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“We’ll get the media crew on it,” Anderson said, pulling out his cell phone.
“Wait,” I said, putting up my hand. “The press is going to have an absolute field day with all of this, especially when you take one look at how fragile and innocent Josie looks. We need to have two approaches. We need to start out by not giving any information to the press. When the media frenzy starts going wild, then we need to approach it and show Josie’s sweet side, which won’t be hard because it’s pretty much the only side she has. We need to play up her lack of a criminal past, her challenging home life, and the fact that she was looking forward to spending the school year with her students. Make her look like the angel that she is.”
“Got it,” he said.
“Is there any way we can keep this out of the press?”
“I can make a couple of phone calls, but unfortunately, it is usually out of our hands,” he said with a grimace. “These things tend to take on a life of their own.”
I nodded in understanding and went back to work, watching as Anderson walked out and called someone on his cellphone. I was glad I had come back to the firm when I did, having gained everyone’s trust back before everything happened. People were willing to follow my lead, just like they had followed my dad. I was lucky to be in the position I was in, though I’d trade with Josie at any moment if it meant she was safe. I looked up as the secretary sent another call through to my office line.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Blaine, it’s Josie,” she said. “It’s my one phone call for the day.”
“Hey,” I said, sitting up and listening intently. “How are you holding up?”
“Okay, I guess,” she said. “They let me stay in my cell because there seems to be a jail cell bounty on my head. Everyone is taking bets on whether I’m a ruthless killer or not. Apparently, the inmates are smarter than the cops, and most of them don’t think that I could kill anyone, not for even a second.”
“Good,” I replied. “I just need you to stay safe. If you need a protective cell, you let me know, and I will make sure they accommodate you.”
“Thank you,” she sighed. “So, they are assembling the grand jury to charge me with murder in the first degree. I’m really scared, Blaine.”
“I know you are, but you are innocent, and we are going to prove that,” I replied. “Just keep doing what you are doing, and I promise this will all go away really soon.”
“The judge is holding a hearing this afternoon to decide whether I am eligible for bail,” she said quietly. “Will you be there?”
“Of course, I will be there,” I replied. “I’m your lawyer. I have to be there.”
There was silence on the other line, and I knew that Josie didn’t know what to say, but she wasn’t ready to hang up. I knew how scared she was, and it was killing me, knowing that there was nothing I could do about it. Focusing on the moment wasn’t going to help her long-term, and I needed to get this defense airtight. I needed to show the jury how much of a witch hunt this was. I also needed to find Josie’s father. He could be a very important part of the whole case. Without him, we were grasping at straws. I couldn’t even fathom what I would do if she were to be found guilty. I didn’t think that a jury would give her the death penalty, but at the same time, crazier things had happened. The press was really important in all of this as well, and the story had to be spun just right to the public in order for Josie to garner their support. These would be the group of peers that would ultimately decide her fate.
“Are you there?” I asked.
“Yes,” she whimpered, obviously struggling not to cry.
Suddenly, shouting erupted in the background of our phone call, and I could hear her shuffling to the side. I hated the fact that she was in there with those people. I hated the fact that no matter where she was, she couldn’t get away from this crazy life that was dragging her down. Everywhere she turned, something stood in the way of her happiness, and it just wasn’t fair.
“I have to go,” she whispered. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Please, find my father.”
“I will,” I said. “And I’ll see you in a few hours at the hearing.”
With that, she hung up the phone, the sound of prison life in the background. I slowly placed the phone back on the base and rubbed my face, leaning my elbows on the desk. Anderson walked back in and sat down in the chair, patting me hard on the back. I took a deep breath and went back to work, trying to figure out how to get through all of this in one piece. There was no way I was going to let Josie spend one second longer than she needed to in that place, and I knew that her safety would be in question as well. I had been in the business long enough to know what kind of women ended up in those prisons, and they were the same kind that would eat Josie up and spit her back out. She wasn’t built for jail, and she definitely wouldn’t end up being one of those girls that hardened up and made it through. I was already worried about her, and she was only in the city jail, not prison.
We kept working until it was time to go to the hearing, passing out assignments to the team and adding things to our defense. This was going to be a seriously tricky case, and although I had full confidence in our abilities, I knew there was no room for mistakes. One wrong move and Josie would spend the rest of her life beyond bars.
I just couldn’t let that happen.
Chapter 20
Josie
I walked forward through the doors at the back of the courtroom and across the floor. My hands were cuffed at the wrists, and they had put chains around my ankles, forcing me to shuffle along in my laceless shoes. The sheriff deputy escorting me tried to be gentle, but his hands were big, and my arms were already raw from all the people pushing and pulling me around. My teeth chattered in my mouth, even though the courthouse was considerably warmer than the cell I had been staying in. I had to grasp my hands together to keep the cuff chains from rattling since my hands were trembling. I was absolutely terrified of what was going to happen, and I was more than embarrassed to be walking into a courtroom to be tried for something that I would never have thought to do. I was not a murderer, but all of those people were going to see me that way, and that was so shameful.
I looked across the courtroom, and my eyes stopped when they met Blaine’s. My cheeks blushed at the fact that he was seeing me like this. I never thought my boyfriend would have to watch me walk across a courtroom in an orange jumpsuit, my hands and ankles shackled together, and my face bare from the lack of hygiene facilities. However, as I walked to the side, awaiting the judge, he smiled one of his big, charming smiles in my direction. Immediately, I felt my body relax a bit, and some of the tension released from the knot in my stomach.
Beyond just the fact that Blaine was seeing me this way, I was completely ashamed at the thought of so many people standing by, hearing the egregious charges pending against me. I knew that I was innocent, but they didn’t, and I couldn’t even start to think about how they would look at me from that day on. Even if I somehow got out of the charges, people would question my character for the rest of my life. I may have been down some rough roads, but this was the worst, and I just wanted it to be over.
I was ushered over to the table next to Blaine as the judge entered and took a seat. Everyone else took a seat after him, and the hearing began. The judge looked through the file for several minutes before looking up at me. He seemed to be surprised by the way I looked.
