A Snowy Night
Parts 28-29
By Kellie
Danny followed as Ross and the guard escorted Michelle back into the courtroom a few minutes prior to the session. Danny looked to his right and noted that his mother was there with her fake look of concern about Michelle. Ray was sitting with Rick and Abby on the front row. There were few empty seats in the room. As soon as he had gotten to the conference room, Ross had instructed Danny and Rick to walk out in the hallway and mention that the sentencing hearing for Michelle had been moved up in front of a couple of reporters who were lurking about. It didn't take long for word of this hearing to spread across town. They wanted everyone possible to know about Carmen getting her come-uppance.
Everyone was whispering and talking quietly as they eyed Michelle, Danny, and Ross. There was all kinds of speculation regarding the reason for the sudden change in the sentencing hearing. Danny heard one person say something about Michelle turning state's evidence against the Santos family in exchange for a lighter sentence. He thought about how surprised they all would be when the hearing got under way.
The bailiff entered the courtroom and the session was called to order. Danny took his seat behind Michelle and crossed his arms in front of him with a worried expression for Carmen's benefit.
The judge addressed Ross, "Mr. Marler are you ready to call your new witness."
"In a moment your honor. I just spoke with the witness, and the flight she was on was delayed in landing. She should be here in a few minutes. In the meantime, your honor, I have another witness whose testimony will support the testimony we will hear later. With the court's permission, I would like to call Father Ray Santos to the stand."
"Ms. Wolfe, do you have any objections?"
"No, your honor."
Ray was sworn in. Ross began with his first question, "Father Santos, on the day after Ben Warren's murder, did you hear a confession regarding the circumstances surrounding his death?"
"Yes, I did."
"It is my understanding that the person who made that confession has given you permission to reveal what was said during your conversation with her. Am I correct?"
"Yes, she did," Ray replied firmly as he looked Carmen straight in the eye. She gave Ray an icy stare as she wrung her hands together in her lap.
Ross continued his questioning, "Who was this person?"
"Pilar Santos."
Ms. Wolfe quickly spoke up, "Objection. Pilar Santos testimony has already been disallowed. This line of questioning is irrelevant."
"Your honor, since the jury has not been brought in to hear this testimony at this time, I would like to request some leeway. All of this testimony will make sense when my next witness takes the stand."
"Ms. Wolfe, I'm curious about where the defense is going with this line of questioning. Objection overruled. Mr. Marler, let me warn you that you are walking a very thin line with this witness."
"Yes, your honor," Ross remarked before continuing. "Father, could you please explain to this court what Pilar Santos said to you the day after the murder of Ben Warren?"
"Pilar told me that she was responsible for Mr. Warren's death. She said that she had set things up so that her mother would enter Mr. Warren's apartment and find them in a compromising position together. Pilar's intention was for her mother to break off her personal relationship with Mr. Warren. Instead, Carmen Santos pulled out a gun and shot Ben Warren."
"Father Santos, did Pilar confide anything else to you?" Ross inquired.
"Yes, about two weeks after that, Pilar came to me and explained that she had been forced by her mother to go along with a plan to frame her sister-in-law, Michelle Santos, for the murder of Ben Warren."
"What exactly did Pilar do?"
Ray swallowed hard and looked at Ross as he spoke, "Pilar kept Danny and Michelle occupied at the Santos house while Carmen slipped out and went over to Michelle's brother's house. Carmen got into the room that Danny and Michelle had been staying in at Dr. Bauer's house and planted the blood covered gloves in Michelle's bureau drawer. Pilar then told me that Carmen paid off a maid from the Towers complex to say that she had seen Michelle exiting Ben Warren's room."
Danny looked over towards his mother as Ray spoke. Her eyes were darting back and forth and he could tell she was trying to figure a way to save her own hide. At that moment, Carmen sprung up and shouted across the courtroom, "Ray, you know that Pilar is sick. Nothing she says can be believed."
"Mrs. Santos, outburst such as that are not tolerated in this courtroom. Either get control of yourself or you will be held in contempt of court. Do I make myself clear?" the judge firmly stated.
The judge nodded and the bailiff walked over to Carmen and took her arm. Carmen haughtily pulled her arm from his grasp and sat down with a determined look across her face. She was a snake trying to find a way to slither out of this mess. The judge called the court back to order. "Mr. Marler, you may continue."
"Father, as part of your training for the priesthood, did you take any training about identifying signs of mental illness in parishioners?" Ross pointedly asked.
"Yes, I did."
"Did you have any reason at the time Pilar Santos made these confessions to believe that she was suffering from any form of mental illness?"
"Pilar appeared mentally stable and rational at the time she made these confessions to me."
Ross continued with his questions, "Did you ever have occasion to speak with Carmen Santos about Pilar's confession?"
"Yes, I did."
"Can you tell the court what was said?"
"Carmen told me she knew that Pilar had told me the truth about everything. She reminded me that because of my vows, that I could not reveal anything I knew - even to help an innocent person. Carmen let me know that I was truly trapped between a rock and a hard place."
"Did Carmen Santos insinuate that she committed this crime when you spoke?" Ross asked.
"Objection," Ms. Wolfe barked out.
"Sustained. Mr. Marler, please limit your questions to factual information, not conclusions drawn by the witness," remarked the judge.
"Yes, your honor. No further questions."
Ray turned his glance towards Ms. Wolfe as Michelle drew in a deep breath. Now for the hard part, dancing around the DA's talent for twisting a person's words around.
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Ms. Wolfe rose to begin her cross-examination of Ray. She walked over to the witness box and crossed her arms in front of her. The look in her eyes was that of a predator looking for a way to pounce on its prey. Finally, she spoke, "Father Santos, Pilar Santos is your cousin, correct."
"Yes, she is."
"In your experiences dealing with mentally ill parishioners, would you say that most family members go through a process of denial as they watch a loved one's mental stability unravel?"
"Objection," Ross stated.
"Your honor, Mr. Marler opened this line of questioning up when he asked Father Santos about his training in identifying mental illness among his parishioners. I am sure that in his experiences, the Father has had to help family members of the mentally ill come to terms with their loved ones problems."
"Counselor, Ms. Wolfe has a valid point. Overruled," the judge replied. "Father Santos, please answer the question."
Michelle sat back in her chair and grasped the arms tightly. She silently prayed for everything to work out.
Ray paused and reached for the glass of water on the witness stand before answering. He wanted to wait as long as possible to answer so he could weigh his words carefully. After watching Ms. Wolfe in action, he knew if his answer came out with any loopholes in it, she would take off and twist his words as she had Michelle's and Pilar's. Finally, he cautiously answered, "Ms. Wolfe, the few experiences that I have had dealing with mental illness in a parishioner involved families that were already aware of the problem. The family members in these cases came to me and asked for help in convincing their loved one to seek help. I have not dealt with any families in denial about a loved ones problems."
Michelle let go of the breath she had been holding and looked back at Danny who was thankful for Ray's cool head on the stand.
Ms. Wolfe walked back to the prosecution table and reviewed some notes before asking her next question. "Father, how would you characterize your relationship with the defendant's husband?"
"Danny's my cousin and my friend," Ray replied evenly.
"Would you say that you and Danny Santos are best friends?" Ms. Wolfe inquired.
"Yes, you could say that."
"Father, would you say that the relationship between you and Danny Santos could be characterized as more of a brotherly relationship than a friendship?"
"Danny and I spent a great deal of time together growing up. We grew up in the same house. Yes, I guess you could say we are more like brothers than cousins."
"Father, have you ever lied for Danny Santos?"
Ray paused and thought out his words carefully before answering. He knew this was another trick question that he needed to work through with a great deal of care. "As kids and during our teen years, I know that I lied to our parents and our grandmother about some of our childhood pranks - things like smoking cigarettes and sneaking out after curfew. I have not lied for my cousin since entering the priesthood. It would be unethical for me to do so."
At that moment the doors at the back of the courtroom opened. The room fell silent as everyone turned and watched as Bill and Frank held the doors open while Matt pushed Vanessa's wheelchair inside. Carmen clenched her teeth and shook with silent fury. "Vanessa should be dead by now. What the hell happened?" she muttered to herself. She knew that she needed to figure something out and fast. Carmen knew that once Vanessa took the stand, her plans to send Michelle to jail for the rest of her life would fall apart.
Ms. Wolfe spoke, "The prosecution has no further questions for Father Santos at this time. The state reserves the right to recall this witness."
"Father, you may step down," the judge said.
"Mr. Marler, are you ready to call your next witness?"
"Yes, your honor. The defense calls Vanessa Chamberlain Reardon."