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Honor and Betrayal PT 55
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INT
COURT
ROOM
1432 HOURS
Ms Ryerson's decision
not to cross examine Mrs. Malory frustrating Captain Peterson, he shoots
her an imitating glare as she sits beside him at the table.
PETERSON
(angrily leaning toward Ryerson and
whispering)
What the hell was that about?
RYERSON
Keeping collateral damage
to a minimum, Captain. Any further questioning of Mrs Malory would
serve no purpose other than to gain her further empathy.
Peterson searches the
silent faces of the jury members
for a long moment. Of the members,
only two of them dared to make eye contact with him. Agitated, Peterson
sighs deeply as he leans back into his chair and folds his arms across his
chest.
MORRIS
(turning to Imes and
Mattoni)
Does the prosecution have any further witnesses they wish to
call?
MATTONI
No, your Honor!...The
prosecution rests.
MORRIS
Do you wish to call a rebuttal witness, Ms
Ryerson?
Noticing Harm
shifting uneasily in his chair, Lieutenant Roberts leans toward the Commander
and attempts to lend an encouraging word.
ROBERTS
(whispering)
Maybe she's changed her mind,
Sir!
HARM
I doubt it, Bud, but if
this thing plays out the way I'm hoping, I'm sure she'll be
regretting it.
Bud's eyes narrowing
with confusion, he gazes across the aisle toward the front of the court room to
meet the cold hard gaze of Peterson as he stares back at Harm. It is
in that same cold, hard glare that Harm finds a deepening desire to
see Peterson receive his just reward.
RYERSON
Yes, your Honor. I'd
like to call Commander Harmon Rabb to the stand. And I might
add at this time that he's to be considered a hostile witness.
MORRIS
So noted, Ms.
Ryerson
Reluctantly, Harms stands
and walks toward the front of the court room his eyes momentarily seeking Mac's
as he walks by. As he takes the stand, Commander Imes approaches him with
bible in hand and presents it to the witness.
IMES
(her empathy obvious, as her eyes meet
Harm's)
Do you swear to tell the truth, and nothing but the truth so
help you God?
HARM
I do.
With that, Commander Imes
withdraws from the witness stand as Ms Ryerson stands and
approaches. Harm's eyes drifting uneasily across the court room, the
familiar faces of Brumby, Roberts, Imes, Mattoni and especially Mac's causes a
nervous churning to erupt in the pit of his stomach.
Compounding the matter, Harm notices the court room door open and
Admiral Chegwidden enter. As the Admiral slips into the same
chair that Harm had just previously vacated, their eyes meet
momentarily. Harm sighs deeply, stirring uncomfortable in his
chair and then looses sight of the Admiral as Ms Ryerson steps into
his line of sight, her first question to the Commander being straight
forward and to the point.
RYERSON
I understand that you have a long standing relationship with
the plaintiff, Commander. Is that correct?
HARM
(meeting her gaze with
arrogance)
Yes.
RYERSON
And for how long of a time
period would that be, Commander?
HARM
About three
years.
RYERSON
Are you close?
HARM
Well, that would depend on
your definition of close, ma'am.
RYERSON
(irritably)
Well let me rephrase my
question for you, Commander. How would you describe the kind of
relationship you have with the plaintiff?
Harm momentarily falls into
silence as he gazes to Mac and considers his words carefully knowing that what
he may say and the manner in which he expresses it could have an adverse effect
on how the jury members perceive Mac's character should he answer
inappropriately.
RYERSON
(impatiently)
Commander, an answer if you please.
HARM
(sensitively, as he gazes to Ryerson)
Colonel Mackenzie has been
and continues to be the best partner I've ever had the privilege of
working with since I've been with JAG. More importantly, she's a
loyal and trusted friend.
RYERSON
Well, it sounds as though she means a lot to you,
Commander. So tell me, are you in love her?
Taken aback by her
question, Harm's eyes shoot over to meet Mac's as Mattoni stands in
protest to Ms Ryerson's line of questioning.
MATTONI
Objection, your
Honor! Where is the defense going with this line of
questioning?
RYERSON
I'm trying to establish the
kind of relationship that exits and has existed between the witness and the
plaintiff, you Honor. This will be relevant in showing pattern of
behavior where the plaintive is concerned.
MATTONI
And the relationship question has already been
asked and certainly adequately answered your Honor.
MORRIS
Objection is
sustained! Move on, Ms Ryerson.
RYERSON
Yes, your Honor.
Harm notices a
disappointing look appear in Mac's eyes as she looks away while Imes
shoots Mattoni an evil glare as he takes his seat. At the rear of
the court room, Chegwidden stretches slightly in his chair and then folds his
arms across his chest disappointed.
AJ
(under his
breath)
Damn!....I sure as hell
wouldn't have minded hearing the answer to that question!
ROBERTS
(unsure he had heard the
Admiral correctly)
Sir?
AJ
Ahh......nothing!
Just thinking out loud, Lieutenant.
Ryerson's voice immediately
draws their attention back to the front of the court room.
RYERSON
(gazing back to
Harm)
So, in the three
years you've been together, you're relationship with Colonel Mackenzie has never
progressed beyond that of being close friends and co-workers. Is
that your contention, Commander?
HARM
Yes,
ma'am.
RYERSON
And in the three year
period, have you ever known her to achieve a sustained relationship with a
man?
HARM
I'd have to say yes to
that.
RYERSON
How would you characterize the sort of men Colonel Mackenzie
became involved with?
MATTONI
Objection!
RYERSON
I'll rephrase. Did
you approved of the types of men that Colonel Mackenzie was involved with,
Commander?
HARM
It was never my place to
approve or disapprove of them, ma'am.
RYERSON
Were they the kind of men you desired to see Colonel
Mackenzie dating?
HARM
What I thought of them
really didn't matter.
RYERSON
Well, Commander, maybe we should get the gist of the matter
by being a little bit more specific here. Let's talk about some of the men
that you seem to be so reluctant to discuss.
MATTONI
Objection!
Relevance?
RYERSON
It goes to pattern of
behavior, your Honor, something I feel is very relevant to why we're all here in
the first place!
MATTONI
Your Honor, the
defense has already attempted to masticate the reputation and character of
the plaintiff earlier in these proceedings. To argue that point any
further........
RYERSON
(interrupting)
Would paint a far clearer
picture of the plaintiff, your Honor.
MORRIS
(sighing deeply and then
addressing Mattoni)
As I granted you the
latitude of bringing in recorded testimony of a comatose witness, I feel
compelled to lend a certain degree of flexibility to the defense in this
situation. So, I'm going to overrule your objection,
Commander.
Greatly frustrated, Cdr
Mattoni takes his seat. Meeting Mac's gaze, he observes the apprehension
in her eyes.
MAC
I guess this is one of those situations where one's past is
about to come back to haunt them.
MATTONI
(attempting to lend her a
bit of encouragement)
I trust that the Commander
will handle it well,
Colonel!
Placing her confidence in
Harm's ability to do just that, Mac turns her attention to the front of
the court room as Ryerson continues her battery of
questions.
RYERSON
(turning her attention to Harm)
Christopher Ragel. What was his relationship to
Colonel Mackenzie?
RABB
Well, why don't you tell me, Ms Ryerson? I mean you
seem to know all the answers.
MORRIS
Commander, I certainly
shouldn't have to remind you of how this all works, now should
I.
RABB
No, your Honor.
MORRIS
Then answer the question,
please.
RABB
(arrogantly staring back at
Ryerson)
Christopher Ragel .....was the Colonel's
husband.
RYERSON
And when did you become
aware of the fact that Colonel Mackenzie even had a
husband?
HARM
About a year
ago.
RYERSON
So, it was something she
had never chosen to discuss with you in all the months the two of you had known
each other.
HARM
That's
correct.
RYERSON
What about a Colonel John
Farrow?
RABB
(shooting Brumby a cold
glare as Ryerson begins to dig up Mac's past)
He was her commanding officer while she was stationed in
Okinawa.
RYERSON
Were they lovers,
Commander?
MATTONI
Your Honor, I strongly
object to this line of questioning.
MORRIS
Overruled.
RYERSON
Commander?
HARM
From what I understand,
they had a short lived affair, yes ma'am.
RYERSON
So, while she was still
married, the plaintiff had an affair with her commanding officer. Is that
correct?
RABB
(bitterly)
You don't have all the details, ma'am. Colonel
Mackenzie was beginning to out-process when........
RYERSON
(interrupting)
Is that correct, Commander?
RABB
(somewhat agitated, yet maintaining a cool facade)
Partly,
yes.
RYERSON
And what was the eventual culmination of this lovers
triangle, Commander?
RABB
(reluctantly, sucking in a deep breath as his frustration
deepens)
In a struggle between the three of them, a gun accidentally
discharged fatally wounding Ragel.
RYERSON
How convenient for the Colonel.
MATTONI
Objection.
RYERSON
Withdrawn. This wasn't the only lovers
triangle where Colonel Mackenzie was concerned, was it?
Harm gazes with some
confusion to Ryerson.
HARM
Ma'am?
RYERSON
Dalton Lowne? You
were acquainted with him, were you not?
HARM
There was no lovers triangle there, Ms
Ryerson.
RYERSON
But Colonel Mackenzie was
intimately involved with Mister Lowne, was she not?
HARM
Yes.
RYERSON
And what became of Mister
Lowne?
HARM
(reluctantly)
He was
murdered.
RYERSON
By
whom?
HARM
By a man named Frank
Coster.
RYERSON
Who was a DC police
detective, correct?
HARM
Yes.
RYERSON
And what was his
relationship to the plaintiff, Commander?
RABB
The Colonel and I had
worked a case with him.
RYERSON
Only the relationship
became much more personal on his part, didn't it,
Commander?
HARM
You seem to have all the
answers, Ms Ryerson, you tell me.
RYERSON
Why did Detective Coster
kill Mister Lowne?
RABB
I'm not a psychologist, Ms
Ryerson!
RYERSON
Had Coster been stalking
Colonel Mackenzie?
Harm remains silent for a
long moment as he seeks out Mac's reassurance that she's handling everything
alright.
RYERSON
Commander, your answer
please.
RABB
Yes!
RYERSON
Because he was totally
infatuated with her if not in love with her, is that
correct?
HARM
As I said, Ms Ryerson, I'm
not a psychologist and therefore not privy to the workings of a deranged
mind.
RYERSON
Well, when Detective Cosner was finally arrested for
the murder of Dalton Lowne, Commander, wasn't his basement walls covered with
pictures of Colonel Mackenzie.......pictures he had taken of her without her
knowledge during the many months he had stalked her?
RABB
Well, I guess you've been
doing your homework, ma'am.
RYERSON
Yes I have,
Commander! And what I see here is yet another lovers triangle ending with
the death of a man whom Colonel Mackenzie was romantically involved
with. Seems to me I see a pattern here.
RABB
(irritably)
Don't go painting Colonel Mackenzie into something she's
not, Ms Ryerson.
RYERSON
Her problems just seems to
lie in the types of men she chooses, is that correct,
Commander?
MATTONI
Objection! Badgering
the witness.
RYERSON
Withdrawn. (she
pauses for a long moment as she paces the floor in front of the witness
stand) To one more case in point. The argument with her date
the night of the alleged rape which led to her accepting a ride home with
Captain Peterson. Still another relationship gone sour and the Colonel
using a third party to remedy the situation. Only this time it back fired,
didn't it Commander?
MATTONI
Objection!
MORRIS
Sustained.
RYERSON
You were at the Colonel's
apartment on the morning in question, were you not,
Commander?
HARM
Yes.
RYERSON
Who was there besides
Colonel Mackenzie?
RABB
Colonel Becker.
RYERSON
The man she had been dating
for awhile, correct?
RABB
Yes.
RYERSON
And what were they arguing
about?
Harm gazes to Mac knowing
full well the manner in which Ms Ryerson was taking the events of that night and
easily twisting and manipulating them into the painted picture she wanted to
present to the jury.
HARM
Colonel Becker assumed
facts not in evidence.
RYERSON
(taken aback by Rabb's answer)
Excuse
me?
HARM
In his jealous rage, he had assumed that Colonel Mackenzie
had entertained Captain Peterson overnight. Apparently, once the truth
came to light, he realized how wrongfully he had accused her and so
testified earlier in these proceedings.
Her avenue of deliberate
manipulation effectively blocked, Ms Ryerson exchanges a long hard gaze with
Commander Rabb.
RYERSON
(agitated as she turns her
attack on Rabb)
Tell me Commander, where
did Colonel Mackenzie spend this past weekend?
MATTONI
Objection,
relevance?
RYERSON
(her eyes steadfast on Rabb)
It ....again goes to pattern of behavior, your
Honor.
MORRIS
Overruled
RYERSON
Commander?
RABB
(in a warning tone of voice)
You're barking up the wrong
tree, Ms Ryerson.
MORRIS
Commander, why don't you
drop the cliches and just answer the question.
HARM
(reluctantly)
The Colonel's electricity
went out at her apartment so....
RYERSON
(interrupting)
I didn't ask for excuses, Commander. A simple answer
will suffice. Where did Colonel Mackenzie spend the
weekend?
HARM
(emphasizing his
words)
Due to the storm........ma'am..........she spent the weekend
at my place.
RYERSON
Really! (she
pauses for a long moment to study Harm's expression) Did you sleep
with her, Commander? And I don't think I need to remind you that you are
under oath.
Ms Ryerson's inference
clear, Harm's eyes drift over to Mac.
HARM
No ma'am, you don't have to
remind me that I am under oath. And with that very thought in mind,
I guess my answer to your question would depend on your inference,
ma'am.
RYERSON
We're all adults here, Commander, so please be
straightforward in answering the question.
HARM
(arrogantly)
Well, if your
inference is to whether or not I had sex with the Colonel, then in all honesty,
ma'am, I'd have to say ....NO, I didn't sleep with her.
Her eyes meeting Harm's for
a long moment, Ms Ryerson observes his blatant arrogance reflecting back
at her.
RYERSON
Well, by your
response, Commander, are you implying that at some
point during the weekend the two of you did actually share the same
bed?
MATTONI
Objection!
RYERSON
Still arguing pattern of
behavior, your Honor.
MORRIS
(sighing
deeply)
Overruled,
Commander.
RYERSON
Did you share the same bed
at any time during the weekend, Commander?
HARM
(arrogantly)
Actually ma'am, ....yes, we
did!
RYERSON
(sarcastically, emphasizing
her words)
In a PURELY......PLUTONIC......manner.
HARM
(brashly)
Well, there really wasn't much of a choice in the matter,
ma'am, I mean unfortunately for me the Colonel's not only a great kick boxer,
but she insisted on wearing her chastity belt into my bed.
With that remark, the
tension is temporarily eased and an array of laughter permeates the court room's
atmosphere.
MORRIS
(restraining his own urge to laugh)
Commander Rabb, you will kindly reserve your snide remarks
for outside the court room, and answer the question as directed to
you.
HARM
(wearing a smug grin on his face)
My apologies, your
Honor. ( his eyes meeting Ms Ryerson's) In answer to
your question, yes, it was purely platonic. The Colonel was very upset and
didn't want to be alone and I just happened to have needed some support of my
own.
RYERSON
So you sought comfort
in the solace of one another's arms.
RABB
Yes ma'am. (adding
mockingly) In a purely plutonic manner.
RYERSON
And what pray tell was so
upsetting to Colonel Mackenzie that it drove her not only into the comfort of
your arms but into your bed as well, Commander?
HARM
Well, as strange as it may sound to you and the members of
this court, ma'am, it was a video that she'd chosen to watch that
night.
RYERSON
A video?
HARM
Yes ma'am. The Colonel had started the night out
sleeping on the sofa and when she was unable to sleep she put on what she
assumed was a video of an old championship game. As it turned out, it
wasn't.
RYERSON
And just exactly what was
on this video tape?
HARM
I'm not sure that you'd
really want to know, ma'am.
RYERSON
Your Honor, would you please once AGAIN instruct the witness
to answer the question.
MORRIS
Commander, if I have to address your lack of
responsiveness once more during these proceedings, I'm afraid that there
will be serious consequences. Am I making myself clear?
RABB
Yes, your Honor! (indicating Colonel Becker as he's sitting in
the court room) The video is in Colonel Becker's possession as we speak if
you care to view it first hand, Ms Ryerson.
Everyone's eyes turn toward
Becker as he presents the video to Ms Ryerson by holding it up. Peterson's
suspicions slowly beginning to mount, his eyes carefully examine the video
Becker is holding in his hand.
RYERSON
I don't think that will be necessary, Commander, your
description will suffice.
RABB
It was a sex tape,
ma'am. All pretty graphic.
RYERSON
Are you in the habit of
keeping that sort of thing around your apartment,
Commander.
MATTONI
Objection!
RABB
(ignoring Mattoni's objection)
Not usually.
RYERSON
And just how graphic was this video,
Commander?
RABB
(turning to Peterson)
It was an amateur video that graphically portrayed a gang
rape of an obviously insensate woman. What was the most
traumatic for Colonel Mackenzie was that one of the featured rapists was
Captain Peterson.
An array of gasps and
expressions of verbal shock simultaneously fill the court room as Captain
Peterson stands in outrage pushing his chair violently out from underneath
him.
PETERSON
(shouting angrily as he begins to rush forward toward
Harm)
You
sonofabitch!
Brumby follows suit as he
attempts to restrain Peterson by grabbing hold of his arms. His
attempts failing, Ms Ryerson quickly moves out of Peterson's path as he
rushes toward her. Rabb stands in his own defense
as Peterson moves within a breaths distance of the witness stand and grabs hold
of Harm's uniform yanking him forward with both hands. From their posts at the
rear of the court room the two SP's finally reach the front of the court room
and lend Brumby their assistance by flanking Peterson and then
quickly taking him down to the floor immediately in front of the witness
stand.
Gazing on in horror,
Admiral Morris stands behind the bench slamming down his gavel as he attempts to
regain civil control of his court room.
MORRIS
Order.........Order!
Mac gazes on in panic as
Peterson's arms are pinned behind his back and manacled. Brumby's
eyes meeting Harm's, the two SP's pull Peterson to his feet where once again he
comes face to face with Harm.
RABB
(with an expression of satisfaction on his
face)
Looks like you're going to
atone for your sins after all, Captain.
PETERSON
(drawing closer to Harm, his tone of voice low as his words
hatefully spew out of his mouth)
Damn you, Rabb, you're gonna have hell to pay for
this! I swear to God, you're gonna have hell to pay!
With that, the two SP's
escort Peterson back to his chair at the defense table with one remaining at
Peterson's side while the other returns to his post at the court room
door. Brumby's eyes still on Harm, he slowly backs away from the stand and
returns to his seat. Straightening his uniform, Harm slips
back into his chair his eyes fixed on Peterson.
RYERSON
Your Honor, I apologize for
my clients outburst. It was inexcusable. However, I respectfully
request that Commander Rabb's final comments be stricken from the
record.
MATTONI
And I object, your Honor! The witness merely answered
the question that the defense insisted that he
answer.
MORRIS
Sustained! Your request it denied, Ms Ryerson.
(gazing to Peterson noting the outrage in Peterson's expression) As
for you Captain Peterson you'll be held in contempt of court for your actions
here just now.
Peterson eyes drift from
Admiral Morris to Rabb who's attention is now on Ryerson.
********************* TO BE CONTINUED
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