A teenager returns to his
hometown from the Witness Protection Program to be the star witness in the case
against the man who tried to kill him. This is based partially on the SVU episode
"Ghost" where ADA Alex Cabot returns to be a witness in the case
against the man who tried to kill her. Enjoy!
The car seemed to appear out
of nowhere. It slowly inched its way down the street it had arrived on before
slowing down and parking in the driveway of one of houses. Two men exited the
car; Captain John Cox of the Special Victims Unit in New York City was the
passenger and Special Agent David Renfro was the driver. They approached the
house where they noticed the owner was had the curtain of one of his windows
open, suggesting he was looking out at them. As the two men approached the
house, the curtain closed. They reached the door and before either of them
could knock, the door opened. Standing there was Michael Thomas, a high school
student from New York who had been presumed shot dead; he had, in actuality,
been placed into the Witness Protection Program after the assassination attempt
on his life.
“What happened?” Michael demanded.
“Mike,” David said. “We need to talk to you, privately.”
Mike nodded and allowed the
two men into his house. He showed them to the living room and sat on a couch
across from them when they had taken their seats. John pulled out a photograph
of a man who looked as though there was no way a smile could even be etched
onto his face, even with Photoshop.
“Who is this?” Mike asked.
“His name is Jack Calvert,” John said. “We believe him to be
responsible for what happened to you.”
“So this is what he looks like,” Mike replied. “Every time
somebody glanced at me I thought, ‘Is that him? Is he going to kill me now?’
And now I know, this is the man who tried to kill me. Is there any particular
reason as to why he targeted me?”
“It was because of what you wrote in your columns in your high
school newspaper,” John replied. “Calvert is part of a Pro-Life and
Anti-Homosexual group that was known for attacking, but never killing, their
enemies. The group has mostly disbanded since your attempted murder, and we
connected his murder to you because the bullet used in another murder and
attempted murder matched the one to you and to Calvert’s gun. Forensics proved
the bullets came from his gun.”
“And what do you have that can help put Calvert away?” Mike
asked.
“We have a ten-year-old victim who has i.d.’d Calvert as the one
who tried to kill him,” John said. “It’s not much, but it should be
enough.”
“And what makes you so sure that a ten-year-old victim is going
to be able to testify in open court?”
“I don’t know,” John answered.
Mike sighed before he spoke
again.
“For years, I always encouraged people to stand up for themselves
and fight for what they believe in,” he said. “Now it’s my turn to step up.”
“Are you suggesting you return to New York and testify against
Calvert?” David asked.
“It may be my only choice.”
“Mike, you realize that if you return, you put your life at risk
for another attack?” said John.
“I have lost my home…my school…my friends…my mother died and I
couldn’t go to the funeral. Jack Calvert is not going to take my conscience
too.”
Two days later, Assistant
District Attorney Alexandra Novak dropped the charge of Michael’s murder
against Jack Calvert. When this happened, Calvert’s attorney, Henry
Powers, jumped to a conclusion.
“Obviously, this is because the People have failed to come up with
any evidence to indict my client!”
“Save it, Counselor,” Judge Gerald Miller said. “Is there
anything else, Ms. Novak?”
“Yes, Your Honor. In light of newly discovered evidence, the
People move to add another charge to the defendant: Attempted Murder in the
First Degree.”
“Your Honor,” Powers interjected. “This is merely an attack by
the People to charge my client with something useful.”
“Mr. Powers, another outburst like that, and I will hold you in
contempt!” Miller said. “Who is the complaining witness?”
“Michael Thomas,” Alexandra replied. With that, the door behind
the witness stand opened and Mike strode through it. He glanced at Calvert
sitting at the Defendant’s table, who gave Mike a menacing look. Mike sat down
next John and David before the Judge ruled.
“Based on what I have seen,” Miller said. “I’m going to continue
to remand the Defendant until trial. This court is adjourned.”
Mike smiled, nodded and
exited the courtroom with John and David. They took him to Alexandra’s office
where she was meeting with Chris Stone; Mike’s best friend who had been the
only person besides John who knew Mike had been put into Witness Protection.
When they entered, Chris looked over at Mike and ran up to his best friend. The
two hugged before Chris spoke.
“Mike, you didn’t have to come back!” he exclaimed.
“I know,” Mike replied smiling. “But who else is gonna help them
get out of trouble?
For the next few hours, Mike
and Alexandra prepared Mike’s testimony for the following day. Once they were
finished, Chris brought Mike to his parents’ home, where Mike was going to
spend the night and a police officer would be on duty watching the house. After
eating with Chris’s parents, the two friends sat together in the living room
catching up.
“So how is everything?” Chris asked.
“They’re okay,” Mike replied sadly.
“Have you made any friends?”
“A few. I write for my high school newspaper there and I’m known
as one of the best writers, and I don’t write any opinion pieces anymore. They
all call me my new name, Austin.” At that, Mike was nearly to tears. Chris put
his hand on Mike’s shoulder as he spoke.
“It’s hard to be someone you’re not.”
“I can’t stop thinking about this case like I’m a Prosecutor or
something,” Mike cried. “I knew that if I were ever to go to court for
something, I would have a plan to attack my enemy in order to make sure justice
was served.”
“Well, you didn’t see this, yet,” Chris said, pulling out a
folder and handing it to Mike. Mike took it and opened it. It was Jack
Calvert’s personal file. Chris had obtained it from his father, one of the
Detectives working Mike’s case. Mike read over it and began to plan out how he
was going to use it to assist in his testimony.
The next morning, Mike was
being questioned by Alexandra. He was the first witness to be put on the stand
for the day, and answered several of Alexandra’s questions. Mike had quickly
answered all of her questions before she asked her final one.
“What happened after you were shot?” she asked.
“I woke up in the hospital, and the Marshals were there. They
told me that I was dead, officially, and that the only way for me to stay alive
would be to be placed into the Witness Protection Program.”
“Thank you,” Alexandra said. “Your Witness,” he said to Powers.
“That sounds like quite an ordeal,” Powers said, standing up and
proceeding to the witness stand. “I think we’re all very moved by your
experience.”
“Do you have a question?” Mike asked.
“Only one,” Powers replied. “Did you see my client shoot you?”
“I saw his gun aimed at my heart.”
“Please, Mr. Thomas, just answer the question. On the night that
you were shot, did you see Jack Calvert anywhere in the vicinity?”
“No, but he’s a coward. He likes to run away. Did you leave a
family behind, Mr. Calvert?”
“Your Honor…” Powers said.
“Mr. Thomas, please,” Miller said.
“You have absolutely no idea who shot you, do you?” asked Powers.
“Oh, I have an idea. It’s the kind of man who likes to rape a
woman to make her talk,” John replied.
“Let me rephrase the question: Did you see Jack Calvert shoot
you?”
“No, but I know it was him.”
“Objection, Your Honor-” Powers started, but Mike kept talking
directly at Calvert.
“It takes a lot of balls to shoot an unarmed teenager like myself
and a sleeping child, too bad your aim was a little better.”
At that, Calvert stood up and
began shouting at Mike.
“You think you’re safe? They know where you are. You should have
stayed dead!”
While all of the shouting was
happening, Miller was banging his gavel. When Calvert finished speaking, Miller
finally yelled, “That’s enough! We’re in recess until Mr. Powers can learn to
control his client!”
Shortly after, the
ten-year-old victim, Ashley Jones, testified against Calvert as well in court.
When she was finished, neither attorney had any other witnesses and all
evidence had been presented. The Jury deliberated for about half an hour before
returning with their verdict.
“On the first count of the Indictment, Attempted First Degree
Murder of Michael Thomas, how do you find?”
“Guilty.”
“On the count two, the Attempted Murder in the Second Degree of
Ashley Jones, what is your verdict?”
“Guilty.”
“Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, you are excused. Thank you for
your services. The Defendant is to be remanded until sentencing,” Miller said
before banging his gavel.
Later that evening, John,
Alexandra, Chris, Chris’s parents and David all met in Alexandra’s office to
surprise Mike with a little celebration for the guilty verdict.
“Guilty on all counts,” Alexandra said.
“I never doubted it’d be anything else,” Chris’s father, Casey,
replied.
“Let’s get this party started,” Chris said, placing a cake on
Alexandra’s desk.
“Mike knew just how to push Jack Calvert’s buttons,” John said.
“Well, he’s a great witness. Make a great prosecutor one day,”
Casey said.
“And you gave him the ammunition,” John replied. Casey gave him a
slightly guilty look before opening the cake. Meanwhile, David was offering
Alexandra a drink.
“Oooh, don’t let me drink too much,” Alexandra said. “Penalty
phase starts first thing in the morning.”
“Slam dunk,” David said. “Live a little tonight.”
Suddenly, somebody knocked
twice on the door.
“Is that him? Is that him?” David asked.
The door opened and there
stood Mike.
“Surprise!” everyone shouted.
Mike laughed before hugging
everyone and thanking them. He also announced that he would be moving back to
New York within six months after withdrawing from the Witness Protection
Program. Chris and his parents had offered up their home for him to stay while
he finished high school and went off to college. They began eating cake and
celebrating their victory in getting justice served. All was well.
