Dark Passions

Chapter Thirty-Five

My mind had gone blank. I sat staring at the woman named Bethany Wiggs for a long time, but her eyes reminded me of my own mother. Her voice was the same as it was back then. I could not fathom the fact my mother was sitting before me, ready to testify against not only the man I was trying to get away from, but from the man who was hunting her. Garrison didn't even look at me as he stood up. With a nod from Judge Mark, Garrison proceeded.

"Please state your identity to the jury."

"My name is Bethany Wiggs, and I am Jessica Hollands' mother." I thought I wouldn't be able to breath. The jury looked at each other uncomfortably as Garrison continued.

"Why do you go by the name Wiggs?"

"Wiggs is my maiden name," she answered. "I switched back over to it when I left Jessica and my husband."

"Can you tell the jury why you switched names?"

"So it would be harder for the O'Connor family to find me." I was shaking from head to toe. I still could not believe my mother was here right now. I glanced over, and for the first time in my life, I saw Black ultimately terrified. Black's eyes were wide with fear, and his face had paled. Garrison smirked when he glanced over and saw Black's expression. He turned his attention back to Bethany.

"Can you elaborate on this please?"

"I used to work for the O'Connor family, but in this case, it would be the Black family, since that is how he is introducing himself," said Bethany with a certain haughtiness in her voice that made me smile. "The O'Connor family ran multiple businesses, and I was their secretary for a few of them. I worked under Wayne Black O'Connor, and would occasionally babysit young Stephen when I had off days. I discovered information which led me to find out they were operating businesses that are illegal in the United States."

"And those businesses are?"

"Mainly sex and drug trafficking," she answered. "I found out about it, and was threatened with an inch of my life if I reveal the information.  They threatened my husband and my daughter, so I stayed quiet."

"Can you prove you worked for this man?"

"Yes I can. Here are my work papers." Garrison walked forward and took the papers from her, and passed them off to the jury, who later passed them back to Garrison so he could hand them to Judge Mark.

"What made you disappear from your daughter's life?" said Garrison as he paced in front of the jury.

"I came across new information," she said, her lip curling in disgust. "Wayne O'Connor was going to be creating a contract, if you will, to marry his son off to my daughter. Apparently, my daughter had caught the eye of their only son."

"How old was Jessica when you left?"

"She was three."

"And how old was Stephen?"

"About eleven I believe."

"Kind of strange for an eleven-year-old to marry a three-year-old."

"I agree sir. Frankly, they were going to wait until she was of marrying age. At least he didn't add 'pedophile' to his list of crimes."

"Miss Wiggs," warned Judge Mark.

"My apologies," she said as she threw a sarcastic smirk over in Black's direction. "I take back what I said."

"Did you leave because you didn't approve of the marriage?"

"I knew what that family was, and I wasn't going to throw my daughter into it. The contract Wayne O'Connor had set up needed the signature of a parent. Since I worked there, they were going to get mine. I took the information I discovered, as well as this contract and fled. I didn't say a word to my husband. And to my little Jessie...it was like I never existed to her."