Lone Witness

by Rachel Dylan

“And how was it?”

  “Whitney was pushing for a plea deal for Shelton to put this thing to bed. Of course they’re worried about further fallout that could come from a trial. They’ve already suffered a PR hit from the local news stories and Shelton’s arrest. She’s making a case for her company, and my boss wanted me to hear it. I have to ask you, though—do you think Shelton or SIB could be behind anything that has happened to me?”

  He ran his hand through his hair. “Anything is possible. But given how personal this is for Juan Wade, I think his organization is the prime suspect, at least in the attack against you. I’m still uneasy about that lurker. It’s entirely possible that he isn’t connected to Wade at all and has to do with this SIB thing. But that’s pure speculation. I’d want more evidence before I jumped to that conclusion. Just because the bank might be complicit in some shady scheme doesn’t mean that they’d actually come after you.”

  “Yeah. We know that Wade has it out for me. Maybe I’m just being paranoid about SIB and Whitney Bowman, but something about the entire situation has me on edge.”

  “What are you planning to do?”

  She crossed her arms. “I’m not going to roll over, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

  He grinned. “You haven’t given me any indication that rolling over would be your style.”

  “I do this job for a reason.” Her voice didn’t waver. “To gain justice for those who have been wronged. At the point where I start negotiating away those principles, there’s no point in me being a prosecutor.”

  He didn’t know if she was overly idealistic, but he admired her tenacity. “So that’s why you chose to be a prosecutor?”

  “Absolutely. I didn’t go to law school with the idea that I’d become a hotshot corporate lawyer working in Big Law. That was the dream of most of my classmates, but not me. Although since we’re in full disclosure mode, I’m in a position financially where I get to make that type of decision. I have a freedom others don’t have. I didn’t have to take out loans for law school, so I know that I’m privileged to be able to do what I’m passionate about. I don’t have to worry about a school loan the size of a mortgage like most of my classmates had. If you take on that kind of debt, you have no choice but to work in Big Law.”

  Since she’d brought it up, he figured it best to get it all out there. “You don’t even need to work, do you?”

  Sophie shook her head. “No. My father’s inheritance is substantial, and on top of that he has made his own way in the real estate business. But I’m not the kind of person to sit around all day living off a hefty trust fund. I want my life to have meaning. God gave me the skills to make a difference in the courtroom, and I feel an obligation to act. I don’t want to sit back. I need to push and challenge myself.”

  He couldn’t relate to her way of life. Trust fund wasn’t even in his vocabulary. “I suspect we grew up in vastly different worlds.”

  She took another sip of water. “I realize how fortunate I am. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to go into public service. But I’ll tell you this—I would give up every penny to have my mom around. The things I want most in life money can’t buy.”

  He knew that Sophie’s mother wasn’t alive, but he didn’t know the full story. “She died when you were young?”

  She looked down, and her shoulders slumped. “In childbirth. I never even knew her.”

  He couldn’t even imagine that type of loss. Of never knowing your mother. “I’m sorry, Sophie.”

  “It’s all right. It’s not the kind of thing you ever fully get over, but it helps that my dad and I are so close. What about your family?”

  He had said open and honest, but he had his boundaries. It probably wasn’t the time to air all of his dirty laundry. “I was close with my mom. She passed away a few years ago. My dad and I are not close. Never were, and never will be. We had a rocky relationship growing up.” That might be the understatement of the year. “Let’s just say that my father is not a very good man.”

  Instead of prying, she made eye contact with him and gave him a little nod. “Family stuff can be difficult and messy. But I can’t wait for the day when I have a family of my own. I love being a prosecutor, but being a mom is really my deepest desire. I know it may sound silly, but not having my mom around has made me want to be a mother even more. Being a mom will be my most important job ever.”

  “That’s not silly at all.” He was the strange one who had no desire whatsoever to have a family and couldn’t bear the thought of becoming like his old man. He shifted in his seat, eager to talk about something else. “What’s next for the SIB case?”

  “We have a hearing on a motion to change venue tomorrow. I guess you’ll be attending?”

  “Yes, I will. Set the alarm when I leave, and I’ll be back in the morning to take you to court.”

  “I guess there’s no point at this juncture in me asking if that’s really necessary?”

  “You can always ask, but I think we both know the answer.”

  The target was on Sophie’s back, and it wasn’t going away anytime soon.

  Chapter

  Nine

  Sophie walked into the courtroom the next morning, eager to hear Leland’s attempt to convince the court of his arguments. She settled in, pulled out her notes, and booted up her laptop.

  “Good morning, counselor.” Leland popped up at her table. He looked put together as always in a dark navy suit with a checkered tie. He frowned at her. “Sophie, what in the world happened to you?”

  She knew he was referring to her black eye. “I was attacked the other day in Midtown.”

  Leland’s eyes widened. “I had no idea. Are you all right?”

  He apparently had a bit of a soft side, as it seemed like he actually cared. “Thanks for asking. I’ll be fine.”

  He took a step closer. “Did they catch the guy?”

  “No. And they aren’t optimistic.”

  “You gotta be careful out there.”

  She was ready to shift topics. “You’re really going out on a limb on this one. It’s a stretch even for you.” She enjoyed verbal sparring, and Leland was always up for it. But she had to admit this motion had her scratching her head. It seemed like a total waste of time unless he had a big surprise up his sleeve.

  “Things aren’t always open and shut, Sophie. Especially on my side of the fence.” He walked away to his table.

  What an odd thing to say. She had no idea what he was getting at, but she figured she’d find out soon. These types of motions were usually only granted in the most extreme cases, like when the case was so well-known and personal to a huge swath of the community that the defendant couldn’t get a fair trial. That wasn’t the case here.

  Judge Lucy Bernard entered the courtroom a couple minutes later, and Sophie rose from her chair.

  “Please have a seat.” Judge Bernard was one of the newer members to the bench and a former plaintiff’s lawyer at Kate’s firm. She’d only been a judge for about two years. Her former life as a plaintiff’s lawyer hadn’t shown in her decisions, as her record was down the middle. “Mr. Kingsley, this is your motion today on a change of venue.”

  “Yes, Your Honor,” Leland said.

  “Then let’s get right to it.” The judge took off her reading glasses and looked at Leland.

  Sophie took her seat while Leland started to present his argument. Judge Bernard was known for a hot bench, meaning she asked a lot of questions. She also wasn’t much for procedure. She ran her courtroom as she saw fit.

  “I’m asking for Your Honor to consider my motion for change of venue. My client, Glen Shelton, an employee of Southern Investment Bank, simply can’t get a fair trial in Fulton County. There’s too much connection between SIB and members of the local community.”

  “Let me stop you right there,” the judge interrupted.

  Just like Sophie had thought. Judge Bernard wasn’t going to let Leland talk for long.

  “What is your argument b
ased upon? Pretrial publicity? Because as I look around this courtroom, it isn’t exactly a media frenzy right now.”

  “Pretrial publicity is just one factor. And once the news media do home in on this case, the publicity will be there.”

  Judge Bernard jumped back in. “But you concede it’s not there now.”

  “I haven’t conceded anything, Your Honor.” Leland’s arrogance oozed out of him. “We have to look at this in the broader sense—the interests of justice. My client deserves a fair trial.”

  “I still fail to see the connection you’re making about why it can’t happen in this county and in my courtroom,” the judge responded.

  “Because a large number of residents in this county bank at SIB. They will feel personally affronted, and that will negatively impact how they view my client. That type of bias must be rejected, and you can solve this problem.”

  “What do you say, Ms. Dawson?” the judge asked.

  “I think Mr. Kingsley is stretching. While Your Honor clearly has the power to make such a determination, I don’t think Mr. Kingsley has nearly carried his burden here. His position is vague, and it’s not clear why jurors would hold any bias against his client. Even if the jurors bank at SIB, they wouldn’t be the individuals affected by this lawsuit. I think we have to balance the interests of the citizens of Fulton County here as well. This isn’t a one-sided analysis. The bar is high for changing venue, and we’re not even close in my opinion, based on what Mr. Kingsley presented in his motion and states here today.”

  Leland cleared his throat. “But that risk is just too great in a criminal proceeding. Why take it?”

  Judge Bernard shook her head. “I’m not in the business of risk mitigation, Mr. Kingsley. That’s not my role here. If this is all you have, I’m ready to make my ruling.”

  “I would caution you not to be so hasty.”

  Had he really just said that to the judge?

  “And, Mr. Kingsley, I would caution you to watch your tone in my courtroom.”

  He stood tall. “My obligation is to my client. Not to you or this courtroom.”

  Wow, Sophie couldn’t believe he was doing this. Maybe he was trying to intimidate the judge, but she didn’t think that was going to happen.

  Leland was undeterred. “I want to make sure the Court understands that my client will be irreparably harmed by having his case heard in Fulton County. Jurors will be too close to the case to be objective.”

  Sophie decided to keep her mouth shut. She was ahead right now, and if she spoke, she only risked the ire of the judge.

  “Motion denied. The trial will take place here in my courtroom in Fulton County.” Judge Bernard didn’t even look at Leland, but instead rose from her seat and exited the courtroom.

  Sophie started to pack up her stuff, and Leland approached her.

  “Can you believe her?” he asked.

  “It’s more like can I believe you? Since when do you treat a judge with an attitude like that?”

  “I don’t like or respect her. I’ll be filing another motion for recusal based on her bias against me.” He paused. “We have some past history together.”

  “Like, personal?”

  “No. Nothing like that.”

  “Then are you crazy?” Although the fact that there was a backstory made his behavior make a lot more sense.

  “My client has directed me to be as aggressive as possible, and that’s exactly what I plan to do.”

  Sophie stood in disbelief as she watched Leland walk away.

  Sophie didn’t want to be alone the next evening, and calling Cooper seemed too needy. He was already dedicating a large chunk of his life to her, so she didn’t want to intrude any further into his time.

  There was also another reason: the way she had felt the other night when he wrapped his arms around her. To protect her. But was that it? She was afraid she might start seeing Cooper in a different light. And being around him so much was only adding to that fear.

  So instead of calling Cooper, she invited Kate and Mia over for dinner at her house. That wouldn’t violate the protocol, because she wouldn’t be leaving the house. After the attack, Cooper had made it crystal clear that she wasn’t to go anywhere alone. She kept reliving the moment when that man smashed her head into the hood of the car. Those memories were enough to keep her on her toes and follow the rules. She wasn’t the reckless type, but she was a bit lonely and needed her friends.

  Mia arrived first, since she only lived a few minutes away. When she walked in the door, she gave Sophie a huge hug. “I can’t believe you were attacked. Why didn’t you tell us about what happened to you sooner?” Her dark eyes showed her true concern.

  “Honestly, it was a whirlwind.” Sophie’s emotions had run the gamut from disbelief and fear to anger.

  “How’re you feeling now?”

  “My head still hurts.”

  “And your eye?”

  “Yeah, the doctor said it’s going to be bruised for a bit.” She knew it looked awful, even with the makeup.

  A couple minutes later, Kate walked through the door and locked it behind her. “Sophie, my goodness.” She gave Sophie a tight embrace. “I’m so glad to see you.”

  “Come on in, and let’s sit.” Sophie walked into the living room with her friends beside her.

  “Our delivery should be here in about half an hour,” Kate said. “From my favorite Thai place.”

  Sophie smiled. Kate lacked any cooking skills. Sophie was pretty good, but since it was just her, she didn’t cook that much.

  “Tell us how you’re holding up,” Kate said.

  “I think I’ve been a bit in shock. If Cooper hadn’t been there and stopped things, I don’t know what would’ve happened.”

  “How is it going between the two of you?” Mia asked.

  “Good. He’s intense, but I think he was almost as shaken up as I was. He was bothered that he wasn’t able to act even more quickly. But I told him that would’ve been impossible anyway.”

  Mia grabbed her hand. “Is your dad okay?”

  “He’s stressed, and I think he chewed Cooper out for not being right by my side. But all of that is in the past, because I almost have a full-time chaperone now. That’s why I asked the two of you to come to my place instead of going out to dinner.”

  “Whatever you need,” Kate said. “We’re here for you. I can relate to some of what you’re going through. If it hadn’t been for Landon, I don’t know how I would’ve made it through my ordeal last year. You’re right to keep Cooper close. Don’t push him away. I know it will be really hard, because you’re like me and want to be independent. But if that crazy gang is after you, this is no time to flex your independent side.” Kate had prosecuted a big pharmaceutical company last year, a case that wound up putting her life at risk.

  “I appreciate your advice. You’re both helping just by being here. For some reason, I didn’t want to be alone tonight. Normally, that’s not an issue, but I think it’s all catching up to me.”

  “How’s work going? Are you able to keep up?” Mia asked.

  “I’m trying to stay busy on my cases. Harrison offered to help out.”

  Mia’s dark eyes widened. “I hope you declined. That guy is a creep. He will stab you in the back before you can even walk away.”

  “Believe me, I know.” Sophie had replayed their conversation in her head multiple times. “He certainly wasn’t acting out of the goodness of his heart. Hopefully he’ll leave me alone, and I can keep working on my caseload. I don’t want to think too much about the Wade case, except when Patrick calls or needs me to do something.”

  “Patrick is the prosecutor, right?” Kate asked.

  “Yes. He’s a deputy ADA in Dekalb. Keith brought him onto this case so we wouldn’t face the conflict of interest argument. There are already enough issues to be worried about without having the defense claim that the prosecution is biased.”

  “At least he’s a seasoned attorney who can handle the tr
ial,” Mia said.

  “I’m thankful for that, but I can’t allow the case to take over my life. It’s Patrick’s case, not mine. I don’t want to play the role of backseat driver. I’m taking a hands-off approach for now. I’m still working on that case against the SIB employee that you saw on the news.”

  “You think you’re going to take it to trial?” Kate asked.

  Wasn’t that the million dollar question. “That remains to be seen. There’s politics involved.”

  Mia groaned. “Isn’t there always? We can’t get rid of it. No matter whether we’re in private practice or government. There’s always a political play and powerful people wanting things their way. I know I usually work on the defense side with big companies, but if what I read and saw in the news is true, you should throw the book at that guy. There’s no reason he should get off easy. His customers trusted him, and he owed them a fiduciary duty. I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know, but I’d think this is exactly the type of case that your office would want to take on. The headline seems clear. ‘Big bad bank manager steals from innocent customers.’”

  Sophie looked at her friend. “Maybe you should cross over to the prosecutorial side, Mia.”

  Mia laughed. “I’m still paying off student loans. I’ll be in Big Law for at least a few more years.”

  Sophie had once offered to help Mia pay off her loans, but Mia wouldn’t accept the assistance. She wanted to do it all on her own, and Sophie understood that. But sometimes she wished Mia had just taken her help. The two of them had met in law school and become best friends, and Sophie only wanted Mia to be happy. She wasn’t so sure that being in Big Law was the best fit.

  When they were finishing up dinner, Sophie’s phone rang. She looked down and saw it was Cooper. “Let me get this,” she told them. “Hello?”

  “Hey, it’s Cooper. Just wanted to check in and make sure you were all good.”

  “I’m doing okay. I actually invited Mia and Kate over for dinner.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry to interrupt. I’ll let you go. I was just thinking about you and wanted to be sure you were all right tonight.”