Accused

THIRTY-EIGHT

"Justice is served one person at a time."

The church pews in front of Scott were crowded with hundreds of state and federal judges from across the country. They had shown up en masse just as the police do when one of their own dies in the line of duty. Judge Sam Buford had died on the bench. His body lay in the casket in front of the podium where Scott now stood. Scott knew this day was coming, but he still was not prepared for it. He now struggled to read his notes through his tears.

"Sam Buford was a husband, a father, a grandfather, a brother, a friend, a lawyer, a judge… and my hero. I was fortunate to know him, and I hope you knew him, too. Sam Buford was a man worth knowing.

"Judge Buford taught me the most important lesson a lawyer can learn, the lesson a lawyer must learn to be a good lawyer: justice is not something you read about in law books. It's something you live. It is a lawyer's role in life. It was Sam Buford's life. He served justice one person at a time, every day of his life."

Scott gestured at the casket.

"There lies a great man. Not a rich man or a famous man, but a man who cared. A man who made our lives better. Fairer. The world knew Sam Buford was here."

At the reception, Scott met Judge Buford's two children and five grandchildren. He shook hands with lawyers he hadn't seen in years. And he ran into Dan Ford.

"Jesus, Scotty, what the hell were you thinking? Representing Rebecca for murdering Trey?"

"She's innocent."

"She's broke. You're working for free again." Dan shook his head. "Another lost cause, Scotty?"

Probably.

"Hard to believe," Dan said. "Two years ago, she was living in a Highland Park mansion… two weeks from now, she could be living in the women's prison. Leaving you didn't work out so well for her. She really use cocaine?"

Scott nodded.

"You're lucky she left you."

Dan gave him a fatherly pat on the shoulder, as if consoling a son who had lost a ball game.

"Heard Buford put you up as his replacement?"

Scott nodded again.

"One million versus one hundred sixty-nine thousand. Seems like a no-brainer for a lawyer."

"Not this lawyer."

"Think of your girls, Scotty, what's best for them."

"Always."

Dan looked around. "Nice crowd. Last funeral I attended was Mack's, a year ago. I was his executor, took the statutory three percent fee-twenty-four million. Boy, that was a nice windfall for the firm."

"Even prostate cancer has a silver lining, huh, Dan?"

"I worked for Mack for forty years. With Clark dead, his entire estate went to Jean. She was only married to him for eleven years-why should she get it all? Hell, she still took home over seven hundred million. That's not a bad take for eleven years. I hear the trial's going to be televised."

"The judge wants to move up in the world."

"Well, he-"

"She."

"A female judge? Shit, that's bad luck. Well, she'd better be careful. Having everything you say in court broadcast on cable for the entire country to hear, that can come back and bite you in the butt."

"Fortunately, I have a nice butt."

Judge Morgan had walked up behind them. When Dan turned and took her in, his eyes lit up as if she were a billionaire looking for a lawyer.

"Dan," Scott said, "this is Judge Shelby Morgan. Judge, this is Dan Ford, senior partner at Ford Stevens."

"Ford Fenney," Dan said, "if Scott will succumb to my charms… and money."

"I didn't know you were coming up for the funeral, Judge," Scott said.

"Wouldn't miss it. The legal event of the year. You want to share a cab to the airport?"

"I'll find you in half an hour."

The judge walked away to Dan's admiring eye.

"That'd be a nice butt to bite."

But Dan's mind soon returned to his two favorites subjects: law and money.

"Think about it, Scotty-Ford Fenney."

"Dan, all I've thought about the last six weeks has been this murder trial."

"Messy."

"More than you can imagine."

"Ex-wives are like that."

"Bourbon on the rocks," Judge Morgan said to the flight attendant. "A double."

"Bottled water," Scott said.

He leaned back and loosened his tie. They had shared a cab to Dallas Love Field and now sat side by side on the six o'clock flight back to Houston. Most passengers were forgoing the flight attendant's offer of water, coffee, or orange juice in favor of something stronger. Including the judge.

"Funerals depress me," she said.

The flight attendant returned with napkins and a water for Scott and a plastic cup filled with ice and two miniature bottles of bourbon for the judge.

"Thank God."

She twisted the tops off both like an experienced pro and poured the liquor over the ice. She drank half down then inhaled and exhaled slowly. Her face flushed pink when the alcohol hit her system. It only made her more attractive.

"That was a nice eulogy, Scott. You knew him well?"

"I did."

"And he wanted you to take his place?"

"He did."

She finished off the drink and motioned to the flight attendant for a refill.

"Now politics are standing in your way."

"I have options."

"Ford Fenney. Name partner at one of the richest law firms in Texas-most lawyers would jump on that option."

The flight attendant arrived with another cup of ice and two more miniature bottles of bourbon. The judge fixed her drink.

"You been to the FBI yet?" she said.

"What for?"

"Fingerprints, criminal background check."

"No point. The job's yours."

She held her hands up and spread her fingers. "I've never been fingerprinted. When they fingerprinted your wife, did the ink ruin her nails?"

"Weren't you fingerprinted when you were elected state court judge?"

She shook her head. "State court judges don't have to pass criminal background checks, just get elected. But I'll pass. I've never been arrested, not even in college."

"You'd really move to Dallas to be a federal judge? Dallas is a lot bigger city than Galveston, we've got congestion and crime and-"

"Neiman Marcus. I love that store."

"Then you'll love Dallas."

"And the Cowboys. I tried out to be a Cowboy cheerleader, back in college. I was a cheerleader at UT, all four years."

"You like football?"

"I like football players." She gave him a look; she still had that coed twinkle in her eyes. "Even ex-football players."

"Once a cheerleader, always a cheerleader."

"Like your wife."

"Ex-wife."

She shook her head. "I still can't believe you're defending her. You must really love her." She paused, and the twinkle faded from her eyes. "I never had a man love me like that."

"Maybe you never loved a man like that."

"You think she ever loved you like that?"

The last two years, he had asked himself the same question. Often. He now felt the judge studying him. She's the judge-think like a lawyer.

"I think she's innocent."

"I hope for your career's sake she is." She downed her drink. "Anyway, back to me. I didn't make the Cowboys cheerleader squad, so I went to law school. But five years in Dallas will pass fast, then I'll move to Washington and you can have my bench."

"Five years?"

She nodded. "I want to be U.S. attorney general. I'm too young now, so I figure five years on the federal bench, a few high-profile cases, I'll be ready to move up."

"A woman with a plan."

"You know what they call a woman without a plan?… A wife."

She downed the second drink and leaned her head back.

"All I need from a man is sex." She cut her eyes to Scott. "You interested in trying out for the position?"

Scott's face must have betrayed his thoughts. She chuckled.

"Don't be shocked, Scott. Sex is about recreation, not procreation. I'm a woman who knows what she wants and takes it."

Her blue eyes were at half-mast. She was only two years older than Scott but she looked ten years younger. She appeared lean and fit in her business suit with the skirt hiked up mid-thigh. Every pore on her body oozed sensuality. She caught Scott looking at her and winked at him. First Renee, now the judge.

"Aren't there any eligible men on the Island?"

"None I want sweating over me." She smiled. "That was you on Renee's tape, wasn't it?"

"Tell her to stop those 'Murder on the Beach' reports."

"She wants a network job."

"She may get more than she bargained for."

"How so?"

"At the trial."

"Oh. That should be fun, lots of TV exposure."

"Those are bright lights."

"Scott, I've been waiting all my life for my moment in the lights."

She leaned into him and put her hand on his thigh. Her scent had a higher alcohol content than the bourbon she was drinking. Scott breathed her in.

"So, Scott, you considering my offer?"

It was an attractive offer, like Ford Fenney. But both offers had downsides.

"Judge, we're in the middle of a murder trial."

"I promise not to talk about the case or Trey. In fact, I promise not to talk at all… unless you want me to." She winked. "You need some excitement in your life, Scott, I can tell. You need some fun. Man fun." She patted his leg, and he felt the heat rise. "You think about it while I go to the little girl's room."

She moved the four empty bourbon bottles to Scott's tray table, secured her tray to the seat in front, and pushed herself up then stumbled down the aisle holding her glass aloft. Scott couldn't help but look after her; the skirt was snug around her bottom. It was a very nice bottom. Judge Shelby Morgan was an incredibly sexy woman. And no doubt sex with her would be fun. Man fun.

He was like those other lawyers at Ford Stevens now-his only fun was father fun. Watching Pajamae play basketball, going on field trips with her and Boo, having lunch with them once a week at school, playing on the beach this summer with them-that was good fun. Fatherly fun. But sometimes a man needed the other kind of fun, the kind of fun that involved a sexy woman like Shelby Morgan… or Rebecca Fenney… or Tess McBride… or-

Scott sat up straight in his seat.

Judge Morgan lived three houses down from Trey Rawlins. She had just referred to him as "Trey." Not as "Mr. Rawlins." Not as "the victim." But as "Trey." As if she had known him. Personally.

Scott's eyes dropped to the empty bourbon bottles.