Dark Moonlighting Read Free

opportunity to
exploit his inevitable error.
    As a defense attorney, I spent quite a bit of
time at the McClane County Courthouse. It was the oldest building
in Starside, Illinois, and its 19th century architecture seemed out
of place next to the modern structures in the bustling metropolis.
The interior of the courtroom looked like, well, a courtroom.
Picture the courtroom in Law & Order or Law &
Order: Criminal Intent or Law & Order: Special Victims
Unit or Law & Order: Trial by Jury or Law &
Order: Los Angeles or Law & Order: To be Announced and you will get a pretty accurate representation. Or, for the
European readers, think of it like an Americanized version of the
courtroom from Law & Order: United Kingdom . The only
important aspect of the courtroom for my story is the fact that it
had very large windows to the left of the gallery.
    I felt the sunlight hit my face before I
heard the distinctive sound of the blinds racing towards the
ceiling. It was like having a beaker of sulfuric acid thrown in my
eyes. I threw my hands over my face, but that only transferred the
pain to my extremities. My fangs extended automatically because of
the sudden threat. I managed to wrap the inside of my arm around my
mouth as I dove under the table in front of me.
    “Oh my God,” Judge Yoest said in horror.
    By the tone of her voice I was sure she had
seen my fangs. My dark secret had been exposed, and the happy life
I had created was over. I was trapped under the table, cowering
from the sunlight. In my mind I was going over the possible avenues
of escape. The courtroom bailiffs, stunned by my monstrous
transformation, would be slow to react. If I hit them hard and fast
I could make it out of the courtroom and into the parking garage
without threat of serious resistance. Then it would be a simple
matter of driving and never looking back.
    “Bailiff, close that blind immediately. How
many times do I have to tell you people to keep those windows
covered?” Judge Yoest continued her thought in an angry tone. “Mr.
Whittier is an albino. There is to be no sunlight in my courtroom
while he is present.”
    I cautiously opened my eyes as I heard the
window blind being pulled down. With the pain gradually subsiding
from my head and hands, I rose from beneath the table and examined
Judge Yoest. The apologetic expression on her face relieved the
last of my lingering fear. She had not seen my fangs or witnessed
my transformation. The defendant, who had been nearest to me, only
looked annoyed that my serious medical condition had inconvenienced
him slightly. I glanced around the gallery and found curious or
sympathetic expressions on the few people who had shown up to watch
the trial. An elderly gentleman near the window smiled sheepishly
at me through a beet red face before quickly returning to his seat.
Confident that I had not been exposed, I needlessly dusted myself
off and did my best to play the part of a victim.
    “Nick, I owe you an apology. I thought I made
the light situation clear at the start of the trial but evidently
that wasn’t enough. In the future we will rope the area around the
windows off or bind the shades to the ground or something. Are you
all right?” Judge Yoest asked.
    “Yes, yes I’m perfectly fine. No need to
apologize, Your Honor. Accidents will happen, and you’ve always
gone above and beyond to accommodate my special needs,” I responded
graciously. I hoped the dismissive wave of my hand that I added
would endear me to the twelve people in the jury box.
    The trial continued after everyone involved
recovered from the momentary excitement. The prosecutor lazily
finished cross-examining my witness after about ten more minutes of
inane questions. Judge Yoest thanked the witness for her service
before nodding in my direction. The witness had been the last one
on my list, and Judge Yoest looked eager for me to rest my
case.
    “Your Honor,” I said as I rose from my seat.
“In light of Ms. Geyer’s testimony,