JENNIE
I give the jury their instructions and dismiss them to deliberate.
It's Thursday, and I don't know how long it will take them. It seems like an easy case. As good as the defense was, the prosecution gave very little doubt. Mr. Seamus Williams, the defendant, was not only arrested near the scene, but the crime lab found turpentine—the accelerant identified by Lisa and her superior—on his pants leg. His dismal bank account had a deposit of twenty thousand dollars that same night that he wouldn't explain. He's forty-four and has already spent ten years of his life in prison. In my courtroom, he looks like a middle-school math teacher. His mug shots tell a different story—unkempt, with angry eyes. I look up when I hear a knock at my door.
"Yes?"
April peeks her head in. "Judge Kim? The jury is ready."
"Already?" I look at my watch. It's only been one hour and forty minutes. Even our practice mock-up cases were more complicated and took longer to deliberate. "Okay. Tell them I'm on my way."
I slip into my robe and wait for the bailiff to introduce me.
The verdict comes back as everyone expects—guilty. I schedule a sentencing date, dismiss the jury and the court, and exit the courtroom. People in the hallway congratulate me on my first case. I nod, sometimes smile, and head back to my office. The feeling isn't what I expect. I hope that future cases are more exciting or can be settled and not take up time for a trial. I'm surprised Judge Tulver didn't push for a resolution. There aren't any notes in the files I was given. Nobody wants to go to court because of the time and money invested in prepping for trial. I'm just hoping for a break before the next one. I wonder how much of this mound of paperwork my staff can handle.
"April, can you come in here for a moment?"
She enters my chambers carrying a pad and a pencil. I'm surprised it's not a tablet.
"What can I help you with?"
"Processing this paperwork."
April takes the entire stack. "I'll grab Samuel, and we'll sort through this. I'll bring back what you're supposed to sign. Also, I've opened up your schedule for tomorrow. Looks like a full day. And there's mail in your inbox." She nods at the full tray on the corner of my desk.
"Thank you." I really hoped tomorrow would be easy, but after pulling up the schedule, I'm wrong. I groan and fall back in my chair. This is what I wanted, so I don't complain. I sift through my mail and open a fancy envelope addressed to me. It's a cocktail party at Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts thrown by the mayor in three weeks to raise money for Harvester's, Kansas City's local food pantry. The envelope is postmarked a week ago. I need to do a better job of keeping up on my mail. The paper is thick with embossed lettering. I haven't seen or felt a tangible party invitation in years.
Just before I toss it in the trash, I remember how a few days ago I whined to Nayeon about not having any friends. This might be a good opportunity to branch out. Cream-of-the-crop socialites and wealthy Kansas Citians attend these fund-raisers, and I miss dressing up. It's been less than two weeks, and I already loathe the drabness of the robe. I RSVP online and mark it on my calendar. Three weeks from Saturday. I'll be in my new place then, and my stress level will be lower. At least that's the plan.
My new loft is even better than I imagined. The move goes off without a hitch. It takes three hours from pickup to final drop-off.
--
The movers deliver what I don't want to a local women's shelter.
Their services are worth every penny, and I promise to give them a great review on Yelp. I'm excited to unpack and get to know this building better. I couldn't pass up the open floor plan with twenty-four-foot exposed brick walls and large wooden beams. My new place feels like me. I review the instructions left in the welcome packet and decide to investigate the building first. I put on a light-blue summer dress with thick shoulder straps, refresh my makeup, and head to the lobby to grab a cup of coffee at The Early Bird even though it's early afternoon.
"Hi. What can I get you?"
Brandon, whose name tag is sideways on his chest, is friendly and talks to me while drawing a design in the cappuccino foam for the patron who placed her order before me.
"I'll take a medium iced hibiscus." I change my mind after seeing the tea on the menu.
"Do you want me to bill your unit, or would you like to pay now?" That's a perk I wasn't expecting. "Bill me."
He nods, and while he finishes creating a leaf design in the froth of the cappuccino, I peruse the display window that houses muffins and bagels. There isn't a lot to choose from, but this isn't a place people come to lunch.
"Can I get you anything else?" he asks.
"No, thank you." Having a coffee shop in the building is going to make my morning commute a lot faster since I won't have to stop at the nearest Starbucks. Not to mention I'm only a few blocks west of the courthouse.
I study Brandon as he prepares my tea. It looks like he extended No Shave November into summer, with a curly beard that, even though I can tell he trims it, is still unruly and pokes the beard covering he's required to wear. "Thank you." I accept the to-go cup and the bill he hands me, which I add a tip to and sign.
"You're new. Welcome to the building, Jennie," he says after reviewing my receipt and filing it away.
"Thank you, Brandon. It's nice to be here." I make my way to the elevators and take it all the way to the rooftop. I remember touring it months ago before I bought the loft, but it was raining and cool that day, so I didn't stay long. When the elevator opens, I walk out onto the rooftop terrace, and everything about it is magnificent.
The view is incredible. I'm surrounded by tall buildings, but I can still see the Missouri river and at least three bridges that cross it.
There are other rooftops I can see that aren't nearly as nice as this one. To my immediate left is a pool that a few people are using.
Directly in front of me, a staircase leads up to a bar that doesn't open until four. I turn right instead, to visit the garden. I walk down rows of tall planters made of marble and run my fingertips over different blooming flowers whose names I don't know.
"Hi."
I look up and see an older woman not far from me, planting something in smaller pots near the edge of the building. She's wearing long sleeves, even though the sun is blazing down, and a hat that looks like a beekeeper's hat minus the veil. "Hello." I take a step back. "Are there bees around?" I've never been stung and certainly don't want today to be the first time.
"No, dear. I'm just protecting myself from the sun. I'm Helen. I haven't seen you here before."
"Hi. I'm Jennie. I just moved in today. I thought I'd check out the building. This garden is gorgeous."
"Thank you. It's my pride and joy. My husband and I moved here a few years ago. We're both retired."
She looks at me expectantly, as if I'm going to return personal information. I oblige. I need to make new friends, and Helen seems friendly. "You're doing a great job. I have a horrible relationship with plants. As pretty as I think they are, I don't give them the attention they need. I'm sure I could pick up a few pointers from you." She smiles at the compliment. "Are you planting herbs?"
"Yes. We use a lot of them at the bar." She points her hand trowel at the bar above us. "Anyone who wants the herbs can take them, but most people don't feel comfortable picking them from the garden, so I leave bags of them downstairs in the foyer."
I'm sure baggies of herbs laying around don't raise any flags whatsoever. "That's good to know. I'll keep my eye out for them."
"If you have time now, I can show you around the building."
"That would be very nice. Thank you," I say. I can't remember where everything is, and Helen giving me the tour sounds like a great way to start this friendship.
"Obviously, the roof is my favorite place because there's the wonderful garden, a pool, a giant chess set, and the bar."
She wiggles her eyebrows at me after the word bar. I have a feeling Helen and I will have drinks together. As we make our way to the elevator, she tells me that rum is her favorite because it goes with so many of the herbs she grows, but she's never turned down a good local IPA. We stop at the fourth floor, and Helen shows me the state-of-the-art fitness room at the end of the hall.
"I only walk on the treadmill. The rest of the equipment is too complicated for me," she says.
The room is impressive, with mirrors to accentuate the already large space. There are five treadmills, three elliptical machines, three rowing machines, free weights, and leg-lift equipment. It's accessible by keycard twenty-four seven, which fits my unpredictable schedule perfectly.
"Let me show you the best place in this building," Helen says.
She takes me down to the first floor and shows me where we have a small movie theater. The marquee displays a poster of a recently released superhero movie showing at five. I stick my head in and find sixteen theater-style seats, a couch, and four end tables. It's smaller than what I remember, but the screen is floor to ceiling, and I'm sure I'll sneak down here from time to time.
"You're either very early or still here from last night." A young woman interrupts our tour. She's wearing a polo with The Early Bird logo and shorts that hit right above her knee.
"Hi, Jane. I'm just showing our new tenant around. Meet Jennie." Helen turns to me and squeezes my hand. "Jane can tell you more about the theater. I'm going to drop off the herbs at the front desk. If you need anything at all, I'm in 5C."
"Thank you for making me feel so welcome, Helen."
I turn to Jane after Helen leaves. "Does The Early Bird run the theater, too?"
"No. I just got off my shift there. I clean the theater for extra cash. The building office runs it."
"Do you like working here? In this building, I mean?"
"I love it. The tenants here are awesome, and it's close enough to school and my own apartment." She's shy and adorable.
"It's good to know the people here like it. What are you going to school for?"
"I'm studying Communications. I'm thinking law school after that," she says. She puts her cleaning supplies on the table. "My sister's in law school now, and she really enjoys it."
"Here in town?"
She nods. "She just started her final year."
"Impressive. UMKC's law school is a good school. I went there," I say.
"So, you're a lawyer," she says.
The door opens, and somebody bursts into the room as if they're on a mission. I take a step back out of instinct.
"Oops. Sorry for the interruption."
Her hair is the same brown as Jane's, only it's longer. They share the same features, but hers are more mature.
"You're not interrupting. We were just talking about you," Jane says."Yeah? About what?" She looks me up and down and smiles.
"Hi. I'm Katie."
"I'm Jennie. It's nice to meet you." Her handshake is firm and confident.
"Jennie went to UMKC, too. She's a lawyer," Jane says.
"Actually, I'm a judge."
I see the wheels turning and surprise register on Katie's face.
"I know you. You're Judge Kim, right?" The energy in the room changes.
I nod and smile. I even throw in a slight eyebrow lift.
She walks up to me and shakes my hand. "It's so nice to meet you. You're a legend at school. Nobody's going to believe that I met you.
"I've never been fan-girled before, and I like it. "Thank you. That means a lot to me." I put my hand on my heart to emphasize my appreciation of her words. I needed the boost.
She turns to Jane. "How long are you going to be?"
Jane shrugs. "Fifteen minutes?"
Katie turns to me. "Are you busy? Do you have time to chat for the next fifteen minutes?"
When it's about me and the law, I have time. "Sure. Want to go out to the lobby?"
Katie swoops her hand in front of her. "Please. Lead the way."
She follows me to the lobby, and we find two chairs close to the theater, but far enough away for privacy.
"Tell me everything," she says.
I laugh. "Can you narrow it down for me?"
She leans forward. "You shot straight to the top. How did you do it?"
"Motivation and determination. If you stay tenacious, you'll make all your dreams come true." She wants more. I've given several interviews, and normally, I'd blow her off, but I like her youthful energy. It reminds me of my own law-school days. "I studied hard, and I took the cases nobody wanted. I went with my gut. Deep down I knew something was wrong with MedPharmo. I gave up two years of my life for that case."
"Do you regret it?"
I shake my head. "It was the best thing I've ever done. That's why I went into law. I wanted to be a voice for people who didn't have one." It's a canned answer, but it still packs a punch.
"That's amazing, and now you have your own courtroom. What do you like better? Being on the bench or in front of it?"
I tell her vaguely about my first trial. Her questions are genuine and make me feel respected. It's nice. When Jane finds us, Katie groans.
"I'm so sorry to have to cut this short. It's so nice to meet you."
She reaches for my hand and holds it more than she shakes it.
"Thanks for keeping my sister company," Jane says.
"It was entirely my pleasure. You both have made my first day here fun."
"Do you mind if I get a photo with you?" Katie asks. "I won't put it on social media."
"Definitely."
Katie hands her phone to her sister. "Make it a good one."
She's slightly shorter than I am, but I'm wearing heels, and she's wearing sandals. I put my arm across her shoulders. "Is this okay?"
"Yes." Her smile is infectious, and I know the photos are going to be good.
Jane snaps a few shots and hands the phone back to Katie, who immediately looks at them and beams. "They're perfect. Thank you again, Judge Kim."
"Call me Jennie. And anytime. You know how to find me. As a matter of fact, here's my business card. Call or email me with any questions you have or if you need help with anything." I write my personal email address on the back.
"I will. Thank you."
I watch as she carefully slips my business card into her purse.
They both wave to me on their way out. I think I'm going to like living here. Not only is it chock full of fantastic luxuries, but I might have just made some new friends.
