Fatal Convictions

50

Though the result of the hearing was already a foregone conclusion, Taj Deegan ended her case by calling Detective Terri Brown to the stand. Most of Brown’s testimony was a regurgitation of facts already known to Alex. She detailed the results of her investigation and stated that the police were still exploring the funding for the Islamic Learning Center to see if there were any ties with Hezbollah. But she had found one piece of interesting information on Khalid’s work computer.

Alex sat up a little straighter, bracing himself for the worst.

“Please tell the court what you discovered,” Deegan said.

Brown looked at Judge McElroy. “We found a Google search on March 29 for Sandbridge rental properties.”

“Was one of the results pulled up during this search the listing for 112 Kingfisher Drive?”

Alex held his breath. That was the address of the property that had been rented for cash the week of Ja’dah Mahdi’s murder. The CSI teams had found trace amounts of Ja’dah’s blood on the premises.

“Yes,” Detective Brown replied. “The third property listed was 112 Kingfisher Drive.”***

After the commonwealth rested its case, Judge McElroy ordered a ten-minute recess.

Nara elbowed into the huddle at counsel table. “Put me on the stand,” she said to Alex.

“We’ve been through this,” Alex replied, his patience wearing thin. “We’re saving our case for trial. The commonwealth has already put on enough evidence to win this hearing.”

“I know that,” Nara snapped. “But after that last bit of testimony, every potential juror in Virginia Beach is going to assume that my father ordered this horrible crime.”

With good reason, Alex thought. How else do you explain it?

“We’ll make our case at trial,” Alex insisted.

Nara blew out a breath of frustration. She softened her tone. “My father could go to prison for life, Alex.”

“I know that.”

“We’ve got to make him seem human.” She was pleading now, rather than demanding. “I can do that. I can talk about my brothers, my dad’s efforts to reform the faith, how he always gave me permission to ask questions. Mahdi lied about his meeting with my father. My father would have never said that.”

“We can’t.” Alex’s tone was apologetic, but he wasn’t open to persuasion. “I’m sorry.”

Khalid took a half step forward, his voice hushed. “Alex is calling the shots here,” he said to Nara, putting his hand gently on her arm. “Fatih did lie. But we have to trust our lawyers to expose those lies at the proper time.”

Nara started to say something but apparently thought better of it. Her dark eyes glowered at Alex, her lips pursed in frustration. “Your call,” she said to Alex. “But I’ll be sitting right here in the front row if you need me.”

Don’t hold your breath.

“Thanks,” Alex said.***

When court reconvened, Alex told Judge McElroy that the defense did not intend to call any witnesses. As soon as Alex sat down, McElroy issued his ruling.

“The court finds probable cause for both counts of conspiracy to commit murder,” he said. “My clerk will be calling counsel to coordinate a trial date.”

After court was adjourned and Alex started packing his bags, Nara moved close enough so only he could hear.

“Are we ever going to fight back?” she asked.

Alex didn’t need this. There were lots of people gunning for him already. Why couldn’t his own client’s daughter trust him?

“At trial,” he said. Nara stared at him, and Alex stopped packing. He glanced up at her. “Let me do my job.”

“And let me help,” Nara replied.

Alex fought the urge to lash out at her. She undoubtedly meant well. “Now’s not the time to have this discussion,” he said.***

That night, Alex went for a long walk on the Virginia Beach boardwalk, losing himself in a mass of summer tourists. The adrenaline from the hearing had long ago seeped out of his body, leaving him spent and emotionally raw.

What if Khalid is guilty? Criminal defense lawyers weren’t supposed to ask those questions, but how could he help it? Taj Deegan had two text messages from Khalid’s phone ordering the deaths. There was a one-word confirmation back from the killer. Prior to the killings, Khalid had used his computer to search for the rental property in Sandbridge where Ja’dah’s beheading had occurred.

After the hearing, Khalid had assured Alex that he didn’t know anything about the Google search. Was he lying? Just because Khalid was a committed reformer didn’t mean he was innocent. If everything kept pointing back to Khalid, how could Alex keep defending him?

Somebody had ordered the beheading of Ja’dah Mahdi and this other young woman in California as well as the slow and painful murder of Martin Burns. Whoever it was deserved to die.

How did I get myself into this mess? Alex wondered. Things had seemed so much more black and white when he was reading law under his grandfather’s supervision.