They all agree to bring forth this new witness after Kim finishes her questions for Jonathan, and the prosecution cross-examines him.
The judge turns to the young woman and asks, “You have the right to an attorney. Are you sure you don’t want one?”
Still raging, she shakes her head slowly, “I’m sure.”
Stupid girl.
When she is sworn in, her manicured fingers graze the Bible, and her eyebrows are set in a tight pinch.
“Please state your name for the court,” Kim asks.
“McKenzie Fillmore.”
“Where do you work, Miss Fillmore?”
“I work for the Department of Labor and Industry’s office as a clerk.”
“And how long have you been there?”
“Three years.”
“And how do you know Jonathan Ekhart?”
“He’s my boyfriend.” I quickly look over my shoulder at Leona as she’s shaking her head in disgust.
“For how long?” Kim asks.
“The last year and a half.”
Kim taps her chin. “So that means you two would have started dating right before Paul Dalton died. Right when he named Cora as his successor.”
“Sure?”
“Now what did you say about those documents?”
“Jonny asked me to find the land’s historical soil reports and burn them. Thankfully, a part of me wanted to have some insurance for myself, so I never did. I just hid them. Hepromisedhe would marry me. He said he was starting his own firm and would be CEO, and he’d take me to Bora Bora. Remember that, Jonny? BORA BORA! I’ve been waiting at your beck and call, and I gottiredof it. I justknewyou were stringing me along in the back of my mind, so I put the historical records back. I should have listened to my gut. You and Chris fucking deserve everything that’s coming to you.”
“Chris Francis?”
“Yeah. Jonny said all that was stopping him from being CEO of his own firm was this stupid piece of land. He said if I signed off on the inspection of it, he’d be CEO sooner and we’d get married sooner. So I did it. Chris Francis submitted the report to me and told me I was doing him ahuge favor. Said when Jonny takes over as CEO, Chris would be CFO. Whatever,” she huffs, rolling her eyes.
“Mr. Ekhart said Chris would take over as Chief Financial Officer of his new firm?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s all clicking into place now, folks,” Kim says with amusement to the judge, then turns to look back at us. “Jonathan Ekart bribed the Lead Soil Engineer, Chris Francis, with the job title of Chief Financial Officer of his new architecture firm if he reported the ground was feasible for construction of this building. Of course, Chris knew better, being the seasoned professional he is, but did it anyway. Together, they went so far as to bribe Miss Fillmore with getting rid of the historical evidence and forging a signature for the construction approval. Mr. Ekhart and Mr. Francis bothknewthis building would collapse and were banking on it so that Ms. Dalton and Define Architectural Group would take the fall.”
I can’t believe Jonathan would go this far. That is a crazy level of bitterness to be holding onto for being passed over as CEO by my dad. This isreallyfar. This is criminal time in prison if he’s—they’re—found guilty.
The rest of the hearing continues with each side examining Chris who ends up confessing and validating McKenzie’s deposition. Bob Sabin takes the stand as well to demonstrate his lack of involvement and confirms McKenzie’s employment.
Following our examination of Jonathan, Victor then cross-examines McKenzie, seeking to further establish their case and address the atomic bomb of information she delivered. She gives great, painfully-intimate details about her relationship with Jonathan and the evidence of wrongdoing, including the bribe and the tampering with historical records.
Releasing the tension in my shoulders, I watch the rest of the hearing unfold, and when the legal arguments wrap up, I fidget with my thumbnails in my lap as I wait for Judge Jones to proceed.
“Based on the evidence and legal arguments presented during this preliminary hearing, I find that there is insufficient probable cause to hold Define Architectural Group criminally responsible in this matter. Therefore, the charges against Define Architectural Group are hereby dismissed.”
THERE IS A GOD AND THEY ARE GOOD.
