Echoes & Ink: Raven by Emily Rose

Chapter Thirty-Three

RAVEN

Ilook out at the room full of people and I take another deep breath. One I need to get through this. I look over at the screen showing in my daughter’s face, swallow down my grief, and look back at Henry.

“Ms. Dixon,” Henry says briskly, “please state your full name and age for the court.”

“Raven Birdie Dixon, age twenty-nine.”

“The prosecution has shown a lot of evidence today that suggests you are a pathological liar, Ms. Dixon. Are they correct?”

“No they are not,” I say firmly.

“Please explain why to the court, Ms. Dixon.”

So I do. I explain in full detail the abuse I suffered. The rapes, the pleas for help, the lack of response. I don’t cry during any of it. I tell it as matter-of-factly as I can, no emotion.

“You are saying you were ignored every time you asked for help, Ms. Dixon?” Henry asks when I finish. “Including from your teachers?”

“Yes. It was easier for them to look the other way, I guess.”

“Did you know who the father of your daughter is, Ms. Dixon?”

I swallow hard. “No.”

“Why is that?”

“Because around the time I got pregnant, I had sex with my first boyfriend, but that same night, my father and one of his friends also raped me.”

“And when you found out you were pregnant, how did you feel?”

“Disgusted at first, but because I was so young, I didn’t know I was pregnant until too late. I wasn’t able to get an abortion. But I felt her kick, and that changed everything for me. She was real, and I was going to raise her.”

“And your parents? How did they feel about it?”

“They were angry. Tried to take me to another doctor to have the baby aborted, but the doctor refused. My father beat me, purposely hitting my stomach, trying to force a miscarriage. I was able to protect the baby and she was born with no complications.”

“Tell us what happened that night, Ms. Dixon. The night your daughter tragically died.”

I take a deep breath, and I see Rose lean forward in her seat in the front row, directly beside Sloan. I look back at Henry and I tell him. I tell him everything, just as we rehearsed. When I finish I say as calmly as I can, “I did kill my daughter, Mr. Everett, but it was an accident. I was unaware of what I was doing and I was never held criminally responsible.”

Henry nods briskly. “Do you feel that you are a danger to your brother, Ms. Dixon?”

“No, I don’t,” I answer firmly. “I’m not an innocent child anymore. I have worked very hard to get to where I am and make positive steps to improve my life. I make good money, I make sure he has good, healthy food, even when he doesn’t want to eat any kind of fruit or vegetable. He goes to a good school, has made friends, and has a lot of people at his back to support him. To support me too.”

“Thank you, Ms. Dixon. No more questions, Your Honor.”

The judge nods and tells me I’m excused. I walk back to my seat, knees shaking; head held high. I can feel Ms. Liscumb’s stare on my back and I resist the urge to flip her off.

Henry continues his defence, railing on Ms. Liscumb when he calls her to the stand. For trying to intimidate Falcon, for showing him confidential information, for heaping more trauma on a minor. For confronting Sloan in his office with the same details. I see the judge frown hard at that information, even as Ms. Liscumb tries to backpedal her way out of it.

By the time Henry is done, I’m trying to bite back a smile. Ms. Liscumb is far from calm now. She looks shocked that her conduct is in question.

Once both sides are finished with closing arguments, the judge looks at Falcon. “Come on up here, young man,” he says kindly. “I have some questions for you.”

Falcon gets up and walks to the stand nervously. He looks at the interpreter for each question and signs back his answer.

“Are you happy with your sister, Mr. Dixon?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Has she ever made you feel like you were in danger?”

“No, sir.”

“I’d like you to tell me your side of the story, Mr. Dixon. You must only tell the truth, alright?” Falcon nods. “Good. Go ahead.”

Falcon nods and starts signing quickly, the interpreter speaking loudly and clearly with each word.

He explains the abuse he suffered, how no one would help him, that he never learned ASL until he went to school and people realized that he couldn’t talk or hear. He did most of the learning on his own. He detailed the beatings from both our father and our uncle. How he was terrified when Nero dropped him off at the shop. He told them his first impressions of me, and I smile when he says him how excited he was about the new apartment.

He gets animated as he continues, explaining meeting Sloan, the MC, the guys at the shop, and Sloan’s family. How the guys at the shop are teaching him to draw and work on his art, how the MC is letting him do chores so he can learn and help out. Then he explains how Ms. Liscumb cornered him in the guidance counselor’s office and I feel my anger rise all over again.

I tamp it down, but barely.

By the time he’s finished, the judge looks thoughtful. I can’t tell if it’s a good thing or not, but when he dismisses Falcon, I breathe a little easier.

“Court will adjourn for the next hour, and when we return I will deliver my verdict,” the judge announces.

As we stand and watch him leave, anxiety shoots through my entire body. Ms. Liscumb and her lawyer immediately leave the courtroom, leaving us alone. Henry looks at us with a grin. “I’ll see you in an hour,” he tells us. “Don’t worry, I have a good feeling.” Then he’s gone.

Sloan immediately pulls me close, but also Falcon too. “I’m so proud of you, Wildcat,” he whispers. “You got this.”

I have to believe he’s right, because if he’s not, it will break me.

When the judge returns, I’m a bundle of nervous energy. The judge eyes us slowly before he begins. “I have reviewed every piece of evidence in this case. The discrepancies are concerning, and the claims being made are serious. The death of an infant is not to be taken lightly. I have looked at both sides to determine the best course of action for the minor Mr. Dixon.

“It is my decision, based on all testimony and evidence, that Mr. Dixon remain in the custody of his sister until the age of eighteen. There is no evidence of abuse or neglect to Mr. Dixon by Ms. Dixon, either physically or by way of drugs or alcohol. It is also my judgement that Mr. Dixon, and Ms. Dixon, have been woefully neglected by our system, both now and in the past. Your behavior, Ms. Liscumb, is unbecoming of a social worker, and seems to serve your personal vendetta, rather than trying to do what is best for your charge.

“I am ordering you to be removed from this case, and for it to be reassigned to someone with experience in these matters. That person will conduct random checks for the next six months to ensure Mr. Dixon continues to be cared for properly by his sister. If during that time, any concerns are raised by the new social worker, I will re-evaluate the conditions and pass new judgement.

“Ms. Dixon’s privacy and confidentiality were breached, and her past trauma was used to try and influence the minor, Mr. Dixon, in an unlawful manner. This will not stand, and I order the department of child protective services to issue Ms. Dixon a formal apology. Should she wish to file a claim for restitution, that is her right. I would suggest you start looking for a new job, Ms. Liscumb,” he tells the shocked woman coldly. “Court adjourned.”

With a bang of his gavel, it’s over. Falcon is safe.

The room erupts in cheers and I hug a beaming Falcon tight. Sloan bounds over the divider and hauls us both close, grinning from ear to ear himself. “I love you, Wildcat,” he murmurs. “Now let’s celebrate.”

I look up at him, and then once more at the picture of Melody. Her smiling face looks back at me. Peace overwhelms me. A peace that I’ve never felt before. I love you, baby girl, I think as I look back up at Sloan. And I’m going to start living again.

“Let’s celebrate,” I agree, hooking my arm through his and walking out of the courtroom. I don’t even look back when I hear Ms. Liscumb screaming at her lawyer.