Page 40 of Shadow of Justice
“I’ll see you Monday,” I said. “If anything comes up over the weekend, you call me.”
I gave her a hug. It seemed appropriate. Hayden choked back a sob. I watched through the window until Hayden got into her car. Then I started back toward the empty office beside mine. I’d turned it into my trial prep room. Caro had taken our visitor there.
She stood in front of my whiteboard, hands on her hips.
“Kenya,” I beamed. She turned around. Kenya Spaulding, my former boss, looked radiant in wide-legged red pants and a black blouse. Her gold bangles rattled as she threw her arms wide and pulled me into a hug.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” I said.
“I had a feeling you could use a cheerleader,” she said. She wore her hair piled high on top of her head, her intricate braids looped tightly into a spiral.
“I could use a lot more than that,” I said. We were alone, but Kenya stepped around me and closed the door.
“How’s it really going?” she asked.
“How much do you know?”
“Only what I’ve read on the news. I talked to Caro a bit. She says you’re holding up just fine.”
“I don’t know. This case isn’t as strong as I want it to be.”
“They never are.”
“Do you remember much about this one?” I asked.
“Ellie Luke,” she sighed. “No. This one predates me by a few years. I mean, I’d heard of it. Gus Ritter’s great white whale. How’s he holding up?”
Kenya must have read something in my face. “Geesh. That bad?”
“No. I don’t know. I’m worried about him. I won’t lie. He’s wound pretty tight with this one. And Jamie Simmons’s defense lawyer isn’t messing around.”
“He’s gonna try to filet Gus on the stand,” she said.
“Exactly.”
“Well, don’t count Gus out just yet. He can be abrasive one on one, but you know how good he is in the witness box.”
“This one’s different, Kenya. Gus blames himself for it.”
“There was no physical evidence tying this Simmons guy to the murders twenty-two years ago. He wasn’t on anyone’s radar. The family led Gus to somebody else. He can’t think any of this is his fault.”
“You know Gus,” I said.
“Yep. Poor guy. I’ll check in on him. See if I can give him a pep talk.”
I smiled. “Like the one you’re giving me? Come clean. Was it Caro’s idea?”
Kenya grinned.
“I knew it,” I said. “Is she that worried about me?”
“Not worried. Just making sure you remember that you’re Mara Effing Brent. You’ve got this.”
“I don’t know. That’s the truth. Most of this is going to fall on Hayden Simmons’s nineteen-year-old shoulders. If she shuts down, this whole case does.”
“Was that her walking out when I came in?”
“Yes.”
