Page 112 of Dirty Judge

“He’s determined to fight these charges, restore his name, and make sure that justice is served at the highest level.”

“Save your Oscar-worthy performance for your trial, Mr. Tate.” I held back a groan. “Bail is set at five hundred thousanddollars and the defendant will surrender his passport to the court.”

“Sold.” He smiled at me. “Thank you, Your Honor.”

“You’re welcome.” I banged my gavel. “Court is in recess until this evening.”

I slipped into my chambers and found Damien Carter sitting behind the desk, inmychair.

“Get the hell up,” I said. “Now.”

“I was just keeping it warm for you, Your Honor.” He smiled. “You’re welcome.”

“I’m going to get the cushion cleaned tomorrow.”

He laughed and handed me a copy ofThe New York Times.

“Let me guess,” I said. “I’m a filthy judge now instead of a dirty one?”

“Filthy ismyword.” He smiled. “I think you’re clean now, though.”

My eyes widened as I took in the top three headlines.

The largest one, paired with a photo of Grant Jenkins in handcuffs, was the longest.

“Jenkins Agrees to Plea Deal Ahead of Trial—Will Serve Original Sentence Given Under Judge Ashton”

The other two deserved to be just as large, but they were on opposite sides of the paper.

Trevor Jenkins Arrested on Charges of Bribing Federal Officials

Trevor Jenkins Linked to Multiple DUI Accidents in Past Five Years

The bylines all read the same.

By Sylvia Castwell

With extensive reporting from Olivia S.

I settled into my chair, reading stories I never expected to see in print—stories I never even considered because I was so caught up in rereading my own.

My chest ached as I realized that the reason Trevor’s lawyers never looked into me was because he’d done this to plenty of other people without consequence.

When I reached the last line, I stared at it for a while, knowing that it was penned by Olivia.

“So it seems that perhaps Judge Ashton had a reason to rule in the way he did; that perhaps he saw through the senior Mr. Jenkins’ lies and was trying to ensure that the wealthy and the poor all get treated to the same blend of justice.”

“So, are you going to call her with a thank you?” Damien asked as I set down the paper.

“I’m not sure yet,” I said. “Is that what you would do?”

“I’d probably text first, call later.”

“Well, in that case, no.” I grabbed my jacket. “I’m not going to do that at all…”

REDEMPTION (N.):

THE ACT OF REDEEMING, BUYING BACK PROPERTY BY PAYING OFF A LOAN, INTEREST AND ANY COSTS OF FORECLOSURE.