"What did you do when you realized what had taken place?" David quietly asked her.

"I don't know, truthfully. I was hysterical. Nick took care of everything, calling the police and the doctor for me. He was so in charge of everything, even though it was his children that were taken too." Elisha raised her head to smile at Nick. "It took me a few days and then I came around to being semi-normal." She laughed, bitterly.

David nodded and leaned on his podium. "Why did you come to Kentucky once the children were returned to you?"

"She was still out there, waiting to hurt us again and again. She wasn't there when the police found the babies and they couldn't find her. We thought that if we went away, just until they caught her, we would be alright."

"Now, Elisha, this is very important. Why did you purchase a gun before you left for Kentucky?"

"I was terrified!" Elisha's voice shook with emotion. "That person had been in my house, and taken my newborn babies from me! Who knows what else she might have tried? I was scared for my children's lives, my husband's life..."

Elisha broke down in tears, her shoulders shaking from the force of them. "Could we have a brief recess, please?" David requested. The judge granted it and the courtroom slowly emptied.

"Honey!" Nick ran over to his wife and encircled her in his arms. She buried her head in his neck and clung to him tightly. After a few moments, she lifted her head and Nick dried her eyes. "I'm sorry, David. I lost it." David smiled at her. "Elisha, you have the jury on the edge of their seats, you probably just won the case with this little breakdown." "Well, it wasn't put on for the court, if that's what you mean." she said, somewhat indigently. "No, no!" he soothed. "I just mean, the emotions, the jury is completely involved and hopefully on your side. It looks good to me." Elisha smiled wanly and looked up at Nick. "Do you really think so?" David nodded and glanced at his watch. "Are you ready for the rest?" She nodded. "Then, let's go!"

The jury filed back into the room and David resumed his line of questioning. "Elisha, is that why you hired a private investigator? Because you were scared?"

"Exactly. I thought that he might be able to find her. The police have so many cases, I'm not blaming them in any way, but they seemed to put finding her on a back burner once the kids were found."

David guided her smoothly through the journey to Kentucky and the knowledge that Mandy had followed them there. "What happened when Frank left you at the motel where Mandy was staying? Did you have a plan?"

Elisha sighed. "I wanted to scare her and have her turn herself in. I had the gun, but that was more for my protection than to hurt her. Lord only knows what she may have had."

"And what happened?"

"We fought and she got the gun from me. She shot me in the arm and forced me to the door, demanding I take her to Nick. When we got to the door, she whispered something about seeing my beautiful twins again. I couldn't take it. I knocked her down and aimed the gun at her. I told her to get in the van and I took her to the house. I tied her up in the barn and left her there."

Elisha took a deep breath and a sip of water.

"Why did you do that Elisha?" David asked her.

"I don't know. Something snapped when she mentioned the children. I couldn't let her near them again, I couldn't!"

David turned to the jury and then back to Elisha. "Now, you had Mandy there for 2, 3 days, correct?"

She nodded. "I didn't do anything to her. Except keep her tied up. I fed her." Elisha shook her head. That sounded pretty lame, even to her ears.

"What happened the day of the shooting?"

"I let her loose to go the bathroom. She took off for the yard and I ran after her. We fought, she punched me in the eye pretty good. She was running for the house and I called her name. She turned around and I shot her."

Elisha's voice sounded distant, stunned.

"I shot her. I couldn't let her get my children or Nick, I just couldn't."

She sat numbly and stared at her hands. David approached the bench. "Thank you Elisha, no further questions."