Chapter 7: SEVEN

She arrived at the courtroom twenty minutes before the hour. Holding a brief conversation with Verdis and Šhedrhen she assured them that Lana Northwood would be the one going to jail for perjury. Verdis held her paw briefly, licked her cheek while her daughter wedged in for a hug.

At precisely two o’clock Daniel Kingsley strode to his bench, called the court to order. “Sendrhea, I believe Miss Northwood is your witness, so please continue with your questioning. Miss Northwood, please take the stand, and remember that you are still under oath.”

Lana walked past Sendrhea’s table, didn’t glance at her as she headed for the witness stand.

Sendrhea stood for a moment, paw on her papers, not looking at anyone. The question, the most important question in her mind, would change the course of this trial.

“Sendrhea,” Kingsley said, “if I’m not mistaken, you were going to ask a question before I called a recess. Do you still wish to ask this question?”

“I do, Your Honor.”

“What could you possibly ask me?” Lana scoffed.

Sendrhea strode up to the witness stand, stepped right so she stood in front of Kingsley’s bench. “Please answer the following question: If, as you say, I scratched you, why are you still alive?”

Quite a few humans in the gallery gasped, but some of the jury members showed recognition on their faces. They knew, quite a lot of them knew.

She turned her back, eyes on the gallery. She looked at her mate and daughter, sitting at the front. Verdis touched his temple, told her through their whistling dragons that she couldn’t possibly lose now.

Even though, so many humans watching didn’t appeal to her. Most of them had their built-in opinions that favored another human being, despite the overwhelming facts and the witnesses’ blatant lies.

She walked to her chair, sat down. She had done her part; she wouldn’t ask the question again.

“Is that your question, Sendrhea?” Kingsley asked.

“Objection, Your Honor.” Farrow remained seated.

Kingsley scratched behind his left ear, looked at his fingers as if a new species of insect had made a home there. “What is it this time?”

“Sendrhea’s question makes no sense. I'm sure the jury is as puzzled as I am.”

“Don’t make assumptions, Mr. Farrow. I’m sure Sendrhea has a very good reason for asking that question. Overruled.”

“Your Honor...”

“Overruled. I want to see where this is heading.”

“Permission to approach the Bench.”

Kingsley waved him over, nodded at Sendrhea. She stood beside Farrow in front of the Bench. “I’m giving you one minute to have your say, Mr. Farrow. Better make it worth my while.”

“You seem to favor this alien,” Farrow said.

Kingsley cupped his large hairy hand over the microphone. “Is that your opinion?”

A slight hesitation before he said, “Yes, Your Honor.”

“You know what, Mr. Farrow? You better be careful how you conduct yourself in my court. I do not favor Sendrhea, neither do I favor Miss Northwood. But after listening to Miss Northwood’s friends perjure themselves so blatantly, her testimony is going to be rather suspect. Right now, Sendrhea has asked that question, even if, at the moment, it doesn’t make sense to us. I am waiting for a satisfactory answer on Miss Northwood’s part. If Miss Northwood...”

“Your Honor...”

“If Miss Northwood,” Kingsley said, cutting him off emphatically, “refuses to answer the question, I will give Sendrhea permission to pursue the subject further. You understand what I’m saying, Sendrhea?”

“Yes, Your Honor?”

“Sendrhea isn’t qualified to defend herself in this courtroom,” Farrow said. “She was advised to seek legal counsel, but for some reason...”

“She’s doing a pretty good job, if you ask me,” Kingsley cut him off.

“So you’re going to let it go.

“That’s my prerogative, Mr. Farrow.”

Farrow returned to his table while Sendrhea faced her accuser. Lana sat ramrod straight, picked at something on her arm.

She glanced at the judge. If Kingsley had read the book, even the portion relevant to this trial, he’d dismiss the charges, hold Lana Northwood for perjury, and maybe apologize on behalf of the city for putting her through this.

He’s not going to apologize, Fharezhan sent.

Maybe not. It didn’t really matter. What mattered most right now was Lana’s testimony, her answer to what should have been a simple question.

She won’t answer.

I’m a patient Tereskàdian.

How long can she keep this up?

I think the court ends at four, maybe five, so we have a few hours.

She’s stubborn.

Not for long.

I thought everyone read all the literature we brought. Ship’s computer translated everything into the English language.

Apparently not everyone. The length and complexity of a book like ‘The Tereskàdians’ puts some people off, and they don’t learn about us.

Pity.

“Sendrhea,” Kingsley said, “are you still with us?”

“Yes, Your Honor.” She turned to Lana. “You heard the question, now you provide the answer.”

“I don’t have an answer.”

‘Why not?”

“I’m still alive, so why would you ask me a question like that? They gave me a tetanus shot, so I guess I’m not going to drop dead.”

“I wish you’d stop lying. I want you to come out right now, and tell this court the truth because if you don’t...”

“Objection,” Farrow said as he rose. “Sendrhea is badgering the witness.”

What did they think I was going to do, use my claws?

You have to be careful what you say, Fharezhan sent. You don’t know how they’ll interpret it.

“Objection sustained,” Kingsley said. “Watch your line of questioning, Sendrhea.”

“Yes, Your Honor.” She picked up the book waiting on the table, took it to the witness stand.

Farrow, still standing, said, “Objection. That book has not been entered into evidence. Neither Miss Northwood nor myself is aware of this.”

“Of course you’re not aware of this,” she said. “If you were aware of this book, we wouldn’t even be here. I don’t know what kind of game Miss Northwood is playing, but I assure this court that I am not a participant in her charade.”

“Is this book relevant to this case, Sendrhea?” Kingsley asked.

“Very much so, Your Honor. The only thing I want Miss Northwood to do is read a few sentences that will have a bearing on this case, especially the question I asked earlier. If Your Honor wishes to see, I have marked the passages I’d like Miss Northwood to read.”

He waved her over, and she handed the book up. He took it, looked at it, grunted a few meaningless words, handed it back. “I will allow it, but do not veer too far, or I will cut you off.”

“I still object, Your Honor,” Farrow said.

“Duly noted. Proceed, Sendrhea.”

She placed the open book on the flat surface in front of Lana, beside the microphone. “Here, read page 141... the part I’ve marked. Read it loud and clear so everyone here and out there can hear you. And then tell me why you can’t answer my question.”

“ ‘Each other sixteen claws in both the forepaws and the hindpaws of an adult Tereskàdian contains a highly lethal poison called...’ I don’t know how to pronounce that.”

“It’s the name of the poison. I means ‘death quite sudden,’ for a good reason. Read on, Miss Northwood.”

“ ‘This volatile substance rushes through the bloodstream, and the victim suffers death in... seconds. One drop is deadly enough to kill an animal the size of a... a...’ She shrugged. “I don’t know...”

“That’s enough, Miss Northwood.”

“Whatever,” Lana said, dismissing the book with a casual wave. “What’re you trying to do?”

“Are you nervous? I can smell your nervousness. Are you worried about something?”

“I was just wondering...”

“What’s the point? I’ll get right to it. Unless you’re a Tereskàdian or a whistling dragon, you shouldn’t be sitting there.”

“Miss Northwood,” Kingsley said, glaring at Lana like an Olympic god, “I’m waiting. It seems you don't understand the situation here. If you don’t answer Sendrhea’s question I will hold you in contempt of court.”

“She scratched me.” Lana held out her right arm. “You can still see the marks. Right here. Almost three months later. You think I did these myself?”

“Your friends helped you,” Sendrhea said.

“That’s... that’s... They weren’t even there.”

“So you’re confirming their absence. And I can assume that the only one who was there was Marie Beauchamp.”

“That’s right.”

“So Miss Beauchamp helped you with those scratches.”

“I did not,” Marie called from the gallery.

“Silence.” Kingsley banged his gavel.

“I... I... I don’t know why...” Lana was groping for words.

“You’re stumbling over your words. Getting a little hard telling lies, isn’t it?”

“I’m not lying.” She stood up, pulled up her top to reveal a belly still showing scars. “There. Look what you did. You’re not going to get away with it. I don’t care what that book says.”

“I’m a Tereskàdian. We know when someone is lying, just like that. Maybe it’s built into our genes. Right now I don’t think anyone cares.”

She won’t budge, Fharezhan sent.

She’s not going to walk out of here with a lie.

I’m full.

After the trial.

“I may not have read the book,” Kingsley said, “but when somebody reads about a deadly poison in the claws of an alien species, I pay attention. Miss Northwood, if you refuse to answer I will have you removed from the courtroom. I will hold you in contempt and... you will be charged with perjury. Not only that, but I will release Sendrhea, and drop the charges because, unlike you, I have listened. So what’s it going to be?”

“So you’re taking the side of an alien over a member of the human race,” Lana said.

Sendrhea’s tailtip flicked, and her ears lay flat against her head. “You’re lying, and everyone in this courtroom knows it. Even those who haven’t read the book have heard you read from it. Tereskàdians do not go around scratching someone just because they feel like it. We can only defend ourselves if we’re attacked. If you had attacked me, I would have scratched you, but then we come back to the same old question: Why are you still alive?”

Lana fumbled with the pages of the book, turning to the back, flipping to the front. She stopped on the same page where she had read about the poison. “Here... right here. It says that the poison appears when the Tereskàdian is...”

“You’re grasping at... what do the humans say? Straws, is it? I'm definitely mature. I am nineteen years old, I have a mate, and a four-year-old daughter. But we’re not talking about that, are we?”

“I guess I did this myself... just scratched my arms, and my cheeks, and my belly. Do you think I’m that crazy? You scratched me, but you don’t want to admit it. It would look bad for you aliens, wouldn’t it? The government will go up to your village, and take you all away, so you can’t scratch innocent humans anymore.”

“Have you read the book?” Sendrhea tapped the open page.

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“Why?” A little dismissive snort. “I don’t read stuff like that. Too boring.”

Those words stuck in Sendrhea’s mind, words that would further destroy Lana’s testimony, if it hadn’t already done so. She turned to the jury. “Too boring, she says. She doesn’t read... stuff like that because it’s too boring. You know something, Miss Northwood, I find the labels on house cleaning products pretty boring, but I have to read them. I read the instructions before handling any tools, but they can be pretty boring. If you had read this book, even that section you read earlier, we wouldn’t be in this courtroom, would we? You know what I think? Your life is... what’s the word? Humdrum? Ordinary? You might say... boring. You go to college, right? Day in, day out, same old, same old, as you humans say. So you hatch this plot that will get you on the front page, the top item on the local news, the national news. What if I accuse one of the aliens of scratching me? Accuse her of assault? Who wouldn’t believe it?” She paused, head down, tail waving as if touched by a gentle breeze. A moment later she looked up again. “If adult Tereskàdians didn’t have the poison in their claws I would have come to the same conclusion. But there is that poison.”

“I hate to break in here,” Farrow said, “but is Sendrhea making her closing statement, or is she cross-examining the witness?”

“Counsel has a point, Sendrhea,” Kingsley said. “Ask another question, or sit down.”

“Sorry, Your Honor.” She turned to Lana. “You must have a great tolerance for pain. Didn’t it hurt when you made all those scratches?”

“Objection.” Farrow, on his feet again. “It has not been established that Miss Northwood did this to herself.”

“I’m still waiting for Miss Northwood to tell this court why she is still alive,” Kingsley said. “I haven’t forgotten that point, and I’m sure neither has the jury.”

“No further questions,” she said as she sat down. “Like you, Your Honor, I too am waiting for an answer.”

“I’ll sue you for what you did to me,” Lana said, leaning forward. “My... my father... He’s going to see his attorney... and you’ll... you’ll find out...” She looked at her hands, jittering like a trapped mouse.

“Why were you so hesitant?” Sendrhea didn’t bother getting up. “When you mentioned your father, I detected... fear... apprehension.”

“I’m nervous, all right? You... you’re scaring me.” She rubbed the back of her hand, traveled up to scratch her nose.

“There’s more to it than that. I’d like to recall the witnesses who testified on your behalf, but we know now they were all lying. It was all rehearsed, wasn’t it? Your friends may not have been with you in the park, but you hatched this scheme earlier, prior to your walk in the park.” She stood up again. “In case Mr. Farrow is wondering if I’m going to ask a question, here it is: When are you going to stop lying?”

“You dismissed the witness,” Farrow said. “You told the court you had no more questions for Miss Northwood.”

“I have the right to recall the witness,” she said.

“She has that right,” Kingsley said.

“She didn’t indicate that,” Farrow said.

“I would like to recall Miss Northwood to the stand,” she said, “but since she is already on the stand, I guess I can refrain from making that statement.”

“Miss Northwood,” Kingsley said, “you are still under oath.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Miss Northwood,” Sendrhea said, “let’s get back to that question, the one I just asked you. When are you going to stop lying?”

Silence swept the courtroom, and for a moment it seemed everything floated in suspended animation. The room was hotter now, but she tried not to pant even though the stifling heat bothered her. She wondered if sweating was better. Fharezhan, sitting in front of her table, had no qualms about panting, tongue sticking out, and dripping saliva. He ignored the disgusted looks on the faces of the jurors and the gallery.

I wish it was over, he sent.

Soon.

Why does she continue?

You said it before, Fharezhan. She is stubborn. “I’ll make a deal with you,” she said aloud.

“Your Honor,” Farrow said, “is Sendrhea trying to plea bargain.”

“It’s nothing of the kind,” she said, “since I’m obviously not guilty.”

“That is for the jury to decide,” Kingsley said. “If you’re not plea bargaining, just what are you trying to do?”

“I’d like to give her a second chance.”

“I don’t need a second chance,” Lana said. “I don’t even know what the fu... heck you’re talking about. I need you to go to prison, and then my... I will sue you so I can collect money for all the damage and suffering you caused me.”

Sendrhea stalked to the witness stand, stopped when Kingsley waved her back. “There is stubborn, and then there is stubborn. I didn’t scratch you. Get that through your thick head. Nobody believes you, not the judge, not the jury, and if Sen Farrow does, he’s a bigger fool than you.” Baring her claws, she held up her paws. “Inside these claws there is a deadly poison, you read that in the book. No antidote. If I were to scratch you, you would be dead in a few seconds. Dead, do you understand? There is no, ‘Ouch, this aliens scratched me. I hope she goes to prison.’ ” She turned back to her table, collected her thoughts. “Maybe... just maybe...” She faced Lana again. “No, that’s not it.” She tapped the side of her head. “You’re not already dead, are you, Miss Northwood?”

Amid the laughter, and Kingsley banging the gavel more than three times, Lana yelled, “Do I look like I’m dead?” Lowering her voice, she added, “You think you’re somebody special because you came here from another planet?”

“Just because I’m from another planet doesn’t make me special. On my world, my mate and I, and our daughter, lived in a modest house on the outskirts of a large city. Just an ordinary Tereskàdian. I don’t have any special powers, any... supernatural abilities.”

“My patience is slowly evaporating,” Kingsley cut in. “Sendrhea, I would advise you to take this questioning somewhere soon, or I will instruct the jury to retire to the jury room for deliberation.”

“The deal, Your Honor.”

“All right,” he said, a small sigh escaping his lips, “what do you propose?”

“I strenuously object, Your Honor.” Farrow stood up. “This is highly irregular. “Are you in charge of this courtroom, or have you given the reins to Sendrhea?”

“Sit down, Mr. Farrow. I’m sure we’re all curious, including you, so don’t waste my time with your objections before we’ve had a chance to hear what Sendrhea has to say.”

Farrow plunked back in his chair, shuffling papers that didn’t need shuffling.

“If Miss Northwood confesses before Your Honor,” she said, “before the humans... and my mate and daughter and their whistling dragons gathered here, and before me and Fharezhan that she wrongfully accused me of assault, I will drop any counter charges at my disposal. May I suggest, Your Honor, that you suspend sentencing for perjury. In its stead, the court should require Miss Northwood to perform a certain number of hours of community work... involving Tereskàdians.” The murmurs in the gallery and the jury stand silenced her momentarily, but she carried on, raising her voice a fraction. “If she doesn’t agree to these terms, and insists I assaulted her even after everyone knows that it was impossible for me to do so, the court should deal with the matter severely. I’m not on my world, Your Honor, but on the two planets where I have spent my time, anyone accusing a Tereskàdian of a crime could face as much as ten years in prison.”

“I will launch a lawsuit against Miss Northwood, and anyone else involved in this charade. Because of this trial, humans don’t look at my species in the same light. I have contacted some of my friends in northern Ontario, in Colbert’s Landing, and they tell me the humans living there, visiting there, seem suddenly afraid of my species. And all because of this trial. Children used to play with the cubs, but now they stay indoors. Neighbors don’t visit anymore. Oh, they say they’re busy, but they’re lying. You don’t have to be a Tereskàdian to realize that.” She glanced at the clock. The hour hand pointed between two and three, the minute hand at the six.

“Can you back up a bit, Sendrhea?” Kingsley said. “If I agree to this proposal, you want Miss Northwood to do community work? Where? Are you thinking of sending her to Colbert’s Landing? Do you know how far that is?”

Her whiskers twitched. “I’m not sure about that, Your Honor. Since it might take her away from college... Maybe later this summer...”

She wasn’t really interested in having Lana Northwood or anyone else living in Colbert’s Landing, especially after a movie crew tried to film there, requesting the use of one of the whistling dragons. That was last year, when she was a year younger, her daughter three years old, and the only thing she knew about a city was what she saw in books, and on the not-too-reliable internet. In that span more humans had traveled up there for one reason or another, curiosity their main reason. Some stayed, some left.

“Were you involved with the legal system on your world?” Kingsley asked.

“I’m a teacher, Your Honor. When I was arrested, and told I would have to appear in court on a charge of... aggravated assault, I had three months to prepare for this case so I did a lot of research.”

He turned to Lana. “I will give you five minutes to consider Sendrhea’s proposal, then you will suffer the consequences.” He clenched the gavel. “I will not, repeat not, reconvene this court tomorrow morning. Do I make myself clear?”

“Quite clear.” Lana stood, hands clamped to her side, wiping her skirt, lips working like an animal chewing a tough piece of food.

“Please remain seated.”

Lana hesitated, looked at the jury, at the gallery, turned to the judge. She stepped off the witness stand, stopped, returned, but didn’t sit down. Kingsley scowled at her, pointed at the witness stand with his gavel.

“There’s a police office right outside.” The gavel pointed at the door leading out into the hall. “If you do not sit down, he will come in and remove you from this courtroom. Now get back in that chair.”

She sat, folded her arms across her chest, stared straight ahead, lips a thin line.

Sendrhea walked back to the table, sat down. Her mind rested on a large chunk of raw meat. Fharezhan sensed her hunger.

I hope this is over soon, he sent.

Sitting like a statue, Lana had made no attempt to accept or reject the offer.

She has to decide soon, Sendrhea sent.

The judge hasn’t agreed to the deal.

He will. She can’t win this case.

You should let her sink, Sendrhea.

It’s not my nature.

“The time is winding down.” Kingsley focused on the clock. The minute hand had ventured past the eight. “I have given you plenty of opportunity to answer a simple question, but your refusal tells me you can’t come up with the truth.” The gavel he tossed on a small stack of papers made a rustling sound. “What is it you’re hiding?”

“So she’s going to win.” Lana stood again, moved away from the witness stand. “The alien will win because she’s hypnotized you into thinking she has poison in her claws. They wrote the book, and they put a bunch of lies to fool us.” She stabbed the book, still open on the witness stand.

“Your Honor,” Farrow said, “I apologize for Miss Northwood’s behavior. You must realize...”

“Alharhanians wrote that book,” Sendrhea said.

“What-evah.” Lana took a few steps closer to her.

“Not ‘whatever.’ Lana stepped closer, held out her right arm, still covered with the remnants of scars. “Go ahead, scratch me, just like you did three months ago. One little scratch, right here.” She tapped a spot halfway up her arm.

“I can’t do that. I won’t do it... for a good reason.”

“You chicken, furry?”

“That has nothing to do with it.” She tried to keep her voice calm. “I guess you haven’t been listening. We’re defensive beings. We can’t attack unless it’s a prey animal. You’re not a prey animal, are you, Miss Northwood?”

“Your Honor.” Farrow raised his voice to drown out the laughter. “How much longer must we sit here, listening to this? This court has turned into a mockery. Your Honor, I’m sure you’d like to...”

“Don’t tell me what I like or don’t like, Mr. Farrow.” Kingsley’s booming voice drowned out Farrow’s. “I know exactly what is going on here, but Miss Northwood insists on lying. I... want... the... truth.” The sound of the gavel accompanied the last four words.

Lana rushed closer to Sendrhea’s table, stopped abruptly when Kingsley yelled at her to get back to the witness stand. She looked at Sendrhea, lips pulled back in a snarl. The Tereskàdian had made her way around the other side, groped for her chair. If Lana wanted to try something, she would be ready for her. If it meant killing her, so be it.

“You bloody bitch,” Lana screamed, rushing at Sendrhea as if released from a tightly wound spring. Her fists came up, landed blows on Sendrhea’s snout. Sendrhea kicked back her chair, bared her claws as she scrambled to her hindpaws. Lana danced back, confidence on her face, vicious grin wide.

“Miss Northwood,” Kingsley shouted, the gavel emphasizing his words. “You are out of order.”

“No,” Lana shouted. “I will prove this alien is a liar.” She had backed away from Sendrhea, but only a few feet. She hesitated, unsure of what to do.

In the merest moment she rushed forward again, this time aiming a blow in Sendrhea’s midsection.

Sendrhea’s arm shot out, grabbed Lana’s wrist. Human and alien glared at each other for only the briefest of moments before Sendrhea rammed her free paw into the human’s throat. She heard gasps, screams, paid no attention as she watched Lana clutch at her throat, trying to staunch the flow of blood. She had been attacked, she had defended herself. The nature of her species.

Lana Northwood collapsed on the floor, already dead, blood pooling around her.

“When will they learn?” Sendrhea asked, but the humans in the jury box and the gallery drowned out her voice.

Kingsley banged the gavel. “Silence. Silence in the court.” More bangs, three, four, five... “I will have this courtroom cleared if I don’t get silence right... now.”

The room gradually quieted down, as if someone had turned down the volume on a radio.

“I don’t know what to say.” He shivered as he looked at Lana’s body.

“Your Honor,” Farrow said, “it’s obvious that Sendrhea is a dangerous individual who must—”

“Oh, shut up,” Kingsley interrupted. “Were you in the same courtroom as the rest of us? I saw what happened. If anything, Miss Northwood brought it on herself.”

“So Sendrhea is going to get away with murder.”

“Give it a break.” Emphasis on every word. “Do you want me to spell out the rules regarding Tereskàdians, the ones they told us when they landed up north. Rules they made perfectly clear. You must never attack a Tereskàdian. I realize now what they meant by that, although at the time... I knew as soon as Sendrhea entered the courtroom she wasn’t guilty of any crime, and Lana Northwood was the one who was lying.”

“So you let the trial continue.”

“I was waiting for Miss Northwood to confess.” He looked past Farrow at the gallery. “Marie Beauchamp... they all lied... Well, Miss Beauchamp was most likely at the park, but... the others...” His voice drifted into silence.

“Your Honor...”

“Mr. Farrow, tell me what Miss Northwood did.”

“She attacked Sendrhea.”

“Thank you for your keen observation. Answer this question: If it had been you who was attacked, what would you have done?”

“I certainly wouldn’t have killed Miss Northwood. I would have contacted the authorities and have a placed under arrest.”

“Of course not you wouldn’t have killed her. We are humans, and we live by a certain code But... You have to understand that Sendrhea’s defense is her claws. The fact that they contain poison is part of that defense. She won’t get away with murder because she has committed no crime. She has defended herself... after she was attacked. If anyone in this courtroom still thinks I’m being too lenient with this alien, watch the news, read. There’s plenty of news coverage concerning these aliens. As a matter of fact, last year, when that film crew went up there, one of the Tereskàdians, a female named... uh... I can’t recall he name. She killed a human. Why? Because she was attacked. If you want to learn more, go up to Colbert’s Landing. Ask questions, they will answer. If Sendrhea doesn’t mind, I will take that book home and read it. I’m sure there is much more to learn. If Miss Northwood had learned something she’d still be alive. Case dismissed.” One bang of the gavel ended the trial.

Sendrhea and Verdis moved the body. She would make sure no one but a Tereskàdian disposed of the corpse. The poison had spread through the entire body. If anyone with even the smallest sore touched it, death would come in seconds.

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