It Should Be a Crime

by Carsen Taite

  “Fine, Dex. If you’re going to threaten me. But I’m holding you to your promise—a full workout after we meet.”

  “Yeah, like I scare you. It’s a deal.”

  Parker let Dex lead her to the library where he had reserved one of the small study rooms available for this purpose.

  *

  “Hi there, have you eaten?”

  Morgan looked up from the papers she’d been pretending to study and flashed a weak smile at her visitor. “Hi, Jim. Actually, no. I haven’t.”

  “Then join me. I was about to head to out for lunch.”

  Morgan vacillated between her desire to wallow in self-pity over the incident with Parker and the competing desire to socialize in this new environment. The recent confrontation had robbed her of an appetite, but she realized life on campus was so much easier when you had some friends or at least acquaintances to point out all the inside information. She hated continually bugging Yolanda with questions, so she’d best buck up and make nice with Jim Spencer. He had taught at the university for so long there was likely nothing he didn’t know. Morgan pushed aside lingering regret over her disturbing encounter with Parker and agreed to join him for lunch.

  “Thanks, Jim. I’d love to join you.”

  Within twenty minutes they had walked across the street and were seated at Peggy Sue BBQ in Snyder Plaza, a unique blend of upscale shops, eclectic restaurants, and college textbook stores. Morgan glanced over the menu and remarked, “Good thing I’m not a vegetarian.”

  “Oops, guess I should’ve asked,” Jim said. “I hope you like barbeque. It’s kind of a prerequisite if you’re going to live in Texas.”

  Morgan smiled. “I guess Dean Ramirez didn’t tell you I grew up here. I’ve eaten more than my fair share of brisket and ribs over the years.”

  “Well then, I challenge you to a rib-eating duel. Let’s order the combination rib platter and see who can eat the most!”

  Laughing at his exuberance, Morgan placed her order, eschewing his challenge in favor of a brisket plate with fried okra and squash casserole. As Jim gave his order to their waitress, she sized him up. He appeared to be in his mid-fifties, with graying hair. She could tell he cared about his appearance. He wore an expensive suit, carefully tailored, definitely not off the rack. Many full-time professors opted for the “I don’t need to conform to the image of workaday lawyers,” which resulted in a poorly matched, ill-fitting parade of outfits. Morgan was relieved to see she wasn’t the only one to buck the trend.

  Morgan decided to use the time waiting for their food to gently pump Jim for information about the school, and she decided to be direct about it.

  “So, Jim, tell me everything I need to know about our fine law school to make this year go as smoothly as possible.”

  “Ah, a lady who cuts to the chase. I like, I like.” Jim cocked his head. “First, let me be direct. Do you have dinner plans for Saturday night?”

  “Turnabout is fair play, I suppose. I’ll be equally direct. I do not have dinner plans, but I am fresh from a breakup and have no interest in anything other than platonic friendships.” Morgan decided she could be direct without full disclosure. As far as she knew, Yo was the only one on faculty who knew she was a lesbian and, while she didn’t go out of her way to hide her sexual orientation, she didn’t feel the need to advertise it either.

  “So, you’re not gay, just freshly burned?”

  Though their exchange had thus far been refreshingly direct, Morgan was taken aback by the focus on her sexuality. She was used to speculation about her sexual orientation. Living in the limelight, as she had the last decade, she’d had to face the question from inquiring press minds. Somehow she’d managed to deflect, quick to point out the subject was entirely irrelevant to the issue at hand, which usually concerned one of her cases or a case on which she was asked to consult. She had declined all requests for personal interviews and, she reflected with a grimace, she and Tina had been living separate lives for so long the mere fact they shared an address didn’t provide any direct evidence of an intimate relationship between them. She stared across the table attempting to assess his sincerity. Finally calculating her trust would be well placed with Jim Spencer—after all, Yo would certainly have warned her otherwise—she decided to tell him the truth.

  “Yes, on top of my other reasons for not wanting to date, I’m a lesbian. Are you still buying lunch, because I’m planning on having dessert.” She watched as Jim worked his way through her remark, finally deciding she was kidding with him.

  “Okay, now we have the important matters settled. So, I have first-base seats to the Rangers game Saturday. Care to join me? Aren’t the folks who play for your team good at catching fly balls?” Jim waited through the several seconds it took for Morgan to realize she was being teased back by an artful kidder.

  “Deal. Now, you owe me some intel.”

  “What do you want to know about first, faculty or students?”

  Morgan reflected before answering. “Students, since I’m already in the midst of dealing with them.”

  Jim spent the next half hour giving her the spiel on the various groups of second- and third-years she was likely to encounter in her classes. As he talked, Morgan was grateful she had accepted both the lunch invitation and Jim’s overtures at friendship. He was going to be a valuable source of information, and he was harmless.

  “Use Casey and Gallagher, they’re both great students and they know everyone else in the school.”

  Morgan realized she had missed part of Jim’s remarks during her musings. “Pardon?”

  “Dex Gallagher and Parker Casey. They’re in your trial practice seminar.”

  “Sorry. Yes, they are. What can you tell me about them?”

  “They have a friendly rivalry to be first in their class, which drives them both to be the best students they can be. Their study group consistently gets top marks in all their classes. Plus they’re both older than the average student, so they have more life experience and perspective. Personally, I find the older students refreshing.”

  “I know what you mean. Sometimes I can’t imagine being as young and naïve as some of these kids. I think the ones who’ve already been out in the working world have a better shot at being successful in whatever field of law they choose to practice.” She waited, hoping Jim would continue to provide detail about at least one of his favorite students. She didn’t have to wait long.

  “I agree. Gallagher was a DEA agent before he came to law school, which probably explains his earnest desire to be on the ‘right’ side of the law and order equation. Casey has an interesting background as well. You should get her to tell you more about it. Suffice it to say, she has a tendency to root for the underdog. She’s worked the entire last summer at the Tarrant County public defender’s office. She’s not afraid to work harder than everyone else, which probably explains why she’s on track to graduate top in her class.”

  Morgan concealed her surprise. She had made assumptions about Parker Casey and they were wrong. Apparently, Parker’s skills included more than merely mixing drinks. She felt the heat of her own blush as she reflected on her personal experience with the skills of Parker Casey. Fighting away the heat of the memory, she spoke. “She seems to be very perceptive.” Morgan shuddered internally at the lameness of her remark. She looked up from her plate and noticed Jim was gazing intently in her direction. “What?”

  He shrugged. “You’re very astute. She does have a way of sizing up a situation. You’re pretty perceptive yourself, especially for someone who’s been teaching here all of one day.”

  “Why thank you, Professor Spencer.” Morgan put her fork down, sighing. “If I eat one more bite, I will surely die.”

  “Doubtful, but you will surely sleep through your afternoon office hours. I guess this means I don’t have to buy you dessert?”

  “Hell no. I will, however, take a rain check in the form of ice cream at the ball game on Saturday.”

  Jim stood and
motioned to the cash register in the front of the restaurant. “Ice cream it is, but please don’t say ‘rain’ in the same sentence as ‘ball game.’”

  Morgan smiled and accompanied him back to campus. She was grateful to have had the distraction from thinking about her confrontation with Parker Casey, though she was certain the reprieve was short-lived.

  Chapter Five

  In the classroom, Parker was glad for the opportunity to sit wherever she wanted. Many law school professors, too important to be bothered with the task of learning their students’ names, had their students all sit in the same places for each class so they could refer to a chart rather than their memory for the appropriate appellation. Apparently, Professor Bradley didn’t need the extra assistance to learn her students’ names, Parker thought.

  She had been simultaneously dreading and welcoming the second session of class. Following the meeting with her study group yesterday afternoon, she had retired to the gym and put herself through a rigorous two-hour workout. Her attempt to exhaust her mind with physical exertion was an utter failure, however, and she’d been able to think of little other than the striking Morgan Bradley in the hours since.

  Parker glanced around for Dex. She had expected him to be in class already, especially since he had their completed first assignment with him. It had been interesting, though not hard in the least. Each pair had been assigned the task of locating a movie clip that contained an example of what they thought were excellent cross-examination techniques. Parker had to admit the assignment had been fun. Dex and Parker had descended on the local video rental store and cleaned them out of legal dramas and even comedies, since Dex lobbied hard for My Cousin Vinny.

  Dex slid into his seat at the same moment Professor Bradley strode into the room. Today she sported a slightly more casual ensemble than the day before, but she was still impeccably groomed. The sleek, classic lines of her charcoal gray gabardine pantsuit cried out expensive tailoring and Parker idly contemplated whether Morgan had her suits custom made. Those thoughts dissolved into wondering whose hands had been lucky enough to drape fine cloth over the beautiful body standing before her now, fast followed by unbridled jealousy toward the imagined tailor. A punch in the ribs startled her out of her musings.

  “Did you hear a word I said?”

  Parker half turned to Dex and pretended to pay attention. “Sure, something about the DVD,” she guessed.

  “Uh, no. But I have the DVD right here,” Dex whispered, nodding to the front of the room. “I wanted to talk to you about the study group, but it looks like we’re about to get started here.”

  Parker followed his glance back to the front of the room. “I’ve got some free time after class. We can talk then.”

  *

  Once class started, Morgan Bradley commanded the stage. “I’m sure many of you wonder why I decided to start with cross-examination techniques.” Noting several nodding heads, she continued, “It’s true, most trial and evidence classes begin with what evidence is admissible and the skills involved in direct examination. Frankly, I don’t have a strategic reason, but I think crossing witnesses is the most fun a lawyer can have—legally, anyway.

  “Which team wants to go first?” Morgan forced herself not to look in the direction her eyes had been drawn since she walked in the room. She was having trouble deciding how to deal with the fact she and Parker were destined to spend many hours a week together in roles so very different than the ones they had occupied the night they met. Her body could not deny the force of feeling that swept through it every time she glanced Parker’s way. Parker Casey possessed head-turning good looks requiring no assistance from wardrobe and makeup. Today she wore a T-shirt and jeans, the same or similar to the well-worn 501s Morgan had peeled off her the night they met. Her hair was rumpled and fell in endearing chaos to twist around her ears and collar. Morgan sighed as she felt a searing need to run her hands through Parker’s thick hair and create some chaos of her own. This is never going to work, she thought ruefully.

  Years of practice made it possible for her to hide her personal feelings and forge ahead. She called on team after team, studiously avoiding the Gallagher-Casey duo until last. When she finally ran out of other options, she turned her attention to the final pair and hoped against hope they didn’t have another DVD of My Cousin Vinny to offer. I know Dallas is a big city, but seriously, how many copies of the damn movie are still in existence, she wondered.

  Dex took the lead while Parker acted as AV aide to his running commentary. The clip they chose was from A Few Good Men, the scene where Tom Cruise’s Lieutenant Kaffee tangled with Jack Nicholson’s Colonel Jessup. Dex was animated in his presentation of this defense lawyer cross-examination which Morgan found amusing considering his devotion to the prosecutorial side of legal practice.

  “So, what’s your favorite part of this cross-examination?” Morgan directed the question to Dex since he was obviously the lead showman in this particular presentation.

  “I guess it would have to be the part where Jack Nicholson gets into it with Tom Cruise and starts screaming ‘You can’t handle the truth.’ Makes for some great high drama.”

  “Oh, it’s definitely great drama.” Turning to the class, Morgan switched back into lecture mode. “I chose this particular exercise for a reason, and I’m pleased to report the clips each of you chose demonstrated my next point perfectly.” Pausing for effect, she continued, “Drama is for the movies or TV. It’s the result of highly scripted dialogue designed to elicit the maximum punch. It cannot be replicated in the courtroom. Good drama in the courtroom is organic. It comes from all the pieces coming together in a way you cannot plan for because you don’t control all of the elements.

  “What you can do, however, is be prepared. Be prepared with knowledge and skill. When you finish with this class, you will have superior skills you can translate into any situation, in any case. You will be skilled at conducting an efficient and slaying cross-examination. If, at some point in your career, you also get to be a part of some amazing courtroom drama, consider it a bonus.”

  Morgan waited a moment to let her pronouncement sink in. She was aware her words disappointed some in the group who thought the hotshot lawyer was here to teach them how to attain fame and fortune in a few easy steps. Better they figure it out now, she decided. Most trials were fairly boring, and though she’d had more than her fair share of movielike moments in the courtroom, those moments were few in comparison to the hundreds of unexciting but razor-edged cross-examinations that won her cases time and time again.

  *

  Parker was impressed by Morgan’s honesty. She undoubtedly had an arsenal of tales to tell, all casting her in the starring role of winning criminal defense lawyer. However, instead of resorting to replays of The Morgan Bradley Show, she seemed genuinely interested in teaching real skills at the risk of making her accomplishments look achievable to the average lawyer.

  The next hour was in lecture format and Morgan finished by handing out assignments for the next class. Parker glanced over the assignment and realized she and Dex were probably going to need to schedule a regular time to meet in addition to their usual study group meetings. This particular assignment provided a case study, complete with relevant facts and listed witnesses whose cross-examination they were to prepare. They would take the role of witness and lawyer respectively and “perform” their examinations for the rest of the class.

  As the students trickled out of the classroom, Parker hung back, hoping to catch a moment alone with Morgan. Their encounter the day before had been eating away at her, and she sincerely wanted to square things between them. For all her words of bravado, she agreed with Morgan. There was no way they could repeat what happened between them. It wasn’t practical, and she was sorry she’d let her pride get in the way of agreeing when Morgan brought up the issue.

  As she waited, she grew increasingly frustrated at the number of other students who also seemed intent on a moment alone with Morgan.
Watching Morgan patiently answer each question, Parker started to fume. She was reaching her boiling point when she felt a tap on her shoulder and she twisted around, ready to strike.

  “Whoa there, don’t hit me!” Dex feigned a look of fear.

  Parker relaxed. A little. She wasn’t used to being frustrated with Dex, but lately his timing left a lot to be desired. Parker took a deep breath and told herself there was no way Dex could possibly read her mind.

  “Sorry, I’m a little tense today.”

  “A little? Whatcha hanging around for?”

  It would seem strange if she told him she wanted to talk to the professor about the assignment since they would be working on it together, she thought. Oh well, it’s not like I’m not going to see her again soon.

  “No reason. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next.”

  “How about a workout and then we can grab some dinner while we go over this assignment?”

  Thinking a strenuous workout was probably the best medicine for her tension, Parker agreed.

  Chapter Six

  Morgan liked the look of the restaurant. It had the feel of being in someone’s home. Someone’s very well-kept, well-designed home. Paintings from local artists adorned the walls and the bar area had a cozy feel. She glanced around looking for the woman whose photo she had seen on the Internet.

  “Can I help you?”

  Morgan turned in the direction of the deep voice. The woman posing the question was dressed in khaki pants, an oxford cloth button-down shirt, and Doc Martens, all items signaling “uniform.” Short-cropped hair and a sturdy bearing also signaled “lesbian,” and Morgan vaguely remembered Yolanda mentioning the Lakeside was owned by a lesbian. Taking a chance, Morgan thrust out a hand.