Chapter 23
(The Trial)
It took the women almost four days to recover from their punishment. They slept
for almost 24 hours and Bill had to change their IV's twice in that time. When
they finally woke up they were so stiff and sore they could hardly move. When
Bill opened the door to the apt. Jackie was awake but still lying in bed. "Sir,
are you going to give us a warm bath and massage like you have every time we've
been punished?" "No, Bill replied. "You are going to have to suffer on your own.
I don't want you to forget too soon what happens when you disobey a major rule.
I could have turned you back to the courts and your parents would have lost
their cash deposit and their home. You almost violated one of the major rules
of your bail. If it hadn't been for the bracelet letting me know you had left
the area, I would have been forced to call the court and report you missing. As
it was I was out of your sight and sound for almost 10 minutes until I came in
range of the bracelet's voice transmitter. You are lucky I chose to punish you
instead of ruining your parents." With that said, Bill went over to Jackie and
removed her IV and unstrapped her arm from the board. He then removed Melody's
as well and told Jackie to go clean up and then come back and help her mother
get around and cleaned up. Jackie tried to quickly do as she was asked but she
was so sore that every movement caused her some pain and her joints were very
stiff. She finally managed to get out of bed and half walk, half stagger to the
bathroom. "Leave the door open" Bill instructed. "Be sure to take a hot
shower. Make the water as hot as you can stand and let it massage your body.
It will help." Jackie did as instructed and was amazed at how much better she
felt after a 20 minute hot shower turned up on high that gave her a strong water
massage. When she returned to the main part of the apt Bill instructed her to
help her mother into the shower and she was to wash her down and give her a
massage as the water worked on her. Jackie did so and her mother also recovered
enough to make it to the upstairs kitchen and some real food and fluids. Bill
told them to be sure to take a lot of fluids. He also told them that he
wouldn't assign any duties for them until they had fully recovered. "Don't
forget this lesson" he told them. There are only 3 weeks before the trial and
then you are both free unless you willingly give yourselves to me. Both women
looked at each other and their thoughts were similar. I have felt more alive in
the last 5 months than at any other time in my life. They both felt that they
needed to continue a relationship like they had with Bill but were afraid to
verbalize their feelings. Of course if they were to continue with Bill there
would have to be an understanding that there would be no more punishments like
the last one. Neither of them thought they would survive that ordeal and were
surprised they had survived. They had never felt such pain and torment not even
on the horse! Neither of them voiced their thoughts at the time but reserved
them for a time later when it could be done privately. Each felt the other
would not understand their new needs since Bill had forced both of them into
this lifestyle. They assumed the other would want out of the relationship and
would want to go back to their "normal" lives. Since neither of them responded
to the comment, Bill left them on their own until they were fully recovered.
Three days before the trial Jackie's father returned and the next day they all
met with Jackie's attorney. He updated them on the progress of the defense and
told them bluntly that it did not look good. He went through Jackie's testimony
again and again asked if there was anybody other than her boyfriend and her dead
friend who could corroborate her story? Bill asked why they couldn't use the
boy friend to substantiate Jackie's statement? The prosecution would claim it
was a biased or false statement as that would implicate the boy friend who is
presently not associated with the case. It would not guarantee that the jury
would accept Jackie's claims. As the discussion continued it came to the
location of the drug hiding place. Jackie said she kept a small amount in their
garage to help when she was home and had to study for tests on her return. Bill
spoke up and asked when this transaction actually happened. Jackie's attorney
told him the date and Bill said maybe he could help substantiate Jackie's
statement. They all looked at him as if he had said the "Messiah" was coming.
"What do you mean?" Jackie's attorney asked. "My property is covered by
surveillance cameras and one of them covers the side of the house that includes
the driveway and garage area of the Short home. Everyone looked at each other
and wondered why they hadn't thought of that before. "Do you still have the
tapes of that period of time?" asked Jackie's attorney. "I keep the tapes for
about six months and then recycle them. I will check and see if I still have
the tapes for that date. Everyone left the attorney's office in high spirits
even though Bill told them he might have erased and used that tape already.
Everyone felt like this was the break they had been seeking for the past 6
months and that everything would now be all right. They all hurried back to
Bill's house and when they entered both Jackie and Melody looked to Bill for
direction as they would normally have taken off all their clothes. Bill saw the
look and smiled and made a no gesture with his head. They sighed with relief
and followed everyone to the study where the tapes were kept. Bill went
through the tapes and the next one to be erased and re-used was the one they
needed. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Bill smiled silently to himself.
As if he would have destroyed THIS tape! Bill placed it in the player and they
all watched as a figure appeared dressed all in black and entered and a short
while later left the garage. The next scene showed Jackie, her boyfriend and
her best friend entering the garage. It showed clearly the hypo that Jackie
carried and gave to her friend and then lights turned into the driveway. They
quickly broke up before the lights found them and when Jackie's parents parked
their car in the garage, the young people were no where to be found. After the
Short parents entered the house the camera showed the same individual entering
the garage and leaving with a small plastic bag. About thirty minutes later the
camera caught Jackie and her boyfriend entering the garage and both of them
leaving with a hypo filled with the drug. "This is what we needed to prove our
case!" exclaimed Jackie's attorney. I am sure we can get the jury to reduce the
charges to manslaughter now!" "What does that mean for Jackie?" Bill asked.
"The most she would get now would be twenty years with probation in 5 years."
Everyone looked stunned! Even Bill! "How can that be when it is obvious that
someone switched the bags with the drugs?" asked Bill. "It doesn't matter when
it comes to who supplied the drug. Jackie was responsible for that and as such
has to suffer those consequences. I think with her past record of exceptional
behavior and no prior record of drug use the jury will be more lenient than what
I said could happen. That is the maximum. We will go for the minimum which is
time served (8 months which includes the bail time) and 5 years of probation.
It is very possible that Jackie won't face any more jail time than she has
already served and the provisions of probation are very different than those set
for the bail. "What do you think the chances are of the jury finding her guilty
of manslaughter and recommending what you are suggesting?" asked Jack Short.
"Pretty good I think based on her academic record and the fact she has no prior
record of any violations including a parking ticket." "What if you asked the
jury to consider a more stringent probation than usual?" asked Bill. "What do
you mean?" asked the attorney. "Well something similar to her bail release"
answered Bill. All the Shorts looked at Bill with a "What are you saying" look.
Bill proceeded to explain his rationale. "The jury might not be inclined to be
as generous as you suggest and the fact that Jackie is under 24/7 care might
convince the jury to impose that sentence instead of real jail time with
probation down the road." Jack looked at Bill and frowned. "I don't think that
is a good idea" he said. We want Jackie home with us. Although this
arrangement has allowed Jackie to stay out of jail it is not what we thought it
would be. I wouldn't favor such a suggestion." Melody was afraid to say
anything but looked pleadingly at Bill. She knew what Bill's plans would be if
the jury imposed that sentence for the next five years. If Jackie was acquitted
or placed on probation with time served then she would have the choice if she
wanted to continue a relationship with Bill. This development was not what
Melody wanted for her daughter. She wanted her to have a choice! The attorney
said, "Well it is something to consider. Lets wait and see how things
progress." They then made copies of the surveillance tape and went over what
Jackie should wear to trial and how things would probably proceed. They made
plans for them to all meet an hour before the trial began the day after
tomorrow.
The trial went as Jackie's attorney thought it would. Jackie was found guilty
of manslaughter and the Jury recommended one year in jail with probation the
next 5 years. The Jury did not consider the time served to be adequate and felt
that Jackie should have at least one year where she had little or no freedom in
which to consider her actions. They felt that had she not been using the drug
to relax her she wouldn't have been in a position to supply any to someone else.
It was now up to the Judge to actually set the sentence. She set the following
Wed. as the sentencing date. Both the prosecutor and the defense attorney's
could file a writ on the sentence with the Judge. They had three days in which
to do this. In the meantime the Judge remanded Jackie to the custody of the
police. Until sentencing, she didn't feel it appropriate to release her on her
original bail provisions since she had been found guilty of manslaughter and
actual jail time had been recommended. She felt that the temptation for flight
was much greater now. Jackie was taken back into custody and left in handcuffs
and tears. Bill told Jack and Melody that he would work with her lawyer on
providing a safe alternate place for the next year that wasn't in jail. He told
them that they were not to hold out any real hope but he would do his best to
see that Jackie didn't have to stay in jail for the next year. "If I am
successful, Jackie will not have to stay in jail but will be confined to house
arrest in my home. She will not be allowed to even visit your home but you may
visit her in my home in her apt. The rules will be even stricter than they were
for the bail provisions but Jackie will be allowed to work in my home and yard.
When she is in my yard no one will be allowed to visit with her but she will be
able to get fresh air and be out in the sun instead of being kept in the house
for a whole year. I will also see that she takes some of her college classes by
correspondence so her education can continue and she won't lose any more time
than she already has. I will also pay her a good wage for the hours she works
in my home and yard so she will have money to finish her college once the year
is over. If this meets with your approval, I will work out the details with her
attorney." Melody of course knew that Jackie would continue to be the sex toy
and slave of Bill's but she also knew that Jackie had developed a preference for
that lifestyle over the past 6 months so that wouldn't really be a problem. She
just wanted Jackie to have a choice from this point on but it looked like that
wasn't going to be an option now. She wasn't sure how her relationship with
Bill as one of his slaves was going to work from now on with this unexpected
development. Both Melody and Jack thanked Bill for his help and offered to help
in any way they could. They left the court very discouraged. Bill made
arrangements with Jackie's attorney to meet him early the next day. He told the
attorney he had an alternate incarceration proposal to make to the judge. Her
attorney said "OK, but I don't think the Judge is going to allow Jackie to
remain outside even with all your surveillance equipment. They both left to go
their separate ways.
