Exposure

by Morgan

  “I think it’s a fine picture,” he began. “And I will gladly extend to Michelle all my courtesy as an actor.” Kyle then looked at his estranged wife. “We talked about how much fun you would have in this role, and you haven’t even gotten a chance to stretch yet. I think you need this, honey, and I want to help you grow.”

  Nathan paused chewing his breakfast and stared blankly at Kyle. Then he looked at Michelle, did a double take back to Kyle, and then looked at Michelle again.

  Hearing Kyle call her “honey” made her feel like spiders were scaling her back. She looked down at her breakfast and wondered if he had soured her favorite meal forever.

  “I can play nice if you can, Kyle, but I suggest we go no further with the litigation until after we wrap in order to avoid…fresh tension.” Michelle held his gaze. Until that moment, she never realized how ugly he was.

  Nathan nodded his head.

  Kyle was frowning. He suspected a trap. A Michelle-was-going-to-clean-out-their-house-in-the-meantime kind of trap. He shook his head. “We can keep our private affairs private. I see no reason to prolong the inevitable.”

  “Look,” Nathan interjected, “with all due respect, this isn’t about your private affairs. It’s about the movie. I’ve already told the studio that you both assured me you could work well together, and you have now each agreed to do just that. Is it going to be this easy? Are there no exceptions, or rules, or scenes to cut? Let’s dissect this now and make sure we all know what we’re getting back into.”

  “I’d rather not do the shower scene anymore,” Michelle confessed.

  “What?” Kyle shouted. “That’s a horrible idea! It’s one of the best scenes in the movie!”

  They both looked at Nathan to make the final decision.

  He puckered his lips and thought about it for a brief moment before turning to Michelle. “Kyle’s right. It’s a pivotal scene,” Nathan told her solemnly before adding with a wink, “so, you’ll just have to do it alone.”

  “What?” Kyle shouted again.

  “I’m sorry,” Nathan told him. “To be honest, I’ve wanted it that way for a while now. This clinches it.”

  Kyle pouted. He really wanted to have himself on film fondling his soon-to-be-ex-wife.

  “Well then,” he huffed. “Who is she supposed to deliver her lines to if I’m not there?”

  “That’s just it,” Nathan explained. “She thinks you’re there, on the other side of the glass, but you aren’t. She gets to say the lines, but your character never hears them, and it will take the form of an omen that the audience will carry with them to space.”

  “Oh, that’s brilliant!” Michelle was ecstatic. It was the first time since sitting down that she felt she could actually go through with it all.

  “Fine,” Kyle finally said, as if they were waiting for his approval. “But I have a condition of my own.”

  Kyle told them his one demand, which Nathan outright refused.

  “It’s childish and petty, and I won’t allow you to—”

  “It’s my decision, really,” Michelle interrupted Nathan. She was accurate in that Kyle’s terms didn’t technically involve the movie and therefore didn’t require Nathan’s consent.

  “Well?” Kyle pressed. “Do we have a deal?”

  Michelle’s eyes were dry and steady, but she was furious at his cheap move. “Fine.”

  “I won’t enforce it,” Nathan added. “Do you both hear me? You can agree to this, but it’s still my set and I won’t contribute.”

  Kyle looked pointedly at Michelle.

  “Don’t worry,” she said. “You’ll get your wish, Kyle. You always do.”

  When Thomas returned to the jail, he brought an outfit Michelle had picked out for Shaunna’s arraignment hearing.

  “You like this get-up, then?” Thomas asked, his white teeth accenting his own smile.

  “Michelle does,” Shaunna answered. “She says it shows off my neck and shoulders.”

  “Only if you put your hair up,” Thomas suggested.

  Shaunna raised her eyebrows. “Watch this.” She reached into the pocket of the black pants he was holding out for her and pulled out a hair tie.

  Thomas was impressed.

  “I always leave one in these pants, but I’ll bet Michelle checked anyway.” Shaunna’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Michelle didn’t send any shoes?” she asked the attorney.

  Thomas shrugged in defeat and rubbed the back of his neck as he answered. “She did. But the jail has declared that women’s high heels are a lethal weapon. I had to lock them up in the trunk of my car. Sorry.”

  Thomas remained in the common room while Shaunna was escorted back to her cell to change clothes. He hummed Callin’ Baton Rouge and played drums on the table with his strong fingers. He had great rhythm, but possessed a singing voice that sounded like someone being beaten with a sack of cats.

  When Shaunna returned, he nodded his head appreciatively, but not gratuitously. “You look very nice. How do you feel?”

  “Tired.”

  “Are you nervous?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “Not really. I guess I believe you when you say that you can get me out of here today.”

  “I can.” He stood up. “Let’s get to it.”

  Shaunna was led to the nearby courthouse through a dimly lit and refreshingly cool tunnel that ran beneath the parking lot. She kept her eyes cast down at her jailhouse slippers and allowed herself to be escorted up three flights of stairs and into a brightly lit, high-ceilinged courtroom as large as a church’s sanctuary.

  She saw her father right away. He was facing the front of the courtroom, but it was him all right, no doubt about it.

  Alix was there also, as were Michelle and Nathan. And there on the aisle, looking directly at her with wondrous eyes, was David.

  He waved at her in greeting. Shaunna nearly waved back, but she caught herself and nodded a gracious acknowledgment instead. His cheeks grew rosy, and she understood that David suddenly remembered the formal and imposing setting. It wasn’t the right time or place for flirting.

  Shaunna stole another glance in her father’s direction as she passed him to take her seat at the defendant’s table. Gus’s face was serious, but his daughter had long known his eyes were the key to reading his emotional state, and she saw that they were soft and warm. She had his support, and that, more than anything else, calmed her nerves as Thomas organized his papers and prepared for the hearing to commence.

  Shaunna turned to face the empty judge’s bench, and her gaze landed on the gavel resting there.

  Very soon, its noise would punctuate the course of her future.

  When Thomas was finished sorting his notes, he leaned in toward Shaunna and whispered in her ear. “Just be polite. Answer the judge’s questions honestly but quickly, and let me take care of the rest. Your part will be very textbook, very black and white. You don’t need to worry about anything else. All right?”

  Shaunna nodded once and said nothing.

  Suddenly, there was a buzzing of activity from the gallery behind them. Shaunna was well familiar with the annoying, swarming noise of the press following her former client’s movements, so she kept her focus on the gavel.

  Kyle Petersen strode gracefully down the aisle as though he were in the middle of filming a scene. His head was held high, and he was impeccably dressed for the occasion in an expensive, eye-catching suit. His face was serene and betrayed no emotion as he took in the sight of his soon-to-be-ex-wife, his current director, his former publicist, and her father.

  Gus Noble glanced casually at the actor and then looked away.

  As Kyle was taking his seat in the front row, directly behind the DA’s table, Thomas turned slowly in his chair and raised his eyes to his former friend. The movement caught the movie star’s attention, and when he made eye contact with Shaunna’s attorney, he sneered and uttered a choice expletive or four.

  Satisfied with the greeting, Thomas grinned and turned aw
ay from the actor, chuckling to himself.

  Kyle angrily crossed his arms and glared at the attorney’s back.

  Michelle watched Kyle’s reaction carefully and began clenching her hands in worry. If she had thought her idea through, she never would’ve made the phone call which invited that poisoned friendship and bad blood into Shaunna’s tenuous situation.

  “All rise.”

  The bailiff’s booming voice startled Shaunna, and she gave him her immediate attention. Right on cue, a door at the front of the courtroom opened and an even beefier, middle-aged man with a full head of black hair and wearing a black robe emerged to take his seat behind the bench.

  “Judge Phillip Barnes presiding over bail hearings seventeen-ten through seventeen-sixteen.” The bailiff spoke with an experienced and even tone. “This is case number one-seven-one-zero, Your Honor—the State of Texas versus Shaunna Irene Noble.”

  Only the bailiff’s last few words, spoken directly to the judge, indicated that the matter at hand was anything but routine. “This is the one they’ve been waiting for.”

  “So it is,” Judge Barnes agreed as his emotionless dark brown eyes looked directly at Shaunna.

  “You may be seated,” the bailiff instructed as Judge Barnes turned his attention to the case file in front of him.

  Everyone complied and settled into an anticipatory silence.

  A tall woman with flowing strawberry blond hair was occupying the table next to Shaunna’s. Her striking looks were accented by her crisp, black Ann Taylor skirt suit. Thomas Harper studiously looked her over as they stood up and sat back down.

  Thomas nudged Shaunna and whispered in her ear. “That’s Valerie Manchester, Harris County District Attorney.”

  Shaunna turned to Thomas, her eyes wide. She understood perfectly that the DA’s attendance at a simple bail hearing was not a good sign for her. Manchester was as cool as an iceberg, and just as substantial, in Shaunna’s opinion.

  “So, this is the case of the girl who allegedly threw the movie star’s stuff away,” Judge Barnes declared to the quiet onlookers.

  Thomas stood up quickly. “Yes, Your Honor. I’m representing Miss Noble. Thomas Harper, LLM.”

  “Oh.” Judge Barnes sat back and crossed his arms. “A Master of Laws. Well, are we going to see some fancy tongue work from you today?”

  “Not with my clothes on, Your Honor,” Thomas quipped.

  Although a few chuckled, most of those assembled in the gallery sat in surprised silence while the district attorney rolled her eyes. Judge Barnes nearly suppressed a smile.

  “And how is it that a California lawyer is practicing law in the Lone Star State, Mr. Harper?”

  “I’m here pro hac vice, Your Honor,” Thomas added. “I believe the court processed the paperwork yesterday.”

  Judge Barnes was not visibly impressed as he turned his focus toward the DA. When his eyes met her iridescent blue ones, his face softened.

  “Good afternoon, Ms. Manchester. You know, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen so many sparkling personalities in my courtroom at once.” When the DA merely nodded at his playful comment, Judge Barnes shifted gears. The sound of his creaking chair was audible as he leaned forward to examine the paperwork resting in front of him. The pro hac vice form was indeed included.

  “I see here that the DA’s office has charged—” the judge peered once again at Shaunna “—Miss Noble with Disturbing the Peace, Destruction of Property, and First Degree Grand Theft. Is that correct?”

  “Yes, Your Honor,” Manchester confirmed simply, her posture radiant with confidence.

  “How does your client plead, Mr. Harper LLM?”

  “Not guilty, Your Honor,” Thomas answered.

  The judge turned once again to the DA. “Do you have anything to add before I assign bail, Ms. Manchester?”

  Valerie stood up. “She’s a wealthy Hollywood insider, Your Honor, with the financial means to travel anywhere in the world. She must be considered a flight risk, and I respectfully request that bail be denied.”

  The audience immediately began to stir and mumble their disapproval, and Thomas capitalized on the brewing emotion in the gallery.

  “Are you insane?” Thomas asked her directly.

  Valerie turned her head sharply toward him. Her eyes flashed with anger, but she was interrupted before she could respond in kind.

  “Order!” Judge Barnes commanded as he simultaneously struck his gavel on the wooden bench.

  He deliberately waited until the spectators were calm before getting the proceedings back on track.

  “Your client does have the means,” Judge Barnes corrected Thomas, “and she resides in a very congested state over a thousand miles away from this courthouse. It would be very easy for her to disappear.”

  Thomas took a moment to grin. He then straightened his vest. “Miss Noble may be able to fly back home to California. In fact, I quite expect she will if a trial date is set several months from now. But what we are determining here is whether or not she’ll return to Houston for any and all future proceedings, and I can guarantee you that she will.”

  “How can you do that?” Judge Barnes asked.

  “Your Honor, my client wants to resolve this matter and cooperate fully with the court. Precedence in this county demonstrates it’s commonplace to extend this kind of latitude toward a defendant charged with a first-time offense. Yet, that is inconsequential compared to the fact that Miss Noble is already prepared to discuss terms of a settlement with the DA’s office. Unfortunately, they seem to have misplaced my number.”

  “We are not interested in any deals,” Valerie barked. “Besides, she’d probably just throw anything we had to offer her to the gallery.”

  The retort produced a chuckle or two inside the courtroom, but Thomas was not deterred.

  “Your Honor, my client has responsibilities here in Houston for the next two months. She isn’t even going to be outside of the city limits until then. Also, I must stress once again that Miss Noble has no prior convictions, arrests, or even speeding tickets. In her two days in the Harris County jail, she was a model prisoner, and she has a community service record back home that would make a nun feel like a slacker.”

  Judge Barnes chewed on his thoughts before turning back to the DA. “What are the State’s intentions?”

  Valerie answered with a tone of strong determination. “She came here to flaunt the law, Your Honor. I want to see that she remains to sample the consequences. However, I’ll only be asking for a sentence of five years, as well as full restitution and the usual fines.”

  The judge was nodding his head. He looked at Shaunna, and the fear on her face made up his mind for him.

  “Bail is denied.” Judge Barnes lifted up his gavel to the sound of more shocked gasps, but before he could bring it down with a decisive thud, Thomas spoke up.

  “Your Honor, my client changes her plea to guilty.”

  Chapter Twelve

  THE JUDGE DREW A DEEP BREATH before setting his gavel down gently on the bench. He laced his fingers together as he attempted to analyze the motive for Harper’s tactic.

  Under the table, Thomas grasped Shaunna’s hand and squeezed. The gesture said trust me, and despite the fact that she could suddenly feel her heartbeat in her small jailhouse slippers, she did.

  “My client requests the opportunity to apologize to Mr. Petersen and the court before sentencing,” he stated.

  Judge Barnes looked at Shaunna. “Please rise.”

  Shaunna stood on shaky legs. David had been watching her closely and actually twitched with the need to steady and comfort her.

  “Do you understand what it means to change your plea to guilty?”

  Shaunna nodded, and although she was terrified, she was also somewhat relieved. She had committed the act, and everyone with access to a television or the Internet knew she’d done it. How was she supposed to walk back into the courtroom and sit through a trial that would include video proof of her actions?


  “Speak up, Miss Noble. We need your answer for the record.” The judge spoke with an irritated tone.

  “Yes, Your Honor. I understand.”

  “Tell me in your own words what you did,” Judge Barnes requested.

  Shaunna looked briefly at Thomas, who nodded his encouragement.

  “I was angry at Mr. Petersen, so I threw his belongings to the crowd gathered on the movie set while he was inside his trailer, taking a shower. I didn’t realize his watch was worth so much money, and I am deeply sorry for losing my temper and reacting the way I did. I should have just quit my job as his publicist and left it at that, but the argument we had hurt me, and I wanted to punish him. So, I deserve to be punished in return.” Shaunna looked the judge in the eye the entire time she spoke, but she began to cry near the end of her statement as exhaustion and remorse began to break through the surface.

  A deep and tense silence took hold of the audience as they waited for the judge’s decision.

  “That, Miss Noble, was an honest confession,” Judge Barnes reassured the defendant. “And believe me, I don’t hear many.” He looked toward the gallery. “Kyle Petersen, step forward please,” he ordered.

  Kyle made his way to the aisle and stood between the two tables, placing himself in the center of the courtroom.

  “Are you prepared to testify at what has just become a sentencing hearing?”

  “No, sir.”

  “No?” The judge was visibly annoyed. “Well, enlighten me, Mr. Petersen. How much preparation time do you need to testify?”

  “I don’t need any time,” he answered plainly. “I no longer wish to pursue the matter.”

  Judge Barnes looked perturbed. “Why not?”

  “I’ve been fairly compensated for the items I lost…” He saw the judge sit up straight and added quickly, “By an outside party, Your Honor. I’ve had no contact with Shaunna or her…attorney. Anyway, given our history together, I would prefer it if the issue was closed.” Kyle spoke with conviction, but appeared uncomfortable.