Disclaimer: Not mine.
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She sat at the table, even though the courtroom was now empty, save her. The case had been won, yes, but at what cost? She couldn't help but think that as she stared at the wood of her table. The lines and swirls that had once held the life of a tree, of a home to little woodland creatures that sometimes talked in cartoons, failed to grasp her attention as she traced them absently with a finger, still wondering how a person could ever think to do such horrible things, let alone carry them out. How a middle aged man could prey upon children sickened her. The fact that he would rot in prison gave her no comfort, as she remembered the faces of his victims. Of the children.
So wrapped up in her thoughts, she did not hear the footsteps that announced the arrival, or rather, approach of someone. "You do realize the case is over, right?" His question startled her and he suppressed a smile as she jumped.
"Yes," she replied simply, still staring at the table. She didn't have to turn around to know who it was standing behind her.
"And you do realize that not even the reporters are around anymore, right?"
"They aren't?" she asked, surprised that she had sat there as long as she had.
"Nearly an hour ago," he answered, and she wondered, briefly, if he could read minds. "And I must offer my congratulations, counselor, on a case well won."
She didn't respond, instead gathering her things and putting them in her bag before standing and turning to leave. He was standing with his back to the benches that had long been emptied, his hand resting on the rail that separated the public from the lawyers. Unable to see his eyes unnerved her, though normally she wouldn't have noticed. She wondered what he was thinking, standing alone with her in an empty courtroom in silence. She didn't have to wait long for a response.
"Would you like to accompany me to dinner?" She was struck by the friendliness hiding behind the formality of the question.
"Yeah. Yeah, I would."