SIDEBAR: CHAPTER FOUR: JUSTIN HAD IT RIGHT Part 1

Three weeks after Justin’s meltdown and Ted’s arrest, Melanie entered the conference room at the courthouse. She was tired. Between Gus’s teething and Lindsay’s bitching, Mel was ready to check herself into a psych ward just so she could get some rest. It didn’t help that the men she would be grilling today had done their absolute best to keep getting the depositional hearing postponed. Finally Judge Lano had put her foot down and told them that if they didn’t appear in court at this scheduled time, warrants would be issued for their arrest citing Intentional Delay of Civil Litigation, Aiding and Abetting, and a host of other infractions the men still may be tried for. The only good thing to come out of Dixon and Perkins idiocy was that the official transcripts from the St. James Disciplinary Meeting and Ruling arrived last week by courier. So in that, she was grateful.

Shavonne sped in, two coffees in hand and briefcase almost flying behind her. Mel would have laughed outright had she not been so damn exhausted but she did at least manage a small chuckle.

“Laugh at me wench, and this Caramel Machiatto will get withheld from your overworked ass,” Shavonne dangled the cup in front of Mel’s face, a huge grin on her face.

“I’m surprised you remembered. Did you also remember the whipped cream and two percent milk?”

“How the hell could I forget that, since you practically inhaled seven of them a day during law school. I still don’t know how you managed to sleep at all.”

“That’s easy. I had you to knock me out,” Mel said, just as the blush crept up her cheeks.

Shavonne caught Mel’s reference to days gone by. “Well, whenever you need a lullaby, I’m available.”

“Shavonne…”

“I get it… I really do. I just wanted you to know that I wouldn’t say no.” She loved it when Mel blushed. From what she’d heard of Lindsay the ice queen, she couldn’t imagine that Mel would have an opportunity to do that anymore. As far as Shavonne was concerned, any person that couldn’t make their partner blush even after being together for years, had no business still being in that relationship. But she would save those thoughts and flirting with Melanie for another time. “So, who’s on the agenda for today?”

Mel took a long draught of her coffee before answering. “Two of the most elusive men on this case. Dixon and Perkins.”

“Oh finally they deemed it okay to stick to the court date given. I guess the threat of becoming Bubba’s bitch lit a fire under their asses, huh?”

Mel laughed. “I guess so. I mean, I could see if they were attractive enough to have their assholes threatened, but one looks like a poodle with a George Jefferson haircut, and the other… well, even if he is attractive enough, once he opens his mouth it dies.”

“Hence Bubba!” Both women laughed heartily at Shavonne’s innuendo.

“Excuse me, am I in the right room?” the newcomer asked.

He was attractive enough, and Mel knew that he was neither Perkins or Dixon. “What room are you looking for?”

He checked his papers and smiled at her. “I’m actually here representing St. James Academy. I’m Lawrence Spokes.”

“Okay. I’m Melanie Marcus, attorney for Justin Taylor and this is Acting ADA Shavonne Fuller. I’m a bit confused as to why you’re here. As I understand it, Mr. Dixon and  Dr. Perkins were let go from their positions at the school.”

“That’s correct Ms. Marcus. I’m here to provide support in your case.”

“I received the transcripts from the Disciplinary Meeting last week but went over them again yesterday. Is there something further to add to them?”

“Actually there is.” He handed three signed affidavits to Mel from other students who had information on the constant harassment of Justin Taylor by Hobbs, Dixon and Perkins. “As you can see, the former students had to wait until they were of age or free of their families to come forward, much like Bryce Whittingham. I believe he testified for you about a month ago?”

“Just under a month. I recognize one of these names as the girl who was dating Hobbs at the time of his arrest.”

“Yes Allison McAvoy-Calloway. She married her choice the day after Chris Hobbs was indicted. It caused quite the scandal in the WASP nest when she refused to marry the young man her parents picked out after he was found guilty of simple assault. She and her husband had agreed to keep it secret until after the trial. Jared Calloway is a college professor at Carnegie Mellon, where Allison had been taking classes for the last two summers. Although their relationship only became sexual on Allison’s eighteenth birthday last fall, they had been meeting in secret prior to that. Needless to say, the Hobbs and McAvoy families are not pleased.”

“I imagine they aren’t. Would she be willing to testify if it comes to that?”

“She would have, but she and her husband left two days ago for a three-month vacation touring Europe as a honeymoon. Her affidavit is very detailed though and will give you an accurate account of her experience with Chris Hobbs. It also tells of his continued harassment, from start to finish, of Justin Taylor. She was also there the night Chris publicly threatened Justin on Liberty Avenue. The other two affidavits confirm the accounts of the infamous fight in the locker room resulting in Justin being suspended, as well as the incident on Liberty Avenue later that night, where Mr. Hobbs made it a point to tell Justin Taylor that he was and I quote, ‘So fucked.’ He later began lauding and postulating to the young men, in Allison’s presence, of ways they could make sure Taylor paid. The other boys had suggested small things, like setting fire to Mr. Taylor’s locker where he kept a lot of his sketchbooks.

“That was done and a very clear act of vandalism,” Shavonne stated.

“Yes and neither boy denied that. But when Hobbs detailed plan of beating the hell out of Justin came about, they listened in shock. Originally, Hobbs had planned to use a crowbar until one of the other young men, whose name is being withheld because he’s underage, suggested that it would be too easy to lift his fingerprints from it. Chris then asked when the senior baseball game was. Thinking it was an offhand question, Yuri Marlow, who submitted one of the three affidavits you’re holding, reminded Hobbs that it was the afternoon of the senior prom.”

“Holy shit! That proves the premeditation. Doctor Colbert asked the very question of why a football player would have a baseball bat readily available at the senior prom. The question was blown off by the prosecution and objected to by the defense. We already know that Chris Hobbs didn’t take his own car that night. Hobb’s family rented a stretch limo to take them around to the afterparties. So there was absolutely positively no reason for the him to have that fucking bat, since the limo originated from his home,” Mel said, in shock that they now held the evidence that cleared up some murky pieces of the puzzle. The timeline of events now made sense!

“Melanie, can you make sure I get copies of those affidavits? And call Detective Horvath while you’re at it?”

“What are you planning to do?” Mr. Stokes asked. It had been a long time since he’d participated in a case of this magnitude, no matter that he was only on the outskirts of it. He had given up Criminal Law in favor of Corporate Law as a promise to his wife when their daughter was born. The long hours preparing a case for prosecution weren’t conducive to his family life. It wasn’t all sacrifice on his part, as she had done the same. But it was times like this that he regretted it.

“I’m going hunting.”

“What do you mean?”

Melanie didn’t think she had ever seen a grin that evil from Shavonne. As for Stokes, he visibly shivered., but whether it was from anxiety or anticipation was unclear.

“This was suppressed evidence, as in this little tidbit was missing from the original police report altogether. The fact that Hobbs arrived in a limo to the prom was never mentioned. In fact, his car was in the garage, which he stated he obtained the bat from. That made the evidence circumstantial. The fact that Hobbs not only knew he would have access to a bat that fateful night, but that he had it with him when he picked up Allison McAvoy shows that he had the presence of mind beforehand of what he was doing. The report makes it seem almost like a crime of passion or even a momentary lapse of sanity. There was ample opportunity to get Hobbs car to the garage that night to give credence to his claim.”

“Tim Rollins admitted that he drove Hobbs car to the garage, even though he didn’t attend the prom. His is the other affidavit you are holding. He stated that Hobbs called him and requested that his car be brought to the garage. He had no knowledge to the purpose, except that Hobbs told him that he’d planned on having the limo drop him back off at the garage later so that he could go see someone named Marylou Caputo. Since Allison wasn’t having sexual relations with Chris Hobbs, Ms. Caputo was his go-to girl to get off,” Lawrence tells them.

“This is all well and good. But even with the affidavits, we still need solid proof,” Mel tells them. “Right now, it seems that all we have is hearsay and conjecture.”

“Oh ye of little faith in my ability to get shit done, Mel. I thought you would have learned by now…” Shavonne takes out her cellphone and dials quickly. Tapping her foot anxiously, her sigh of relief was almost palpable when the other person finally picked up. “Hey Rory, I need a favor. You know those phone records that you are holding onto for me? I need you to run them up here as soon as you can. Mel and I, thanks to the attorney from St. James, have stumbled upon a key piece of evidence regarding the Taylor case. It seems that the mystery number has been discovered. I just need to confirm it.” She hangs up, looking directly at Lawrence. “Does Tim Rollins live with both of his parents?”

“No. He lives with his mother, Rebecca Coleman. She and Mr. Rollins, Sr. divorced about six years ago. It was a nasty one; made National news since he’s one of the most sought after actors in Hollywood. Goes by the name of Tim Ray.”

“You have gotta be shitting me!” Both Mel and Shavonne exclaim while he chuckles.

“Afraid not ladies. But why is this important?”

“Because that mystery number you heard me mention belongs to none other than Rebecca Coleman. My guess is that she registered the cellphones under a shared plan. Although they each have their own individual numbers, the account holder’s name is always the one that pops up on the caller ID. Consequently, it also works that way when pulling phone records. Tim’s name wouldn’t have shown up but his mother’s would. If I can confirm the time the call was placed by Chris Hobbs, we’ll have a general ETA of when exactly his car was dropped off at the garage. Looks like that hearsay and innuendo is about to become a cold hard fact.”

They were interrupted by the advent of Mitchell Perkins. The man looked as if he had aged to about seventy-five years old instead of a man in his early fifties. The wrinkles of his forehead and around his mouth were more pronounced. The bags underneath his eyes told of nights without sleep.  Even his suit had seen better days. Gone was the arrogant and controlling headmaster of St. James Academy. In his place was a man beaten down by his own hate and bullshit lies. Mel couldn’t find one ounce of sympathy within her for the pathetic specimen before her.

Mr. Perkins, good morning.”

“That’s Dr. Perkins to you, young lady. I may not have my job title anymore but I still have my education. You can’t take that away from me.”

“So noted. But since you have been stripped of that title, as you call it, in this courtroom you will answer to Mr. Perkins. Since doctors are supposed to either heal or educate in some capacity, and you are currently doing neither, I think it’s a fitting reminder of how far you have fallen in your quest to deny others that right.”

He rolled his eyes at her. He would love nothing more than to dispute her point; to make the dyke bitch eat her venom-delivered words, but the fact was that she was right. He was still having a tough time accepting that he had been put out to pasture after so many years of service. Admittedly, he should have done more to help instead of hinder Justin Taylor, but the young man brought much of his situation on himself. He didn’t have to flaunt his disgusting lifestyle and he sure as hell shouldn’t have shown up to the prom. Everyone knows that it’s for straight kids, not the fucking misfits of school society. He got what he deserved.

After getting settled, Mitchell turned his eyes to Lawrence. “What exactly are you doing here, Stokes? I would think you would be somewhere celebrating since you’ve gotten your wish of many years.”

“Which one is that? The one for a million dollars still hasn’t come true which is all I have been wishing for lately.”

“The one to have me removed from the board and as headmaster!”

“Oh, that one. Well, can’t say I’m saddened by your departure from those vaunted halls of education. You were the last person who should ever have been given charge over other people’s children. I would have thought you would’ve learned your lesson from the last student’s family to bring you up on charges. But no, since you are obviously a hard learner. This is the fourth time in your tenure, both as a teacher and the headmaster, that the school board had to shell out money for your bigotry. The difference between that case and this one is only about sexual orientation. The other was about the chronic violation of civil rights and denying a young black man the right to obtain an education, which his parents were paying for but he earned.”

“I am not a bigot!”

“No? So can you explain why didn’t you defend Justin Taylor when he was so obviously being bullied?” Lawrence asked. “Was it some misguided attempt at reverse-educating in which you thought to give him a real life experience solely on the basis that he’s gay? Or was it jealousy because he was receiving the education that your grassroots family couldn’t afford, causing you to have to obtain your own education in increments?”

Melanie and Shavonne sat there in shock as Lawrence basically took over the interrogation of Perkins. Each sipped their coffee watching as the school’s attorney zealously fired question after question at the hapless former headmaster.

“Isn’t it true that you knew, even when Justin Taylor entered the eleventh grade that he was being targeted by Dixon and his student cronies simply because he wouldn’t go out for the football team as his father demanded? Is it a fact, that you disbanded the art club for a time so that his one passion couldn’t be indulged, so that he would do his father’s bidding? Isn’t it also a fact that you received monetary compensation to do so while you told the faculty that the Art Club had to be defunded due to budget cuts caused by low-enrollment when that was anything but the truth? In fact, St. Mary’s and St. James schools respectively had received an influx of students, many of them African-American because of your prior actions concerning Leroy Wells, correct? As I recall, there were many scholarships given to low-income and middle-class families so that their children could also receive a first-rate education. What really happened to the money allotted for Art Club the school year before last Mr. Perkins?”

“I… well you see… Oh alright?! What you are implying is true! I did accept the bribe from Craig Taylor to shut down the Art Club during the school year last term. Mr. Taylor’s wish was that Justin find something else to do other than having his head in the clouds with that damn sketchbook. I couldn’t see anything wrong with his request.”

“Except that it didn’t stop Justin’s artistic abilities, did it?”

“Obviously not. He was still drawing on whatever he could get his hands on. Printer paper, the chalkboard… instead of taking notes in class, Justin would sit there drawing. He’d ended up in detention many times because of it.”

“And just who were the teachers who assigned Justin’s detention because he was drawing instead of taking notes?” Perkins seemed to shrink before their very eyes. “Let me guess that there was only one and I’d bet my paycheck that his name is Kevin Dixon.”  

“I didn’t say that!”

“You didn’t have to. Let’s look at the facts, shall we? Who was the coach of the football team? Kevin Dixon. Who was the only faculty that seemed to have an overt problem with Justin Taylor? Kevin Dixon. Who was the only person in the entire school that had the jocks in his back pocket and could give an order and expect to be obeyed immediately? Again, the answer is Kevin Dixon. So if it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck, correct? Or is it that, in your world, the duck must become a dog?”

“What the hell are you rambling about now?” Perkins scowled.

“Just the fact that you weren’t the only person to reap financial benefit from Craig Taylor. Kevin Dixon had just as much at stake to de-sissify Justin Taylor for Mr. Taylor, didn’t he?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about!”

“Sure you do. Isn’t it true that you own a percentage in Taylor Electronics, Mr. Perkins?”

“Yes. I have stocks with that company. So what of it?”

“Are you aware that the company was transferred from Craig’s name to Justin’s two- almost- three years ago? If you own even one percent stock, you would have been informed. That’s business law 101.”

“Okay, yes I was informed. I still don’t see anything wrong with a father wanting the best for his son.”

“Ordinarily, I would say you are correct. But you and I know differently, don’t we? Since Justin would have been considered a ‘legacy’ student, because Craig Taylor also graduated from St. James Academy many years ago, it wouldn’t have looked good on the school’s history if All-American athlete Craig Taylor’s son didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps. It also wouldn’t have looked favorable if Justin didn’t go to Dartmouth as his father did before him, so that he would take over the family business. All of these things make a common goal for you, Taylor, Dixon, and Hobbs to form an alliance to change Justin’s mind about what was important in his life. But you wouldn’t make that kind of move without a well-greased palm and some assurances, would you?”

“I...I…”

“You don’t have to agree since we have the evidence in our possession. But let’s get to the affidavits from various students who witnessed your disregard, while Dixon and his minions took target practice on Justin Taylor, shall we?”

Mel interrupted from there. “I think I’d better take it from here Counselor. Shavonne, can you do what we discussed with Charles quickly?”

“Yeah, I’ll take care of it. Can’t let those skills go to waste. Come along Lawrence,” she said, standing up. They had to get him on the list as official counsel, otherwise the testimony could be challenged. And no one wanted to see that happen, except maybe the idiot being questioned.

“Mr. Perkins, I just have a few further questions. If you knew this was all coming back to bite you, why did you continue to allow these actions against Justin? Why not just come clean with your part in it? You would have possibly received a slap on the wrist, compared to what’s happening now. So what made you decide that you could get away with it all?”

Perkins closed his eyes. He knew that what she was saying was the truth but… “It was the money. I got greedy and the money… well it solved a lot of problems for me last year. I didn’t want to live without it again. What Craig Taylor paid me and Samuel Hobbs offered made my salary look like pittance. Now that I’m debt free, that money would have been mine, solely to do with as I pleased.”

“You mean the gambling debts that you incurred? They were coming after you, weren’t they? It was the Wells family who you owed the money to, wasn’t it? Leroy Wells family owns several casinos throughout the United States. You had denied him admission several times before he actually got to attend St. James Academy. Was he finally admitted to cover your gambling debt?”

“Yes, he was.”

“But Leroy was also extremely intelligent, much like Justin Taylor. In fact, the two of them became good friends, correct?”

“Yes they did and Craig Taylor didn’t like it.”

“Only Craig Taylor? Or can we include you in that as well?”

“No. I didn’t like it either. I felt that my secret would no longer be safe if they maintained a friendship.”

“So you attempted to destroy Leroy Wells and in the process make it so Craig Taylor’s wish for his son would come true?”

“Yes.”

Melanie sighed. Justin was receiving shit from all sides, especially from people who were supposed to protect him, in school and at home. She felt even worse for standing idly by while Michael harassed Justin and Lindsay used him. “No further questions, Mr. Perkins but I would strongly suggest that you seek help for your gambling addiction. Not only that, but be prepared to pay out whatever is left in your account today. Not doing so will have the cops at your door. The amount of the punitive damages from you alone is fifty grand. St. James has already settled their case and won’t be coming to your aid.”

“Oh my God! That would only leave me five-hundred dollars in my account. How am I supposed to pay my mortgage next month?”

“You should have thought of that before you tried to railroad a young man on his father’s behalf! In any event, I don’t care how you do it, but pay Justin what your negligence and disinterest has cost him. Since you will no longer be able to work in any educational environment, you need to find a job. I hear the Big Q is hiring.”

Melanie laughed at the incredulity on the old man’s face as he left her presence.