At eight-thirty, Zehra sat at the edge of the counsel table in Judge Palmer’s courtroom, as far from her client as possible. Jackie had agreed to come for support—for Zehra. On the other end of the table, their client, Bernard Felton, sat with his shoulders hunched forward.
Zehra prayed this client wouldn’t freak out and cause her more trouble. She had enough stress from the murder case. But knowing Judge Palmer, she was certain something would blow up.
Jackie looked at Felton. “Did the trial go well?”
Zehra’s face squeezed tightly. Wrong question, Jackie. Well, she’ll learn the hard way.
Felton complained, “No. I never got a chance to really explain to the judge what really happened. My lawyer told me to keep it short.”
“But you testified—” Jackie reminded him. She put on her big glasses that almost hid her nose.
“My daughter is makin’ this all up because my former wife told her to blame me for touching her. I asked Henning to investigate that, but she didn’t do much.”
Zehra held out her hand, palm down. “Quiet. Here comes the judge.”
They all rose and sat to the rhythm of the judge’s coming and going. Judge Palmer wore a black robe, but Zehra could see the lavender collar of a cotton golf shirt peeking out from the top. He looked amused and smiled at things no one else thought funny.
Felton had been charged with sexually assaulting his teenage daughter. Considering the sickening nature of the evidence, Zehra had encouraged him to avoid a jury and instead have the judge hear the case without one. Judges were used to hearing the worst facts imaginable.
At the counsel table, Zehra looked at Felton. He was white, thin, and had skin so pale she could see blue veins streaked down his arms. He twitched constantly. During the hearings, he insisted on sucking throat lozenges because he had a cough. During the trial, she’d had to put up with the sound of Felton sucking on the lozenges. Then he coughed on her shoulder.
Judge Palmer reviewed the file and the evidence he’d heard, then looked up, prepared to give his verdict. The prosecutor sat quietly at the other table.
“Call the case,” he said. After it was read aloud, Judge Palmer ducked down behind the bench and disappeared. He remained submerged for a while. Then two arms popped up. On each hand, he had a puppet, a green one and a red one. They wiggled back and forth over the top of the bench.
Zehra had seen this show before and looked at Felton to get his reaction. How much calming down would he need?
Judge Palmer finally came up and spoke to Felton. “See these, sir?”
Felton nodded and gulped the lozenge down his throat.
“These will tell you how I’ve decided your case. This one—” He lifted the red puppet. “—is Guilty. The other one is Not Guilty.” The judge wiggled his hand with the green puppet. He dropped down beneath the bench again. In a few minutes, the right hand puppet, the red one, came up over the top of the bench. From below, a high-pitched voice said, “Guilty.”
Zehra turned to Felton. He looked sick to his stomach. She wasn’t sure whether it was the verdict or the bizarre proceedings. “Get used to it,” she whispered. “We always appeal this guy. Don’t worry, I’ll file it for you tomorrow, before he can sentence you.”
“But, but—”
“I said, don’t worry. We’ll get it straightened out.” She sighed at the extra work the judge had created for her. Even though the client was clearly guilty, it was humiliating.
Felton staggered to his feet. He flapped his arms and jumped up and down like a chicken. He gurgled something unintelligible. The deputies had to lead him out of the courtroom.
Outside, by themselves, Zehra and Jackie laughed at the absurdity of it all. “Just another day in the courtroom,” Zehra said.
“Can’t you do something about that judge?”
Zehra shrugged. “He’s a little crazy, but is otherwise a good judge.”
They took the elevator down to the street level, crossed over the plaza on the south side of the Government Center, and circled around the expanse of green lawn that grew over the square. Several birch trees shaded the middle of the lawn with tiny new leaves Although the temperature wasn’t high, the sun felt warm on Zehra’s shoulders.
At times, she thought perhaps her parents were right—why didn’t she have a job like an engineer? A doctor? Certainly, they had their problems and stress, but the world Zehra worked in was not normal. In some ways, that was what attracted her, but it could be draining, and sometimes dangerous.
“Are you going to interview the alibi witness soon?” Jackie asked.
“Denzel’s getting an appointment set up.”
“But Zehra, if the DNA is a match and it’s foolproof, how can an alibi help?”
“I know. Our job is to try and build a defense, any way we can. These cases all take turns during the process that can’t be predicted, so we have to try everything we can.”
They reached the corner across the street from their office. It was the intersection of three office buildings and the Government Center. People moved in every direction across the sidewalks. Zehra’s phone rang. It was her father.
“Hey, Zehra. Hope I’m not bothering you. I know you’re busy.”
“I’ve always got time to talk with you.”
“Yeah, well, don’t forget the company party at Health Tech. It’s this afternoon. I know you’re not too excited, but I think you’d like some of the people. Chance to get away from the difficult work you’ve got and do something fun. Okay?”
Zehra almost said no. She’d promised her father earlier, but she was so busy. And Zehra didn’t need to meet anyone new. “I know. I’m kind of busy—”
“This is like a happy hour. After work. There’s always good food.” Her father paused. “Besides, I really think you need a break. I promise not to force anyone on you. You can sit in a corner by yourself.” He laughed.
Zehra melted, as usual. How could she say no to her father? “Okay. I’ll be there. But only for a short time. Still got lots to do on my murder case.”
She and Jackie were about to cross the street when Zehra noticed the car again. It was a gold minivan—both the color and the type of car were unusual. She noticed it today because two days earlier, the same car had been parked outside her condo near the Mississippi River. The sun poured straight down from the sky, leaving the interior of the van in darkness. Probably nothing.
The light changed and they crossed the street.
Chapter Sixteen