Dark Destiny by Avelyn Paige
StoneFace
“He’s a danger to society.”My old buddy Dolan is on the witness stand, explaining his version of what had gone on the night I’d stolen his cruiser.
“It states on your report that he was driving twenty-five miles per hour. Is that not an accurate number?” Brooke Miller-Stewart doesn’t fuck around. She’s managed to turn every word out of Dolan’s mouth right back on him, making him look like a fool.
“It’s accurate,” he replies, his jaw tight.
“So, I’m confused, Officer Dolan. If he was simply driving at such a slow rate of speed, he wasn’t exactly endangering any lives, or am I missing something here?”
“He had every officer in the precinct following him.”
Brooke nods. “At any point, did the chase become violent?”
Dolan sighs. “No, but—”
“At any point, was your life in danger?”
“No, but—”
“Did my client hit anyone with your police cruiser?”
Dolan’s face darkens to a deep shade of red. “He didn’t, but—”
“Did my client fight back when you arrested him?”
“No, but—”
“So, then, how exactly can you make the statement that Mr. Darby here is a danger to society when at no point was any part of society actually in danger?”
“He stole my fucking cruiser,” Dolan snaps. “If that’s not a danger to society, I don’t know what is.”
Brooke leans her ass against the defendant’s table and tents her fingers near her lips, as if considering his words. “It also states in your report that Mr. Darby resisted arrest. Is that a correct statement?”
Dolan sits up a little straighter. “Yes, it is.”
“But I’ve reviewed that dash cam footage, Mr. Dolan, and when Mr. Darby exits the cruiser in question, he does so with his hands up, drops to his knees, and submits to the arrest. So what part of that did you consider resisting arrest?”
“He wouldn’t pull over!” Dolan cries, then locks eyes with the prosecutor, who looks like he’d rather be just about anywhere than here. “What’s going on? Why aren’t you objecting?”
Low voices and surprised gasps come from all over the courtroom, and Brooke turns to give me a reassuring wink.
“Order,” Judge Henderson calls, slamming his gavel down on the bench once, twice, three times. “Officer Dolan, I will remind you that you are in a court of law. You’re on a witness stand to answer questions, not ask them. Are we clear?”
Properly chastised, Dolan settles back into the witness seat. “We’re clear.”
The judge glares at him for a moment more, and then motions to Brooke. “Continue.”
“Officer Dolan, during booking, Mr. Darby wound up with a severely broken nose. Can you describe to me how that happened?”
Dolan freezes.
Brooke allows him to sweat without saying a word for an uncomfortably long amount of time before she continues. “You’ll be happy to know that you don’t have to explain that to the court today, Officer, because I’ve actually pulled the footage from the booking area of the jail, and have it all on video.”
“Objection,” the prosecutor challenges. “Officer Dolan is not the one on trial here.”
“Overruled,” Judge Henderson says, leaning toward the witness stand. “How did Mr. Darby come by that broken nose?”
Dolan sighs. “He stole my fucking cruiser, and then he was mocking me. I was pissed off and got a little carried away.”
“So you used unnecessary force while booking my client? Is that what you’re saying?”
Dolan glowers. “Yes.”
“So maybe it’s you who’s a danger to society for being unable to rein in your temper, don’t you think, Officer Dolan?”
The prosecutor jumps to his feet. “Objection!”
Brooke throws her hands up in the air. “Withdrawn. But let the record show that Officer Dolan himself broke a few laws here as well, so his opinion on the safety of society when it comes to Rhett Darby is most definitely biased.”
Judge Henderson shakes his head. After ascertaining that Brooke is finished with her cross-examination, he leans forward.
“It’s clear to me that there’s more to this case than meets the eye. Mr. Darby. Your service to our country will be taken into consideration, as will Officer Dolan’s mistreatment of the entire situation. Let’s set a date for one weeks’ time to meet back here and discuss possible ruling and sentencing.”
With a bang of the gavel, my case is dismissed until next week, and I’m led from the courtroom. As I’m about to step out the door, I can’t help but smirk at Officer Dolan as he glares daggers in my direction.