It had been just as she feared, the defendant had managed to smooth talk his way into the hearts of every jury member, and no matter how Andrea had tried to sway things her way, using all the evidence that she had, she could tell that there was no one there that was really actively listening to her at this point. And so, she shuffled her papers as she jotted a few notes to add into her closing statement. From the way things were looking, that statement would come before the end of the day, which was also less than ideal.
Looking over at Rusty, she could see that he had also read the room, and had come to the same conclusion that she had, as he was doodling on his own notepad. Not losing the somewhat stern smile that graced her lips, she reached over with her foot and lightly kicked the kid in the shin, needing him to start paying attention to what was going on. He shot her a look before sitting up straighter in his chair and appearing to look more interested with what was happening around him.
"And with that, the defense rests."
Andrea's spine stiffened as she realized that that could only mean closing arguments were next, and she was thoroughly unprepared with a good statement. Thankfully, the judge presiding over the case knew her well, as she gave her a small nod. "All right, we'll break for lunch and reconvene at three when the prosecution will begin with their closing statement."
As Judge Steinman banged her gavel, Andrea shoved her notepad into her briefcase before getting to her feet and looking down at Rusty. "You can had back to the office and start preparing the research I'll need for the next case. You know how things are going here."
Rusty nodded as he packed up his things, giving her a rueful smile. "I sort of knew that some cases were decided on personality, but it is so weird to see it in action."
"I know." Andrea let out a frustrated sigh as she shook her head. "Look, we need to look ahead now, since it is clear that things are not going my way. Just, do the job you've been asked to do, okay? That is what I need from you right now."
Rusty gave a jerky nod as he pushed away from the table and scurried from the courtroom, as if he could feel that Andrea's temper was starting to fray. Letting out a long sigh of frustration, she waited a few moments before following after him, deciding to take the stairs rather than wait for the elevator. With each step down she took, the black cloud that hovered over her grew larger and larger, until she had reached the bottom step and furiously strode over to the doors and stormed out of them, stalking down the street until she had reached the small café where she normally ate and worked on her closing statements.
After placing her order, Andrea pulled out her notepad and began to rework what she had already started to write, finding that so much of it didn't work, now that she knew the mood of the jury. Knowing that she had to tread carefully, Andrea tried to channel Sharon, knowing that the woman would have been able to cajole anyone to her way of thinking. Or at least, that was how Andrea always pictured her in her mind.
She picked at her food as she chipped away at the perfect closing statement, the hours passing by much too quickly for her. Finally, she knew that she just had to let it be, that if she fiddled with her words any more, they'd sound much too stiff, and turn the jury off even more. Shaking her head, she left more than half her meal behind, along with a decent tip, as she made her way back to the courthouse.
Once she had settled in her chair once more, she set her things out on the table, wishing that Sharon was here to give her moral support, since she was always so good at that, knowing when Andrea needed her most. That was just how things worked in their friendship, and that was what she missed most of all. As everyone else filed in, she glanced over at jury box once more, trying to picture which of them would be the most sympathetic to her, that she could focus on, and really hope to sway with her slightly better than circumstantial evidence and a strong, she prayed, closing statement. The jury filed in a few moments later, and she turned her attention back to the pad of paper in front of her before standing when the bailiff called them to order.
Judge Steinman gave her a commiserating smile, and it was in that moment that Andrea knew that the judge also knew that her was onboard a sinking ship. Stifling the sigh and frown that threatened to color her body language, she squared her shoulders and tried to quiet the voice in her head that told her that she should have expected this failure. "Be seated," she said, and Andrea sat and waited on the judge to speak once more. "All right, if the defense would like to start with their closing statement?"
Mark got up from his seat and approached the jury box, his hands in his pockets. Andrea zoned out on what he was saying, knowing that she had been afforded a small chance at making things right by giving the last words the jury would hear, and she couldn't squander that opportunity by allowing herself to become lost in his razzle dazzle words.
And then, Mark was giving her a knowing smirk as he crossed in front of her table on his way back to his seat. Taking a deep breath, she rose and went over to the jury, catching the eyes of the two people she thought were most sympathetic to her, and launched into her oration. It appeared that they were interested in what she was saying, which gave her a tiny bit of hope. Finally, though, she came to the end of her statement, and took her seat once more, letting out a hopefully discreet long breath.
"And now, you have heard from both DDA Hobbs and Mister Quincy. The cases that they laid out for you, the evidence they presented, all are available to peruse as you decide if Corbin Asten is guilty of the crime of murder in the first degree. As soon as you have reached a unanimous decision, tell the bailiff, and we will reconvene to render that judgement. If you do not reach a consensus before six this evening, you will be asked to return to the courtroom on Monday and continue until you have reached a verdict, or come to the consensus that you cannot reach a verdict."
The jury nodded and Andrea watched them leave, still feeling a heavy weight in the pit of her stomach, knowing that she really had not done enough to make her case. Once the jury was completely gone, she stacked all her papers together and shoved them into her briefcase, trying not to let her ire show in the way she moved, since she knew that she couldn't let her professional mask drop. Taking a few deep breaths, Andrea pushed away from the table and made her way out of the courtroom, already thinking ahead to the next case, knowing that she had much stronger evidence for it, and that this scenario wouldn't play out again so quickly. Though she also knew that if Sharon were there, none of this would have happened.