Chapter Thirty-one

THE FIRST SECTION:
Richard gazes at the fallen Coleman as the young boy struggled to move. The blow ended up being a double hit, both a blow to the face from Richard’s fist and the thumping the back of Coleman’s head took against the floor when he fell. It appeared that he did not know which way was up despite the obvious fact that “up” was directly in front of him. Richard was concerned that he had hurt Coleman badly enough to be punished for it. He tried to help Coleman focus.

Coleman seemed gracious with the assistance of Richard’s hand. He thanked him over and over again for his help in helping him to sit up straight, then to stand and then crashing down into a nearby chair when his balance failed. Richard could barely stand to hear anything Coleman said, and his annoyance grew each minute that Coleman failed to collect himself. He knew why Coleman was acting as erratically as he was. It was because he felt guilty for chasing Emily out of the house that night. And there was guilt to be felt in that, Richard ceded, even if he knew that Coleman was not really to blame for Emily’s death. It was random, he thought as he tried to lift Coleman up a second time. Finally, Richard grew tired of hearing Coleman’s appreciation and he told him to stop.

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“That is enough Coleman,” he said. “You’ll get no sympathetic ear from me. we are not victims together. I blame you not for Emily’s murder but for your attacks on her instead. You deserve to feel as guilty as you do. And things might be a little better right now if people did not have to cater to you all of the time. You are a pathetic man, weakened by your own lust for power. It will not be a said day when you leave this town. Why don’t you go with your father when he leaves?”

Richard’s suggestions came more in annoyance than they did truth. He really did want Coleman gone, but not because he was trying to get rid of him. More to the point, he was simply letting off steam. A knock on the door stirred Richard’s attention from Coleman.

“Who is there?” he asked. The respondent claimed to be one of Coleman’s servants offering any assistance that was needed. Richard walked over to Coleman and inspected his face and body. There were no apparent scars from the blow, so it would be easy to suggest that Coleman simply fell. He asked the servant to come in and explained that Coleman had become dizzy and fallen. The servant suggested that they help move Coleman to his bedroom and that the doctor should be summonsed to ensure that everything was alright. Richard agreed, but also added that the doctor should insist that Coleman stay home until he recovered.

“He should not be any where but in bed resting,” he said firmly. “Make sure the doctor understands that.”

Once the two men dragged Coleman into his room, Richard headed off to meet with Montgomery before the burial later that afternoon. The meeting was to include the presiding judge of the case against the boy and his parents. The judge happened to be Hector Lees; a man Richard assumed would be sympathetic to him even though he had no clue Richard actually despised him.

Richard decided to walk as the afternoon was getting rather warm. The cloudless sky comforted Richard because he thought that more people would show up to the burial if the weather were nice instead of foul, as it had been the past few days. People were still stopping to offer their condolences as they passed by, prompting him to wish that he had taken his carriage instead. Still, the warm faces were welcoming and certainly assertive in their subconscious support of him as mayor of Charlton.

When he arrived, Richard found Montgomery, Hector and Edward already there. Edward noted that they were still expecting Jasper, Gerard and Coleman soon as well.

“I don’t think that Coleman is going to make it,” Richard said. “He had a bit of a dizzy spell while I was there. I advised him to stay home, and I think the doctor will say the same.”

Edward appeared disappointed but not surprised, “He’s had a difficult time with this. I apologize for that.”

As soon as Jasper arrived the five men began debating how the trial would proceed. Jasper, who had been discussing the case with the constable, suggested that all of the witnesses had been rounded up and appropriately prepared for questioning.

“There won’t be a problem with that line of evidence,” he added.

“Still,” Gerard said, “the issue of punishment has not been resolved. It seems everyone is keen to have the parents hung and the boy sent to an orphanage.”

But Richard was less enthusiastic about the idea. He preferred to have them sent off to a prison somewhere. That way they could love with their sins and have a chance to repent over time. Jasper agreed to a point, but he noted that a priest had been visiting the boy and his parents and had managed to get them to repent already. In short, there was no reason to keep them alive anymore.

“Are we sure that the evidence won’t break down?” Richard returned to the previous subject. “It seems to me that the evidence is not exactly legitimate.”

“If you are suggesting that it was coerced,” Gerard replied, “then yes, it is a little on the dishonest side.”

“But we know what happened that night,” Jasper interrupted. “They have obtained a lot of information from the witnesses that is honest and accurate. What has been forced out is merely making the case stronger for us and weaker for them. The truth is the truth, Richard, and we have to ensure that justice is served.”

“I agree with that,” Richard answered, “but I am the one who has to answer to this punishment. I know that we work as a collaboration here, that each of us has our own role in providing the foundation for a successful business climate in Charlton. But no one knows that outside of this room. The only people they know are me and Hector. If we approve hanging as a punishment, and the evidence is not completely honest, then what will happen if the truth comes out?”

“He raises a good point,” Hector confirmed. “I don’t want to have to answer to God for killing this family. I know they are to blame, but just how much are they to blame. We can’t hang the boy, even though we know he is the killer. He is just too young.”

Jasper and Edward pleaded with Richard and Hector but neither side were able to advance their beliefs. After much haggling, the decision ended up in the same place where all decisions ended up, in Montgomery’s lap. He had not spoken a word during the entire debate, and that made Richard nervous. He wondered if Montgomery knew about his deals with Reginald and the true identity of the priest. If Montgomery knows anything about any of that, Richard thought, he will surely decide against me. But Richard was given an unexpected reprieve.

“I think that because this is Richard’s daughter,” Montgomery finally said, “that he should be the one who decides.”

“But what about Coleman,” Edward pleaded. “She was his wife.”

“I know that,” Montgomery answered, “but Richard also lost his a long time ago and he was never awarded justice for that either.”

“I thought that was a mistake,” Jasper wondered aloud.

Richard sighed before answering, “No. The dam was intentionally blown up. We never found out who. There were, and are still suspects out there, but there is no proof. Besides, I think that justice will be served there too. Simply the memory of that day will likely haunt the responsible party when this trial resurrects his memory.”

“Do you know who it was?” Montgomery asked. “I haven’t heard you speak like this in all the time I have known you.”

“I don’t know for certain,” Richard said, “ but if my intuition serves me right, then justice will still be served in more ways that one.”

“Well then,” Montgomery convened the meeting, “I don’t know what you are talking about. But if you feel this strongly about it then it is your decision. We will lock up the parents and send the boy off to an orphanage. Do you care where the parents are sent to?”

“I don’t,” Richard replied.