An Error In Judgment First Sight Drew Edwards woke up in a cold sweat. The dream! The damn dream. He was having it again. He was having it because he was going to see her today. The woman in the film. The film that had been playing as his wife was tortured and killed. He leaned across the bed to switch on the light. Lying next to the lamp was a photograph torn from a newspaper. He stared at the face of the woman in the photo. She was Atlanta’s finest criminal attorney. She had never lost a case. Her specialty was domestic violence cases. Ironic that this woman was the star of the pornographic film that inspired his wife’s death. He tossed the photograph on to the bed and went into the bathroom to shower. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep anymore this night. At 8 am he was seated in the courtroom waiting for her. Catherine Lawson walked into the courtroom at her client’s side. She never noticed Drew as she passed within inches of him as she made her way to the prosecutor’s table. He could hear her words to the thin, frightened woman, "Carrie, we’ll get him. He won’t hurt you any more. I promise." Carrie stopped walking and turned to face her attorney, "Don’t do it, Cate. If you go through with this, he’ll hurt you. He’ll hurt you bad. And he won’t stop, Cate. He won’t stop until your dead. Please don’t bait him!" Cate looked at her client’s tears, "If I don’t show the jury that he’s a violent man, he’ll be acquitted. Neither of us wants that, do we?" "No", thought Drew, "You wouldn’t want to ruin your perfect record." Carrie looked towards the defense table and shuddered as John Delaterrace, her ex-husband smiled at her. Carrie was shaking so badly that Drew could see her tremors from the back of the court room. Curious as to the cause of her fear, Drew looked towards the defendant. John Delaterrace had the outward appearance of a successful, well-mannered businessman. Then John, sensing Drew’s scrutiny, turned. His eyes widened for a moment and then he smiled. In that moment Drew knew this man was capable of murder, more than capable. This man would enjoy inflicting pain. For the first time, Drew wanted Cate to win. Stunned by the thought of wishing his enemy success, he turned to study Catherine "Cate" Lawson. She was tall for a woman, he guessed about 5’ 9" and very slender, almost fragile. She was dressed in a conservative navy blue suit, white blouse with a high collar, and flat leather shoes. She’d been naked in the film. The bailiff ordered the court to stand and Judge Vincent Petrelli entered the room. A tall, athletic man, he strode to the bench and looked down at both attorneys. With a nod of his head, the trial resumed. John Delaterrace took the stand and Cate began her questioning. As she did so she turned and looked out into the audience. In the last row was a man whose cold eyes held her own trapped. She had never seen such hate in anyone’s eyes before. For a moment, she forgot to breathe. The blackness started at the edges of her view and grew and grew until she felt the gentle pulling on her sleeve. She looked down and saw the small and misshapen hand of her client. She began to breathe again. Ironheart Cate Lawson was back, back to reveal her client’s husband as a rapist, child molester, and violent man. "John, did you ever hit a woman?" The amazed look on John Dellater’s face spoke volumes to the jury, "No, ma’am. My parents taught me to never use violence of any kind on women. Women are gentle creatures and too weak to defend themselves." Cate stood in front of the witness box, "You never struck your wife so hard that you broke her jaw?" Again John looked shocked, "No, ma’am. I love my wife. I’d never hurt her." Cate handed pictures to John. "Are these photographs of your wife? (Turning to the judge) Exhibit C." She turned back to John, "Are these photographs of your wife?" She stared at him as tears formed in his eyes. He handed the photographs back to her and looked towards his wife, "Yes, these are photographs of my wife. Honey, I never knew. Who did this to you?" Cate took the photographs to the chair of the jury. "Did you hit her with an open hand, John, or with a closed fist?" Cate looked up to find one of the jurors glaring at her. "Open hand or closed fist, John?" She turned towards the audience and her eyes locked with the man with hate in his eyes. She broke away quickly needing to keep her focus on one angry man at a time. She forced herself back to the trial and spun to face the witness. "The open hand leaves finger prints on the skin, John. But only if the force of the impact is great enough. So, John, open hand or closed fist? But I really don’t need an answer do I?" She had stopped at the witness box. She pulled another photograph from her file, "Exhibit D." She turned to hand the photograph to the judge. Vincent Petrelli, Judge Pokerface Petrelli, had fifteen years in family court. She thought she had seen it all. She hadn’t until now. The judge grimaced and then instructed the bailiff to take the photograph to the jury. John watched as one by one the jurors looked the photo. Some cried, some shuttered, but everyone glared at John with anger and a feeling of betrayal. How could he? How could this handsome man do this to a woman? As the last juror saw the photo, John turned to Cate. For the second time that day, a man stared at her with hatred. Suddenly, he leaped over the witness stand and lunged at Cate. She fell backward under his weight striking the floor. His large hands were around her neck and he started squeezing. The bailiff pulled at the defendant and was flung away with one swing. The judge had skidded across the bench and was pulling at the defendant’s arms trying to break the death lock on Cate. He, too, was flung against the wall. John shifted his weight and Cate looked up. The room grew darker then she saw those eyes - the eyes of the man from the back of the courtroom. He had a choke hold on John and was pulling him away. She took in one great deep breath and winced at the pain. Her next breath was shallower. She couldn’t breathe. So this was what death was like. First Meeting Cate woke slowly. First there was the sensation of being cold, then the smell of antiseptics, and finally the sense that someone was watching her. She opened her eyes and blinked at the bright light streaming from the window. She was lying in a hospital bed. She knew the sensation well. She also knew he was here - the man with the eyes. The man from the court room. The man who had saved her life. She knew he wanted something from her. Her voice was raspy as she said, "You risked your own life to save me." Drew heard the surprise in her voice but dismissed it, "I wasn’t in danger behind him. How do you feel?" She felt that she was locked in a battle with this man and so ignored his question and asked one of her own. "What do you want from me?" Her directness surprised him but he thought a moment and then nodded his approval. Directness would save time for what must happen between them. "You to get well enough to be released." She was even more suspicious and her eyes were watching his face, looking for any clue to what he was thinking. She found none. Ten years as a lawyer and she couldn’t tell what this man was thinking. She exhaled slowly not even realizing that she had been holding her breath. "Then what?" "Then I’ll tell you want I want from you." He turned and left. Cate couldn’t stop the shudder of fear that passed through her. This man would hurt her. Worse than John Delaterrace. Worse than her father. Worse than her husband. First Viewing Two days later Cate was released from the hospital. She expected to see the man with the haunting eyes at the discharge desk or at her home. He was at neither. Instead, he was waiting for her when she returned to work. He was in her office talking with her enraptured secretary and paralegal assistant. Both women were in their late fifties. Both had been beaten by men. Neither showed any fear of this man. He smiled when he saw Cate standing at the door to her office, "Your staff gave me the grand tour." Cate nodded. The secretary smiled at Drew, "I told you she’d be here at 8 a.m. She’s very punctual." Cate felt like a horse at an auction. The assistant smiled and almost waltzed out of the room; the secretary walked towards the door then whispered to Cate, "He’s available." Cate nodded. She was used to her assistant’s match making. This was the first time she didn’t agreed with her. Keeping her eyes on Drew, Cate walked behind her desk and sat down. She glanced at the door as her assistant gave her a big smile and slowly closed the door. She looked to Drew, "I want to thank you for saving my life." Drew shook his head, "No need. I have a vested interest in keeping you alive." "So that you can kill me?" He changed the subject, "They’re both very grateful to you for saving them from abusive husbands. They worry about you. Your safety. Your lack of a love life. Do you need a man to protect you? To be your lover? I’ve already provided one service…" Cate interrupted him, "What do you want?" He looked surprised, "To congratulate on your win and to deliver this" He dropped a video tape in the middle of the desk. "It must give you satisfaction atoning for your crime. Forensic imaging has identified you as the woman in the film, The Punishment of Virgins. This was playing when my wife was murdered. It inspired the manner of her death. Don’t leave the country, counselor." Again, he turned and walked to the door, "I don’t want to be your protector but I am willing to be your lover." He opened the door and smiled at the secretary poised at her desk. For the secretary’ benefit he turned to Cate, "Goodbye, counselor." He closed the door. Cate sat down hard. After a moment, she tore her eyes away from the door and stared at the videotape cassette. With shaking hands picked it up and inserted it into the VCR on the shelf behind her desk. A business card fell out of the box, the card of the man who had both saved and threatened her life, Drew Edwards, FBI. An hour later she called her assistant into the office and handed the still smiling woman the business card. "I want you to find out all you can about him. All the databases. All your contacts. I’ll need the information by tonight." At 9 p.m., the matronly woman walked into Cate’s office carrying a large manila envelop. She pulled out a floppy disk and quickly inserted it into the computer on Cate’s desk. "You won’t like what you see." She double clicked on a video file. There playing on Cate’s screen was a much younger Drew Edwards. He was receiving a distinguished service award. Seconds later the screen showed an older, bitter man leaving the morgue. A news anchor’s voice announced, "FBI agent Drew Edwards returned from Washington yesterday to find the mutilated body of his wife hanging in the garage of their garden district home. He had been in Washington to receive the distinguished officer award. According to family friends, his wife had not joined him since she was under doctor’s orders not to fly. She was six months pregnant with their first child when she died." The assistant closed the computer file. "They never found the murderer. His wife was killed while a porn movie was playing. And in the same way as the woman in the movie. That was twelve years ago. The complete newspaper reports and police reports are in here. Do you need any help?" Cate looked up from the screen. "No, thank you. I have what I need. Good job." The woman nodded and left. Cate remained in her office until dawn reviewing the material. After reading the last report, she turned to the computer and sent an email to her staff announcing that she would be back on Wednesday for her next court date. She walked out to the parking lot and into her car. She was so tired that she never saw the van following her. As she pulled into her driveway, the van passed her and stopped up the street. Inside the van, Drew sat in front of a rack of electronic equipment. A younger man climbed from the driver’s seat and joined Drew at the command post. "She didn’t even see us." He slipped into the empty chair. Drew nodded, "No. She must have a lot on her mind." The young man laughed, "Or be too tired to notice. I didn’t think successful lawyers pulled all nighters." "You’d be surprised what successful lawyers do." Drew thought about the film then asked, "Is all the surveillance equipment in place?" The young man frowned, "Of course." Drew realized that he had injured the younger man’s pride. "I’m sorry. This case means a lot to me." "I know, Drew…. You don’t think she killed your wife, do you?" Drew thought about the scene in the courtroom, "I don’t know." "She seems a cold hearted bitch." Drew was surprised, "Why do you say that?" "During the trial she never touched her client, a woman who was obviously distraught and Ms. Lawson never touched her. Not a reassuring pat on the shoulder, not hug prior to the jury entrance, nothing. What about her office staff? Do they like her?" Drew nodded, "More than like. I think the secretary and assistant both have maternal feelings towards her." The young man broke in, "Did either of them touch her?" Drew remembered the secretary leaning close to Cate on the way out of her office. "No. Neither of them touched her." The younger man smiled, "See?" Darkness Precedes the Dawn At 4 am, Drew woke his partner. "She’s got uninvited company". "Uninvited?" "Yeah, shattered the glass in the bathroom window." "Can you see the perp?" Drew slewed the surveillance cameras his partner had placed inside Cate’s house. He caught sight of a dark figure moving toward the bedroom. "Got him." Drew stood, pulled his gun from his holster, and turned to his partner, "Call for backup. The guy’s armed." He slipped out of the van and headed across the street crouched and moving fast to the patio door leading to Cate’s bedroom. Just as he reached it, Cate ran out. Her long white night gown made it easy to pick her out in the darkness. The assailant raised his gun and aimed it at Cate’s back. Drew kicked it from the assailant’s hand and shouted, "FBI. Put your hands over your head!" Just then the bedroom lights were turned and Drew’s young partner stood in the doorway, gun drawn on the assailant. The assailant slowly raised his hands, "You’re letting the bitch live. She broke up my family and you’re letting her live?" Drew felt Cate’s presence at his side. "James Alwick, you’re wanted for assault and battery of your wife, violation of a restraining order, and manslaughter of your two year old daughter. How did you escape prison?" The assailant glared at Cate, "Hate gave me the strength to come after you, bitch. Next time I will kill you." Drew kicked the assailant’s gun onto the lawn and handcuffed him. He read him his rights as he lead him toward the front of the house. Cate hurried back inside and dressed. She was just opening the front door as Drew raised his hand to knock. She stepped back. Drew slowly lowered his hand. "I’ve called Temporary Enclosures for your broken window. They should be here soon. We’ll need a statement from you." She nodded, turned to pick up her purse, and then headed out the door towards her car. "I’ll follow you." Dark Intentions Drew was reviewing his report of the night’s events when a burly man in a lab coat tossed a report on his desk. Looking up, Drew asked, "And this is?" "The contents of the little black bag the perp left at the front door. Everything one sicko needs to torture a woman - complete with plastic raincoat to keep the blood from spurting on his clothes." Drew scanned the list, "Jesus. What else?" The man handed Drew a second folder, "Cate Lawson doesn’t exist before 1988 when she entered law school." Drew snorted, "So they sealed her pornography charges because she was under age? She didn’t look it in the movie." The man rested one hip on Drew’s desk and waited until Drew looked at him, "She wasn’t acting, Drew. She was raped and tortured and it was caught on film. The injuries are real. Here’s my full report on the film that was playing during your wife’s murder. Changes your wish for vengeance, doesn’t it? They were both victims, Drew. The only difference was that Cate survived." A moment later Crew’s young partner leaned into the doorway, "The homing device on the video is moving. Ms. Lawson’s taking it somewhere." Drew nodded, "I’ll go. See if you can get James Alwick returned to the prison as soon as possible." Turning to the man in the lab coat, he said "Thanks, Doc." The older man grabbed his arm to stop him, "Don’t hurt her, Drew. She’s been hurt enough." Digging Deeper Cate was knocking on the front door of the Ludley Mansion before she realized she was not alone. She looked in surprise at Drew standing beside her. He asked "Is this where the film was made?" Cate nodded as the front door swung open. A petite black woman in maid’s uniform answered the door. Cate spoke, "Is Ann Ludley home? I need to see her. My name is …" Cate was interrupted by a tall elegantly dressed woman walking to the door, "Cate Laughton or is it Lawson now?" She turned to the maid, "Siretta, you may leave." She reached her hand out to Drew, "I am Ann Ludley and you are?" Drew shook her hand and pulled out his identification, "Drew Edwards, FBI". Ann nodded, "Please come in. So Cate, what can I do for you?" "I need to see the room. Inspector Edwards gave me a videotape that I think was filmed down there." Ann tipped her head, "Ah, the pornographic film, Inspector?" Drew nodded. Ann inhaled, "It was in my father’s VCR when he died. My brother David found it and sold copies. It made millions, especially in Arab countries." Ann started walking toward the back of the house and then down a dark stairwell into the basement and an even darker doorway. When she reached for the knob, she stopped and looked at Cate, "Sure you want to do this?" Cate nodded and Ann pushed open the door. Slowly Cate stepped inside. Drew and Ann followed. Ann gestured around the room, "As you can see, I haven’t touched anything since you left. However, the FBI did seize the instruments my father used on you. I presume they are in an evidence locker somewhere. God knows I didn’t want them here." Drew began to feel along the walls and doorway. He found a panel, pushed it, and pulled a video camera forward saying, "The door has a sensor that triggers automatic activation of this camera so it started filming when anyone entered the room and stopped when anyone exited the room." Ann gave a short laugh, "And since Cate didn’t leave this room for five years and then only on a stretcher, I presume the filming was triggered by my father’s entries and exits." Drew pushed on a larger panel to reveal a set of video tapes - all dated, all complete except for one space. "The missing video must have come from here." He looked at the dates 14 May 1976 through 31 May 1981. "Do you have a box to hold these as well as the camera?" Ann nodded and left to get a box. Drew looked at Cate. She was pale and trembling. "You don’t have to stay here," he said. "What are you going to do with the tapes?" "Add them to your sealed records." "After you’ve watched them?" When he nodded, she said, "I was 12 when my father sold me to Ann’s father who used every known device of torture on me during the five years and 17 days I was locked down here. Please, destroy these tapes." Drew shook his head, "I can’t. They’re evidence." Cate was stunned, "Evidence against whom? Ann’s father is dead. That’s how I was found - during a search of this house after he died. Please, don’t do this." Drew again shook his head, "I have to." Cate shouted, "It won’t bring your wife back." "No, but it will show me that you didn’t profit from her death, counselor. I need to know that you aren’t the villain here." Cate pulled her eyes from his and staggered out the door.
Copyright © 2004 Valerie J Gawron |