Hellooo! Back for another chapter? Here you go, then!
Disclaimer: I only own my characters.
Chapter 3:
Friday, 9 am.
Office of Attorney/Prosecutor Anna Ramone
"Are you ready to go?" I call into the bathroom of the office, where Chris decided to change, as I double-check my court outfit in the mirror a final time. A tight steel blue pencil skirt hangs down to my knees, where tan pantyhose lead to a pair of gray pumps. Over my white button-up shirt, I have a blue and gray striped blazer fastened at my stomach with a gold pin hidden under the flap. My blonde hair is pulled back into a simple ponytail but a silver clip lies pinned over the hair band holding the hair in place.
"How do I look?" The door opens and I turn to Chris, nodding satisfiedly at her choice of simple peach sundress and short, straight black hair tied back with a peach bandanna. "Do I look ready to kick butt and take names?"
"Well, I don't know about that, but you're definitely ready to send a certain person to jail, where I'm sure they'll experience plenty of butt-kicking anyway. So in the end, it's basically the same thing." She nods, seemingly satisfied with my answer, and flicks off all the lights before ushering me out the door of our office.
The engine of my car revs as we drive down Main Street. I keep my eyes on the road, but out of my peripheral vision, I see Chris chewing her nails as she stares out the window.
"Nervous?" She glances at her chewed nails and folds them in her laps, embarrassed, before looking at me.
"Mostly just ready for this to finally be over. How about you? This is your first case and everything."
"I'm excited." I reply with a calm grin, pulling to a stop in front of the courthouse and staring up at it. "This is like college all over again. Maybe I'll even be up against one of my old friends, though the odds aren't in my favor." Parking, I step out and straighten my skirt before reaching into the back, pulling out a small gray leather briefcase, and ushering both myself and Chris through the doors and to Defendant Lobby No. 1.
The Defendant Lobby makes me think of a doctor's office, with a wall lined with benches, a potted plant standing morosely in one corner, and people milling about in varying degrees of nervousness. In a chair along the wall, I see Antonio, handcuffed and glaring into empty space. Before he can spot either of us, I usher Chris into the empty courtroom and behind the prosecutor's bench.
"What was that about?" Chris asks, having not spotted Antonio either.
"Mr. Vila was out there. I didn't want to have a confrontation before the trial even started. Though I do wish I'd had a chance to meet his lawyer."
"It looks like you're going to get your chance." Chris points behind me and I turn to see Antonio being pushed into the room by a woman dressed in a black suit, carrying a matching suitcase. She pushes him into the defendant's chair before turning and walking to my bench, thrusting a hand out with a sunny grin. I shake her hand and she grins before brushing her short black hair back from her face.
"Great to meet you. My name's Eva. Eva Hall."
"Good to meet you too, I guess?" I reply confusedly. "Aren't we on different teams?"
"Not really." Eva shrugs and points at Antonio with her thumb. "I know he's guilty. I got access to the traffic camera video from the day of evidence and pretty much watched the entire thing play out. I don't know why I'm even here, other than being forced to defend a client that I honestly wish would've just taken the guilty plea. Since I'm new in this town, the state assigned me to his case." She sighs and glares at Antonio, who's too busy glaring at me to notice. "Sorry about him."
"Don't apologize. I'm sorry you got stuck with his case."
"So am I." She laughs and shakes my hand again before heading back behind her desk as the jury and spectators file in.
"All rise for Judge Jones." The plaintiff calls out and everyone stands to watch the old man shuffle in and sit on his bench. "We are here today to hear the case of Vila vs Jewell. Antonio Vila is charged with attempted sexual assault, physical assault, and threatening physical assault. Does the prosecution intend to make an opening statement?"
"Yes, sir." I stand and move into the middle of the courtroom, facing the jury and running a hand through my hair. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I am here today on behalf of a woman who has had terrible things happen to her at the hands of the defendant. I will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that my client has suffered attempts of both the physical and sexual varieties and that she has lost her job because she didn't give Mr Vila what he wanted: Her innocence." I pause for dramatic effect before nodding at them. "Thank you."
"Very eloquent." The judge says, eyebrows raised, before turning his head to look at Eva. "Would the defense also like to make a statement?"
"No, your Honor." Eva seems calm enough, but Antonio looks like he's sweating bullets.
"Very well. The prosecution may call their first witness."
"I call Officer Hughes of the LAPD to the stand." Hughes gets to his feet from his spot next to Gumshoe in the stands and walks down to stand behind the witness stand. "Name and occupation, please."
"John Hughes, officer for the Los Angeles police department."
"Officer Hughes, what can you tell us about this incident?"
"It was a Sunday and I was doing some paperwork when the receptionist told me that a couple of people wanted to see me. I went into the designated conference room and met with the prosecutor and her client, who were filing charges against the defendant. They asked me for the security footage from-"
"Hold it!" Eva's voice rings out an I raise an eyebrow towards her as she presses her hands to the top of her table. "Don't clients hire a lawyer after the report has been filed? That story makes no sense!" If my eyebrows weren't attached to my face, they would've floated away from being risen so high. I point a finger at her.
"Objection! The reason I helped my client file the report was because I witnessed the defendant physically assaulting my client and felt I should stand up for her!"
"Objection sustained." The judge murmurs, tapping his gavel once to quiet the muttering spectators. "Please refrain from interrupting the witness' testimony, Miss Hall."
"Yes, Your Honor. Apologies." I motion for Hughes to continue and he clears his throat nervously before doing so.
"They asked to see the security footage from the traffic camera across the street from the cafe. I obliged, but not before checking over the video myself. I saw the defendant shoving the client out the front door and the prosecutor coming over. I even saw him get up in the prosecutor's face and everything."
"Is that all?" He nods and I look to Eva. "I'd ask if you'd like to cross-examine him, but I doubt you'll find any contradictions in his story."
"You're right." Eva sighs, wilting a little. "The defense will not cross-examine the witness."
"Very well. Ms. Ramone, any other witnesses you'd like to call?"
"Just one more, Your Honor. I'd like to call Detective Gumshoe of the LAPD to the stand." Hughes passes Gumshoe as they switch spots and pats him on the shoulder reassuringly. Gumshoe stands a little straighter at the witness platform. "Name and occupation, please."
"Richard Gumshoe, Detective for the Los Angeles Police Department."
"Can you tell us what occurred the first time you met the client, Detective?"
"Sure! Uh, Hughes and I were out on patrol when the radio alerted us to a breaking and entering and attempted physical assault. Of course we happened to be the closest to the address so we went and found Miss Prosecutor talking with the client and the defendant locked in a closet and whining like a little puppy dog. We took him into custody."
"Would you like to cross-examine the witness, Attorney Hall?"
"I just have one question for him, Your Honor." Eva turns to Gumshoe, frowning confusedly. "Detective, who beat up Antonio?"
"Well, that's the funny bit. The prosecutor herself did." The judge has to bang his gavel again as murmuring erupts in the courtroom. When it finally dies down, he looks at me with one eyebrow raised.
"Care to explain, Miss Ramone?"
"Your Honor, the man threatened the life of me and my client and then committed B&E to cause us physical harm. However, he underestimated me and gave me a 'free shot.'" Here I make air quotations, shrugging nonchalantly. "I lived in a tough neighborhood in college. I learned to defend myself, and that's exactly what I did here." I cross my arms and glance around, waiting for someone to say something. No one does, however, and we resume the trial.
"Will you call any more witnesses, Miss Ramone?"
"I think I'm done, Your Honor." Chris shoots me a bright grin and I respond with a smaller, but no less genuine grin.
"Would the defense like to present any evidence?"
"If it pleases Your Honor, the defense would like to proceed to closing statements so that the jury has more time to debate their answer."
"The prosecution agrees, Your Honor."
"Very well. The prosecution will make their closing statement first." I clear my throat and, once again, step into the middle of the courtroom.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have tried to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that my client has been physically, verbally, and almost sexually harassed. Please, for the sake of my client, an innocent woman to whom terrible things has happened, make the right choice." Slowly, I exhale and go to stand behind the bar once again, knocking shoulders with Chris, who smiles slightly even while trying to keep her expression somber. Eva stands and takes my place, running a hand through her short black hair before clasping them both in front of her.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this was my first case, so I had no choice on whom I would defend. This man was assigned to me by the state of California. Though I have tried my best to defend him, I trust you all to make the correct decision, though I am prohibited from outright stating it." Eva returns to behind her own bar, ignoring Antonio trying to burn a hole through her skull with his glare. The judge has to bang his gavel to silence the jurors and spectators, who had begun to murmur among themselves. The jurors rise to their seats and vanish through a door guarded by two bailiffs as the judge calls for a two-hour recess. Chris and I rise and move into the lobby, grabbing a couple of styrofoam cups from a cooler before sitting on one of the padded benches.
"You were awesome." Chris looks like she has stars in her eyes as I nonchalantly sip my water, even though on the inside I'm bouncing like a five-year-old on a sugar high. "I didn't know being a lawyer was so… Dramatic!"
"It's usually not." I respond, staring into the depths of my cup and swishing it back and forth. "Just be thankful I'm a criminal lawyer and not a civil one. We would've just spent several hours arguing over whether or not you owed a plot of farmland that had been in your family for generations, according to you."
"You sound like you speak from experience."
"I do. In law school, we had mock trials in both civil and criminal cases. I had a bad habit of falling asleep when I was a juror in one of the civil cases and almost didn't pass that section of my bar test." A bailiff comes out and everyone stands before walking back into the court.
Alright, I just realized I haven't done a closing note for my last two chapters! Haha, whoops. Anyway, I'll answer reviews here.
To Camperor: As you can see, I've taken your comment into consideration. Seriously, I'd just finished my Geometry final when I came up with that dumb title... Just celebrate the wintery lack of school! Yay!
And anyone who's read my work before knows the three R's, so say 'em with me: Read, review, and... Repeat!
Signing off, as always,
EOM