Betrayal - Fern Michaels [50]
Whispers, paper crackling, and the humming of the remote camera were the only sounds to be heard as the bailiff entered the courtroom. “All rise.”
Judge Stowers entered through a door behind the bench and sat down. She shuffled through a stack of papers, then adjusted her half-moon reading glasses. After pounding her gavel twice, she announced, “You may be seated. This court is now in session.”
Kate thought the gavel a bit extreme but figured it was for the benefit of the cameras.
“Is the state ready to proceed?” Stowers asked Wykowski.
“We are, Your Honor.”
“Then you may begin your opening statement,” Judge Stowers instructed.
Lyle Wykowski wore his best suit. A navy, single-breasted with a crisp white shirt, and a narrow red, white, and blue striped tie. His Coke bottle glasses were the same, but his oily hair appeared as though he’d recently been to a stylist. Gone was the clumsy fumbler from the arraignment.
“I’ll be quick, Your Honor.”
Kate breathed a sigh of relief. Though Wykowski had cleaned up appearance-wise, she was relieved to see he was as unprofessional as before.
“Be whatever you want, Counselor, just be thorough,” the judge admonished.
With a yellow legal pad in hand, Lyle stood up and turned to the jurors, seated to the right of the prosecution table.
“First of all, let me thank you all for performing your civic duty. This is a hardship for some of you. The state acknowledges this and appreciates your dedication. Now I’m going to tell you all a story. It’s almost a fairy tale, but sadly, in this fairy tale it will turn into every parent and child’s worst nightmare, because you see, there are no happy endings.” Lyle paused. He had the jury’s undivided attention.
“Once upon a time there was a little girl. She was around five or six years old at the time when the bad things began. She lived with her mother and father and big sister. This little girl was a happy-go-lucky child. She loved Barbie dolls, animals, and roller skating. All the normal things little girls her age love to do. She liked helping her mother bake cookies, she loved hearing her father tell her bedtime stories, but most of all, this little innocent girl loved the visits from her aunt and uncle. Sometimes she would visit them, other times they would travel to Florida to visit her and her family. It didn’t matter to this little girl where she saw the couple. Next to her parents, they were her favorite people in the, and I quote, ‘whole wide world.’
“Year after year this little girl looked forward to visits from her extended family. As she and her big sister grew older, her parents allowed the two to spend Christmas vacations, Easter break, and a few weeks every summer with their favorite aunt and uncle.”
Kate wished he would get to the damned point. She was already sick of “little girl this” and “little girl that.”
The ADA continued with his opening statement. “It was on these many happy occasions that this little girl experienced the most vile, sickening act a child could ever imagine. Her trusted uncle, a man well thought of in his community, a breeder of dogs, a husband to his wife, and best friend to the little girl’s father, molested her!”
“Objection!” James piped up.
“What are you objecting to, Mr. Conroy?” Judge Stowers asked.
“I’m objecting to the fact that Mr. Wykowski says my client molested the child.”
“That’s what this trial is about. Objection overruled. Please continue, Mr. Wykowski.”
“Every time Mr. Rocket came to Florida, he sexually abused this innocent, precious little girl. The state intends to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rocket is guilty of all six counts of sexual battery against a minor. That’s all, Your Honor.”
The judge looked at both attorneys. “Mr. Wykowski, you may call your first witness.”
“The state would like to call Dr. Maureen Sheffield.”
After the doctor