Chapter 7

Five months later…

"Ms. Hale? The judges will see you."

Rosalie stood and took a deep breath. She'd tried every technique in the book to calm her frazzled nerves, but it was no use. Shaky legs carried her down the hall and into the courtroom.

Three judges sat at the front of the room, engrossed in the files they were reading. Rosalie knew those files all too well; she'd spent the past five months going over them again and again in hopes of finding a loophole. It turns out there wasn't one.

"Please approach the bench, Prosecutor," Judge Stanley said without looking up.

"Thank you, Your Honour," Rosalie said once she stood before them. The three judges trained their eyes on her.

"We understand you have something you'd like to say regarding the McCarty appeal?" Judge Stanley had clearly been appointed the spokesperson for the group.

"Yes, Your Honour. I have information that I believe will strengthen Mr. McCarty's case for exoneration."

"Ms. Hale, as you know there is no room for new evidence or testimonials in the appeals process."

"I understand that, Your Honour, and I can assure you I'm not here to present new evidence or introduce any new witnesses. I'm simply here to admit fault for my own irresponsible actions on the case."

Judge Stanley narrowed her eyes. "Continue."

"I withheld evidence during the trial, Your Honour." Rosalie pulled a stack of paper out of her briefcase.

"What kind of evidence?"

"There was a second set of fingerprints on the lug wrench. I neglected to make this information available to the defense or the jury. There were also several eyewitness accounts of McCarty at a different venue at the time of the attack. I also neglected to make this information available to the defense or the jury."

"And why did you wait until now to make this information known, Ms. Hale?" Judge Yorkie piped up.

"I was simply following along with appellate proceedings, Your Honour."

The judges looked at one another before Judge Stanley held her hand out. Rosalie handed her the stack of papers and took a step back.

"Thank you for bringing this to our attention. You are dismissed."

Rosalie took a deep breath and nodded, turning around and heading for the courtroom door. She'd done the right thing, as risky as it was, and it felt like a giant weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

She knew her days as Prosecutor Hale were over.

But at least Rosalie would be able to sleep at night.

{-} P&P {-}

McCarty exonerated, Hale resigns as King County Prosecutor

By Mike Newton – Wednesday, May 15, 2013

King County residents were shocked on Monday when Emmett McCarty was exonerated from charges of first-degree assault and possession of Marijuana with intent to distribute. His exoneration comes from a trio of appellate judges.

McCarty had served five months of his ten-year sentence when former King County Prosecuting Attorney Rosalie Hale came forward and admitted to withholding evidence during the trial. Appellate judges deemed Hale's actions "erroneous," and granted McCarty's appeal.

On Tuesday Hale formally resigned from her position. When asked about her future plans, the former attorney refused to comment.

…

"I must say, I'm proud of you, Rosie." Alice took a bite of her yogurt and slid the paper across the table to her friend. Rosalie rolled her eyes, but smiled.

"I'm proud of you too," Emmett murmured, sneaking up behind her and pressing his lips softly against her neck.

"It was the right thing to do. Besides, how the hell else was I supposed to get to know you?" Rosalie joked.

Emmett laughed and pulled out the chair next to her. "You mean you weren't enjoying our thirty-minute telephone sessions?"

"As much as I loved the electronic start of our relationship, I'm much more partial to the phase we've entered now."

"And what phase would that be, Counselor?" Emmett wiggled his brows mischievously.

"I haven't quite decided on a name for it yet."

He brushed her hair away from her face and cupped her cheek with his palm. "That's perfectly fine, Ms. Hale." His lips connected with hers, igniting a delicious feeling inside. "We've got all the time in the world."