A Woman Undone: Part 56/?
Hi everyone! So I ran into a little technical problem with this update, which is why it took so long to post. Just to let you all know: I had to make one small change in Part 55. In the part when Richard tells Alex that he made an appointment to meet with Petrovsky in half an hour, I had to change it to them meeting her after the arraignment. Sorry about the technical error, but it's a small one.
To those who have told me that they relate to this story for whatever reasons - physically, emotionally, personally - I think the last few lines of this update are for you.
Part 56
Alex was beyond ecstatic to receive Cragen’s call about the warrant. Securing the warrant was no problem whatsoever, and before she left for her arraingment she had already made the arrangements to have the warrant delivered to the detectives.
“If you find something,” she instructed Cragen, “Send someone to the courthouse to let me know. I don’t care if you interrupt my arraignment. If Petrovsky Okays Richard’s motion to suppress the evidence, I know he’s going to file a new motion for dismissal, and if I don’t have anything else to go on the judge is going to throw the case out and we’ll have to start all over again.”
“Don’t worry, Alex, we’ll find something,” Cragen assured her.
Alex prayed to God that he was right. There was nothing more agonizing, frustrating, and painful to her than seeing a perpetrator walk when she knew he was guilty. That was a passion that only some people in her line of work shared, but for her, and even for Olivia, that passion ran deep.
Alex continued walking towards the courtroom feeling slightly more positive about the direction of the case. Overall, it hadn’t been a terribly horrible start to her day. Her early morning with Olivia had been wonderful, and today at the precinct things went…
“Crap,” Alex groaned out loud as she made her way to the entrance of the courtroom. Her pace slowed down a bit as she remembered the way she had completely snapped at Olivia earlier today when the evidence for the case was being threatened to get tossed out. She suddenly felt incredibly guilty for the words she’d almost said - for almost telling her that the search could be deemed illegal because she fucked things up. Alex reprimanded herself for being so insensitive and promised she’d make amends with the detective the first chance she got.
Alex walked into the courtroom and looked around for the detectives in case they had wanted to meet her there to give her any news about the search warrant. She knew it was early, but she could only hope they might have found something already. Not seeing them around, she set up her papers on the mini podium and mentally prepared herself for the first of many appearances in this courtroom with this case, with this judge, and against this defense attorney. A little to her surprise, her nerves were relatively calm, all things considered. She knew there was a chance that Richard’s motion could go through and the evidence she had could be tossed out, but something in her had good faith that the detectives would find something, and the more she thought about it the more she was confident that Petrovsky would not be so easily convinced of Richard’s argument. She might still approve it, but not without hearing a fight from both sides first.
A few minutes after she had entered the courtroom, Richard walked in, calmly and coolly, and set his things on the table. His client was escorted into the courtroom by a court officer and told to sit down. Richard greeted him politely and sat down next to him as the proceedings began.
“The People versus Stewart Tennyson, the Honorable Judge Lena Petrovsky residing,” came the court officer’s booming voice.
“Alexandra Cabot for the People,” came the ADA’s calm, cool, collected voice.
“Richard Lewis for the defense, your Honor.”
The judge nodded to both of them as she reviewed the documents lying in front of her.
“Murder in the first degree of one Sadie Koffler. Murder in the first degree of one Dominique Masterson,” the charges were read.
“Mr. Tennyson, how do you plead?” Petrovsky asked.
“I didn’t do it,” he answered gruffly.
Petrovsky glared at him from her seat with an aim to kill. “Charming,” she said sarcastically, insulted by his behavior in her presence. “Mr. Lewis, you may want to remind your client that in my courtroom there are certain standard procedures that we go by, and that includes you, Mr. Tennyson.”
“My apologies, your Honor,” Richard responded respectfully as he leaned over to his client and whispered something in his ear.
“Not guilty,” Tennyson said with still much hostility in his voice.
“I assume the People are requesting remand,” Petrovsky said as her piercing gaze focused on the ADA.
“Yes, your Honor,” Alex responded. “Given the nature of the crime and the defendant’s unlimited ties to the community and other states as well as his international ties, the People strongly urge the court to remand the defendant until further continuation of this case.”
“Your Honor, my client is an upstanding citizen…”
“With a previous criminal record,” Alex shot back, cutting short Richard’s argument.
“Those charges were dropped,” he fought back. “My client has no prior convictions. I assure you he is not a flight risk whatsoever.”
“Your Honor, Mr. Tennyson is on trial for double homicide for which the People have insurmountable evidence,” Alex argued passionately.
“Yeah, evidence based on an illegal search that I can guarantee you will have no bearings on these proceedings,” Richard shot back.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Beg all you want.”
“Counselors!” Petrovsky barked at them, gaining their attention in a heartbeat. She folded her hands in front of her and studied them intently. “I understand that you two are engaged.”
“Yes, your honor,” Alex said though with no amount of excitement in her voice.
“Well, congratulations,” Petrovsky said curtly.
“Thank you, your Honor,” Richard responded, laying it on thick with a wide grin.
”Your charms won’t work on me, Mr. Lewis,” she snapped at him. “I suggest you keep them for your wife - your future wife.” She turned her attention to Alex and stared her down. “I’m surprised your office let you try this case, Ms. Cabot? I never would have allowed it.”
“Well, with all due respect, your Honor, you’re not the one making the decisions in the DA’s office,” Alex said, refusing to lose the composure in her voice.
“Your abrasiveness does not do well here, Ms. Cabot,” Petrovsky reprimanded her. “I suggest you keep it for your husband - your future husband.”
“Your Honor,” Richard interrupted, “The matter of bail? My client would like to go home.”
“Your client’s not going anywhere,” Petrovsky snapped at him, her eyes like daggers into his skull, “And frankly, I don’t appreciate your nonchalant behavior in my courtroom, Mr. Lewis. Your two cents worth doesn’t need to be added all the time, so may I suggest you start representing your client and stop representing yourself.”
In the middle of the heated exchange, Olivia walked quietly into the courtroom and motioned for Alex to walk over. The detective quickly whispered something in her ear before Alex stepped back to her podium.
“Your Honor,” Richard said after having received the verbal beating, “I’d like to file a motion that the court dismiss this case based on insufficient evidence.”
“Getting a jump start on things, are we?” the judge asked. “The evidence hasn’t even been presented to the court. How do you know it’s insufficient?”
“I have reason to believe that it is,” Richard answered quickly.
“Right, a matter that is going to be discussed at a later time,” the judge reminded him.
“It’s obvious that the People are nowhere near meeting the burden of proof. Why charges were even drawn against my client is…”
“Actually, your Honor,” Alex interrupted, “The People are near the burden of proof. We have new substantiating evidence, which we will present to the court upon continuation of this trial.”
“Is this evidence that is not covered in Mr. Lewis’ motion?” Petrovsky asked her.
“Yes, your Honor.”
“Then it shall be presented to this court whether or not I see a valid argument in the defense’s motions.”
“Your Honor…” Richard tried to interject.
“No, Mr. Lewis. I suggest you prepare your client and yourself for this trial’s continuance.”
There was no room to argue anymore. After giving the trial date, court was adjourned and Tennyson was taken back into custody. Alex grabbed her files and smirked at Richard who was still sitting there like he’d completely missed something. He glanced over at Alex and laughed.
“New evidence, huh? You gonna tell me what it is?”
“Let’s just wait to see what the judge has to say about the old evidence first,” she replied before turning around and walking over to talk to Olivia for a few minutes before she had to meet with Petrovsky.
Richard stood up and quickly exited the courtroom, not making eye contact with either Alex or Olivia. It was only after he left that Alex dared to speak.
“So what’d you find?”
“Blood,” Olivia answered, happy to deliver the news. “Dominique’s.”
Alex smiled and quickly leaned in to give her a kiss, but stopped when she remembered where they were. Olivia didn’t seem disappointed; she just grinned and nodded her head.
“You have a motion hearing with the judge?”
“Yeah,” Alex answered with a sigh as she looked down at her watch. “I’d better go.”
“Okay.”
The two of them walked out of the courtroom together, and when they got into the corridor they both stopped before they went opposite ways.
“Olivia, I’ll be done by noon if you still want to…”
“Yeah, I do,” the detective answered before Alex could finish her sentence.
The two of them smiled warmly at each other as they stood there getting lost in the moment. Before Olivia turned to part ways, Alex reached out and grabbed her arm and pulled her closer.
“I love you,” she whispered.
Olivia closed her eyes and smiled into her but didn’t say anything. This was the woman she loved.
To those who have told me that they relate to this story for whatever reasons - physically, emotionally, personally - I think the last few lines of this update are for you.
Part 56
Alex was beyond ecstatic to receive Cragen’s call about the warrant. Securing the warrant was no problem whatsoever, and before she left for her arraingment she had already made the arrangements to have the warrant delivered to the detectives.
“If you find something,” she instructed Cragen, “Send someone to the courthouse to let me know. I don’t care if you interrupt my arraignment. If Petrovsky Okays Richard’s motion to suppress the evidence, I know he’s going to file a new motion for dismissal, and if I don’t have anything else to go on the judge is going to throw the case out and we’ll have to start all over again.”
“Don’t worry, Alex, we’ll find something,” Cragen assured her.
Alex prayed to God that he was right. There was nothing more agonizing, frustrating, and painful to her than seeing a perpetrator walk when she knew he was guilty. That was a passion that only some people in her line of work shared, but for her, and even for Olivia, that passion ran deep.
Alex continued walking towards the courtroom feeling slightly more positive about the direction of the case. Overall, it hadn’t been a terribly horrible start to her day. Her early morning with Olivia had been wonderful, and today at the precinct things went…
“Crap,” Alex groaned out loud as she made her way to the entrance of the courtroom. Her pace slowed down a bit as she remembered the way she had completely snapped at Olivia earlier today when the evidence for the case was being threatened to get tossed out. She suddenly felt incredibly guilty for the words she’d almost said - for almost telling her that the search could be deemed illegal because she fucked things up. Alex reprimanded herself for being so insensitive and promised she’d make amends with the detective the first chance she got.
Alex walked into the courtroom and looked around for the detectives in case they had wanted to meet her there to give her any news about the search warrant. She knew it was early, but she could only hope they might have found something already. Not seeing them around, she set up her papers on the mini podium and mentally prepared herself for the first of many appearances in this courtroom with this case, with this judge, and against this defense attorney. A little to her surprise, her nerves were relatively calm, all things considered. She knew there was a chance that Richard’s motion could go through and the evidence she had could be tossed out, but something in her had good faith that the detectives would find something, and the more she thought about it the more she was confident that Petrovsky would not be so easily convinced of Richard’s argument. She might still approve it, but not without hearing a fight from both sides first.
A few minutes after she had entered the courtroom, Richard walked in, calmly and coolly, and set his things on the table. His client was escorted into the courtroom by a court officer and told to sit down. Richard greeted him politely and sat down next to him as the proceedings began.
“The People versus Stewart Tennyson, the Honorable Judge Lena Petrovsky residing,” came the court officer’s booming voice.
“Alexandra Cabot for the People,” came the ADA’s calm, cool, collected voice.
“Richard Lewis for the defense, your Honor.”
The judge nodded to both of them as she reviewed the documents lying in front of her.
“Murder in the first degree of one Sadie Koffler. Murder in the first degree of one Dominique Masterson,” the charges were read.
“Mr. Tennyson, how do you plead?” Petrovsky asked.
“I didn’t do it,” he answered gruffly.
Petrovsky glared at him from her seat with an aim to kill. “Charming,” she said sarcastically, insulted by his behavior in her presence. “Mr. Lewis, you may want to remind your client that in my courtroom there are certain standard procedures that we go by, and that includes you, Mr. Tennyson.”
“My apologies, your Honor,” Richard responded respectfully as he leaned over to his client and whispered something in his ear.
“Not guilty,” Tennyson said with still much hostility in his voice.
“I assume the People are requesting remand,” Petrovsky said as her piercing gaze focused on the ADA.
“Yes, your Honor,” Alex responded. “Given the nature of the crime and the defendant’s unlimited ties to the community and other states as well as his international ties, the People strongly urge the court to remand the defendant until further continuation of this case.”
“Your Honor, my client is an upstanding citizen…”
“With a previous criminal record,” Alex shot back, cutting short Richard’s argument.
“Those charges were dropped,” he fought back. “My client has no prior convictions. I assure you he is not a flight risk whatsoever.”
“Your Honor, Mr. Tennyson is on trial for double homicide for which the People have insurmountable evidence,” Alex argued passionately.
“Yeah, evidence based on an illegal search that I can guarantee you will have no bearings on these proceedings,” Richard shot back.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Beg all you want.”
“Counselors!” Petrovsky barked at them, gaining their attention in a heartbeat. She folded her hands in front of her and studied them intently. “I understand that you two are engaged.”
“Yes, your honor,” Alex said though with no amount of excitement in her voice.
“Well, congratulations,” Petrovsky said curtly.
“Thank you, your Honor,” Richard responded, laying it on thick with a wide grin.
”Your charms won’t work on me, Mr. Lewis,” she snapped at him. “I suggest you keep them for your wife - your future wife.” She turned her attention to Alex and stared her down. “I’m surprised your office let you try this case, Ms. Cabot? I never would have allowed it.”
“Well, with all due respect, your Honor, you’re not the one making the decisions in the DA’s office,” Alex said, refusing to lose the composure in her voice.
“Your abrasiveness does not do well here, Ms. Cabot,” Petrovsky reprimanded her. “I suggest you keep it for your husband - your future husband.”
“Your Honor,” Richard interrupted, “The matter of bail? My client would like to go home.”
“Your client’s not going anywhere,” Petrovsky snapped at him, her eyes like daggers into his skull, “And frankly, I don’t appreciate your nonchalant behavior in my courtroom, Mr. Lewis. Your two cents worth doesn’t need to be added all the time, so may I suggest you start representing your client and stop representing yourself.”
In the middle of the heated exchange, Olivia walked quietly into the courtroom and motioned for Alex to walk over. The detective quickly whispered something in her ear before Alex stepped back to her podium.
“Your Honor,” Richard said after having received the verbal beating, “I’d like to file a motion that the court dismiss this case based on insufficient evidence.”
“Getting a jump start on things, are we?” the judge asked. “The evidence hasn’t even been presented to the court. How do you know it’s insufficient?”
“I have reason to believe that it is,” Richard answered quickly.
“Right, a matter that is going to be discussed at a later time,” the judge reminded him.
“It’s obvious that the People are nowhere near meeting the burden of proof. Why charges were even drawn against my client is…”
“Actually, your Honor,” Alex interrupted, “The People are near the burden of proof. We have new substantiating evidence, which we will present to the court upon continuation of this trial.”
“Is this evidence that is not covered in Mr. Lewis’ motion?” Petrovsky asked her.
“Yes, your Honor.”
“Then it shall be presented to this court whether or not I see a valid argument in the defense’s motions.”
“Your Honor…” Richard tried to interject.
“No, Mr. Lewis. I suggest you prepare your client and yourself for this trial’s continuance.”
There was no room to argue anymore. After giving the trial date, court was adjourned and Tennyson was taken back into custody. Alex grabbed her files and smirked at Richard who was still sitting there like he’d completely missed something. He glanced over at Alex and laughed.
“New evidence, huh? You gonna tell me what it is?”
“Let’s just wait to see what the judge has to say about the old evidence first,” she replied before turning around and walking over to talk to Olivia for a few minutes before she had to meet with Petrovsky.
Richard stood up and quickly exited the courtroom, not making eye contact with either Alex or Olivia. It was only after he left that Alex dared to speak.
“So what’d you find?”
“Blood,” Olivia answered, happy to deliver the news. “Dominique’s.”
Alex smiled and quickly leaned in to give her a kiss, but stopped when she remembered where they were. Olivia didn’t seem disappointed; she just grinned and nodded her head.
“You have a motion hearing with the judge?”
“Yeah,” Alex answered with a sigh as she looked down at her watch. “I’d better go.”
“Okay.”
The two of them walked out of the courtroom together, and when they got into the corridor they both stopped before they went opposite ways.
“Olivia, I’ll be done by noon if you still want to…”
“Yeah, I do,” the detective answered before Alex could finish her sentence.
The two of them smiled warmly at each other as they stood there getting lost in the moment. Before Olivia turned to part ways, Alex reached out and grabbed her arm and pulled her closer.
“I love you,” she whispered.
Olivia closed her eyes and smiled into her but didn’t say anything. This was the woman she loved.