“Hello, you’ve reached the Littrell’s we are not home right now, but if you’d like to leave us with your name and number and a short message, we’ll call you back. If you are looking for Harold try his cell – beep“The tapped message was all Dr Anderson had heard that night, after at least ten attempts to get a hold of Mr. Littrell.
Here goes another message, the doctor thought “Mr. Littrell, this is Doctor Anderson; I’ve been taking care of your son. I was wondering if you could give me a – “
“Hello?” the other line had come through, Harold had picked up.
“Mr. Littrell” the doctor said almost astounded “I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all evening.”
Harold pulled the blinds up a bit on his front door, Paparazzi were everywhere “I took a sleeping pill earlier today, on the detective’s recommendation, I’ve been out cold since then.”
“That would explain the missed calls” the doctor quipped wryly. “You’re wife put up quite a show over here.”
A flash from Cannon Camera’s blared through the window distorting the evening sun that came through. “Damn camera’s” Harold muttered to himself walking over to the couch in the front room. He had already had them taken for trespassing, but they were a safe distance away, which was no problem for their professional zoom cameras. “What happened” he asked disregarding the destruction the tripods and high-healed reporters were doing to the front lawn.
“I think she was just stressed out, she started talking nonsense, like you’re son was dying and she was really scared, she’s ok now, but I’m afraid that she’s loosing her grip fast.” The doctor said “Also you’re son is being released today, is there anyway you could be back here by tonight.”
“Um, I’ll have to check the airlines. I’ll do the best I can.” He said.
“Good, see you then.” The doctor hung up quickly leaving Harold stranded on the line.
…….
“I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconut’s deadly dee dee, there they are a standing in a row, bumb bumb bumb.” Zazzoo sang across the television. Claire, who was only six months, could care less for the entertainment. She drooled and whined for face’ she knew.
…….
“Detectives’” Harold asked as he walked into the hospital “What are you doing here?”
“Just wanted to come see what we could do to help” Wattney replied.
“You can get the baby back in our care” Harold sighed watching the detectives look back “That would be something – Where’s detective Taylor?”
“She wasn’t feeling to well” Detective Campbell noted as they all walked towards the hospital room.
Brian stood up and walked towards his dad, he had never been so happy to see anyone in his life; Harold could never more strongly felt different. After he had hung up with the doctor the night before, the Aki’s had made a disturbing call about Brian and Claire
“We thought you should know, we don’t blame you for what you’re son did.” Mrs. Aki explained.
“That’s comforting” Harold thought in his head. “So what can I help you with?”
“We want you to keep the baby, at least until the trial is over, she’s so unhappy in that foster home, and she needs her grandparents, and since you and Jackie have been so wonderful with her the past few months, it’s only fitting that you take care of her.”
Harold rolled his eyes, but had to admit he was relieved.
Harold hugged his son, and looked over as Jackie awoke slowly.
“Man, am I glad to see you?” Brian smiled. Harold smiled a little pulling back.
“The detectives have your attorney at their office right now, we need to get over their quick.” He said walking over to his wife helping her up.
Less than fifteen minutes later, Brian sat in a small questioning room, his attorney by his side, and Detective’s Wattney and Carlson sitting at the opposite ends of the table. It was a pretty nice department for Cherokee County, set in a busy section of town.
“Where you with Miss Aki on the night that she had the child” the detectives asked, Brian raised his eyes, they were starting from here?
“Yes” he answered his attorney was about to press his arm, urging him not to answer, something in Brian told him, he would have to let everything out in order to get to the bottom of this mess.
“So you admit to having an affair with her?” the detective asked.
“Yes, but with what was happening at home. I wanted a divorce from Leighanne, it just wasn’t going to happen anytime soon though.”
“Why would that be?”
“Because she had everyone wrapped around her fingers. I loved Leighanne, once, but then once we got into money, with the boys – she changed.” He said sadly “I found Claire, he loved me for, and she could’ve cared less for my money.”
“Ok, now let’s talk about the night of the accident, what can you tell us about that?” the detective’s asked.
Brian squinted looking to the side, trying to remember the night, anything would do at this point. He remembered he was mad about the lights going dim.
“The lights were dim, the headlights, Leighanne was supposed to get them fixed before I cam back, but she never did. We were yelling, because she had found out about the baby. She had just talked to my Mom that morning.”
“Can you run through what you both were arguing about/”
The words came back so vividly Brian was ready to quote it by heart:
I know what’s going on Brian
It doesn’t make a difference; we’re getting a divorce anyway. I just want to get through this night. OK.
Go faster; we’re going to be out in this stupid forest forever.
I’m not going to go faster, the lights keep flickering off. I don’t want to get in an accident.
Oh great, look now we have some stupid person following us and their honking because you’re gong so slow, go faster!
I told you NO. I don’t want to, the roads are to slick
The rain stopped a half an hour ago.
Leighanne Stop!!!!
Brian lifted his head as he lay prone on the on the floor, his chair was to the side and the detectives were all around him.
“Get the doctor” Detective Campbell ordered holding Brian’s head up.
“It’s not his heart right” Jackie asked before doctor Preston left the glass room.
“No, we checked that as soon as he came in after the wreck, it must still be the trauma from the knife wound. Sometimes event’s like this, called post-trauma bring about strange reactions, some goes as far as throwing up and becoming nauseated, some start into spasm attacks, others have more mild symptoms.” He said wrangling out all the facts “He’ll be alright” he assured her before leaving for the other room.
……..
“All arise, Honorable judge Benton….” The officer announced bringing the document forward; the judge sat in his seat then picked up the paper pulling his reading glasses on.
“You may be seated” he motioned. Chairs across the small room were pushed back as people began to sit down.
Brian was nervous; he had been in court cases before, but only to argue against the band’s former manager, never to fend for his life. If could only remember what happened that night. It would make it so much easier. His lawyer advised him however not to take the stand, it would prove the prosecutors case, that Brian would be doing nothing but begging for mercy, and it wouldn’t pass a jury.
The Prosecution brought out their opening arguments; a tall blond woman with short hair stood up and walked past her desk opening the case.
“We are here today to give justice to one poor women’s death, who was this women? Her name was Leighanne, Renee Wallace Littrell, the wife of the defendant Brian Littrell. On the night of September twenty-fifth at approximately ten-forty-five, this poor women was flung from her car, thrown into a ravine and left for dead…..”
Brian was nervous, neither his body nor his mind could contradict what the prosecution was alleging. He wanted desperately to understand what happened that night. If Leighanne hadn’t been annoying him that night, maybe none of this would’ve happened. But if he hadn’t had the affair, it was all too much of a mess now.
“….My Client’s family deserves and explanation, as well as, at least compensation for the pain and damage that Mr. Littrell has caused.” Finally, the women was off her high horse as she walked, snootily, back to her desk and sat down behind her chair.
….
“We’ve got nothing” Brian’s attorney shot across the room, his arms braced along his hips as he paced the length of the hall. “Brian, you said someone was following you that night, who was it?”
Bran shook his head, he hated when they pulled for evidence like this, he wanted to know just as much as they did, but it wasn’t going to come on his terms, nor theirs, it was patience. He had learned his body was handing him information, trying to piece it together himself, and it was doing it at a slow pace. “I don’t know, the lights were dim, I just remember red is all, just flashes, and Leighanne yelling.”
Detective Wattney walked up pulling a chair to the table to sit in it backwards “A female a male?” he asked shooting out questions “Tall short, stocky, gangly, big car, small car?” he shot out questions
Brian shook his head in frustration “I don’t know, the car, it was too tall.”
“The one the person was driving?” Wattney asked drilling Brian.
“No, yes” he shook his head, his nerves were snapping again, pain was boiling in his brain “I don’t remember.”
“Great” Detective Wattney leaned back looking up. Harold and Jackie stood in the shadow of the room, waiting silently for more information. “Did you have a housekeeper?”
Brian shook his head “No, Leighanne has an assistant, God knows why we need a stupid girl fallowing us around.”
Detective Campbell raised a brow, The car, something was hitched to the back of the car, when the investigators searched it that afternoon, the other car behind them must’ve been to close.”
Pull over Brian!
I can’t right here, I can barely see!
Pull the stupid car over damnit!
The lights are too dim –
Brian swallowed hard gulping back air is desperation, he was still their, still coherent, in the room, but he had heard the voices, he looked up at the detectives as a flash of blue went in front of his eyes “She stabbed me?” he murmured shocked
Brian’s attorney stood up throwing up his hands “We need more time come on doc give us a couple more weeks”
“I can’t do anything for you. Brian’s cleared the medical exanimation and the psychic evaluation.”
“I can’t defend a client who doesn’t know what happened. No one knew what happened. We don’t know who’s car was there, who was even on the scene first.”
“I was” Detective Campbell walked up “Besides the EMT, I was, then, then….” He searched the room, shaking his head “I can’t believe it” he sighed “I, it.”
Author's Chapter Notes:
A double dose of Murmure for you! :) I'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and everything :D
