I'm Not Who I Used to Be Ch. 03

"Think nothing of it," he boyishly chuckled, "I've been waiting for the chance to step on these cock-roaches they call the staff at this school for a long time now."

What do you mean?" Sarah asked.

"Well, Brian here briefed me on what happened with your daughter," he began, "And I'm willing to bet that the reason that they're trying to suspend your daughter is so that she won't be able to file assault charges on whoever it was that she beat the hell out of, because he's probably one of their star athletes."

"Uh huh," I knowingly replied, winking at Sarah "That sounds exactly like a road my wife and I were both forced to travel when we went to the U of H."

"Well, that crap is gonna stop right here, once and for all," he smiled, nodding his head toward the office, "Now, let's go in there and find out what the hell is going on so that we can put a stop to whatever they're gonna try and pull this time..."

~~~~~~

The moment we stepped into the office we were met by a receptionist whom, before Sarah or I even got the chance to tell her who we were, Will told her, "You go in there and tell your boss to bring Miss Kerrie Taylor out here right now, because if I have to," and then he stopped mid-sentence and said, "Oh, to hell with it, I'll tell him myself," pushing past the receptionist and taking the three of us with him..."

~~~~~~

As soon as we made our way into the inner office I immediately saw my daughter seated on a bench with a rather large man dressed in clerical robes standing in front of her, and from the way it looked; trying to interrogate her. However; the moment she saw that Sarah and I were there her little face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"DADDY," she cried, attempting to stand until the man reached down and roughly grabbed her shoulder, harshly jerking her back to sit down to the bench causing her to release a painful yelp in the process, the man, (clearly another priest), not relinquishing his hold on her...none of which went unseen by Detective Colson.

"Let the girl go, NOW," Will growled at the priest, "You're in deep enough trouble as it is, you jackass."

"You can't speak to me like that," the priest began to protest, "I'll have you know that I'm a man of God."

"No, you're not," Will laughed, "You're a bully who likes to hide behind those robes so that you can terrorize children...and now those days are over, I assure you."

Of course Uncle Brian and Sarah had both been right beside me, holding me back from kicking the ever living shit out of the so-called priest who'd put his hand on my daughter telling me, "Easy, Michael, we've got these animals now," then Uncle Brian looked at Will and asked, "I believe the charge of "Assault On a Minor" is in order. Am I right, Detective Colson?"

That would be correct, Counselor," Will smiled, and then he looked at the priest who'd still not relinquish his hold on Kerrie and growled "Take your hands off of her right now, Father James Ross. You're under arrest this time."

And when Ross refused do as he was ordered, I immediately stepped in and removed his hand from Kerrie's shoulder myself, by twisting his thumb back and sending him to his knees, where I delivered a quick knee right between his eyes leaving him dazed and groveling on the floor.

"I believe you heard what the Detective said, asshole," I angrily growled, "Does it make you feel good to pick on a child, you piece of shit?"

"Just who do you think you are?" a man also dressed in Clerical robes sharply snapped, a man who I later found out was the Head Master himself, Father Ryan O'Hara.

"He is this girl's father," Will Colson chuckled, "And now I've finally got the evidence I need to take you monsters down once and for all, you evil bastard..."

~~~~~~

To make a long story short, it was discovered that the boy whose arm Kerrie broke, tried to shove his hand up her skirt, the evidence being not only her torn panties and scratch marks he'd left on her thighs, but also the epithelial cells that had been taken from beneath his fingernails when he was taken to the hospital.

The boy's name was T. J. Powell, and apparently he was in line to be St. Francis Academy's all star running back the next fall. The reason Kerrie was brought up on charges is because the Catholic Archdiocese would not award St. Francis Academy the money for they sorely needed for their athletic program in the case that any kind of trouble had occurred at the school.

And in order to avoid any kind of public scandal, the Archdiocese tried to offer us an out-of-court settlement to keep us from filing criminal charges and risk forcing them to have to close Saint Francis Academy down for good...

~~~~~~

Uncle Brian got the District Attorney's Office involved right before I left to go on the road and he assured me that I would be kept abreast of everything that took place. He also told me that he would let me know when I would need to be there to testify against not only St. Francis Academy, but also against Father Ryan O'Hara and Father James Ross when their court date arose...

~~~~~~

HER

Michael and I talked things over with our girls, and because their Aunt Claire had graduated college and obtained her teacher's certificate, Sarah asked her if she would be interested in being their tutor so that they could be "Home Schooled" and travel with Michael and I while Odyssey was on tour with their current album.

Needless to say, Claire eagerly agreed, especially after Michael told her that he would pay her a thousand dollars a week but that she would be responsible for her own taxes at the end of every year; and so, that's how our lives played out for a while. The twins' Aunt Claire willingly became their teacher both on and off the road and I could clearly tell that Karlie and Kerrie benefited from it, learning even faster, if such a thing were possible...

~~~~~~

FOUR MONTHS LATER

Former Head Master Father Ryan O'Hara and Father James Ross, Assistant Head Master, both of Saint Francis Academy were no longer priests having been divested by the Archdiocese, both stood before the Circuit Court Magistrate, his honor Judge Samuel Gaines.

O'Hara was facing a hundred and sixty-two counts of defrauding the Archdiocese by illegally suspending students from school on trumped up charges due to the fact that had protested against the way O'Hara had allowed his most prominent athletes to do practically anything they wanted, plus overruling the teachers by making them give the athletes high marks on their school work, which they had in no way earned. O'Hara also allowed the alumni to do things which included giving these same athletes money, cars, and last but certainly not least throwing parties in which prostitutes had been brought in for use by the student athletes, with almost all of the student athletes being underage,

At the same time, former priest Father James Ross was facing over two hundred and fifty charges ranging from a number of different things such as: "Assault on a Minor", "Sexual Misconduct With Underage Females," and last but certainly not least; "Statutory Rape of both Male and Female Students."

As Michael sat beside me I the courtroom listening to the charges that being brought against these two animals, I could literally feel the rage strongly emanating forth from him as each charge was read. I knew why he was feeling this way and it was because any of those things could've easily happened to Karlie and/or Kerrie. We were very thankful that it didn't, but that didn't mean that Michael and I couldn't or didn't still feel compassion for those students to whom it had happened, because we most certainly could and did...

~~~~~~

The prosecution presented its case which included pictures of injuries the victims, which were almost all underage students, had sustained at the filthy and brutal hands of James Ross. Plus, copies of the illegal charges that had been trumped up by Ryan O'Hara against the students who'd tried to stand up to him and his illegal bullshit were also placed into evidence.

The prosecution had a great case which was made even more solid when, every time the defense tried to object to what the prosecution said or did, the judge overruled them and instructed them to basically, "Sit down and shut up!"

When Michael was finally called to the witness stand to testify for the prosecution, I was so proud that he was my husband because I was given the opportunity to witness his brilliance first hand.

The District Attorney himself was handling this particular case because of how high profile it was, as well as the fact that the Catholic Church had been unknowingly involved.

"Good morning, Mike," the D.A. smiled, after Michael had been sworn in, "Are you doing alright this morning?"

"Not too bad, sir," Michael politely yet professionally replied, "All thing considered."

"All things considered," the D.A. repeated, "Would you please care to elaborate?"

"I'd love to," Michael replied "All things considered in this case, means that I'm doing fairly well for not getting the chance to beat the hell out of that sick perverted animal," pointing his finger toward the defendant's table at Ross, "When he put his filthy hands on my sweet little daughter to reprimand her for defending herself when she was sexually accosted by a fellow student who was male."

"Objection, your honor," the defense attorney suddenly stood up and said, "No determinations have yet been made on the allegations."

"You want determinations?" Michael angrily spat raising his voice as he reached into his coat pocket and withdrew an envelope full of pictures. Then he held one up and said, "Here's a picture of the underwear my daughter was wearing when one of your client's student athletes tried to tear them off of her. Here's another picture of the scratches he made on the inside of her thigh when he tried to grab her crotch, which by the why, my daughter's epithelial cells that were found underneath that little jackasses fingernails. Oh and here's a picture of the bruises that were on her shoulder when you client assaulted her...Defense attorneys, huh, what a waste of good sperm," and by this time the judge was banging his gavel on the podium trying to restore order to the courtroom after Michael's outburst caused the gallery to erupt into a loud applause.

"Your objection is overruled," the judge told the defense, and as an afterthought he smiled and added, "I'd be very mindful of what I say to this witness when it's your turn to cross-examine him, councilor. I'm not going to jump in and save you from your own stupidity the next time..."

~~~~~~

Chapter Five

Once the D.A. had finished questioning Michael, he looked at the defense attorney and said, "Your witness, councilor."

"Humph," the Defense Attorney hatefully spat as he rose from his seat at the defense table, "Gladly."

"Good morning, Mister Taylor," the attorney began, "My name is..."

"Could we dispense with the pleasantries, counsellor?" Michael contemptuously interrupted him; "You're wasting the court's time," eliciting a quiet snicker from both the D.A. and Judge Gaines, and it didn't go unnoticed by the defense attorney.

"Alright then, Mister Taylor," the defense attorney hatefully snapped, "When you were attending college, did you, or did you not beat a fellow student so badly that he later died as an indirect result of the injuries you inflicted upon him."

"No," Michael quickly let him know, "I did not."

"I'd be very careful if I were you," the lawyer growled, "Perjury is a felony. Besides, I have a copy of a police report right here in my hand that proves otherwise."

"Then you need to read all of it, you imbecile" Michael said, really lighting into him, "You will find out that I did not beat a fellow student that died as a result of it. I defended myself and someone else from a drunken bully who not only pulled a weapon on me, but also attempted to rape the woman who I happened to be married to. And because it seems that you're trying to use this police report to discredit me, then you need to know all of the facts. And those facts are as follows. I had just earned my Black Belt in a form of Japanese Karate knows as Togakure Ninjutsu. Furthermore, according to Texas criminal code, one twenty-six, paragraph B, subparagraph six, it says, and I quote, "In the event that a person who has been trained to facilitate the use of Martial Arts, the only time that the deadly application and/or use of Martial Arts is allowed and authorized is in the event that the afore mentioned person is accosted by an assailant who is armed with a deadly weapon that employs the use of a projectile, e.g. all firearms, crossbows/bow and arrows, also including explosive and/or incendiary devices..."

"...So, you see, counsellor, I could've easily killed that idiot and still walked away scot free and clear of any and all charges. The fact that I didn't kill him showed great restraint on my behalf. Won't you agree? Now, do you have any questions for me that are pertinent to this case?"

"Oh, ah...uh...no," the attorney stuttered, his eyes as wide as saucers, the rest of the court room now as silent as a tomb, "No more questions, that'll be all."

"You may step down from the witness stand, Mister Taylor," Judge Gaines respectfully instructed him, "Just remember that you're still under oath okay?"

"Yes sir," I respectfully replied, "Thank you, Your Honor."

"This court will be in recess until one o'clock this afternoon," Judge Gaines announced; then he looked at Michael and said, "Mister Michael Taylor, I'd like to see you in my chambers as soon as this court is dismissed."

"All rise," the bailiff loudly said, as we came to our feet and the judge left the room...

~~~~~~

ME

"Holy shit, kid," the D.A. chuckled, patting me on the back as we shook hands, "Has anyone ever told you that you'd make one hell of a litigator?"

"Uh, no sir," I quietly replied, "No, they haven't..."

~~~~~~

"The door's open," I heard Judge Sam Gaines reply, after I knocked his office door.

All of a sudden Sarah and I were warmly welcomed into his office as, with a smile on his face, Judge Gaines told me, "Hi, Michael, Miss Sarah. Your Uncle Brian is a good friend of mine, as well as the fact that I absolutely love Odyssey's music. Would you two please come on in and have a seat?"

Once we sat down and were comfortable, Judge Gaines smiled at us and said, "I'm Judge Samuel Gaines, but my friends all call me Sam. The reason I called you in here was to tell you, Michael, how much I admired you for what you said to those two defense attorneys."

Thank you, Judge...err I mean Sam," I replied as we shook hands, "But that jerk was trying to discredit me as a witness and I wasn't about to stand for it."

"I saw that, too," he laughed, "Ya know the District Attorney thinks you're some kind of genius or something."

"That he is, Sam," Sarah sweetly interjected, before I could reply, "He really is."

"What's going to happen to those two animals on trial, Sam" I asked, "Surely the D.A. isn't going to let them reach some bullshit plea bargain agreement that's going to end up letting those two out of prison in less than five years, is he?"

"Not in this lifetime, my boy," Sam replied, with a fatherly smile as he looked over the top rim of his glasses, "And if the defense team thinks that because those two chose a judge trial in lieu of a jury trial that I'm going to have mercy on them, they're sadly mistaken, I assure you."

I have a question, Sam," I replied, "And I ask that you please don't take this the wrong way; but what did you want to see me about?"

"Oh, that," he grinned, reaching into his desk drawer and retrieving a manila file folder, "This file contains copies of the picture that you presented in court earlier, and I was wondering if you want to file a criminal suit against the Archdiocese? After all, they're partially responsible for what happened to little Kerrie, and, there are no statues of limitations when it comes to crimes of this nature."

"We need time to think about that one, Sam," I told him, "I'm not sure as to whether you know this or not, but they tried to offer us an out of court settlement over this."

"I know," he coldly replied, "And twenty-thousand dollars is an insult if you ask me; especially when they are worth millions," and after a monetary pause Sam continued, "The thing about this is, I'm getting sick and tired of the perverts that're being found in not only the Catholic Schools but also the Churches all over the country. And not only as an attorney, but also as a Circuit Court Judge, I strongly urge you to make an example of the Archdiocese by prosecuting them to the fullest extent of the law...I'll help you in any way I can."

"While I agree with you, Judge," I responded, "There are some political ramifications involved that I have to think about and take into considerations before my wife and I do this."

"If you're worried about this affecting your musical career, then don't," Sam knowingly smiled, "There's not a person in this country that wouldn't rally to your family's side and/or cause in this matter, especially because your daughters are involved."

"I appreciate that, Sam I really do," I smiled, "But like I said, I need some time to think about this and talk it over with come other people who'll be directly affected by whatever decision my wife and I come to in this matter."

"I understand that," Sam warmly replied "Let me know what you decide and I'll help you in any way I can."

"Thanks, Sam," I smiled, "We really appreciate this..."

~~~~~~

Once Court had reconvened, the D.A. put the kid who'd tried to sexually assault Kerrie on the witness stand. He'd been given immunity from prosecution as long as he testified against the defendants. However, the D.A. strongly urged me to make sure that both Kerrie and Karlie were sitting between Sarah and me in the courtroom as an incentive to make sure the boy spoke the truth. Otherwise Kerrie was there with photographic proof to refute any falsehoods the boy might be urged by the defense team to make.

The kid in question's name was Timothy James Powell and was known as T.J. to his coach and friends. Not only was he being groomed to replace the quarterback once he reached high school level, which was the ninth grade, but in the two years he'd been a member of the Saint Francis Academy's athletic program, he's already built a reputation as a would be lothario amongst the female students who attended St. Francis Academy with him.

Once the D.A. began questioning the witness, it was very clear to everyone in the courtroom that afternoon as to how intelligent the kid was. However, not two minutes after the D.A. began questioning the boy, the defense attorney began objecting to every question the D.A. asked.

After overruling him for the fourth or fifth time, Judge Gaines looked at the defense attorney and told him, "This is your last warning, Counsellor. If you frivolously object to one more question the District Attorney asks this witness, I'm going to hold you in contempt of court. You and I both know that you're only doing this to try and confuse this witness, so; I'm telling you to stop it, right now, or suffer the consequences. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, your honor," the defense attorney meekly replied, then took his seat at the defense table.

"The prosecution may continue its questioning of the witness," Sam continued...

~~~~~~

After the Prosecution had finished questioning the boy, the defense attorney started right in, asking the boy questions that were clearly meant for the purposes of leading the witness. And before the D.A. could object, Sam stood up behind his podium and angrily told the defense attorney that he was sick and tired of him pushing the envelope concerning court room procedure and that he was now holding the defense attorney in contempt of court.