Brent Marks Legal Thriller Series: Box Set One - Brent Marks Legal Thriller Series: Box Set One Part 40
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Brent Marks Legal Thriller Series: Box Set One Part 40

"Move to strike as non-responsive."

"Motion granted. The witness will answer the question." Corporal Reeding looked lost in thought.

"I can't breathe! It's in wrong!"

Ahmed choked. He couldn't speak anymore. He began to cough incessantly, then spit up vomit and blood.

"Stop the procedure!" Corporal Reeding whipped out his radio and called Sergeant Brown.

"Sergeant, you'd better get down here, we've got a situation! What the fuck, man, he's not breathing! You're a nurse, do something!"

Nurse Benson looked confused and disoriented. He was in a panic. Ahmed's head had fallen to his lap, and there was blood, vomit and Ensure coming trickling out of his mouth. Benson checked his pulse.

"There's no pulse!"

"Do something, man!"

Benson tried to revive Ahmed. He and Reeding removed the restraints and set Ahmed on the floor. Benson gave him CPR. Each time he gave Ahmed mouth to mouth, more fluid came out, but it was no use. Ahmed was lifeless.

Sergeant Brown ran in. "Clear the room!" he ordered.

"Corporal Reeding?" inquired Brent, and Reeding seemed to snap back into consciousness.

"Yes, sir?"

"When Sergeant Brown cleared the room, he, Nurse Benson, and Mr. Khury were the only ones left in the room, is that correct?" asked Brent.

"Yes, sir."

"Corporal, do you remember when you and I met in Miami?" Reeding looked like something had just hit him in the head.

"I can't answer that question."

"Your honor?" Brent implored.

"Objection, argumentative!" urged Nagel.

"Counsel, approach the bench please."

Nagel, his second chair and Brent approached the bench.

"Mr. Marks, what is going on here?"

"He's not being consistent with his prior statements, Your Honor," said Brent.

"Well, you have his deposition transcript. Read it into the record."

"I object to this line of questioning, Your Honor, it's too prejudicial for the jury," said Nagel.

"What's your offer of proof, Mr. Marks?"

"I interviewed the witness in Miami, at his request, Your Honor, and his version of the story was very different than the one he's telling today."

"I'll allow it. The witness cannot chose if he wants to answer a question or not. We're going to break for lunch. I want you to consult with the defense, disclose everything that was said in the interview, and when the break is over, we go again, understood?"

At the break, Reeding joined Nagel at the counsel table. The entire gallery had dispersed, except for one young man in the far right corner. Brent made eye contact with him and the guy got up and left.

"Rick, somebody got to this guy. You've gotta find out what happened. He's our best witness."

"Dude, you've got to pull a Benedict Arnold on him."

"I know."

"I'll see what I can find out."

"And while you're at it, there's this strange young dude that comes in every day, like this case is some kind of a class project for him or something. He always sits in the back. Check him out too, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. I know which one you mean." Rick left the courtroom.

As Rick walked out, he recognized the young guy sitting on bench in the corridor. He looked about 25, and had a military-style crew cut. Rick caught his eye as he approached, and the guy averted his glance. Just as it seemed he would pass him, Rick took a seat next to him on the bench and started going over his notes. He looked up from them and smiled, and the guy forced a nervous smile in return.

"Do I know you?" Rick asked.

"Me? No sir, no, we've never met," said the guy, squirming in his seat. He spoke in a Southern accent.

"You look familiar," said Rick, messing with the guy's brain. The guy glanced away and fidgeted.

"Don't know why you'd say that."

"Interesting case, huh?"

"Yes, sir, I guess."

"What's your connection to it?"

"Me? Nothing, sir."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"Just thought it would be fun to watch."

"Rick Penn," said Rick, holding out his hand.

"Joshua Anderson. It's nice to meet you, sir."

"Relax, dude, nobody calls me sir."

"Force of habit, I guess."

"Military?"

"United States Marine Corps." The guy had wild eyes, and Rick really did have a funny feeling that he had seen those eyes before, but he could not place it. Little did he know that he was face to face with Balls.

CHAPTER FORTY.

Rick came up with a big nothing in checking on Corporal Reeding, but there wasn't much time during the lunch break to do any real investigating. However, Rick shared Brent's hunch that someone had threaten or coerced Reeding into changing his story. Having no concrete facts, Brent had to fly by the seat of his pants.

"Isn't it true, Corporal Reeding, that you have become more and more definite in your belief that you overreacted in the feeding room as time goes on?"

"I don't understand the question."

"Isn't it true that, during your deposition, I asked you the same questions, and you did not tell me that you overreacted?"

"Yes, sir."

"Isn't it true that your first impression after the incident was that Mr. Khury was in trouble?"

"Yes, sir."

"And as time has gone forward, you've thought about it many times, haven't you?"

"Yes, sir."

"And how you think about it now is different than your first impression, isn't it?"

"I suppose so, sir."

"Who else did you discuss the case with after your deposition?"

"Sir?"

"Who did you discuss the incident with?"

"Mr. Nagel."

"Who else?"

"My CO."

"That's Colonel Masters?"

"Yes."

"What did you discuss with him?"

"I don't recall sir."

"But you do recall discussing it with me, isn't that true, Corporal?"

"Yes, sir. And you promised me anonymity."

Brent didn't want to move to strike everything after 'yes, sir,' even though he knew it would be granted. He didn't want the jury to think he was trying to hide anything.

"Since you've talked to Mr. Nagel, you know I was not bound by that promise, don't you?"

"Yes, sir."

"You told me that you were concerned that things had gone too far at Gitmo, didn't you?"

"Yes, sir."

"You told me that you thought they were waterboarding in interrogations?"

"I don't know if they were, I just heard it..."

"Objection, hearsay!" snapped Nagel.

"Sustained. The jury will disregard the answer. Too late, they've already heard it.

"And you thought they were dry-boarding, isn't that correct?"

"Objection, hearsay!"

"Sustained. The jury will disregard the answer. Counsel, please approach the bench." The judge was getting pissed, and for just reason.

"Mr. Marks, I let you have free rein, but I am not going to have a mistrial in this case."

"I'm sorry, Your Honor."

"Please wrap this one up."

Brent moved back to the counsel table, and then moved in for the kill. He had made a tactical decision. The jury could either believe that he was trying to manipulate the witness, or the witness was hiding something. He took the plunge.

"Before Mr. Khury's last feeding, you had seen detainees cough up feeding tubes, hadn't you?"

"Yes, sir."

"And you had heard them complain about the feeding tubes, didn't you?"