It Started On Skull Island – Chapter 5

It Started On Skull Island – Chapter 5

Brian Whatcom sat at the back of the courtroom, fidgeting to overcome the anxiety he felt coursing through his body. He wondered if this would be another case of Jeff Hansen being set free on some technicality. Allowing the rapist back on the streets would ensure that another victim like Lucy Rasmussen would live her life in terror and fear. His close friend, Denise McCurdy, had come close to being another one of those statistics, and he could feel his blood pressure rising with the memory of their ordeal on Skull Island.

“Order!” the court clerk called out. “Order in the court! In the matter of the People versus Jeffrey Johnathon Hansen, Judge Peter Ladner presiding, all rise for His Honour !” Reluctantly, Brian stood up, along with his girlfriend Marsha Middleton, his closest friend Ted Campbell, and their newest pal Roger Wilson. They would have preferred to sit with Denise and Lucy, but the prosecutor had refused to allow them to sit that close. He had mentioned something about trying to keep his witnesses from the eyes of the press.

“Jeffrey Johnathon Hansen, you are charged with assault, aggravated assault, sexual assault, . . .” The list of charges went on for what seemed like hours, and Brian found himself losing his focus on the proceedings. “How do you plead?”

“Not guilty” one of Hansen’s high-priced lawyers answered for Jeff. The Judge looked like he was about to take action against the man, then returned his stare towards Jeff.

“Counsellor, unless your name is Jeffrey Johnathon Hansen, I’d advise you to not interrupt these proceedings again unless you are specifically requested. Do I make myself clear? The next time you speak out of order like that, I will cite you for contempt.” The lawyer sat down again, a more meek look on his face. “Now, Mr Hansen . . . and only Mr. Hansen . . . how do you plead?” the Judge commanded.

“Umm, not guilty, Your Honour?” Jeff squeaked. It was more of a question than anything else, and the defendant looked fearful. This Judge wasn’t about to roll over and let all the fancy lawyers run his courtroom. Maybe there will be some justice finally, Brian thought to himself.

The court clerk read Denise’s affidavit into the court records, outlining the events that had taken place. Brian’s Dad, Martin Whatcom, sat beside his son, and at the end of the clerk’s reading, he leaned over to whisper to his son.

“You three did file your affidavits, didn’t you Son?”

“Yeah, we did. I think the prosecutor’s holding them back until Hansen has had enough time to hang himself, though. I’m just wondering whether he’ll introduce Lucy’s testimony” Brian whispered back. His Dad sat back up and listened to the words of the affidavit as they were being read out.

The trial proceeded slowly, with three of the defence lawyers objecting to anything and everything being said by the complainant, Denise McCurdy. Brian could see that the Judge was getting more and more irritated at their stall tactics, as well as their attempts to disrupt Denise’s testimony as much as possible. It seemed like hours that she was on the stand. Even Brian couldn’t follow her recitation, and he’d been there. How the Judge was supposed to make sense of it was beyond him.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang as the Judge hammered the bench with his gavel, and the people in the gallery jumped at the sound of the report.

“Counsellor, unless you have something worthwhile to say, I suggest that you stop interrupting this witness. If there are any more unnecessary interruptions of this trial, I will have you removed, sir, and find you in contempt. That goes for you and all your associates too. Do I make myself clear?” The lawyer hung his head, knowing that Judge Peter Ladner would follow through at the slightest provocation from either him, or either of his two colleagues. Miraculously, the speed of the rest of the trial increased tremendously.

“The court calls Brian Whatcom to the witness stand.” Brian stood up and slipped past his father, then walked down to the front of the courtroom, where he was sworn in.

“Mr. Whatcom, would you tell us, in your own words, what you saw on the night in question.” Brian recounted as many of the pertinent details as he could, omitting anything that had nothing to do with the attack, such as the fact that he and Marsha had made love a mere twenty feet up the beach from Ted and Denise, who were also making love to each other at the time. He also left out the part about them covering Frank Hansen’s boat with their cum, once they’d escaped from Jeff’s goons and had fled the island.

The proceedings went through the details of the attack, and Brian was questioned as t how he came to be in possession of Hansen’s speedboat. Here, though, the prosecutor took a slightly different tack than they had originally discussed.

“Mr. Whatcom, at the time that you boarded the craft in question, were there any marks or indications as to the registered owner’s identification that you could see?”

“Umm, no sir, but . . . “ Brian sputtered before the prosecutor cut his response short.

“No further questions, your Honour!” Brian was dismissed, and stepped down, wondering what the prosecutor’s purpose for that last question was.

“Your Honour, in summation, the evidence clearly demonstrates that Mr. Hansen and his associates did attempt to sexually assault Miss Denise Theresa McCurdy, and that she escaped, fortunately, by commandeering an unmarked craft. As that craft was not identifiable as being the property of one Mr. Francis Hansen, I see no reason to contemplate charges of theft in this case.”

“So noted, Counsellor” the Judge replied. “Court will be in recess for one hour, and will reconvene at two o’clock this afternoon.” There was a sharp report of the Judge’s gavel, and the court adjourned. Turning to face Brian, the prosecutor flexed his finger to call Brian back for a quick conference.

“Sorry to spring that last bit at you, Brian,” he began to explain, “but Hansen has indicated that he would lay charges of theft against each one of you. That question and answer blew his case right out of the water, so to speak.”

“Thank you, sir. We all appreciate that” Brian beamed.

They left the courtroom and headed for a coffee shop across the street, accompanied by Martin Whatcom. Everyone ordered something light, and they sat in relative silence, with Lucy looking scared and unsure of herself. Roger did his best to give her some support, as did the other four teens.

“What . . . what happens next?” Lucy asked with a waver in her voice. “Do you think they’ll find him guilty? And if they don’t, what’s to keep him and his goons from coming after us? Shit, I’m not so sure this was such a God idea. I’m damned scared!”

“Lucy,” Martin began, “let’s see what the judge has to say first. Peter Ladner’s been on the bench a long, long time, and he knows all about Jeff Hansen’s antics. If anyone is going to take that scumbag off the streets, it’ll be Judge Ladner. Trust me, okay?” His words were encouraging for her, but not by much.

Court reconvened, and Judge Ladner sat behind the bench, reading the filed affidavits and weighing the evidence, then looked directly at Jeff.

“Mr. Hansen, you have been charged with assault, sexual assault, attempted rape, attempted false imprisonment, and I’m surprised that attempted murder isn’t among these charges. In light of the evidence presented, and in consideration of these affidavits before me, which your lawyers have been given copies, I find you guilty as charged on all counts. I hereby sentence you to two years, less a day, on each charge, to be served consecutively. Maybe when you see the streets of Lakeside again, in about eight years, you’ll have had time to rethink your actions.”

Jeff looked blankly at the bench, avoiding the judge’s eyes in his shock and dismay.

“Furthermore, I hereby order the matter of the People versus Jeffrey Johnathon Hansen involving the sexual assault on one Lucille Diana Rasmussen, to be re-tried, based on this affidavit filed on her behalf. This court stands adjourned!”

Brian could hardly believe his ears! Jeff Hansen had been convicted, and would be in prison for almost eight full years! And as it that weren’t enough, Lucy would get a chance at justice too! His eyes focused on Lucy and Denise at the front of the courtroom, only to see Lucy staring blankly, her face ashen white, her eyes as big as saucers, and tears flowing down her cheeks. His first reaction was to run to her side and do whatever he could to help her overcome the shock. He’d have done it, too, except that Roger damned near bowled him over in a bid to be at Lucy’s side first, at all costs.

They took their time leaving the confines of the courthouse, its hallowed halls imparting a sense of security, yet the openness of its front courtyard represented freedom; freedom from the rules and regulations of structured society, freedom from the iron hands of justice, but mostly, freedom from the weight of Lucy and Denise’s fears that Jeff Hansen had dropped on them. That freedom washed over each member of the teen group, leaving them in a world that was carefree, unrestrained, and theirs for their exploration.

“Oh my God!” Denise expressed her inner feelings. “We did it! We got that son-of-a-bitch off the streets! I don’t believe it, but we did it!” She did her version of a happy dance as they slowly descended the building’s steps.

“Dennie,” Brian quietly mentioned, “I think my Dad had something to do with that success. I can’t prove it, and we’ll never get the whole truth out of him, but he’s pulled some strings in the background. Remember that Patrol officer that found us out on the lake? He was sitting in the back of the courtroom, and those guys never goto court unless they’re required to testify for something. I think we owe Dad a thank-you, at the very least. I know I do.” His revelation brought them all back down to earth, but without lessening the euphoric mood they were in. Denise, stopped her gyrations long enough to stare at Brian as she absorbed the information.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Denise concurred, “but how do I ever thank him enough? If you’re right, there’s nothing I can do that would tell him just how much I appreciate all he’s done.” She stopped all movement as that look of concentration spread over her face. “If he wasn’t married to your Mom,” she spoke in a soft and subdued tone, “I’d give him my body. That’s the most important thing I have that I could share with him. You think your Mom would get upset if I sucked your Dad’s cock for him?” There was a short burst of giggles from the other teens, more from discomfort than anything else.

“Yeah, I think she might be a little pissed off” Brian replied once he managed to regain his composure. “I know Ted would be, too. It’s one thing for the four of us to go all sex-crazy, but something else to take that intimacy and make it a city-wide event. You really want to screw up that kind of relationship? As much as I loved that night out at the Point, if it was Marsha sucking my Dad off, I’d be pissed off too. We were four people all connected together that night, and I, for one, still feel that we’re a close and tight-knit group. I know what you’re saying, Dennie, about giving Dad your body, and in a perverse sort of way, it’s a sweet offer. But if you follow through, you’re inviting someone into our little circle that doesn’t really belong there. It takes away from that closed bond we developed when we were all together. See what I mean?”

Denise remained silent as she rolled Brian’s words around in her mind, then slowly nodded her head in acknowledgement of his message. It was then that Marsha injected an extension of Brian’s concepts.

“Baby, I understand what you’re saying, and I agree with you. I do have a question, though, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on something.” She paused for a moment, as though trying to find the right words to ease into something that deserved to be dived into head first instead. “How would you feel if it was, say, Lucy and Roger that became a part of that group scenario, like we did up at the Point? Would they be outsiders, too, in your mind, or . . . “ She left the question open-ended to give her boyfriend some different directions to pursue. Brian spent several minutes in deep thought before he expressed his opinion.

“Umm, I’m not sure, but I think that’s a whole different kettle of fish. The six of us have been through a lot together in the last couple of weeks, and you three girls are getting to be really close to one another. I know Dennie and you, because I’ve been around you two so much, and I’m beginning to get to know Lucy because of her association with a certain couple of minxes . . . who will probably have her as badly corrupted as you girls are! Ted and I have been pals since the dawn of time practically, and we’re both getting to know Roger more and more each day. In my mind, there’s a place for each of them, and if they wanted to join us, I wouldn’t say ‘No’, but without that experience we had on Skull Island, there’s a bonding thread missing.