Epistle of the Damned

by M. Lee Mendelson

  “Oh, I know. You’re quite the talk among my peers. Maybe I’m the one who should be worried.”

  They laughed, and Meredith ended, “I’ll see you in court. Love you, Mom.”

  Rebecca would not normally take on such a menial case, but the accused was the son of a wealthy family, and they had very high hopes for his future. They were willing to pay any price to keep him out of trouble, with a clean record.

  A month passed, and Rebecca refused the plea deal that Meredith had placed on the table. Meredith offered him no time in jail. In return, he would plead guilty and perform one hundred hours of community service.

  Another month passed and it was time for the long-awaited mother-daughter courtroom showdown. Meredith went first. She presented her case before the jury in a clear, concise and professional manner. Rebecca then presented her case with her typical flair, utilizing every tactic of her well-seasoned profession. Meredith secretly felt that her mother had pulled the proverbial rabbit out of the hat. She thought, that was amazing. I believe he’s going to walk a free man for sure.

  The jury deliberated for approximately one hour, then reported back to the courtroom. The verdict was read aloud, “Guilty!”

  Meredith’s knees nearly buckled, but she maintained her composure. Not only did she just do the seemingly impossible, beat her mother, but she beat her decisively. The young man got six months in the county jail with one-year probation to follow.

  “I guess I should have taken the deal,” Rebecca said.

  Meredith smiled, “I told you I was tough, Mom.”

  “So, it would seem.” Rebecca winked and said, “Congratulations counselor. Don’t get too comfortable, though. See you at dinner?” “I’ll be there at six.” Meredith said.

  Meredith walked out of the courtroom on cloud nine. When she returned to the office, she saw three ladies from the office huddled together, talking amongst themselves. Meredith was convinced that they were abuzz about her victory over her mother in court. But as she got closer, she heard, “Can you believe how gorgeous he is?” “I know, every time he comes here for a depo, I can’t ever get anything done.” “I wish I could depose him. Depose--that means to undress, right?” “Why yes, officer, I will consent to strip search!” “He could read me my rights, ‘You have the right to remain silent, I will hold things against you!’” The three women laughed out loud.

  They sounded like cackling hens to Meredith. She stormed past them thinking, Really? Some hot cop? Who cares?

  As she walked by Allen’s office, he called out, “Good job today, Ms. Porter.”

  Meredith immediately forgot the hens and smiled. “At least someone noticed.”

  Another six months went by and Meredith faced her mother two more times in court, losing the next case but winning the last.

  January 1999. Meredith’s phone rang. “Ms. Porter, can I see you in my office?” It was Allen.

  She assumed it was to discuss the latest case she was getting ready to take to trial. She arrived at Allen’s office.

  “Ms. Porter, please have a seat.”

  Cheryl Patterson, the new attorney, was in the room also. “Meredith, I want you to bring Cheryl here up to speed on the Barberson case. She’ll be taking it over as lead counsel.”

  “What? Wait . . . why? Mr. Markowitz, I’m ready to go to trial next week.”

  “Then I suppose you better get her up to speed ASAP, don’t you think?”

  “This isn’t right, Allen. Why are you pulling me from this case?”

  “I’m sorry, who’s the District Attorney here? Who do you work for, Ms. Porter?”

  “You are sir, but . . . ”

  “And I think I’m within my rights to assign and reassign attorneys as I see fit, don’t you?”

  “Y-yes, sir. I’m sorry, sir.”

  “And I have a damn good reason for doing what I’m doing. Do you think I owe you some sort of explanation or something?”

  “No sir. I’m very sorry for questioning you, Mr. Markowitz.”

  “The reason I’m doing this is because I’m reassigning you to felonies. I certainly hope that is okay with you, Ms. Porter?”

  “WHAT? Are you serious, Mr. Markowitz? Please don’t pull my leg.”

  Smiling, Allen said, “Mrs. Patterson, can we have a minute? Close the door on your way out, please. I am serious, Meredith. You were the youngest attorney ever hired by this office. When I brought you in here, I asked you to prove yourself. You have surpassed my expectations in every way. I should have promoted you six months ago, the first time you beat your mother. But I waited for Burton to retire. You’ve been my choice for his replacement all along.”

  “Thank you, sir. I won’t let you down. I’m sorry for getting so upset earlier.”

  “Okay, okay. Enough groveling,” he said with a smile. “Bring her up to speed quickly, I have some real bad guys I need you to put in prison for me. Ready for a new challenge?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Well then, go get ‘em Meredith. I know you’ll make me proud.”

  For the next two and a half years, Meredith was indeed a force to be reckoned with. She was considered by all the defense attorneys, including her mother, to be a ruthless prosecutor. In two and a half years, she did not lose a case that went to trial. Despite her young age of only twenty-six, she displayed a tenacity and experience well beyond her years. The many years of observing her mother in court had paid off decisively.

  November 2001. Meredith was once again summoned into Allen’s office. When she came in, George was sitting on the sofa in Allen’s office. The two long time colleagues were laughing and joking around. They had worked together for over fifteen years and had become close friends.

  “Ms. Porter, come on in. Please have a seat. George here has just announced to me that he is retiring from public service and going into private practice. It seems that the lure of easy money beckons him.”

  She said, “Congratulations, George. You will be missed.”

  “Thank you, Meredith, but I believe we’ve already found my perfect replacement.”

  George had been the dedicated attorney who handled all the capital cases, such as rape and murder.

  Allen spoke, “I believe we have, too. George and I have been talking, and we think that only someone special could take his place. So we started our search by each putting a name on a piece of paper. We then handed each other our folded papers. We opened them at the same time, and lo and behold, we discovered we had both written the same name. Meredith Porter. So, it would seem that our search for George’s replacement was over before it began.”

  George said, “Congratulations, Meredith.”

  Meredith’s eyes welled with tears. She could not believe it. She believed that capital cases would have gone to a more experienced attorney. “Why me? There are so many others who have put more time in than I have.”

  Allen answered, “That may be true, but these cases are the worst of the worst, the most significant cases we handle. I need only the best and brightest for these. George and I both agree—that’s you.”

  George chimed in, “I have no doubt that you can handle it. I’ve been watching your career over the past few years and I can think of no one better.”

  Allen replied, “I absolutely agree. George has graciously agreed to stay on board for the next few months to work with you until you’re comfortable. Now, I won’t force you to take this position. If you’re uncomfortable with these types of cases, I can reassign the job to someone else.”

  “I can handle it, sir, I promise.”

  Smiling, Allen said, “Congratulations, young lady. Don’t let me down. There will be a lot of people who are upset about your promotion, but they haven’t proven themselves the way you have.

  Go get ‘em, girl.”

  After Meredith left the room, Allen asked, “So, do you really think she’s ready, George?”

  “I’ve never been more certain of anything, Al. She’s a brilliant young woman and one of t
he most astute criminal attorneys I have ever seen.”

  January 18th, 2002. George invited Meredith and Allen to lunch. When they arrived, Rebecca was there, too. “Well, Meredith. This will be my last day. You’re ready now; besides, I booked tickets for the Mrs. and me to take a nice long cruise before starting the new practice. What do you think of your little girl, Rebecca?”

  Rebecca answered, “I’ve never been prouder. I feel sorry for you if you ever have to face her, George. In fact, I feel sorry for me as well.”

  “Not as sorry as I’ll be, I’m sure.”

  They all laughed while Meredith blushed reservedly, masking her pride.

  Allen told her, “This is it, kiddo, the big show, center stage. You ready?”

  “Yes sir, Mr. Markowitz.”

  “I think we’re past all that, Meredith. It’s Allen, anywhere we are from now on, except on camera of course. You’re now my number two. You’ll be receiving a lot of exposure. Anything you need, ever, you come straight to me. You don’t answer to anyone but me from now on, agreed?”

  “Agreed. Thank you for believing in me, Allen.”

  “I should be thanking you for helping me to stay in office,” he jested.

  January 29th. Allen gestured for Meredith to come into his office. She was now in George’s old office directly across from Allen’s.

  Meredith came in and sat in the chair in front of his desk.

  “What’s going on, Allen?”

  “Have you seen the news?”

  “No, I haven’t been watching anything lately. Why?”

  “Well, it’s all over the news and I just got the file. It’s a bad one. It would seem that this piece of trash abducted a little girl from her house and murdered her in a grisly manner. Detectives were able to locate and catch the guy in record time. Here’s the file. I gotta warn you though, it’s a real stomach turner. If you need someone to talk to later as you’re reviewing it, I’m here for you, okay? Just call me.”

  “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

  “I’m sure you will. You have the arraignment tomorrow morning at nine, so you have a lot to get ready by then.”

  “Thank you, Allen . . .I think. Big file! It looks like I’ll be up late.”

  Meredith worked long into the night, reviewing the file and preparing herself for court the next day. True to Allen’s word, she was sickened by the forensic photos and the graphic report from the detectives. Meredith had to compose herself on more than one occasion while reviewing the case and looking through the dreadful photographs. She actually contemplated calling Allen, but she reluctantly gritted it out.

  The next day in court, Meredith had no problem convincing the judge that the killer, Mark Stephen Kearcy, should be held without bond to face charges of first degree murder.

  Immediately following the judge’s ruling, Meredith turned around to exit the courtroom. At the back of the courtroom stood a man in black slacks, with a white, tailored shirt that accentuated his bulging shoulders, a dark blue tie and a Sheriff’s Office detective badge. When he stood, he towered over the people around him. He was gorgeous, with blue eyes. His perfectly parted blonde hair shimmered like strands of gold thread in the morning sunlight that shone through the courtroom window. Meredith had the strange feeling she had seen him before, but she could not place him.

  She composed herself and proceeded to exit the court. As she approached the doors, this perfect specimen of a man politely held the door for her. When she walked through he asked, “So, do you think we’ll put him away?”

  Startled by his baritone voice that sounded like Zeus himself beckoning down to her from Mount Olympus, Meredith asked, “Who are you again?”

  “I’m Detective Carson.”

  “Oh, so you’re the famous Detective Carson. It’s nice to finally meet you. I think we have a pretty good chance of putting him away for a very long time, though I’m actually going to be seeking the death penalty. You did an incredible job catching him. I’m so sorry about the little girl. I read your report and I cried. It still horrifies me.” Meredith struggled to maintain her composure talking to this wildly attractive man. She tried to hide her flushed face, feeling silly, like a giddy little school girl. She made up an excuse to leave quickly and said, “I’m sorry, Detective. I have to get going. I have a deposition in an hour, but I’ll be in touch.”

  When Mike said, “I look forward to it,” Meredith nearly swooned.

  She had never acted this way over any guy before. What was so special about him? She wondered to herself as she quickly walked away. She had been hit on by the most desirable men her entire life, but this guy . . . what was it?

  As she walked toward the elevator, she glanced back quickly to see Mike still watching her. She instantly blushed and turned back around.

  Oh my God, that was embarrassing! She thought to herself.

  She entered the elevator, looked up and thought, He’s still watching me. Their eyes met, and she bashfully smiled. Mike returned her smile.

  A month passed, and it was time for a deposition with all the officers involved in the case. Meredith not only had to prepare for the deposition with all her notes, but she had to mentally prepare to see this gorgeous man again. She had not stopped thinking about him since they met in the courtroom. She was hoping to avoid another embarrassing encounter. Maybe the last time was just a fluke. She wondered if he had been thinking about her the whole time the same way she had been thinking about him.

  Meredith never openly expressed it, but she had purposefully avoided dating cops because she felt they were a little beneath her. She had worked herself tirelessly through college and law school. She knew now that this man was an exception to all that she had believed. He was articulate, smart, educated and of course gorgeous. For a moment, Meredith imagined herself falling for this guy.

  The day of the deposition arrived and in the room were three defense attorneys, a court reporter, Mike, Meredith and her co-counsel. Halfway through Mike’s deposition, he broke down while recounting the terrible murder scene and the tragic sight of Amanda in the fire pit. Meredith requested that they take a recess for Mike to compose himself. Mike was allowed to go and sit in another room alone. After several minutes, Meredith went in to check on him. Her heart skipped a beat when he made it clear that he did not want her to leave the room.

  It soon became painfully obvious that they both shared a mutual attraction for each other. Before her sat this beautiful, sensitive man, weeping openly; not in any way he should ever be ashamed of, but in a caring, loving and compassionate way over the loss of an innocent child. The guilt he felt for not being able to save her was evident.

  Looking back on that moment, Meredith would recall how this was the time she really started to fall for Mike. She never could have dreamed how that moment would change her life forever.

  At the end of the deposition, Meredith escorted Mike out of the office. They nervously exchanged small talk when she got up the nerve to give him her business card with a little something extra written on the back, her personal number. Mike appeared eager and happy to get the number.

  Meredith anxiously hoped he would call her that night, but he didn’t. He did call her, however, the next night. Mike had had a bad dream, reliving the nightmarish events of the case. They talked for a few hours, and he revealed to her that he was in law school at FTU, and that his father had been an attorney. He told Meredith how his father had been murdered, and that was why he was so determined to make it on his own.

  Meredith told him that she also had attended FTU, and said, “I have to admit that I now remember you from school.”

  Mike asked her, “Really? When did we ever meet? I would have remembered you for sure!”

  “We didn’t meet in person. You pulled this huge lummox off of my hood one night after a football game.”

  Meredith teased Mike when he revealed that the aforementioned lummox was his best friend, The Moose, recalling the incident the night after the game. Mike laughed af
ter explaining about that night and how he remembered that incident.

  Meredith was relieved, and readily accepted when Mike finally asked her out on a date.

  For the next several months, they dated, and Meredith clearly had it bad for Mike. The cackling hens at the office would talk scornfully behind her back, jealous that she had landed the big prize they had all sought.

  November. The Kearcy trial was about to start. Meredith and Mike were as ready as they could be to finally send the devil back to hell, as Mike would assert.

  The trial lasted two weeks. There were two extended recesses after several members of the jury vomited when subjected to the images of that night. The judge ordered that the courtroom be cleared of nonessential people to prevent any unnecessary interruptions from the gallery when the most graphic of photo evidence was presented. The jury was instructed to keep bags to contain their vomit to prevent unnecessary clean up and disruption. Even the judge squirmed uncomfortably in his large leather chair during the presentation of photo evidence. All the while, Kearcy sat quietly, never expressing any more emotion than a devilish grin.

  It was no surprise to anyone in attendance when the jury returned a guilty verdict. After the sentencing a month later, the monster had been sentenced to eternal damnation. He was finally defeated.

  The night after the sentencing, Mike, Meredith and all their coworkers from the District Attorney’s and the Sheriff’s Office went out to celebrate. It was a good night for Meredith, especially after Mike suggested that they move in together, to which she enthusiastically agreed. They found a beautiful luxury condo uptown and moved in together. Life was good for them, and they were happy.

  Meredith’s parents took an instant liking to Mike. On weekends, they would go to Henry and Rebecca’s house. Mike and Henry would watch football together like he would with Big Mike. Meredith and Rebecca would visit in the other room, usually the kitchen, making the boys football snacks. Neither one had a particular interest in sports, but they both loved their sports nuts and would laugh at them behind their backs, listening to them yell and scream. Mike missed his father and really looked up to Henry. Likewise, Henry grew fond of Mike, and Mike became the son Henry never had.