Page 30 of Professor Next Door

16. Tara

The next few days flew by, and I was glad for it. I’d barely seen Galen, late meetings, appointments with his lawyer, and a thousand other things kept us apart. I had to meet with my advisor, then a major paper was due and I had to rely on John to watch Rikki in the evenings. Luckily for me, he was available.

I spent a lot of time researching, digging up facts and writing citations, creating an outline, writing a first draft, then a second, and finally feeling the third was just right. My nerves were strung tight on the morning of the first hearing, so tight I was jumping at every noise and touch.

I’d had zero experience with the justice system in America but I’d heard horror stories, had read about how unfair it could all be despite the promise of fairness. I was dreading the court hearing for Galen.

John was going to watch Rikki while we were at the hearing, and Amanda would join him later. They’d both be there when we came home. Amanda, who had friends that had been through some kind of trial in their life, had already warned me it could take a while.

Galen drove us there quietly, his nerves strung tighter than mine. I stayed quiet but held his hand as we walked to the courthouse. An older man, prestigious looking and collected, met us and directed us into a room.

“Hi Galen, deep breaths buddy. I think we have this in the bag. You must be Mrs. Elliot. I’m Bill, Galen’s lawyer. A pleasure to meet you.” He had a warm, reassuring voice and for the first time that day I felt myself relax to somewhere just under shattering point.

He closed the door as we sat down in chairs around a long table and took a file from his briefcase.

“I think this is going to be a simple case, Galen. Rikki’s medical reports show she’s healthy mentally and physically. The study performed by the Georgia Child Protective services declares her to be in a good home, with a stable parent, with no signs of abuse or mistreatment. You’ve been employed steadily for over five years, and there is absolutely no reason to remove Rikki from your care. We filed for legitimization of your parental rights soon after Kayla passed, so that’s not in question either. Just hang tight, buddy, we got this.”

After that, everything was a blur for about forty-five minutes. I sat quietly, watching everything, but not really taking it in. I was lost as to how people with no legal claim to a child could turn parental rights on their head. I could see how if the parents were unfit it might be reasonable, but Galen was a great father, a devoted father, and these people were just being petty. I suspected they were trying to replace their daughter with their granddaughter but that was still no excuse.

The judge read out his statements as two older people, a fragile looking man of around sixty-five and a rather stony-faced woman of around sixty stared at him like he was their lifeline. A female in her thirties sat next to them, looking far too smug for my liking. She kept shooting Bill, Galen’s lawyer, hateful little smirks. I wanted to belt her right in her over-plumped lips. Were those stuffed with some kind of filler? What was that?

“Ms. Luther, you may begin.” He looked doubtfully at the woman sitting at the other table in the small room. Even he wasn’t thrilled with this case.

“Thank you, your honor. I know this may seem like a pointless case, but I assure you it is not. We have a very serious case here and it took a while to get the witness to agree to come to court today. You see, your honor, the Millers allege that Galen Elliot is an unfit parent on the grounds that he murdered his wife.”

Everyone on our side of the room, including the judge, turned to the smirking lawyer as she went to the door. Opening the portal, a tall blond woman with boobs out to there and ass out to here, stepped through and looked around coldly. Oh, she’s trouble, I thought, staring at her. Glancing at Galen I saw her appearance had stunned him too. Who was she? I’d have to guess a past fling.

“Your honor, this is Sarah Rogers, a former lover of Mr. Elliot. She has a few things to tell you.”

“Now wait a minute, Ms. Luther. This was not listed in discovery, and if you truly want to accuse Mr. Elliot you should take this up with the authorities, the police, not me or this court.”

I thought it might be over then, but Ms. Luther carried on.

“We have just handed over our evidence this morning, your honor. Mr. Elliot can expect a few questions from the police after this hearing is adjourned.”

Smug bitch! She continued, despite the judge telling her that her clients were wasting his time.

“Your honor, Sarah here can tell you about the affair she was having while Mr. Elliot’s wife was pregnant, and that it was this affair that drove them apart. It was this affair that drove Mrs. Elliot to run off during a storm, a decision that cost her her life.”

“I can see why the police haven’t arrested him already. Ms. Luther, are you really going to waste my time with this conjecture?”

“On the contrary, your honor. Ms. Rogers has proof of Mr. Elliot’s infidelities at the time the marriage was falling apart!”

I turned to look at Galen, remembering the day he’d told me he’d not cheated after he found out Kayla was pregnant. Had it been a lie?

“That is a damned lie!” Galen burst to his feet but Bill quickly pulled him down and shushed him.

Galen had been quiet through the proceedings, never murmuring a word as he was accused of murder, never raising a defense, not until they said he’d been carrying on the affair up to the end of Kayla’s life. I was torn inside, but I knew Galen. I knew he wouldn’t lie. Not to me, anyway. Was I being naive?

“Your honor, I’m sorry to interrupt but I’d like to have this dismissed, please. There’s no real proof of anything here.”

“I’m inclined to agree with you, Bill. I think I’ll leave this up to the police and continue this at such a time as there is some proof other than conjecture and what I’m sure are two very broken hearts. Make that four.” He looked over at Galen with sympathy and we were all free to go.

As that hell-bitch had promised, there were two policemen waiting for Galen outside of the room when we went out.

“Mr. Elliot, you are not under arrest but we do have some questions for you.” The first one, a thick, balding man that towered over Galen spoke. Galen hung his head and walked away with them.

“Look here now, Tara. You get on home. I’ll have my secretary call a taxi for you. I’m sure I can get Galen out of this mess. Damned greedy bastards,” Bill said. I wasn’t sure what that last part meant but I nodded my head anyway.