Page 72 of In This Moment
Andy could be wrong, but the guy seemed to be fumbling with his belt. Almost as if he were hiding a gun. Or maybe Andy was just paranoid. Either way, when the guy spotted Andy, he brushed his hands together and uttered a strange-sounding laugh. “Excuse me.”
“Yeah.” Andy looked at the man for a long moment. Where had he seen him before? On TV maybe... he ran some citywide charity. Yes, that was it. Last night. The guy had been on the news. Jack something.
So why was he armed and heading toward the courthouse?
Probably Andy’s imagination. His mind wasn’t exactly thinking clearly. He dismissed the thought and moved past the man into the parking lot. Andy’s body ached and his heart was broken in half. There were still moments when he wished he would’ve died, but less so after seeing Cami today.
His daughter had been brave and poised. Answering questions that caused her pain. All while showing great confidence for her age. Andy couldn’t help but feel proud of her.
She might hate him for now, but maybe it wasn’t too late to change that. Andy had an idea, something that had hit him halfway through her excruciating testimony. He had no way of knowing whether it would work or how it might change things, but it was something he could do.
Andy got in his car and headed to the only place that could help him.
The tattoo parlor.
21
Wendell did his best to stay positive as the second day of the trial dragged out—just the way Luke had promised. Every few witnesses, Wendell’s attorney thanked the jurors. Assured them that their time was not being wasted.
The quest for freedom was worth every minute.
No question Luke’s demeanor was far more enjoyable than his opponent’s. The jury liked Luke Baxter better. Wendell could tell. But even that didn’t mean they’d get a victory.
Earlier that day the court had heard from parents who were furious with Wendell’s decision to host an after-school Bible study. Voluntary or not. These were witnesses for the plaintiff; of course they were mad. Even still, Wendell was constantly whispering to Luke, telling him that the parents on the stand no longer had students at Hamilton, or had never raised a complaint before.
It didn’t matter, according to Luke.
Parents had a right to send their children to a public school without threat that their students would be proselytized to by a school official. Period. Never mind that the jury seemed to like Luke and maybe they even liked Wendell. A few of them had taken to smiling at him at the end of the day, or so it seemed that way.
The only thing that mattered, Luke told him, was the interpretation of the establishment clause. No school official could act in a way that would establish a religion at a public school. And based on the comments by the parents Andy Nelson’s attorney had scrounged up, Wendell was all but sunk.
Even so, there was good news. Luke was yet to call his witnesses. Something that would happen when Landsford was finished. But for now Wendell could only wait.
Finally, Landsford called Wendell to the witness stand. His last witness, he told the court.
Wendell had known this moment was coming. He had prayed about it and given it to God. Alicia was there in the courtroom again, and she was praying, too. A few times recently she’d told him she thought someone was following her home. But nothing had come of it.
Wendell smiled. No matter how fear tried to creep back into her life, Alicia was here. Wendell loved her for that. She sat in the back of the room near Luke Baxter’s father. Members of the media were still in full force, but the spectators had dwindled. Wendell noticed the open rows of seats as he moved to the witness stand.
His heart pounded, but he felt his courage surge. Still, no matter how ready he was for his chance to testify, Wendell was not prepared for what happened next. The back doors of the courtroom opened and in came Jordy and Cami, followed by a stream of Hamilton High students.
Tears stung the corners of Wendell’s eyes as he settled into his seat on the stand and watched the scene play out. The students filled the empty rows and then the back of the courtroom and the sides until there wasn’t a spot left.
Judge Wells rapped her gavel. “Order. Order in the court.”
The students weren’t being loud. They weren’t saying a word. Just trying to get seated.
“What’s happening here?” Judge Wells stood and looked to one of the bailiffs. “Who are these people?”
“Students.” The bailiff looked guilty. “We got word earlier that they were coming. These are Principal Quinn’s students. Kids from Hamilton High.”
The jurors were straining now, looking toward the door to see how many teens were still in the hallway. Wendell glanced at Luke. His attorney was stifling a grin. At the back of the courtroom, Alicia’s smile filled her face. Luke’s father, too.
Judge Wells huffed. “How many students are here?”
Again the bailiff looked embarrassed. “Nearly eighty.”
“What?” Judge Wells waved her hand. “That’s impossible. They won’t fit.”
