Page 15 of The Fallen Hero

“I didn’t,” Julian snapped.

Mena shook her head. This was not good. Camille Reichland was twisting Julian’s whole testimony and making it seem less credible. Liam needed to do something. Now.

Ms. Reichland, unable to hide her shock. She glanced at the jury, then back at Julian. “You didn’t? Are you saying you—wait? Did you ever interact with Priscilla Dumay while you worked as a security guard at the Genesis Gallery?”

“No, I did not,” Julian admitted.

“So you assumed that the person on the other line was Priscilla Dumay, but you really don’t know who you were talking to, do you?”

“Objection!” Liam thundered.

“Withdrawn,” Ms. Reichland said. “Why did you decide to work at the Genesis Gallery after being unemployed for three years?”

Julian took a deep breath. Mena could tell he was perturbed and maybe even worried by the turn his testimony was taking.

“I was trying to find Ella Sapphire,” Julian said. “Ella called her sister and told her that someone was holding her against her will and she was afraid the person would kill her.”

“Now in that call, did Ella identify the gender of the person she believed was going to kill her?”

Julian looked away. “Yes, but she really didn’t know the truth—”

“What gender did she reference?” Ms. Reichland asked.

“Male,” Julian said. “But she didn’t know it was Priscilla Dumay who told Zak Webber to murder her—”

“Mr. Montgomery,” Ms. Reichland interrupted, “Zak Webber confessed to killing Ella in a crime of passion and to kidnapping Mena Nix. When Mr. Webber was sentenced to twenty years for those crimes, he made it clear he had acted on his own. Why do you believe my client told Zak Webber to kill Ella Sapphire?”

“Dumay told me herself,” Julian spat the words.

“When did my client tell you that?”

“When I was at her medical facility on the island she owns,” Julian replied.

“This is the same medical facility where neither my client nor any of the staff recalled your presence. Is that correct, Mr. Montgomery?”

“The cops found me bleeding out on that island, so that’s proof I was there,” Julian said.

“But not proof that you had any discussions with my client, isn’t that correct?”

“This is ridiculous,” Julian threw his hands in the air.

“No, your testimony is ridiculous—”

Liam stood and shouted, “Your honor!”

“Ms. Reichland,” the judge said, a warning in her tone.

“Withdrawn,” said Ms. Reichland. Turning her back on Julian, she walked back toward the defense table. “No further questions.”

Chapter Nine

Yanking at the tie choking his neck, Julian stepped down from the witness stand and crossed the courtroom. Priscilla Dumay sat at the defense table with a demure, pensive expression, no doubt pleased with the way his testimony had ended. Her leg, crossed underneath the table, swung back and forth playfully.

This was all a game to that bitch.

A game he wouldn’t let her win.

Justice didn’t always come through a court of law.