Page 108 of Help Wanted

Kenley slumped back in her seat and blinked up at him.

“I can’t do this,” she whispered. “I have to go. I have to get out of here.” Her eyes were frantic, which made telling her she couldn’t leave almost unbearable.

“You have to stay. If you don’t he could be released without so much as a fine.” The district attorney had told them the man hadn’t taken a plea, because he didn’t have much to lose. He’d robbed a few other people and would be going to jail no matter what. He’d pleaded not guilty in the hopes of some miracle. Kenley not testifying would put him on the path to that miracle.

“But he—The gun—I couldn’t—”

“Shh.” He pried her fingers from his leg before she drew blood. The district attorney glanced over his shoulder and gave her an encouraging look, but she couldn’t have seen it with her gaze still fixated on the man who had hurt her. “Look at me.” He had to place his fingers on her chin and guide her face up to make her take her eyes off her attacker. He’d wanted her to be here for Brady’s testimony so she knew what to expect.

Her therapist suggested she be in the room before her testimony so she had time to adjust before having to go up on the stand.

“We only need to stay until you go up there and tell them what happened. Then we can leave. You’ll never have to see him again. I’ll be right here the whole time. He can’t hurt you. You can do this. I know you can.”

“… and our testimony will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this man threatened the life of Ms. Carmichael. Had it not been for the heroic bravery of Lieutenant Brady Martin he might have killed her for a few hundred dollars. I assure you her life has more value than that. The defense will paint this man as a victim of his addiction, and that may well be. But Ms. Carmichael is the victim in this case and I ask you not to forget that.”

The district attorney wrapped up his opening remarks to the jury. While his words were true, and had a certain dramatic flair that might help get a conviction, Zane felt a need to protect Kenley from hearing them. And maybe himself.

He wasn’t foolish enough not to know what could have happened. It was obvious when you combined a desperate heroin addict and a loaded gun, the outcome could have been deadly if Brady hadn’t come in. But still, sitting there in the same room, hearing it spoken as fact while Kenley trembled beside him, he felt completely helpless.

“The defense calls Lieutenant Brady Martin to the stand to testify.”

“Christ,” Brady muttered as he squeezed out of the row. He patted Kenley on the shoulder before he walked to the front of the room. With his hand on a Bible he repeated the oath that assured everyone he would tell the truth.

The truth Zane wasn’t sure he wanted to hear.

Brady spoke about how he had originally planned to leave, but he’d decided to drop off the paperwork before leaving for the day.

“I heard shouting as I walked from the shop up to the door to the office. It was a man’s voice. I didn’t recognize it, so I stopped outside the door and only opened it enough to see into the lobby.”

“And what did you see?”

Brady swallowed and ran his hand over his hair.

“I saw that man with his arm across Kenley’s throat and a gun pressed against her temple.” Brady swallowed again and kept his eyes on the attorney.

“He was yelling at her to give him the money, and Kenley was telling him she didn’t have any money. He pulled her off her feet and told her he knew a man had come in with cash that morning. He called her a liar and said he was going to blow her brains out if she didn’t give him the money.”

Zane hadn’t known it was this bad. He’d heard the police report, but it sounded more clinical when not told with Brady’s personal experience. Zane looked at Kenley, who was sitting beside him with an eerie calm. A hint of anger stirred. Why hadn’t she just given him the money?

It wouldn’t have been any guarantee of safety. The man still could have shot her if she had given it to him, but still for her to put herself at risk rather than give up his money…

“And then what happened?” the attorney prompted when Brady didn’t continue on his own.

“I—I’m not exactly sure.”

“According to the eyewitness, you grabbed Mr. Grubb by the arm and dislocated his shoulder before pushing him to the ground and kicking him in the ribs. When he attempted to kick you away, you seized his leg and broke it with your elbow before choking him until he was unconscious.”

“I don’t recall,” Brady said.

“Are you saying you didn’t touch this man?” the judge asked.

“No, ma’am. I’m saying I don’t remember the details. When I realized what he was doing to Kenley, I kind of… snapped.”

“But you were able to call an ambulance.”

“That was after I calmed down.”

“And you assisted Ms. Carmichael until help arrived.”