Baby Love (Baby #2)(139)

"Are you alright?" my father whispered to me.

I nodded just as Matthew's eyes found me and stopped looking anywhere else. His gaze rested on me and I saw a flicker of recognition pass over his face.

I squirmed in my seat uncomfortable with him staring at me. His lawyer nudged him and he reluctantly turned back around lowering his head as if it was too heavy to hold up any longer.

The bailiff read all of the additional charges the grand jury had returned against Matthew. The judge was watching Matthew the whole time; studying his body language I guessed. When the bailiff finished the judge spoke.

"How does the defendant plead to all charges herein set forth?"

Matthew's attorney rose from his seat.

"Ted Presley for the defense, your honor. I would like to enter a not guilty plea on behalf of my client to all charges."

"Very well Mr. Presley. The court will set the preliminary hearing for an expedited date since your client is being held without bail," the judge responded.

"Your honor if it pleases the court, the defense would ask to waive the pre-trial investigation and dispose of the preliminary hearing now as my client is in dire need of psychiatric treatment which will further deteriorate by further delay."

"Mr. Presley, I'm not a big fan of waiving any portion of the due process in particular when there is a potential death penalty involved. The appellate courts are overwhelmed as it is. Counsel please approach the bench."

I watched as the D.A. and Matthew's attorney went up to talk quietly to the judge.

"What is going on?" I whispered to my dad.

"The judge is going to force the due process to avoid costly appeals later. He is trying to ascertain why the defense would waive the pre-trial investigation prior to the preliminary hearing. The purpose of the preliminary hearing is to make sure that the evidence supports the charges brought against the defendant as recommended by the grand jury," he whispered back to me.

Matthew was looking around the courtroom again. His eyes went past me this time focusing to the back of the courtroom. He turned back around burying his head into his cuffed hands. The lawyers were still talking quietly to the judge. The courtroom had become very quiet.

Suddenly the quiet of the courtroom was interpreted by a man's voice singing. I realized that the singing was coming from Matthew. He was singing that old lullaby very slowly and loudly.

'Hush little baby, don't say a word, Mama's going to buy you a mockingbird; and if that mockingbird don't sing, Mama's going to buy you a diamond ring. . ."

The defense lawyer hurried over to Matthew's side prompting him to be quiet. He paid no attention to his attorney and continued to sing the lyrics even louder.

"If that diamond ring turns brass, Mama's going to buy you a looking glass. . . If that looking glass gets broke, Mama's going to buy--"

The judge rapped his gavel and shouted for the deputies to remove Matthew from the court room immediately.

Matthew stopped singing as the deputies literally raised him up from his chair. He struggled against them; he whipped his head around as they were carrying him toward the door. His eyes found what they had been searching for.

"Mama," he yelled, "Mama, am I still the sweetest baby in town?"

I turned quickly to see who the hell he was talking to; his mother had been my grandmother. She was dead. I looked through the crowd as the short, dark-haired woman watched them take Matthew out. Tears were streaming down the face of Karen Deeny. She turned and fled the courtroom.

I heard my father beside me.

"What the hell?"

I was in shock. What the hell was going on?

My father took me by the arm and led me out of the court house.

"I don't understand what that was all about," I said to him once we were outside.

"I am in the dark as well," he replied, clearly as perplexed as me.

"What happens now, Dad?"

"Obviously I need to get some answers for both of us. As far as the preliminary hearing I would suspect it will be scheduled after the psych evaluation the judge will likely order for Matthew."

"Do you think he was faking it?" I asked.

"Yes, but my opinion doesn't matter. It is the opinion of the psychologists and psychiatrists that will carry the weight in court. The prosecution will have one assigned to him as will the defense; that in and of itself will be a complicated mess."

I could tell that my father was distraught with the turn of events that had transpired at the courthouse. I knew he wondered now just how much his dead wife had been involved in the tangled web of lies and deceit. I questioned my own ancestors as to why Matthew had been passed off as my grandmother's illegitimate child adopted by my grandfather after they married. If anyone could find the truth I knew that my father could and would no matter what it revealed.

We had lunch together and then he drove me to the private airport to catch my charter back to Atlanta. He pulled me to him giving me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"I will talk to you very soon," he promised.

"Please give Preston a kiss from her grandpa?"

"I will Dad. I love you."

"I love you too Tylar. Take care."

Trey was waiting for me when I reached the terminal in Atlanta. I was never so happy to see his face in my life. What a bizarre day. I flew into his arms.