Chapter 142 Second Trial Amid Chaos
CAITLYN'S POV
The second trial had been rescheduled and today was the day I had to testify. I was so nervous I felt sick. After everything that happened with Vanessa and the media and the protesters, I did not know if I could do this. But DA Walsh said I had to. Said the case needed my testimony.
"You ready?" Jason asked. We were in the car driving to the courthouse. Emma was with Sarah.
"No," I said honestly. "I am not ready. I do not want to do this."
"I know," Jason said. "But you have to. Those men need to go to prison."
"What if the jury does not believe me?" I asked. "What if they think I am lying, as everyone else does?"
"Not everyone thinks you are lying," Jason said. "Rourke told you. He has proof Vanessa was paid to lie. He is working on exposing the truth."
"Working on it," I said. "But it is not exposed yet. So today I have to go in there and be cross-examined by a defense attorney who is going to use Vanessa's lies against me."
"You can handle it," Jason said. "You have been through worse."
"Have I?" I asked. "Because right now this feels like the worst thing ever."
We pulled up to the courthouse and my stomach dropped. There were news vans everywhere. Reporters. Cameras. People holding signs. Some are supporting me. Most are calling me a liar. It was chaos.
"Oh god," I said. "I cannot do this. I cannot walk through that."
"Yes you can," Jason said. "I will be right next to you. We will get through it together."
Detective Rourke met us at the entrance. He had officers with him to help clear a path.
"Ready?" he asked.
"No," I said.
"That is okay," Rourke said. "You do not have to be ready. You just have to do it."
He and the officers surrounded us and we pushed through the crowd. Reporters were shouting questions. Cameras flashing. People yelling. It was overwhelming. I kept my head down and held onto Jason's hand.
Inside the courthouse was quieter but still tense. People were staring at me. Whispering. I could feel their judgment. Could see it in their faces.
DA Walsh met us in the waiting room. "How are you holding up?" she asked.
"Not great," I said. "But I am here."
"That is what matters," Walsh said. "Now listen. The defense is definitely going to bring up Vanessa's claims. They are going to try to make you look like a liar. But remember what we practiced. Stay calm. Tell the truth. Do not get defensive."
"Stay calm," I repeated. "Easier said than done."
"I know," Walsh said. "But you can do this. I believe in you."
An hour later I was called to the stand. I walked into the courtroom and it was packed. Every seat is filled. The defendants were sitting at the defense table looking smug. Like they thought they had already won.
I was sworn in and sat down. DA Walsh started with easy questions. My name. My relationship with Collin Hayes. How I came to be involved in this case. Building the foundation.
Then she asked about the crimes I witnessed. The meetings. The conversations. The evidence I had seen. I answered each question carefully. Trying to stay calm as she told me.
"Thank you Mrs Cross," DA Walsh said. "No further questions."
The defense attorney stood up. He was a different one from the first trial. Younger. More aggressive-looking. He walked toward me with a smirk on his face.
"Mrs. Cross," he said. "Or should I say Mrs. Hayes? I understand you have had some credibility issues lately."
"Objection," DA Walsh said. "Relevance."
"I am questioning the witness's credibility your honor," the defense attorney said.
"I will allow it," the judge said. "But get to the point counselor."
"Mrs. Cross you are aware that Vanessa Cory has made some serious allegations against you?" the defense attorney asked.
"Yes," I said. "I am aware."
"She claims you were involved in your husband's criminal enterprise," the defense attorney said. "That you attended meetings. Signed documents. Made bank deposits. Is that true?"
"No," I said. "None of that is true. I never did any of those things."
"So Vanessa Cory is lying?" the defense attorney asked.
"Yes," I said. "She is lying."
"Why would she lie?" the defense attorney asked. "What does she have to gain?"
"I do not know," I said. "You would have to ask her."
"But you admit she has made these claims publicly," the defense attorney said. "That multiple news outlets have reported on them. That many people believe her."
"I cannot control what other people believe," I said. "I can only tell the truth."
"The truth according to you," the defense attorney said. "But how do we know you are telling the truth? How do we know you are not a liar?"
"Because I have proof," I said. "I have alibis for the dates she mentioned. I have evidence that I was not where she claimed I was. Her story does not hold up."
"Or perhaps your alibis are fabricated," the defense attorney said. "Perhaps you have had time to create a false narrative to cover your tracks."
"Objection," DA Walsh said. "Speculation."
"Sustained," the judge said.
"Let me ask you this Mrs Cross," the defense attorney said. "Have you ever lied under oath?"
"No," I said.
"Never?" the defense attorney asked. "Not even once?"
"Never," I said. "I have always told the truth."
"But people close to you have questioned that truth," the defense attorney said. "Vanessa Cory is not the only one. Others have raised doubts about your credibility."
"Who?" I asked. "Who else has raised doubts?"
"Social media users," the defense attorney said. "News commentators. Even some law enforcement officials have expressed skepticism about your claims."
"That is not true," I said. "Detective Rourke and DA Walsh both believe me. They have seen the evidence. They know I am telling the truth."
"Or they are invested in your story," the defense attorney said. "They need you to be credible to make their cases. So they choose to believe you even if there are doubts."
"There are no doubts," I said. My voice was getting louder. "I am telling the truth. I witnessed crimes. I reported them. That is all I did."
"But you also benefited from those crimes did you not?" the defense attorney asked. "You lived in luxury. Had expensive things. Enjoyed the lifestyle your husband's criminal enterprise provided."
"I thought he was a legitimate businessman," I said. "I did not know where the money came from."
"So you claim," the defense attorney said. "But Mrs. Cory suggests otherwise. And her story is quite compelling. Multiple media outlets found her credible enough to report on it."
"Media outlets report on lots of things that are not true," I said. "That does not make them credible."
"Fair point," the defense attorney said. "But it does raise questions. Questions that this jury needs to consider when evaluating your testimony."
He kept going. Kept attacking. Kept bringing up Vanessa's lies. I tried to stay calm but it was hard. So hard. I wanted to scream at him. Tell him he was wrong. That I was not a liar. But I knew that would only make things worse.
Finally, DA Walsh objected enough times that the judge told the defense attorney to move on. He asked a few more questions and then sat down looking satisfied. Like he had accomplished what he wanted.