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8. "Take My Seat"

Sharon was one of the few cops who didn't mind spending their day in a court room. Although she found great satisfaction in investigating and subsequently closing a case, she found solace in seeing the suspect sentenced to prison. She would watch as those who were guilty met their fate and only then did she feel she had truly closed the case. Often they would cut a deal before a case even went to trial but there were exceptions and the case she was about to witness today was one of them.

It had taken her weeks to finally find the evidence that a man was guilty of killing his mistress. He had gone out of his way to hide evidence and it had taken everything Sharon had to break his carefully constructed alibi. He had refused the deal she offered, telling her he would take his chance in front of a jury. That chance was now and Sharon had watched the case fall apart. Their evidence was overwhelming and not even the defence lawyer stood a chance.

She was one of the last to enter the court room and just like every other day that week, it was packed. Her eyes scanned the room and singled out the members of her division on the first and second row. On the other end of the courtroom she saw the victim's family, their shoulders squared and backs straight, and their hands linked. It was how they sat every day, their eyes fixed on the man at the desk. He had refused to look at them, had refused to acknowledge them.

Sharon felt the cool gust of air from the air conditioning as she made her way down the aisle and when she reached Julio, who sat at the end of the bench, she put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and met her eyes.

"Ma'am," he acknowledged her.

"I see they're here again," Sharon whispered, jerking her heard towards the members of the press in the back of the courtroom. "Vulchers."

"They only care about the sensational part of it. They don't care about justice."

Sharon heaved a sigh. She knew press coverage was always going to happen but most of the journalists belonged to tabloids and the articles they wrote were neither accurate nor fair. She briefly looked at Amy and Andy. Amy met Sharon's eyes and they shared a look of quiet sadness. Sharon then took a step back but Julio stood up.

"Take my seat," he offered. He held Sharon's gaze. Like him, she had been in the front row every single day. Julio had been the one to arrest their suspect, had been the one to take his confession, and had been the one to spend time with the victim's family. He was as invested as Sharon, perhaps even more so, and he hadn't missed a moment in court.

Sharon smiled in thanks. She understood better than anyone the desire to sit on the first row when a verdict came in. No one wanted to hear the word 'guilty' more than she or Julio did and right now he was prepared to take a step back, literally, so she got to sit in the front row instead. It seemed like such a small thing but Sharon knew better than anyone what this meant.

Julio went to sit two rows behind Sharon and she sat down, folded her hands in her lap and swallowed. Her heart thundered in her chest when she heard the ''All rise" being called. She stood and ran her hands down her blazer. Moments later she sat back down and she looked to her right. The members of the jury were all back in their seats and the foreman stared into the distance. The judge focused on him.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you reached your verdict?"

"We have, Your Honor," the man simply known as juror one answered and stood up. He reached into the front pocket of his shirt and even from where she sat, Sharon could tell his hands were shaking. She'd heard the tremor of nerves in his voice.

The judge just nodded, encouraging the foreman to carry on. Sharon could hear the audible gasp that went through the courtroom as the small piece of paper was unfolded. Seconds had never felt this long.

"We the jury find the defendant…."

One…two…Sharon counted her heartbeats… three…

"Guilty."

Sharon sighed and raised her eyes to the ceiling before glancing over her shoulder at Julio. He looked back at her and she didn't need to say anything. He knew it and she knew it.

Case closed.