The Chief interrupted: “Unless you’d rather come back to the Court to serve as my head clerk—before you embark upon your luminous career, Ms. Keene.”
Avery smiled at the Chief. “I guess first I should apologize for making a mockery of your court.”
“Howard would be proud.” The Chief nodded to Agent Lee. “I assume you’ll provide security for them all until Vance is found.”
“He won’t be.” Avery spoke with absolute certainty. For an instant, she thought of telling them about what he’d told her, but caution held her tongue. She needed time to process and figure out what to do. But her next step was crystal clear. “I just want to go home.”
“I concur,” announced the Chief. “Agent Lee, you’re up.”
The motley band all got to their feet, the fatigue and climax of the week rushing in on waves of exhaustion. They headed for the door, Rita reaching out to catch her daughter’s hand. “I’m proud of you, Avery.”
“Thanks, Momma,” she said softly, and soon found herself wrapped in a tight embrace. One that did not smell of liquor. “Keep taking care of yourself.”
“I’ll try, baby.” Neither of them expected more. Rita stepped through the doorway, followed by Noah.
Avery reached out and caught Noah’s hand. “You’re a fantastic lawyer. Thank you for representing me.”
“You’re the most exciting client I’ve ever had.” Noah leaned in and hugged her. “Congratulations, Avery. It’s been my honor.”
As Noah stepped out, he gallantly offered his arm to Rita, earning a coy smile. Ling laughed at the gesture and wrapped Avery in a long hug. “I was so proud of you today….I didn’t realize how enormous that brain of yours really is.”
Avery chuckled, resting her forehead against Ling’s. “Without you, I wouldn’t have had a chance. I’m glad you’re my best friend.”
“Ditto.” She squeezed her once more. “Speaking of which, let me catch up with Noah. I’ve got to get your mother back to the hospital.”
Agent Lee made his way past. “I’ll debrief you further tomorrow, okay?” He gave Avery a gentle chuck on the chin. “Nice moves, counselor.”
“Thank you, sir. For everything.”
Agent Lee nodded and exited the office.
“Avery. Jared.” The Chief stood behind her desk. “A moment, if you will.”
Jared reached for Avery and took her hand in his. They approached the Chief and stopped at the desk’s edge. “Yes?”
The Chief slid open a drawer and removed a folder. “This information is embargoed until we release it, understood?” She laid the folder on the surface and walked to the door. “Justice Bringman is truly a libertarian. Read quickly.”
With trembling fingers, Avery flipped open the manila cover and read the key opening lines of the opinion.
* * *
—
Avery stood with Jared at Justice Wynn’s bedside. Machines hissed out air and beeped with the steady progress of deterioration. She clasped the justice’s still, pale hand as she recited the decision from memory.
“Chief Justice Roseborough delivered the opinion of the Court. Petitioner’s claim that the respondent unfairly applied the Exon-Florio Act to the proposed merger of GenWorks, Incorporated, and Advar, Ltd., an Indian corporation, which shall be the surviving entity. Specifically, the petitioners allege that the respondent’s claim of a national threat is spurious and does not meet a threshold test for applicability. Respondent denies, asserting that presidential use of the Act should be given virtually unfettered latitude. The Court of Appeals rejected the petitioner’s claim, and we granted certiorari to review its holding that the Exon-Florio Act could be rejected.”
Her eyes fell to his inert form, and tears welled as she whispered aloud: “We deny the lower court’s ruling and rule in favor of the petitioner.
“You did it, Justice Wynn. You won.”
She thought of the true resignation hidden in her apartment. She and Jared had discussed it, and they’d decided that it would hold for a few more months. At least until after the political conventions and the elections. Until after she’d found a job. A deadlocked court wasn’t the worst calamity to befall America.
Maybe GenWorks and Advar would be in need of in-house counsel once the SEC, FDA, and Homeland Security finished scouring their deal sometime in the next millennium. Yet Avery had little doubt that a new company would find its way into existence in no time at all.
“I would not be mourning him today.” Repeating the phrase from Voltaire, Jared put his arm around Avery and pulled her close. “You gave him this. Gave me him.”
“Your father wanted to save his family and save his country. I think he’s always been torn, sacrificing his family for his version of patriotism. For once, he found a way to do it all. To expose the corruption, preserve the science, save you, and protect America. Convoluted and complicated strategy, just like Justice Wynn, but ultimately, it worked.”
“It wouldn’t have if you didn’t share just a little bit of his mad genius.”
“Hmm. The Court made the decision, and he put it all in motion,” she demurred, wiping at the damp at her cheeks. She reminded Jared wryly, “I’m just a law clerk.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
While Justice Sleeps began with a conversation with the brilliant jurist Teresa Wynn Roseborough. So indebted am I that two of the key characters bear her name. As a lawyer, I am pretty good at research, but no amount of reading can substitute for lived experience. Thus, I owe a debt to the real legal mastermind of the family, my sister and constant editor, Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner, who helped me understand the life of a clerk and hew as closely to reality as fiction allows. The role of science in this novel also demanded a keen eye and a fair approximation of the possible. For that, I made up what I could and then leveraged the epidemiological cleverness of my sister Dr. Jeanine Abrams McLean, to scare and amaze. For pacing, plausibility, and sheer readability, I owe gratitude to my brothers, Richard Abrams and Walter Abrams, who pored over drafts, nixed scenes, and asked the right questions to keep the story going. My sister Dr. Andrea Abrams stayed alert for gut checks and tangled threads. And my parents, the Reverends Robert and Carolyn Abrams, who raised us to do whatever we could imagine (and saved me a fortune in research assistance).
Once the novel had form, I turned to friends as my second readers, ones who liked me enough to tell me the truth. Deepest gratitude to Brandon Evans, Rebecca DeHart, Camille Johnson, Wanda Mosley, and Mirtha Estrada Oliveros for reading the earliest drafts and helping me refine the narrative and not press delete when no one bought it.
The journey from completion to publication is often tortured, so I must acknowledge my first agent, Marc Gerald, and his assistant, Sarah Stephens, who helped me shape the next round of revisions. My team at UTA, who heard me describe the novel in passing and demanded I give it more than short shrift. I am truly grateful to Kellen Alberstone, Alyssa Lanz, Lucinda Moorhead, Albert Lee, and Jason Richman for their encouragement, and effusive gratitude to Darnell Strom, who patiently waited for me to see more for my future.
While Justice Sleeps would not be out in the world without the talents of my agent and friend, Linda Loewenthal, who has represented not only my interests but my dreams. And without Jason Kaufman of Doubleday, who polished, questioned, scribbled perfect notes, and delighted in the margins, I would not be so proud of the final story that inhabits these pages. My thanks also to the copyeditors, graphic designers, art editors, marketing team, and countless others who played a role.
This is an incomplete list of those who brought this twelve-year journey to its critical arc—a novel that I really had fun conceiving, writing, rewriting, and reading. For anyone who expected to see their name here, please assume you are written in using Justice Wynn’s disappearing script. To all, I hope you’ve enjoyed Avery’s debut and those who helped her discover th
e truth and a little bit more.
About the Author
Stacey Abrams is the two-time New York Times bestselling author of Our Time Is Now and Lead from the Outside. She served eleven years in the Georgia House of Representatives, seven as Minority Leader, and became the 2018 Democratic nominee for governor of Georgia, where she won more votes than any other Democrat in the state’s history. She is the founder of Fair Fight, Fair Count, and the Southern Economic Advancement Project—organizations devoted to voting rights and tackling social issues at the state, national, and international levels. Her work played a pivotal role in the 2020 elections for the U.S. presidency and control of the U.S. Senate.
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