CHAPTER 17

Gwen Matthews paced back and forth in the room designed for witnesses. The woman rubbed her hands nervously and there was a very tense expression on her face. She was about to lie in front of a judge and an entire court in order to protect a murderer. She was going against everything that was right and honest just to cover a lie.

Ms Matthews sighed deeply. She was also protecting herself from dangerous men, capable of anything to escape from a crime accusation. They were capable of killing her to get what they wanted, and Wayne Gibbs, the murderer's lawyer, had said so himself. She had to protect herself, even if it meant sacrificing the young woman named Monica, who looked devastated and so fragile wearing that terrible prison uniform.

The woman stopped in front of a window and looked outside. The weather was cold and rainy, somewhat reflecting what was happening inside her very soul. All of a sudden, however, she stepped back as a white dove perched on the window frame and cooed.

"The destiny of an innocent and a criminal lies in your hands, Ms Matthews..."

Startled, she turned around to face the man standing right in front of her. She had seen him in the court corridor, before the trial started: he was Monica's lawyer. But there was something different about him - he was surrounded by a beautiful glow, as if he had just come out of a dream; as if he was some kind of vision, and Gwen wondered if she was starting to imagine things.

"H-how did you come in here?" she asked, frightened and quickly looking at the door, which had remained closed.

"It doesn't matter how. But it does matter why I came in here." He said, with a solemn tone in his voice.

"You're the defendant's lawyer, you're not supposed to be here..." she seemed to be looking for an escape.

"Before I'm Monica's lawyer, I'm her guardian angel. And I am supposed to be where God sends me to."

The woman's mouth dropped open and she covered it with her hand. "An... angel? An angel of God?"

"Yes. The One God who assigned me to protect an innocent from the horrors of the prison. The One God who you now hurt terribly by lying and protecting a criminal. The One Who sent me here with a message for you." He stated firmly, looking her straight in the eyes. The power of his gaze penetrated her very soul with all the authority it could muster.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about! I'm gonna call security if you don't leave now!" she threatened, but the truth was that she couldn't move a foot.

"I'd could stay here telling you that you're the only hope for an innocent to be freed from prison... I'd tell you how terribly wrong it is of you to accuse the wrong person and tell lies about her to protect a murderer... But instead, I'm gonna tell you a little about Monica. I'll tell you how wonderful it is to have her in my world... I will tell you about her gentle and selfless spirit, her kind and compassionate heart, capable of forgiving those who have hurt her and betrayed her confidence. Monica has the most generous soul I've ever known..." The expression on his face softened, and he would have smiled if the present situation wasn't so serious. "She's also a dreamer and a fighter. The most courageous person I've ever met... The one who would give up on her own existence to protect another human being. Monica has an intelligent and inquisitive nature, but she's also innocent and has childlike manners that are both amusing and adorable. The smile on her face and the sparkle in her eyes lights up anyone's heart... Or at least, they used to, as now, confined in that prison cell, I see her soul perishing..."

The woman listened to those words in silence, but her heart was aching and a sudden tear fell from her eye.

Andrew gave one step forward. "She's beautiful. So beautiful and so precious that I'm honoured to be able to stay close to her. In fact, sometimes I even feel undeserving to have her trust. And her love."

The angel of death disappeared right before the woman's haunted eyes, and Gwen felt her entire body trembling. She covered her face in fear and in shame as more tears rolled down her cheeks, and then knelt on the floor.

X

Monica remained in another room, closely watched by two security guards. Her eyes were at the door, desperately searching for Andrew. The Irish angel felt her heart pounding in her chest, as the latest events were leading to a condemnation, and the mere thought of returning to a prison cell caused a knot in her stomach. Swallowing hard, she conjoined her hands and closed her eyes, offering her silent prayers, asking God for the truth to appear in that trial. She also prayed for Abby - another innocent victim of a cold-blooded murderer.

But a gentle hand over her shoulder soon interrupted her and made her open her eyes. "Andrew?"

"It's time, angel. The jury will assemble again." He announced, helping her up.

"I'm so nervous..." she confessed, as they left the room and walked through the corridor.

"I know... I'm nervous too, but I trust that our loving Father was intently listening to your prayers just now." He said, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"I was praying for Abby... and for me, I confess..." she lowered her head for a brief second and then raised it to look at him. "Andrew, if by any reason I cannot make it out of here... will you be around, like you were when-"

"Monica, I don't want to consider that as a possibility." He gently cut her off. "You know I will be by your side forever in your existence, baby, and right after this trial I'll be happily watching you enjoy all the Father's creations which you were deprived from in the last four months."

The trial carried on with the district attorney showing the jurors pictures of the victim in the crime scene. He went on explaining how the murderer had shot Edward Nowels three times, giving him no chance of defending himself. He also remembered that the last shot had been given when the man was already on the floor, bleeding and probably unconscious.

The expression on the jurors faces was one of horror. They frowned as the slides were shown and shook their heads in disapproval, staring at Monica once in a while. The Irish angel lowered her head, feeling the power of their gaze already condemning her for something she hadn't done. Andrew's hand covered her smaller one and he whispered some words of reassurance into her ear, even though it was hard to bear all that pressure. Wayne Gibbs, the true murderer's lawyer, was there too, watching the trial with a smile in the corner of his lips. Everything was going on as planned, and Ms Matthew's testimonial would send the Monica woman to jail, exactly as it had done to Abby Kopka.

Gwen Matthews was finally called and when she entered the court room it was possible to notice she was trembling. Ignoring her nervousness, the judge made her promise to tell the truth and nothing but the truth and then Andrew started an avalanche of questions, all the while praying for the truth to finally be told.

"What called my attention were the... the loud voices I heard when I was passing by that alley..." she stated, her eyes turning from Andrew to the man watching the trial.

"Could you tell if they were male and female voices?"

"Yes, they were. The man told her to stop looking for him and that it was all over between them. He told her to leave him alone..."

"Go on, Ms Matthews..." Andrew felt his heart beginning to sink. The woman was simply too afraid of the threats that had been made against her to release Monica. He just didn't know how his beloved Angel or he was going to get through what lied ahead.

"And then I saw it when the murderer pulled out a gun... She said... she said that if he didn't want to stay with her... then he wouldn't stay with anybody else..."

"And can you tell us what she did after that?"

The woman looked at the blond angel and once again at Wayne Gibbs, fear written all over her face. "She... she shot him... She shot him three times..."

"And is this woman is in this courtroom now?"

"Yes, she is..."

"Can you show the jurors who she is?" Andrew knew it was his last chance. If Gwen didn't change her mind now, there would be no turning back.

Gwen Matthews looked at Monica and could feel the truth of Andrew's words: there was something about the look in her eyes that defied logic. They were a reflection of her soul, a soul that had been destroyed by confinement. Then she looked at Wayne Gibbs and trembled at his cold evil eyes, somewhat telling her to go on with the lie he had invented.

She stood on her feet and looked at the jurors, judge and finally at Andrew. "Ms Matthews, can you tell us if the woman sitting over there is the one you saw shooting Edward Nowels?" he asked her calmly, gently.

"She is innocent..." the woman revealed, as everyone stared at her in shock. "The woman sitting over there, Monica, she didn't kill Edward Nowels... I was forced to lie about everything..."

Monica and Andrew looked at each other - he with relief all over his face; she with haunted eyes as she was not expecting that.

"You were forced? By who?"

Wayne Gibbs stood on his feet and was about to leave the courtroom when she pointed at him. "That man, Wayne Gibbs. Please, don't let him leave this building, he's a very dangerous man, and so is the one he represents!"

The guards were quick to block the door and stop Wayne's attempt to escape. "His boss killed Edward Nowels because of money! The dirty money he was embezzling from the company where Mr Nowels worked! And he wasn't the first one! Another man, named Joshua Kopka, was also murdered because he found out the same thing!" she revealed, causing a commotion inside that small room.

Monica felt Andrew gently squeezing her hand as he returned to her side and she turned her eyes away from the woman and from the jurors to gaze at him. "It's your miracle, angel. An answer to your prayers and to your doubts. A way to tell you how much He loves you..." he said, brushing a tender kiss on her cheek now that everybody else had their attention turned to Ms Matthews. As tears of joy fell from the little angel's eyes, Andrew smiled. "... And He is not the only one!"

Monica's heart was almost bursting with happiness and she couldn't wait any longer before throwing herself into Andrew's arms when the judge pronounced the non-guilty verdict, some time later. He held her close for long, pleasant minutes, rubbing her back and whispering loving words into her ear, trying to calm her.

"Abby?" The little angel managed to choke out, not for a moment forgetting her one assignment in this whole horrible situation.

"I need to speak with the judge, baby," He replied regretfully. He so wanted to get her out of this place, but he knew he had to make sure that Abby's destiny was also set. But Someone knew what was already in his heart.

"Andrew, I've got this one."

The two angels turned to see Adam approaching them. He was dressed in a dark business suit and was carrying a briefcase, "Our office sent me to handle Abby's case for you," He winked at his two friends, relieved to hear a small, tearful giggle from Monica, "The Head of our law firm knows you have other places to be right now."

Relief filled the blond angel's heart, "Adam, thank you."

The older angel nodded his head, "Get her out of here, buddy. The word at Home is that this one has been hard." He spoke his words softly, not wanting Monica to overhear his concern.

Andrew nodded as Adam passed them on his way to judge, taking the time first to give Monica a gentle squeeze on her shoulder. Then, Andrew turned to one of the security guards, "I need these handcuffs off of her, please. Immediately."

As the cold metal fell away from her wrists, a tiny sob escaped the little angel before she turned hopeful eyes to Andrew. Her expression nearly undid him. Taking her hand firmly into his, he led her out of the courtroom and once they were alone, they vanished from that place.