The press conference did not ease the political pressures that were already being felt in the background. From what I noticed it only increased those pressures, but that wasn't entirely my business. If the DA ended up losing his job because he picked his opponent to be a researcher for him, and that researcher then took on the defendant's case in a case where the evidence was clearly against the defendant's case, that was the DA's problem. I wasn't about to worry about the DA's political problems.
My concern was in doing a good job, and showing that Molly and I weren't mindless animals. The problem was that it appeared that the present case would be the case that would determine that. As the first day of the trial approached, Beauregard did make a large donation to judge's campaign fund, though the judge's last election was in the election cycle before the coming one. Beauregard also made no effort to hide the donation.
As Officer Barnes and I entered the courtroom to take our own seats, I hoped that the judge didn't just decide to declare them innocent and follow Beauregard's money. The county DA was not present as Officer Barnes lead the two ranchers to the defendant's chair where Jason Regus was already waiting.
"We can reach an agreement without having to go through with this," I heard Regus whisper to Officer Barnes.
"Oh?"
"Fire the tiger and incarcerate him with no charges," Regus answered, "do that and all of this will go away. They'll even plead guilty on some of the charges in exchange for the worst charges being dropped."
"In other words, agree with you that my partner committed the attack," Officer Barnes finished.
"It's all you need to do," Regus whispered.
"You do know that my partner can hear you, right?" Officer Barnes questioned him, "that his ears are not for show."
Regus then gave me a nervous glance. If looks could kill, the one I gave him would have certainly been fatal. He then nervously returned his gaze to Officer Barnes.
"You'll regret this," Regus said to him and turned to his clients.
At that point, I quit listening in. I had no reason to, and I quietly waited for Officer Barnes to come to sit beside me.
"The guy's an ass," Officer Barnes grumbled.
"Lot's of guys are," I told him, "hopefully the judge isn't."
Officer Barnes nodded. We then quietly waited for the judge to enter the courtroom. After about fifteen minutes the judge did arrive.
"All rise for the honorable Gregory Pax," the bailiff spoke as the judge emerged from his chambers.
The judge took his seat and banged his gavel down.
"The case of Columbia Falls versus Smiths is now in secession," the judge, Gregory Pax, spoke, "the prosecution will now state the charges in the case. The rest may be seated."
Those in the audience sat down while Joey Barnes remained seated.
"The charges, your honor, are in a mix of a criminal and civil trial include animal cruelty and falsely accusing an officer of the law," Joey Barnes stated.
"The charges have been stated," Judge Pax nodded, "Jason Regus representing the Smiths in this case, and representing the DA's Office, you may make your opening statement in this case. Hopefully making some explanation as to why you are representing the defendants in this case."
"Thank your honor," Regus answered, "Ebenezer and his son, William, are the ones who were falsely accused. The real crime, your honor, is assault committed by Officer George Wayne and that Ebenezer Wayne stood valiantly to defend his cattle, yet the police of Columbia Falls refuse to consider the possibility that they made a mistake in hiring a possible man-eater..."
"Thank you," Judge Pax cut Regus off before he went on, "I believe I can understand your case for the defendants. Do you have a plea to face the present charges?"
"Not guilty," Regus replied.
"Very well," Judge Pax answered, "we will reconvene in three days when the Jury has been completely assembled. Bail is set at five hundred dollars."
"Ahem," came Beauregard's voice from a different section of the courtroom.
I shook my head, but it didn't surprise me that he was there. I was privately certain that he was involved in planning the whole charade of a case out in the hopes of getting some legal means to go after Molly and I. Just as I was hoping that his case would break R.A.M.'s financial means of crushing Molly and I, Beauregard was dependent on the case crushing my service as an officer in Columbia Falls. Of course the man who had vowed to get rid of Molly and myself would be there.
"Is there a reason you are speaking without the floor in my courtroom, sir?" Judge Pax spoke to Beauregard directly in a fairly impartial voice.
"Only to volunteer that I could pay the bail, your honor," Beauregard answered, "Nothing more, and I apologize if I have broken any protocol."
"I see," Judge Pax answered, "You may meet with Officer's Wayne and Barnes with the defendants on their way out to pay the bail. Ebenezer and William Smith, with your bail paid, you are expected to comply with these court proceedings and are to arrive on time. ANY tardiness will be taken as a lack of respect for this court, and if you fail to show up without a legitimate reason, and proof of that reason, you will be found guilty. Am I understood?"
"Yes, sir," Ebenezer and his son, William, answered.
"Very well," Judge Pax answered, "We will reconvene in three days."
And the gavel came down again.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"It sounds like all the guy did was repeat the same accusations against you," Molly commented that evening as my shift had ended and I began telling her about what had gone on during the day.
"That is all it was," I said with a sigh, "but that will fail before the evidence that has been collected. The prints at the scene could not have left by you or I, the cow was shot to death, and the animal sounds that they said were indication of our presence was made by a boom box hidden in the ravine near where they had drug the animal."
"I can't understand why the judge would even listen to this nonsense," Molly answered, "you've told me that the case was clear."
"It's part of the system, I suppose," I told her, "without it, if it were a case of wrongful arrest, those two wouldn't get a trial. They'd simply be arrested. We need to prove they are guilty."
Molly only sighed, making it fairly clear that she did not look on the situation with much patience. I couldn't really blame her, as the two ranchers had engineered their scam in the hopes of getting Molly and I to be removed from the town. By letting them make their ridiculous counter claim, it seemed to give credibility to their argument, but that was the nature of justice. And I hoped that justice would be served, no matter how hard the path was.
"We have to be fair," I told her, "after all, everyone has a right to be stupid."
Molly only grumbled something when there was a knock at the door. I slowly got up to check it and found it to be Michael York, standing by quietly.
"Hello, sir, to what do we owe the honor?" I said politely to him.
"For the moment a bit of business," Michael York answered, "seems your latest case is raised a lot of hullabaloo."
"I'm sure," I told him, "but I'm pretty sure we have the evidence to convict them."
"I would hope so," Micheal York answered, "but this case will be drawing in a lot of people..."
I slowly nodded, but was slightly puzzled by why he was here with this.
"Is there..." I began.
"I'm mostly relaying news," Michael York answered, "this may be against the rules, but I feel you two should know."
"Mum's the word," Molly answered from where she was seated.
"Most of the jury will be ranchers from the Columbia Falls area," Michael York responded, "including myself and one Pierre Beauregard."
"You were called to be a juror?" I asked.
"Yeah," Michael answered, "the summons was sent a few days ago, but didn't arrive until today. I called to confirm it and learned that Beauregard had also been named as a juror. I thought you should know."
"Thank you," I said weakly, "can we get you anything? Some water perhaps?"
"No, I'm good, thank you," Michael York answered, "and be careful."
The elderly man made his way out and I nervously followed him as he left. The jury would be local ranchers, which as far as Molly and I knew were all R.A.M. members, and Beauregard would urge that the criminal charges that Regus had said were my fault be pressed. I could only sigh as I knew this would lead to trouble. I was about to say something when Molly spoke.
"The national news is coming on, George," she told me.
I turned back to her and sighed and then sat down. Maybe events in the rest of the world were going better then the ones closer to home. On the screen, the anchorman was nervously collecting some papers in front of him.
"Good evening," the anchorman spoke, "our lead story is one of a continued crisis related the population of animal-people living in America."
Molly and I both looked on intently.
"First thought to be nothing more the a freak show with either accidents of genetics, or very good costuming, the Animatrix Fun House traveled the country with various "animal people" attractions," the anchorman continued, "nearly a year ago now, that had been proved to be not the case. The "freaks" in the show were revealed to be victims of a complex genetic formula that can rewrite human DNA. In addition, it was revealed that none of the victims were willing in the destruction of their human lives."
A photograph of Eugene Changes appeared on the screen.
"The chief perpetrator of the crimes committed by the Animatrix Fun House was found guilty and sent to prison," the anchorman continued, "and the victims have been set free to try and return to their normal lives. And for the most part they have largely tried to keep a low profile and stay out of the spotlight. But this has not made life easy for them."
A photograph of a man who appeared to be part horse part man replaced Eugene Changes.
"First with the unsolved murder Harry Yule, who was killed by a mob in Texas for supposedly having sex with a human woman, though the details of that case have yet to be solved," the anchorman continued, "the latest victim in these acts of criminal violence is one Leona Washburn, one of the scientists involved in the creation of the formula that has created the various animal people living here today."
Molly and I were paying extremely close attention as the facility where Leona had been working to find a cure for the retrovirus she had created.
"Leona had plead guilty to being involved in Eugene Changes scam and has been serving her time under house arrest conditions and working to try and cure those that were victimized by the Animatrix Fun House," the anchorman continued, "at ten o'clock this morning, Central Time, a gang of masked assailants stormed the facility in which Leona was working. The killed three officers of the law and seriously wounded another, Leona, herself was also wounded in the attack. Security camera footage did catch the act. Ladies and gentlemen, what follows is graphic and we would advise that those who may be squeamish best turn away."
A black and white security camera image then filled the screen with Leona at work at a computer. The officer Jackson stood nearby in uniform. Then suddenly, one of the doors burst open and four men armed with handguns and one with a shotgun rushed into the room. Jackson drew his sidearm, but was shot twice in the chest before it even left the holster. Leona turned to face them when the man with a shotgun fired on her, shattering just about everything in the lab and hitting Leona in the side. The man with a shotgun then went forward and was scene to beat Leona with the butt of his weapon while the others began looking over the room itself for something. Before they did anything else, though, one shot the camera itself.
"Both Leona and the officer survived, though are presently in critical condition," the anchorman spoke, "officers would find them in time to get them to help, but they also found that several vials of the retrovirus were missing and various gang insignia was spray painted all over the lab, contaminating the vials that weren't taken, essentially insuring that no cure can be researched for the serum. Officer Jacob Wayne of the Peoria Police Department has called for increased security around the hospital, but as yet has no clear leads as to what precipitated this attack."
"And this will just make things worse," I grumbled.