Broken - #Wattys2016 Completed

Chapter 1

I would like to dedicate this chapter to the lovely  SallyMason1 , who took the time to help me so much with this story. Thank you Sal :)

October 6, 2013

"Miss Thorne, your answer please, and may I remind you that you are under oath."

Lost somewhere in in her thoughts, trying to figure out exactly what was going on, Victoria Thorne's head snapped up suddenly. Causing her to look directly into the brown beady eyes of an older gentleman.

He was the prosecution lawyer, in the Albany Magistrates court, Alistair James. In her confusion she regarded him for a moment, his hair had just begun to gray around the sides of this temples in salt and pepper flecks, his face was drawn and unfriendly. Menacingly he stood just centimeters away from her. He was waiting, expecting her to answer promptly so that he could catch her out, try to trip her up somehow on the first word that she said, with full intentions of forcing an admission of guilt from her.

"Sorry, could you please repeat the question," replied Victoria in a barely audible squeak. As she asked she made an effort to sit up straighter and push a few escaped strands of honey blonde hair back behind her ears and smooth down her white wrinkled shirt.

Squinting Alistair let out a breath of air to show his annoyance.  "Very well, the question was, were you the only person to have contact with baby Emily on the night preceding discovery of her injuries."

Victoria opened her mouth to answer, but as she did another voice from across the room loudly, confidently called out.
"Objection your honor, there is no way my client could know if she was the only person to have contact with the child, she wasn't at the house or with the child after 6pm on the night in question."

Victoria looked in the direction the voice was coming from; it belonged to her Legal Aid defense lawyer Stacy Dylan, who was now out of her seat, leaning over her wooden desk in protest.

The judge, dressed in a black cloak, sitting to the side and slightly behind Victoria spoke in a low echoing voice that seemed to reverberate to every corner of the room. Victoria wondered if Judge Smithies had practiced to make her voice carry like that, or if it was just one of her natural talents "Please, rephrase your question Mr. James."

With her mouth still not fully closed from her attempt to answer the last question Victoria sat motionless. Looking at Alistair as he turned to face her again she prepared for another barrage of questions. How much longer she could hold herself together. Closing her mouth she drew in a deep breath of stale court room air, trying to block out her emotions and focus.

"Is it true Miss Thorne that you are the one who put your infant into bed on the night in question, September 23, 2013?"

"Yes."

"After putting baby Emily to bed at 6pm you left the house and returned 6 hours later at approximately 12am, correct?"

"Yes"

"Where did you go?"

"To visit with my sister-in-law Demi." As she said it, Victoria couldn't help but look past the lawyer and into the sea of stern faces in front of her, who were all watching, already judging her. She continued searching bravely until finally, relieved she found the comforting figure of her sister-in-law.

Demi was seated near the back of the room protectively holding her newborn baby Trevor close to her chest as she rocked and lightly tapped the tiny bundle rhythmically with her hand. Seeing them stirred an emotion deep in Victoria's breast, an ache that was never far from the surface. It was the sensation of not having her own daughter with her.