Devil's Advocate

Summary: Accused of Frank Scanlon's murder, Gary Hobson is in for the fight of his life. But when a lawyer from a high-powered Washington, DC law firm heads his defense, Gary quickly learns that the road towards innocence is paved with both surprises and complications.

Disclaimer: Early Edition and The Lyon's Den characters belong to their creators. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made.

Author: Tracy Diane Miller

Chapter One

The case had generated a lot of interest, and just like an Arctic blast with its cool winds blowing off of Lake Michigan, it had captured the attention of the Washington elite. Why the murder of a Sun-Times columnist would have produced even a modicum of concern amongst the political power brokers remained unclear, but they were worried that their secrets were about to be exposed. The rich and powerful had the dirtiest laundry.

Christianson had received the call in the early morning, and after a few anxious moments, the veteran lawyer quickly sprung into action. Washington was still asleep for the most part. But when the city awoke to the news, Christianson was determined that the "situation" would be under control, that is, the control of Lyon, Lacrosse, and Levine.

Grant Rashton had been briefed on the situation. How fortuitous that the young junior partner had also been admitted to practice in the state of Illinois. Still, it was odd, so Grant thought, that he had been called in to represent some Chicago bar owner accused in the murder of that city's reporter. What intrigued Rashton even more was that an anonymous and extremely wealthy benefactor was footing the bill for this defense.

Grant had learned a long time ago not to ask questions for which he knew those persons holding the purse strings wouldn't answer. Instead, he agreed to take the case. The only request that Grant made was for Ariel to assist him in this defense.

The two lawyers (and lovers) boarded a plane. In a few hours, they would find themselves journeying to the Cook County jail for their first meeting with Gary Hobson.

Chapter Two

"Good morning, Chicago. It's six-thirty and..." Almost as if he had succumbed to a drunken stupor rather than sleep born from sheer exhaustion, a weary Gary Hobson turned over in his bed to silence the all too cheery voice emanating from the clock radio. However, as he motioned forward, his body hit the floor with a resounding thump. The force of his fall had awakened him. Gary opened his eyes to the new day and to the realization of his continuing nightmare.

The stale air and the imposing presence of the steel bars of the jail cell greeted him, having replaced the warmth and comfortable familiarity of his loft. A wave of terrible images crashed through his brain as his mind was forced to recognize the desperation of his circumstances: A gunshot. Frank Scanlon's lifeless body, a gruesome silhouette visible despite the darkness that had befallen the eerie quietness of the train yard. A security guard's threat to unleash the fervor of the barking dog should he move a muscle towards the gun that lay in close proximity to the columnist's corpse. His frightened pleas of innocence had fallen upon deaf ears as the handcuffs bit unforgivingly into his flesh. Then, he was shoved into a police car and the wailing of the sirens quickly broke the quiet of the night. He saw his subsequent interrogation by Armstrong and the cop's partner followed by a lie detector test that should have convinced the officers of his innocence rather than reinforced their suspicions of his guilt.

The lie detector test hadn't saved him; instead, according to Brigatti, it had demonstrated that he had a propensity for deception. Her words echoed in his mind: "What you need, is a lawyer, Hobson. A very good lawyer."

He lay on the cold floor for only a moment before he heard the approaching footsteps. Keys jingled excitedly as a portly, middle-aged officer opened the cell door.

Gary offered a slight grunt as he arose to his feet and stared into the eyes of the cop. The officer removed a pair of handcuffs that were clipped to a belt and walked towards him. Gary's hands were handcuffed in front of him as the officer informed him that he was going to see his lawyer.

The early morning hour did little to brighten the dismal atmosphere that surrounded him. The hallway was long and his gait was as heavy as a condemned man taking the last walk of his life. His heart pounded violently. His emotions were confused. He was worried, but yet, a slight breath of fresh air seemed to lightly kiss his cheek as he experienced the first indication of hope since this nightmare had begun. His lawyer would believe him.

Gary Hobson wasn't prepared for what he saw when the officer opened the door to the small interrogation room where his lawyer awaited him. An attractive woman with long blond hair was seated at the table next to a man with dark hair and mud green eyes who was scribbling furiously onto a legal pad.

This man was his mirror image.