Uncertain Fate

Christina Macallen is up in her room, talking to her husband Clarence’s closest friend, Dennis Nuzzi, on the phone so that she can get some legal advice about her son Lance’s situation. She is curious to know about Florida’s state laws regarding accessory to a serious crime.

It’s been a while since Christina has contacted Dennis since moving to Lake Haven following the murder of her husband, so hearing Dennis’ voice is a breath of fresh air for her, after all this time. He is still based in Lodi, New Jersey with his family, continuing to take on cases as they come. He asks Christina, “So, how’s the Sunshine State been treating you guys lately?”

“It’s amazing, Dennis. You wouldn’t even believe how beautiful and peaceful it is, living by the ocean. It’s such a nice, gorgeous neighborhood.” 

“I envy you.” He chuckles. “I’ve been to Florida a few times in my life but never actually visited the beachside. So kudos to you for staying there. Anyway, it’s nice hearing from you after all this time.”

“Likewise.” Then she sighs. “But I’m afraid I’ve got some news for you… And it doesn’t sound very good.”

“Uh-oh. Break it to me gently.”

“It’s about Lance.” Christina can’t believe how fast those words came out of her mouth.

“Oh, boy. What has he done this time?” Those are Dennis’ first words when it comes to Lance. They know Lance well enough to know that he is an immediate trouble.

Christina takes a breath to try explaining the situation as best as she can. “No, Dennis, it’s not like that, actually. Hmm… How do I explain this? Okay, so in our town, we have a case of a missing person…” She clears her throat. “Okay, no… No beating around the bush. Lance was coerced into covering up someone’s murder.”

For a moment, Dennis is speechless. Christina isn’t sure if he’s still on the line. “Dennis, are you there? Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

“Yeah, I’m still here, Christina. I… I’m sorry. Wow, I…” He chuckles. “I guess that’s the last thing I would’ve expected to hear from you. I mean, wow,” he says again. “This is very…”

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I know you must have a lot of questions. Do you mind if I just explain everything to you?”

“Yes, sure. Knock yourself out.”

Christina does her best to explain to Dennis everything that Lance and Seth have told her about Lance’s involvement in covering up Kaitlynn Westergart’s murder. Christina makes it clear to Dennis that Lance wasn’t really seeking trouble, that Vincent Rousseau was the one who approached him out of the blue as he was leaving Kaitlynn’s cousin Jessa’s house that evening on the Fourth of July. She also emphasizes that Lance was scared out of his mind and was trapped in an unfortunate situation where he had no full control over a menacing threat like Vincent Rousseau. She makes Dennis understand that Vincent was the one at fault for everything he did, including killing Kaitlynn and trying to get an innocent bystander like Lance involved in his dirty little mess. Lance is remorseful and guilt-ridden, as well as traumatized by the whole experience.

After Christina finishes telling the story, Dennis says, “Thanks for telling me all this, Christina. I’m really sorry that Lance is going through this. It’s such an awful thing that someone dragged him into doing something so awful. But just so we’re clear… He really didn’t know who Kaitlynn was?”

“No, of course not,” Christina insists. “We just moved into town that same week a month ago. The kids were just getting settled into the new lifestyle and everything. There’s no way in hell that Lance or Seth would be acquainted with a pregnant 20-year-old girl. They only knew of her through Jessa; they didn’t know her personally. So, Lance couldn’t have known that it was Kaitlynn whose dead body was in that car with him and Vincent.”

“Yeah, that I believe. That’s very awful and sickening. Shame on that Rousseau dude. He sounds like a real scumbag.”

“Oh, trust me, he is.” Christina chuckles in agreement.

“He sounds like a dangerous person. Anyone who’s willing to ‘accidentally’ kill their own girlfriend on her birthday by causing her to drown to death… That’s the definition of lowlife. Anyway, are you reaching out to me to get some legal advice?”

“Yeah, I am. I just want to know what the state laws are like in Lance’s case and if they’ll be on his side. Basically, I’m trying to see if there’s any way of proving Lance’s innocence in all of this, that he didn’t go into this willingly. It’s like Vincent held a gun to his head, forcing him to do all those awful things. Do you think there’s a way for me to prove that?”

Dennis is silent for a minute. “Christina…” He says slowly, indicating not-so-positive news.

“Oh, boy.” She says with a little chuckle. “Is that a good ‘Christina’ or a bad ‘Christina’?”

“Neutral,” he replies. “I’m going to be straightforward with you. You guys live in Florida, and I’m based in New Jersey. Two different states, two different sets of laws regarding accessory to a felony crime. To answer your question about Lance’s minimal role in the eyes of the law… Florida laws are very strict, unfortunately,” he says slowly, emphasizing the gravity of the whole situation that may impact Lance’s future. “This is the early 2000s. Florida is known for being a tough-on-crime state, even toward minors. That’s the bad news for you.”

Christina sighs in frustration, knowing this is what the outcome will be for Lance. “Got any good news, at the very least? No, wait, before that… How much time will he likely serve if the state laws find him as guilty as Vincent?”

“Thirty years,” Dennis replies. “Never mind the fact that he’s a minor. He’ll have to spend some time in juvenile court until he turns 18 in two years, then he’ll be tried as an adult. Yeah, I know… It’s as bad as it sounds, Christina. I’m very sorry. I hate that this happened to Lance, too.” Then he pauses a moment. “Wait… Lance is the only one involved as the accomplice, right? Not Seth?” He chuckles. “Well, of course, not Seth. Seth’s always been a good kid, right?”

“No, it’s just Lance,” Christina replies with a sigh. “He and Seth took turns explaining the whole thing to me. It’s why Lance had been experiencing nightmares for weeks since Kaitlynn’s disappearance and the investigators came to our place to question us one morning while we were having breakfast. Lance explained everything to Seth, and they both told me everything. Lance found it hard to open up to me, and here I was, thinking he’d been causing trouble since we first got here. But that wasn’t really the case. Trouble came finding him instead, and it’s so unfair.” She groans in frustration. “I hate this for him. He’s going to lose his innocence forever. He’s already been through enough when we were still in New York, reeling from Clarence’s murder and everything… Why this now? Why are we being tortured again for a second time?!”

“Christina… It’s going to be okay,” Dennis reassures her. “Trust me. This doesn’t have to be the end of the world for you guys, or for Lance. Believe me. I hate that Florida’s laws are so strict, but what can we do about it? My advice to you: try to find a good defense lawyer for Lance, should it ever come to that. Has Lance had the opportunity to turn himself in yet?”

“No, he’s scared out of his mind. The Lake Haven PD have yet to find any evidence of Kaitlynn’s death. They don’t have a body yet, so it’s still technically a cold case.”

“Okay, so not all hope is lost just yet. Let’s hope to God that this Rousseau guy or whatever the hell his name is turns himself in. He’s the one who’s mostly at fault here, soliciting a minor into helping him do something horrible. But in the meantime, Christina, I’m going to email you a list of really good defense lawyers in the state and specifically in Lake Haven. Lance really needs one, and I actually have a close friend from Columbia who works as a defense attorney in Lake Haven. I’m going to recommend her to you.”

“That would be nice, Dennis. I’d like to get some good news for once.”

“Of course. Once we wrap up our conversation, I’ll email you the list of names and their contact information. Please keep in mind as you’re contacting each of them, you need to stay open-minded and realistic. Just because they’ll be defending Lance, it doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t believe that he has no full responsibility. 

“If Lance happens to have this much detail about a crime that he had a minimal role in, it’ll still undermine his ‘innocence’, so to say because he unfortunately just happened to be there. Wrong place, wrong time, I know, but still… He was still there, whether he had a choice to get out of the situation or not. He still participated in seeing Kaitlynn’s body put in a garbage bag and all that wonderful stuff. So, he’ll not only make a strong accessory after the fact, but he’ll also make a strong witness to the case. He was there and he saw it all. So, that’s important to the investigation and to a potential jury.”

Christina shakes her head in frustration and disbelief. She wants really badly for Lance to be absolved of any responsibility for the crime. She groans again as Dennis asks her sympathetically, “What are you thinking about right now, Christina? I sense your frustration. It’s awful, I know, and I’m very sorry about this.”

“So many legal terms, you know. I just wish this didn’t happen at all. I don’t understand why Vincent would do this to a poor, innocent child.”

“Yeah, that’s the important thing, though, Christina… As the main perpetrator, he is responsible, and he is an adult, right? He’s 23, and he should’ve known better.”

“Twenty-four, actually,” Christina corrects him.

“Twenty-four, I’m sorry. But as a witness, Lance has proof of Vincent’s culpability, so that’s one of the pros of this whole thing. Vincent’s detailed confession sounds plausible enough, if he and Kaitlynn were the only two with each other that night at the beach and no one else was around. So, in the eyes of the law, he faces the most responsibility and he has a myriad of charges against him, including the coercion of a minor–Lance–into covering up the crime. As for Lance… He truly feels remorseful, doesn’t he?”

“Yes, he does, Dennis. Extreme remorse to the point of hating himself every day when he wakes up and experiencing nightmares every time he sleeps at night.”

“Okay, well, let’s just pray to God that the Lake Haven PD truly believes in him and his innocence and they won’t be so harsh on him. The least they can do is offer him some immunity if he ever agrees to testify in court against Vincent. But they’ll obviously need to have Vincent charged with all the things he’s done so far, whether he confesses to killing Kaitlynn or not. You mention that the investigation is inactive, right?”

“Yes.”

“So, all it takes is for Vincent to confess. Amazing how the case is still a little slow after a month, but Christina… Don’t give up hope yet, okay? There is still hope for Lance. Like I said, I’ll email you a list of all the really strong defense attorneys, and let’s hope to God that one of them believes Lance and is able to stand up for him so that the prosecutors aren’t so tough on him. Because let’s face it… If I were based in Lake Haven right now, I’d be very hard-ass on Lance, no matter how old he is as a minor. That’s just the way the laws operate today. If I didn’t know him personally, I’d still be hard-ass on him and prosecute him to the fullest extent, which includes having him sentenced to three decades behind bars. Yeah, I know, it’s unfair, right? Unfortunately, life isn’t fair, and neither is law and order.

“I know one thing for sure… If Clarence were still here, he’d be facing an ethical and moral dilemma, if he were the one taking the case. I can only imagine how he must feel right now, rolling in his grave. I miss him a lot. How about you? Stupid question, I know.”

“I’m still doing my best to hold up,” Christina replies, “and so are the kids. Before Lance confessed to me about everything, he told me that the reason for his sleepless night after leaving Jessa’s that night was because he still misses his father. Now I wonder if that’s really true, or if that’s a part of his restless night. I know he misses his father, and I know he didn’t want to get involved in this case until that scumbag made him get involved.”

“I know. I can only imagine how Lance must feel. Anyway, do you have any proof of Vincent’s guilt, other than what Lance has told you so far?”

“Yes. This morning, before I went to the grocery store to get a few things for Wendy and Richard, I actually went over to Vincent’s residence to confront him about soliciting Lance into doing this terrible thing. I secretly recorded our conversation, and he confessed to me about everything that’s happened that night with him and Kaitlynn alone on the beach. Very detailed confession, so I knew there’s just no way he was making anything up. The police haven’t found any evidence of Kaitlynn’s death yet, so the confession comes from someone who committed the crime and would be very detailed in explaining how she was dumped in a garbage bag and placed in a dumpster afterward.”

“Exactly. So, he’s got a million charges against him, including the fact that the young lady was pregnant. That’s important for a jury to know. She was pregnant, and based on what you’ve told me, five weeks into it, so she was at her earliest stage. That could impact the sentencing he receives… Which I assure you will be lengthier than Lance’s potential sentencing, depending on how a jury feels about his role in it. As long as Lance expresses true remorse, then I believe there’s no way that he will be found guilty of any major charges or serve any major time. Like I said, you’ll have to find a strong lawyer who will defend him in this. But like I also said, Christina…”

She grins. “I know, Dennis. Be realistic,” she and Dennis say at the same time.

“Yes, indeed. Be realistic, because it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s blameless of anything. That’s how the prosecutor will see it and may play into his emotions. He was still a witness to whatever happened to Kaitlynn, so unfortunately, that’ll never change. Whether he wanted to be there or not… He’s in this now, and there’s no going back. It’s totally awful that he may have to live with this as a constant reminder for the rest of his life. No 16-year-old child should ever have to go through something like this. Just continue to be there for him, Christina. You, your sister Wendy and her husband Richard… Be there for Lance. He needs a lot of support right now. Lance is a vulnerable kid, and you know what he tends to do when he’s in that state of mind.”

“I’ll continue to be there for him, of course. But Seth definitely is there to keep him in place. If it weren’t for Seth, then Lance would certainly be spiraling into a dark place, just like back in New York, and he’d be more susceptible to trouble when it comes his way. Which, ironically, it already did when the likes of that Rousseau monster approached him from out of the blue.”

“Well, as long as Seth is around to hold his brother accountable, then Lance should be fine. It was brave of them to tell you everything about that night, and smart thinking, recording Vincent’s confession. You should turn that in to authorities when you get the chance, and they’ll proceed with the case so that it doesn’t stall any longer. Kaitlynn’s family deserves justice for their daughter, so you’d be doing them a favor by having that confession turned in… Even if it implicates Lance as an accessory.”

“I will, Dennis. Thank you.” She smiles, feeling a little better.

“No problem. It’s what I’m here for.”

“In the meantime, what am I supposed to do about Lance?”

“That’s a vague question.” Dennis chuckles. “Just do what you’ve always been doing this whole time, before he told you and now that he’s told you. Once I email you the list of attorneys, look through each of them as thoroughly as you can, based on their background and qualifications, and choose the one that you think will best represent Lance during this time. If you need any help making that choice, that’s why you’ve got Wendy and Richard. They’re around, aren’t they? You guys should decide together. It’s a group effort because Lance’s life–and his potential future–are at stake here, so we need one person who will truly believe in him and help him get through all of this.”

“Okay, I look forward to seeing your email, then.”

“Great. It’ll take me ten minutes to send out, so is that okay with you?”

“Of course, Dennis. I look forward to seeing what you have for me. Take your time, and I’ll get back to you about that. It was nice hearing from you.”

“You too, Christina,” he says, then hangs up.