Rob leaned towards Hannah, his warm breath right in her face. “Did you know there’s a large gang of men just northeast of Fort Wayne and they have an entire warehouse full of food? They captured it right when all of this started, a distribution warehouse for a large grocery store chain. They control a building with over a million square feet of nothing but food! I’d never heard of them and I bet you hadn’t either. They’ve been running some raids of their own and contacting other gangs too, including this one. You see, while they’ve got a lot of food, there’s something else they’re very short of, can you guess?” A smile came back to Rob’s face, “Women! They don’t have any women and they’re willing to pay a hefty reward for people that bring them some!”
Rob leaned back against the duffel bag and folded his arm behind his head, “That’s what I’ve been doing since I last saw you, James. We’ve been going house to house collecting women and running them over to Fort Wayne. You won’t believe how much you three will bring. I bet your blonde friend there will bring a month’s worth of food by herself.”
Hannah finally had enough, “Carol is right! Rob, you’re evil! You’re going to answer to God for all that you do! Repent now before it’s too late!”
“You should stop worrying about my soul, James; you should worry about yourself. You’re the one in a lot of trouble right now.”
“I’m not worried about me or my friends. God loves us. God will take care of us. It’s you who should worry! You will answer to God for everything you’ve done!”
Rob sighed as he struggled to get up and then went through the bag again. He found the tape and tore off another piece with his teeth, fixing it over Hannah’s mouth.
“I don’t understand you people, I really don’t. I just killed everyone you love, including a baby. Now I’m going to sell the three of you into sexual slavery to some filthy degenerates, where the rest of your life will undoubtedly be short and miserable. And yet you can still sit there and talk to me about God’s love ... how God will take care of you. Like I said, I just don’t get it.”
Shortly after Rob finished shutting Hannah up, the hammering completely stopped. Now a voice yelled out from below, “It’s ready to go!”
Just then Eightball came running back with some frilly things draped over his arm. “This is all that I could find. Some pretty dresses, some lingerie, and makeup too. I also brought a hairbrush and a mirror.”
By now Rob was ready to go, “Good thinking, Eightball, throw it in and let’s get going.”
“I thought we were having them change first?”
“No, I had another one of my brilliant ideas while you were gone. We’ll wait till we get there. Then we’ll strip the ladies down and make them change ... right in front of them. That will drive those guys nuts. I might even get a bidding war started!”
“THAT IS BRILLIANT! Sir.”
“Thank you ...” Rob seemed quite proud of himself right then.
The driver stepped in and started the motor, its lumpy idle reminding Hannah of all the friends she lost. Eightball threw the dresses in the passenger side window and got in himself.
Rob made a sharp whistle with his hand and four armed guards jumped onto the bed of the truck. They took a seat at each corner while Robert looked down at his merchandise, “Okay, girls, you ready for your new life?”
Carol and Hannah were both incomprehensible as they screamed at him through their muzzles.
He put his hand to his ear, “I’m not understanding you too well, does that mean you’re ready? I guess it does.” Rob turned to the two in the cab and tapped on the window, “Eightball, let’s go!”
The truck backed up and made a U-turn, then stopped. It gradually started forward again down the driveway of the old farm. The other seven remaining men grouped up and started marching behind. The truck slowly made its way over the snow-covered ground creaking and groaning all the way. At last it turned right as it stopped at the main road.
Rob knocked on the back window again. “Keep it slow, slow and careful. The last thing we need is to slide off into a ditch. They can wait ... they won’t mind the wait when they see these three, especially this blonde.”
Eightball acknowledged his man, “Yes sir, slow and careful,” and turned to the driver, “you heard him.”
The battered truck eased out into the road.
As they were pulling out, a “lump” in the snow on the side of the road stood up. Simultaneously, several heavily armed soldiers jumped out of the nearby bushes and a ditch by the highway.
Rob heard the roar of automatic weapons fire and turned to look as the truck came to a slow stop. The driver and Eightball were both dead, their blood and brains all over the inside of the cab. He jumped to his feet as his own men started firing. The four on the truck fell dead to the ground one right after the other. His men behind him spread out and started shooting but in another second they were all dead too. Rob stood there in disbelief until he finally went for his Colt in its holster.
The white “lump” quickly closed on him, a woman with her 1911 pistol drawn and dressed in snow camouflage. From the ditch came another woman and a man, dressed the same and armed with M4s. Four more men and three women all in normal clothes rapidly advanced with their rifles from the underbrush ten yards northeast.
Rob grabbed for his gun as the woman with the pistol took careful aim and fired. Rob’s hand exploded, all four of his fingers coming off. One of the men came from behind and swept his feet out from under him. Rob toppled off the truck. He tried to pick himself up but a boot to his back knocked him back down.
Hannah and Carol lay there unable to see what was going on. At last the woman with a pistol at her side came into view. She loosened her white scarf and pulled her hood back. It was Nancy Kurtzman’s friendly face both ladies at last recognized standing over them.
As gently as she could, Nancy peeled the tape from Carol’s mouth. “Carol, are you all right? Are you all right, Hannah? Vira?”
Hannah nodded.
Carol coughed and at last spoke, “Vira is in shock, but both of us are all right.”
Nancy studied Vira for a moment and turned back to Carol with tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry ... I’m sorry we couldn’t get here sooner. I’m sorry all of your people are dead. Maybe we could have saved the rest of you ... if we had been faster. But when we got here it was too late, you had already been captured. Please forgive us.” She holstered the gun with one hand and wiped her eyes with the other. “Since we couldn’t make it to the fight we thought it would be best to ambush them out here on the road.”
Carol was sympathetic to her old friend as she started crying herself, “Nancy, don’t even think that way. You saved our lives. This isn’t your fault, none of this is, it’s his.” The three looked at Rob who was now standing, blood pouring from his mangled hand, a small army surrounding him.
Chapter Sixteen
It took nearly a month for the trial to begin, most of that time spent just trying to gather a jury. They searched far and wide among this close-knit community but most everyone knew or at least heard of the victims. After twenty-six days, they were able to find seven women and four men that could swear before God that they would give Rob a fair trial.
Witnesses were easy to find as they came to them, most amassing at the Kurtzman’s farm to see Rob die.
It was decided to have the trial in the Kurtzman’s old barn; it was large enough to do the job and one of the stalls could be used as Rob’s holding cell the entire time.
Hannah, Vira, and Carol moved in with the Kurtzmans. Their old house was not fit to live in anymore as the entire front side collapsed. They were all in mourning for their lost loved ones and preparing for the trial helped them deal with the pain in some small way.
Vira was speaking again but said she couldn’t recall a thing that happened that day. Every morning she would make the long walk to the Avery’s old home to visit her husband’s and son’s graves.
Between the residents and trial guests, the house was packed. In some cases four to a bed with many more sleeping on the floors. But none minded, and only eagerly waited for it to begin.
Many more camped out on the front lawn; over the weeks a small tent city grew there.
When the final juror was found at last, a judge and lawyers were chosen. All three also had to swear on a Bible that Rob would be treated fairly before the law.
On the morning of Wednesday, March 14th, the trial began. Rob immediately started it off with controversy by refusing to have a lawyer represent him, saying he could do a much better job himself. His first official act for his client was to decline giving an opening statement.
The prosecution gave a short statement of its own and afterwards a long line of witnesses began coming through. Carol and Hannah were called and testified about the attack on their house. Their testimony lasted most of the morning. Vira was also called to the stand but was unable to help at all, and only started crying after asked the same questions again and again. It was then the judge decided to break for lunch and Carol and Hannah ran up to comfort their friend.
After lunch, more witnesses were called, all people Rob and his gang had victimized over the years.
Hannah recognized a few faces among those testifying. With tears in her eyes, Sarah Whitman told how everything they owned was stolen and how her husband was later killed by a gang trying to trade his boots for some food.
The older couple that lived in the drain pipe also came to testify and for the first time the girl found out their name, Greer. Old man Greer said he came all this way just to see Rob’s execution, he “wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Many other faces unknown to the girl took the stand. Apparently Rob and his men had been pillaging the region for years.
Through it all, Robert declined to question a single witness.
Late in that first day, the whispering began.
Sarah Whitman, the Greers, and two road refugees saw Hannah and thought she bore a remarkable resemblance to a boy in Rob’s gang. They all went to the judge.
After the show was over for the day, Hannah sat at the table prodding her dinner, trying to find a reason to eat. She was hungry yet couldn’t finish a thing.
Carol came into the room. “Hannah, we need to talk somewhere, alone.”
Hannah looked up to her friend, “I know, where do you want to go?”
She looked around, “Nancy is still over at the barn, making preparations for tomorrow, let’s use her bedroom.” It was obvious to the girl that Carol had bad news to report.
They walked into the room and three unknown women were there getting ready to go to bed early. Carol tried to be as diplomatic as she could. “Would you mind leaving for a few minutes, there is something I need to speak to this girl about privately, thank you.”
The three quickly put their clothes back on and quietly left.
Carol closed the door behind them and turned to her friend. They both sat down on the bed. “Hannah, I want you to know that Judge Stewart ...” Carol paused and wiped the tears from her eyes. “She’s signed a warrant for your arrest.”
Hannah was not surprised, “I know ... I saw Sarah Whitman pointing me out to the prosecution attorney, later on I saw her, the Greers, and a couple others talking to Judge Stewart. They know about me, don’t they?”
Carol took her friend’s hand. “Yes, they figured it out. They were going to come here and arrest you, take you out to a holding cell in the barn. But I talked Judge Stewart into letting you stay in the house for now. So you wouldn’t have to be near Rob. She said you could stay in here but when you go outside there would have to be a guard with you at all times.”
She put her arm around Hannah and hugged her young friend. “It’s going to be okay, Hannah. I’ve already talked to the defense attorney and he’s agreed to take your case. I wish we hadn’t made you testify.”
“You didn’t make me, I volunteered. I had to testify, it was my duty.”
“There was enough witnesses to get Rob convicted. You didn’t need to testify.”
“I had to, it was my duty. Rob has to pay for his crimes, and now so do I.”
“Hannah, don’t talk like that, you’re still a child. You’re not guilty.”
Hannah looked right into her friend’s tear-filled eyes. “I am guilty. I know right from wrong. I knew what we were doing was wrong but didn’t care enough to do anything about it. I am guilty.”
The conversation abruptly stopped when there was a light knock on the door, then it opened wide. It was the judge, the prosecuting attorney, and several armed men. Judge Stewart held a folded paper in her hand as she spoke. “Hannah, I guess Carol has already told you everything?”
The girl looked up at the judge, “Yes.”
The judge reached out and handed Hannah the paper. “You are under arrest. There are five charges against you, four counts of robbery and one count of murder.”
Carol stood straight up in shock, “Murder?!”
Judge Stewart stayed calm and professional as she continued to address this girl she knew and liked, “Yes, that’s right. Hannah, you are charged in the death of Mark Whitman.”
Carol tried to argue with the judge but she put her hand out and stopped her mid-sentence. “Carol, you’re not going to change a thing. Those are the charges and they won’t be changed. If you want to help Hannah, help her defense.”
The next day Rob’s trial began again early. There were several more witnesses against him and all that was left was closing statements.
For the first time, Rob stood up to speak and asked the judge if he could give his closing statement last. Both the judge and prosecution agreed and she gave her summation first.
When the prosecution finished, Rob stood up again. He made a long eloquent plea that lasted nearly an hour, but essentially his legal argument came down to “survival of the fittest.”
The jury was not persuaded.
The judge finished her instructions to the jury at 11:02 AM; they came back out with their verdict in twenty-one minutes. To no one’s surprise, especially Rob’s, every verdict was guilty and the sentence was death.
Most of the audience stood up and cheered. It sounded like they were going to tear the roof off the old building.