Adam leaned back trying to take in all that he just heard. He looked from the detectives standing across his desk to Ms. Ross sitting in one of the arm chairs to Jack sitting lethargically on his sofa. These four people he trusted more then anyone else to find guilty parties and carry out justice. He shook his head. Once, just this once he hoped they were wrong.
"Ok, So you four are telling me that Eric Gray of my small claims department stole the gun of one of this building's security guards, saved it for a week and then chased and shot one of his intern assistants and then tried to convince the cops that she was a problem worker with a possible drug problem?"
"That's the basic story, yeah." Affirmatively nodded Rey.
"Do I hear a motive surfacing in this mess at all?"
Rey looked at Lennie who took the hint, "Well, sir, no, not exactly, yet. But we do have a security camera tape of him taking Jensen's gun."
Adam gave a dissatisfied grunt. Jamie then spoke up, "And Mary told me about a week or two before she died that she didn't want to work for Gray anymore, that he made her uncomfortable, but wouldn't elaborate."
Jack snapped up his head. "Why is this the first we're hearing about this?"
"It sorta slipped my mind I guess. I didn't remember until we started looking at Gray as a suspect."
"Well maybe if it didn't l slip your mind before this happened and you actually did something, this girl wouldn't be dead." He snapped back vitrolicaly.
"Jack!" Adam chatised.
Jamie shook her head. "No its all right, he's got a headache and you know how not feeling well can put children into bad moods." She said sarcastically. Jack huffed out a breath. Turning to Jack she added, "You think I haven't already thought of that?"
Jack cast his eyes down and crossed his arms. Adam shook his head in dismay, what was he going to do with these two? They were prone enough to bicker but when one of them sunk into some type of mood all help was lost.
"Alright, alright, lets not dwell on who did what except for our suspect. Why is it that we don't have security video from the night Ms. Werthers was killed?"
Lennie looked at his notes. "The circuit breaker was turned off."
"So we have definite premeditation?"
"I'd say so." Called Jack from the sofa.
"Well I don't want to go to trial with out a motive. If she was feeling uncomfortable it was probably something done at the office. If that's the case then it will be on some other tapes downstairs. I suggest you get a comfortable chair and pop some popcorn. "
Everyone began to file out of the room. Jack took the longest to pull himself off of the sofa. Adam looked at him.
"Are you drunk?"
Jack looked incredulously back at him. "No. just a headache."
"Ok. Be easy on Ms. Ross, you and I both know what it feels like to lose someone and feel somewhat responsible." Jack started to say something but Adam held up his hand. "I'm just saying keep the bickering to a minimum, we are all on the same team here and she doesn't need any of your wisecracks right now."
Jack looked at his toes and didn't say anything. "Hey, Jack, let those three watch the tapes. You go home, sleep a bit. The more stress you have the more your head'll hurt." Again Jack began to say something, this time in protest. "No, I don't want to hear it. Go home. Go!"
**********************************************
The next morning Jack came in and leaned on the door frame of Jamie's "office".
"Hey, sorry about the comment yesterday. How are you doing?"
She looked up at him slowly as if deciding something. "Nah, its ok. I'm doing fine. I feel better having put this guy in jail. You feeling any better?"
"Yeah, I mean, it was only a little headache."
"Well only little headaches shouldn't incapacitate you from doing your job. You shoud see a doctor."
He ignored her comment. "So what did you find on the tapes?"
Jamie bit the inside of her lip. She didn't like it when he just ignored her like that and she also didn't like what she was going to have to explain. She paused for a moment. "Gray was sexually assualting and harrasing Mary for the past month. But she wasn't being a push over, she denied him again and again. The last time, the day before he stole the gun she held a letter opener to his throat and he backed down."
Jack sat quiet for a moment. "So he took the gun to intimidate her into submission and when she still ran he chased?" Jamie just gave him a matter of fact look. "Its a motive, the actual crime is circumstantial but its not a stretch by any shot. I'll tell Adam we're ready for trial."
He turned to leave but Jamie called him back, "Jack."
"What?"
"Listen, what you said yesterday,"
"Jamie," He tried to interupt.
"No, it wasn't wrong. And what he was doing to her, I should have noticed and when she told me I should have done something."
He sat down in the chair next to her desk and put his hand on her forearm, "Jamie, no, there was no way you could have known and if you had there was nothing you could have done to prevent him from doing anything. You have handeled enough sexual predator cases to know that. Yesterday I was in a bad mood, just spouting steam. I'm sorry if I made you feel responsible because you're really not."
She looked down. She didn't want Jack to notice her glistening eyes. "I can't help but feel responsible for that girl's death."
"You're not, you're really not. I really can not have you on this case if you can't rid yourself of that notion. Do you understand me? You are not responsible."
She nodded her head but didn't say anything more. Jack stood and patted her back before he left to go talk to Adam.
***********************************************
Jack let out a long low breath and leaned back slightly in his chair at the prosocuter's table. He watched as Gray's attorney tried to tapdance his way out of a conviction by giving an emotional summation. Jack smirked inwardly. He had already felt confident about the case, but watching this closing was making him feel even better. He was reminded of a famous saying in the world of law, "If the law is on your side, argue the law. If the facts are on your side argue the facts and if you have neither then just argue." And that was exactly what Gray's attorney was doing.
"And so ladies and gentlemen I ask you to spare this man's reputation, this man's career, this man's LIFE and return a verdict of not guilty. Thank you."
As the attorney moved to sit down Jack looked at Jamie and smoothed his tie. She gave him and encouraging smile while he stood up and adjusted his suit jacket. He walked slowly and delibratly to the middle of the floor in front of the jury, all the while looking at the floor about a foot from his shoes. He sighed one more time and looked sadly at the 12 citizens of the jury.
"Mary Werthers is dead. She was 22 years old. She did not die of some horrible disease or of some fault of her own. She died from three gunshot wounds. She was shot in the back. She was murdered while running in fear. What initiated that fear? Not only did this man, this murderer, hold a gun to her head, he also sexually assualted her at least a dozen times. How do I know that this atrocity occurred? I saw it. You saw it. We showed you the tapes. We let you see, with your own eyes how this man abused his power and came on to this young girl. How she was so afraid that she once defended her self with a letter opener. The defendent felt the need to one up her so he stole a gun. Again, how do I know this? How do you know this? Because we saw it, we watched as that man there steal the gun that ballisitcs matched to the bullets in Ms. Werthers head and back. " He paused and breathed "She was attacked, she was killed at her work, at the District attorney's office. A place where we work for justice. The defense has asked you to consider the effect on Mr. Gray's life if you find him guilty. I ask you, is it justice to ignore the effect he had on Mary Werther's life? She's dead, he had the motive and the means and the opportunity. Please don't let Mary Werthers' love of the justice system be in vain, serve justice for her. Look at the facts, at what you saw and complete justice by finding her killer guilty." He nodded his thanks and sat down.
"That went well" whispered Jamie beside him.
"Thanks, but if we win this it won't be because of my summation."
Jamie smiled a knowing smile and fidgeted with a button on her blouse while half listening to the judge's instructions to the jury. When he was done Jack looked at Jamie and smiled.
"Wanna go get some coffee?"
"Yeah sure sounds good."
They got up and headed to the large oak doors. As Jack was opening the door and waiting for Jamie to pass through he heard a voice behind him. "McCoy!" It was the defense attorney.
"Hey, McCoy, listen I was thinking that maybe we could sit down in a room somewhere, work out a deal of some sorts...?" The younger man looked pleadingly at the district attorneys. Jack balked.
"We just sent out the jury, do you really think we would talk now?" Jamie was looking at some movement beyond Jack's shoulder as he spoke.
"Uh, Jack, I don't think we even have time to entertain the defense's request, or that coffee either." Jack looked at her questioningly. Then he looked over his shoulder where she had been looking and saw the bailif coming their way.
*******
It had to have been some kind of record. The jury voted as soon as they got into the room and were back out in 7 min. Jack noticed Jamie trying to hide a tear when the jury read off the guilty verdict. He mentioned it to her as they were returning to the office.
"So what if I was crying?"
"Its just very unlike you thats all." he replied quietly.
"Well Jack, you don't really know all that much about me, do you?"
He just looked at her blankly as he moved to unlock his office door. Suddenly he was being attacked by a giant ball of orange wool. He pushed it away and realized it was a young man in a very "loud" sweater.
"Aww, I'm sorry. I should have realized that you probably don't like hugs." Jack just stood silently amazed at this character. "But I bet you do!" With that Chet spun around and offered Jamie a hug.
"Ah, the infamous Chet, we meet at last." Jamie finally got out between laughter.
"I just came down to thank you guys for working so hard on Mary's benefit."
Jack smiled. "We'd do anything for a fellow ADA."
Jamie added, "Including putting them in jail."
Jack sighed and retreated to his office.
~End
"Ok, So you four are telling me that Eric Gray of my small claims department stole the gun of one of this building's security guards, saved it for a week and then chased and shot one of his intern assistants and then tried to convince the cops that she was a problem worker with a possible drug problem?"
"That's the basic story, yeah." Affirmatively nodded Rey.
"Do I hear a motive surfacing in this mess at all?"
Rey looked at Lennie who took the hint, "Well, sir, no, not exactly, yet. But we do have a security camera tape of him taking Jensen's gun."
Adam gave a dissatisfied grunt. Jamie then spoke up, "And Mary told me about a week or two before she died that she didn't want to work for Gray anymore, that he made her uncomfortable, but wouldn't elaborate."
Jack snapped up his head. "Why is this the first we're hearing about this?"
"It sorta slipped my mind I guess. I didn't remember until we started looking at Gray as a suspect."
"Well maybe if it didn't l slip your mind before this happened and you actually did something, this girl wouldn't be dead." He snapped back vitrolicaly.
"Jack!" Adam chatised.
Jamie shook her head. "No its all right, he's got a headache and you know how not feeling well can put children into bad moods." She said sarcastically. Jack huffed out a breath. Turning to Jack she added, "You think I haven't already thought of that?"
Jack cast his eyes down and crossed his arms. Adam shook his head in dismay, what was he going to do with these two? They were prone enough to bicker but when one of them sunk into some type of mood all help was lost.
"Alright, alright, lets not dwell on who did what except for our suspect. Why is it that we don't have security video from the night Ms. Werthers was killed?"
Lennie looked at his notes. "The circuit breaker was turned off."
"So we have definite premeditation?"
"I'd say so." Called Jack from the sofa.
"Well I don't want to go to trial with out a motive. If she was feeling uncomfortable it was probably something done at the office. If that's the case then it will be on some other tapes downstairs. I suggest you get a comfortable chair and pop some popcorn. "
Everyone began to file out of the room. Jack took the longest to pull himself off of the sofa. Adam looked at him.
"Are you drunk?"
Jack looked incredulously back at him. "No. just a headache."
"Ok. Be easy on Ms. Ross, you and I both know what it feels like to lose someone and feel somewhat responsible." Jack started to say something but Adam held up his hand. "I'm just saying keep the bickering to a minimum, we are all on the same team here and she doesn't need any of your wisecracks right now."
Jack looked at his toes and didn't say anything. "Hey, Jack, let those three watch the tapes. You go home, sleep a bit. The more stress you have the more your head'll hurt." Again Jack began to say something, this time in protest. "No, I don't want to hear it. Go home. Go!"
**********************************************
The next morning Jack came in and leaned on the door frame of Jamie's "office".
"Hey, sorry about the comment yesterday. How are you doing?"
She looked up at him slowly as if deciding something. "Nah, its ok. I'm doing fine. I feel better having put this guy in jail. You feeling any better?"
"Yeah, I mean, it was only a little headache."
"Well only little headaches shouldn't incapacitate you from doing your job. You shoud see a doctor."
He ignored her comment. "So what did you find on the tapes?"
Jamie bit the inside of her lip. She didn't like it when he just ignored her like that and she also didn't like what she was going to have to explain. She paused for a moment. "Gray was sexually assualting and harrasing Mary for the past month. But she wasn't being a push over, she denied him again and again. The last time, the day before he stole the gun she held a letter opener to his throat and he backed down."
Jack sat quiet for a moment. "So he took the gun to intimidate her into submission and when she still ran he chased?" Jamie just gave him a matter of fact look. "Its a motive, the actual crime is circumstantial but its not a stretch by any shot. I'll tell Adam we're ready for trial."
He turned to leave but Jamie called him back, "Jack."
"What?"
"Listen, what you said yesterday,"
"Jamie," He tried to interupt.
"No, it wasn't wrong. And what he was doing to her, I should have noticed and when she told me I should have done something."
He sat down in the chair next to her desk and put his hand on her forearm, "Jamie, no, there was no way you could have known and if you had there was nothing you could have done to prevent him from doing anything. You have handeled enough sexual predator cases to know that. Yesterday I was in a bad mood, just spouting steam. I'm sorry if I made you feel responsible because you're really not."
She looked down. She didn't want Jack to notice her glistening eyes. "I can't help but feel responsible for that girl's death."
"You're not, you're really not. I really can not have you on this case if you can't rid yourself of that notion. Do you understand me? You are not responsible."
She nodded her head but didn't say anything more. Jack stood and patted her back before he left to go talk to Adam.
***********************************************
Jack let out a long low breath and leaned back slightly in his chair at the prosocuter's table. He watched as Gray's attorney tried to tapdance his way out of a conviction by giving an emotional summation. Jack smirked inwardly. He had already felt confident about the case, but watching this closing was making him feel even better. He was reminded of a famous saying in the world of law, "If the law is on your side, argue the law. If the facts are on your side argue the facts and if you have neither then just argue." And that was exactly what Gray's attorney was doing.
"And so ladies and gentlemen I ask you to spare this man's reputation, this man's career, this man's LIFE and return a verdict of not guilty. Thank you."
As the attorney moved to sit down Jack looked at Jamie and smoothed his tie. She gave him and encouraging smile while he stood up and adjusted his suit jacket. He walked slowly and delibratly to the middle of the floor in front of the jury, all the while looking at the floor about a foot from his shoes. He sighed one more time and looked sadly at the 12 citizens of the jury.
"Mary Werthers is dead. She was 22 years old. She did not die of some horrible disease or of some fault of her own. She died from three gunshot wounds. She was shot in the back. She was murdered while running in fear. What initiated that fear? Not only did this man, this murderer, hold a gun to her head, he also sexually assualted her at least a dozen times. How do I know that this atrocity occurred? I saw it. You saw it. We showed you the tapes. We let you see, with your own eyes how this man abused his power and came on to this young girl. How she was so afraid that she once defended her self with a letter opener. The defendent felt the need to one up her so he stole a gun. Again, how do I know this? How do you know this? Because we saw it, we watched as that man there steal the gun that ballisitcs matched to the bullets in Ms. Werthers head and back. " He paused and breathed "She was attacked, she was killed at her work, at the District attorney's office. A place where we work for justice. The defense has asked you to consider the effect on Mr. Gray's life if you find him guilty. I ask you, is it justice to ignore the effect he had on Mary Werther's life? She's dead, he had the motive and the means and the opportunity. Please don't let Mary Werthers' love of the justice system be in vain, serve justice for her. Look at the facts, at what you saw and complete justice by finding her killer guilty." He nodded his thanks and sat down.
"That went well" whispered Jamie beside him.
"Thanks, but if we win this it won't be because of my summation."
Jamie smiled a knowing smile and fidgeted with a button on her blouse while half listening to the judge's instructions to the jury. When he was done Jack looked at Jamie and smiled.
"Wanna go get some coffee?"
"Yeah sure sounds good."
They got up and headed to the large oak doors. As Jack was opening the door and waiting for Jamie to pass through he heard a voice behind him. "McCoy!" It was the defense attorney.
"Hey, McCoy, listen I was thinking that maybe we could sit down in a room somewhere, work out a deal of some sorts...?" The younger man looked pleadingly at the district attorneys. Jack balked.
"We just sent out the jury, do you really think we would talk now?" Jamie was looking at some movement beyond Jack's shoulder as he spoke.
"Uh, Jack, I don't think we even have time to entertain the defense's request, or that coffee either." Jack looked at her questioningly. Then he looked over his shoulder where she had been looking and saw the bailif coming their way.
*******
It had to have been some kind of record. The jury voted as soon as they got into the room and were back out in 7 min. Jack noticed Jamie trying to hide a tear when the jury read off the guilty verdict. He mentioned it to her as they were returning to the office.
"So what if I was crying?"
"Its just very unlike you thats all." he replied quietly.
"Well Jack, you don't really know all that much about me, do you?"
He just looked at her blankly as he moved to unlock his office door. Suddenly he was being attacked by a giant ball of orange wool. He pushed it away and realized it was a young man in a very "loud" sweater.
"Aww, I'm sorry. I should have realized that you probably don't like hugs." Jack just stood silently amazed at this character. "But I bet you do!" With that Chet spun around and offered Jamie a hug.
"Ah, the infamous Chet, we meet at last." Jamie finally got out between laughter.
"I just came down to thank you guys for working so hard on Mary's benefit."
Jack smiled. "We'd do anything for a fellow ADA."
Jamie added, "Including putting them in jail."
Jack sighed and retreated to his office.
~End