Junie had barely come to live with her new owners when ugly reality intruded on their idyllic world. Her search for a Master had caught the attention of a serial killer and she had barely escaped being his next victim. He was caught and facing trial; but now Junie had to testify. The whole idea of leaving her new home was more than she could bear to think about.
But she had to do it. Not only was there a subpoena, there was Monica. Her new friend, Monica, the only other woman to escape with her life, was a tiny fragile thing. Her body was barely healed from the horrific trauma of her assault and if Monica could be brave enough to face court and the man who had mutilated her, Junie knew she had to do it too, for Monica's sake.
Junie knew she was not going to have to do it alone. Her owners, Bob and Donna, were going to be there with her every step of the way. She knew she couldn't do it without them.
Chapter 9: First trip to the Courthouse
Junie woke early, and lay awake in the dark bedroom, listening to her Master and Mistress breathing in the quiet room. She could hear the hum of distant traffic and a far away a siren.
Today was the first day she was to go to the courthouse. Donna had told her that she was going to meet with Judge Waldenback. Junie felt like she was standing at the top of a slippery slope and that with this one step she would slowly, inexorably start sliding and she had no idea how far she would go or how fast she would be going. And she had no idea where this ride would take her.
Junie dressed carefully in a conservative black skirt and light blue blouse with a soft blazer. Her hand shook as she carefully applied her make-up. As she came out of the bathroom, Donna looked her over and nodded, "You look fine, Junie. Come here, I know exactly what that outfit needs." She held up the string of pearls that had been her mother's. "These always look so good on you, pretty girl."
Donna was dressed in one of her lawyer suits that Junie had altered. The pearl gray gabardine fit her form and showed off her long slender legs through a slit up the side of the skirt. Her hair was braided in an intricate knot on the top of her head and she wore the now perfectly fitting emerald silk blouse, the emerald necklace and earrings. She had let Junie apply subtle shading on her eyebrows and around her eyes. Junie thought the only thing that Donna was missing was a really expensive pair of shoes. She made a secret resolution that, as soon as she could work it out with Bob, that would be remedied. Junie nodded, "Ma'am, you are so going to kick ass."
Bob looked them over when they came out, and nodded in approval, "Kick ass, that's an order."
Donna nodded, "Planning on it."
One of the judge's clerks showed them into a small conference room and told them the judge would be in to speak with them in just a few minutes. Donna gave Junie a wry look, "It's like this a lot. You will be waiting around a lot." After about a half hour, the door opened and a small, rotund, grandmotherly-looking woman with glasses hanging around her neck on a long sparkling chain stood in the door.
At first glance Junie thought she looked soft and friendly, but then she caught the hard, no-nonsense glint in her narrow, pale blue eyes.
Pausing in the doorway the judge looked over the room, her eyes sharp and assessing. Junie was torn between the impulse to stand and the instinctive urge to shrink up into herself in a futile attempt to disappear.
When Donna stood, Junie jumped to her feet, nervously looking around the room. Judge Waldenback looked at them both. "Which one of you is June Thomas?" Her voice was crisp and sharp.
Junie hesitantly raised her hand. She stammered nervously, "Um... I... I... am."
Donna stepped around the table and held out her hand, "Hello, I am Donna Campbell. I am Ms. Thomas's lawyer."
The judge looked hard at Junie and then took Donna's hand and shook it in a short vigorous jerk and dropped it just as quickly, "Yes, the District Attorney's office told me you were going to be accompanying Ms. Thomas. They said that you were acting as a support person, something about Ms. Thomas having some issues with public places?" Again the judge looked curiously at Junie. "There is no reason for a witness to need any legal representation."
Donna smiled, "Yes, I understand that. Coming down last month and touring the courthouse helped Ms. Thomas a great deal. I am sure it is just a matter of her becoming more familiar with the surroundings and the people she will be meeting."
Judge Waldenback looked sharply at Junie, "Is that true? Are you ready? I must warn you I am not tolerant with interruptions or disturbances in my courtroom."
Junie blanched, "I'm... I'm sorry. I... um... mean, I will try." Junie saw that both Donna and the judge were both frowning at her. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, forcing her voice to a more confident tone, "I really am ready."
Donna's frown changed to an amused expression of approval. She gave Junie a quick wink.
The judged waved impatiently, "Sit, sit." She moved heavily to the table leaning on a cane. Junie could see that she walked like her knees hurt. The judge sighed as her weight settled into a chair. "So, Ms. Thomas, Assistant District Attorney Lurleena Benson has informed me that you have developed a friendship with Monica Bond."
Junie sat and nodded vigorously, "Yes, Ma'am, when FBI Agent Durant told me that the defendant had hurt another person, another woman, I asked him to tell her I was sorry. I asked him to tell her thank you for being brave." Junie made a wry face, "That was before I found out I had to testify. Now I have to be brave too. We have been writing and emailing each other since then. I did give her a present. I gave her a puppy."
Judge Waldenback nodded, "How much have you talked to Monica about the defendant, Sam Card, and the crimes he is accused of with each other?"
Junie paused, thinking hard, "Ma'am, we have not really talked very much about them at all. I did write that he came to my apartment and destroyed all my belongings inside. I know now that it is more correct to say that the things in my apartment were destroyed and that a police man told me it was Sam Card that had done it."
The judge nodded, "That's correct. You can only testify to what you know, not what other people have told you."
"Yes, Ma'am, that's what Ms. Benson, Leena, said and Donna too. Monica has not talked to me about much that happened to her. She wrote mostly about being in pain, her surgeries, and some of her fears, like she is afraid of the sight of blood now." Junie looked seriously at the judge, "I do know a little about the kind of things he must have done from things she said and what the FBI agents said about..." Junie paused and swallowed, "...genital mutilation. But she did not say much and I think I was afraid to ask. I do know she met him because of her boyfriend on the internet like me and my internet... um... friend."
The judge took a deep breath and blinked, "There are a lot of very tricky prejudicial facts involved in this case. I really cannot comment on any of them. I want you tell the truth and do your best to control your nervous condition. Do you have a psychiatric diagnosis or take any medications?"
Junie swallowed and looked nervously at Donna, "Um, no. About five years ago I did talk to my family doctor about my panic attacks and he did prescribe some kind of tranquilizer pills. I don't remember the name of it. They made me feel weird and I stopped taking them after only a couple of days. He did not talk about a diagnosis."
"Good, Leena said she was confident that you were competent."
Junie nervously gripped the sides of her chair, "Ma'am, will it be okay if Monica and I keep being friends during the trial? I promise to not talk with her about anything you say not to talk about."
The judge pursed her lips, frowning thoughtfully. "Leena warned me that you had asked about this. It is one of the reasons I asked you to meet with me this morning." She reached into a deep pocket on the side of her sweater and pulled out a tiny cell phone. Junie's heart jumped when she heard the judge mention Monica's name. "Could you please escort Ms. Bond into conference room B? Thank you."
Junie was hardly able to sit still; her eyes were glued on the door. When she came through the door Monica's eyes widened in shock and then she squealed, "Junie!" Junie smiled broadly and waved a hand at the empty chair next to her. Monica scurried around the table and plopped down next to Junie and whispered, "I didn't know you were going to be here." Her tiny hand slipped into Junie's under the table. Junie thought it seemed oddly cold and fragile in her hand.
Judge Waldenback looked at the two of them, shaking her head with an amused tolerant look on her face. "This is not as uncommon as you would think. A lot of the time two witnesses to a crime will know each other, even be friends. The fact that the two of you have become friends after the fact is less common, but considering the nature of the crimes on trial here, perhaps it is a good thing you two are supporting each other."
"Now I am going to instruct you two not to talk to each other about the trial with anyone other than the District Attorney Freeden and his assistants. Do not talk with each other, family," the judge looked pointedly at Junie, "your lawyer, or anyone else. Also I am instructing you to not watch television or any other kind of news media coverage about this trial until it is over. You will both have to sign affidavits swearing that you will obey these instructions. Do you both understand?"
Junie and Monica both chimed simultaneously, "Yes, Ma'am."
"In addition I am going to permit the defense to question you regarding any private statements you have made to each other."
Junie slowly raised her hand, "Um... Ma'am, my um... Mist... um... lawyer, Donna, has copies of all my communications and she was there when I took the puppy to give to Monica. We really haven't had any private statements. Doesn't that prove what we haven't talked about it?"
