The FAYZ Trials – Chapter 11
Caine was squatted down by the door of the court room, his ear pressed against the key hole in a futile attempt to hear what Diana was saying when the door swung open and sent him flying across the marble floors. It was Karim and he looked livid. So much so that he didn't even see Caine sprawled out on the floor with a bloody nose. Scrambling to his feet Caine followed Karim to his office jogging to keep up with the lawyer who was walking so quickly.
"Karim what's happening?" Caine asked as they reached the door to the office
"Not now Caine," he replied and slammed the door on his face. Caine was about to barge in and demand to know what was happening when Freddy Wishman and the Judge himself came around the corner debating heatedly. Caine ducked around the corner out of view and listened hard to what they were saying as they approached Karim's door
"...your behaviour didn't exactly help, Mr Wishman"
"Your Honour! This suit cost a lot of money and now I've got a massive ink stain thanks to that idiot!"
"That's really the least of my problems, I've got a jury that just witnessed a cat fight between two supposedly professional lawyers and a girl whose evidence can't possibly be used now thanks to you two! Your suit really isn't high on my list of concerns!"
Caine, who was still listening felt his heart skip a beat, Diana's evidence couldn't be used? Why not? Why the hell not? What had happened in there?
Karim didn't bother to answer when Judge Clark Robinson knocked on the door of his office – he was too busy trying to calm himself down. Robinson entered anyway followed to Karim's disgust by Freddy who was sulking like a child.
"We need to talk," Robinson said
"I'm sorry about what happened in there Clark but I meant everything that I said." Karim said frustrated by Freddy who had sauntered over to his bookshelf and was examining his law books.
"I don't doubt you do Karim but you've fucked up that testimony, I can't allow the jury to take anything from that session into consideration and that includes all of Diana Ladris' accounts" Clark sat down and light up a cigar something Karim knew he only did when he was stressed
"So what does that mean? I don't have any other people willing to testify for Caine!" Karim argued
"What does that tell you about Caine then huh?" Freddy said from behind a copy of Criminal Law.
"It tells me that most of the kids who were there that night are now dead!"
"Look would you two just quit it already?" Clark sighed breathing smoke everywhere "you're like a bunch of teenage girls bitching like this."
"My sister would take offence to that comment," Freddy said sarcastically "Face it Karim boy, Caine Soren is screwed and he knows it, I say just let the jury make their decision already! Why drag out the inevitable?"
"He'll appeal for a re-trial," Freddy warned the two of them "and he'll certainly have a good case for one, nobody can really call this a fair hearing after today!"
"Yeah, and whose fault is that?" Freddy retorted
"Look the press are crawling over this place like roaches," Clark said impatiently "you need to issue a public apology for your behaviour – you too Freddy, and I'll announce that Soren's verdict will take place tomorrow, if your kid wants to appeal it's up to him but we've got a million and one more cases to get through and I swear to God anymore of this pettiness and I'm gonna drop dead!"
Karim wanted to argue and by the look on Freddy's face so did he but he could see Clark's point – the press would never let them live this down unless they dealt with it quickly.
"Fine," he said
"Good," Clark said putting out his cigar on Karim's mint tray "let's do it then."
"Where'd you go?" asked Caine's guard
"Put the TV on!" Caine snapped pointing to one of the walled televisions nearby – he had to know exactly what had happened in the courtroom. His guard hesitated and Caine shot him a death glare which hurried him along. A news channel popped up and Caine saw a crowd of journalists outside a grand building which Caine instantly recognised as the court building. The bulletin read as live so Caine peeked out of the window and saw that the crowd was even bigger than it looked on the screen, at the bottom of the screen read the headline Courtroom Chaos: Lawyers of Layabouts? Next footage of Karim pushing Freddy Wishman played over on repeat – Caine stared with his mouth gaping.
"Glad I recorded this!" the guard said
Karim followed Clark and Freddy outside towards the crowd of journalists. As soon as they stepped outside he was blinded by the flashes of the paparazzi cameras.
"You go first," Clark whispered to him, Karim sighed and stepped forward
"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen," he said as politely as he could into the nearest microphone. "As I'm sure you're all aware there was a rather – heated – debate earlier in court which was instigated by myself. I would like to formally apologise for my behaviour in court and assure you that this will not happen again and that in future I will do my upmost to ensure that I do not let my emotions get the better of me again. Thank you"
"Nice to see you showing some balls in court for a change Mr Smith!" called a blonde haired female reporter near the front of the crowd. Karim had no witty response and the reporter winked at him in response. He stepped away before he could be bombarded with more questions from the other journalists. Freddy issued his apology next and even took a few questions before handing over to Clark who broke the news to the press. Questions were hurtled at him but to Karim's relief he refused to answer them and the three of them returned inside and headed to the back exit where their cars were parked.
"I should go and talk to Caine and Diana," Karim sighed – Freddy shrugged and drove off,
"I'll see you in court," Clark said and he too drove away. Karim walked back in and went to find his 'clients' He found Diana sitting in the isolation so he ordered for Caine to brought in too – it would be best for him to talk to them together.
Diana said nothing to him when he entered the room. He waited for Caine to arrive but the awkwardness became too much for him so he went to go and get a drink
"I'm getting a coffee," he said to Diana "would you like one?"
"No thanks but an explanation would be good," she replied icily "I've already worked out what's going to happen because believe it or not Astrid isn't the only one with brains around here – obviously thanks to your hissy fit everything that I said in court will be discredited right?"
Karim didn't answer
"Tell me I'm wrong Karim," Diana said with a mocking smile "Come on you're a lawyer with a Harvard degree right? Who am I? A fifteen year old from a mental institute!"
Caine entered guard in tow. He looked angry and confused at the same time and Karim guessed that he still hadn't been told the full story.
"Hey," Diana said to him
"Hi," he replied his voice cracking.
"I think you should sit down," Karim said and he braced himself for the wrath of Caine.
Diana waited in silence for Caine to say something. Karim had explained everything and confirmed what she'd been dreading: everything she'd said counted for nothing.
"This can't be happening." Caine muttered in a faraway voice after several minutes of silence. Karim looked wearily wary and avoided eye contact with either of them. "What were you thinking?!"
"I was angry with Freddy!" Karim said angrily "he'd already ripped Diana to pieces there was no real point in me asking her any questions – Freddy had annihilated her! And I didn't like it okay?"
"Excuse me for trying me best." Diana said irritated with Karim's dismissal of her help
"But now everything she said is unaccredited! We might as well of asked Gaia to support me the good it's brought me!" Caine argued
"Papa don't preach" Diana said cuttingly
"Oh, get over yourself Diana!" Caine snapped back
"Good job discrediting Freddy's description of your loving relationship!" Karim said sarcastically clearly irritated with the two of them
"Well we can't exactly go around kissing babies and helping old people cross the road together can we?" Diana snapped back
"Neither can Astrid and Sam!" Karim replied
"DO NOT COMPARE ME TO SAM!" Caine spat standing so quickly that his chair fell to the floor. "I swear Karim! If I go down tomorrow then we're through! I'll cancel our contract and find someone else! I'll find a better lawyer!"
"Well good luck with that!" Karim said gathering his briefcase and notes, then he nodded at Caine's guard in the corner of the room "you can take him away now thanks." Diana watched as the guard dragged Caine from the room – she wanted to call out to him, say something, anything but couldn't – she just watched him go. Karim walked to the door with his coat slung over his shoulder –
"What about me?" Diana asked him – she didn't have a personal guard like Caine
"Isn't there someone waiting for you?" he asked her sounding genuinely concerned and a lot more like the Karim that she'd gotten to know
"No. Nobody cares about me y'see," she replied "I'm not dangerous enough or precious enough for anyone to give a damn."
Karim sighed;
"I'll give you a lift to your hotel," he sighed
"I have a hotel?"
Karim cocked his head sideways and almost smile
"I'll give you a lift to a hotel," he rephrased
In his car Freddy tried to relax by turning on the classical station. Karim had pushed him in front of millions on live TV! This case was really starting to heat up, maybe his father had been right after all, maybe he should start looking into the legal side of things more rather than worry about his image. Freddy sniggered at his own thoughts – yeah right!
He thought about what Karim had said – about the FAYZ kids being well, just kids. Freddy understood what Karim meant but he just couldn't overlook the fact that Caine Soren was an evil kid who killed in cold blood – freakish powers or not it was unacceptable!
His phone buzzed. It was Clark telling him that the head of the jury had contacted him and they had come to a conclusion. Freddy's heart hammered against his chest – had Karim's little speech influenced the jury? Surely not! He sighed and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat and continued along the road toward the highway. He needed a good night's sleep to prepare him for the morning and his parents' house was just too stressful, his own home was just under an hour's drive away on the outskirts of the city and would have to do. Unless – Freddy spied the bar lights of a nearby hotel and pulled into the car park next to it.
Astrid was sitting opposite Sam in the police visiting room. Sam was dressed in his orange body suit looking tired but happy. It stuck her as to how happy he looked – there wasn't a single other smiling face in the room. But she figured if anybody sitting in the room was likely to be out anytime soon it would be soon. With her help and Karim's expertise Sam's re-trial would be a walk in the metaphorical park.
"Did you see the fuss today?" Sam asked her
Who hadn't? If there was one tiny thing that worried Astrid it was the stability of Karim Smith. His stress levels must be through the roof – Astrid remembered being amazed when it was first announced that he would be defending each and every charged FAYZ kid single-handedly – six months on and she was amazed that he hadn't thrown in the towel. Despite her doubts she didn't want to upset Sam – not when his hopes were up.
"Man, Karim smacked Freddy pretty hard right? Well I can't say I wasn't pleased though, I mean who doesn't want to see Freddy Wishman sprawled out on the floor?" Sam laughed and Astrid raised an eyebrow
"I didn't have you down as a violent person Sam, remember Freddy is only doing his job"
Sam squirmed in his chair and Astrid couldn't tell if he was mad or sorry.
"Oh come on Astrid – he'd be doing us all a favour if he just dropped dead."
"Sam!"
Sam rolled his eyes and ran his hand through his hair
"Okay, I'm sorry that was a little harsh." He admitted "but that doesn't mean I won't be sorry if I never have to see his face ever again!"
Karim drove Diana out of town – he didn't want her exposed to the media. Eventually he found her a secure enough looking hotel called the Bachelor.
"Don't leave your room tonight," he told her once he had booked her a room for the night "I'll take you back into town tomorrow for Caine's verdict," Clark had text him on the ride over telling him the jury was ready.
"Whatever." Diana said shrugging and taking the key from him "where are you going?"
"Home." Karim lied. In reality he was going back to his office, to look over his notes in a desperate attempt to find anything new that could save Caine. He took Diana upstairs and once he was sure she was safe he headed back to his car.
Outside the sky had clouded over with big black clouds that undoubtedly carried plenty of rain. There was a faint rumble of thunder as he entered his car – hopefully the storm wouldn't beat him back into town. He wished he'd just left Diana in town, now he had one long ride back into town.
Freddy was admittedly in a dive bar but he didn't care. He ordered a tequila shot and a whiskey chaser. He didn't know why – he wasn't planning on getting plastered but he had nothing better to do.
"Well, well, well," came a female voice "if it isn't my good for nothing brother." Freddy turned and saw a woman in her late twenties with long blonde hair grinning at him from across the bar – his sister, news reporter Felicity Wishman. She stood up and snaked over to his side "drinking alone?" she asked as means of greeting "unlike you."
"Hello sister," Freddy groaned – he wasn't in the mood for her jibes tonight.
"So how's the case?" she asked, Freddy stared at her and laughed
"Like you don't know!" he scoffed "you, the media, know my every move!" Felicity laughed and tossed her hair playfully
"Oh come on Fred – how about a little inside scoop huh?"
"Yeah right,"
Felicity played with the olive in her Martini.
"I saw Karim today," she said
"So did I," Freddy muttered sarcastically "small world huh?"
"You know what I mean!" Felicity said giving him a small shove "I was at the press interview, when he issued his apology for beating you up."
"He didn't beat me up thank you,"
Felicity smirked
"Well he sure knows how to send you flying, you know I think he recognised me – I was the only person who grabbed his attention that's for sure."
Freddy glanced at her black cocktail dress
"I wonder what it was that grabbed his attention," he muttered "and of course he recognised you – you dated for two years!"
Felicity's smile faded and her face darkened
"Yeah well, look how that ended."
"Not this again!" Freddy moaned downing the remains of his drink.
"You know, I always thought we would work things out," Felicity mused ignoring Freddy completely "He just became so absorbed with his work,"
"You know Karim, that's how he's always been." Freddy muttered
"I still have the ring." Felicity said quietly
"I doubt he wants it back."
"He's not getting it back!" Felicity smiled again and Freddy chuckled "Look Freddy, I've been following these trials closer than anyone else in the media – I mean let's face it my brother and ex-fiancé are the lawyers! And I know that things will never be the same between Karim and me but that doesn't mean there's no future for the two of you."
"I don't need this." Freddy sighed but Felicity held his arm firmly to stop him from leaving
"Freddy he's your best friend! You've known each other all your lives! How can you just let everything you had disappear like this?"
"Listen Fliss," Freddy snapped losing his patience with her "Karim and I haven't been friends for years! Not since we graduated okay and nothing can fix things now – we're just too different. He cares, I don't, he defends and I prosecute we're the polar opposites and these trials have only made those differences more clear to me so enough of the emotional crap okay? As far as I'm concerned Karim Smith is nothing but a wind up who I have the misfortune of working with. I'm not his friend now and I never will be again!"
Felicity stood up and looked stonily down at her brother
"I just hope you don't regret that."