Chapter 352 - Negligence, Not Murder
Dawn took a deep breath.
The arguments started and Bree was called as a witness to the witness box. Geoffrey started questioning her.
"On the day when the fire broke, you had closed the golf course for three days. Was it your decision or did you take permission from the Management?" asked Geoffrey.
"It was my decision," she replied. "I do take such decisions often in order to do periodic maintenance."
"You have taken this kind of decision once before when the old guard of the place had died. Am I right?"
"Yes," she said with a surprise and immediately pursed her lips with caution.
"The charred body of the woman found in the kitchen, did you know her?" asked Geoffrey.
"Of course not!" she replied. "How would I?" she shrugged.
"Why didn't you report to the IT team at the main Wyatt's office that the cameras weren't working?"
"I— I didn't find time. I was too busy!"
"I see," said Geoffrey in a very calm voice. He walked to the table and picked up a paper, which he submitted to the judge. "I would like to cross question Ms. Erika Trey."
"But she isn't here."
Geoffrey turned to look at Bree and said, "How do you know Ms. Erika Trey?"
Bree narrowed her head. "She is an employee. Duh?"
"Does she live alone here?"
"Yes, she has a sister who never visits her or helps her monetarily," said Bree. "I feel sad for her. She doesn't have money for her operation. She is pretty poor and was working on meager wages of the course." Bree made a sad face to gain sympathy.
Geoffrey walked back to the table and picked up a document. He walked back to her and said, "You have accused my client of negligence and murder. Can you explain how is it murder?" He gave her the document to read.
Bree took a cursory glance at it and knew what it was. It was the copy of the complaint she had made to the police. She looked at Alvarez who was sitting right behind Daryn with his arms crossed across his chest. His expressions were grim.
"It is murder because she didn't bother to review and revise the safety checks. If our equipment was updated, then I am sure Erika would have been alive now," said Bree giving back to him the paper. "Since Ms. Dawn wasn't bothered about our safety, the explosion occurred because she neglected her duties. It amounts to murder."
Geoffrey tilted his head. "You don't have to judge whether it is murder or not. Let the court do its job for that."
Bree grunted and shifted in her seat. She clenched her jaws and looked at the lawyer that was appointed to them from the DA's office.
Geoffrey continued. He looked at the Judge and said, "If my client is being booked under neglecting her duties, then she can't be blamed for murder."
"What do you mean?" Bree shouted.
"Keep quiet!" the judge warned her. "Continue Mr. Geoffrey."
"For murder you have to prove the intention. Now my client was negligent, then how can this be a murder? What was the intention?" He turned to look at Bree and tilted his head. "My client, Ms. Dawn neglected her duties but she didn't go to the place to murder that girl. According to you, you don't know the identity of the girl. How can you say that Dawn even knew the girl? She is a businesswoman, who is too busy with her work. She hadn't come to the course for a month and you accused her of murdering someone whom she didn't know, hadn't met or ever talked." He stopped to take a deep breath. "Ms. Bree, let me tell you one thing—murder and negligence do not go hand in hand. It's either murder or negligence."
Bree's mouth fell open. She stared at the lawyer in front of her and blinked her eyes. Her mind was blank. She looked at the judge who appeared to have stifled a laugh. He stared back at her. Bree darted her gaze to her lawyer, Kirk Lindsey, whose face was flushed. She willed him to get up and start speaking.
Geoffrey walked back to his desk and sat on its edge. He took out his spectacles and rubbed his eyes as if trying to convey that he was dealing with morons. When he looked towards the opposition lawyer, he said, "You may cross examine."
The lawyer, a man in his late fifties with a paunch and greying hair walked to the judge and said, "Your honor, even if there was no intention of murder, at least there was a case of negligence. Ms. Dawn neglected her duties for upgrading the equipment at the kitchen. Those are the basic safety norms to run a kitchen for business purposes. She should be arrested for negligence of duty."
Bree's dying hope bloomed. She smiled at the lawyer. Then she looked at Dawn who was giving her murderous looks. It was as if she was a predator, ready to kill the prey in front of her. Bree rolled her eyes and turned her eyes to look at the lawyer.
The opposition lawyer gave a document to the judge.
After reading the document, the judge said, "The case of negligence still stands. Do you have anything to say about it?" He asked Geoffrey. "If this is proven, then your client can face jail term."
Hertz passed another document to Geoffrey. Geoffrey held up the papers for Bree to see. Then he addressed the lawyer. "Your Honor, these are the documents which state that Ms. Bree over here approached my client a few days back to negotiate a deal with her."
The opposition lawyer whipped his head to look at Bree and Geoffrey. "What?" he said with anger rising on his face. His eyes became wide. "This was never shared with me earlier, Your Honor. So we can't carry on an argument in this context." He gave Bree an angered look and she cringed.
Bree saw Dawn who had maintained a nonchalant face. The bitch had to bring it up in the court. She wanted to claw her face. Her reverie was broken by Geoffrey's sharp voice.
"According to this Ms. Bree wanted to negotiate a deal with Ms. Dawn in which if Ms. Dawn gave her seventy-five thousand dollars for Ms. Erika's plastic surgery, she assured that Ms. Erika would drop the case."
The judge shook his head.
Kirk interrupted. "I am sorry but you cannot argue this point at the moment because I am not prepared." Then he addressed the judge, "Your Honor, you need to give us a fresh date to argue this point because my witness, Ms. Bree never told me about it."
Bree bit her lip and scowled at Dawn. Her nostrils flared and her nails dig in her palm. The bitch was too smart. But one thing was sure, she was going to go to the jail for murdering Erika.
The judge nodded and said, "Okay, I agree with Kirk. The next date for the trial is going to be held in three business days from now."
"Thank you, Your Honor," said Kirk.
Geoffrey also thanked him.
When they all walked out of the courtroom, Bree caught up with Dawn and hissed, "You are so going to jail bitch!"
Dawn chuckled, "Save your ass first, wench!"
"I wish you had died that day!" said Bree and left in a hurry to talk to her lawyer who was clearly upset with her.
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