Wolvie Femmes * Defending Your Life:
Justice moved about the courtroom slowly as the eyes of the judge fell on him.
"Mr, Adams, I do hope you are making a point with this tangent." The honorable Judge Harsh had gavel ready in hand, he had worked with Justice before.
"If you will your honor, please hear me out," Justice quickened his pacing footsteps as he looked at the floor thoughtfully. "Mr. Williams, you were saying that you are not sure when your wife disappeared." Justice didn't like this murder case his partner Bob had asked him to take on. The man on the witness stand was Jared Williams. His wife, Eleanor Williams had disappeared then turned up dead days later.
"No, she had said she was going to the club," Williams offered.
"The club being where she works out," Justice stopped at his desk to scribble something upon some papers. He didn't like this case because he had a bad feeling about the defendant. He sighed and knew he would have to talk to Bob in the future about accepting any case from a fool with enough money.
"Yes," Williams nodded. 'Too bad she’s not around anymore. Then again, her lover won’t have her in his life now either.' Williams looked at his hands.
Justice looked up startled, "Excuse me?"
Williams leaned closer to the microphone, "I said 'yes'." 'He acts like he knows I killed her and her lover Mark too.' Williams felt nervous, 'Why am I worried, this guy's on my side and one of the best.' He smiled at Justice hoping to win the jury over, "I miss her terribly and I hope the bastard who killed her gets what he deserves."
Justice felt his head real, he was hearing Williams’s thoughts without trying and he held his head a little. The guy was guilty and he was there to get him off. Williams had tricked Bob into taking his case, and Justice had only been presented with the case this afternoon. He felt lacking but he had worked similar cases before and could do them with his eyes. Now, if he could do it with his telepathy closed as well.
Williams moved nervously in his seat as Justice touched his head and the judge looked to the defendant, "Mr. Adams, do we need a recess?"
Justice straightened up, "Sorry, your honor," He met the judges eyes, "I'm fine." Suddenly his head reeled again as William’s began to mentally go over details in his mind about the murder. Justice saw the poor woman die in his own mind and he sat down hoping they would think he was deliberating over the over files. He also saw the murder of her lover (Mark) as he tried to rescue Mrs. Williams. Finally he saw the poor man's unmarked grave in his back yard of the William’s estate.
"Mr. Adams if you do not need a recess may we proceed?" The judge looked at his watch, 'I have a golf game later,' the older man sighed to himself. "I have a full docket this afternoon."
Justice refrained from rolling his eyes, "Of course your honor." Then he directed his attention back to the defendant, "Mr. Williams, did you ever suspect your wife of being unfaithful?"
"What?," Williams eyed Justice wondering if he was really as good as his reputation.
"Answer the question," Justice kept a deadpan stare.
"No."
"Mark Goodby," Justice began to write on a piece of paper quickly and looked up to see his witness falter and shift in his seat. "Does that name ring a bell?"
"No, it does not," he looked to the judge for help.
"Your wife had a lover named Mark Goodby," Justice stood up with the paper he had wrote on. "Do you deny this?"
"Yes,” Williams was totally confused now. ‘Whose side is this dumb ass on?’
"Your honor, Mark Goodby," He hoped the jury and the judge would recognize the name from the news. "He is an actor and dancer who had been missing for almost a month now."
"I am aware of the story," the judge said. "Do you have proof of this, Mr. Adams?" The Judge lowered his gaze, "I trust you recall the last time you made an allegation in my court without proof."
Justice smirked, "Actually, I do you honor." He looked the judge in the eyes, "If you recall sir, it turned out to be true."
The older judge sat back in his seat with a deep breath, "continue."
Justice regarded Williams then looked back to the judge and cleared his throat. "Your honor, I would like permission to approach the bench."
“As you wish,” The Judge said irritably. When Justice reached the bench the judge said. “What seems to be the problem Mr. Adam’s?”
Justice leaned over as close to the Judge as he could. “This man should be locked up and the key thrown away.”
The Judge banged his gavel and called for a recess. “Mr. Adams. I’ll see you in my chambers.”
Justice walked into Judge Harsh’s chambers and stood in front of his desk. The Judge sat down then folded his hands together in front of his face. “Now, would you like to explain what this is all about?”
Justice cleared his throat. “I believe that he’s guilty sir.”
“You think that the client you are defending in this murder trial is guilty?” The Judge looked at him incredulously.
“Yes sir.” Justice ran his hand through his hair. “And I think he killed Mrs. Williams’s lover Mark Goodby as well.”
“This trial is about whether or not Mr. Williams murdered his wife. Not about any lover she might have had.” The Judge was getting impatient and annoyed. There was a knock on the door and the court attendant was bid to enter.
“Your honor, sir, the prosecuting attorney Mr. Beasley would like permission to enter your chambers, sir.”
“Fine, send him in.” The Judge sat back in his chair and sighed. “This should be good.”
Mr. Beasley walked in dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief and looked at Justice for an explanation.
Judge Harsh regarded the prosecuting attorney. “It would appear that Mr. Adams here is not happy doing just his own job, but wants to do yours as well.”
Beasley gawked at Justice. “You think Williams is guilty?”
Justice dragged his fingers through his hair again. “Yes I do. Furthermore, I think he killed a Mr. Goodby as well.”
The other attorney’s eyes bulged out, “What makes you so sure of this?”
“I can’t divulge my source, but the grounds around Mr. Williams home should be checked for the body of Mark Goodby.” When Beasley laughed, Justice added. “Your honor, I can’t in good faith continue to represent my client.”
Justice dropped a folder documenting eye witness accounts of Mr. Williams digging in the garden late at night, and of a strange blue car that had been seen often in the driveway.
"How does
this implicate him in this particular murder trial,
"Goodby, owned a blue BMW." Justice sighed. "It matches the description that the witnesses spoke of."
"Have you proved the car to be Goodby’s?" Judge Harsh demanded. "And anyone might get some wild notion about gardening late at night. That doesn't make them a murderer."
"Ahh yes, but Goodby's car was never found," Justice paused for a moment wondering if his actions would cause Williams to slip through a judicial loophole.
"What does this have to do with Williams murdering his wife?" The judge sighed knowing he would not be able to get in a golf game today.
"Williams found out about his wife’s affair and killed both her and Goodby,” Justice lost his temper, "There was no ‘break in’ as he claimed."
“You don’t
have any concrete proof that Williams killed his wife and that is what this
trial is about,
“I can’t defend him your honor, the man’s guilty as hell.” Justice knew his career was on the line now, but he was thrown off by the information he had gotten directly from Mr. Williams mind. Normally, he could feel enough doubt about a case that he felt comfortable in the defense. This time he knew the man was a cold-blooded murderer. “I can’t in good conscious defend him.”
The Judge stood up slowly. “It will be declared a mistrial then. Justice, I hope you realize how badly this will reflect upon you in future cases?”
“I’m well aware of that sir and well aware that my actions may get that bastard off the hook. I don’t want him to get off but I can’t give him a fair trial knowing what I do.” Justice looked at Beasley who looked as though he could be knocked over with a feather. Then he looked back at Judge Harsh. “Please, have Mr. Williams estate checked for the body. I feel certain it’s there.”
The Judge grumbled as they returned to the courtroom. Soon after the Judge’s announcement, Justice found the media on top of him as he left the court and flash bulbs in his face and he sighed. He saw Bob coming out of another room in the courthouse and he rushed over.
"Now what did you do?" Bob and Justice moved from the media with comment and picked up their stride.
Justice shrugged, "the ass was guilty, Bob."
Bob sighed, "He sounded sincere when I interviewed him." The press caught up with them and they jumped into the men's bathroom before they saw them.
"Every lawyer in here already knows what you did," Bob paced and finally fumbled with his zipper as he moved to the urinal.
"Like that matters," Justice hissed watching the door for the press. "I couldn’t defend a man I know is guilty as hell."
Bob chuckled as he did his pants up with his back to his friend, "you sound like some attorney from Law and Order."
Justice wondered what he was getting at and Bob walked over to the sinks, "Oh well, I guess any press is good press," Bob mumbled. "Can you prove he’s guilty?"
"Well," Justice rubbed his jaw watching Bob wash his hands, "give me a shovel and a warrant to Williams’s estate and I can dig up a body."
Bob chuckled, "You would do it too." Bob hit the dryer on and sighed.
Justice grabbed the bathroom doors, "I don’t really want to go out to that circus."
"Aw, but the media loves to pick on you," Bob hit his shoulder, "I've got an idea." He let Justice open the door to find more flashbulbs. "Damn press." He looked to the window and pointed it to Justice, "get to the office and I will talk to them."
Justice groaned at the small window, "thanks Bob."
A well dressed man watched Bob move from the bathroom sans Justice and narrowed his eyes at the absence. He knew Justice wouldn't let the killer go free and was hoping to get him alone. Sinister eyes chuckled knowing there was only one other way from that bathroom and he moved silently from all the media yelling out the front entrance. As he turned the corner of the building, he saw Justice jumping from the window cursing lightly as he tore his new suit on the sleeve. Justice ran to the parking lot and found his car as the man merely watched him go.
He cocked his head and pulled his phone from his pocket, "I need a cell phone number." He said lowly, "I need it now and a location of his home." He listened to his phone, "Justice Adams and whatever else you can find me on this 'lawyer'." He smiled watching Justice moving into the traffic and he made a mental note of his tag number. He knew Justice hadn't noticed him and was happy with the young man. He would probably lead him right to the person he did want. Then another evil planned formed as he dialed in a number. He was sure the soft hearted man would make a good addition to his hunt.