Chapter 2
Mr. Hot Shot
Gale Fears
“Iobject, your honor!” I said, smacking my hand on the table.
“On what grounds?” the judge asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Irrelevant,” I said.
“Itisrelevant, your honor,” the prosecutor said. “I assure you.”
“Denied,” the judge said, slamming the gavel down.
I sighed but didn’t let my face show any expression. I knew the prosecutor was just twisting stories, trying to confuse the jury. It wouldn’t help him, though. My defense was so iron-clad that I knew no one could shake it. In fact, I wouldn’t have even been there if the client wasn’t so high profile.
“Mrs. Durrick was well aware that her daughter wouldn’t be home at the time,” the prosecutor said. “So, she took advantage of the moment and slipped cyanide into his decanter. She knew that her husband would return that night, and, as was his custom, he would have his wine from it. She would be in her own room at the time, hence her alibi would be rock-solid. She didn’t count on Mrs. Chadwick, the housekeeper, being there. Mrs Chadwick saw Mrs. Durrick putting something in the decanter! The same decanter that had traces of cyanide!”
The audience gasped, and even I sat up a little straighter.What was going on? I cast a look at the legal team under me, and I could see them scrambling and whispering to each other. Clearly, this was a very unforeseen turn of events.
“At this point, I would like to bring in my witness,” the prosecutor said.
Needless to say, the witness’s sudden appearance not only shocked everyone but also changed the entire course of the trial. The session finally came to an end, and the trial was set to resume on another day.
“What is going on?” Mrs. Durrick demanded, marching over to me.
“I should be asking you the same question,” I said. “Where did this witness come from?”
“You should have anticipated this! You should have gotten to her before! You should have stopped this!” she hissed.
“You never told me that anyone saw you slipping the cyanide in. In fact, you told me that you had nothing to do with it. That you were innocent,” I said, calmly.
“That is none of your business,” she said. “I hired your law firm, Mr. Fears, because you are one of the best. I paid extra fees so that you personally handled this case because you are one of the best. And now here I am, finding out that perhaps you are not worth the money after all.”
I clenched my hands into fists and looked at her. How dare she talk like that after undermining my team? She withheld information, and now she dared to question me?
“Excuse me, Mrs. Durrick,” I said. “But this would not have happened had you given us the required information. You messed this up yourself.”
With a furious look on her face, Mrs. Durrick opened her mouth to reply, but I cut her off.
“Regardless, I will handle it. Don’t worry,” I said. “You hired one of the best. You will get it.”
I gave a tight nod and walked away, my team running after me.
“Sir, wait,” Heath said, panting as he ran to catch up with me. “Sir, what do we do?”
“Find out everything you can about this witness,” I said. “There was no mention of any housekeeper in any of our findings. And now suddenly there is a witness?”
“Yes, sir,” Heath said.
“Gale!” I heard someone call out as I stepped out of the courtroom. “I thought I would find you here!”
“Really? What tipped you off?” I asked, smirking at him.
Daniel, perhaps the only man I considered a close friend, walked over to me.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I had a faint suspicion that you would be here. Maybe it had something to do with what you do for a living?”
