Page 34 of The Best Lawyer
“How is Katy?” he asked. “Truly. Do you think she’s up for this?”
“She doesn’t really have a choice. Over the next week, Addison Quick is going to tell an awful story about her. Castor doesn’t allow cameras into his courtroom, but this is Delphi. Everyone’s going to know her business and yours.”
“They already do. Somebody spray painted my car a couple of weeks back.”
“What? You didn’t tell me that.”
“Why would I?”
“Because maybe the cops should have gotten involved. Did you call them?”
“Of course not.”
“Well, at least run it by Eric.”
Joe smiled. “You know, I understand the irony of all this.”
“What do you mean?”
“How many times have I gotten annoyed with you over your constant need to fix things for people? A lot of the time when we didn’t ask you to. Now here I am, begging you to fix this mess no matter the consequences. And I’m not sorry for it. Not one bit.”
“I don’t want to fight with you,” I said. “I don’t want any more awkward cookouts with you and Vangie at each other’s throats. With the two of us having to avoid talking to each other.”
Joe smiled. “Like you said, one way or another this will all be over by next week. I just don’t know if things can ever get back to normal.”
“They will,” I said. “We’ve withstood worse.”
“Hmm,” he said, sounding unconvinced by my argument.
“Come on,” I said. “The bugs are coming out. I don’t want to get eaten alive.”
We went inside. Eric must have retreated to the second floor. Joe whistled for the dog. Madison was already asleep in front of the couch. She jerked her head up. A few seconds later, Marbury trotted in. He rubbed his nose against Joe’s pant leg, begging to get his ears scratched. Joe complied.
“Good boy,” he said.
“Cass,” he said. “Is there anything I should say or do, or not say or do on that witness stand?”
“I know you’re not asking me to coach you, Joe. This is exactly the kind of thing I told you couldnothappen. Just tell the truth as you know it. I’ll tell you what I say to every witness. Answer what you’re asked. Nothing more, nothing less. You’ll be fine.”
He startled me then, closing the space between us and hugging me. He squeezed me tight, crushing my ribs.
“Thanks,” he said. “No matter what, okay?”
“Okay,” I whispered as I looked up at him. I really had missed my big brother. As much as I wanted to brain him at the same time.
Chapter 14
Every lawyer hastheir own style when it comes to opening arguments. Some try to be conversational with the jury. Others take a more formal, professorial stance. Many try to strike a balance in between. For me, I’ve always viewed opening statements as an opportunity for me to tell a story. To introduce the jury to my client in a way that feels approachable. Sitting before them is a human being. A flawed one, of course. But someone whose fate they hold in their hands.
I understand the system. The protections we have in place that are meant to ensure all of us are afforded equal rights. I understand that means defense lawyers very often must represent clients who actually committed the crimes they’re accused of. And for that, we are viewed as the enemy, or morally bankrupt. And I am lucky. I have reached a certain level of success in my life that allows me to pick and choose whom I represent. I have to believe in my clients.
As Katy sat beside me, swallowed by her crisp blue suit that no longer fit her due to the weight she’d lost in jail, I did not know what to believe. I only knew what I wanted to believe. And Iknew that her fate was so intrinsically tied to the people I love that none of it mattered.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Addison Quick began. He’d come freshly shaved from the barber in the courthouse basement. He was handsome. Not physically intimidating. He was only an inch or two taller than I was, but solid and compact. He moved like a boxer or a wrestler. Light on his feet. Rod-straight posture. A properly tailored suit. He had a cleanly shaven head and a deep tan.
“I want to introduce you to Tom Loomis,” he began. “Some of you already know who he was. You’ve seen his face on the local news. A good-looking, charming man who wasn’t from Delphi, but fit right in. He was building a life here. He had a nice house in a quiet neighborhood. He married the woman he thought was the love of his life. And that’s when the problems began.
“Tom was a good man. But he was by no means perfect. His moral failings were big. He became involved with his wife, the defendant, Katy Loomis, while she was still very much married to her first husband. But he fell in love with her. And he believed her when she told him her marriage was all but over.
