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Image: Free Wallpaper from http://www.scenicreflections.com/ ~Sephrena.

Author's Note: Thank you Hope for your encouragement and help in editing. Thanks to Sephrena for making the post look professional. Thanks to all who have commented or left Kudos. ~Barbara.

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Chapter 25: Cross Examination

“Your Honor, I have no more questions for Miss Hartman.”

“Mr. Johnson, your witness.”

Mr. Johnson stood with a smirk on his face. He was going to prove this witness to be a fraud. In his mind, all he had to do was just push this person claiming to be Jesse Hartman, and the web of lies and deceit will come tumbling down.

“Miss Hartman is it? You expect this court to believe that you had an encounter with an ancient god called Coyote?”

“Yes”

“Where is Mr. Jesse Hartman? It is obvious that you are not him.”

“I AM Jesse Hartman.”

“Jesse Hartman is a male which you are not. Therefore, you can not be Jesse Hartman.”

“I Object!” said Mr. Robertson. “The Plaintiff's council has set himself up as judge.”

“Your Honor, you gave the defendant great latitude in the claims of this witness. It is my position that the witness is a fraud and has made up the whole story. I ask for the same latitude to prove my hypothesis.”

“Mr Johnson, I warn you. If you make a mockery of my court or I believe you are trying my patience, I will end this line of questioning.”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

The attorney turned back to the young woman. “Where is Jesse Hartman?” he asked with exasperation in his voice.

“I am Jesse Hartman.”

“Miss! Jesse Hartman is male. You read the birth certificate. So how can you be Jesse Hartman?”

“I was changed from male to female...”

“Yes, yes. We heard your story about meeting an ancient deity while on a SPIRIT QUEST. Anyone can make up such a story. Why should we believe such a tale?”

“Because it is true.”

“Young Lady, everyone knows that deities such as you have described do not exist. Why do you insist that you are Jesse Hartman?”

“I AM Jesse Hartman.”

“To be Mr. Hartman, you would have had to have surgery that I am unsure is available, and you have to pass the standards of psychiatric care to get the surgery. Why don't you tell us who you really are?”

“I AM Jesse Hartman.”

“I have to say you are consistent in your claim.” The lawyer walked back over to his table and picked up his notes and studied them for a few minutes to find his next question. “Are Dr. Henley and Mr. Jesse Hartman friends?”

“I became friends with Dr. Henley after I broke my arm.”

“I didn't ask about you and Dr. Henley. I ask if Mr. Jesse Hartman and Dr. Henley are friends.”

“And I told you that Dr. Henley and I, Jesse Hartman, became friends after I broke my arm.”

“Dr. Henley testified that the DNA evidence indicates that you are the child of my client. My client only had the male child. How is it that he was able to get a DNA sample to match my client from you?”

“I keep telling you I am Jesse Hartman.”

“Are you and Dr. Henley in league with the young Mr. Hartman to deprive my client of his rightful inheritance? Did the doctor falsify the DNA results to prove you are my client's child”

“I OBJECT! Mr. Johnson has no proof or evidence of any evidence tampering. If anyone should be considered for evidence tampering it is the elder Mr. Hartman.”

“Mr. Robertson, I will allow the question this time. But, Mr. Johnson, if you decide to impugn the integrity of a witness such as Dr. Henley again, you better have proof to back it up.”

“Yes, Your Honor.” Turning back to the young shaman, “Now answer the question. Did Dr. Henley falsify the DNA results?”

“Mr. Johnson, I do not know the ways and dealings of unscrupulous lawyers, but I can tell you that Dr. Henley has a reputation of one who tells the truth as befitting a county coroner.” said Jesse coolly.

“Ah, yes, the doctor wears many hats in the small community. He is, also, the local psychiatrist is he not?”

“He does not claim to be a psychiatrist.”

“Didn't the good doctor diagnose your grandfather of being of sound mind?”

“Unlike you and my father, my grandfather was of sound mind.”

The lawyer noticed that he had started to rile the young woman attacking the doctor. He thought if he could get her upset enough with the attacks against the doctor then she would slip in her declarations of being Jesse Hartman. “You didn't answer my question. Didn't Dr. Henley make a diagnoses, of your grandfather, for which he is unqualified?”

“Dr. Henley IS a trained physician.”

“But he is not a psychiatrist.”

“I OBJECT! Your Honor. Lawyers are writing wills all the time. Does Mr. Johnson require a psychiatric examination of each of his clients before he writes their will?”

“Mr. Johnson, I agree with the defendants council. If a lawyer can judge a person to be of sound mind, then I suspect that a doctor is more than capable. Move on.”

“Yes Your Honor.” said the attorney. If attacking the doctor was off limits, he had to find another tack to take. Consulting his notes, he decided he would find a flaw in the transformation story. “Miss, you said in your testimony that you were protected by wolves from a mountain lion?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“How did you know these wolves were there to protect you?”

“I could speak with them.”

“You could speak with them”

“Yes, Sir”

“How were able to communicate with wild wolves? Oh I forget, you are a Shaman. Humans cannot speak with and understand other animals, but you expect us to believe that you can?”

“Sir, I know it sounds crazy, but I can communicate with the pack of wolves that lives in the wild part of the ranch.”

“You indicated that all Hartmans could become part of this special pack. My client has never heard of such and wasn't invited to join this pack.”

“I was told by a pack elder, that my father wouldn't listen to the spirit of the wolf. My grandfather didn't listen either, and the voice of the wolf was fading until I answer the call.”

“The wolves called to you?”

“Yes, sir.”

“The wolves have telephones?”

“No, sir”

“So, how did they call you?”

“They would howl in the distance and I understood them to be inviting me to come run with them.”

“Didn't you think it was dangerous for a young woman to be traipsing around in the woods by herself?”

“When my spirit quest began, I was male and I was heavily armed.”

“Why were heavily armed if you were invited by the wolves to come run with them?”

“One, my grandfather indicated in his letter that I should carry weapons if I went riding in the wild part of the ranch, and, two, I didn't know what I would run into.”

“What weapons did you take with you?”

“I had the lever action carbine rifle that my grandfather gave me and his two Browning 1911 45's that he carried in Vietnam.”

“Are those pistols a bit large for a young girl to carry?”

“They are, but my grandfather taught me how to use them when I was still a male.”

The attorney was getting frustrated in that every attempt he made to get the young woman to slip up wasn't working. He studied his notes again. “Who are the people you referred to in your earlier testimony?”

“The Native Americans refer to themselves as the People. Some refer to themselves as the First Nations.”

“But you were not raised in the ways of the People or know their language?”

“I know some of their ways as my grandfather did teach me some, but I don't know all of their ways nor do I know their languages.”

“How can you be a shaman to a people you do not understand?”

“The Great Spirit and Coyote will teach me and direct me. I, also, have Mr. Two Bears to teach me.”

“You say that the Great Spirit and Coyote will teach and direct you. How?”

“How do born again Christians claim to be led by the spirit? I suspect it may be something similar to that. The Great Spirit just gives me the knowledge that I need to know.”

“The Great Spirit just gives you the knowledge?”

“Yes.”

“Then why do you need Mr. Two Bears?”

“Why do people need preachers and priests? Sometimes it helps to have someone else with the knowledge to teach you.”

“You said that your gifts as a shaman are healing the mind and body and to help spiritually?”

“Yes.”

“If we were to take you into the local hospital, could you heal someone to prove your claim?”

“I don't know. Usually, the Great Spirit brings the paths, of those he wants me to help, across my path. I am rather new at this and I don't know my limitations or exactly what the Great Spirit has in store for me.”

“How much do you charge somebody to heal them?”

“I don't charge anyone for the gifts that have been given to me.”

“Are you a licensed doctor?”

“No sir.”

“You have healed someone?”

“The Great Spirit did the healing.”

“So, you have been practicing medicine without a license?”

“I Object,” said Mr. Robertson.

“Sustained.”

“Let me rephrase the question. How do you heal someone?”

“I am given a chant in the language of the people. As I concentrate on the chant, people are healed.”

“Are you able to understand the chant?”

“I have not yet, But I am hoping that Mr. Two Bears will teach me.”

“But you have not understood the chants. How are you able to know you are chanting healing and not chanting disaster or death on the person?”

“I trust in the Great Spirit to help me.”

Mr. Johnson was beginning to get frustrated. Every attack he had launched has been parried away by this young lady. In his mind, she was trained well to answer his questions. He went back to his notes. There has to be something in here that will allow him to get the upper hand.

“Let’s get back to the Spirit Quest. You said that young Native American men go on these Spirit quests to find their spirit animal?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Is it the custom for young women to go on Spirit Quests?”

“No, Sir”

“Then why did a young lady such as yourself attempt such a quest if it is reserved for young men?”

“When I started the quest I WAS a young man.”

“That's right. You keep claiming that you were a male. And happy to be male. You said you were transformed. Tell us again.”

“I had built a sweat lodge by a lake in the back country.”

The attorney interrupted, “Why?”

“It is the Native American way to cleanse oneself.”

“I thought you said you didn't know the ways of the Native Americans?”

“I said I knew some, but not enough.”

“Okay, go on”

“Mr. Two Bears joined me to teach me the rituals of cleansing and seeking the Spirits.”

“I thought you said that the Great Spirit was giving you the knowledge that you needed?”

“He does now, but at that time I hadn't met Coyote or the Great Spirit.”

“Go on.”

“Sometime while I was fasting and praying I left this earthly realm and entered a spirit realm.”

“How do you mean?”

“I seemed to have floated above the sweat lodge and was looking down on the world until I entered a mist.”

“What happened in the Spirit realm?”

“As I was standing in the mist this large Coyote came to me. It was so large that it looked me in the eyes with out have to rear up on its legs. I bowed to it because I knew I’d met the deity Coyote. The deity asked me to follow it, but I couldn't stand back up. He had changed me into a wolf.”

“Why did He change you?”

“He was taking me before the Great Spirit.”

“So you have MET the Great Spirit?”

“I have.”

“What did He look like?” said the attorney trying to hide his smirk. He knew he had the young woman now.

“He looked very much like a man, but he had a light coming off him. I was scared to be in His presence and couldn't look at Him until he told me to come close.”

“He told you to come close?”

“He wanted to talk to me. He reached out and scratched behind my ear turning my fur white.”

“Is this when you were turn into a female?”

“No. Coyote turned me into a she wolf before he led me into the Great Spirit's presence.”

“Young lady THAT is the most fantastic tale I have ever heard. You expect us to believe that you have met an ancient Deity that led you to another ancient Deity. And in the process, this ancient deity changed you into a female. You have shown no proof that YOU are Jesse Hartman in spite of this fantastic tale.

“It is time to quit telling these fabrications and tell us WHERE is Mr. Hartman?”

“I am Jesse Hartman.”

“Young lady, you can't be Jesse Hartman. You said that these ancient deities made you a shaman of a religion you haven't followed and of a people of which you are not a member. Who is going to follow you? Tell us where Jesse Hartman is so that we can get this hearing over with.?

Jesse could feel her anger as she answered, “I AM Jesse Hartman.”

“Miss, you said that you have spoken to and understood the wolves on the ranch. I don't know if you are delusional in thinking that wolves can communicate with humans or if this is part of the fabrications. If you had actually met wolves in the wild, they would have killed and possibly eaten you. Why won't you tell us where Jesse Hartman is”‹?”

“I KEEP telling you that I AM JESSE HARTMAN.” The young shaman was becoming more angry as she noticed the smirks on the faces of her father and his lawyer.

“You said you have a teacher. One Mr. Two Bears. Have you and Mr. Two Bears done something with the young Mr. Hartman to steal his inheritance?”

“No. I AM JESSE HARTMAN,” she said with a low growl.

The attorney turned his back to the witness, “For you to be here pretending to be Jesse Hartman, and to insist on these wild fabrications, you have either to be completely delusional or you have had to incapacitate the young Mr. Hartman. Which is it?”

The she wolf answered, “I AM JES..growl.”

“What's that? I didn't understand you.”

The judge intervened, “Mr. Johnson, I suggest you face the witness.”

The attorney turned around to face the witness. He could see the white ears of the she wolf extending through the young girls black hair. Also, he noticed her muzzle lengthen and sharpen to the point she could no longer answer. As he looked into her deep blue eyes, he could hear her in his thoughts. “If you continue to anger me and attack those I care about, I will rip your throat out with my teeth.” He saw the young wolf bare her fangs for emphasis. His hand went to his throat to protect it from the ferocious animal.

The color drained from his face as he looked over at his client who was too stunned to move. Then with a shaky voice he turned to the judge, “I..I..have..no..further.” He walked over to the plaintiff's table and sat next to his client.

Jesse was beginning to calm and her face returned to normal, but her ears were still above her hair. “Miss Hartman you may step down.”

“Mr. Robertson, I don't think you need to call another witness,” said the judge. “I am ready to make my ruling.”

“In the case of Mr. Roy Hartman versus Mr. Jesse Hartman, I find on Point One concerning the paternity of the late Mr. Hartman's heir, MISS Jesse Hartman is the legitimate heir to Mr. William Hartman's estate. On Point Two concerning the competency of the late Mr. Hartman, I find that Mr. Hartman was of sound mind at the writing of his will. Therefore, the will of the late Mr. Hartman will stand as being proper and duly witnessed. Court adjourned.”

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To Be Continued...