Broken (30 page)

It seemed Kyle had grown up in a couple of hours as he replied. "Neely, secrets always come out. It's best to face reality and deal with it. I can never say, 'I'm sorry,' enough times."

She nodded. "No more secrets. Are you all right?"

"My shoulder is out of place. I've got to go to the hospital, too. Neely, after tonight, I believe in miracles. Maybe you should, too. Mine is standing over there waiting for me. I love her. I'll never do anything again that could hurt her. I'll see you at the hospital."

Neely was quiet all the way to the emergency room. She kept thinking.
Is it possible? How many people have told me to believe in miracles? Will I be able to carry a child to term?
She reached over and took Raif's hand.

"What's the matter, baby?" he asked.

"I'm believing in miracles. Raif, what if?"

He kissed her hand. "I'll do that headstand I promised you."

In the emergency room triage, a broken arm took precedence over fainting when the fainter seemed fine and was not experiencing chest pain. Kyle came out with his arm in a sling before Neely was ever seen. Deanna and Courtney were with him. From the expression on Deanna's face, it was clear Kyle had no more secrets from his mother. Nonetheless, Kyle insisted they wait to find out if Neely was all right.

The ER was practically empty before Neely was finally called back. After a urine specimen and a blood sample, Neely and Raif waited again. Just before midnight, the attending physician came in.

"Mrs. Gautier, you're just fine. From the tests and information, your ailment should be over somewhere around Father's Day, which would be quite appropriate since you're pregnant."

"Are you sure?" asked Neely, putting her hand over her abdomen.

"Absolutely. You're already three months along. You need to get in to see an obstetrician ASAP, especially since what you've told me makes you very high risk." He handed Neely a bottle of prenatal vitamins. "Start taking these and get an appointment before the New Year. Go home now and get some rest. Merry Christmas!"

Neely looked at Raif a long moment before she flung her arms around him. "I got my miracle! I know God will let me have this baby. Do you know when this had to have happened? The day we got the girls. Raiford Gautier, I love you so much."

"And I love you, my beautiful Queen Neely."

She laughed, "Where's my headstand?"

"I'll do it in the waiting room. That way if I break something, I'll be first in line to be seen."

Raif and Neely walked out holding hands. "Well?" Kyle demanded.

Raif held up a finger and promptly did a headstand.

"Oh, my God!" shouted Courtney. "Really, Aunt Neely? Really?"

"Yes. Tonight, I know miracles are real, too."

Courtney laughed. "Maybe the real miracle is that Uncle Raif could actually do a headstand."

"You little monster!" laughed Raif, giving Courtney a noogie.

"No," disagreed Kyle. "That's
my
miracle. You've got yours in spades, Uncle Raif."

Raif raised an eyebrow.

"In a few years," finished Kyle.

Raif said, "Well, it's Christmas, a celebration of a miracle birth. I'm happy to have another one. Is anyone here hungry besides me?"

Everyone nodded. "All right," said Raif. "Waffle House—my treat."

34

Ring around the Rosy

N
eel
y
made an appointment with her ob-gyn immediately. She felt confident using the same doctor Larkin used. Doctor Sullivan assured her that at this stage of her pregnancy everything appeared normal; however, because of her medical history, he performed the cervical cerclage in office. He frowned and asked about the perforation.

She nodded. "Dr. Henri said it was repaired, but worried about implantation."

"It's obvious this one took."

"Does this make me higher risk?"

"Possibly. I do think this might be your only child. I'm starting you on weekly visits, and"—He checked the calendar—"scheduling a sonogram for February 4
th
. We'll talk more about what to do after the baby later on."

Saul Blackwell made another trip to Montel Desmond with Kyle in tow. Desmond scowled at the boy. "I told you not to lie to me."

"I didn't," Kyle said, clenching his teeth. "I didn't want
anyone
to know about this."

"Lie by omission."

"You can't force me to do this." He looked at his stepfather. "He can't make me, can he?"

Desmond leaned forward with his hands folded on his desk. "Kyle, give me your statement. I won't force you to testify about this if I don't have to. Even if all the other charges were ignored, a jury would castrate him for what Mr. Blackwell has related to me. And if you do have to testify about this, I think we can do it via video. But looking the man in the eye would help my case and your healing."

"I'll give you my statement, but I won't testify. I just can't."

Desmond took the boy's statement and reminded him that he could change his mind if he wanted to.

Outside the courthouse, Kyle fell apart. For the first time since Deanna had married Saul, Kyle let the man embrace him. Saul whispered to the boy, "If I'd had any inkling something like that had happened to you, Mia Godchaux would not have gotten the chance to kill your father. I'd have done it myself."

Kyle wept, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I just don't think I can say that part in a courtroom."

"It's okay. You're my son now, and I swear I'll do everything in my power to protect you. I love you, Kyle."

Face buried in Saul's chest, words muffled against his shirt, Kyle mumbled, "I love you too, Dad."

"Dad. I like the sound of that. Let's go home."

Kyle nodded.

Neely's sonogram was the day before the trial for Lloyd Palermo began. Viewing the screen, Dr. Sullivan announced that the little tyke was developing normally, but he was greatly concerned about the scarring to Neely's uterus. He said frankly, "Those scars are from the uterine repair. It's more extensive than I thought. I don't want you to try to deliver this baby, Neely. I'm afraid you might hemorrhage far too much. To be honest, it's a miracle that he ever implanted, and he will probably be the only one you can have, as I've already told you. I want to schedule a C-section. It'll be safer for both of you."

"He?" asked Raif.

"Yes, it's a boy. He has a strong heartbeat, and he looks perfectly normal. I'm not worried too much about the baby's development. I'm more worried about Neely. If we can get you to thirty weeks, and we have to take the baby, or if the cerclage breaks, he'll be fine. Of course, we're aiming for thirty-eight weeks. I don't want you to go into labor. I'm putting young Master Gautier down for June fourth, that's two weeks before his due date. Let's hope he doesn't get anxious."

Raif and Neely left feeling a bit uneasy themselves. Raif was terrified of losing Neely. She took his hand. "We'll both be fine," she assured.

He confessed, "I can't lose you, baby. There's only so much one person can handle. Losing you would be the last straw."

"Don't worry, Raif. I'm gonna do exactly what Dr. Sullivan tells me. I wouldn't do anything to put myself or"—She rubbed her tummy—"Master Gautier at risk. Let's name him."

"Now?"

"Why not?"

"All right. What did you have in mind?"

"I know you want to name him after Ray. Don't deny it."

"Yes." He nodded and glanced toward his wife. "I'd like part of his name to be Michael."

"My father's name was Avery. I'd like that. So, which flows better—Michael Avery Gautier or Avery Michael Gautier?"

"You decide."

"Chicken. I see it in your eyes. You want to call him Michael. Then, that's it—Michael Avery Gautier." Neely laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"To think I said I was glad there was only one boy to throw a bachelor party for. Now, I guess in twenty-something years, you'll have to get him totally wasted, and I'll see you drunk for only the second time. I don't ever wanna see it before that."

"I only went along with getting Patrick the lap dance because of what he did. I dragged him out when I realized how much he'd drunk." Raif laughed. "I've only ever been that drunk one other time—the day I met you."

"And Ray instigated that, too."

"Nope. That was my idea. I just had no clue it would lead me to you."

"Well, I'm excited to tell the girls about their little brother. We'll be fine, Raif. I'll never leave you."

The trial for Lloyd Palermo began. It was to be nationally televised.

To the nation's amazement the defendant pled, "Not guilty." Ray and Raif, along with their family and friends left the courtroom in total disbelief.

"Do you think the jury will actually buy that?" asked Raif as the families tried to have a meal together.

"How can they?" asked Kyle, pale as death. "Uncle Ray, is it too late to add a charge against him? Dad?" Kyle turned to Saul.

Ray smiled that the boy was finally accepting Saul.

"No," Saul said. "You have thirty years from the date you turn eighteen to file a charge. If you want to do that, we'll all support you, but I would suggest waiting to see what happens here. Kyle, you're already gonna have to testify about Neely. Do you really wanna add to your stress level? I remember what you said in Desmond's office."

"If we don't add the charge now, it might look like another attempt at revenge," said Kyle. Courtney took his hand. "I can do this," he said. "The jury won't look so leniently on a child molester. That's what Desmond said."

"I hate to say it, but he's right," concurred Ray.

Across the way, Parker said, "Do it. That is
burning
evidence. I'm a little worried about the state's case. I tried to get them to hold off and find more concrete evidence." He shrugged. "But what do I know? I'm just a cop in Podunk."

From near the other end of the table, Jenna whispered to Patrick. "'E should do it. That's the man that assaulted me, but I won't bring a charge because I don't want the United States knowin' I was a stripper." Patrick put a protective arm around his wife. "I don't wanna say anything to trivialize what Kyle endured. I only 'ad bruises." Patrick kissed her on the head.

"I heard you, Jenna." Kyle nodded. "I can do it."

The next day, federal prosecutors added a charge of rape of a child under twelve to the long list. The defense demanded a continuance, and the judge gave them until the following Monday and instructed the prosecution to hand over all discovery related to the new charge.

On February 10
th
, the trial began in earnest. The prosecution was seeking the death penalty and began with the first degree murder charges. Most of the day was taken up with opening remarks and motions. The first actual witness was called on Tuesday morning. Witnesses were confined to separate rooms so that their testimonies would not be influenced by another's.

First on the stand, the state's psychiatrist said Lloyd Palermo was not insane. "On the contrary, he is fully aware of right and wrong," the psychiatrist testified. "I believe the defendant to be a pathological liar who planned revenge against those he holds responsible for his mother's death. He exacted his revenge over a long period of time in a number of ways, culminating in the deaths of four law enforcement agents and the attempt on another."

Cross examination failed to weaken the doctor's testimony. The defense would have to wait to call its rebuttal witness.

The next person to testify was Trista Gautier Johnson. The defense had nothing to cross as the young woman merely tearfully recounted watching her mother die. At the retelling, the temperature began to drop.

Detective Anthony Pennington, then, testified regarding the bullet recovered at the scene of Detective Christine Gautier's murder. "Tests proved it came from a sniper rifle that Officer Lloyd Palermo had access to."

With a deep scowl the defense attorney asked, "Was the gun registered to Trooper Palermo?"

"No," Pennington responded.

"Nothing else at this time." Lloyd's lawyer sat down. The judge adjourned for the day.

On Wednesday, the next witnesses were the agents in Patrick Swift's team. Their testimony paralleled Trista's account of her mother's death. Agent Swift had died the same way. The bullet recovered at his murder scene had been fired from the same gun. The temperature in the courtroom became colder than the first day when Trista testified.

Again, the defense couldn't disprove the testimony except that not one member of the team had actually seen Lloyd anywhere in the vicinity. That alone brought a smile to Mr. Chambliss's face.

The last witness for the second day of testimony was the day dispatcher at the precinct where Steve Journey was killed. Her description of the way Agent Journey died was similar to that of two FBI agents and a teenage girl. The temperature dropped several more degrees.

The judge frowned and called the bailiff to him, instructing him to have someone check the thermostat. Even in his legal robe, he was cold.

Once again, the forensics on the bullet recovered matched the other two bullets. And, again, the defense had no argument beyond the fact that the woman had not seen Lloyd.

The families dined together again and felt good about the testimony of the day although those who were scheduled to testify were not allowed in the courtroom and had to hear second-hand accounts. Raif asked Ray about the temperature change, and the twins exchanged knowing nods. Ray whispered, "Demonic. Damn Latrice."