I don’t know.”

Benson stood up and yelled at Diane. “What do
you mean you don’t know? You told me you left town to think. You
swore to me that you hadn’t left with Brian.”

Luke stood up and grabbed Benson’s arm. He
leaned over and whispered in his ear. “Sit down, man. You can’t do
this in court.”

Benson yanked his arm out of Luke’s grasp and
then sat back down.

“What about Darryl Mills?” Tom asked when
things quieted back down.

“What about him?” Diane asked defiantly.

“Did you start having an affair with the very
married Mr. Darryl Mills after Mr. Johnson left you in
Jacksonville, Florida?”

“Is there a point to this line of
questioning?” Lukeasked, back on his feet again.

Judge Landon squared his eyes on Tom and
said, “The counselor does have a point. I don’t know how many more
men I’m going to allow you to bring up in the courtroom today.
Because it is beginning to appear as if you’re trying to make Mrs.
Benson the villain.”

“No, sir,” Tom hurriedly said. “I don’t
believe that Mrs. Benson is a villain, but I don’t think she’s a
victim either. She and JT were two adults who willingly decided to
do something they knew was wrong. And furthermore, Mrs. Benson
hasn’t stopped, so how traumatized could she be from her affair
with Mr. Thomas?”

In true dramatic form, Luke stood back up,
threw his pen across the table and bellowed, “Objection! Your
Honor, how much more of this does my client have to endure?”

Tom looked toward the door, hoping that it
would swing open and the person he was waiting on would run into
the courtroom. When the door didn’t open, he turned to Judge Landon
and said, “Your Honor, I do have one more thing to ask the witness,
but I need a ten minute recess before I can continue.”

It was ten o’clock and Lamont was nowhere
near the courthouse. He had stopped at a copy center so he could
download the pictures from his camera and print them out. Once he
paid for his computer usage and the printing, he jumped back in the
2007 Buick LaCrosse that JT talked him into buying. He needed to be
at the courthouse in twenty minutes so that he could give the
photos he’d taken to Tom Albright, but the car wouldn’t start.

He popped the hood, got out the car and
slammed the door. “See what being cheap does? I bet that Escalade
would have started right up.”

Lamont didn’t have much experience under the
hood of a car, so he tinkered with a few of the plugs and then
closed the hood. He got back in the car and tried to start it
again, but it didn’t turn over. He tapped his fingers on the
dashboard as he tried to figure out what might be wrong with the
car. The battery… it’s the battery, he thought as he got back out
the car. He looked around wondering where he would find some cables
to jump his battery.

“Are you waiting on a witness?” Judge Landon
asked while looking at the notes in front of him. “You don’t have
another witness logged for today.”

“No, Your Honor,” Tom said. “I don’t have
another witness for today. I need to present the court with
evidence for my next line of questioning.”

“Objection,” Luke said. “I wasn’t informed
about any evidence that council wants to present to the court.”

“I was just made aware of this evidence last
night,” Tom informed Judge Landon.

Judge Landon looked at Tom as if he were
getting ready to deny his request.

Tom raised his hand and said, “Your Honor,
here is the bottom line. I believe this case needs to be dismissed
because of collusion.”

“What are you talking about, Mr. Albright?”
Judge Landon asked with a scowl on his face.

Tom took a deep breath and plowed ahead. “I
believe that the defendant and her attorney have cooked up this
case for the sole purpose of extorting money from my client’s
former church.” He pointed at Diane as she sat in the witness chair
looking like a tiger, ready to pounce on her prey. “Because if the
court believes that this woman was manipulated into have sex with
my client, then it would stand to reason that Mr. Watson also
manipulated her, since he is a man of authority as well.”

Judge Landon leaned his elbows on his desktop
and fixed Tom with a look that had caused a multitude of men to
confess to their misdeeds. “Are you accusing Mr. Watson of sleeping
with his client?”

***

“Thanks, man, I appreciate your help,” Lamont
said to the guy who had just jump started his car. He got back in
his car and raced to the courthouse. JT had done so much for him.
He just wanted to help JT out in his time of need. And he had found
a way. Lamont had googled Diane Benson and found her address. He
staked out the house for several nights, following her whenever she
left the house.

A few nights ago he hit pay dirt. Diane met a
man in a hotel room and Lamont was there to photograph it.

“I can prove it, Your Honor. I just need a
few more minutes.” Tom looked toward the door with a longing
expression on his face. Come on, Lamont.

As if he’d heard Tom’s plea, the door to the
courtroom opened and Lamont walked in with a manila envelope in his
hand. He looked at Tom and nodded.

Tom stepped away from the bench and signaled
Lamont to approach. Lamont handed him the manila envelope and then
sat down and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Tom turned back to
the judge and said, “Mr. Lamont Steven’s informed my client of
these pictures yesterday. I viewed them on his camera, but asked
that he print them out so that I might present them to the court.”
Tom handed the photos to Judge Landon. “As you can see, Your Honor,
the photos clearly show Mr. Watson and Mrs. Benson in bed
together.”

The courtroom erupted. Benson stood up and
punched Luke in the face. “How dare you take my money and sleep
with my wife, too.”

“Joe, it’s not true,” Diane yelled from the
witness stand.

“I don’t want to hear another word from you.
I’m done,” he told her as he grabbed hold of Luke’s shirt and
hauled off and punched him again.

Luke fell to the ground and quickly crawled
away from Benson. “They’re lying. I didn’t sleep with your
wife.”

“I want my money back,” Benson said as two
bailiffs grabbed him and hauled him out of the courtroom.

Judge Landon tried to regain order. He banged
on the gavel several times. Once the noise had subsided, Judge
Landon told Luke to get off the floor. When Luke stood up, Judge
Landon held the pictures out to him and asked, “Can you explain
this?”

Luke wiped the blood away from his lip with
some tissue and then grabbed the pictures. He began sputtering, but
no real words escaped his mouth.

“You shouldn’t be her attorney in this case
and you know it. I’m granting the defendant’s motion and dismissing
this case.” Judge Landon brought the gavel down one final time and
then stood. But before stepping down from the bench he told Luke,
“I want to see you in my chambers at nine in the morning.”

Cassandra jumped up, put her arms around JT’s
neck and pulled him close to her. “You did it! You did it!”

JT whispered in her ear, “I told you we
didn’t need Lamont’s money.”

“No, just his camera,” Cassandra said as she
turned to find Lamont. When she spotted him she mouthed, “Thank
you.”

Her spirits were lifted until she watched
Diane storm her way over to them. With one hand on her hip and the
other pointing in JT’s face she said, “It’s not over. Oh, I promise
you that.”

JT lifted his hands. “Look, Diane, I’m tired
of fighting. You, me and Cassandra may never see eye to eye on
everything, but I’m hoping that we can agree to parent
together.”

With the sista-sista neck going, Diane said,
“How are we going to parent together when you’re trying to take my
parental rights away?” She pointed at her chest. “I birthed Lily,
JT. Me, not Cassandra.”

He squeezed Cassandra’s hand as he said, “We
realize that, Diane. And I’m willing to work out visitation rights
with you.”

Cassandra looked at JT as if he’d lost his
mind.

He simply patted her hand and said, “It’s the
right thing to do… for Lily.”

Cassandra nodded. She knew he was right. If
they kept Lily away from Diane, she would always blame them for her
lack of a relationship with her birth mother. Better to let Lily
figure out for herself whether or not she wanted Diane in her
life.

Diane looked toward the door where Benson had
been escorted out after he punched Luke. “It might take a while
before I can visit with her. I think I’m going to be looking for a
place to stay.” As she walked away, sadness clung to her eyes.