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“Bail is set for the defendant at two hundred thousand dollars.”
“Your Honor!”Erin jumped to her feet.Two hundred grand?That was spare change to Lorenzo Coleman. Why not just give the guy a ticket out of town? “The defendant is a flight risk!”
“He’s a pillar of the community,” Lee Givens, the snake of a defense attorney fired back, on his feet now, too. “Despite the ADA’s attempt to slander my client, there is barely any evidence?—”
“There’s enough for an indictment,” she snapped. When it came to drugs in Baton Rouge, good old Lorenzo was a definite leader. The man had been running his operation for years, but the vice cops had finally gotten lucky and busted his ass when there had been a shit load of cocaine stocked in the back of his office.
And the judge wanted to let him out with a two hundred grand bail?
First Burrows, now this perp. Were the judges insane? She’d had one judge almost this bad back in Lillian.Judge Lance Harper.The man had been a nightmare for her in the courtroom. Every time she’d been forced to appear before him, her stomach had knotted with dread because sheknewthe guy would do something crazy.
“An indictment, yeah, but not enough for a conviction!” Lee’s face flushed. “My client will walk on this, he will?—”
The gavel slammed down. “Enough!” Judge Julia Went pointed the gavel at the defendant. “Surrender your passport, Mr. Coleman.”
Better than nothing, but... “Your Honor?—”
“Bail is set at two hundred thousand.” Another hit of that gavel. “We’re done here, Ms. Jerome.”
Erin gave a hard nod and tried to ignore the throbbing in her temples. She’d been in court for most of the morning, and with all the hell that had happened last night, she hadn’t gotten much sleep.
Dead on her feet—yes, that old term fit right then.
She grabbed her briefcase and shoved her files and notes inside. She’d snag lunch from one of the vendors outside, then call Jude and see what he’d found out about the blood at her house.
With one hand, she pushed open the courtroom doors. A quick nod to the guard outside and then?—
“Why are you chewing my ass, Jerome?”
Givens.
She looked heavenward, but didn’t find inspiration. Just a cracked ceiling.
“You don’t need to push this case so hard. Lorenzo is a good man, established in the community, with a family, a wife, two sons?—”
Erin marched away from him.
He followed.
She stabbed the elevator button and spared him a glance. “He’s a drug dealer.”
Givens smiled. An oily, used car salesman kind of smile. “Just because drugs were found on the premises doesn’t mean he’s a dealer...or that those drugs were even his.” His southern drawl was smooth as honey. He swept back his light brown hair and gazed at her with his falsely sincere blue eyes. “He’s a victim, he’s?—”
She snorted. “I don’t have time to listen to this bull right now.” Another case waited, and she still had to check in for a report on the Burrows killing.
The elevator doors slid open. A rush of people pushed by her, then Erin hurried inside.
The doors began to close.Bye, Givens.
He flung out his hand and had the doors easing back. “You’re new in town, Erin. Don’t go making too many enemies, too quickly.”
Her brows lifted. “That a threat?” Her voice dripped ice. Lee Givens was an attractive guy, with one of those clean-cut faces that juries loved. She had the feeling that inside, he could be a real snake. She’d always hated snakes. Back home in Lillian, she’d cut the head off more than her fair share with a handy shovel when they’d lunged at her.
“No.” His hand didn’t move. “Just some friendly advice.” He smiled at her.
Used car salesman.
No, she’d met some really nice used car salesmen in her time.
