Cut me some slack, I only know the US legal systhem for law and order. I am not even American. Still, enjoy...
Annabeth Chase
"And all this happened in seven months?" her ex fiancee and now defence attorney Luke Castellan asked wearily, as if not sure what minefield he was skipping onto. "As your ex fiancee it will be hard to stay objective, especially with you facing fifteen to twenty years."
"Luke," Annabeth sighed and moved to push a strand of her hair from her face only to be stopped mid-motion by the handcuffs linking her to the table. "Fuck, are these really necessary?"
"You are a dangerous drug trafficker now, Ms Chase," Luke announced gravely though there was a hint of amusement in his voice. The amusement quickly faded when Annabeth glared at him.
"Sorry, just saying. I am bringing my senior partners in on this. They are more experience and have no personal attachments," Luke pressed gently. "Besides, my boss is actually a member of the Colorado Bar's association."
"They don't owe me," Annabeth replied, holding his gaze.
"I already apologized. And you aren't much better. I wanted to get married when we went to collage and was happy to wait for you until the end of your Internship. The moment we part ways you immediately get yourself knocked up by some deadbeat and get your ass arrested close to the world's end with a trunk full of cocaine!"
Annabeth glowered at him. "He isn't a deadbeat!"
"Then where is he Annabeth?"
"He is-..." Annabeth then trailed off. "Besides, I told you I had no clue that the tires were full of drugs. It was a rental!"
Luke looked at her doubtfully and Annabeth fidgeted around. Prison chairs were many things. Comfortable wasn't among them.
"You do understand how bad this is, especially if you are telling the truth. I don't even need to bother proposing some sort of deal if you have nothing to offer!"
Suddenly tears welled up in Annabeth's eyes. Tears of exhaustion, tears of frustration. She wanted to scream, cry, or kick something. "Just so you understand, this isn't a game. Unless some miracle happens you are going away for many years. By the time you are even eligible for parole, your baby will be in middle school. After that you will be a felon, and you will probably never work as a physician again," Luke pressed. "Now, we need to make sure that this crime is investigated by the Sheriff's office, they are a small department with very limited resources so we can burry them in paperwork and run circles around them, and you and the Sheriff going back might play in our favor. If the State Troopers or Colorado Bureau of Investigation take over they have the resources to play at our speed. Now, unfortunately for you I know the DA from Harvard. She is strict and almost as sharp as you and so she won't be intimidate by a big law firm from New York sitting in the other side of the isle. She might just enjoy challenge."
"So, what do I do?" Annabeth asked. "It's not looking good."
"Now that I have had time to talk Sheriff will begin to question you. At least you demanded to see the lawyer instead of talking to her on your own."
Suddenly someone knocked on the interrogation room's door. "We're ready," Luke called over his shoulder and got to his feet and sat back down next to Annabeth.
A moment later Piper Mclean stepped into the room, holding a notebook and a camera on a tripod. After setting the tripod up and turning on the camera she sat down.
"Good afternoon, Ms Chase, Mr Castellan. I am the County Sheriff, Piper Mclean. It is the fifteenth of July, 1993, point fifteen hundred hours. I apologize for the delay, the DA was held up and asked me to begin without her," Piper announced.
"No problem," Luke replied evenly. "We have all the time in the time in the world. Attending is also also Luke Castellan. Member of the New York Bars association. I will serve as a temporary legal advisor to Ms Chase until my firm gets someone else down here. My Bar's number is seventeen o'five.."
"Let the record hold, My Chase is also present," Piper finished and sat down.
"So Ms Chase," Piper began. "Tell me what happened lat night."
Annabeth opened her mouth but Luke cut right across her , a wide smile appearing on his face. "My client had no prior knowledge of any controlled substance being hidden in her trunk. She reentered the vehicles with declared intention to hand it over to a dealership in Los Agneles run by the same parent company. My client is of course willing to completely cooperate in the investigation of the actual criminals, provided she gets full immunity for anything related to this case."
Piper raised an eyebrow and Annabeth had to admit that she made an imposing figure in the uniform. "Playing to my personal relationship with your client, are we? I have to disappoint you, my friendship only goes as far as recommending her not to talk without council present. I am still an elected official, bound to serve the communities under by guard. Besides, your client has a criminal record. She was in juvenile for theft."
"I appreciate the advice you gave her. The state of California sealed her juvenile record though," Luke countered.
"But the information was freely given by the client to me. I know no judge who won't unseal the record if you plan to bring that up in court." Piper hit back. "Mix that with a car full of Cocaine?"
Annabeth glowered at Piper, surprised she would bring up things that she had told her in confidence.
"Well, you know Ms Chase's history. Any questionable activities she made have made come from the period between her sixth birthday and her thirteenth, from the period she lived on the street. Today my client is a top of the line Harvard educated MD who until three days ago worked for one of the most prestigious Medical Facilities in the country. Wouldn't you agree that her upbringing gave my client enough streets smarts to not throw away her entire life for some quick cash, when her earnings potential is so much higher."
"Smart people do stupid things," Piper replied. "So don't bring me that.
Annabeth looked at Piper pleadingly. "I will turn over my financing records. Even without the job I have enough saved up to last me almost a year. Why would I do this!"
"Shut up, Annabeth," Luke growled between his teeth and to her surprise Piper cracked a smile. "Told her the same thing. But fair enough, I will reach out to NYPD. In the meantime, you are barking up the wrong tree. I merrily want Ms Chase to tell me everything that happened from the moment you entered the car dealership. Any deals you might want to strike is a conversation you should be having with the DA. So, Ms Chase. Tell me your side of the story. Leave nothing out!
"At this point in time, I advise my client to stay silent until certain assurances were made."
"Good luck with that," Piper muttered. "You know I am not the enemy here, right Annabeth? I want to help you!"
Annabeth opened her mouth again only to have Luke squeeze her wrist so tightly that a stab of pain sparked up her arm. Annabeth closed her mouth again.
"With all due respect, please don't talk to my client like that. You are here as an officer of the law. As long as she is wearing your handcuffs you are the opposing team."
"Fine," Piper said. "We will continue this with the DA present. Afterwards you will see a judge to set bail."
Once Piper turned off the camera and left Luke turned on her with a glare. "I told you to shut up unless I allow you to say something. The prosecution does not need your help locking you up."
Annabeth dumped her forehead on the table and closed her eyes. "Sorry."
"Don't mention it. Smart people make for bad clients," Luke muttered. "Especially with that thing in you, emotional outbursts might work in our favor in front of a jury."
"What problem are you referring to?" she asked defensively.
"That thing you had some random guy put into you," Luke snapped back.
Annabeth's cheeks burned up in barely suppressed anger. "It isn't a thing," Annabeth bit back.
"What ever it is, the two of you probably deserve each other. Besides, this might work out for us in front of a jury!"
The anger melted out of Annabeth until she was left with only exhaustion.
"What is going to happen to by baby?" she asked quietly, though she already knew the answer. She had seen it many times before in her own hospital.
"Provided you get locked up she either gets handed to any next or she goes into the foster system. Though at her age she has a good chance of being adopted," Luke explained, all malice suddenly gone from his voice, replaced by a hint of pity.
"I won't let that happen," Annabeth said softly.
"I am afraid you won't get much say in the matter Annabeth. I really hope the father is as good guy and takes her in. You know better than most how fucked up the system is."
There was no way she would ever let her own father take her unborn child, even if they had reconnected over the past few years. She had suffered through that and the story ended with her choosing to be homeless instead. If she had too, she would reach out to Percy, or his mother Sally. Something told her that Sally at least would take good care of any grandchild of her's even if Percy was found wanting.
Annabeth burred her face in her hands and exhaled. "Damn!" she sighed.
"It never gets simple with you, does it?" Luke muttered under his breath.
"At least I am not a spinless little twat," Annabeth snapped back.
"Hey, how often do I need to apologize? Besides, I am not the one facing serious jail time here. Do you want my help or not?" Luke growled. "Because I have better things to do that be insulted to my face."
"I'm sorry. This is not a good day," she admitted.
"You are a one woman freak show, Annabeth. You always here, but you are a good person. Just settle down and let me handle this, okay." Luke pressed upon her.
"I will," she finally admitted.
Suddenly the door opened and a tall end slender latina, around her own age, came walking in. She was pretty, but her demeanor was stony and her dark eyes hard.
"Reyna Avila RamÃrez-Arellano," Luke greeted her brightly, rising to his feet. "Figured you would either end as a DA or judge."
"Luke Castellan," she replied curtly and they shook hands. On her heels Piper also entered the interrogation room and finally the two women sat down.
"Good afternoon, Ms Chase. I am Ms Arellano, the DA. Can we agree on the settings, you encountered the police in the early hours of this morning and in that encounter your allowed Sheriff McLean and Deputy Culstee them to search your car where a seventeen pounds of cocain were discovered. Is this correct?"
Annabeth glanced at Luke who nodded. "It is," she confirmed in a small voice.
"Now, Sheriff McLean has implied that you are claiming you didn't know you are driving almost a million dollars of Cocaine across the country?" she followed up in a dispassionate voice.
When look nodded Annabeth confirmed this and Reyna sighed deeply. "What do you think, Sheriff? Plea bargain? Ten years, parole in five?"
Annabeth visibly stiffened. It was better than she had feared but five to ten years for something she hadn't actually done felt like a very tough sell.
"Let me spell it out for you, we have the coke. She agreed to have her car searched and admitted to driving it across half the continent. I have all the evidence I need to convit her trial..."
"Do you have any evidence that she ever touched the drugs?" Luke asked mildly. "Fingerprints? DNA?"
"Council, we are asking the questions here, not you," Piper reminded gently. "Rey, can I talk to you outside?"
"Sure," Reyna replied and the two women left the room again.
She and Luke sat in silence for quie a while. After twenty minutes or so he sighed. "They better charge you or let you go," he grunted. "It should be illegal to keep suspects in interrogation rooms like this if no interview is taking place!"
"Does it help me that my fingerprints aren't on those bags?"
Luke looked up at her. "Hmm?"
"The Cocaine, I've never seen those before, much less touched them. Will that make a difference?"
"Maybe..." Luke admitted. "Especially if they find known suspects prints or DNA on the. Don't bet on it, I just wanted to wipe the smile from that woman's face. A trial like this, especially where one were a law-firm likes mine puts its entire weight behind the defence, can drag out for months, even years. I don't think Reyna wants to risk that, hence the early deal to offer."
"Should we take it?"
Luke shrugged. "That is up to you, if they find more evidence against you it might get worse. On the other hand the entire case might fall apart on a technicality. I would recommend you don't let them just steamroll you with some deal," Luke explained. "Now, this is going to take a while. You will probably be denied Bail due to being a flight risk and will go to jail as the investigation proceeds. They will interview you a few more times in the future. There will be a pre-trial hearing, and then comes times for motions, like what witnesses or evidence to be heard or suppressed. There is plenty time for deals later-"
Slightly more than an hour later Piper reentered the room and sat back down.
"The bail judge just called. He wants to see you in two hours," Reyna began. "Now Mr Castellan, due to Annabeth having considerable financial assets and quite literally being apprehended in transit, I think we both know how this Bail hearing will go."
"Perhaps," Luke replied evenly.
"So, now off the record," she announced and turned off the camera. "Before we go to jail I have an idea. The DA is making a few calls right now and this hangs on me vouching for your moral integrity and you not fitting a profile. Before we continue any further, is there any evidence that might blindside me. You swear this wasn't your stuff."
Annabeth glanced at Luke who only shrugged. "On my honor. I've seen too many people die from this shit and I've been forced to take this shit when I was a kid. I would never touch shit like this," Annabeth pressed.
She heard Luke exhale sharply and guessed she had once again said too much. "Don't worry Council, I already knew this part. Don't worry, I won't bring it up as evidence. Now what we are considering is a plea of No Contest seeing as I myself have reasonable doubt of your guilt," Piper began.
"Continue?" Luke asked.
"This county lacks just about everything from doctors to electrician. In fact for the second time this year our only hospital in fifty miles is threatening to close its doors forever if they can't get their hands on new personal. Ms Chase is a very good physician, something this place needs. The idea is, Ms Chase pleades No Contest in return for a deal. Let us call it a suspended sentence. In return she promises to assist in any other investigation that might be linked to the drugs found in her car, and she will be required to pay her dept to security by working in the clinic for ten years."
Annabeth glanced at Luke who seemed just as taken aback as she was. "No jail time for seventeen pounds of Cocaine?"
Piper shrugged, "Maybe some, but not much. This would basically be parole with more restriction. No contact with criminals, obviously no drugs, and so on. Your client would not be permitted to leave county. If she quits the job, or gets herself fired, she goes straight to prison for the remainder of her sentence. We can put a pin in the details later, just let me know if you would be up for an arrangement like that."
"This is very irregular," Luke pointed out.
"The good thing we also lack the bureaucrats and the honorable Judge Brunner has a big sense of humor. It's actually quite annoying at times when you are trying to make convictions," Piper mused. "I mean on the other hand we can go to trial."
Luke sighed deeply. "Well, if the State believes this is an appropriate punishment..."
Luke glanced at Annabeth. "If you are cool with this. Being stuck out here might be just as bad as jail but at least you can tell yourself when to turn the lights off... on the other hand you might win at trial but it doesn't look too good."
"So no jail time?" Annabeth asked. "And I get to keep my medical license and my baby?"
Piper shrugged. "I can't promise no time in jail but you should at the very least be out by the time you carry your baby to term. But that is the general idea. Yes, you would keep your medical license. Your lawyer and the DA will figure out the details later."
"I want this on paper," Luke announced. "If my legal department in New York says a deal checks out we might have an agreement."
Piper winked at her. "By the way, this is for the time you told my dad that the weed was yours so I don't get cut off back in collage."
Well, I hope you enjoyed yourself. This is it for now.
Do leave a review.
Henry Locker over and out.