Black left the stand and as the morning wore on, the plaintiff called several other witnesses. Among them was a police officer—Aspyn Jones—who had been at the scene when Dwayne Brown was shot and killed.
There was something ethereal about her, something Luke couldn’t quite pinpoint. But he was sure of one thing. The woman was a Christian. Her eyes, her demeanor, the kindness in her voice. Her faith was as clear as the name on her badge.
Again Landsford let his arrogance get the best of him. Once Aspyn was on the stand, Landsford established her name and position, and the fact that she had tended to Dwayne in his final minutes.
Then Landsford looked at the jury. “The defendant in this case, Mr. Quinn, likes to say that his Bible study group has changed lives, that the students are better off because of it. If that’s true”—he turned to Aspyn—“then maybe you could tell us whether Dwayne Brown was a member of the Raise the Bar club?”
“Yes, as far as I know he was in the Bible study club.” Aspyn kept her calm.
Luke could’ve objected, since knowledge of attendance at the Bible study was beyond Aspyn’s scope. But he remained quiet. Again Landsford was giving him an opportunity. One Luke was certain to use later.
“And was Dwayne at a gang fight at the time of his death?” Landsford sneered at Wendell Quinn. His look said the principal was a fool if he thought some Bible study could ever change a student like Dwayne.
Aspyn agreed that yes, Dwayne had been killed in a gang fight.
It was Luke’s turn. The policewoman wouldn’t know the answer to his next questions, but Luke had the right to ask. They were things Luke had only found out when he read Cami’s report. “Did you know that Dwayne was baptized a few weeks before he was killed in the gang fight? Or that he had plans to live a life for God? That the Raise the Bar club had changed his mind-set on a number of issues?”
Aspyn hesitated. Then with the sweetest, clearest eyes she looked straight at Luke. “Yes, I knew all of that.”
Luke had to work to hide his surprise. The woman might as well have been an angel. Luke took a step closer to the witness stand. “How did you know that?”
“I spoke with Dwayne before his death.” Aspyn nodded slowly. “I was aware of his baptism. His time at that gang fight was a bad decision. Not something that reflected his newfound character.”
Luke’s heart was racing. “And so you think the Raise the Bar club actually was beneficial for Dwayne?”
“Oh, definitely.” Aspyn smiled. “He was a different person because of the club.” She paused. “He’s in heaven today because of it.”
There was no way of understanding how this officer could know these things. Unless she really was an angel. But it didn’t matter. Her testimony was stunning, and from the corner of his eye Luke could see the jury taking in every word.
For the most part, the first day was going better than Luke could’ve imagined. Answered prayers, for sure.
Cami Nelson was called to the stand last. She was asked by her father’s attorney to state how very much she’d been against Christianity prior to attending the Raise the Bar club.
“You were against the idea of the Raise the Bar club when it first started, is that right, Ms. Nelson?” Landsford paced in front of the witness stand, never looking at her.
“I was. Yes, sir.” She sat a little straighter, clearly trying to stay strong.
“And who swayed you into thinking the club was a good thing?” He stopped and stared at her. As if this was the point where he would catch her in some great admission.
Instead, Cami shook her head. “No one. Kids make up their own minds.” She hesitated. “God was the One who changed my mind.”
Several whispers came from across the courtroom. Judge Wells slammed her gavel on her desk. “Order.”
The whispers died off. But the point was clear. Landsford had inadvertently led Cami to score points for Luke’s side. He might as well have grabbed a gun and shot himself in the foot.
The whole time she talked, Cami’s father stared at his hands, his shoulders shaking. Again, Luke wondered what was going on inside the man. He looked tortured. Like he hated himself for putting his daughter through such a thing.
When it was his turn, Luke asked her questions about her newfound faith and did his best to undo any damage done by Landsford. Still, in the end, Cami’s testimony remained a victory for the defense.
In the battle for clarity on the First Amendment, the conversion of students once hostile to Christianity was not seen as a positive, it was seen as coercion.
Luke watched Wendell’s son Jordy comfort the girl once she was off the witness stand. She couldn’t know how damaging her testimony had been. How it had scored points for the prosecution. None of this was her fault.
The trial was adjourned until the following morning, and Luke’s father was at his side first. “You’ve got this, Son. You were brilliant.” His dad hugged him. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”
The support of family meant everything to Luke. He grinned at the man, always an older version of himself. “Love you, Dad.”
“Love you, too.”
When his father was gone, Luke turned and shook Wendell’s hand. The principal searched Luke’s face for some kind of assessment. “How did it go?”
“Not terrible. I have some ideas for later this week.”
“Good.” Wendell smiled, ever the optimist. “God’s going to use you, Luke Baxter.”
The pretty black woman from the spectator section joined Wendell and slipped her arm around his waist. She introduced herself to Luke. Alicia Harris. “I wasn’t going to come today.” She looked at Wendell and back at Luke. “But I had to be here. I had to see for myself. You know why?”
“No, ma’am.” Luke liked her. She had spunk.
“Because.” Alicia smiled. “You’re the one who will win this case . . . because you’re not up there by yourself.” She looked at Wendell and then back at Luke. “The Lord is with you.”
While they were talking, Andy Nelson slithered from his seat toward the door and out of the courtroom. There was no one at his side, no one to comfort him. No matter how things turned out, Luke hoped he might get the chance to talk to the man. Pray with him, even.
Because when it was all said and done, Andy Nelson still needed his daughter.
And Cami still needed her father.
? ? ?
ANDY STILL COULDN’T believe he was alive. When he woke up the morning after taking the pills, his body shaking, he’d assumed he was dead. It had taken only a few minutes to realize he was in neither heaven nor hell.
He was in his bedroom.
Still alive. Still facing a trial he didn’t want. Even now, three days later, his head throbbed and his body ached. He felt like a zombie as he sat through the testimonies. His only relief was when the judge adjourned for the day.
He pushed his way down the hallway and out the courthouse doors. As he did he bumped into a man who looked familiar. The guy had a rich-looking coat and designer pants and shoes.
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.