Academy Murders: Poignant

“I wanted to be friends the few moments I got to know her. She was steely and just as sharp.”

“And you just sat by her with your camera and shot the landscape?”

“That was the basic idea,” Yawquisha said.

The room looked pensive. People didn’t have their mobile devices so they actually had to focus on the proceedings. Yawquisha continued.

“I mean she was so professional and had a quiet rage about her. But it was trained on catching the bad guys. Her focus was like none other. She used her skills from the Marines to be the best cop ever in her mind, I would imagine.”

The prosecutor looked at Yawquisha with mild contempt and a hint of admiration. He tried to get her to break.

“And you have seen her actually kill people?”

“Never. Not once. Like I said, if she were to kill anyone it would be the perpetrators. In the time that you were riding along, did you ever feel like you were in danger?”

Yawquisha chuckled. “Only all of the time.”

“Did that fear stem from Miss Jergensen in any way?”

“No.”

“No further questions, your honor.”

Kim’s lawyer then looked at Yawquisha. She saw the young woman’s chin slightly elevated and she took that as a subtle salute.

“Miss Hudlin, did you miss my client when she came down to the Academy to train to become an FBI official?”

“No, I knew I could communicate with her. I knew it was her dream to be a Special Agent. It didn’t faze me until all of these people started to rise against her. Calling her all sorts of names that never fit in my description of Kim.”

“And you want to let us know about that? How did it make you feel?”

Yawquisha really didn’t like even Kim’s lawyer’s line of questioning because of the emotionalism involved. Still, she persisted with answering. First, she shrugged.

“I would say I felt nothing beyond what I would feel all those time riding next to Kim. Those days are precious to me. They are my very own halcyon days working with the police. Kim made me feel comfortable and safe, yes, but also like I was part of the action as well. None of that included being scared of her in any way. I never worried about the idea that she might snap based on her days in the military. She was always cool and kept us together.”

“If you had to say what kind of person Kim is today, what would you categorize her as right now?”

Yawquisha’s face darkened. She became as pensive as the congregants of the courtroom. Swirling around in her mind, she thought of how she could become poignant and to make the challenge less of a problem.

“I am going to remember those days where we sat for hours in the squad car. Just talking. That was it. We knew that we had to remain professional but we had fun in the off hours, too. I respect Kim for her ability to be able to balance her work and also help me in my personal life.”

“Like what?”

“My place was firebombed. She ensured that my apartment be cleaned up and paid for by the state. I realize that the crimes against her are rather grave. In truth, I know she didn’t do these things. If the jury would just consider the facts and only the facts, we should be able to come to a proper conclusion.”

“That what, Yawquisha?”

“That Kim is completely not guilty on all charges.”

“No more questions, your honor.”