The Advocate's Ex Parte (The Advocate Series Book 5) Read Free Page B

plain mean. That boy would make a hornet look cuddly,” JP raved on.
    Sabre frowned. She knew this wasn’t going to be easy and Matt frightened her, too, but he still deserved the best defense possible.
    “I have to see this through…at least for the fitness hearing.”
    “And if you lose that?”
    “I’m not sure. I’ve been thinking about letting it go if they send it downtown. My calendar is so full and it’s difficult dealing with yet another courthouse.”
    “But not because you know he killed those two kids?”
    “I still don’t know that for sure.”
    “For God’s sakes, Sabre. You saw how excited he got when he saw the photo. That boy is plain evil.”
    “Maybe, but even so, he still has a right to counsel.”
    “Well, I don’t know if I can help you on this one,” JP said.
    “That’s your choice,” Sabre said coldly. “But I’m not going to dump him just because of the crime. I knew it was a gruesome double homicide when I took the case. You know how I feel about this sort of thing. I don’t have to like what he did, but that won’t stop me from defending his rights and that includes his right to a fair trial.”
    JP took about three steps away from Sabre, shaking his head in frustration. He stopped and without looking at her he said, “You heard his reaction to the judge’s murder. He was pleased.” JP turned abruptly. “Sabre, maybe he killed Mitchell.”
    “He couldn’t have. He was locked up.”
    “He could have had it done. He may have a following.”
    “Do you really think he’s that sophisticated? He’s only fourteen years old.”
    “He’s a fourteen-year-old rattlesnake. Do you think he cares who he bites?” JP said loudly. He sighed and walked towards Sabre, put his hand on her shoulder, and lowered his voice. “Perhaps you’re right, but you still need to be careful. Someone had Mitchell killed right after an ex parte hearing with you. And Mitchell was trying to tell you something, maybe even warn you, about one of your cases.”
    Sabre wrinkled her brow. “How did you know that?”
    “Bob told me. He’s worried and so am I.”
    Damn him, Sabre thought. She didn’t want Bob to involve JP. His girlfriend, or ex-wife, or whatever she is now, was in town and staying at his house. Sabre certainly didn’t want JP to think she needed him right now, not if he was interested in someone else. She looked at the time. “We need to go do Matt’s 707 hearing.” Sabre grabbed her briefcase and they started down the steps toward the lobby.
    “Do you know who the judge is?” JP asked.
    “No, but I know they brought in Jane Palmer to prosecute.”
    “Is that bad?”
    “She’s tough. She fights hard, which is fine, but I don’t trust her. She thinks all defendants are the scum of the earth, and if she thinks she has any chance of winning at all, she won’t cut a deal. She treats even the slightest crime as if it were a…a….”
    “A double homicide? As if the perpetrator bludgeoned them to death with a baseball bat?” JP smirked. “I guess she’d be right with this one.”
    They walked into Department Three and took a seat in the back.
    “I still don’t like her,” Sabre said. Just then a woman in her mid-fifties with short, blonde hair interspersed with wisps of gray entered the courtroom. Sabre stood up. “Dr. Heller, thank you for coming.”
    Dr. Carolina Heller spoke with a heavy South American accent. “Here is your report, but can we speak for just a minute?”
    “Sure.” She followed Dr. Heller outside the courtroom. “Is there a problem?”
    “If you notice in the report, I’m recommending that Mathew be tried in juvenile court. He has some serious problems, but I believe he can be rehabilitated if he’s kept in the system for the maximum time allotted in juvenile court.”
    “You mean until he’s twenty-five?”
    “Yes. If they make a true finding on the facts, I couldn’t recommend a shorter sentence for him. He has some serious problems.