Chapter 14 - Taking the Stand
"The prosecution calls Rachel Vance to the stand.
"
The clerk's voice echoed through the courtroom,
and a hush fell over the entire gallery.
I stood up slowly,
adjusting my jacket,
and walked down the center aisle toward the witness box.
I felt the eyes of two hundred people on my back,
including Mason’s burning stare from the defense table,
but I kept my gaze locked firmly on the wooden witness chair.
I stepped up,
placed my right hand on the Bible,
and swore to tell the truth,
the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth.
"Please state your name for the record,
"
Prosecutor Vance said gently,
stepping toward the podium.
"Rachel Vance,
"
I answered,
my voice clear,
strong,
and ringing through the room.
"Rachel,
I want to take you back to the night of January 14th,
"
Prosecutor Vance began.
"Can you tell the jury why you were in the car on Independence Pass?"
I took a deep,
steady breath,
placing my hands flat on the wooden railing before me.
"Mason told me he wanted to take a drive up to our mountain cabin,
"
I testified,
looking directly at the twelve jurors.
"He said he wanted to talk about our marriage,
that he wanted to make things right after months of growing distant.
"
"Lily was nine days old.
"
"I was exhausted,
recovering from an emergency C-section,
but I wanted so desperately to believe he cared about our family.
"
"What happened when you reached the high pass?"
"The storm got worse,
"
I continued,
the vivid memories rushing back into my mind like a movie playing in real-time.
"The wind was howling,
blowing snow across the road so fast you couldn't see five feet ahead.
"
"Suddenly,
the engine sputtered and died.
"
"The dashboard lights flickered out.
"
"Did Mason try to restart the car?"
"He pretended to try,
"
I said,
my voice hardening.
"He turned the key several times,
then said he was going to step outside to check the engine battery in the trunk.
"
"He opened his door,
stepped out into the snow,
and slammed it shut.
"
"A second later,
I heard the heavy click of the central locking mechanism.
"
"What did you do when you heard that lock?"
"I tried to open my door,
"
I testified,
feeling a tear trace its way down my cheek,
though my voice never wavered.
"The handle was completely limp.
"
"It wouldn't catch.
"
"I pulled the manual lock pin on the top of the door,
but it wouldn't budge.
"
"I looked through the rear window and saw Mason walking down the road toward the headlights of a car parked fifty yards away.
"
"I hit the glass with my fists,
screaming his name,
begging him to open the door,
telling him Lily was going to freeze.
"
"Did he look back?"
Prosecutor Vance asked quietly.
"No,
"
I answered,
staring directly at Mason across the courtroom.
"He got into the passenger seat of the black car,
the red taillights turned on,
and he drove away into the storm,
leaving his nine-day-old child and his wife to die in the dark.
"
In the gallery,
several women began to weep silently,
and two jurors covered their mouths in utter shock.
"How did you survive,
Rachel?"
"I remembered my father's heavy steel hammer in the glove box,
"
I said.
"I pulled it out,
wrapped my sweater around my forearm,
and smashed the rear side window over and over until the glass shattered.
"
"I climbed out into three feet of snow,
pulled Lily out through the broken glass,
wrapped her inside my coat against my chest,
and started walking down the mountain in the blizzard.
"
"Because I knew if I stopped walking,
my baby would die.
"
"And I refused to let him win.
"
When I finished speaking,
the entire courtroom was frozen in absolute awe of the strength and courage of the woman standing before them.
Prosecutor Vance looked at the jury,
then back at me.
"Thank you,
Rachel.
"
May you like
"No further questions.
"
