The Melaswen Paradox (Read 329,557 times)

[Kpatch]

So glad John and Steve have proof that will help Kinsey's case!

[mae00]

I sure hope John & Steve get to Rafe soon and that Kinsey doesn't have to stay in jail for long.

[André DiMera]

Chapter 591

SALEM P.D.
When Rafe came back to his office, he found John and Steve waiting outside for him.
RAFE: What’s going on?
JOHN: We need to talk. It seems some new evidence has emerged, thanks to CCTV footage from the hospital. Evidence that points to this not being a double homicide, but a case of self defense.
RAFE: Wow, word travels quick around here.
JOHN: What do you mean?
RAFE: Kinsey Taylor was just in here a little bit ago and confessed to killing Green and Dante. I put her down in the cells until her hearing tomorrow. Her lawyer, your daughter, John, mentioned that it was self defense.
STEVE: Tinkerbell’s a sharp lady.
JOHN: That she is. If we can get this to the courts soon enough, we can avoid having anyone spend unnecessary jail time.
RAFE: Okay, let’s see this footage so we can have it placed in evidence for tomorrow.

SALEM UNIVERSITY
The next day, Chase and Claire walked into one of the music rooms. Claire had her guitar strapped around her back. Maddox was already in the room.
MADDOX: Glad you guys made it.
CHASE: Us too. Where’s Alanis?
MADDOX: She’ll be along. So, you’re Claire, then.
CLAIRE: Yep. And you’re Maddox.
MADDOX: You got it.
CLAIRE: Alanis has told me a lot about you.
MADDOX: Chase has mentioned you quite a bit, too.
CHASE: Well, thanks for letting us join the two of you for the performance.
MADDOX: No worries. It was Al’s decision, and it’s cool with me. Whatever makes her happy.
CLAIRE: Right.
CHASE: I forgot to bring my water bottle, I’ll be right back.
CLAIRE: Okay.
Claire and Chase kissed, then Chase left the room. Claire began warming up her guitar.
MADDOX: So, Claire, you’re Alanis’ roommate.
CLAIRE: Yep. She’s pretty cool. I like rooming with her.
MADDOX: Good. That’s good. Just…
CLAIRE: Just what?
MADDOX: Be careful.
CLAIRE: What?
MADDOX: Be careful. With Alanis, I mean.
CLAIRE: What’s that supposed to mean?
MADDOX: You’ll see eventually, I’m sure.
CLAIRE: Okay, then...
Claire went back to tuning her guitar and Chase walked back in.
CHASE: Got it.
CLAIRE: That’s good.
CHASE: Everything good?
CLAIRE: Yep. Just getting to know each other.
A few minutes later, Alanis walked in.
ALANIS: Hey, sorry. Sorry I’m late. I totally lost track of time.
MADDOX: No worries.
ALANIS: So, you’re Chase, right?
CHASE: Yep.
ALANIS: Oh my gosh! You look exactly the way I thought you would! You’re just like how Claire described you!
CHASE: That’s good. Nice to meet you.
ALANIS: You too! Gosh, I am just so excited about this! It’s gonna be so awesome!
CHASE: So, what song are we doing, anyway?
MADDOX: The classic Queen and David Bowie duet, “Under Pressure”.
ALANIS: It’s one of my favorites!
CLAIRE: It’s a great song.
MADDOX: Exactly, which is why you, Al, get to do Freddie.
ALANIS: Yay!
MADDOX: And Claire, you get to do Bowie.
CLAIRE: Okay, cool.
CHASE: So, that leaves the two of us on backup, then?
MADDOX: Yep.
ALANIS: This is gonna be great!
CHASE: So, shall we get started?
MADDOX: Let’s do it.
Maddox went into his backpack and handed everyone a few pieces of paper.
MADDOX: Here’s the sheet music.
Claire continued tuning her guitar. There was a piano off to one side of the room, everyone walked over to it and Alanis sat down at it.
CLAIRE: You play?
ALANIS: I know a handful of songs, yeah. You?
CLAIRE: That’s cool. And yeah, I know a few songs on piano.
ALANIS: Awesome!
Maddox pulled over some drums and sat down at them.
MADDOX: You play any instruments, dude?
CHASE: Not really. Claire and another friend of ours, J.J., have both taught me a little bit on guitar, but I’m nowhere near as good as they are.
CLAIRE: You’re getting there.
Claire kissed Chase on the cheek.
MADDOX: Okay, so you can be the snap.
CHASE: Sounds good to me.
MADDOX: All right, everybody. One, two, three, four…
Maddox clapped his sticks together as he counted, then he, Alanis and Claire started playing, while Chase started snapping. They started doing the introduction to “Under Pressure”, but stopped after a minute, something sounded offkey and Alanis stopped.
ALANIS: Sorry. Sorry, guys. It’s been a while since I did this.
CLAIRE: That’s okay. This is the first time we’re doing this song.
Alanis nodded and started again. A minute or two later, there was another false start.
ALANIS: Sorry, me again. Sorry.
CHASE: Actually, that was me. I missed one of the beats for a snap.
CLAIRE: It’s fine, guys. We’re still getting the hang of this.
Maddox got up from the drums and sat next to Alanis.
MADDOX (whispering): You good?
Alanis nodded.
ALANIS (whispering): Of course.
MADDOX (whispering): You sure?
ALANIS (whispering): I’m good. Like I said, it’s been a while since I did this.
MADDOX (whispering): Okay. ‘Cause if you’re not-
ALANIS (whispering): I’d let you know. Promise.
Maddox went back to his drums.
MADDOX: Okay, from the top.
Everyone started playing again.
ALANIS & CLAIRE (singing): Pressure. Pressing down on me, pressing down on you, no man ask for. Under Pressure...
ALANIS (singing): That burns a building down, splits a family in two…
ALANIS & CLAIRE (singing): Puts people on streets.

COURTHOUSE
Chloe sat towards the front of the courtroom, hoping that it wouldn’t be too long until Kinsey’s case came up. Belle sat down next to her.
CHLOE: Hey.
BELLE: Hey. How are you?
CHLOE: Good. How’s Kinsey?
BELLE: She’s...well, she’s spent a night in the cells, and she was already wracked with nerves before that. She’ll be okay, though. I stopped on my way here to go over last minute details.
CHLOE: She on her way?
BELLE: Yeah.
Belle looked at her watch.
BELLE: She’ll be here in a minute. I should go back and walk in with her.
CHLOE: Okay. I’ll walk out with you, I need to get some water, anyway.
Belle nodded. She and Chloe got up and walked out of the courtroom. Chloe got a water bottle out of a nearby vending machine. A minute or two later, Kinsey, a police officer assisting her as her hands were cuffed, walked in.
BELLE: Ready?
KINSEY: As ready as I can be, I guess. Chloe! You came!
CHLOE: Of course I did. I told you the other day, I’m with you for this the whole way through.
Chloe put a hand on Kinsey’s shoulder.
OFFICER: No touching.
Chloe rolled her eyes at the officer, but put her hand down. She looked back at Kinsey.
CHLOE: How are you holding up?
Kinsey shrugged.
KINSEY: Okay, I guess.
CHLOE: Kinsey, you’re shaking. What’s wrong? Did…
Chloe lowered her voice.
CHLOE (whispering): Did something happen overnight at the station?

[heroicmuse]

I hope Kinsey is released and that's the end of this. I wonder what happened overnight.

Something is really off about Alanis and I wonder what it is. I also wonder if she's really Maddox's sister and is going around saying he's her boyfriend for some bizarre reason.

Great chapter André DiMera.

[Kpatch]

I like the song Under Pressure.

[mae00]

What's going on with Alanis?

I hope nothing happened and it's just Kinsey's nerves about being in court.

[André DiMera]

Chapter 592

COURTHOUSE
KINSEY: No, nothing happened.
CHLOE: Are you sure?
KINSEY: Yeah, I’m sure. I’m just nervous. Really nervous.
BELLE: That’s understandable, but everything’s going to be fine. Just like we discussed, let me do the talking.
Kinsey nodded and took a deep breath.
CHLOE: I should get in there before you’re called in. You’ll be okay, all right?
KINSEY: I hope so.
Chloe gave Kinsey a reassuring smile, and went to put a hand on her shoulder, but stopped herself because she was sure the officer who had yelled at them for touching earlier was still watching. She went back inside and sat down towards the front of the room. There weren’t many other people there, she noticed. Judge Fitzpatrick, one of the most well known judges in Salem, was presiding over cases. She dismissed the case she was currently working on, and a group of people left. The bailiff handed the judge some papers. The judge nodded.
FITZPATRICK: Send them in.
The bailiff walked to the back of the room, opened the door and with the police officer, escorted Kinsey into the courtroom. Belle followed closely behind. Kinsey and Belle sat behind a desk. On the other side of the room, also at a desk, sat Justin.
BAILIFF: Case Number 2137, Salem vs. Makinsey Taylor.
FITZPATRICK: Thank you.
BAILIFF: You’re welcome.
The bailiff went back to his corner.
FITZPATRICK: Miss Taylor, you are accused of the murders of Artōrius Green and Dante Mendez. How do you plead?
Belle stood up and assisted Kinsey in doing so, as well.
BELLE: Not guilty by reason of self defense, your honor.
FITZPATRICK: Your argument would be that this was a justifiable double homicide?
BELLE: That is correct, your honor.
FITZPATRICK: Please state your case.
BELLE: Thank you, your honor. As I am sure you are aware, this incident occurred on Halloween night at a party held at Salem University Hospital. My client, Miss Taylor, was one of several party goers there that evening. When she attempted to leave the party, her way was blocked by the two victims, who proceeded to manhandle her and threaten her with bodily harm if she did not cooperate with their demands. Let me remind you that one of the victims is a known pedophile and both are participants in creating pornography starring adolescents, which is a crime in itself.
JUSTIN: Objection, relevance?
BELLE: It speaks to the character of my clients attackers.
FITZPATRICK: That will do, Mrs. Brady. Mr. Kiriakis, this is a hearing, not a trial. You are only here to discuss bail conditions should I find Mrs. Brady’s argument lacking. Is that understood?
JUSTIN: Yes, your honor.
FITZPATRICK: Mrs. Brady, please continue.
BELLE: Thank you, your honor. As I was saying, my client had strong reason to believe that had she not done what she did, she would have been sexually violated, possibly murdered, as that is what these two people were threatening her with. There is CCTV footage that has recently come to light showing my client being assaulted physically by these people.
FITZPATRICK: I have seen the footage, yes.
BELLE: Then you can tell that they were behaving in a very threatening manner towards my client. As can be see, she was clearly not interested in participating in any of their desires. She can also be seen attempting to keep the state’s duty to retreat. The footage shows several times that she attempted to leave the situation, but each of her attempts was blocked by these two people. Your honor, my client does not have a history of violence, as you can see from her record-
JUSTIN: Objection. Maybe not a history of violence, but she does have a drunk driving charge on record.
FITZPATRICK: Mr. Kiriakis, that situation was cleared up back in 2010 and is not at all relevant to this case. I will remind you again that this is not a trial. If you interrupt a third time, I will find you in contempt. Understood?
JUSTIN: Yes, your honor.
FITZPATRICK: Mrs. Brady, if you would please...
BELLE: Yes, your honor. We also have testimony from others who knew one of these people, which speaks to their behaviors. Behaviors that my client strongly believed could lead to irreparable damage to herself, possibly the loss of her life. She did the only thing she could think of doing. There was no way that anybody would be able to hear her cries for help over the music. She believed that, had she made any attempt to reach her phone, she would be further attacked. And as can be seen in the CCTV footage, any attempt she made at escaping was blocked. As both state and federal law explain, a homicide may be committed if the victim believes under the Totality of Circumstances that she was in danger of being raped, possibly murdered. She was preventing a very serious crime that would have been committed against her the only way she could. It is, of course, regrettable that it had to come to this. However, my client should not be punished for defending herself when she exhausted every other possible option, nor for preventing potential future crimes to either herself or other young women like her. The defense rests.
Belle helped Kinsey sit down and then sat down next to her.
FITZPATRICK: Thank you, Mrs. Brady. As I have stated earlier, I have viewed the CCTV footage. Detective Rafael Hernandez brought it to my attention early this morning. However, I would like to see these testimonies from victims of the two men who were killed that Halloween night. I assume you have them with you?
Belle stood up again and picked up some papers.
BELLE: I do, your honor.
Belle handed them to the bailiff who brought them to Judge Fitzpatrick.
FITZPATRICK: Thank you. I shall look over these and then deliberate. After I have made my decision, we will reconvene to discuss my decision. For now, I call a brief recess while I deliberate.
Judge Fitzpatrick banged her gavel.
BAILIFF: All rise.
Everyone in the courtroom stood up as Judge Fitzpatrick went back to her chambers.

[heroicmuse]

I hope Judge Fitzpatrick makes the right decision.

Justin needs to shut up. Thought it would be fun to see him get held in contempt for his obnoxious behavior.

Great chapter André DiMera. Will there be previews?

[Kpatch]

Belle made a good case. I hope Kinsey gets off.

[André DiMera]

Thanks for reading and commenting, everyone!

---

Next week...

As the group get ready for a performance...
MADDOX: Here we go!

...Claire has a concern.
CLAIRE: Maddox said something kinda weird to me the other day.

Plus, Nicole demands answers.
NICOLE: What do you know about what happened that night?

And a decision about Kinsey’s future is made,
FITZPATRICK: On the charge of the murder of Artōrius Green, I find you...

Find out Judge Fitzpatrick’s decision and more this week on THE MELASWEN PARADOX!
*Gavel bangs*

[heroicmuse]

I hope Judge Fitzpatrick makes the right decision. I wonder who Nicole is questioning in the meantime.

Something is definitely wrong with Alanis. I wonder what Claire will do about it and who she's going to tell.

Great previews André DiMera.

[André DiMera]

Chapter 593

COURTHOUSE
KINSEY (whispering): So, what happens now?
BELLE (whispering): We wait for Judge Fitzpatrick to consider your case and make a decision. She’ll either find you not guilty, which is what I’m hoping for, or she’ll say that we don’t have a strong enough case.
KINSEY (whispering): And what if she decides we don’t have a strong enough case?
BELLE (whispering): She, D.A. Kiriakis and I will discuss bail conditions, and then we will work on making your case stronger until the case goes to trial.
Kinsey gulped.
BELLE (whispering): I’m sure it won’t go that far. I’m sure that we have a strong enough case, and that you’ll be allowed to go free today.
KINSEY (whispering): I hope so.
BAILIFF: All rise for the Honorable Judge Karen Fitzpatrick.
Everyone in the courtroom rose as Judge Fitzpatrick walked in from her chambers and sat back down at the bench.
FITZPATRICK: Please be seated.
Everyone sat down.
FITZPATRICK: I have had time to read the statements provided by people who have had dealings with Artōrius Green in the past. In addition, I reviewed the CCTV footage once again, and I have come to, I believe, a suitable conclusion. Miss Taylor, would you stand up, please?
Belle stood up and assisted Kinsey in standing.
FITZPATRICK: Miss Taylor, having heard heard the testimony of your defense lawyer, viewing the CCTV footage from Salem University Hospital from the night of October 31st, 2018, as well as reading the testimony of people who have previously met with one of the two men you are accused of murdering, I have come to a decision. While your altercation with Artōrius Green and Dante Mendez let to the death of both men, I do not believe that that was at all your intent. I believe that you were reacting to a situation in which there was no positive way out; and that had you not acted, serious, potentially fatal harm could have fallen upon yourself and others. Having reviewed your record, I do not believe that you are a potential danger to anyone, nor were you on the evening in question. Therefore, it is time for me to give my final ruling. Makinsey Taylor, on the charge of the murder of Artōrius Green, I find you…
Kinsey took a deep breath.
FITZPATRICK: Not guilty by reason of self defense.
Kinsey let out a sigh of relief.
FITZPATRICK: On the charge of the murder of Dante Mendez, I find you not guilty by reason of self defense. That is my final ruling on this matter. This court is dismissed.
Judge Fitzpatrick banged her gavel. A police officer uncuffed Kinsey.
KINSEY: You did it!
BELLE: We did it.
KINSEY: Thank you so much! I can’t even begin to thank you enough!
BELLE: You’re welcome. Just doing my job.
Chloe walked over. Kinsey hugged her.
CHLOE: I’m so glad the judge made the right decision.
KINSEY: Me too! Now we can finally put this nightmare behind us!
CHLOE: Yes, we can. But first, let’s get out of here, huh?
KINSEY: Totally. I need to get out of these clothes. Orange is so not my color.
Chloe and Kinsey chuckled slightly.
BELLE: Come on, I’ll walk you two out.
Chloe put an arm around Kinsey, and they and Belle walked out of the courtroom.

[heroicmuse]

I'm glad that Judge Fitzpatrick made the right decision. Whew! Now let's hope this is really over and no one (and by no one I mean Mia) causes trouble that lands Kinsey behind bars somehow.

Great chapter André DiMera.

[Kpatch]

I'm glad for Kinsey. It's bad enough she has to live with what happened.

[mae00]

I'm so glad the judge made the right decision. it's nice to see truth prevail in Salem for once.