Witness for the Defense Read Free Page B

the attack, he viewed me as nothing more than a minor nuisance the law forced him to tolerate before he could send one of my clients off to prison—whether they deserved it or not. One of the happiest days of my life was when he left the bench.
    As Sarah walked to an empty seat several chairs to my right, she gave me a big smile. Before she sat, she paused, waiting for me to return it. I didn’t.
    Randy nudged me with his elbow. “Who the hell’s that?”
    “Sarah Harris.”
    “Of course. I had heard she was a knockout.”
    “Don’t let her looks fool you. After all, she is Judge Harris’s daughter.”
    “I thought she was an investigator for the State Bar,” Randy said as he continued to eye her. “I wonder why she’s here.”
    “No idea.” I glanced at my watch. It was getting late, and I still had to break the news to Martinez that I wasn’t going to use the kid’s testimony. I knew he wouldn’t be thrilled with my decision, and I wanted to get it over with.
    “You in a hurry?” Randy asked.
    “I get tired of all this hurry-up-and-wait crap,” I said anxiously. “All I have is one lousy arraignment.”
    “What’s the charge?”
    “Statutory rape.”
    “But I thought you were handling most of the death penalty cases for your office.”
    “Normally,” I said. “But I requested this one specifically. Change of pace.”
    “Why? Stat rapes are a dime a dozen.”
    “Not when the defendant is a female grade-school teacher accused of having sex with her seventeen-year-old neighbor.”
    “A female accused of stat rape…Never heard of that before.”
    “Somehow the boy’s father found out and reported it to the cops. The D.A. is asking for fifty thousand bail.”
    “Well”—Randy smiled—“have to keep those rabid child molesters off the streets.”
    In front of us, the prelim was winding down.
    “We have no affirmative defense,” the defense attorney said, after which Kellogg sat up and shook his head violently like he’d been asleep. It was time for him to make a ruling; predictably, he bound Chandler over to Superior Court for trial.
    Finally, the day’s custody arraignments were escorted into the jury box for their two or three minutes in court. I wasn’t surprised when I saw Bobby Miles at the end. He caught my eye and gave me a scared half smile. Seated next to him was my client, Janice Cappell.
    “Is that your vicious rapist?” Randy said, nodding toward Cappell. She was a tall young woman with cropped black hair, dressed in a county-issued blue denim dress.
    “That’s her.”
    Kellogg pounded his gavel, waiting for silence while most of the reporters filed out of the courtroom.
    “If you’re in a big hurry,” I said to Randy, “you can forget it.” I nodded toward Harris. “Five bucks Blondie gets priority.”
    “Are you done with your little gab session?” Kellogg barked, scowling at me. “If you are, maybe we can all get out of here on time.”
    Randy jumped to his feet. “I’m ready, Your Honor.”
    “In a moment, Mr. Rogers.” Kellogg looked at Sarah. “How about you, Counselor?”
    She stood and scanned the courtroom behind her, then turned back to Kellogg. “Thank you,” she said politely. “I’m Sarah Harris, and I’m appearing on behalf of Peter Jessup. I would appreciate the court placing his matter on second call. Mr. Jessup is out of custody, and I am expecting him at any moment.”
    “Isn’t he the attorney who embezzled his client’s funds?” Kellogg asked.
    Now, there’s an impartial judge for you, I thought. But I had come to expect no less from Kellogg.
    “I believe what the court is referring to are only charges. My client will be entering a not-guilty plea.”
    That was the Sarah Harris I remembered. Like her father, she didn’t appear to give anyone an inch. I had to admit though, her overly confident attitude served her well in court: She gave every appearance of being a good lawyer.
    “Of course,” Kellogg oozed. “Well, you