Nine
There were only two
people the defence were going to call, Kate and Christian himself. Christian sat watching Kate’s hands shake
with apprehension as she took the stand.
Lennon got to his feet then smiled at her, “Afternoon Miss Harper” he
said, she smiled back at him. “Or may I call you
Kate?”
“Yeah sure”
“Kate would you tell everyone just how long you have known
Christian?”
“My whole life”
“Your whole life?
She nodded “Yeah”
“What kind of person is Chris?”
“He’s the sweetest guy in the world”
Christian smiled at her.
“Is he? What makes you say
that?”
“He just is”
“In all the time you’ve known Chris have you ever known him to
lose his temper?”
“Sometimes”
“Sometimes?
At what times would Chris lose his temper?”
“When he saw people hit there kids or be unkind to animals times
like that”
“And was this often?”
“No, not often”
“Did you ever see Chris lose his temper with Larry Anderson?”
“Yeah once or twice”
“Once or twice?”
“Yeah”
“When was this?”
“The first time he lost his temper with Larry was when Larry hit
his mother”
“I see and what age was Chris then?”
“About fourteen”
“Fourteen?”
“Yeah”
“What happened?”
Kate fixed blue eyes on Christian then frowned and begun relaying
the incident.
Christian turned to
Kate that warm August afternoon, his expression serious. “I gotta go home” he
suddenly announced as he stood up. Kate glanced at him, “Why what’s wrong?” he
shrugged then took a few paces away.
“I’m not sure…I just gotta get home” Kate remained where she was, seated
on the grass embankment for a few seconds. “Chirssy wait” she called after him,
“I’ll come with you” she added as she to got to her
feet and tore off along the gravel pathway.
They walked along with
the August sunshine beating down on them Christian quickened his pace as he
neared his home he could hear his mother’s screams halfway down the path.
“Mom!” he yelled, Kate run after him “Mom!” he added as he threw open the door
and rushed inside.
“MOM!”
“Stay outa this boy!” yelled
“Like hell I will!”
Kate’s eyes darted from Christian to Larry Anderson and back to
Christian once again.
“Get off of her!” yelled Christian as he dived on the man’s back.
“Why you…”
“I said get off her!”
Kate stood rooted to
the spot watching the brute of a man viciously attacking her best friend with
his belt, Christian trying desperately to fight back. “Stop It! Stop It!
Stooooooooop hitting him!” she yelled as she caught his arm he threw her
off and continued with his task, until tiring. “You’ll never beat me you little
son of a bitch!” he sneered then straightened, smirking as he made his way from
the house.
As soon as the door
banged closed Kate rushed over to where Christian now sat head in hands.
“Chrissy…Chris are you okay?” sobbed Kate, he nodded “I hate him so much” he
sobbed as his mother appeared. “You shoulda stayed outa it” she told him.
“What?” barked Kate, “He was trying to help you?”
“Yeah I know and look where it got him”
Christian suddenly got to his feet and stormed outside with Kate
rushing after him…
“Kate…You’ve known Chris your whole
life?” Lennon’s words brought Christian back to reality.
“Yeah I have”
“Would you believe him capable of
murder?”
“No…no I would not!”
Christian smiled warmly across to where
she sat.
“No further questions your honour”
Kate eyed the prosecutor wearily.
“Hello Miss Harper”
She smiled at him but did not return
the greeting.
“In all the time you have known the
accused has he ever discussed killing Mr Anderson?”
Kate’s eyes widened as she darted a
look at Christian.
“Well?” the man continued
“Yeah but…”
“He has? How many times has the accused discussed the
killing of Mr Anderson?”
Kate fixed pleading eyes on Christian.
“Not the killing of him…he never ever
discussed him being dead!”
“Okay I’ll rephrase shall I?”
“Do what you like!”
“How exactly did the accused plan to
kill Mr Anderson?”
Kate swallowed nervously. She knew this could seriously harm
Christian’s defence.
“Well?”
“He didn’t mean any of it”
“Let us be the judge of that?”
The rain
hit against Christian’s bruised face as he stood by the small make-shift grave,
his left arm in a sling and his mother at his side, her arm around his
shoulders as he watched Artie Harper throw the last pieces of dirt on top of
Muffin. “Chris d’you wanna say a few words like some little prayer or something
honey?” he eyed Maggie Harper Kate’s mother then nodded as he took a few paces
nearer and wiped away a tear with his good arm. “Goodbye Muff…I’m gonna miss
you so much…you’re the best friend anyone could ever have” Maggie Harper
glanced at the eleven year old “Come on sweetie…I got some ice-cream waiting
back home with your name on it” Christian eyed his mother for permission,
“Okay” she smiled then watched him walk away with Kate by his side. Maggie Harper straightened to her full 5ft 5
in height and looked straight into Christian’s Mother’s eyes still she felt
guilty for causing the child to be hurt “You better do something about that
maniac Inger…coz if you don’t I will!” she threatened, referring to Larry’s ill-treatment of
Christian.
The two kids sat on Kate’s porch swing eating
ice-cream and talking. “I’m gonna kill him Katy…I’m gonna get a gun and shoot
him dead!”
“I’m gonna get a gun and shoot him
dead!” the prosecutor repeated Kate’s exact words.
“Yeah but he didn’t mean it…he were
just eleven at the time”
“Fact still remains Miss Harper…the
accused owns a gun and Mr Anderson is now dead!”
“Yeah but…”
“No further questions your honour”
Lennon didn’t choose to cross-examine
and so Kate was free to go.
Minutes later Christian took to the stand his heart racing as he took
the oath, Eric Lennon had told him just to relax but how could he relax when he
knew his last days possibly hours of freedom were ebbing away.
“Chris could you tell the court just
what your relationship was like with the accused?”
Christian stiffened “He hated me I
hated him simple as that” he said coldly
Lennon stared at him, “Why did you hate
him?”
“Coz…he made my life hell that’s why?”
he sounded so callous
“He made your life hell…how come?”
“Objection your
honour…relevance?”
“I’m just trying to point out that Mr
Anderson wasn’t the upstanding pillar of the community the prosecution would
have us believe!”
“Very well you may continue”
Christian eyed the judge then his attorney.
“So how come Larry Anderson made your
life hell?”
“He just did?”
“Like what would he do?”
“He’d holler at me if the house wasn’t
clean or if I didn’t do my chores on time…sometimes he’d just holler at me for
no reason at all”
“Did he ever hit you?”
“Oh sure…he hit me every day”
“How would he hit you?”
Christian looked uncomfortable “I don’t
know what you mean?”
“Well did he hit you with the palm of
his hand?”
Christian shook his head “No” he frowned, he really didn’t want to remember. “Then how? How did
“He beat me!”
“What with? His hands?”
“Sometimes” Christian swallowed as he
fought back tears.
“Just sometimes?”
Christian nodded solemnly, “Yeah”
“Chris did he use anything to hit you
with?”
“His belt…a stick…the phone
cord…anything he could get his hands on.”
“I’m sorry Chris…I know this is really
difficult but I’ve only a few more questions okay?”
He nodded “On the day you told Kate you
were going to get a gun and shoot Larry Anderson dead…what age were you?”
“Eleven”
“That day he beat you didn’t he?”
Christian nodded defeated “He killed my
dog and broke my arm” he wept
“And you told Kate you were going to
get a gun and shoot him didn’t you?”
“Yeah but I wouldn’t have…not really”
Lennon nodded silently.
“On the evening
“I’m not sure…I just saw red…there was
no way I were gonna let him worn his way into my life”
“Or your daughter’?”
“Especially Jessie’s”
“Chris when your party ended what
exactly did you do?”
“Got drunk”
“You had a few drinks?”
“Yup”
“Did you argue with
“Yeah…a bit but I didn’t hit her!”
“Have you ever hit her?”
“Yeah just once…she hit me and I hit
her back…I never hit her again”
“Chris when
Christian thought hard, “I had a few
more drinks then went to bed”
“You had a few more drinks?”
“Yeah”
“Was
“Yeah”
“Chris, have you any idea how
“No none”
“Or how your gun happened to be found
at the crime scene?”
“No”
“Christian…did
you kill Larry Anderson”
“No I did not!”
“No further questions your honour”
Christian felt sick as he watched the
prosecutor get to his feet a sneer on his face.
“So Chris…you had a couple of drinks?”
Christian sighed, “Yes”
“Then went to bed?”
“Yeah I said so already!”
“That’s right…you did didn’t you?”
Christian wondered when he’d get to the
point.
The man walked over to the table and produced
something.
“Have you seen this book before?”
Christian’s insides churned as he
recognised his journal
“Yes” he said quietly
“For the benefit of the jury…can you
confirm exactly what it is?”
“It’s a journal”
“Who’s?
“Mine”
“Yours?”
“Yes!” he hissed
“Interesting reading if I may say so”
“Is it?”
The man flicked through the pages until
he came to the one in question.
“Is this your handwriting Mr
Ingebrigtsen?”
Today has been a
good day!!! That Bastard is finally out
of my life…gone and good riddance!!! This is the happiest day of my life!!!
Christian glanced at it then nodded.
“Could you read it out for us?”
Christian cleared his throat then read what was written.
“Today has been a good day that bastard is finally out of my
life…gone and good riddance…this is the happiest day of my life,” the man
repeated pointedly for the jury to hear. “What exactly did you mean by that Mr
Ingebrigtsen?”
“Nothing…I just wrote it!”
“You just wrote it?”
“Yes!”
“The 28th of January…was that not when officers King
and Lloyd first visited your home?”
“It might have been”
“But they were only looking for Mr Anderson at that point…he was
reported as missing…yet here you clearly knew he was dead”
Christian remained silent.
“You know what?”
“What?”
“I don’t believe any of this cock and
bull story you made up!”
“It ain’t a story it’s the truth!”
“The truth? You young man wouldn’t know the
truth if it jumped up and bit you!”
“Oh and you do I suppose!” Christian
yelled back as Lennon signalled for him to calm down.
“Truth speaks for itself young man”
“Oh what-ever!”
“I don’t believe you had a couple of
drinks at all…I believe you argued with your girlfriend knowing that she’d
storm upstairs!”
“What?” Christian seethed.
“I believe as soon as you knew your
girlfriend was asleep you left the house”
“I think you should stop
believing! I already told you what
happened!”
“You went to Larry’s place put a gun to
his head and pulled the trigger”
“No!
I didn’t”
“Not contented with blowing his brains
out you proceeded to blast him to pieces!”
“No!” Christian shook his head
“You blasted a defenceless man to
pieces as revenge for all the times he beat you…is that not the case?”
“No!”
“But you wanted to shoot him…told your
best friend you were gonna get a gun and shoot him!”
“I was just a kid!”
“After shooting him you had to get rid
of the body…you got the victims truck and once the coast was clear you wrapped
his lifeless body in a sheet and dragged it outside and into the truck did you
not?”
“No!”
“After which you drove off”
“No!”
“You then got out and poured gasoline
over it set it on fire and then pushed it over the edge!”
“No!”
“You then knew you had to get rid of
the evidence?”
“What?”
“You changed out of your bloodstained
clothes and hid them under a stone”
“No I did not”
“Then came the gun…you had to get rid
of that”
Christian shook his head vigorously.
“So you hurled it over the edge of the
cliff…didn’t you?”
Christian shook his head once again.
“Didn’t you!”
“No!
I didn’t”
“Then how come it was found not far
from the victim’s truck?”
“I don’t know”
“And how come your clothes the very
clothes you were wearing that night were found hidden behind a large stone in
the undergrowth?”
“I don’t know”
“And how come tires tracks belonging to
your car were found at the scene?”
“I don’t know”
“All that anger had been building up
and festering away at you hadn’t it?”
“No”
“You were furious when he came to your
house…how dare this man invade your territory like that…is that not what you
thought on seeing him right there in your home?
With your baby daughter asleep upstairs?”
“Yes”
“That’s why you grabbed this man by the
throat is it not?”
“Yes!”
“And that’s why you killed him?”
“Yes…No! I never killed him,” sobbed Christian
“I have no further questions your
honour”
Eric Lennon got to his feet then sighed
“Chris…please once again did you kill Larry Anderson?”
“No I did not!”
“Okay…no further questions your honour”
“Have you anything further to add?”
The prosecutor shook his head then sat
back down.
“Very well we’ll hear closing
statements tomorrow”
They all stood while the judge left Christian glancing at his mother “I
didn’t do myself any favours did I?” he muttered as he made his way from the
courthouse to his mother’s car. “You did your best Chris” she said as Kate got
into the back. “That’s all you could do” his mother added solemnly as she
started her car and was about to move off when someone stepped out in front of
them. She stopped and watched him rush
round to the side of the car, “I hope you rot in jail you little son of a
bitch!” Christian raised his arm in defence but still received a violent punch
to the face
“FRANK!
COME ON!” he heard his Aunt Carolyn say as she steered the irate Frank
Anderson from the car “Shit it’s hopeless” cried Christian as his mother now
moved swiftly before any more unpleasantness erupted.
That evening Christian couldn’t sleep at all, his days were numbered and
he knew it. “Can’t you sleep hon?” he shook his head as he watched his mother
bring down a saucepan, “Maybe some coco will help” he frowned. “I don’t think
coca’s gonna help mom” she stood still milk poised ready to pour. “I’m gonna
get convicted for this” she swallowed “I wanna spend what last days of freedom
I got left with Jessie mom” she spun round and placed the milk carton onto the
work top, “Listen to me” she said cupping his face in her hands .“You…” he
shook himself free “Mom! Don’t even go
there…you know as well as I do that I’m screwed…I don’t know what happened that
night…my clothes are covered in blood…his blood…and my gun was found at the
crime scene…now you look me in the eye and tell me you believe I didn’t do
this!” she stared tearfully at him. “You didn’t do this Chris…I know you
didn’t” she said firmly, “That’s all I need to know…tell Jessie I love her…tell
her I didn’t kill anyone but it’s best if she just forgets me” his mother begun
to shake her head. “Tell her mom and that goes for you to!” he said firmly. “No
Chris I can’t, you’re my son my flesh and blood how can I ever forget you?” Christian looked her in the eye “Because for
once in my life I’m asking you to do something for me” she felt a tear roll
down her face. “Okay if that’s what you want” he nodded “I’m going to bed” he
suddenly announced as he stood up, “What about your coco?”
“
She watched him walk from the kitchen
then slowly she slid down the wall where she placed her head in her hands and
wept…wept for everything…she wept for all the times she’d failed to protect him
from Larry’s beatings…she wept for all the times she’d turned a blind eye…she
wept for not hugging him nearly enough…for not praising him when he came home
with an award for some art assignment he’d done…but most of all she wept for
not telling him she loved him.