Come Christmas Steve
Chapter 39
Truth be Told
When I entered, my parents were all smiles. Sheriff Withers was still missing from the gallery. Looking like he might vomit at any second, Colt was sitting next to his mother, and Adam was looking very pleased. Judge Stern called the proceedings to order. "Colt, I need you to come back up to the witness stand and I need to remind you that you are still under oath to tell the truth. It is important that you tell us the complete truth. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir." Colt responded with a quivering, small voice and sat down.
"Mr. Thompson, you may redirect," Judge Stern instructed.
The prosecutor stood and nodded to the judge for approval to approach the witness stand. The judge told him he might. He walked slowly over to Colt and spoke kindly to him.
"Colt, you testified earlier today that you lied about Shane taking pictures of you and posting them on the internet. Did you also lie when you said that Shane did all those other illegal things to you?"
Colt looked at the Judge and asked. "Will I go to jail for lying?"
"No, Colt. I won't send you to jail. Just tell the complete truth now," Judge Stern reassured.
"Okay. Shane never hurt me. He was always nice to me. He kept telling me not to keep coming around and to leave him alone. But I didn't listen. I wanted to tell him about stuff going on. I thought he could help me. At first, I just wanted to know if I was really gay or not. But then, I wanted to tell him about the other stuff, the bad stuff. But he said I couldn't. He said I had to stop seeing him, and I had to stop talking to him. He said he couldn't help me, because it would get him in big trouble being around me. I didn't have anybody else to talk to. I couldn't tell anybody." I started to cry. My heart burst for him.
"Colt, since Shane didn't hurt you, did someone else hurt you?" the prosecutor asked.
"Yes." Colt started crying harder but not uncontrollably.
"Please tell us who hurt you, Colt. Who did these bad things?"
"I told you - I can't tell. He'll hurt us. He'll hurt Sammy. It just wasn't Shane."
"I know it's scary to tell, but we can protect you now. We can protect you and your brother. Trust us, Colt. We can't protect you unless we know who to protect you from," the prosecutor said.
"You have to promise you won't let him hurt Sammy. You can't let him cut off his wiener. Promise?" Colt demanded.
"We promise, Colt. No one will hurt Sammy. Tell us who hurt you."
Colt wiped his cheeks and eyes with his sleeves and sniffed. He sat up suddenly and said boldly, as if dropping a heavy backpack full of rocks off of his shoulders, "Reverend Lewis."
There was a shocked gasp from all in attendance, bailiff and court recorder included. Even the judge's mouth dropped a bit. No one spoke as that sunk in. Relief washed over me. Someone, or some unseen someone whispered to me alone, "Trust me always, Shane." I started to cry again, only this time it was out of relief. My mother was softly clapping her hands and then pounding them against her chest. My dad was hugging her.
"Thank you, Colt. We need you to tell us more about that, but not right now," the prosecutor said. Colt nodded.
Then the prosecutor turned to the judge and announced, "Your honor, the prosecution moves to withdraw all charges against Shane Steele and request that he be freed from custody."
Judge Stern stared at me. "Obviously, all charges related to the Colt Withers matter need to be withdrawn. I so order. However, we have not fully resolved the one remaining charge of indecent exposure to the young Daniel Thomas."
My heart for sure stopped. Maybe not long enough to kill me, but it stopped for absolute certainty.
Adam broke his own rule about courtroom behavior and let his head flop backwards in shock of what he'd just heard. He looked incredulously at the judge.
"Mrs. Withers, would you please escort Colt into my chambers for a few minutes?" the judge asked. She quickly whisked him away as the bailiff opened the door.
Then the judge addressed me. Staring into my eyes, he said, "Child sexual abuse is a very serious matter, one that cannot be taken lightly. I am torn as to whether or not you exhibit predatory indicators and the potential harm to other children that may occur. If indeed, you have those tendencies and act on them in the future, this court would have failed its duty to society. As we have just witnessed, abuse of a child, physically, emotionally, and especially sexually is extremely damaging and scarring. I am sorely tempted to continue the trial on that remaining charge to its conclusion. Are you prepared to continue your defense on that issue, counsel?"
Staring back at the judge, I pleaded with my eyes. I did my best to convey without words that I am not a predator. I don't have any desire to harm children. I am not into boys. Words I was not allowed to speak, but I desperately wanted to. I turned to Adam, "Let me testify," I said.
"Your honor, if it please the court, I'd like to call my client to the stand to testify in his own behalf on the remaining charge."
"It would please the court very much," Judge Stern replied.
I stood and walked what seemed like a thousand miles to reach the witness stand. I responded to the oath with a resolute, "I do!"
Adam stayed seated and said, "Shane, tell the judge what's in your heart."
"Your honor," I said, looking into his eyes, unflinching. "I am in love with a boy, a boy my age. His name is Steve Fahrenheit, and over Christmas break, we became more than roommates - we became lovers. When I fell in love with him, I didn't know anything about his sad past. Now that I do, I feel so sorry for him and have so much anger towards those scumbags who took advantage of him and exploited his innocence. I could never do anything like that to a child. I assure you: It is not in me!"
I paused and just let the judge search my eyes. I wanted him to be absolutely certain he could see my sincerity. Then, I explained about Yellowstone. "I had planned a special trip to Yellowstone for Steve and me for New Year's Eve. Our dorm friends, Whittaker and Jensen, wanted to go too, so we let them. I planned a special night for Steve. I'd brought candles and music and massage oil to make it all special. I slipped away after dinner to set up the room for the surprise. On a lark, I got naked while I was setting it up. I don't know why. I just decided to. Then I couldn't find my bag with the oil and lube and protection in it. I remembered bumping a potted tree when I was coming out of the elevator after checking in. I peeked out and saw it there, lying in the pot. I tried to rush out and get it but accidentally got locked out of my room - naked!"
The judge cracked a smile as he pictured my dilemma. "When Daniel came up to use the bathroom, I could see he needed help getting into the room. I resisted helping him for a while. Then, I realized he really needed my help, and I thought I could maybe borrow some of his dad's clothes to wear so I could get a replacement key for my room. So, I opened his door to let him in. I wasn't going in the bathroom with him, but the little guy needed help getting his cummerbund thing undone. Then, I waited until he was finished so I could help him get dressed again. That's when I heard his parents and panicked. I did make up the secret ninja game to try to get him not to tell on me being there. That is true, but not because I'd done anything improper to him, just because.... Well, because I was naked in a hotel bathroom alone with a five or six year-old kid. Some things you just can't explain, you know?"
The judge actually cracked another slight grin. "I hid. The parents came in, and then they all left. I borrowed what I needed, and I figured it was all okay. I swear your honor - I would never hurt a child. I swear that I only have sexual attraction to guys my age. I swear that I had no sexual intent or any sexual thought at all, when I stepped out to help Daniel get in his room or at any other time. Please, your honor, please believe me. It is the truth. I've told you the truth. It has been like living in hell being accused of something so awful that I never did and never would consider doing. But, if going through this legal nightmare helped poor Colt escape the clutches of Reverend Lewis, then it was all worth it. I'd do it all over again if I had to, in order to rescue Colt."
The judge turned to Adam. "Anything else?"
"No, your honor. Defense rests."
"Anything else from you?" the judge asked the prosecutor.
"No, your honor. Prosecution concedes."
"You may step down," the judge told me. I thanked him and made my way back to my chair next to Adam.
He looked over at me, and I returned his gaze. "Thank you for testifying, Shane. I felt the sincerity in your testimony and saw it in your eyes. I cannot in good conscience subject you, to any more of this unique form of hell you must have been living, knowing you were falsely accused. I also have to give a full measure of credence to the fact that you rejected a plea arrangement that by all rational consideration, you should have taken, unless you were absolutely certain of your innocence. So, I hereby order that each and every charge that has been brought against you in these proceedings be withdrawn in their entirety. If, however, you have fooled me and in your heart, you do actually harbor feelings or urges to violate the innocence of a child in any way, I beg of you to get professional help. I don't believe that to be the case, however. I do believe in your good intentions. I hope that you can put this behind you and that you can move beyond it and live a happy and productive life. I hope at the very least, as you said, there has come some measure of good out of it." He hit his gavel one last time, and I fell into Adam. I hugged him and cried in relief once more. My parents rushed in, and I hugged and cried with them for a long time.
As we exited through the front doors of the stately, red brick courthouse, I was ambushed by Whittaker. He swept me off my feet and swung me around. We embraced, and he was half laughing and half crying. When we inched apart, he looked me in the eyes and said, "I told you. I told you it would be okay."
"Yes, you did. You always believed in me. You're the best ever." Almost involuntarily, he swooped in and kissed me - right on the lips. Then, he pulled back, embarrassed and red faced, blurring his freckles.
"Sorry," he apologized, "I got a little carried away there."
"It's cool," I said, hugging him again. Seeing his mother standing next to my mom, I moved to her and extended my hand. She pushed it aside and pulled me into a hug instead.
"Thanks for all you've done for me and my family. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you?"
"You don't owe me anything. You helped bring me and my son back together and recognize our hidden animosities we'd foolishly let fester between us over the years. I can never do enough to repay you for that." I looked at her oddly. I couldn't think of anything I'd done that would have had any impact on that happening. Yet, she was crediting me for it. I smiled.
"Hey! Where's Billy?" I asked.
"He went back home after he testified. He's watching over the place," Mom answered. I was disappointed that he wasn't there to celebrate with me. I wondered if he'd been making it with Jaime every night in his own bed.
That evening, still wearing my grey suit, the one without any numbers on the back of it, I sat at dinner in the Poor Boys Steakhouse. When Adam suggested the place, I said, "If it's full of boys, especially poor boys, I don't want to go anywhere near it!" That made everyone laugh.
I'd ditched the tie, but kept the rest on. The jacket was hung over the back of my chair. I was cutting into my medium rare, sixteen ounce ribeye, and the juices were spilling onto the white platter. The first bite was sensual. I chewed it slowly and let the warm, flavorful juices swirl over my tongue. A large, fully loaded baked potato sat next to my steak, and I intended to eat every bite of it, peel and all.
Between bites, I asked Adam, "What happened in the judge's chambers to get Colt to admit he'd lied about me?"
"His mother happened, Adam responded. "As I'd hoped. When she heard my cross examination of Colt and his story began to unravel, she grew certain that he was lying about you being the perpetrator. She was still convinced that he'd been abused by someone, which is true. We all assumed it was his father who had done it to him. I even think Mrs. Withers was convinced it was his father. Colt agreed in chambers to testify that you were innocent, and he did tell us that someone else had hurt him. He told us that the guy hurting him had put him up to framing you. His abuser not only threatened to hurt Colt, by cutting off his penis if he told, but to hurt his little brother also. Colt was more worried about protecting Sammy than himself. That's why he still refused to tell us who had really done it in chambers. That made us believe all the more that it was his father. I was as shocked as everyone when he finally broke down and named Reverend Lewis. Made sense though."
"But why? Why would Reverend Lewis go after me like that?" I asked. "He couldn't hate me that badly just because I'm gay. I still think Colt's father must have been behind it."
"No. I don't think so," Adam stated. "We'll know more as the investigation unfolds on the reverend. Between the time we left the courthouse and now, I was with the prosecutor. He wanted to know how much of my investigation results I'd share on the case against Reverend Lewis. He knows he won't try the case since the venue certainly won't be Wyoming Federal. However, he's pretty sure he'll be invited to consult on it. He definitely wants to. He's heavily invested in Colt's case, and he wants to see a conviction. He's especially interested in what we know about Reverend Lewis bribing that Damien kid to get hold of Billy's phone."
"Well, why don't you think Colt's father put the reverend up to doing that?" I asked, talking with my mouth full of baked potato and sour cream.
"Why would he? Colt's father had no idea the video existed."
"How do you know that?" I asked. "How did the reverend know it existed even? Did Billy show it to him?" I felt some resentment start welling up towards Billy as that occurred to me. We all told him to leave it alone.
"No. At least, Billy strongly denies that, and I believe him," Adam responded. "My theory is that the reverend caught a glimpse of Billy in the stairwell. Remember, Damien testified that he could clearly see the reverend in the video but didn't have a clear view of Sheriff Withers. If the camera could clearly see the reverend, then the reverend could have seen the camera and its operator."
"Wow! So then he cooked up that whole scheme to frame me in like, what...? A week and a half?"
"Seems like it," Adam answered.
"Crazy."
"Okay," Whittaker began. "But why go after Shane? If he just wanted the video off Billy's phone, he could have gotten it just like he did. Why the elaborate scheme against Shane?"
Adam explained, "Mr. Thompson got a few details from Colt in the judge's chambers right after the end of the trial. His mom cut it short, because Colt had really had more than he could handle for one day. What he did find out from Colt, is that Reverend Lewis suggested sometime around the middle of June that Colt go over to the women's shelter after school once a week to mow the grass and weed the flower gardens. Sheriff Withers agreed that it would be good for Colt to gain some responsibility and earn some money. Colt rode his bike over on Thursdays and sometimes on Saturday mornings if he didn't have a rodeo."
"Okay," Whittaker said again. "But what's that got to do with Shane?"
"Colt told Mr. Thompson that the reverend would meet him there. If the house was empty or if some bedrooms were available, he'd sneak Colt inside and mess with him. He apparently threatened Colt that if he told on him, he'd cut off his penis and testicles and not only his, but his little brother's also. The cut just above Colt's penis was put there by Reverend Lewis as a way to show Colt he was serious about his threats. The reverend apparently told Colt that his dad knew he was a little faggot and didn't care what the reverend did to him because he deserved it. Colt was terrified. And of course, with Sheriff Withers's massive homophobia, Colt believed that his dad truly did not care. Colt said that he once told the reverend that he was going to get Shane to beat the reverend up, if he didn't leave him alone. Colt said that the reverend constantly asked him after that, if he was telling anything to you, Shane."
"Ahem!" Mrs. Whittaker cleared her throat and shot Adam a disapproving look.
"Wow!" I said. "Wow, wow, wow! I failed him. I was so afraid of his father, that I never let him tell me about the reverend." I was heartsick over that.
"Damn," Whittaker said. "So if he got the video, Billy couldn't hold anything over his head, and if he got rid of Shane, Colt wouldn't have anyone to spill his guts to."
Adam wiped his mouth with his napkin and said to Whittaker's mom, "I'm sorry. You're right." Then he addressed all of us. "I have just said things which need to be kept absolutely confidential. We need to terminate this conversation, and I need to apologize. You cannot breathe a word of what we just discussed. Please, swear that you won't."
We all gave our word. I was very glad that he had told us all of it, however.
After a lengthy silence, as we enjoyed our wonderful dinner in thoughtful silence, I had to ask something else. "This isn't about Colt and Reverend Lewis, but it's been bugging me ever since I first heard about it."
"Ask, and I'll decide whether or not I can answer it." Adam said.
"How did Colt know about me saying," I paused looked sheepishly at my parents.
"Cum, Shaney, Cum," my father said, barely audible. "We already heard it, son."
"Yeah. I'm sorry about all the crap you guys heard. I feel like an idiot. But anyway, how could Colt have known that and how could he have known about the brush thing? And how did the prosecutors know about my cousins?"
"I can answer that, I think," Adam responded. "I know that the thing you say was divulged to the Montana prosecutor by Wesley Jensen, along with your hair brush fascination and your experience with
your cousin."
"Wesley might have heard me say that once when we were in Yellowstone, but I definitely never told him those other things," I insisted.
"No. You did tell your boyfriend, Steve Fahrenheit, though. When the two of you had your lover's spat and swapped roommates, Steve apparently vented to Wesley and in the course of that, he apparently shared those two little known facts about you."
"Oh," I said sadly. "He really told Wesley that about me? I couldn't get him to hardly talk, and he told Wesley such private things about me?"
"It seems so. I'm sorry, Shane," Adam said.
"Yeah. It's okay," I lied. "Still, how would Reverend Lewis know that stuff?"
"My theory would be the sheriff. Sheriff Withers and the Montana D.A. worked together in trying to get you convicted. I'm sure the D.A. shared all the details of your case with Sheriff Withers. He as much as admitted it to me once. My theory on how the reverend knew it all, is that the sheriff was sharing all the details of your case over pillow talk, after their romantic interludes."
"Oh!" I set my fork down with my last bite of steak skewered on it. "Wow!"
The silence deepened. I fought back the anger. Whittaker put a hand on my forearm and said, ever so sweetly, "Sometimes when we're in love and get hurt, we say things we really shouldn't say to people. Don't be too hard on Steve."
I smiled appreciatively at him. His words made me feel a little better, but only a little.
"Just one more question," I said. Adam smiled, knowing there would probably be many more. "Why did you ask me if there was another way up to the second floor? That never came up."
"My defense hinged on the time table established by the grandfather clock," Adam explained. "Before I went down that road, I wanted to know if there was a way to get to the second floor out of sight of the cameras. The prosecutor started down that path in questioning our expert about it, but fortunately, he didn't pursue it. I'm guessing that he didn't know the ladder was there and was fishing for a back stairs or something like that."
"Okay. Thanks."
Adam held up his wine glass and proposed a toast, "Enough of the past. Here's to a bright and glorious future for Shane, the man of steel: a man with the intestinal fortitude to stand up against all odds and proclaim his innocence. Cheers!"
"Cheers," everyone chimed in. We drank to my future. I was not sure what that meant. I had no idea where to turn now that I didn't have guards and lawyers and depositions and prisons to worry about.
My first road trip would be to Yankton Federal Prison Camp. I was at least certain of that.
I smiled. "Thank you, every single one of you," I said. "You gave me the courage to go on. You all helped me so much and without you, I can't bear to think where I would probably be."
That night, I slept wonderfully in a king size bed at the Hilton Garden Inn. I said a private prayer under my covers and thanked God for my miracle. Then I prayed for Colt, and I even prayed for his father, Sheriff Withers. I felt a peaceful glow that stayed with me until I'd fallen fast asleep.
Two days later, all the paperwork was done and I was back home, a free man. I would occasionally just burst out into an uncontrollable smile. I worked hard in helping Dad and Whittaker in the business. News of Reverend Lewis' arrest sent shockwaves throughout the community. Whittaker was also active in Robert Dodge's campaign for Governor of Montana. It was all a little crazy.
News media showed up and got a resounding "No comment!" from me and everyone else at the Steele household about the reverend's arrest, except for the cable news guy at WXCT. I owed him a favor. I told him everything I could that wouldn't violate Adam's trust or be unduly embarrassing to Colt. I went running every day with Whittaker, and we talked a lot. On each lap, I hurried past the big oak tree and the bad memories of what had happened there.
I immediately started a letter-writing effort to get cleared as a visitor at Yankton. I dreamed of the day we could sit together and share our hearts and thoughts face to face. I wrote him a lengthy and detailed letter describing my experience in jail and at the trial. I told him of my experience with the voice that brought me peace and with Pastor Nichols driving through the night to come visit me when I needed him. I shared how my love and desire to be with him gave me courage to fight the charges. On Sundays, we all went to church. Whittaker missed the first week because of a political rally he attended. His mom was going to be there also.
On the first Tuesday of November, we all gathered around the TV. Whittaker and his mom were both with the campaign staff at the Radisson Colonial in Helena. As the results came in, it was clear that Robert was going to win. When he finally came down, Mrs. Whittaker announced to the crowd to welcome the next Governor of Montana, Robert Dodge. Governor-Elect Dodge, shook her hand with gusto. One could see the mutual admiration for each other. He gave a great speech and addressed the child abuse issues that had plagued the state recently and vowed to work toward fixing them. I got glimpses of Whittaker in the background along with other key campaign volunteers. He stood out because he was so tall and handsome. A Republican Senator from Wisconsin had won the presidency but the final electoral vote swing wasn't made until after 11:00 pm. I would miss President Barnes. I thought he was a legitimately caring president with a good heart.
####***####
Shane is now safely home and his legal issues are resolved. Now all he has to do is figure out how to put his life back together and where to go from here. The next chapters will reveal how he goes about that and it's not all what you might expect. Enjoy!
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Sincerely, Hans
h.schreiber@hushmail.com