Looking straight at the judge, she nodded, "We have your honor."
The judge asked, "And was this decision unanimous?"
Without missing a beat, she replied, "It was." There was not a hint of doubt or hesitancy in her voice.
Bennett tried to weigh if that was a good or bad sign. He hated uncertainty. He never asked questions he did not know the answer to. At that moment, he had no idea what was about to happen. He knew what should happen. But justice was sometimes blind, deaf, and dumb. He hoped this would not be one of those times.
Shrugging as if to accept the unlikeliness of such a complicated verdict being decided so quickly, the judge turned to the four men seated at the defense table and asked them to rise along with their respective attorneys. As they did so, the judge said, "Madame forewoman, please pass the verdict to the bailiff."
Once the judge had the verdict, he skimmed it quickly and read it briefly and without emotion. "In the matter of the state of Arkansas vs. Theodore Allen, Lyles Logan, Andrew Westersmith, and David West, the jury finds the defendants guilty on count one of fraud. On count two, the jury finds the defendants guilty of money laundering. In regards to the third count, the jury finds the defendants guilty of possession of illegal substances with intent to sell. The defendants will be remanded into custody and will remain so until their sentencing hearing tomorrow at 9:00."
A collective gasp reverberated through the courtroom. Giving the room a stern look as he banged his gavel, the judge returned the room to absolute silence. With a final hit of his gavel, Judge Henderson added, "At this time, court is adjourned."
Suddenly, the previously silent courtroom erupted, with everyone talking at once. Some were clapping, others crying. Bennett felt himself expel the large breath he did not even realize he was holding. All around him, his colleagues began to congratulate him. They were calling him a hero for helping to put away the four most senior members of a crime syndicate that had run an illegal drug ring fromFort Smith to West Memphis with ties to police and government officials. He could not believe it was over. He had won. The case he had dedicated the better part of two years developing and prosecuting was finally finished. The late nights, the weekend hours spent away from his family building his case, and all the ballgames, dance recitals, and missed family dinners had been worth it.
All he could think about was getting home and sharing the good news with his girls, Poppy, Lizzy, and Lola. They had supported him through the whole ordeal and only complained a little when he failed to attend yet another event over the last two years. Since it was the week of Thanksgiving, school was out. They would be at home. He could hardly wait to get home to share the fantastic news. Thinking of Poppy, his mind immediately wandered back to earlier that morning and the awesome start to his day she had given him. Quickening his pace, he quickly collected his files. But, like many other times in his life, God just laughed when Bennett Carrington started making plans.
Every few steps out of the courthouse, he was waylaid by someone wanting to congratulate him on a job well done. Reporters from every newscast tried to interview him. With the sentencing phase of the trial set for the next day, Bennett did not want to jinx anything by saying too much publicly about the case.
Two Hours Later…
Bennett had just cleared the Jacksonville bottleneck when his phone began buzzing. He immediately declined the unknown number assuming it was probably a news reporter with questions about the case. It was the third time that number had rung sincehe left the courthouse. The next call that came through was from his secretary. Using the hands-free options, he clicked accept.
"Great work today, boss. Score one for the good guys," his secretary Tammi said excitedly. Her slow, Southern drawl was as strong at sixty as it had been as a young girl growing up in rural Mississippi.
"Thank you. I appreciate that," Bennett replied quickly. "Of course, it was a team effort, and we all worked really hard for today's results."
"That is true, but no one worked harder or more passionately than you. You were the heart and soul of this case," she stated matter of factly. "You are the man of the hour. Enjoy it. You've earned it."
Uncomfortable with praise, Bennett tried to shift the conversation. "I don't know about all of that. But thank you. Any calls from the press? I have had several calls from random numbers since I left Little Rock."
"Yeah, we have had several requests for interviews. I have put them off until after tomorrow's sentencing. I can set something up then if you want. Maybe an on-air interview at the television stations unless you would rather do it at your office. Let me know."
"I will think about it and get back to you," Bennett replied, almost unable to believe the case was almost over.
"Okay, sounds good. You also have several messages from Jameson Williams."
"Jameson Williams?” Bennett barked out the man's name in surprise and disbelief. "What did that old fart want?"
"I have no idea," replied Tammi, "But he has called several times and left multiple messages. He wants you to call him. Do you have his number?"
"Somewhere, maybe?" said Bennett.
It had been more than ten years since he had talked to Williams. Once upon a time, they often spoke about fundraising and how Bennett's political career could best serve the will of the people of Arkansas, if not Williams himself.
But that was before Bennett's life had radically changed. Over ten years had passed since his life, and the lives of those he loved had been turned upside down.
Thinking of Williams, Bennett assumed the man must have heard about the case and wanted to congratulate him on the win. Williams had been a loyal supporter years ago. He had not been happy when Bennett had decided to walk away from a life he had spent years building. In the end, though, Williams had let him know that while he would have preferred a different outcome, he understood and supported his decision.
"Send me his number, please. I will call him," stated Bennett, deciding he had just enough time left on his way home for a quick call.
"Will do, boss. Let me know about the press for tomorrow," replied Tammi. Bennett could hear her clicking something into her phone as they talked.
"I will. I am going straight home and spending the rest of the day with my girls."
"Good for you. You deserve it." With that, Tammi rang off, and the number for Jameson Williams popped up on his phone. Surprise, surprise. It was the number he had been declining for the last hour.
It only took a second for Bennett to get Williams’s office on the line and ask to be connected to him. Bennett had only been on hold for a few seconds when he heard the loud, gruff voice of Jameson Williams booming over his car stereo.
