"Zelphur" (Serial Novel) -- Episode 5
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Transcript of "Zelphur" (Serial Novel) -- Episode 5
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Uncle Jeb told Clarissa, Trevor, and Kimba about my arrest. They
were shocked and told Uncle Jeb that Deanna was telling a lie and
that I would never do anything like that.
When Uncle Jeb told reg o! the mis!ortune that had !allen u"on
me and how it would be a great hel" having an older brother testi!y to
his younger brother#s integrity should the need arise, reg snickered.
$%h, theperfect little man is in trouble, is he& 'ow do I know this
woman is not lying& (!ter all, no one was there but the two o! them.$
"I know you have your issues with us, but can you !orget about
yoursel! !or a while and think about your brother&$ Uncle Jeb said to
him.
"Well, since he is so smart he should have !igured out how not to
let this ty"e o! thing ha""en,$ reg answered smartly.
"Well, would you be willing to su""ort your brother by testi!ying
on his behal!&$ Uncle Jeb asked reg again.
"I don#t know. I mean we really don#t know what took "lace) it#s
her word against his,$ reg re"lied smiling to himsel!.
"Will you at least stay home more to be an encouragement to
your younger siblings at least until *el"hur has his day in court&$
Uncle Jeb "leaded. $The younger ones need you to be there !or
them,$ Uncle Jeb continued.
"I guess I can,$ he said. $+ut don#t hold me to that.$
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%ur neighbors, ister +i-ley and his wi!e, Dorothy, came over to
check on the children. They assured Uncle Jeb they would hel" him
watch over them until things cleared u".
I was "laced in a holding cell with !ive other inmates who were
being held !or "etty crimes.
%n my !irst evening in "rison, a heavy set man, Cole ranklin,
and a rather austere looking man who said his name was +rogan
Crocker, struck u" a conversation with me as we sat down to eat our
evening meal.
"(re you sure you#re su""osed to be here&$ +rogan asked in a
dee" hoarse voice. $/ou look out o! "lace. /ou#re nothing but a kid.
What did you do wrong& 0teal your sister#s Twinkies&$
'e chuckled and I could not hel" but laugh.
"1eave the kid alone,$ Cole said. $ive him time to ad2ust be!ore
you "ick on him.$
"0eriously, what are you in here !or&$ +rogan asked.
I "ushed my tray aside. y mind was on my younger siblings and
how they were !aring. $alse charge o! ra"e,$ I re"lied.
"/ou don#t say,$ +rogan said leaning back as !ar as he could on
the backless bench. $/ou don#t look like you could hurt a !ly much
less a woman. What ha""ened&$
'e ke"t eying my "late as I talked. (!ter hearing my story, Cole
said, $Don#t worry. Things will work out. (re you going to eat&$
"3o. I#m not hungry. /ou can have it.$
"Wanna share this with me, +rogan&$ Cole asked as he reached
!or my dinner roll. Turning back to me, he said, $I ho"e the system
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treats you better than it has treated me. I#ve been in here !or a !ew
weeks. I don#t have a lawyer. I miss my wi!e and children. I lost my
2ob and things got tight and I needed to !eed my !amily. I stole some
!ood !rom the corner store. I#ve been waiting !or my day in court.$
"%h, really4$ I said !earing the worst !or mysel!.
"5etty thievery& (t least you have a chance o! getting out,$
+rogan said to Cole. $e. I#m in here !or killing someone. It was sel!6
de!ense, I swear. It was a!ter twelve midnight and I was waiting !or
the bus so I could go home. There wasn#t but one other shady6
looking "erson waiting at the bus sto". Well, I was attacked by two
boys and I wrestled the gun !rom one o! them and I !ired) it was either
me or them. (ll I know is I was not going down without a !ight. +y the
time the "olice got there, I had shot one o! them. I was still holding
the gun in my hand. The "olice had to go by what they saw. 0eeing
the gun in my hand they automatically thought I had committed
murder. y only witness7the other "erson who was waiting at the
bus sto"7disa""eared. I#ve been in here about the same time Cole
has. I have no lawyer and I have no ho"es o! getting out.$ 'e
seemed to take his anger out on his "iece o! chicken as he devoured
it.
"Don#t worry) things have a way o! working themselves out.$ I
said this more to com!ort mysel!.
"(re you sure you don#t want your !ood& This chicken#s mighty
good even i! it#s "rison !ood,$ Cole said.
I shook my head. 'e divided the rest o! the !ood between him and+rogan. Cole ate slowly glancing at me every now and then. $/ou
don#t seem too worried about being here. Why not&$
"I wouldn#t say worried) but I am an-ious to know what will take
"lace. I didn#t do anything wrong,$ I said. $5lus my !aith is in od.$
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"/eah, right,$ +rogan said. $I have been asking od to get me out
o! here ever since I#ve been here, because like I 2ust told you I did not
do anything wrong. I 2ust ha""ened to be in the right "lace at the
wrong time. /ou !igure that one out.$
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I had not heard !rom Uncle Jeb by the time the lights were turned
out. (s I laid on my cot, I tried not to 8uestion od, but could not
understand why 'e would let this ha""en to me as I had tried to do
the right thing each day. I thought about 5salm 9: until I !ell o!! to
slee";
Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O
Lord.
Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul:
let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my
hurt.
Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say,
Aha, aha
make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my
deliverer;
O Lord, make no tarryin!.
Cole stayed close to me throughout the ne-t day. $What kind o!
!amily are you !rom&$ Cole asked.
I told them a little about mysel! and the !amily.
Cole seemed to think over all I shared with him. $Do you really
believe od will get you out o! here& I don#t know i! od will get me
out o! here, because I#m not innocent like you say you are.$
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"Why don#t we begin "raying !or od to hel" you get out o! here
soon so you can return to your wi!e and children& 0ometimes, od
2ust wants to see how long we will trust 'im be!ore 'e answers our
"rayers.$
"I! you think od will hear you, "ray !or me too, I guess,$ +rogan
said.
We "rayed at least two other times together that evening. I was
2ust as much o! an encouragement to Cole as he was to me. +rogan
only listened when we s"oke about od and to od.
I heard !rom Uncle Jeb in the a!ternoon. 'e had s"oken with
someone at the "rison and Deanna was still "ressing charges) that#s
why I was still in 2ail. I s"ent the rest o! the day encouraging my !ellow
inmates, es"ecially Cole. $Just have !aith in od,$ I re"eated to him
throughout the day) but I think I was mostly trying to kee" my own
s"irits u".
%n my third day in "rison, I didn#t see Cole when I awoke or !or
hal! the day. I got worried. $'e#s having a hearing with the 2udge and
a court lawyer,$ +rogan told me when I asked about him.
When Cole returned he had the biggest grin on his !ace that I had
ever seen. $reat news,$ he said. $or some reason the 2udge was
looking over my case and they are talking about letting me go within
two more days. That#s where I#ve been this morning7talking with one
o! the court lawyers and the 2udge. I don#t know what#s going on.
Things are ha""ening so !ast.$
I smiled as Cole gave me a !irm handshake. $That is a miracle.
Thanks !or renewing my ho"e in od again, *el"hur. /ou#re a good
man.$
"od still answers "rayer,$ I said as I remembered my mother#s
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words; $God may have you here for such a time as this."
I was in!ormed a cou"le hours later that my court date was set !or
ten in the morning the !ollowing onday.
+rogan listened 8uietly as I shared the news with him and Cole
over dinner.
"I#ll be "raying that od will grant you the same !avor 'e#s
granted me,$ Cole said. $< and to you too, +rogan.$
"Just "romise me this; that you will not !orget the od we "rayed
to !or your release,$ I said.
"(!ter what 'e 2ust did !or me4 3o, son, I will never !orget od. I#ll
be in church somewhere my !irst 0unday out o! this "lace and I#m
going to bring my !amily with me,$ Cole said.
I watched as my !riend le!t the "rison !or good two days later.
$/ou and your wi!e will be in my "rayers each day,$ I assured him.
Things were not going well !or +rogan. The 2udge looked over his
case also, but he did not receive good news like Cole did. +rogan
was going to "rison.
I s"oke with Uncle Jeb the night be!ore I was scheduled to go to
court.
'e shared with me how he and Trevor stumbled into Walter one
day when they had gone to the store. $'e was a mess. 'e looked like
a homeless "erson. 'e had a cou"le "acks o! beer in his hands.
(lcohol has taken over his li!e. I begged him to come home,$ Uncle
Jeb said. $I told him how much we loved him and missed him, but he
would not listen. 'e only "ointed a !inger at me and said, =I blame
you. /ou could have overridden reg and given Wilkinson#s over to
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me.# With that he turned his back on us and walked o!!. I did not even
bother to tell him that you were in "rison.$
"%h, don#t worry about him, Uncle Jeb. 'e#ll come around.$
>heba should have returned home months ago, but according to
a letter she sent that week, $Doors are o"ening u" in modeling big
time.$
"What do you think will ha""en&$ I asked Uncle Jeb.
"%h, don#t worry about it. =od sees and knows the truth but 'e
always waits.# I have been working on some things behind the
scenes,$ he said with a chuckle.
"Thanks, Uncle Jeb. Did you secure a lawyer&$
"3o need !or a lawyer,$ Uncle Jeb said. $%ur lawyer is Jesus
Christ. e and the children have been doing a whole lot o! "raying) I
ho"e you have been "raying as well.$
"That#s all I can do behind bars,$ I chuckled.
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The rest o! the !amily s"ent much time in "rayer about this !alse
charge. %n the court date, Uncle Jeb, my siblings, and two workers
!rom Wilkinson#s arrived early at the courthouse. Deanna, two o! her
!riends, and a man were sitting in the second row o!! to the le!t. 0he
glanced u" at me when I walked into the courtroom between two
o!!icers. ( smug look crossed her !ace as she !ollowed me with hereyes as I took my seat between the two o!!icers.
( ta" on the shoulder caused me to turn around. Deanna turned
around also. 'er eyes almost "o""ed out o! her head when she saw
r. Costello, >aynaldo, and ichael taking their seats behind me.
There were others in the room also, some with issues o! their own to
be resolved) others were 2ust s"ectators as the hearing was o"ened
to the "ublic.
When our case, #t. $lair vs. %ilkinson, was called, Deanna was
the !irst to take the stand. 0he gave her version o! what had taken
"lace on that night. 0he gave a very moving but somewhat dis2ointed
story. 0he even "ulled the clothes, now torn, that she had been
wearing on the night o! the altercation out o! the bag she had with her
as evidence to su""ort her claim. $'e le!t so 8uickly a!ter the assault
that he le!t his 2acket,$ she said wi"ing tears !rom her eyes. $The
"olice should have it.$
Judge aynard asked !or the 2acket as evidence.
'er sister testi!ied on her behal!. $/our 'onor, Deanna#s a good
"erson, very kind, always thinking o! others, and I know she would
not lie about something so serious. I do not know her to be a "erson
to "ut hersel! in these ty"es o! situations. (s !ar as I know, she
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always carries hersel! in a ladylike manner. 3ow I do not know this
man and there!ore I can not accuse him o! anything, but i! he did
indeed harm my sister in any way, I want to see him brought to
2ustice.$ ( close !riend o! hers, a !ormer co6worker, also testi!ied in her
!avor.
The "olice o!!icers who !iled the re"ort were called to the stand.
They told what they saw and identi!ied the 2acket "resented as the
one Deanna gave them.
"Do you have a doctor#s re"ort, s. 0t. Clair&$ Judge aynard
asked.
Deanna#s eyes !lew wide o"en. $I < I < was given one when I
went down to the hos"ital the same night,$ she said while !ishing
around in her "ocketbook !or the doctor#s re"ort.
y heart started to beat !aster. %hat kind of a report is she !oin!to show to the &ud!e.
Deanna con!idently handed a sealed envelo"e to Judge aynard.
'e o"ened it u" and read its contents. I tried to read the e-"ression
on his !ace, but he held a blank look. Deanna looked straight ahead.
"s. 0t. Clair, I#m having di!!iculty reading your doctor#s signature.Can you make that out&$ Judge aynard said handing the letter to
the baili!! to give back to Deanna.
Deanna, without looking at the re"ort, answered, $(bimbola
%ka!or. Dr. (bimbola %ka!or. 'e was the one to e-amine me.$
"(nd what hos"ital was that&$ Judge aynard asked.
"The edical Center. It should be on the letterhead.$
"(re you sure this is the o!!icial letterhead o! the edical Center&
This 2ust looks ty"ed on,$ Judge aynard asked as he "eered at
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Deanna.
There was a ri""le o! whis"ers in the room as others cleared their
throats.
Deanna ke"t looking straight ahead.
"Do you mind i! I call Dr. (bimbola %ka!or to veri!y this re"ort&$
Without waiting !or a re"ly, Judge aynard handed the re"ort to the
baili!! to make the call. 'e used the "hone on the wall.
Deanna shi!ted her eyes 8uickly back and !orth and then lookedstraight back at the 2udge and said em"hatically, $The re"ort#s right
there. There is no need to disturb Dr. %ka!or. 'e#s "robably in the
o"erating room. 'e#s a really busy doctor. It was 2ust a miracle he
was on call that night.$ I noticed her voice trembling as she s"oke.
0he blinked hard and ra"idly as i! trying to hold back tears. 0he
reached u" and wi"ed her eyes and sni!!led a !ew times. $Why havevictims go through the embarrassment o! getting a doctor#s re"ort and
then not believe them when they turn the re"ort in.$
"s. 0t. Clair, "lease only s"eak when given "ermission to s"eak
in my courtroom,$ Judge aynard said.
I heard more whis"ers behind me.
When the baili!! got o!! the "hone, he e-changed a !ew words
with Judge aynard be!ore returning to his original "osition.
"s. 0t. Clair,$ Judge aynard said, $we 2ust called down to the
hos"ital and there is no Dr. < 'ow do you say his name& < Dr.
(bimbola %ka!or on sta!! there. 'e "robably does not even e-ist. In!act, the hos"ital has no record o! you getting e-amined or even
coming there. We will have to toss this out o! court until you can
"roduce a valid re"ort. I must remind you that you are under oath.
/ou may leave the witness stand now.$
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3e-t, I was called to the stand. I stated what really ha""ened that
night.
"/es, /our 'onor, that is my 2acket.$
"/es, sir, I was alone in the building while my co6workers went out
to get all o! us something to eat.$
"3o, sir, I did not touch s. 0t. Clair. In !act, I did not know she
was in the building. 0he did sto" by my o!!ice at closing time to let
me know she was leaving, and she did o!!er to stay behind and hel",
but I told her that her hel" was not needed, and that I already had
some hel" !rom others. y two co6workers who were with me that
night are sitting over there in the !irst row.
"I have no idea how she got back in the building. 0he must not
have le!t when she said good bye) she "robably hid somewhere.
While my co6workers were gone, I did hear a cough when I sto""edby the water !ountain to get some water. I did not think about it then
because I was talking on the "hone with my sister and thought
someone !rom the house coughed in the background.$
I saw Deanna lean !orward in her seat with an angry e-"ression
on her !ace. I "aid her no attention. 0he looked like she would s"ring
out o! her seat any moment.
"3o, sir, I did not touch s. 0t. Clair and I de!initely did not ri" her
buttons o!! her blouse.$
"/es, sir, I le!t so !ast I did not think to take my 2acket.$
"/our 'onor, others on the 2ob have told me to stay away !roms. 0t. Clair, which I have "olitely tried to do
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said hysterically. $+ut obviously his idea o! hel" is di!!erent !rom my
idea o! hel"4$
"s. 0t. Clair, I will not have you disru"t the "roceedings o! this
court. /ou are out o! order4 (nother outburst like that and I will have
you arrested !or contem"t o! court. /ou have had your say. I! you
wish to say more, you will have your lawyer s"eak !or you. 3ow have
a seat be!ore I 2ust dismiss the whole case right now.$
Deanna reluctantly sat down glaring angrily at me.