“I didn’t ask while we were at the club, but do you know when the initial trial will be?” she asked.
“It’s almost two months away.”
Tabitha nodded as if she wasn’t surprised by the time delay. California’s court system could be slow to move through, it seemed. Since Tabitha knew the ins and outs of the law, court system, and how defense attorneys thought, I decided to pick her brain some on the topic.
“I don’t mean to ask, but I’ve been thinking about something since the plea change and have nearly gone out of my mind. Can I run it by you?”
“Of course. What’s on your mind?”
“And I don’t mean for this to turn into an evening out, discussing crime and punishment—”
“Punishment can be an exciting topic, Andrew.” Tabitha smiled, making me feel at ease despite my law scenario questions.
“I would love to have a punishment discussion with you of different sorts too.”
“I’m certain I can arrange that.” While her smile was sweet, her eyes held a wicked gleam. “But first, let’s tackle what’s on your mind.”
I nodded and finished chewing my food and then took a sip from my glass. She was a lot like James in the sense that she was primarily interested in me and what was on my mind.
“I’ve been trying to think about why the defense would allow, or advise, Elise to change her plea. James didn’t have much more insight than I did on the matter. My attorney said something new could have come to light, or perhaps a different way she’s spinning it. He couldn’t say for sure. Do you have any thoughts?”
“Well, without knowing exactly about what she’s claiming, it’s difficult to say or speculate. As you said, there’s a lot of evidence against her. The insanity plea would be their chance for a potential reduced sentence and psychiatric care for her. So to suddenly decide to throw their chance in the wind with a trial doesn’t make much sense. However, the defense team might not even have an intent to go through with that trial.”
“What do you mean?”
“They could attempt to change pleas a few times between now and the trial to show that Elise is, in a sense, out of her mind. They’re showing that all through the process she’ll change pleas until finally the judge will reject their request to change. By then, it will be established that she doesn’t know what end is up. And if that is the case, it’s most likely being driven by the defense. They wouldn’t be playing her as a victim, but trying to paint the picture of her mental and emotional instability.”
I nodded as I wrapped my head around what Tabitha had suggested.
“I hadn’t thought about that as a possibility at all,” I admitted.
“Like I said, this might not be the case, but if it is, you can probably expect more attorney games.”
“So it might not be a matter of them really changing their mind about her guilt but just games.”
“Exactly. Just games to get their client a reduced sentence and out of the general population of prison,” Tabitha said.
After dinner, we took the long route back to her place. Which, in the L.A. area, it only meant you had to drive one block over or simply miss a light. That could exponentially add time to any commute.
“You’ve been quiet since our little law talk,” Tabitha commented. “What’s on your mind?”
I sighed and looked over at her once I pulled up to another red light.
“It’s nothing bad,” I admitted. “Please don’t take my silence as something bad. It’s just so much is usually on my mind lately. I was thinking about what you said at dinner about how Elise’s change in pleas could be nothing more than a game. And to be honest, it’s somewhat of a relief.”
“I’m sure you already know this and have heard it, but remember, you have a lot of people supporting you. Anytime you want to vent or talk, you have plenty of friends who care about you. Including me.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it. I really do.”
“I know you’re close with your dad, and you have James, but please don’t hesitate to text or call.”
I felt a pang of guilt kick me in the stomach. Dad didn’t need this, and since we had just pulled into Tabitha’s neighborhood, I didn’t want to get involved in a deep conversation.
“My dad only knows the bare bones of what’s going on. He knows that I broke up with her and moved into Josh’s house since he didn’t want to sell it.”
“Ah. So he doesn’t know about the injuries or stay in the hospital?”
“No. I know it will sound bad, and it’s hard to explain, but I really can’t put this worry on him.”
