Chapter Twenty-seven:

The Trial, and More Trials.

In their defense, The Dahousts claimed that it was Libby who had tried to kill herself, by swallowing sleeping pills and the noxious windshield washer fluid. In an attempt at getting out of the arranged marriage to someone whom she didn't know. Like she was heard to have said to some people, she said she would do it if they, (her parents,) ever were to try to marry her off like they did her brother.

"So, you're here telling this Court," Her lawyer counteracted, "that your daughter and sister: Libby Dahoust who was on the fast track to a promising career in the medical field, and who was madly in love with someone whom you, (coincidentally,) did not approve of? Someone who just happened to show up at your door on the very evening when your daughter was last seen alive and well. Until she was rescued by law enforcement officers bound and nearly dead in her house, her own home. Or what should have been so, like, 'her home.' Your daughter, who was considering moving out of your house to go out and fend for herself. Suddenly gets the bright idea to go and bind and lock herself in the basement. Swallow a handful of sleeping pills. Along with windshield washer fluid and whatever else she could find just hanging around the room that would fast-track the process. All this, while her hands were tied behind her back?" They insisted that although it may not have followed those orders and sequences. Their version of events were the facts as they had occurred. "Several witnesses can testify to the fact that that's what she had said that she would do if we should try to marry her off as we had done to Kamal."

"Do you love your daughter Mr. Dahoust? I repeat the question. Do you love, or even like, do you 'like' your daughter?"

"I love all my children."

"I see, and, armed with those facts," he continued, "those facts that you've just told this Court. You then went and did the very thing that you said she had told you that she didn't want you to do to her, and for her. And had even given you ample warnings, according to your own words; if you ever tried to do it, she would do something terrible to herself. Armed with all of that knowledge, you then went on to do the same thing that she said would solicit those responses on her part. You did that to your child, to your daughter whom you told us that you love so very much. Then went about taking steps to finish off the job and cover your tracks?"

"Objection?" An objection was quickly mounted by the defense. Upon objection from the defense lawyer. He quickly withdrew those comments.

?

The verdict. Found guilty of all charges. This was the verdict for all four of the accused. Libby and I were there on the day the verdict was being read in court. She was out of the intensive care unit by then and was staying at my place most of the time. She wanted to see the proceedings live and in person. It did take some persuading on several fronts, but the care team at the hospital eventually agreed to send her with me to court on the day of the verdict.

The convicts were being escorted out of the courthouse in handcuffs by security guards. Libby and I were standing near the exit when he saw us. Mr. Dahoust saw me standing there with his daughter, the same daughter whom he, his wife, best friend, and his son were arrested and charged, and has now been found guilty of her attempted murder. He saw us standing there, together and halted his steps in the doorway.

"Son of a bitch," he said, staring at me standing there with his daughter who could have, and probably should have died, for all he cared. Thanks to none other than him, her very own sweet loving father, and them, her mother, and her ever-loving brother. His piercing eyes, with such scorn, venom, and guile, just like a sword was cutting at me.

"No sir," I replied in my, by then fast becoming the usual manner. "No sir, I said, you ain't know nothing about me, nor my mother, or anyone else on my family tree for that matter. So don't you go comparing me to what your idea of a family is or ought to be."

The sentencing, if there was any surprise in anybody's mind, it would have been in the length of the sentences. The amount of time each will have to serve. Especially for the younger Dahoust male. "He could be out in less than five years." Thirty-five years without any chance of parole for ten years, for the parents and their friend, the taxi driver. Twenty years for Kamal, with his first chance at parole after serving four. Not nearly enough in the minds of most people, as the reports and comments in the papers and elsewhere would suggest. But that's where things are for the time being.

Lawyers for both the senior Dahousts as well as Kamal had all been giving notices of appeal, at least as was to be heard coming in rhetoric at this point.