Special Needs

Chapter 70: The Trial, Part 3

After lunch, Samuel Klinefeld called his first witness, Theodore. Of course. I muttered sarcastically under my breath when the lawyer asked Theodore to swear to tell "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." I hardly believed Klinefeld was capable of that, let alone the conniving client he was representing.

"Please state your full name for the court," Klinefeld began.

"Theodore Michael Blake," he said and the sound of his voice alone made me feel nauseous. As if he sensed my discomfort, he sent me a disparaging grin.

Klinefeld asked, "When did Juliette McGill begin working for you?"

"I hired her on May 19, 2017. She arrived at the residence on June 5, 2017."

"Did Juliette begin her duties right away?"

"Not quite. There was some question about the terms of the contract. She was planning to leave since she felt she had been misled, but the following day, we read the terms of the contract together and found that she was mistaken. I offered her an increase in pay and told her that I expected her to adhere to the contract."

"What do you mean when you say that there was a question about the terms of the contract?" Klinefeld asked.

"Ms. McGill believed that the ad she answered was for a seven-year-old boy," Theodore stated plainly.

"And how old was Harry in reality?"

"He was twenty," Theodore admitted.

"Mr. Blake, do you feel that Ms. McGill upheld her end of the contract?"

"No," Theodore said.

"And why is that?"

"Ms. McGill neglected to follow my instructions about Harry's medications, his routine, and his care in general."

"Can you expound on those statements?" Samuel urged.

"She refused to give him the required medications and then one day, she threw a fit and ordered Harry to take all of the pills that had been prescribed to him for a week. He overdosed and had to be taken to the ER to have his stomach pumped."

"You liar!" I screeched, tears pricking my eyes and several others started mumbling amongst themselves about his statement and my outburst.

"Order!" The judge slammed his gavel against the desk. "Ms. McGill sit down and keep quiet!" The judge ordered me.

I looked at Nathan in desperation and he just motioned for me to sit down as well, apparently wanting me to trust that he had everything under control. Yes, I knew he was experienced and knew a lot more than I did but my hatred for Theodore made me completely irrational.

"Can you tell me what else Juliette did that defied your orders?" Klinefeld asked.

"She broke every single nanny cam in the suite. But the most egregious act of impropriety was when she engaged in sexual activity with Harry."

The crowd gasped and I pounded my fists on my knees in frustration. I was at the point where I was willing to risk going to prison just so I could run over there and choke the life out of that bastard once and for all.

"Can you please clarify?"

"Your honor!" Nathan stood in a rush. "We have already determined that Harry was an adult and had no intellectual disability. Why is this even relevant?"

The judge gave Nathan a pointed look and said, "Overruled. Theodore, please answer the question."

"Early on, Harry told me that Juliette was teaching him about sex. Also, she 'took a nap' with Harry every day," Theodore said, making air quotes around the words. "She rubbed his bare back and held him close, like a lover would do. Harry was still young and impressionable and such activities led him to believe that Juliette had a romantic - and sexual - interest in him."