The Perfect Wife

The Trial

Several days later...

Many eyes were on her. She was nervous, she was trembling but she had to endure.

"Can you tell me your name?" The prosecutor talked to her. And she saw the judge with fear.

"Nina Rodriguez"

"So tell me Ms. Rodriguez, how you are related to the acussed?"

"I am... was.. uhm Marvin's nanny"

"So, Ms. Rodriguez you were that day taking care of the child?"

"Yes"

"Tell me about that day?"

"I... was with Marvin, Charlotte..." She was feeling uncomfortable under the eye of everybody there, even the prosecutor.

"Charlotte?"

"Yes, she left because she wanted to buy a present."

"You refers to Mrs. Griffin"

"Yes."

"Continue, please"

"I was waiting for her, and then her husband, Victor arrived, I notice he was in bad mood, but I..."

"For the record.. You noticed! and yet you didn't do anything..."

"But I..."

"You saw him, and remained quiet"

"Your honor, the prosecutor..." Charlotte's lawyer talked and  the judge only made a sign to stop with his hand.

"You knew that they were going to divorce?"

"No!"

"Why not? I mean you practically lived in that place."

"I knew they have troubles but is not of my bussiness. If I knew that was going to happen I would have taken Marvin for a walk or something, anything to avoid it." Nina exploted on tears, she felt guilty for leaving Marvin alone, with his murder.

The prosecutor made a gesture of indiference and let Nina crying in front of everyone in the place. "No further question" He said and Charlotte lawyer denied with his head, allowing Nina sat next to her girlfriend, who comforted her.

Minutes after  they call the last witness... Charlotte. Dressed in black, with a sad face, every bright of her fade away since the days passed by.

"Can you tell me  your name?" The prosecutor asked to Charlotte, and she with rising her gaze to him answered.

"Charlotte Griffin."

"Mrs. Griffin, dou you know why are we here today?"

"Yes"

"Can you tell me why?"

She gulped, and with shame she locked her gaze with the prosecutor.

"I killed my husband" The prosecutor smiled sardonically, almost like he already win.

"No more questions for the moment" The prosecutor went to his place and sat, the judge only saw Charlotte, and waited to her defender.

"Mrs. Griffin, can you explain to me and the audience, what happened that day?" Her lawyer looked at her calm, and a hidden sorrow for her.

"Well, I went to buy a cake, we were invited to a dinner in house of the Millers, and when  I came back it seemed to be the place all alone, then I saw Victor and then he... he was carrying a gun on his hand and some blood stains on his sleeves."

"What happened next?" Charlotte voice broke after she thought the answer of that question. 

"I went to Marvin's room, he was there on his bed, then after I touched him, I realized something thick on the sheets...My heart dropped, I felt really bad, my baby wasn't breathing anymore, and I..."

"What did you husband did after?"

"He tried to stop me, I wanted help for Marvin"

"What was the motive for him to do that?" He asked and Charlotte was confused.

"I don't know, I think he had no reason to do so, he was crazy"

The prosecutor stand and the lawyer occupied his place. The sly man was walking in lines in front of everybody.

"You said that you don't knew why your husband killed your son"

"Yes"

"So, you didn't knew about the existence of some divorce papers signed, by your husband, Victor Griffin"

"No, sir, I did not"

"How come? If the papers where in your house, you should saw them at least once"

"I did not, Victor kept his things locked, he said that were some important work's papers."

"Huh-hu, Ma'am, why do you think your husband asked divorce..."

"He wasn't the one who asked divorce" Charlotte said softly yet very audible, the jugde look at her intrigued about her comment.

"Come again, Ma'am"

"I was the one who asked divorce first" The audience began to talk very loud, Charlotte friends only looked at them and then to Charlotte.

"Order, order" The judge began to said, calling for silence in the room.

"Why did you do that?"

"I knew my husband was cheating on me"

"And that's why you killed him"

"No! He denied divorce me, he threatened me with getting Marvin's custody, I was afraid to lose my son"

"What do you do then?"

"I obeyed him, I kept my mouth shut, and tried to be the perfect wife that he wanted, but it wasn't enough."

"One more question, did you knew that your husband had an insurance policy for a million, under the name of your son?"

Charlotte denied with her head, and the judge told her to answer properly.

"No."

"Your Honor, no more questions"

"The defender of the accuser, is now your turn." The judge said, looking tired.

"Mrs. Griffin, you was trying to get help for your child, right?"

"Yes"

"And then your husband stopped you"

"Yes"

"What happened next?"

"I began to fight with him, I only could think about Marvin... but he didn't want it, he hit me and I tried to escape, so then he... he... everything was so fast, the gun was in the floor."

"What he was doing, that he left the gun on the floor?"

"He was..., so I wanted hurt him and then look for help."

"Then you killed him."

"Yes, then I shot him"

"Your Honor, he is inducing the answer." The prosecutor said, but the judge ignored him.

"Objection denied, please continue"

"No further question, but I want to show you some vital evidence to everybody in this room" Charlotte went back to her place, and everybody was paying attention to the man.

A police officer entered with a TV and some player, then he turned on and showed them a video.

On the video all the people could saw Victor spending his last moments with Marvin, how he talked to Nina, and what happened after she left.

He killed his son on cold blood, after a long time being in his studio. He placed the body on the bed, and then he went back to the room. People on the audience were gasping about the events that happened that night, then Charlotte's arrival let the people in complete silence.

One person of the jury, noticed that Charlotte was shivering and crying in silence.

Pain was overwhelming her heart with those images. Many of the people began to felt a deep sorrow for her.

Some people began to cry and many of them covered their mouth after seeing how her husband was abusing her.

The video ended and the jury asked for a break.