Monday morning, Natasha Ryder strode into court and placed her briefcase on the prosecutor’s table. She looked formidable in her dark trouser suit and mauve shirt for the hearing to establish whether Gary Harbourn was fit to stand trial for the aggravated sexual assault and murder of Rachel Goodwin and the rape and attempted murder of Sophie.
The bail hearing for Rick and Patrick hadn’t gone to plan. Both had been released on bail, their lawyers arguing that they had tried to stop their psychotic brother hurting the Goodwin girls. Rick’s juvenile file was not admissible and he gave some sob story about needing to support his family. Anya couldn’t believe he claimed his fingerprint was on the cropped top because he had removed it from Rachel’s throat, trying to save her life. With passports confiscated, both brothers had been released pending trial.
It may have been cliched, but glasses made Natasha look wiser, and somehow softened her features, which no doubt made her look more sympathetic to juries. This hearing was to be heard in front of a judge, however. Natasha’s role was to convince him that Gary was mentally fit to stand trial. Whether he was insane at the time of the attack was for a jury to decide if the case went to trial.
Trailing behind the prosecutor was a lawyer carting a trolley of files; he took a seat at the table.
Across the aisle sat two lawyers, almost clone-like in appearance. Charcoal suits and single-colored ties, that, at least were each a different color.
Gary sat unshaven, in disheveled clothing, no doubt to look the part of a mentally unstable character, despite the luxury of his psychiatric facility. It also hid the mole that had incriminated him.
The press gallery contained a smattering of journalists, and the public gallery was empty apart from Noelene Harbourn and her supporters. Bevan Hart sat in the back row, with the junior Homicide detective, Shaun Wheeler. It didn’t surprise Anya that Giverny’s father had come to witness the trial, and his appearance with the junior detective was not unusual. Kate and Liz Gould would be testifying, not Wheeler, so there was no reason for him to be excluded from observing. Besides, victims and their families often relied on ongoing support from police to face the legal process.
The court rose for Judge Philip Pascoe.
Anya’s heart sank. He had a reputation for being old school but strongly advocated rehabilitation programs in lieu of tougher sentences, without appreciating that few such opportunities for prisoners existed due to funding constraints. Nevertheless, he continued to err on the side of minimum sentencing, even for repeat offenders. She had no idea about his sympathies toward cases involving the possibility of mental illness.
From the number of age spots and deep lines on his face, he had to be near seventy, the compulsory age for retirement.
Natasha’s confident appearance seemed to evaporate as he entered the room. She fidgeted with a pencil on the desk.
The judge’s assistant outlined the reason for their presence, to establish whether Mr. Gary Harbourn was in fact fit to stand trial for the aforementioned crimes. After a lecture on the significance of the hearing and the responsibility of legal parties, the judge began to hear evidence.
Natasha argued that Harbourn had been calculating and aware enough to flee a search at his home, and the defense played up the fact that he had been in his underpants, jogging at the time-hardly rational behavior.
Anya was stunned to be called by the defense to recount what had happened when she had seen Gary in the hospital, and how he had behaved. All she could do was state the facts and hope the judge would pick up on the tremor not affecting Gary’s computer skills but preventing him from functioning in the presence of a psychiatrist.
Natasha tried to lead Anya into stating her opinion, but the judge instructed the prosecutor to keep her questions relevant to the expert witness’s area of expertise.
By the end of the day, Judge Pascoe had heard the evidence and retired to his chambers.
The next afternoon, Kate called with good news and bad news. Pascoe had decided Gary Harbourn was fit to stand trial. The bad news: because of the severity of Sophie’s injuries and potential for further acute complications, he wanted to make sure the defense team had a chance to cross-examine her, the key witness. It meant a rushed trial, making the prosecution’s work more difficult. Besides that, Pascoe was due for retirement in three months so he wanted the trial completed by then.
He brought the trial forward to four weeks from Monday. Kate didn’t think it gave them enough time to prepare all the evidence for trial.
Intentionally or otherwise, the judge’s decision had favored the Harbourns.
Anya didn’t tell Sophie that when she went to visit her the next day.
The morning of Rachel’s funeral, Anya had canceled appointments and stayed with Sophie so Ned could attend. Sophie had been too ill to go, even with a nurse and portable ventilator. Drifting in and out of consciousness, she had been unaware of what she was missing, using all her reserves to heal her shattered body.
After that, Anya had made the effort to sit with Sophie Goodwin at least three times a week. With her breathing tube continuing to block, she had further surgery to replace and secure it. Then came collapse in the base of her lungs, which led to bilateral pneumonia over the following week. Despite making good progress, she was still battling to get through each day without further complications.
Anya’s visits gave Ned a chance for a shower and a meal outside the ICU, which had become his second home. He slept in a recliner rocker that had been moved into Sophie’s room. Without enough rest, Ned Goodwin was facing becoming ill from exhaustion. Giving him a short break was the least Anya could do.
She always took along a book to read, something she had loved as a girl herself. Sophie closed her eyes and drifted in and out of sleep as Anya read aloud from the story of Helen Keller, Pollyanna or Alice in Wonderland. AA Milne poems were a definite favorite.
Sometimes Sophie would talk about her mother, and things she remembered from childhood. Rachel featured a lot in the conversations, but Sophie avoided becoming maudlin. If she had enough energy, they might watch TV. Inevitably, Sophie would fall asleep and Anya would sit and work on her laptop.
Anya found herself growing fonder of Sophie, and the relationship had nothing to do with pity.
The fourteen-year-old girl was naturally positive and managed to laugh at herself, even lying in an ICU bed. Sometimes she would remember something about the attack, or ask about the surgery or want more details about her injuries. Anya always answered honestly, even questions about whether any man would want to marry her, and what sex with someone you loved felt like. It was like having a little sister, one who had grown up far too quickly and painfully.
As days passed, the fear of the trial and testifying occupied Sophie’s thoughts more and more. Although Anya tried to prepare her for what was to come, there was no escaping the trauma Sophie and her father were about to endure in the name of justice.